text:
Top Items:
The New Yorker / Culture Desk:
Cover Story: Barry Blitt's "Playing in Traffic" — "I'm hoping this cartoon diverts a lot of traffic to my Web site," Barry Blitt says about "Playing in Traffic," the image of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie that he penned for next week's cover. — KEYWORDS - CHRIS CHRISTIE; - COVERS
Charles Johnson / Little Green Footballs: The New Yorker's Christie Cover: "Playing in Traffic"
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Day's End and Weekend Watch
Pamela Leavey / The Democratic Daily: The New Yorker Hits Christie with Hard Cover
Andrew Stiles / National Review: The Obama and Christie Scandals
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo: The New Yorker Nails Its Cover On 'Bridgegate' By Going Small (PHOTO)
Rebecca Fishbein / Gothamist: Next Week's New Yorker Cover Skewers Christie's George Washington Bridge Fiasco
Brent Johnson / New Jersey Online: Chris Christie and the bridge scandal land on cover of The New Yorker
Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider: Rachel Maddow Has A Totally Different Theory About Chris Christie's Bridge Scandal
New York Times:
Bridge Scandal Documents Indicate Effort to Hide Political Motive — Officials loyal to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey went to elaborate means to make it appear that the September closing of lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J., was part of a traffic study …
Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Port Authority Chief Warned That Bridge Lane Closures Were Illegal — Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye wrote an impassioned email to the general manager of the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 13, arguing that lane closures that spiraled into a major scandal this week were illegal.
Discussion: Hot Air, Post Politics, Politico and Liberaland
Philip Rucker / Post Politics: New documents show extensive N.J. coverup
Eric Lach / Talking Points Memo:
NJ Senate President Rejects Maddow's Alternate Bridge Scandal Theory — New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D) on Friday dismissed an alternate theory that was floated by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow about the George Washington Bridge scandal. — "That's a real conspiracy thing, right?"
Halimah Abdullah / CNN:
Documents: Christie appointees stonewalled queries into lane closures
Documents: Christie appointees stonewalled queries into lane closures
Discussion: The Lead with Jake Tapper and TalkLeft
An alternate theory of the Christie scandal
An alternate theory of the Christie scandal
Discussion: The Fix, Firedoglake, Real Clear Politics and NorthJersey.com
Chris Cillizza / The Fix: 5 big unanswered questions in Bridge-gate
DSWright / Firedoglake: Christie: The Weinberg Theory
Herb Jackson / NorthJersey.com:
U.S. Senator says he'll hold off on GWB hearings if federal probe ensues
U.S. Senator says he'll hold off on GWB hearings if federal probe ensues
Discussion: Politico, The Hill, Talking Points Memo and Capital New York
Kevin Robillard / Politico: Bridge scandal opens lane for Port Authority critics
Mario Trujillo / The Hill: Rockefeller to hold off on Christie bridge hearings
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo: Senate Transportation Committee Chair Leaving Bridge Scandal To Prosecutors
Dana Rubinstein / Capital New York: Christie scandal highlights Port mess
Steve Benen / msnbc.com:
At the heart of the scandal — It's no longer in dispute …
At the heart of the scandal — It's no longer in dispute …
Discussion: Shakesville, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNN and Talking Points Memo
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: Rachel Maddow: An Alternate Theory of the Christie Scandal
Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog: HE REALLY SHOULD HAVE GONE FOR "CROOK" — Paul Begala at CNN.com:
Catherine E. Shoichet / CNN:
Fort Lee mayor takes more measured tone after meeting with Christie
Fort Lee mayor takes more measured tone after meeting with Christie
Discussion: The Fix, Politico, Washington Post, The Hill and ImmigrationProf Blog
Sean Sullivan / The Fix: Six names you need to know in the New Jersey Bridge-gate scandal
Tyler Durden / Zero Hedge:
People Not In Labor Force Soar To Record 91.8 Million; Participation Rate Plunges To 1978 Levels — Curious why despite the huge miss in payrolls the unemployment rate tumbled from 7.0% to 6.7%? The reason is because in December the civilian labor force did what it usually does in the New Normal …
Bird Dog / Maggie's Farm: The bad news — Via Zero Hedge:
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit: Another Obama Success Story - For Every One Job Created, Nearly Five Left the Workforce
Roger L Simon / Roger L. Simon: Who Needs Ayn Rand? America Has Already Gone John Galt
Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain: Joblessness at Record Levels; So Why Does @BDayspring Still Have a Job?
James Pethokoukis / AEIdeas:
Don't blame the weather for the dreadful December job report
Don't blame the weather for the dreadful December job report
Discussion: MoneyBeat, Ricochet Conversations Feed and Hot Air
King Banaian / Ricochet Conversations Feed: Swing and a Miss on Employment
Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:
Growth in Jobs Slows Sharply To 3-Year Low
Growth in Jobs Slows Sharply To 3-Year Low
Discussion: Economix, Outside the Beltway, Reuters, The Hugh Hewitt Show and National Review
Binyamin Appelbaum / Economix: The Employment Rate's New Normal
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: December Jobs Report Comes In Way Off Estimates, 300,000+ Leave Labor Force
Lucia Mutikani / Reuters: U.S. job growth weakest in three years
Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show: How Obamacare Killed The Jobs Market
Mona Charen / National Review: Jobs and National Character
Sean Davis / The Federalist:
Thank Labor Force Dropouts, Not New Jobs, For A Falling Unemployment Rate
Thank Labor Force Dropouts, Not New Jobs, For A Falling Unemployment Rate
Discussion: NO QUARTER USA NET, Hot Air, TheBlaze.com, Weasel Zippers and The Right Scoop
Larry Johnson / NO QUARTER USA NET: Obama's Continuing Economic Disaster
Meredith Jessup / TheBlaze.com: The falling unemployment rate explained in one handy chart
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: Chart: Labor Force Dropouts Solely Responsible For Drop In Official Unemployment Rate...
Crisis In West Virginia: Wal-Mart Calls In Police To Guard Bottled Water Delivery — Residents of South Charleston, W.Va., wait in line at Kroger to buy water following a chemical spill on the Elk River that compromised the public water supply of eight counties on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014.
Discussion: New York Times and Liberaland
Ashley Southalljan / New York Times: Chemical Spill Fouls Water in West Virginia
Dave-Dr-Gonzo / Liberaland: WV Water Crisis Worsens; Walmart Calls Cops To Guard Bottled Water Shipment
New York Times:
Chemical Spill Leaves Thousands Without Water in West Virginia
Chemical Spill Leaves Thousands Without Water in West Virginia
Becky Bratu / NBCNews:
West Virginia chemical spill cuts water to up to 300,000, state of emergency declared
West Virginia chemical spill cuts water to up to 300,000, state of emergency declared
Discussion: msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, CBS News, WSAZ-TV and The Raw Story
Ned Resnikoff / msnbc.com: West Virginia chemical spill leaves 300,000 without clean water
ThinkProgress: The 6 Most Terrifying Facts About The Chemical Spill Contaminating West Virginia's Drinking Water
Ed Payne / CNN:
West Virginia chemical spill contaminates water in 9 counties
West Virginia chemical spill contaminates water in 9 counties
Discussion: Mediaite, Charleston Gazette, The Lead with Jake Tapper, crooksandliars.com/user/33 and Balloon Juice
Jake Tapper / The Lead with Jake Tapper: Manchin: The culprit of this chemical leak will be held responsible
Diane Sweet / crooksandliars.com/user/33: 300,000 Without Water After Coal Industry Chemical Spill In W. Virginia
David Weigel / Slate:
The Funniest Part of Robert Gates' Very Serious New Memoir — My colleague John Dickerson has already analyzed former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' memoir Duty; I'm punching my way through it. Present at the Creation this ain't. Gates is a matter-of-fact, frills-free writer …
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Liberal Self-Identification Edges Up to New High in 2013 — Fifteen-percentage-point conservative advantage ties as smallest to date — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans continue to be more likely to identify as conservatives (38%) than as liberals (23%). But the conservative advantage …
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: Gallup: Conservatives Still Largest Self-Identified Political Group In America, Number of Liberals Jumps To New High...
Kate Milani / Washington Wire: Poll: Americans Identifying as Liberal Hits High
GottaLaff / The Political Carnival: More identify as liberals, leaving conservatives with smallest advantage in 20 years
Scott Clement / The Fix: Poll: 'Liberal' no longer a dirty word
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion: Liberal self-identification surges! (up 1 pt since 2008)
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo: Poll: Americans Identifying As Liberal Reaches New High
Jon Walker / Firedoglake: Liberals Are on the Rise
Lucy McCalmont / Politico: Gallup poll: Liberal self ID at record high
Adam O'Neal / Real Clear Politics: Gallup: Number of Liberals Hits New High
Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
The cause of partisan bitterness? Competent political competition
The cause of partisan bitterness? Competent political competition
Discussion: The Monkey Cage
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Beyond Polarization to Warfare — At WaPo's Monkey Cage subsite today, there's an important piece by University of Texas political scientist Sean Theriault that gets to a distinction in political attitudes that some of us have been trying to articulate ever since the radicalization of one of our two major parties occurred:
Discussion: his vorpal sword
Hart Williams / his vorpal sword: The New Civil War is already underway ...
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House Dems break ranks with the White House on ObamaCare vote — Dozens of House Democrats broke ranks with President Obama on Friday to support legislation that would require people to be notified of security breaches under ObamaCare. — The House passed the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act …
Discussion: Hot Air, Politico, CNN and The Gateway Pundit
Mary Katharine Ham / Hot Air: More than 60 Democrats defy White House, vote for Obamacare security transparency bill
Paige Winfield Cunningham / Politico: House passes Obamacare security measure
Deirdre Walsh / CNN: House passes Obamacare website security bill
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
U.S. to Recognize Utah Gay Marriages Despite State Stance — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday said that it would recognize as lawful the marriages of 1,300 same-sex couples in Utah, even though the state government is refusing to do so. — Wading into the fast-moving legal battle …
Sunnivie Brydum / Advocate: BREAKING: Federal Government Will Recognize Utah Same-Sex Marriages
John Gallagher / Queerty: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder: Don't Listen To Utah. We'll Recognize Your Marriage
Ryan T. Anderson / The Heritage Foundation: Obama Team's Recognition of Utah Same-Sex Marriages Shows Need for State Marriage Defense Act
David Ferguson / The Raw Story: Federal government will recognize Utah same-sex marriages even if state won't
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: Utah Will Not Recognize Same-Sex Marriages Performed Before Stay Issued
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice: Obama Administration Will Grant Benefits To Married Gay Couples In Utah
Breaking: Obama administration will recognize same-sex marriages in Utah
Breaking: Obama administration will recognize same-sex marriages in Utah
Discussion: Washington Blade, Politico, Weasel Zippers and PostPartisan
Chris Johnson / Washington Blade: Obama admin to recognize Utah same-sex marriages
Josh Gerstein / Politico: Obama administration to recognize Utah same-sex marriages
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: BREAKING: Obama Regime To Recognize Gay Weddings In Utah Despite State Putting Its Own Recognition …
Jonathan Capehart / PostPartisan: Justice Dept. makes the right decision on same-sex marriage in Utah
Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Obama Administration To Recognize Utah Same-Sex Couples' Marriages
Obama Administration To Recognize Utah Same-Sex Couples' Marriages
Discussion: Washington Blade and ThinkProgress
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Georgia GOPer Attacking Free School Lunch Expensed $4,200 In Meals — Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) warned that there's "no such thing as free lunch" for school children in Georgia, but he seems to have enjoyed a few. — An investigation by Georgia's WSAV channel 3 found that Kingston …
Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Raw Story
Congressional Free Lunch?
Congressional Free Lunch?
Discussion: The Huffington Post, Mediaite and Riehl World News
Ashley Alman / The Huffington Post: Jack Kingston Says There's 'No Such Thing As Free Lunch,' But Gets Free Lunch All The Time
Andrew Kirell / Mediaite: Local NBC Station Exposes GOP Rep's Taxpayer-Funded Lunches After He Says 'No Such Thing as a Free Lunch'
Paul Krugman:
The Medicaid Cure — Something really interesting is happening on the health-care front: costs are rising much less rapidly than anyone expected. This is good news for the budget; it's also good news for Obamacare. There was much skepticism about promises that health reform would …
Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Salon and Washington Center …
Scott Lemieux / Lawyers, Guns & Money: The Arkansas Medicaid Expansion and the Circular Firing Squad
Brian Beutler / Salon: Most important political news this week: New report kills GOP's radical agenda
Rachel Maddow / PolitiFact:
Rachel Maddow claims Florida group that backs drug-testing welfare recipients is affiliated with Koch brothers — PunditFact isn't always the first to weigh in on the tit-for-tat of cable news shows, in part because the nature of our work requires more than claims and counterclaims.
Discussion: his vorpal sword, Weekly Standard, Politico, NewsBusters blogs, National Review, Erik Wemple and Power Line
Hart Williams / his vorpal sword: PolitiFact Fiction and the Brothers Koch
Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters blogs: PolitiFact Rates Maddow's Recent Smear of Koch Brothers 'Mostly False'
Andrew Johnson / National Review: PunditFact: Maddow's Koch Bros. Accusations 'Mostly False'
Scott Johnson / Power Line: Lame but not crazy too — How does a member of the mainstream …
Fox News:
Christie crackdown ups scrutiny over Obama's scandal response — While New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is getting hammered over a close aide's involvement in snarling traffic as an apparent act of political retribution, he's nevertheless set himself apart from the Obama administration in his response to scandal.
Discussion: Daily Kos
Fox News:
State Department names groups behind Benghazi strike
State Department names groups behind Benghazi strike
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
US Department of State:
Terrorist Designations of Three Ansar al-Shari'a Organizations and Leaders
Terrorist Designations of Three Ansar al-Shari'a Organizations and Leaders
Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Long War Journal, The Jawa Report, Washington Free Beacon and National Review
Thomas Joscelyn / Weekly Standard: Al Qaeda-Affiliated Group Assaulted U.S. Embassy in Tunis
Thomas Joscelyn / The Long War Journal: State Department designates 3 Ansar al Sharia organizations, leaders
Rusty Shackleford, Ph.D. / The Jawa Report: State Department Lists Benghazi Attackers as "Terrorists", Nullifying Earlier Stance that the Attack …
Washington Free Beacon: State Dept. Designates Three Branches of Ansar al-Sharia as Terrorist Organizations
Byron Tau / Politico:
Supreme Court to mull right to lie in political ads — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case delving into the government's right to police alleged lies in political advertising. — The high court announced Friday afternoon that it will take up a lawsuit filed by Susan B. Anthony List …
Josh Feldman / Mediaite: Supreme Court Will Tackle Case on Whether It's Okay to Lie in Political Ads
Campaign Lies Are Common, But Are They Actionable?
Campaign Lies Are Common, But Are They Actionable?
Discussion: Election Law Blog
Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post:
White House Dares Democratic Senators Pushing Iran Sanctions To Admit They Want War — WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday challenged a group of senators to admit they are working to push the country toward war with Iran, upping the tension between the administration and Senate advocates …
Discussion: CNN, Washington Free Beacon, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, LobeLog.com, Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Booman Tribune
Washington Free Beacon: Reporter to Carney: Why Is White House Accusing Democrats of Wanting to Go to War?
Ron Kampeas / Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Iran sanctions have majority backing in Senate, but not enough to override veto
Meteor Blades / Daily Kos: White House challenges Democratic Senators who want more Iran sanctions to admit they want war
ThinkProgress: White House Challenges Congress: 'Be Up Front With The American Public' On War With Iran
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard: White House Defends Accusing Democrats of Wanting to Go to War With Iran
Erika Johnsen / Hot Air: Reports: Senate's Iranian sanctions bill approaching a veto-proof majority?
BooMan / Booman Tribune: Bob Menendez is a Problem
Washington Post:
Obama administration to end contract with CGI Federal, company behind HealthCare.gov — The Obama administration has decided to jettison CGI Federal, the main IT contractor that was responsible for building the defect-ridden online health insurance marketplace and has been immersed in the work …
Discussion: Hot Air, The Verge, Hit & Run, ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers and National Review
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: WH dumps CGI Federal over Healthcare.gov disaster
Adrianne Jeffries / The Verge: White House reportedly dumps main Healthcare.gov contractor
Peter Suderman / Hit & Run: Federal Government to Switch Obamacare Tech Contractors
Patrick Howley / The Daily Caller: Administration fires Obamacare website contractor
Greg Pollowitz / National Review: Team Obama Ends Contract with CGI Federal


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Does menopause make you lose your memory or is this just a myth after all?
Tests carried out on 16 young women during their menstrual cycle showed that levels of recollection were constant throughout.
During the mid-luteal phase (with high oestrogen levels), the women did better on tests that didn't rely on recalling specific events or objects than they did during the early follicular stage, when hormone levels are lower (Neuropsychologia, 2002; 40: 518-29).
* At Scripps Institute in California, other scientists have found, at least in rats, that the male hormone testosterone on its own or with oestrogen, rather than oestrogen alone, may be important in preventing Alzheimer's.
Testosterone appears to prevent some of the protein abnormalities causing the neurofibrillary tangles found in the brain of Alzheimer's patients (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2002; 99: 1140-5).

subset: commoncrawl


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HTC: Blame our troubles on lack of marketing
Smartphone maker says 2012 was a tough year but believes that 2013 will be much better.
HTC will go aggressive in 2013.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published today, HTC CEO Peter Chou said that he believes the "worst for HTC has probably passed." But how did the "worst" even come about? Chou believes it can be directly attributed to marketing.
"Our competitors were too strong and very resourceful, pouring in lots of money into marketing," Chou said of HTC's struggles last year. "We haven't done enough on the marketing front."
HTC had a strong 2011, making the company feel awfully confident going into 2012. However, sales started to fall and its market share dropped along with them. Meanwhile, HTC's earnings were hit hard, prompting shareholders to worry that the company can't swing a turnaround.
In an interview with CNET back in September, Jan Dawson, an analyst at research firm Ovum, said that "it will be really hard for HTC to get back to where it was before in terms of shipments and profits." During the third quarter of 2012, HTC owned just 4 percent of the global smartphone market -- a far cry from the 31 percent share Samsung had during the same period. IDC noted at that time that HTC's shipments were down a whopping 42.5 percent year over year.
Simply saying that marketing will help HTC isn't enough to turn a company around. But the company does have a plan.
Jason MacKenzie, HTC's head of sales and marketing, told CNET in September that his company will focus less on joint marketing with carriers and will allow its own advertising efforts to stand on their own. The company will also focus on product advantages, leverage social media, and seek endorsement deals with celebrities.
"We've got a great product. When I demo the camera, I always get a 'wow' reaction," MacKenzie said. "We need to deliver that 'wow' in our communication."
Chou believes HTC must deliver "unique products that appeal to consumers." It also wouldn't hurt, he told the WSJ, "to act fast and be responsive to market changes."
Mobile Guides
Foldable Phones
Mobile Accessories
Wireless Plans


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Gatefold black vinyl version. All the important elements of PHASE REVERSE's sound, as defined in the first two albums "Phase
Reverse" (2009, self financed – 2011, Aural Music) and "Phase II: And Man Created God" (2013, The Leaders) are ever present, but also enriched with a large variety of new ones. All tunes are unique and different from each other, making "Youniverse" an easy listening as well as an artistically interesting album, that contains everything from Monster Magnet-like psychedelic trips and AC/DC-influenced rock'n'roll riffing, to heavy Black Label Society-meets-Dimebag Darrel guitar-work and stunning Black Sabbath-fuelled moments. The clean and powerful production, combined with the band's high-level musicianship give the extra touches needed for a current metal album of high artistic and technical standards.
Phase Reverse – Phase III: Youniverse (Black LP)
Gatefold black vinyl version. All the important elements of PHASE REVERSE's sound, as defined in the first two albums "Phase
Track List
Time remaining:
Track List
Side A:
- Downfall
- Theory Of Strain
- Milgram
- Youniverse
- Time Reverses Time
Side B:
- Acheron's Deep
- Thrill Of It All
- Whistle Pig
- Keep My Motor Running
- Synesthesia
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Melodic Hard Rock
Outloud – Destination : Overdrive The Best Of Outloud (Black LP)


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Neverwinter 2015
We're proud to announce Neverwinter: Strongholds, the seventh expansion of the game, which sees players join with their guild to claim an abandoned keep from the wild and build it back into its former glory on the largest map in Neverwinter.
Guilds have been a cornerstone of Neverwinter since its inception, which provided players the opportunity to unite under a single name, socialize with like-minded adventurers and aid each other in times of need. It is only fitting that the walls of a mighty stronghold would house the very members of your guild, or fall to crush them.
Reminiscent of early Dungeons & Dragons lore, Neverwinter: Strongholds empowers guilds to reclaim a keep and its surrounding areas that have been overrun by the wild. As the lands are cleared, guilds will build defenses both in and around their strongholds using structures like barracks and additional troops armed to protect the keep. Once the keep has been secured, guilds will have to battle against the environment as well as other players to ensure they maintain control of their lands.
In the weeks to come, we'll provide more information about this brand new module, including detailed looks at strongholds and other non-stronghold related content.
In the spirit of strongholds, we'll provide a wallpaper of our key art if our official trailer below gets over 100, 000 views.


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Ruth Handler (1916)close
Ruth Handler was born in Denver, Colorado. In 1945, she and her husband Elliot established a small business enterprise, calling it Mattel Creations. In 1959, she created the Barbie Doll, naming it after her daughter. It was an instant success. More than 1 billion Barbies have been sold since 1959, making it the best-selling toy in history. Today, Mattel is one of the world's largest toy manufacturers.
Click on any of the names below to find out more...
Looking for a famous American?
This page presents short biographies of more than 200 famous Americans drawn from our unit, "The 50 States." These personalities are arranged by theme.
Just click a theme at the top of the page to view a selection list for that theme.
African Americans:
|Gutzon Borglum
|Walt Disney
|Jabez Gorham
|Matt Groening
|William Hanna
|Marsden Hartley
|Winslow Homer
|Peter Hurd
|Hank Ketcham
|Bill Mauldin
|Jackson Pollock
|Howard Pyle
|Norman Rockwell
|Charles Schulz
|Gilbert Stuart
|Frank Lloyd Wright
|Andrew Wyeth
Business Leaders:
National "Characters":
|Phineas Taylor "P.T." Barnum
|Clyde Barrow
|John Wilkes Booth
|Butch Cassidy
|William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
|Davy Crockett
|Jesse James
|Evel Knievel
|Harland David "Colonel" Sanders
|Jefferson R. "Soapy" Smith
Cultural Figures:
|Benny Benson
|Sitting Bull
|Cesar Chavez
|John Dewey
|Crazy Horse
|Jesse Jackson
|Chief Joseph
|Martin Luther King, Jr.
|Queen Lydia Liliuokalani
|Russell Means
|Elizabeth Peratrovich
|Chief Washakie
|Booker T. Washington
|Jack Wilson Wovoka
Pioneers and "Firsts":
Politicians & Activists:
Sports Figures:
|Hank Aaron
|Andre Agassi
|Danny Ainge
|Johnny Bench
|Yogi Berra
|Paul "Bear" Bryant
|Dale Earnhart
|Lou Gehrig
|Eric Heiden
|Michael Jordan
|Evel Knievel
|Phil Knight
|Joe Reddington
|Mary Lou Retton
|Picabo Street
|Jesse Ventura
|Jerry West
Accomplished Women:
Writers & Poets:


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Outstanding Decision-Maker
Your organisation has formal processes in place, and displays excellent behaviours and smart metrics to enable quality decision-making. You've done your homework by developing feedback loops for continuous learning that i's also buttressed by high quality data and digital tools. Yet whilst due diligence is prioritised, there's a risk that accuracy comes at the expense of timely decision-making, and agility is muted by formality. For even better outcomes, consider how to build greater agility and efficiency into your decisions, perhaps by empowering people more.


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1-on-1 Business Counseling
Personal Business Guidance and Support to Rev Up Your Progress, Break Through Blocks and Get You Back on Track
- Not making enough money and need to know how to change that?
- Are prospects always telling you, "that's too expensive/costs too much!"
- Are you working with clients who drain you, but you're afraid of losing the money?
- Need some direction on what to do to get back on track with your business and marketing?
- Want some spot support, not a long-term program?
- Are you new in business, overwhelmed with info and don't know where to focus or what to start working on first?
- Are you working like a dog and STILL not making enough money?
First, I want you to know there is nothing wrong with you. Growing a business is a journey! It's easy for us Administrative Consultants to help our clients and see what needs to be done for them, but it can be really tough to see our own blind spots and obstacles to success. Even I need the help and guidance of my own mentors and advisors on occasion.
It's a common phenomenon, sort of a "can't see the forest for the trees" kind of thing. We're simply too close to our own businesses to clearly see the issues that might be holding us back, taking us off-course and impeding our path to success.
I can help you get back on track with quick, expert guidance.
I help people become well-earning experts and leaders of their own business as Administrative Consultants.
You'll get some clarity and a good measure of coaching along with practical advice and guidance about what to focus on and do next so that you can get un-stuck and start moving forward again in your business with renewed vision and energy!
I'll be asking you some targeted questions, taking a look at your biz set-up and website, and then giving you some concrete steps, tasks and/or strategies to make improvements and start seeing more results.
What Qualifies Me to Help You
I have an administrative background spanning over 30 years. I've been in this business since 1997 (longer if you want to count the years prior to officially taking out my business license). I have a proven track record of helping others all around the world find success and financial reward in this profession since 2004.
Who I Work With
- I work strictly with those who are specifically in the business of administrative support.
- I work with Administrative Consultants and those who want to become Administrative Consultants.
- I work with professionals who are serious about their business and fully committed to making it a success.
- Those who are passionate, determined and ready to do the work and whatever it takes.
- Those who are ready to stop being (and calling themselves) assistants and become well-earning experts and leaders of their own business as Administrative Consultants.
Who I Can't Help
- Anyone who is not serious about their business and only dabbling in it as a hobby or side money.
- Anyone who has not already done their own homework and fully studied, researched and read the ACA website, blog and resources.
- Anyone who is not in the business of administrative support. If you are or want to be a web designer or marketing pro or social media consultant, etc., I cannot help you. Those are different fields altogether and you need to look to those professions for guidance.
- Anyone who is running or wants to build a "virtual staffing" or "team" based model. I strictly help those in the business of providing one-on-one administrative support to clients they work with in ongoing, collaborative partnering relationships.
- Anyone who isn't ready, willing and able to do the work.
- Anyone who is stuck in assistant mentality.
Cost & Details
- An individual 2-hour session is $149.
- Sessions are conducted by phone.
- Sessions are held on Tuesdays only between the hours of 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (U.S. Pacific Time)
- Only 4-5 spots will be filled per month (one per Tuesday), so first come, first served.
- These slots go pretty quickly (I'm usually booked a month in advance) so it's best to reserve your spot by getting your submission form and payment in immediately.
What You Get
- Up to two hours of my undivided attention during our session.
- My candid, considered and qualified advice and recommendations (based on my vast experience and expertise in this field) for moving forward, finding direction and getting un-stuck.
- An audio recording of our session so you can re-listen any time you want a refresher.
- A email recap/summary of our call and my recommended next steps and strategy for moving forward.
- A follow-up email from me one to two weeks after our session to see how you are progressing.
What to Expect Once Your Session Is Secured
- I may have some clarifying questions and homework for you prior to our call.
- Be prepared to follow-through. I don't want my time or yours wasted so treat me and any assignment I give you with the level of competence and initiative you'd want a client to experience.
How to Get Started
- Complete the form below and describe the trouble area or particular struggle you are having in your business.
- Upon review of your submission, I may email you back with some clarifying questions.
- You then be directed to the payment page to pay for your session in advance.
- Once your fee has been submitted, I will be in contact with you by email to coordinate the date and time for our telephone session. I look forward to talking with you!
Case Study
Stacey reached out to me early 2012, pouring her heart out to me in an email. She was facing an extremely depleting situation in her administrative support business, one that is all too common in our industry.
On the surface, she was very successful. Her practice was completely full. She had a constant stream of referrals; so many, in fact, that she had to turn people away. She never got around to getting a website up (and felt she didn't need one) because she was getting all the clients and work she ever wanted or needed.
Sounds great, right? The problem was she wasn't making any money and she had no life. She was on a constant hamster wheel of trying to keep up with all her client demands, working well beyond 60 hours a week. When she was able to fit in the activities of her large, active family, it was just barely and always involved racing back to her workload.
Like many who find themselves not earning well, she mistakenly believed that the only way to improve her income was to work more hours, take on more clients. But there are only so many hours in a day. There's nowhere to go from there once you hit the wall. Her morale was so low, and you could see and hear her exhaustion loud and clear.
After our initial email exchange, we got on Skype for a video session, which Stacey graciously allowed me to record for the purposes of this case study (normally, I conduct laser sessions by phone only). This was a way for me to hear more of her story and get a bit deeper insight into what was going on in her business and how we might go about course correcting.
Stacey's most urgent, immediate problem was creating space in her business. In her current circumstances, there was literally no room for her to do anything, much less think or take action. She also didn't have room to take on any new, more ideal clients.
All quite fixable, though! After our call, I drew up a plan of action and gave her some strategies to create that space, which she eagerly took action on and implemented immediately.
The longer term strategies for overhauling her business involved getting a website (so that she could better educate new clients and replace current or outgoing clients with more ideal ones) and making some shifts in how she was operating and working with clients.
Stacey is now well on her way to having the practice of her dreams! You can see the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders now that she is able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
UPDATE: July 12, 2012
I received an update from Stacey on her progress. She was happy to report that she had contacted her clients with her updated business plan. About 2/3 of her clients were unable or unwilling to accept her rate change, which is entirely normal. She simply could not continue to exist at the unprofitable rates she was charging which were keeping her working round the clock.
After having absolutely no time to work on her business, she is pleased to report that letting go of these unprofitable clients led to her having some FREE time for herself. She is really enjoying not having all of that pressure. As she stated in her update, "I was so totally at a breaking point if I didn't make the change when I did. I see that even more now."
She also happily reports that three or four of her clients were willing to stay with her. (See! The ideal clients who truly value your service will happily surprise you and often wonder why you didn't start charging more sooner!)
She also took my advice and has begun developing her business website so that it can help educate prospective clients and reserve her consultation time for better qualified client candidates. She adds:
"I want to say thank you so much for your knowledge, care and belief in me and helping me to believe that I can do this. I can breathe, I feel like a real person instead of a working machine, and I now have some time for myself... it has been a few years since I could say that!"
I am so thrilled for Stacey and look forward to watching her progress! She is smart, brave, determined, a fantastic administrative artist and knows both she and her clients are worthy and deserving of these improvements in her life and business.
UPDATE: Sept. 7, 2012
"I wanted to connect with you and let you know that because of you, I am a much happier person. You remember how ragged, tired and worn out I was when we had that interview a few months ago? Well, I am now working about 1/3 the time, if that, and making more money (not at 6 figures yet, but have that goal in the forecast). I am more confident (still have a ways to go, of course), but I am seeing some successes and feeling great about the direction that my business is taking! I have goals and plans to do more, but I'm baby-stepping for now. Don't want to take on too much, too fast, and wind up right back where I was. I hope you can feel how appreciative I am!"
What Clients Say...
"Danielle's Laser Breakthrough Strategy Sessions are brilliant! Danielle provides clarity and focus during these sessions that you will not find anyone else offering. Her advice and recommendations are rock-solid. Not only does she provide a two-hour session, but she follows-up with a clean recording AND written notes that are extremely helpful in implementing her suggestions. I am much more confident and optimistic in my business. THANK YOU, Danielle!
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"The most important and worthwhile investment I made for not only myself, but my business as well, was PAYING for your time, expert advice and suggestions. You went way above the norm and not only that, I gained a valuable friend. You helped me make the necessary changes in order for my business to be successful. You didn't sugar coat, you made me think for myself, you were honest and understanding because you had been there! I was in a rut to say the least and you lifted me up and really can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did during our phone meeting! Thank you so much for your time, effort, and wisdom. That is what is priceless. That is what makes the difference between a successful business owner and a wanna-be."
"Danielle's laser strategy session was just the eye-opener I needed to really understand why it is that I seem to be stuck in the "dollars-for-hours" cycle that's keeping my business from flourishing. Her perspective offered me a new lens with which to view the business I really am in and think about the business I want to be in. Sometimes you just need that objective, "no-nonsense" conversation with an expert who really does want to see you thrive in business to help gain clarity and focus. Thanks, Danielle!"
"Danielle's Laser Strategy Sessions are amazing! She helps you talk through to the heart of what is holding your business back and collaborates with you not to just find the best solution, but one that you will actually implement.
I had froze all chance of having a successful business because I could not really see where I was going wrong and spinning my wheels thinking that I needed to talk to more people or work harder. Talking with Danielle made me realize the practical things (like detailed website critique) will give me a clearer message to potential clients and the confidence to better communicate the value my business brings to other business owners. We went back to the basics that I had left behind to show me that I had lost focus on the simple yet practical things like my website and sticking to my target market, in addition to the meatier topics of savvy business ownership.
I was able to describe a situation to her and she pulled out the issue holding me back with ease. I left the session having knowledge, wisdom and applicable tools to set my business up for success and growth.
I have participated in a number of associations, classes and coaching sessions and can in all honesty say that Danielle is truly for your success as an Administrative Consultant and business owner. I look forward to continuing to build and strengthen my business with her strategic advice to guide me, not to mention her straightforward perspective (I really appreciate that aspect of her)."
"After taking your course "Consultations that Convert" (a refresher for me) and a follow-up private coaching session with you, I spent the 2011 holiday season determined to finally take your advice. We spoke around the same time in the previous year and at that time you had suggested I transition my support services from an hourly plan to a monthly subscription plan. I wish I had followed your advice back then, but sadly I stayed 'stuck' in the hourly billing cycle (with rollover option, to boot) and I thought I would never be able to get out of my rut. Although it seemed wonderful to dream of a guaranteed monthly income, I still resisted transitioning my current clients and offering it to prospective clients for fear they would decline. I tried to be 'everything to everybody', meeting almost any client's budget and making it 'work' - all that meant was I was ultimately running my business under their terms.'
"Danielle, you proposed a challenge to me, "try it and see what happens," and believing wholeheartedly in you and the ideas you have talked about, and the fact that I was already a dedicated and faithful fan of yours, this time it was truly enough for me to take that leap of faith - once and for all. I only hoped that my current client base would continue to work with me. Equally, if not more importantly, I had to have the hope to convert more of the prospects I consult with into paying clients.'
"The first piece of your advice I implemented was to educate visitors to my website, by outlining the benefits and features of having an ongoing monthly support plan. This was indeed the key and I revamped my entire website and my consultation process. As a result, I am so proud to report to you and anyone you share this testimonial with that I have increased my income dramatically! I have (pre-qualified) scheduled consults on a more consistent basis. I have been able to 'close the sale' during the phone discussion, and since I have proven over time to my existing clientele that I produce amazing results for them I have been able to transition every one of my hourly clients to a monthly plan. They get it and now, finally so do I.'
"I was financially suffocating myself, which I attribute directly to the sad (?!) fact that I work quickly. It is quite clear to me now that working on an hourly basis is of no benefit to me whatsoever and truly neither is it for my clients. They don't understand how much time a project or task can take for me or anyone else in our profession for that matter. So, how can they make a decision to work with someone if all they have to go on is an hourly rate and your word that it 'won't take too long'? They simply want a proven track record of results, which you can show in testimonials, as I have done on my website.'
"For anyone reading this Danielle's advice is very wise. Trust in the fact that if you are a high-level Administrative Consultant, your clients already know your value. And those whom you have not yet worked with will perceive you and the support services you provide to be a worthwhile monthly investment. You can't be everything to everybody as I found out. Educate them on your process and they will line up!'
"Thank you, Danielle, for your gentle yet firm persistence, your support and your incredibly valuable products. I have an immense amount of respect for you and I simply can't express enough how grateful I am for the difference you have made for my business and my life. I will be eternally appreciative."
UPDATE! May 23, 2012:
"Since I have put in place all the systems and definitions you have outlined in your programs and through your mentoring and I've have worked hard to educate visitors to my website on the parameters of working with me, I have found amazing success. I have been meaning to write to you to let you know that since adopting all of this in January of this year, I have reached an amazing milestone in my business of earning close to $10k/month; over $100k annually. I wondered if I would ever get there. I knew I would, but thought it would take a couple more years. It's clear to me that this milestone has been achieved not only through my own hard work, consistent marketing, and dedication to my vision, but with your guidance, support and daring persistence. I want you to know that I credit you and thank you every single day."


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text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, December 3, 2012, 3:03 PM
Town Square
Man robs Palo Alto Walgreens for OxyContin
Original post made on Dec 3, 2012
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, December 3, 2012, 3:03 PM
Comments (35)
a resident of Barron Park
on Dec 3, 2012 at 3:13 pm
This sort of thing happens a lot, nationwide, at many of these opiate drug dispensaries. They stopped this sort of crime, for the most part, at the cannabis dispensaries when they put security at the door verifying the legitimacy of the patient before they are allowed in. I wonder if the opiate dispensaries need to start doing this too. They're cranking out far more powerful drugs so I'm not surprised crime is following. Stay safe...might want to keep your kids out of the prescription area.
a resident of Palo Verde
on Dec 3, 2012 at 3:36 pm
... fled the store westbound down University Avenue and turned left onto Bryant Street? Isn't Bryant right there, like he did a U-turn out the front door? Anyway, the handgun is the scary part. Even with a permit, I don't think it's legal to pull it on a pharmacist. Odd that he headed directly for the police station. Surely it could not have been the safest escape route, eh?
a resident of Midtown
on Dec 3, 2012 at 3:56 pm
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of Green Acres
on Dec 3, 2012 at 3:57 pm
cannabis would not cause this behavior. drugs are non good. cannabis is only safe substance. love and learn...maybe?
a resident of Community Center
on Dec 3, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Junkies usually have no fear of the police, and are driven to desperate acts by their craving, hence the brazen behavior. Plus, PAPD is not all that intimidating, being more PR concerned than concerned with crime.
a resident of Downtown North
on Dec 3, 2012 at 4:44 pm
We reap what we sow concerning PR vs actual crime fighting. For example: the useless Independent Auditor report (Mitchell park library, etc etc) that we pay into every year, who everyone always has an opinion about, regardless of how ignorant that opinion may be. We always think we know better and chastise or state things like "PR concerned" about them when it is our town who has demanded that from them. That extra money could be spent on getting more cops out there to try and stop this madness!
a resident of Crescent Park
on Dec 3, 2012 at 4:46 pm
This guy was not scared in the least, to walk in there on University in broad daylight with a gun? Bryant is the street past the old Apple store, he waked that far after pulling off this caper? Where are the cops in this town? What we need is someone to stop these punks in their tracks, I say we STEP IT UP and get some cops walking downtown or on bikes full time. This time of year is really bad, the whole downtown area is getting really creepy. Cmon cops, lets stop this mess before someone gets hurt!
a resident of Palo Verde
on Dec 3, 2012 at 5:21 pm
Apologies for getting snarky on my first post (I dropped my m in the excitement). I'm just getting fed up with the crime here in my home town. That's "my" Walgreens. Six weeks ago it was my credit union. Police can't be everywhere, and really can't do much other than lock people up and watch the courts let them out again.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 3, 2012 at 5:48 pm
And once again--no mention of surveillance cameras having pictures of the perp to help the police out.
Too bad .. but any of you folks happen to frequent this store--maybe you might ask to see the manager, and explain your surprise at the lack of precaution on the part of the store.
a resident of Palo Verde
on Dec 3, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Yes, the latest update of the article does have a video frame from the front door surveillance camera. I know the store has other cameras as well. Two hours 45 minutes after the fact is not too bad a delay for publication. The responding officers probably got this played back to them within a few minutes.
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Dec 3, 2012 at 6:11 pm
There is no reason to believe that the homeless are more prone to crime than those who have a roof over their heads. This is pure class prejudice on your part. Think Lazarus and Dives ((Luke 16:19�31).
Father Peter Mandell
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Dec 3, 2012 at 6:18 pm
The surveillance photo is a cellphone picture of a monitor screen? The police couldn't figure out how to properly convert this footage? Hopefully this is being sorted right now because maybe the public could identify him if we had an actual resolution image.
a resident of Community Center
on Dec 3, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Obviously there need to be A LOT of surveillance cameras downtown. BUT, we are further stymied by the fact that PAPD is short at least twelve cops. Obviously, all the local criminals know this, and know that it easy to commit a crime here in PA and get away with it!
With the enormous cost and property tax rate of living here, one would think that we would be better protected.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 3, 2012 at 6:29 pm
> surveillance picture in update
I stand corrected. However, the picture is almost useless, as is.
No good reason that any surveillance system today doesn't have an "export" function that outputs a common digital format, like .AVI or .MP4.
> no reason to believe homeless commit crimes ..
Well, before one makes such a statement, it couldn't hurt to look at the police statistics. Here's a compelling read from the city of Columbia, SC:
Web Link
It's a shame the Palo Alto Police don't seem to provide the people of Palo Alto the same stats as the police in Columbia.
a resident of Midtown
on Dec 3, 2012 at 6:43 pm
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Dec 3, 2012 at 7:06 pm
Of course, the homeless problem here and elsewhere needs to be solved! And the homeless are dirty, they stink, they dirty the place - all of which is incompatible with their worth and dignity as persons. So we should address issue as you suggest - and should do so quickly in a manner that does not discount the rights and humanity of the homeless.
My objection was to your stating that this gun-toting bandit was a homeless person. Since when did the homeless start carrying guns, and robbing pharmacies at gunpoint? I'll bet you this robber was no "homeless bum." Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Tangentially, since when did mainstream Christianity become a "cult" in Palo Alto?
(And, if it matters, I am no bleeding-heart, left-wing Obamaite either. I voted for Romney for several reasons including legalized abortion.)
Father Peter Mandell
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 3, 2012 at 7:36 pm
> When did the homeless start using guns ..?
The link below reports on a robbery where a homeless person used a gun--
Web Link
without police stats .. it makes no sense to make claims about anything involving the homeless and crime.
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Dec 3, 2012 at 7:50 pm
Before we start bandying statistics around, let us get the facts in this case. What this specific robber a homeless person? From downtown Palo Alto?
If true, then I stand corrected and I will shut up.
Otherwise, you are just jumping on this opportunity to slander and accuse the poor, those who have no voice on this august forum.
The facts, Ma'am. Just the facts.
Father Peter Mandell
a resident of College Terrace
on Dec 3, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Blank- local Walgreens generally don't have access to the DVR to burn the photo to CD. If anyone locally has access they probably are a Regional manager. Stop being an a$$, PD did what they could to get the photo out to us.
a resident of College Terrace
on Dec 3, 2012 at 7:59 pm
The suspect photo looks like a clean cut student, not a "homeless bum" like some people are claiming. Is there some assumption that every time a crime is committed by a white person, the person must be homeless? I really do not believe that. Most drug abusers are white and not homeless.
a resident of Palo Verde
on Dec 3, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Yeah, does look like a cellphone shot of a monitor screen. Well, more useful than no picture at all. I don't know, perhaps better to get away with it than to have more cops and be reporting a downtown shoot-out or hostage situation.
The regulars among the scruffy lot downtown commonly regarded as "homeless" are recognizable by anyone who frequents the area over a period of time, and they never appear to be in a hurry. It would be easier to get away with a crime by blending in with students, workers, bar-hoppers, or people who hang out at Lytton Plaza. Sort of agreeing with Father Mandell, but still nervous after-hours around the 7-11 or the train station. Even Ken's Columbia SC article said "homeless accounted for less than 2 percent of all the city's more serious violent and property crimes."
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 3, 2012 at 8:10 pm
> Before we start bandying statistics around, let us get
> the facts in this case.
There is this case, and then all the rest ..
Who came out with both guns blasting the following?
> There is no reason to believe that the homeless
> "bums" are more prone to crime than those who have a
> roof over their heads.
The stats actually suggest that the homeless (in general) are very likely candidates for this sort of crime. As to this particular crime--we'll just have to wait and see if the police are able to identify this young man from the surveillance photos.
a resident of Barron Park
on Dec 3, 2012 at 8:26 pm
I am a left wing bleeding heart Obamaite. I don't think this is any kind of basis to pick on the homeless. The man who did this is a sick addict and he needs treatment. Oxycontin has been shamelessly marketed and over-prescribed. Pharma has made billions off a product that is defective as marketed. Prescription of this drug should be strictly limited, and possibly the drug is just too defective and too dangerous to be made available. The manufacturers are well aware that it has led to skyrocketing addiction -- just as the makers of sudafed are well aware that they move so much product because of crystal meth not due to sniffles. According to an NPR report: "About 1 in 20 high school seniors now acknowledges taking OxyContin, a prescription drug for managing severe pain that, when abused, can be powerfully addictive. . . In its annual survey of teen drug use, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that OxyContin use by 12th graders is up 40 percent nationwide in just three years. Five times as many 12th graders report using OxyContin than report using methamphetamine. The results have been tragic."
There are other, effective pain medications and there are other ways to design this drug so that it cannot be abused in this way. The makers of Oxycontin are merchants of death and it is they, not their victims, who should be blamed for the rise in crime, addiction and other social problems caused by their defective product.
I am glad that no one was injured (other than the addict himself). But lets address the root cause of the problem, and treat the addict with compassion.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 3, 2012 at 8:33 pm
> I am glad that no one was injured (other than the addict himself)
We have no idea if this person is addicted to this particular drug, or is going to sell what he was able to strong-arm off the pharmacist.
Best to wait and find out who he is, and why he did it.
a resident of Barron Park
on Dec 3, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Yes you are right about that -- but even if he is stealing it to sell it rather than to take it (or both) he is responding to a demand created by the drug manufacturers through addicting people to their dangerous defective product. Here is some more information for people interested in learning about Oxycontin and the social problems and deaths it causes:
Web Link
Web Link
A Republican lawmaker says: "It wasn't until 2007 when drug-maker Purdue Pharma was found criminally liable for misleading the public about OxyContin's risk of addiction and fined a record-shattering $635 million, that the company voluntarily removed these pills from the marketplace. Purdue replaced the original, crushable pills with a "tamper-resistant formulation," or TRF, and as a result, OxyContin misuse has declined. Tragically, this was nearly too late."
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 3, 2012 at 8:42 pm
By the way, this Walgreens was burned down a few years ago. From reading the Weekly articles in the archive, the first few that pop up from a search identify the person who burned the building, but not whether he was "homeless", or otherwise "not homeless".
Does anyone remember if that sort of information was released to the public over the months of the investigation and trial that ultimately sent this fellow to prison?
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 3, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Ok .. here's the details (up to a point) about the fellow who burned the building Walgreens is located in back in 2007--
Parolee charged in Palo Alto arson fire of Walgreens store:
Web Link
a resident of Barron Park
on Dec 3, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Sorry Michele, but I wouldn't put the blame on the manufacturer. The addict became an addict because he or she abused the drug......the drug didn't choose to abuse the one who became the addict. Or maybe we should blame the doctor who prescribed it??
a resident of Barron Park
on Dec 3, 2012 at 11:20 pm
It's not an either/or. But in the case of oxycontin the record is clear that the drug is dangerous and is defective in that it poses an unreasonable risk of addiction that would not be consistent with the consumer's expections taking the drug. The risks of the drug as designed also outweigh its benefits for all but a very tiny defined class of patients for whom there are generally substitutes. Oxycontin is enormously profitable because of addiction. The manufacturer knew that, the doctors prescribing it knew that -- everyone knew that. The regulators who didn't do anything to get it off the market knew that. Saying that individuals who became addicted to this drug are to blame for not seeking help is not the same as saying that the manufacturer is absolved -- either in a legal or moral sense. We can hold more than one party accountable. The blame of the manufacturer and the doctor so far exceeds that of the addict that it is not even comparable in this particular case -- Purdue Pharma is like a tobacco company only they make a cigarette that explodes and blows off your face and kills your family too. This is poison pure and simple. If it has a valid, non-substitutable medical use, then it should be more strictly regulated and doctors who overprescribe should be arrested and prosecuted. That is how dangerous it is. So blaming the addict is just not cutting it. The poor addict is the person least culpable in this scenario.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 4, 2012 at 8:06 am
> But in the case of oxycontin the record is clear that the drug
> is dangerous and is defective in that it poses an
> unreasonable risk of addiction that would not be
> consistent with the consumer's expections taking the drug
This statement seems like something a litigation lawyer might tell a jury, hoping to win a big settlement--rather than a statement that is intended to discuss a problem. Lawyers are not scientists—and can not be expected to see things in terms of a level playing field, or even in terms of "the truth". Lawyers seem to be people who frame arguments in order to "win"--but not resolve problems rationally.
This Wiki-page on Oxicodone provides a lot of information:
Web Link
But what is missing from this Wiki-page is any idea of how much (or how long) one has to take this drug before one is "addicted". Also missing is any information as to whether people who become "addicted" actually took Oxycontin (or another version of Oxycodone) for a previous medical condition, and then become "hooked" as a result, or if they came upon "Oxy" because it was somehow avaiable to them?
Also missing from this Wiki-page are estimates of how many doctors are knowingly writing prescriptions for "Oxy" so that they can enable their patients to become drug abusers.
a resident of Barron Park
on Dec 4, 2012 at 8:42 am
Sorry again Michele, but I totally disagree with you. You can tell us all the facts you know, but it will still not change my feeling that the root of the problem is not the manufacturer but rather the individual who is ultimately in charge of his or her own life decisions.
a resident of Barron Park
on Dec 4, 2012 at 11:34 am
Michele Dauber is a registered user.
Although the last poster says that he will be unpersuaded by facts, hopefully others are interested in learning the facts. The fact is that the manufacturer of Oxycontin, Perdue Phara was prosecuted criminally for making this pill crushable, which is a serious defect in the design. Prosecutors and police all over the country have been driven crazy trying to control this substance which is hyper-addictive and made for abuse and generates criminal behavior. We should treat addicts with compassion and offer appropriate medical care. And we should treat corporate pirates who profiteer off of human misery as the criminals they are. Yes, the armed robber who steals to feed his addiction is a crime. But the maker of this poison is no less criminal by contrast.
a resident of Crescent Park
on Dec 4, 2012 at 2:02 pm
bru is a registered user.
I doubt there is a homeless person out there with a gun.
So I doubt this had anything to do with a homeless person.
Everytime there is a problem people blame the homeless and
some article from South Carolina ... if you know anything about
South Carolina is pointless.
We should stick with the point not always run everything over to
attack the homeless when there is no cause. If we had more
video surveillance we could have tracked this guy right to his
I doubt even an addict would try to knock over a Walgreen's
in their own city.
Also don't much care for the implication that Palo Alto Police are
too polite to do their jobs. Why do we get such silly comments at
times like this.
a resident of Stanford
on Dec 4, 2012 at 7:06 pm
Nora Charles is a registered user.
I hope such incidents will not be used to try to ban drugs that people legitimately need to manage pain. If that's the case, why not get rid of cigarettes and alcohol which are harmful in far larger numbers, and while we're at it guns. The criminal here is the man who robbed Walgreen's, not the drug manufacturer. Really, let's be sensible and not devolve into even more of a nanny state.
a resident of Midtown
on Dec 6, 2012 at 12:14 am
rick is a registered user.
Upon learning the facts, I wanted to invest my life savings in Perdue Pharma. Imagine my disappointment to learn it's a privately held company.
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- Blueberry Baobab Superfood Smoothie Recipe
- California Gold Nutrition Superfood Baobab Powder
The baobab (pronounced BAY-oh-Bab) tree is a seemingly mythical plant, towering high above the African savanna up to nearly 100 feet tall. They are commonly called "upside down" trees or monkey bread trees. The world is finally catching wind of the incredibly nutritious fruit of this tree. These megalithic trees sustain wildlife and even the communities around them, and their 3-pound fruit is available as a health-enhancing powder that boasts a vast array of benefits.
Baobab's fruit is extremely nutrient-dense as it is packed with vitamin C, calcium and potassium. Baobab powder comes from the dried pulp of the tree's fruit, which is similar to coconut and has a mild citrusy flavor.
The Story Behind the Superfood
When picturing the iconic African landscape, this tree may appear in one's imagination as a silhouette against the vibrant savanna sunset. It is said to live for thousands of years, and a single tree can weigh as much as 75 tons. The baobab is the largest succulent in the world, absorbing a huge amount of water from the rainy season into its trunk. It continues to produce its nutrient-dense fruit all throughout the dry, arid season. Due to this ability, the baobab was given the nickname "the tree of life" as its fruit and water stores sustain many living things in the dry, harsh climate.
The magnificent tree is a central part of African folklore and has been used by native people for hundreds of years as a source of food, water and shelter. The hollowed trees continue to be used today as a meeting point for communities just as they were used for centuries. As baobabs age, they become naturally hollow and are used as venues, classrooms or even pubs. One pub built within a hollowed baobab tree was also carbon dated to be 6,000 years old.
The baobab is super-resilient and often referred to as indestructible or impossible to kill. The tree will regrow its bark if it is burned, and it repairs itself after being frequently stripped by the tusks of wild elephants. Fortunately for this hardy tree, elephants seem to be the only real threat they face. Unaffected by climate change or deforestation, the baobab continues to thrive. Due to their strong qualities, the baobab makes comfortable homes for humans and shelters for animals on the savanna, creating a refuge in the harsh desert environment. With such a mighty presence and responsibility for sustaining so much life, it's inevitable that myth, legends and folklore surround this amazing plant. The baobab is an ancient species of tree that dates back to 200 million years ago.
The baobab tree blossoms with large white flowers that fall and feed the native antelope. After that, the fruit grows, beginning with velvety green skin but drying eventually right on the branch. This drying phase takes place over a period of six months where the fruit is baked by the sun, and the skin forms into a hard shell, much like coconut. Amazingly, this natural drying phase produces a fruit straight from the branch that needs very little processing. Since it's already wholly dried, it does not need to be spray-dried, freeze-dried or treated. As a result, the powder is exceptionally pure and retains its nutritional value.
The uses of baobab powder range from medicinal, reducing fevers and inflammation, to applications as a natural beauty product. Baobab is said to produce the most nutrient-dense fruit in the world. It is surprising, then, that only recently have scientists and nutritionists begun to take notice of this superfood. However, it is why many African communities choose to build their houses inside or around baobab trees.
Another positive aspect of utilizing the fruit of this beneficial tree is that there are no baobab plantations, and virtually all harvesting is done by the local families who own the trees. The tree is so abundant that the fruit mostly goes to waste. The collection, preparation and selling of the fruit benefit the communities where they grow, many of which are in poverty. The rise in baobab-based businesses is also providing a way for local women to learn the skills of becoming business owners and earn a paycheck for themselves and their children for the first time.
The Benefits of Baobab Powder
As it is the most nutrient-dense food in the world, the fruit of the baobab is a powerhouse of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. Although every part of the tree is valuable, including the leaves, which are a rich vegetable, the fruit from which baobab powder is derived is especially potent. It is packed with six times the amount of vitamin C than an orange contains. It delivers significant levels of calcium, phosphorus and potassium, upon which the immune system, skin, bones, mood and energy levels depend.
Baobab is credited with having anti-inflammatory, anti-fever, analgesic, anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-diarrheal properties, and it can even be used as an antidote to poison. Some of these benefits have also been studied to rival some conventional medicines in their effectiveness, such as recovery from dehydration due to diarrhea.
The high fiber levels in baobab help balance the digestive system, help a person maintain a healthy weight, help support heart health and even reduce spikes in blood sugar. The baobab is comprised of 50 percent fiber, and it provides 6 grams of fiber per serving. Since many Americans fail to meet the recommended fiber intake, baobab can help a person consume healthy levels of fiber when used daily.
Although the importance of probiotics is generally understood, many people fail to account for prebiotics in their diets. Without plentiful prebiotic fiber, the flora in one's gut may struggle to flourish. Providing the body with a substantial amount of prebiotic foods feeds the healthy bacteria that should be abundant in the digestive system. Addressing one's gut health simultaneously supports the immune system, heart and joints. When the body's major waste disposal organ is working at its top function, the chance of many illnesses developing, may be minimized.
Baobab is also a significant source of antioxidants, containing twice the amount as goji berries. Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress on the body's cells and help remove free radicals. That said, if people are solely getting their source of antioxidants from a supplement form, it is possible to overwhelm their bodies with this nutrient. By consuming antioxidants from a food source, individuals can avoid the potential health risks and enjoy the great benefits antioxidants offer, including the slowing of the aging process.
How to Use Baobab Powder
There are many ways to use baobab powder that are simple, easy and delicious. The fruit has a tangy, tropical flavor with a sweet citrus taste. It mixes well with other fruits and is a natural addition to many recipes. It can be added to just about anything, and its mild flavor is a nice addition to many recipes.
Baobab powder can be sprinkled onto fruit, cereal or yogurt for breakfast. It can give porridge and oatmeal extra flavor and provide a boost to a person's morning. Those who like to bake should try adding it to cakes, cookies or loaves of bread for a healthy dose of extra fiber. It can be a great way for someone to sneak more healthy nutrition into his or her family's favorite treats. For dinners, it can be added to soups or sauces as a thickening agent. Baobab powder can even be used to make salad dressings, taking salads to another level of health.
Those who prefer to keep things simple can add it to hot water, coconut water or milk. Even fruit juice is an excellent base for baobab power. Another way to integrate ground baobab into everyday snackable recipes is to use it in energy or granola bar recipes.
Blueberry Baobab Superfood Smoothie Recipe
Baobab powder is a perfect addition to smoothies. It can help reduce fatigue, aid in recovery from exercise and provide an excellent vitamin boost in the morning. This blueberry baobab superfood smoothie recipe makes for a fresh start to the day.
- 2 Tbs. California Gold Nutrition Superfoods Organic Baobab Powder
- ¼ cup cashew nuts
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup nut milk
- 1 Medjool date
- Combine the ingredients in a blender.
- Blend on high for two to three minutes or until smooth.
California Gold Nutrition Superfood Baobab Powder
California Gold Nutrition Organic Baobab Powder is sourced from Africa and manufactured in the US. It's USDA-certified organic as well. The sustainably wild-sourced and sun-dried fruit pulp has a mildly sweet flavor and is available as an 8.5-ounce (240-gram) powder. It's formulated to contain no gluten or GMOs, with a 100% Gold Guarantee. It contains vitamins, minerals, phytosterols and soluble fiber, such as pectin. It pairs well with apples, bananas, carrots, cacao, oranges and sweet potatoes.


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(Original post from kjrose.blog)
Happiness – something we all want, but we never seem to be able to find it, eh?
Saw an interesting talk today at #BNIUnboxed by Neil Pasricha, the author of The Book of Awesome. During this talk, he listed five things we can do which, according to the research he has studied, will make you happier. What I found absolutely fascinating that the research seemed to miss was that four of the five things are essentially what good Catholics should be more or less doing. What we are taught at children to do, and many nuns and brothers do everyday.
He says if you do one (or more) of these 5 things for 20 days straight, you will develop a habit that will make you happier. Since all of these apparently make people happier, it's a good habit to develop.
- Go for a brisk, nature walk at least 3 times a week.
- Do a "20 minute replay."
- This is defined as writing in a journal for 20 minutes, but it can be any type of self-reflection on the day at the end of the day for 20 minutes. An opportunity to list everything that happened, not a place to complain about what went wrong, nor specifically celebrate anything, but rather just restate it.
- Do Random "Conscientious" Acts of Kindness
- Meditate
- Perform Five Gratitudes
- This is a method where you list 3 things that you are thankful for, one thing that was a problem, and one thing you are working on that you will be thankful for in the future.
Here is the funny part. I heard those five things and found myself thinking, "if you want to be happy, become a Catholic Nun or Monk." Why? Well, because four of the five items are what nuns and brothers do pretty much every day. What makes it particularly interesting is that the very start of his presentation, he explained how nuns' autobiographies were used by the positive psychologists to discover that simply being happier is correlated with longer life expectancy.
Here's why I think this is just being Catholic (well, everything but the brisk walk.)
- The 20 minute replay is simply proper prayers. Most people think that prayers are simply petitionary, asking God for something. I know I used to think that. However, as Fr. Mike has explained in his many great videos on prayer , a big part of prayer is simply telling God about your day. Yes, God is omnipotent, but that doesn't meant that he doesn't want to hear you talk about it. This is the 20 minute replay. Telling God what happened, the ups and downs. Just laying it out there. Not asking for anything, not complaining, just telling the story.
- Random Conscientious Acts of Kindness are basically being a good Catholic. Doing good to others, without expecting anything back in return. Doing it because it is right, not because there is a personal benefit.
- Meditation is another prayer item. If you have every seriously done the rosary, or gone to adoration, you have pretty much meditated. Yes, you haven't moaned "OOOOOHHHHMMMMM" or sat in the lotus position. However, as many who have studied this in detail will tell you, the repetitive nature of the rosary and concentration on the mysteries is meditation. As is the quiet contemplation and mindfulness within adoration. This is special, because the rosary and adoration are particularly Catholic practices. So we have another example of "you want to be happy, be Catholic."
- Finally, the five gratitudes is, once again, a form of prayer. When we pray we thank God for all of the blessings he has given us and the graces he provides. We also share and offer up our suffering (our "thorns"), both in petitionary prayers, but also to unite them to the suffering of Christ on the Cross for the salvation of man. Finally, we ask God to help us with those projects we are just starting on.
So what does all this mean?
Well, it appears that if you pray for about a half hour every day, you will be happier; According to Neil, it's scientifically proven. But, I think it's important to note how you should pray.
- Share your day with God, just as a child shares her day at school with her father.
- Take at least 10 minutes to pray the rosary or have silent contemplation with the father, listen for his voice.
- Thank God for the blessings you have been given and the graces during that day. (This is a separate thing than the sharing the story, btw.)
- Finally, offer up your suffering and petitions to him.
And when that is all done, the next day, try even harder to do well for God. Do random acts of kindness and compassion. Go to confession so you don't have any weights you are dragging around so you can be that much more compassionate.
And suddenly, by simply celebrating your faith, you have accomplished 4 out of the 5 methods for being happier.
Kelly J. Rose
ps. If you want to be 5/5 just become a Franciscan, and go for nature walks. 😉


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Jayson Werth collects RBI in return as Nationals beat Phils
WASHINGTON -- Nearly three months ago, Jayson Werth broke his left wrist trying to make a catch in a game the Washington Nationals lost. It was a memorable game. Cole Hamels hit rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch and Harper stole home.
At the time, the Nationals were 18-10 and led the NL East by a half-game. Without Werth, Washington went 43-32 and increased its lead by two games.
Werth returned to the lineup Thursday night and joined in the fun. He had a single and an RBI groundout in the Nationals' 3-0 win over Hamels and the Phillies.
Ross Detwiler pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, and Adam LaRoche had three hits and two RBIs.
Werth was eager to return, but proud of how the team did in his absence.
"It wasn't hard to watch. It was way easier to watch than if they weren't winning," he said.
Detwiler (6-4) won for the second time in his last 11 starts. He gave up three singles and retired his final 14 batters, finishing with three strikeouts and two walks.
Sean Burnett tossed a perfect eighth and Tyler Clippard worked a hitless ninth for his 21st save in 23 chances. He walked two but struck out pinch-hitter Ryan Howard for the third out.
Howard is in a 2-for-20 slump.
Detwiler enjoyed having Werth back
"He's a leader for us -- especially against his old team. He always seems to do just a little more against them," Detwiler said. "You know what he does with the bat -- that's why he gets paid."
Hamels (11-6) allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings. The All-Star lefty has one win in his past seven starts and has lost both outings since signing a $144 million, six-year contract last month.
Hamels won his previous two starts against Washington this season, giving up one earned run in 16 innings.
"Nice to beat that guy. He's tough," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said.
Werth spent 11 games on a minor league rehab assignment and got to appreciate the Nationals' system even more.
"This team's got a lot of depth. Playing the games in the minor leagues, you can see what kind of talent we have down there," he said. "We're pretty stacked. I like our chances for years to come."
LaRoche had a second-inning home run, his 20th, to go with a run-scoring single in the third and a single in the sixth. He was thrown out by Phillies right fielder John Mayberry Jr. when he tried to score on Steve Lombardozzi's fly ball.
Werth batted sixth -- one spot behind LaRoche.
"Regardless of what's going on statistically, he's stealing bases and doing things in the outfield," LaRoche said.
"It's huge to have him back, having him back in the lineup, back in the outfield, back in here. We've been waiting a couple of months for this."
Philadelphia's best chance to score came in the second, but Mayberry was cut down at the plate by Harper when he tried to score on Michael Martinez's single to right.
Two days after trading off Shane Victorino to Los Angeles and Hunter Pence to San Francisco, the new-look Phillies are 2-1 and still in last place in the NL East.
"I think people will still come to see us play. I hope they do, because I think we're definitely going to keep trying to improve our team, and keep trying to improve what we've got," manager Charlie Manuel said.
LaRoche has hit in 10 straight games and is batting .432 during the stretch.
Werth singled after LaRoche's homer. He drove in a run in the third on an infield out.
"It's like I never missed a step," Werth said.
Game notes
Washington RHP Jordan Zimmermann was named NL pitcher of the month for July. He joins RHP Stephen Strasburg (April) and LHP Gio Gonzalez (May) to give the Nationals the most teammates to win the monthly award since the Houston Astros had four in 1979. ... Washington placed RHP Henry Rodriguez on the disabled list with a lower back strain. ... Nationals LF Michael Morse has an 11-game hitting streak. ... The Phillies open a three-game series against Arizona on Friday. RHP Joe Blanton (8-9, 4.59 ERA) faces RHP Ian Kennedy (9-8, 4.20). ... Washington and Miami play a doubleheader on Friday. LHP John Lannan (1-0, 2.57) and Gonzalez (13-5, 3.27) will pitch for the Nationals against LHP Brad Hand (no record) and RHP Josh Johnson (6-7, 4.04). Lannan and Hand are being recalled from the minors to start the first game.
PHI Wins 2-1
Game Information
- Umpires:
- Home Plate Umpire - Marvin Hudson
- First Base Umpire - Jordan Baker
- Second Base Umpire - Tim McClelland
- Third Base Umpire - Ted Barrett
2023 National League East Standings
|New York


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New Product
Offerte Top
Aquacomputer HUBBY7 Internal USB 2.0 Hub
HUBBY7 è un USB 2.0 hub interno con sette porte, disegnato in modo specifico per consentire il collegamento dei prodotti Aquacomputer USB.
HUBBY7 è un USB 2.0 hub interno con sette porte, disegnato in modo specifico per consentire il collegamento dei prodotti Aquacomputer USB.
Current monitoring of connected devices and automatic shutdown of the hub and error reporting to the operating system in case of overcurrent. Additional thermal monitoring and safety fuse to prevent damage to motherboard and connected devices.
Power can by supplied to the hub either via USB connection to the motherboard or via SATA power connector.
If power is supplied via USB, depending on motherboard configuration, power will also be supplied during standby of the PC, therefore enabling connected devices (keyboard, aquaero) to trigger system startup. When using USB power supply, a maximum current of 500 mA is available for the hub and all connected devices in total.
If power is supplied directly from the PSU via SATA power connector, no power is supplied during standby, which might for example be beneficial to disable computer mice with annoying light emmisions during standby. When using SATA power supply, a total current of 1000 mA is avaailable, split up to a total of 500 mA for ports 1, 2 and 3 combined and ports 4, 5, 6 and 7 combined.
Easy installation:
The hub can be installed raised by 20 mm above the motherboard, the hub is equipped with suitable mounting holes distanced according to ATX specification, spacers and screws are supplied with the hub. Alternatively, the hub can be installed using a self-adhesive hook-and-loop fastening strip also supplied with the hub.
- Approx. 80 x 30 mm, Height 16 mm without cables (ca. 55 mm total incl. cables when installed above motherboard)
Scope of delivery:
- One USB hub
- One internal USB cable, total length 25 cm
- Self-adhesive hook-and-loop fastening strip
- Mounting material
Notice: Because of current limiting features, the hub is not suitable for USB-powered hard drives, CD-ROM drives, mobile phones and similar devices.


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Google expanded its anti-Internet Explorer 6 campaign Thursday by announcing that it will phase out support for the nine-year-old browser for its Google Reader service June 1.
Google Reader is an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) service that posts page updates, or "feeds," via the RSS or Atom standards.
Beginning June 1, Google Reader users running a slew of older browser -- including IE6; Firefox 1 and 2; Safari 2 and 3; and Chrome 1, 2. and 3 -- will see notifications urging them to upgrade to a newer edition.
"Reader is a cutting edge Web application, and this will allow us to spend our time improving Reader instead of fixing issues with antiquated browsers," said Mihai Parparita, an engineer with the Reader team, in a post to group's blog last Monday.
Elsewhere on Google's site, the search giant spelled out what the move meant to users still running IE6 and other outdated browsers.
"New features may not be available in your browser, and some features may even stop working," the company said. "Google Reader is available 'as is' for older browsers, and Google isn't able to respond to any feature requests or fix many bugs on those browsers."
IE6 is the oldest browser on the soon-to-be-dumped list, but some of the browsers are relatively new. Google released Chrome 3 in September 2009 , for example, and only replaced it with Chrome 4 in January 2010. Mozilla replaced Firefox 2 with Firefox 3 in June 2008.
On March 1, Google dropped Microsoft's IE6 from the list of supported browsers for its Google Docs online application suite; it later announced that it would do the same for the Gmail Web-based mail service later this year.
IE6 has been getting the cold shoulder from prominent Web sites and services for some time. YouTube, Facebook and Digg have all announced that they will no longer support IE6. And last March, a Denver design firm hosted a mock funeral for the browser; Microsoft sent a floral arrangement with a card reading, "Thanks for the good times."
Microsoft has been begging users to leave IE6 for almost a year, most recently earlier this month with a campaign in Australia that said the browser was long past its expiration date .
This week, however, Microsoft officials gave conflicting comments about IE6.
Ryan Gavin, the director of platform strategies for Microsoft, told the U.K.-based Web site PC Pro that he had been given the job of driving "IE6 share down to zero as soon as possible."
Thursday, however, Microsoft's Australian chief security adviser Stuart Strathdee told ZDNet that companies are "happy to stay with IE6" because the creaky browser won't properly render sites that the firms don't want workers visiting, such as Facebook.
According to the latest data from Web analytics company NetApplications, IE6 accounted for 17.6% of all browsers used in April. While that put IE6's share down 12.5 percentage points in the last year, representing a decline of 42%, it still exceeded the share of 2006's IE7 by more than five percentage points.
Microsoft will support IE6 on Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) until April 2014, but it has been pushing users to upgrade to IE8 as soon as possible. IE8 can be downloaded from Microsoft's site.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld . Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer , or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is email@example.com .
Read more about browsers in Computerworld's Browsers Topic Center.


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Despite our current global economic hard times, says a new study from banking giant Credit Suisse, the world has more than enough wealth to ensure every adult on it a significant personal net-worth nest egg.
By Sam Pizzigati
Who owns, right now, the wealth of the world? Until just over a week ago, we really didn't have much in the way of specifics for an answer.
The United Nations University in Helsinki, in 2006, did try to tally household assets for the entire world. But that UN University World Institute for Development Economics Research report didn't cover data from any year beyond 2000.
Now two of the scholars behind that 2006 report, Anthony Shorrocks and Jim Davies, have joined with the Credit Suisse Research Institute in Zurich to produce an even more ambitious global wealth tally, current all the way into 2010.
This new body of research, the first Global Wealth Report the Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse has published, crunches the data for over 200 countries worldwide. The data cover the wealth holdings of the world's rich — and everybody else.
That makes this effort something of a statistical landmark. Other global banks have, over recent years, tried to total the wealth of the world's wealthy. The new Credit Suisse research has targeted "the entire wealth spectrum," from the super rich "at the top of the wealth pyramid to individuals at the bottom."
So what does all this targeting have to tell us? Those inclined to see the sunny side will certainly try to give the new Credit Suisse numbers a positive gloss. The Credit Suisse figures show that total global net worth, despite the 2008 global economic meltdown, has rocketed up 72 percent since 2000.
The world's 4.4 billion adults, notes the new Credit Suisse research, now hold $194.5 trillion in wealth. That's enough, if shared evenly across the globe, to guarantee every adult in the world a $43,800 net worth.
But the world's wealth, of course, does not stand evenly divided, and the new Credit Suisse study, to its credit, neatly breaks down the arithmetic of our staggering global unevenness.
We now have, at the wealth spectrum's uppermost reaches, just over 1,000 billionaires and another 80,000 "ultra high net worth individuals" worth over $50 million each. We can add into this wealthy summit still another 24 million adults worth between $1 million and $50 million.
At other end of the global spectrum sit three billion people — "more than two thirds of the global adult population" – with an average wealth per adult less than $10,000. About 1.1 billion of these adults hold net worths less than $1,000.
"Our analysis," the Credit Suisse study says plainly, "finds some stark differences in the distribution of wealth."
The study's starkest data snapshot? Maybe this: Half the people aged 20 and over in the world today hold under $4,000 in net worth, after subtracting debts from assets. This half the world's population holds under 2 percent of world wealth.
The world's richest 1 percent, adults with at least $588,000 to call their own, hold 43 percent of the world's wealth, all by themselves.
The new Credit Suisse report takes pains to point out that personal wealth actually means much more in some places than others. If you live in a society with a frayed social safety net, the amount of personal wealth you have means just about everything. Without substantial net worth, you're going to be vulnerable "to shocks like unemployment, ill health, or natural disasters."
By contrast, if you live in a society with a robust safety net — a nation that boasts "good public health care, high quality public education, generous state pensions," and the like — the size of your personal fortune matters considerably less.
Everyday people in the United States — a society with a inadequate social safety net — need, this Credit Suisse insight suggests, more personal net worth than everyday people who live in nations with healthier social service networks. But everyday people in many nations with stronger social safety nets than the United States are actually holding more net worth than their American counterparts.
Consider Canada, a nation with national public health insurance. Credit Suisse calculates the 2010 median wealth in Canada — the wealth of the typical Canadian family — at $94,700, about double the $47,771 U.S. median net worth.
No other nation, to be sure, holds as much total wealth as the United States. With only 5.2 percent of the world's population, the United States can claim 23 percent of the world's adults worth at least $100,000 and an even greater proportion, 41 percent, of the world's millionaires.
The United States also currently tops the world in total household debt. And Credit Suisse analysts see that debt as a clear sign of shifting global economic times. Middle class consumers in China and other fast-growing economies, as Credit Suisse private banking research chief Giles Keating predicts, will soon "replace indebted U.S. households as the global economic growth locomotive."
That locomotive, the Credit Suisse wealth report prognosticates, will move the world in the right direction. Sums up the study: "In time, we expect and hope that the distribution of the world's wealth becomes more even."
The Credit Suisse data, unfortunately, don't lend much support to this optimistic projection. The number of adults globally worth over $50 million each, the Credit Suisse research notes, "appears to be considerably greater than a decade ago."
Even with the financial industry meltdown, Credit Suisse acknowledges, "the past decade has been especially conducive to the establishment and preservation of large fortunes." Banking giants may be able to live comfortably with that reality. The rest of us need to change it.
Sam Pizzigati edits Too Much, the online weekly on excess and inequality published by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Policy Studies. Read the current issue or sign up to receive Too Much in your email inbox.