text:
Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- Protests against Spain's economic crisis took a new turn Wednesday as social media networks fueled calls for demonstrators to take to the streets before local elections a few days away.
Thousands returned late Tuesday to Madrid's central Puerta del Sol plaza -- where the main protests began Sunday.
A few hundred demonstrators camped out there overnight, while similar but smaller protests were held in Barcelona and other Spanish cities, a protest organizer said.
"The economy and unemployment are key to the protest because that binds all of us together," said Jon Aguirre Such, a spokesman for the Real Democracy Now, one of many groups convening the demonstrations.
"In this crisis, while some have gotten rich, most people have less income," Aguirre said.
Demonstrators are protesting Spain's 21% unemployment rate and a record 4.9 million jobless.
Protesters say a plethora of temporary labor contracts offer few or no job benefits. In addition, some are protesting against the political and financial establishment that they say is to blame.
The protests come in the closing days of the campaign for local elections set for Sunday. Spain's 8,000 cities and towns will elect mayors, along with 13 (out of 17) regional presidents and parliaments.
Opinion polls in Spanish media predict major gains for the opposition conservatives over Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's ruling Socialist party.
Zapatero, squeezed by the nation's prolonged economic crisis, announced last month he won't seek a third term in national elections due by March 2012.
For the past few years, as Spain's rate of unemployment remained tenaciously high, most of the protests were organized by major trade unions.
But the latest protests appear to be grass-roots movements fueled by social networks, sparking more attention.
Elena Ortega, who says she's managed to find only a part-time secretarial job, helped spread the word on Facebook about the protests on Wednesday.
"If this is happening, it's because the unions weren't doing what was needed, when it was needed. They haven't delivered," she said.
She said she's worried about her 20-year-old son, who has only found temporary jobs in the past four years.
"Forty percent of our young people are unemployed and don't have a chance," Ortega said.
The movement does not appear to be linked to the unions or political parties, the traditional protest heavyweights in Spain, said Economist Fernando Fernandez of the IE Business School in Madrid.
"I think we really don't know what we're seeing," Fernandez said. "This is the very beginning of a new movement. I don't expect it to become a very large social response or protest against the unemployment perspective in Spain."
But hours later, on Tuesday night, several thousand protesters returned to Madrid's central plaza. By Wednesday morning, dozens remained in their overnight encampment.
The social media networks call for renewed protests on Wednesday evening in Madrid and three dozen other Spanish cities. The aim is to continue the protests at least through the elections on Sunday, Aguirre said.
But Wednesday afternoon, Madrid's elections board banned the planned demonstration at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. ET) at the Puerta del Sol plaza. The board said there were not "extraordinary and serious reasons" to allow the demonstration on short notice, according to the central government's main regional office in Madrid.
The election board vetoed the demonstration -- which would have come during the final days of the election campaign -- on the grounds it could affect the right of citizens to vote freely, a regional office spokesman said.
Organizers of many large demonstrations in Madrid seek and receive prior authorization, usually days or weeks ahead of the event. But the economic protests since Sunday have sprung up on short notice.
Spain's El Pais newspaper reported that authorities planned to have sufficient police officers on hand to prevent the demonstration.


text:
Right-wing media have repeatedly distorted the Obama administration's record on border enforcement to claim that the border is not secure and that, in fact, the government has failed "to secure the states against invasion," as Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin has put it.
On Fox News' Hannity, Malkin claimed that "this current administration has done everything in its power to sabotage immigration law," and asked: "Why would you trust them one iota with the job that they will not do – that they refuse to do?" Host Sean Hannity added: "I want that border secure and I think we've got to get it done for our national security."
As the House prepares to debate the issue following the Senate passage of a bipartisan immigration reform bill that includes enhanced border measures, conservative media figures have used border security as a sticking point against which to derail reform.
But here are the facts on border enforcement.
Deportations Are At Historic Highs
The Obama administration has deported a record number of undocumented immigrants, which has angered immigrants rights' activists who argue that the rise in deportations has impacted families of those deported.
In FY 2012, deportations totaled 409,849 – the highest they've ever been.
In the past four years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported a record number of immigrants the government classifies as "priority removals," which includes those who have been convicted of crimes or are a threat to public safety.
In fact, 55 percent of those deported were classified as "convicted criminals," an increase of nearly 20 percent from 2009.
Apprehensions Are At An All-Time Low
At its peak, U.S. Border Patrol data show that apprehensions of undocumented immigrants nationwide and along the Southwest border routinely topped 1 million. For example, in FY 2004, the Border Patrol counted nearly 1.2 million apprehensions along the Southwestern border. By FY 2009, that number had declined to 540,865.
In FY 2012, the Border Patrol apprehended 364,768 individuals nationwide, 98 percent of whom were caught on the Southwestern border.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, as of April 2, "192,298 people have been detained this fiscal year, compared with 170,223 during the same period last year, unofficial data shows." The Star added: "Apprehensions in the Tucson Sector – the busiest section of the border — are down 1 percent so far this year to 64,514. But the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, arrests are up 53 percent to 59,147." The Star went on to report that "the recent growth in apprehensions is due to more Central Americans attempting to cross."
There Are Record Numbers of U.S. Border Patrol Agents
Since FY 2001, the U.S. Border Patrol has steadily increased its number of agents from 9,821 agents nationwide — the bulk of whom (93 percent) were stationed on the Southwestern border — to more than double today at 21,395 agents. Eighty-six percent of those agents today are located on the Southwestern border.
The Border Patrol Tuscon sector in Arizona boasts the most agents at 4,176, which is more than double the number of agents in 2003. More than half of the agents on the Southwestern border are located in the following sectors:
· Tuscon: 4,176 agents
· El Paso: 2,718 agents
· San Diego: 2,623 agents
· Rio Grande Valley: 2,546 agents.
The Rio Grande Valley has added more Border Patrol agents in the last fiscal year than any other sector nationwide.
There Are Record Numbers of ICE Agents
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data provided to the Immigration Policy Center*, there is a record number of ICE agents in the field tasked with enforcement and removal operations.
As of FY 2012, there are about 6,338 agents in the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division, which is double the number the program had in 2003 at 2,710, according to the organization's estimates.
Spending On Border Enforcement Has Doubled
The total budgets for CBP and ICE have doubled in the decade since the inception of the Homeland Security Department in 2002, with CBP's budget totaling about $11.7 million in FY 2012.
In FY 2012, ICE's budget stood at about $5.9 million.
The budgets for CBP and ICE have increased to such a degree that they now comprise 31 percent of DHS' total spending in FY 2013. CBP's budget alone has risen from 15 percent of Homeland Security's total spending in FY 2005 to 21 percent today – the most for any agency under DHS' purview.
CBP's budget eclipses that of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration, which comprise 17 percent and 13 percent of DHS' total spending respectively. By contrast, the U.S. Secret Service, the agency tasked with protecting the president and vice president, is a mere 3 percent.
Fence On U.S.-Mexico Border Stretches 650 Miles
The U.S. border with Mexico stretches 1,954 miles from California to Texas, according to the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission. As the U.S. Government Accountability Office has noted, however, the "length of the land border is 675 miles, while the length of the border along the Colorado River and Rio Grande is 1,279 miles."
On October 26, 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the Secure Fence Act, which authorized $1.2 billion for the building of 700 miles of fencing along the Southwestern border. Before 2006, according to GAO, there were about 120 miles of fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border.
That number has grown to 651 miles of fencing, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection:
As of February 10, 2012, CBP has completed 651 miles of pedestrian and vehicle fencing along the Southwest Border. CBP has constructed a total of 352 miles of primary pedestrian fence and 299 miles of vehicle fence. CBP has approximately one mile left to be completed for the Pedestrian Fence (PF225) project. This will bring the total to 652 miles of fence along the Southwest Border.
As this Washington Post graphic makes clear, the bulk of the fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border is situated on land, with California, Arizona, and New Mexico almost completely fenced off. As the Post further notes, the "Rio Grande creates a natural partition" along the remaining border miles in Texas:
Senate Immigration Reform Bill Militarizes Border In Afghanistan-Style Surge
The comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the Senate on June 27 includes a drastic increase in border enforcement measures, which has led even conservative think tank the Competitive Enterprise Institute to claim it ushers in "military-style mobilization" on the U.S.-Mexico border. CEI wrote on June 26 that the bill's border provision "is not simple 'border security' — personnel-wise, it's a mobilization proportional to the one in Afghanistan."
Discussing the border provisions — which were added in an amendment authored by Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and John Hoeven (R-ND) — on CNN on June 25, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said the bill would turn the Southwestern border into the "the most militarized border since the fall of the Berlin Wall":
McCAIN: I think that, first of all, the legislation concerning beefed up border security removes any validity to the argument that border security is not sufficient. I mean, this is not only sufficient, it is well over sufficient. We'll be the most militarized border since the fall of the Berlin Wall so that's why I think this amendment was very important.
In addition to fortifying the border in each sector between ports of entry, the amendment provides for the following:
1) Adds Another 17,000 Border Patrol Agents
The bill allocates $30 billion in additional funding for "no fewer than 38,405 trained full-time active duty U.S. Border Patrol agents" to be "deployed, stationed, and maintained along the Southern Border" over the next decade.
As Bill Maher noted, the addition of that many agents "is going to make the Border Patrol bigger than the FBI — you could put one agent every 250 feet."
2) Calls For No Less Than 700 Miles Of Fencing
The Senate bill calls for no less than 700 miles of total fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border:
[T]he Secretary will certify that there is in place along the Southern Border no fewer than 700 miles of pedestrian fencing which will include replacement of all currently existing vehicle fencing on non-tribal lands on the Southern Border with pedestrian fencing where possible, and after this has been accomplished may include a second layer of pedestrian fencing in those locations along the Southern Border which the Secretary deems necessary or appropriate.
3) Fortifies Border Surveillance
The Senate bill allocates $3.2 billion for additional air and marine support across the Southwestern border, including:
· 4 unmanned aircraft systems
· 6 VADER radar systems
· 17 UH-1N helicopters
· 8 C-206H aircraft upgrades
· 8 AS-350 light enforcement helicopters
· 10 Blackhawk helicopter 10 A-L conversions,
· 5 new Blackhawk M Model
· 30 marine vessels.
Reminder: Border States Account For More Than Half Of Total U.S. Trade With Mexico
Mexican officials have reportedly criticized the enhanced border measures in the Senate bill. The Washington Post reported on June 27:
[T]he $46 billion in additional security measures offered by the amendment prompted Mexican officials to break their silence this week, when Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade told reporters here that "fences don't unite."
"Fences are not a solution to the migration phenomenon, and they are not congruent with a safe and modern border," Meade said. "They don't contribute to the development of a competitive region that both countries are trying to build."
Additionally, The Hill reported on July 2 that Rep. Filemon Vela, a Democrat who represents the southernmost tip of Texas, quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in protest over the border provisions in the Senate bill. According to the article, Vela stated in a speech on the House floor:
"Erecting more border fence would chill the robust economic relationship that our country and our states enjoy with that country. … Rather than constructing new hurdles to trade with Mexico, we should be tearing down trade barriers in order to promote and strengthen our relationship with our neighbor country."
Indeed, what is often lost in the debate over border enforcement is the fact that Mexico is the United States' third-largest trading partner behind Canada and China. Mexico accounted for about 13 percent of total U.S. trade in 2012, totaling about $494 billion. That was up from $461 billion in 2011.
As of April 2013, Mexico's share of total U.S. trade is 13.3 percent, and remains the U.S.' third-largest trading partner.
The border states account for a disproportionate share of U.S. trade with Mexico. In all, the four states that border Mexico — Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas — generate $271 billion in U.S. trade with Mexico, which is 55 percent of all U.S. trade.
Texas is by far Mexico's largest state trading partner with $194.4 billion in 2012, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of total trade.
Arizona and Texas count Mexico as their largest import and export partner, with the exception of California and New Mexico. California's top importers are China and Japan, while New Mexico's top exporter is Israel and importer is China.
We need to update you on where Truthout stands.
To be brutally honest, Truthout is behind on our fundraising goals for the year. There are a lot of reasons why. We're dealing with broad trends in our industry, trends that have led publications like Vice, BuzzFeed, and National Geographic to make painful cuts. Everyone is feeling the squeeze of inflation. And despite its lasting importance, news readership is declining.
To ensure we stay out of the red by the end of the year, we have a long way to go. Our future is threatened.
We've stayed online over two decades thanks to the support of our readers. Because you believe in the power of our work, share our transformative stories, and give to keep us going strong, we know we can make it through this tough moment.
If you value what we do and what we stand for, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our work.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Title: Devil You Know
Series: A Lost Boys Novel
Author: L.A. Fiore
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Cover Artist: By Hang Le
Damian Tate. One look into his sad green eyes and I was hooked. I wanted to be the one to make him laugh, to make him smile. I hadn't expected him to be the one to make me blush, to make me hot...to make me fall in love. He was my first kiss, my first love, my first everything. I wanted forever with him, but life got in the way.
He enlisted, I went to college, and for years we were never in the same place long enough to pick up where we left off.
Thirteen years after he left, tragedy brings him home. The stoic boy I fell in love with grew into a quiet, dangerous and wildly sexy man. He still tugs on all the right strings for me, but he seems determined to keep me at arm's-length.
However, when trouble comes knocking at my door, he is the one to put himself between that trouble and me.
Spending time with him might drive me insane, or it might be our second chance at first love.
═══ What early readers are saying... ═══
"A heartbreaking prologue that leads into a story that never slows down.."
"A captivating love story that carried depth, warmth, longing, emotions, and suspense."
"An amazing love story that will make you lose your breath, make you emotional and keep you on the edge of your seat."
"With an exciting and fast paced journey,destiny and fate intervene. The toughest souls have a way of mending, and experiencing a deep and long lasting connection."
L.A. Fiore is the author of several books including: Beautifully Damaged, Waiting for the One and A Glimpse of the Dream. She's also the social secretary for her two children, a tamer of ill-mannered cats, the companion to one awesome dog and married to her best friend. She likes her wine red, her shrimp chilled and her social gatherings small and intimate.


text:
Other destinations
We travel. Check the destinations where we go regularly and thus could help organizing a trip to.
Barbless flies
As barbless flies are a must on our river (and many others in Europe) check our fly tying company at Polishquills.com
River reports
Check river reports since 2007
I am lucky to live and fish here in Poland, in one of the last wild places in Europe, in the beautiful mountains of Bieszczady, by the awesome river San. With a group of friends who share the passion of flyfishing, we would be honoured if you join us for this ultimate experience in flyfishing for river trout and grayling. Working for years with hunters coming from all over Europe I realized that there is much more to do than hunt in my country. Fishing was the natural consequence. I started with pike fishing on my lake, then carp on another and finally it had to end with flyfishing. Choosing place and guides was not difficult – I chose the best that exist in Poland! The San was discovered by the fly fishing world in 1985 when the first Flyfishing World Championship was organised – it was a different country in those days. The fishing here was rediscovered in 2005 during the European Championship – now, with Poland being in the European Union, with good infrastructure, and our wonderful fishing – it had to be a success. In 2010 World Flyfishing Championship was held on the San. Foreign anglers have seldom visited the San until now – but the Poles have always known of this special, secret place. They practiced and got to the top in most flyfishing competitions. It is among those winners I have chosen fishing guides and flytiers. They know their job very well. This job is fishing. Fishing at the highest level. Fishing in Paradise. Fishing at the Frontier. They are at your service and will guide you through all levels - from the very basic tuition to master-level skills of European and World Champions. They will also tie you perfect flies and teach how to tie them if you wish. You don't have to worry about accommodation, food, transportation - anything. You are here to fish. I will be pleased to host you and take care of everything.


text:
From the ever-fertile pen of Afro Leo's good friend Kingsley Egbuonu comes this little gem (thanks, Kingsley, for all your hard work for my blog, says the little lion, I do wish there were more like you around!):
|No Music Day 2009 (peace fm)
"The Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) has declared Thursday 1 September 2011 as a 'No Music Day' throughout Nigeria. The declaration was made in a statement issued by COSON president Chief Tony Okoroji on Friday, 26 August 2011. Okoroji says the day 'will be dedicated to drawing national attention to the widespread infringement of the rights of composers, song writers, performers, music publishers and other stakeholders in the music industry in Nigeria'.
Similarly, the Nigerian Music Industry Coalition have requested that all broadcasting stations dedicate time on the same day to granting and airing interviews, debates or any other program related to artistes rights as a way of supporting the cause.
This isn't the first time a protest of this sort would hold as it was first staged throughout the country two years ago on Tuesday, 1 September 2009, albeit with a low level of compliance.
Source: Nigerian Entertainment Today
While on the subject of COSON, its Acting General Manager Chinedu Angus Chukwuji, has embarked on a postgraduate programme in Intellectual Property Law at the African University Mutare, Zimbabwe.
COSON expects the programme – which is sponsored by the World Intellectual Property Organization - to equip Mr. Chukwuji "with every skill and knowledge necessary for effective management of intellectual property rights in the digital age and to bring him up-to-date with intellectual property administration from the global perspective."
Source: www.cosonng.com


text:
- Home
- Departments
- Public Works
- Engineering & Capital Improvement Projects
- Floodplain Modifications
Floodplain Modifications
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in the process of revising the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) Panels because the Wildcat and San Pablo Creek levees are not in full compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations. Therefore, the delineation of the floodplain boundary of the "100-year flood" for certain locations in the City of Richmond will be revised.
This floodplain map is important for property owners in affected areas as it changes flood insurance requirements. The affected areas include Wildcat Creek, from approximately 1,900 feet downstream of Richmond Parkway to approximately 600 feet downstream of 3rd Street and San Pablo Creek, from approximately 1,400 feet downstream of the North Richmond Bypass Bridge to just downstream of 3rd Street in the Unincorporated Areas of Contra Costa County.
Public notices of the proposed floodplain boundary modifications were published in the Richmond Post and West Contra Costa Times on October 27, 2010.
The Preliminary DFIRM Panels are available for inspection at the City of Richmond, Engineering Services Department and Contra Costa County. During the 90-day comment period, which ends on January 25, 2011, any person in the community may comment on the proposed floodplain delineations. These comments must be submitted to FEMA by the end of the 90 days and all comments must be received by the City of Richmond Engineering Services Department by January 18, 2011. All comments will be considered before FEMA makes its final determination at the end of the comment period.
More information on submitting comments to the City or County.


text:
The work Sir Jinx did with Ice Cube on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, the Kill at Will EP, and Death Certificate, makes him a pretty significant part of Hip Hop history. Add in the assistance he provided on The Predator and Lethal Injection, and you can say he's been involved in some of the most important works from one of the most important artists in Hip Hop. However, add in the fact Sir Jinx played in integral role in the building of a small studio inside of Long Beach, California's VIP records, and now you have Sir Jinx being partially responsible for the recording of the demo that would launch the career of Snoop Dogg. The latter would play a major role on The Chronic and is enjoying a legendary career of his own. Stopping there would ignore the fact that before the recording of the classic "93 Til Infinity," it was Sir Jinx that was working with Del The Funky Homosapien and Souls of Mischief, even attempting to sign them to Ruthless Records. Only acknowledging Jinx's accomplishments on the West Coast would leave out his work with Kool G Rap. Needless to say, your favorite rapper's favorite rapper probably wouldn't be who he was had it not been for Sir Jinx—regardless of who your favorite rapper is, or where he comes from.
"I'm a caregiver to Hip Hop," Sir Jinx explained. "When it gets out of hand, you gotta realize, Hip Hop was a sport that was made with no adults. So all the people that made it was kids, and the kids made the rules of it. So this is why it goes all over the place, because it doesn't have a parent."
With the release of a new compilation album, Sir Jinx Presents..The Gifted & The Privilege, Jinx is attempting to merge his star-studded resume of Golden Era work with a mentality very much rooted in 2014. During an exclusive Q&A session, Jinx broke down all aspects of the project and delved into his past, present, and future, as well as that of Hip Hop.
Sir Jinx Details His Vision For "The Gifted and the Privilege"
HipHopDX: You got in the game, you wanted to get a section of Ruthless, and you've done much more. What's your current motivation with TheGifted and the Privilege?
Jinx: Being a platform more than a hustle. The places I've been, back in the day, people wasn't handing out platforms. They was handing out hustles, and hustles fall apart. My heart is the same heart that beat a long time ago. I love the music, I love the entertainment business, and then I like Hip Hop music. Hip Hop is a part of the language that gave me a reason to be in the entertainment business. I still like the movies…I like the whole thing. My language is Hip Hop. That's where I learn it. At some point, I know I can get in the game with my own language, still go forward, and still compete with the masses. Now, I want to have more and more. Like you said, I started with the Eazy-E thing…that little part. I didn't get the Eazy thing; I got a platinum record. Then we did Yo-Yo, and we moved Yo-Yo from over there. I'm happy with everything I've done. I'm just waiting for some new people, some new competition…let's make it fair and make some real good money like we did a long time ago.
DX: What was behind the decision to go with the title The Gifted and the Privilege? What does that title mean to you?
Sir Jinx: It's like a compilation linking the streets—a lot of the cats I was dealing with—with local people that perform, plus I had music with dudes that were already established. I kind of mixed those two together so one could get something from the other. That's The Gifted and the Privilege.
DX: You have features from Snoop Dogg, Ras Kass, Game and more. With all the artists you've worked with, what was with the decision to choose these artists for this project?
Jinx: The other albums I put together were different. I don't actually choose the artists, the playlists chooses the artists. I'm dealing with a lot of different artists that have a lot of different types of music. Some artists are good, but don't have the songs to accommodate the playlists. With this, I'm making sure the playlist is right on point, just like AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted or Death Certificate. Just like those albums, the playlists makes people like songs they might not ordinarily like. You put somebody next to a Snoop Dogg, and they might not have even played it. Music is similar—not similar in sound, but similar in direction. My last album was Landminds, and that was a little bit more conscious, a little bit more R&B, a little bit more of a righteous environment. Gifted and Privilege are the guys that made it through the years being themselves. If you just be yourself, you're gifted and privileged to be that type of person. That's how I chose those people. So most of the songs play into the playlists of what I needed. A lot of guys, they give me music, some of it might be Down South oriented, or Pop, Dubstep or something like that. If you give me time, I will make an album that will accommodate that playlist.
DX: So you have music coming in all the time, and it's just like, "This is the playlist direction for this album/compilation, so I'm gonna go with these." But you may have some heaters hidden in the stash that you'll use for something else later?
Jinx: Exactly. With Half Dead, he submitted his music; some songs went to one list, and some songs went to the next list. Then Ras Kass throws a record in there. Sometimes, people give me a song with them featured on it. I didn't deal with Ras Kass. Some songs are songs that people got features; you got a feature on it—like Baby S got E-40 and Keak Da Sneak. Those are the songs that Baby S had, but if you start looking at everybody I'm dealing with, we making a new connection out here. I deal with everybody. From 2nd II None, Candyman, and all these different people. Everybody is kind of running on their own direction. With this new Internet situation going on, we can all link together and sell music like back in the day, with the K-Tels, and the Hey Love compilations—where people would listen to those compilations to hear new versions of love songs or disco singles. Now you don't even have to look so far to find the music that I'm trying to put out. If somebody tries to go to a major label, they probably wouldn't give them a deal. But if they link together on these songs, the record labels might see their vision, and see that there are more people that do their direction and their type of music. So everybody isn't pigeonholed to do the same type of music. That's what kind of killed the West Coast; everybody started shooting for that same outcome. With this situation, I'm giving everybody a chance. The person that was in the rear subsequently ends up in the front row.
Why Sir Jinx Says The Internet Took Power Away From Major Labels
DX: You brought up how now with the Internet, people have access to all sorts of stuff, and you can drop different types of projects. How do you feel about the Internet's effect on West Coast music?
Jinx: With the Internet being a main factor, it took a lot of the power and control away from the major labels. Now the artist can develop himself, and he can get out there and hear firsthand feedback rather than smokescreens from a record label that's just telling him anything. You can see exactly the kind of numbers you're doing on the Internet. You can see who your fan base is. It's like fan mail…before the label had control of your fans. The record label's address was on the back, and you'd write to the artist there. Nine times out of 10, the artists never got it. You lose your relationship with the record label, and immediately you lose the connection with the fans. Now with the Internet, they cut that all out. Now you have direct connection with each person that buys your material. It's instant feedback. At some point, it makes a lot of people feel like they can jump out and do it. There's still a cost, there's still a budget, and merchandise that can be sold on the Internet. It gives the artists their own power to be able to stand up if they want to. They don't have to follow behind the major label.
DX: How much does that factor into expanding the culture. I'm specifically talking about the ability to get artists like Tyler, The Creator out in the West Coast without having to fit into the West Coast box.
Jinx: At one point, it was like, "Oh, gangbanging!" Everybody wanted to know about it. If you weren't a gangbanging rapper or a gangster rapper, you could lose a deal. You could lose your opportunity. Now, the Internet isn't based on one type of music, or type of artist. You can find your fan base from Canada, to Australia or anywhere. That's why I make albums like this. I wasn't gonna deprive myself, because I knew there was gonna be somebody out there that really wants to hear this music that's getting deprived of what they want to hear, because the majors are pushing them another type of music. They're like, "Wait…I still like that type of music!" Music is like clothes; it may go out of style, but some people still like to wear it. So you can't say that this style of music is just over with because we have another genre of music popping. Nah, it's still popping. There still places in the world that are still getting introduced to Hip Hop that still don't' know about a Snoop Dogg or Jay Z. I'm willing to sell music to them forever. Dealing with the Internet, there is all types of music I never knew existed. Even when I was doing my sample thing, I know way more about music now with the Internet than I did when I was being handfed by the people that were in front of me at the time.
DX: Whether it's by talking with people like Lil Half Dead, Jayo Felony or VIP Records' Kelvin Anderson, your name pops up often. In terms of covering such a huge scope of music, how would you compare the current situation with TDE to when Snoop and Dr. Dre emerged?
Jinx: It's not the same, because Kendrick Lamar had to do more than what Snoop had to do. Back in the day, you only had one direction. Back in the S.O.L.A.R. building, that was only one beacon in thousands of miles of water. At some point, Kendrick Lamar had to do his thing on the Internet and reach these people without that. Snoop immediately jumped on to one Dr. Dre situation, and there were no other options. Kendrick Lamar has a whole bunch of options to make his music any way he wants, but he captured the new West Coast without being under that umbrella of where we got stuck at with everybody wanting to do gangster music.
DX: With all the artists you've worked with, what is it that makes you work with a newer artist. What is it you look for in a newer artist?
Jinx: Confidence. An artist has to have confidence. He also has to know a little bit of research. Some artist that are really, really far and advanced in writing, sometimes don't have the confidence. They might have the penmanship and the cadence, but they might not have that confidence. You'll get one dude who jumps out his car, the girls love him, he rhymes horribly, but his confidence is through the roof. This is called the entertainment business not the writing music business. At the end of the day, I'm more selling music, as well as putting music together. The person has gotta have a charisma about him to build himself a brand. Now I understand that. We used to hear that a long time ago from the older guys. Cats didn't understand, and they'd be like, "I'm not no role model." Now they understand how they can change people rather than carry on a tradition that's not good.
Sir Jinx Says, The Gangster Look Was Watered Down
DX: It's interesting how necessary that total package is now that rapping is perceived as cool. Jay Z once said that before he was really on, he didn't want anyone to know he was a rapper, because people looked down on rappers back then at that time.
Jinx: Exactly, you was a clown! Looking like a clown got me home safe walking from school to where I used to live. They'd see me with my boom box with the graffiti all on it; I got pants with fresh paint all on it…these dude were walking out very serious about they neighborhood and the people walking through it. Guys from my neighborhood gave me the fist in the air for not getting involved in the gangbanging. They'd say, "Jinx, keep going with that homie." I'd get a pass. I'd get to walk home because I was doing what I wanted to do. I seen a lot of dudes that didn't make that walk home.
DX: We talk about how in the streets they looked down at rappers, and it was completely different. Now many artists are trying to blend in with the streets. Do you feel like the streets have changed their view of things?
Jinx: Well, I kind of look at it like it's been watered down. The way people perceive a gangster… Now, you got R&B people trying to look gangster. The gangster mentality has been watered down by everybody not wanting to be the good guy—everybody wanting to be the bad guy. That's what makes Kendrick Lamar, and that's what makes Tyler, The Creator be able to stand out now. They're not carrying on the tradition of rappers bringing the image to them that has nothing to do with music. This is what watered down the gangster look. At first that used to be real cool, now Justin Bieber looks just as cool as anybody else. That used to be hard to look cool. Remember? Look at Vanilla Ice. Look at Chris Rock. Look at how they looked back in the day. It wasn't cool. That's not a diss, I'm just saying it still wasn't cool. Now, the gangster look is so watered down, you got anybody looking like they from the street. The urban area used to be a conversation that was never had with the suburban area. The Internet has watered it down, so now the message of gangsters is watered down. You can't tell who's a real gangster
DX: You've got R&B thugs…
Jinx: Now, it's the other way. Now you can tell who's the weirdo for real. I'm a weirdo. I'm not dissing nobody, but they used to say I'm a weirdo. Now with the skinny jeans, you can tell them anywhere they go. You say, "Oh…you new school? I know exactly who you are." They'll look back at me and say, "I know you too—Kangols, sweat suits, fat laces." As soon as it was portrayed with dope dealing, pimping, and all this, it was watered down.
Sir Jinx's Thoughts On Unity Among West Coast Emcees
DX: How do you feel about how Hip Hop has been co-opted into popular culture? Early in the game, when N.W.A was coming out, you'd turn on the TV, and the news would be like, "Ahhh, these guys are terrible!" Now you turn on the TV, and you got Miley Cyrus trying to twerk.
Jinx: I love it! I'm a child of Hip Hop, and I feel like a proud dad when I see Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. A tear comes to my eyes to see what I made up getting ran until they couldn't stop it. Back in the day, it was like the F.B.I. and N.W.A… The F.B.I. was gonna stop N.W.A…yeah. The F.B.I. really stopped it. They really did. If they didn't, these white kids wouldn't be acting like that. I feel like a proud dad any time I see any other type of person involved in Hip Hop music, using it for Burger King or using it for something. Back in the day, that's what they were doing to us anyway. It's the same thing over and over again, but this time I got a brick in the wall. Yes, I was there when Hip Hop started. Yes, I knew it was gonna pop. Yes, I knew Rap people was gonna end up on the golf course. I knew this because there was nothing stronger than what we were doing at the time. There's still nothing. You got Dubstep creeping up, but it ain't gonna hold a match to Hip Hop. You got all these club sounds that spin off from Hip Hop, but at the heart of it, I still love that boom bap Hip-Hop. Everybody is chasing that real, heartfelt Hip-Hop, and if you can't do that, then comes all the side effects. It's like, "I don't rap, but I can beatbox and play a tambourine at the same time." It don't matter, if you can really rhyme, that's the essence of what I like.
DX: How up to date are you on the New York scene? We talk so much about your involvement in the West, but you've been heavy in the game in general.
Jinx: I've just been doing my thing. I'm sure in your life; you start learning about stuff later. You give it a name later. I'm the finisher… the cleaner that comes in when something is all fucked up. What was that, Pulp Fiction?
DX: Yeah. Sam Jackson had to call the cleaner when they shot old boy in the car…
Jinx: Definitely, this is who Sir Jinx is. I make sure that your record will be exactly the way you want it to be. It's not about me pushing beats on somebody and saying, "Cut arrows in your hair." It's whatever you want to do; I can accommodate it. Throw a fast ball, throw a curve ball, throw a knuckle ball, and I can catch all of them. It don't matter. Just tell me what you want to do. This is why a lot of artists are comfortable with me. I don't change their ideas to my idea. I help them develop the ideas that they have. So when you dealing with an Ice Cube, and he's trying to think of an idea, you gotta be on his status to think of his idea too. You can't just be like, "Nah…what about this?" At some point, you gotta be like, "I feel you, but what if it had this?" They'll feel you. You can't just come in and say, "I got a Rap beat with a hook on it."
This is the relationship I have with Xzibit, Kurupt, Jayo Felony, Brother J, and 2nd II None; these are all the new family. That's what I tell everybody when cats are screaming, "New West." The "New West" is about the new way we link up with everybody not how you come out on your own. You still gonna have to hold the weight of the West. If you try to do it by yourself, they gonna do you as cold as they did Young MC. When Young MC tried to step out, everybody was against him. Now, everybody [acknowledges] Young MC was a part of the game. That's the way I like it. He came out so far ahead; he didn't have nobody to defend him. Now, we'll put out a person like a Young MC, because we know what genre of music he's into. He's not a gangster. He's not none of that. Right now, that's how everybody is. It's becoming the new West, the new family West…how we learning from down South. Them Down South cats don't even care about if they even like each other or not. They make their web really big and really strong. Down South has taught everybody how to have a relationship in the music industry rather than having beef. They do beef, but they understand the importance of using the people around you and linking up instead of fighting the world. At some point, the West Coast was linking up and doing stuff, then they started fighting the world.
With the East Coast, all they had to do was fight the West Coast back in the day. Those were the only people that were opposing us. Instead of us embracing that, we did the same music… We started beefing with each other, amongst each other, then Down South started making so much damn money while everybody was fighting each other. If anybody wants to go against me and tell me that's not right, I been here since day one. I seen how New York was the big brother of Hip Hop. Then L.A. came along, and we was the little brother. So of course, they wanted us to be up to par on the lyrics and stuff like that. New York was doing music the way they was doing it, and they wasn't making music to sell music. They was making it to establish Hip Hop. When it came to the West Coast, we was showing them how to sell it. So now, Down South learned how to put it on the conveyor belt and sell it by the millions. You tell me that the early days of New York, they were selling Hip Hop? I doubt it. When the West Coast got involved, it became more commercial, because it wasn't boom bap; it wasn't so underground. When it came to the West Coast, we added music to it. Back in the East coast, it was just drums. You had a few songs that had music in it, but the Hip Hop jams from back in the day, with LL Cool J, they didn't have music. He had one song, "I Need Love," but the rest of them was just drums. We brought the party, having fun and turning it into some fun stuff. Down South…they took it, and figured out they didn't want to fight each other over it. They let everybody get on.
DX: Where do you feel the West stands now in the scope of things?
Jinx: We're learning. Everybody is sitting on the sideline mad because we dropped the ball back in '97, and we didn't put enough people on to hold down the wave. Now you see these new groups coming on, and they got front liners! They front liners aren't slumps, to where it's two good emcees, and the rest are bogus. These new West Coast groups have front lines that are serious. Another thing: back in the day a lot of cats couldn't deal with each other. Now, in the West Coast, a lot of cats aren't dealing with a neighborhood boundary to subsequently make them not do a feature. A lot of the dudes now that are in the music industry, you can go to they house and not deal with a gang or something like that. If I want to deal with a Myka 9 or anybody, it won't be a gang issue. If I want to deal with a Medusa—all these people who have nothing to do with my music, but I still want to build with them—that can be done more today than it ever was. You couldn't just go anywhere talking about Hip Hop unless the gang gave you a pass; otherwise you'd get beat up and robbed. That's not what it's like today.
DX: Why do you think that's changed to where you can have a Jay Rock and Nipsey hu$$le working together, as opposed to how it was back in the day?
Jinx: They separated that gangster stuff and the Hip Hop by knowing they can make money together. Back in the day, when they put it all together, you can't make no money like that. Rap music makes way more money than gangbanging. I know that for a fact. Most of the dudes realized their rights and their wrongs. Maybe sometimes the dude that was they enemy may have held them down more than anybody who supposedly had they back. Rap music changes very fast. One day you'll be on top, and one day you won't. So I always tell rappers don't put the gangbanging in your raps, because it'll box you in to where you can and can't go. If you can rap really good, any gang member will like you. Any real thug will like you if you spit that real. But you don't have to be affiliated with something to make somebody like you. If your talk is good, your talk is good. That's what we went through in the beginning of the West Coast; everybody thought they had to be affiliated to be accepted. Now, it's not like that.
I'm a caregiver to Hip Hop. When it gets out of hand, you gotta realize, Hip Hop was a sport that was made with no adults. So all the people that made it was kids, and the kids made the rules of it. So this is why it goes all over the place, because it doesn't have a parent. Now, Jay Z, Puffy and all these guys that are older are pushing it in a quality direction. When it was ran by kids, the quality wasn't as good as Jay Z music is today. Jay Z music and Eminem music sounds like Journey and Phil Collins. They done pushed Rap into a whole new ball park. That's why I love it. That's why I know it's gonna be up there. We just gotta take care of it.
DX: So you're saying now there are gatekeepers?
Jinx: Yeah. It all goes together. Look what Jay Z is doing to these people's lives that are jumping on stage rapping with him. That's gonna change they life forever. Now you got fathers of Hip Hop—Mello Man Ace is the godfather of Latin Rap. Snoop Dogg is the godfather, you know? Now, it's different than a long time ago when they'd let anybody on…well, not anybody. Now, Jay Z knows, and he's putting on Rihanna. He's looking for other people with talent. That's a good thing for Rap.
RELATED:Sir Jinx Talks Ice Cube Reunion, Another Dr. Dre "Detox" Track With Jay-Z


text:
Bear Claw-1 Mascot MA-1000
$21.00 – $100.00
Bear Claw Mascot Banner in portrait layout, customized for your club or school.
"Print ready proof will be emailed to you within 24 hours. Approval is needed before we print and ship".
Show your team pride with this customized Bear Claw Mascot Banner in portrait layout. Design and add your school colors, names, and more to turn it into a unique masterpiece of school or club spirit! The end result is only limited by your imagination.
Additional information
10×16, 14×19, 22×31, 30×42, 34×60


text:
Since I cut the cable (well, actually the satellite) recently, I have prided myself on finding things to watch (legally) online. This has lead to something of a quest for bookmarks to add to my Media Center PC. I also thought that showing what I have found might be of interest to others thinking of doing the same thing. Although, I must admit, when football season rolls around I WILL be reconnecting (C'mon you MUST have noticed my Firefox theme in the screenshots).
Everyone is familiar with most of the major sources for online video – You Tube, Hulu, Netflix and all of the network sites such as ABC and Comedy Central. But there are many more sites on the web that fly under the radar of most surfers. So, I thought I'd take you on a quick tour of three that I have found.
Crackle is Sony Pictures' website. They have many full-length movies, as well as clips of others. There are also various full-length TV episodes and even some web "originals". The video quality is excellent and there is a full-screen option.
Clicker also contains Movies, TV shows and Web Originals as well as throwing in music videos. To borrow from their own words:
"Clicker is the complete guide to Internet Television. Our mission is to make it simple for you to find the right show, right now. Classic Cinema Online."
Again, video quality is excellent and full-screen is available.
Classic Cinema Online
Classic Cinema Online is, honestly, not really my cup of tea. But, there are many of you out there who love the old classic movies and I didn't want to leave anyone out in this first installment of "TV without the cable".
This site has hundreds of the old classic movies. Many of the best ones, actually. It even includes silent films. There is supposedly chat, so you can talk to to other people while watching the same movie. But, I can't say I have tried, so I will leave that up to you.
Hope everyone found a site here they like, and please post your own finds in the comments. I am always looking for new sources.


text:
Spyder Creations builds replicas of the Porsche 550. Inch perfect, 100 percent accurate, all-aluminum replicas they sell for $320,000 or $470,000, depending on the engine. That sounds like a lot, but a real 550 is about $4 million. This is the 550 replica that real 550 owners buy so they have a car they can drive.
(Full Disclosure: Spyder Creations wanted me to drive their 550 replica so bad that they invited me up to their Connecticut workshop to take a drive. I only ran it out of gas once.)
If you see a 550 replica on the road, normally it's a fiberglass car that has been stretched. It looks like a Porsche 550, but it isn't close in the truest sense.
That's where Ben and Rob Edwards come in. Ben owned a beautiful original Porsche 550, but he sold it years ago when it was worth $1 million. He thought the market had peaked.
It wasn't close. 550s now trade for nearly four times that price. If you didn't guess, that pissed Ben off, especially when he wanted his car back. So, as a little father-son project, the duo set out to make the best, most exact Porsche 550 replica in the world. And how you do that is you make it out of aluminum and you scan an original car.
In this case, the car they scanned belongs to Vijay Mallya, an Indian billionaire and owner of the Force India F1 Team. His 550 is a gorgeous original example, a great place to start if you want to build the most exact 550 replica in the world.
Unlike Singer, Spyder Creations isn't setting out to create a 550 Spyder that is better than the original. They are creating a 550 Spyder down to the bolts.
I've never met two people that know as much about a particular car as Rob and Ben. They know the serial numbers of all the 550s. Ok, that's not that impressive, but then they know all the particular details on each 550, like the slight variances in the bodies and mechanical differences. If you need encyclopedic knowledge of the 550, give these guys a call.
I am not a Porsche expert nor do I claim to be one, but to my untrained eye this replica looks exactly like a real, brand new 550. And that's the point.
But it's still not good enough for Rob and Ben. When talking to them before setting out, and mentioning how everything looked absolutely perfect on the car, they noted that the first one had some slight imperfections, like a crease that was slightly too sharp or an angle on the fender flare that wasn't quite right. I didn't notice, but people who own a 550 would notice. And that's the market that they want. These guys are perfectionists, and that's who you want building your $320,000 car.
Under the hood of the $320,000 version is a 1600 cc Porsche pushrod engine that has about 110 horsepower to move the 1,100 pound car. For $470,000, you get a legit Porsche four cam, one of the most famous race engines of the era. And yes, the $150,000 delta is exactly the price of the engine. Their second car will have a four cam once it's completed, and it should be a screamer.
The car I drove had pushrod power, which I'm told is around 110 horsepower, which is plenty for the super lightweight roadster. Now, I'm six feet tall. Most race car drivers are far shorter than I am. When the 550 first came out, it was built for people who were around 5'5" tall.
That means I don't really fit in the car at all, my head is a good two feet above the wind screen and I have to get really close to whoever is sitting next to me. The powerband of the engine is also pretty tough to get used to.
Steering is direct, which I guess makes sense since there is no power assist. As you'd expect, it's a great handling car. I didn't have it on track, but was told that it has been on track and people loved it. The gearbox is purposely vague, since that's what it felt like in the original 550. That means there are missed shifts and a certain level of patience and finesse required. I also cannot get close to heel-toeing in here, but that's probably because I'm just too tall for the car. The engine, well, it feels very Beetle-ey to me. At times it feels like it's making a lot of noise, but it isn't converting that noise into forward motion.
If they wanted to build a modern version of a 550 that was rocket fast and looked original, they could have done that. But that wasn't the idea. This is exactly the same as the car Porsche built way back when. But at an affordable price, relatively, for original 550 owners.
Spyder Creations has created a car that is not something everyone wants. For the vast majority of people, a fiberglass replica is all they'll need. But then there are the Porsche obsessives. People who know all the serial numbers. Know who owns each car. Can rattle off specs like they're reading a cereal box. For those people that already have a 550 or want something as close as they can get, this is the only choice.
Photo Credit: Roger Garbow


text:
It happens to almost every entrepreneur. You reach a point in your business where you feel stuck, and progress has halted. Business may be going well, but it still takes every minute of every day to stay on top of things. You think about other business owners who have managed to live the life they've always desired, with free time on their hands to focus on new creative endeavors or vacations with their families. What is it that they have that you don't?
The key to their success is actually something every entrepreneur has but hasn't taken the time to implement yet. I've seen far greater success from the entrepreneurs I work with who choose to use this key compared to those who don't.
The keys to your small business success are your written systems, policies, and procedures.
The Promise of Freedom
I know that "systems, policies, and procedures" sounds intimidating and dry. I lovingly refer to this as the least sexy part of building a business but hear me out.
Like most entrepreneurs, you probably find yourself making a lot less money and working a lot longer hours than what you had planned. If you started a business because you wanted the freedom to live an exceptional life that included time with family and friends, travel, and having financial freedom, then you need to develop systems, policies, and procedures to take yourself out of the unnecessary day-to-day tasks that are keeping you from scaling. They can transform your business, and liberate you from doing everything yourself. It is the only path to true freedom in running a business.
How Systems, Policies & Procedures Work
A good system includes written policies and procedures on a topic in your business. A policy is something that gives the reason or philosophy behind the procedure, and the procedure gives the steps.
It is absolutely essential that the philosophy behind the policy is clear, so the procedure makes sense. You have a special way of doing something that is unique to your business. If you skip directly to the procedure without the underlying context of the policy, your employees won't understand why they are doing what they are doing.
A great system is one that inspires the employee to take action in just the way you want, empowers the employee to make decisions, ensures that the process is done the same way every time, and ultimately provides clients and customers with a consistent experience. Even more importantly, a great system gives you the freedom to build your business and focus on the big picture.
Shortcuts to Developing your Systems
So where do you start with your systems? I like to start with all the things I don't like to do. Think about the things that are the worst uses of your time, or that you do over and over. I call these repetitive processes. These can be things like monthly bookkeeping and financial review, how potential clients become actual clients, or even how you answer the phone. Write down exactly how you want these tasks to be handled. Then, gradually move on to the other parts of your business.
Next — have your employees write down the policies and procedures for their roles in your company. This includes everything from how they make the coffee to how they treat and interact with clients. This documentation by your employees also gives you an excellent chance to review any policies or procedures that you would like to improve or discard while giving employees important ownership over the process.
If you have a new hire that is walking into the job without pre-written procedures, you can also have them write down the procedures in real-time as they learn them.
Don't Get Overwhelmed
If you're like me (and most entrepreneurs I know) this can seem like a terrifying and overwhelming task that most go-getters would rather avoid. Just take it one step at a time. Schedule one or two days a month on the calendar to only work on your systems and procedures. But be sure to schedule it – it has to be on the calendar. At no time in my life do I think, "I have an extra hour, I'll work on procedures." You have to make room for you and your employees to work on this project, and the project will become much easier as you get momentum going within your company.
Getting Systematized Will Radically Improve Your Business
Since I've systematized my whole business with policies and procedures, I've seen it grow exponentially faster than I imagined. What happens now is my employees can train other employees by using the book of systems that we've created. They take greater ownership of the business and feel empowered and confident to make the right decisions. I can travel to Europe or Africa for weeks at a time, without checking in by phone or email, and trust my employees to run my business in my absence.
In the bigger picture, written systems give you, the owner, a platform to stand on and grow again. Think of these as the building blocks of your company. They're the building blocks that will create the freedom you crave.
Investing the time now to create this structure in your business will liberate you, and propel your company beyond what you thought was possible.
Copyright © 2023 SCORE Association, SCORE.org
Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.


text:
The focus of this project is developing a business plan for faith-based counseling for college students. Renewed Living Counseling Center (RLCC) is a faith-based counseling center in the Tempe area serving Arizona State University students. RLCC strives to bring healing and wholeness to each student who comes through the doors, to empower them to realize and live out their potential, by providing them with the skills to accomplish their dreams and live full lives, through counseling, motivation, education, and treating student's behaviors to become whole and successful. Research indicates that the proposed center, Renewed Living Counseling Center (RLCC), has great potential for success because:
1. Spirituality and faith are increasingly recognized as important aspects in a person's life. National research shows that 66% of people feel counseling should include spirituality. Research with ASU students found that students reflect this statistic, as they feel spirituality is an important part of counseling. Students also feel spirituality is appropriate to include as part of counseling services offered by centers referred to by ASU.
2. There is a need for counseling at ASU. Nationally,approximately1,100 college students commit suicide each year. At ASU, almost one-third of students reported feeling so depressed that it is difficult to function, and 0.9% report having attempted suicide within the past year.
3. Surveys of ASU students indicate that students who describe themselves as being religious are more desirous that counseling include a spiritual dimension. Surveys of campus pastors indicate that over 80% believe there is a need for faith-based counseling and would refer students to a local center.
4. Price is an issue. Indeed, a survey of campus pastors indicated that they believed cost of counseling to be one of the primary deterrents to students seeking help. One way to control costs is to use a mixture of residents and licensed counselors. As in medicine, students must complete coursework along with a period of residency or internship to obtain licensing. Both religious and secular masters programs in counseling exist in the greater Phoenix area. Thus, there is a potential supply of students who could work as residents, permitting RLCC to offer counseling services at reasonable prices.
- Faith Based College Counseling - A Business Plan
- Matthews, Rachel Leigh (Author)
- Steinbart, Paul (Thesis director)
- Chung, Sally (Committee member)
- Sanders, Ben (Committee member)
- Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
- School of Accountancy (Contributor)
- WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor)


text:
Top Items:
David Pogue / Bits:
Some Hands-On Time With the iPhone — Macworld attendees check out the iPhone. — Today, I had meetings with Steve Jobs and then Phil Schiller, Apple's director of worldwide marketing. I basically played with the iPhone the entire hour. — Here are some of the things …
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines: iPhone neglects the prosumer
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes / Hardware 2.0: Pouring cold water in the Apple iPhone
Fred / A VC: The Four City Day and iPhone
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: iPhone started as a tablet PC
Giovanni Rodriguez / hubbub: The Church of Steve Jobs
Scott McNulty / The Unofficial Apple Weblog: David Pogue gets his hands on the iPhone
Michael Gartenberg:
What's Missing From the iPhone — 1. It's not extensible by third parties, only Apple. The means at the moment no RSS readers, no Slingplayers. — 2. There is no support for Microsoft Office attachments. — 3. Not clear how well Exchange will work with calendar and contacts — 4. No 3G support.
Jason D. O'Grady / The Apple Core: What may sink the iPhone — I may be eating a lot of crow …
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: Hands-on iPhone, and life without a keyboard
Dan Farber / Between the Lines: How much is the iPhone name worth?
Michael Mace / Mobile Opportunity: Impact of the Apple iPhone
Tim O'Reilly / O'Reilly Radar: Back channel O'Reilly editors chatter on iphone
Brandon Paddock / Brandon Live!: Apple announces iPhone - already obsolete?
Tris Hussey / PodTech.net: Tradmarks be damned, Apple launches the iPhone
John Markoff / New York Times:
Apple Introduces Innovative Cellphone — With characteristic showmanship, Steven P. Jobs introduced Apple's long-awaited entry into the cellphone world Tuesday, pronouncing it an achievement on a par with the Macintosh and the iPod. — The creation, the iPhone, priced at $499 or $599, will not be for everyone.
Discussion: VoIP Watch, The Business Innovation …, Boing Boing, Innovation in College Media, The Ag and PaidContent
Andy Abramson / VoIP Watch: Apple iPhone Finally Announced
Xeni Jardin / Boing Boing: Macworld keynote: iPhone, Apple TV
MACWORLD: When did Steve start showing vaporware? — PAUL BOUTIN — True story in my inbox: "I just went into the Apple store in Soho to buy the Apple TV device. Asked the shop assistant. Clearly not the first. February, he answered, tersely." — Hey pal, didn't you pay attention?
Discussion: Telegraph Blogs, The Digital Music Weblog, Niall Kennedy's Weblog, CrunchGear, The Tech Report and Scripting News
Shane Richmond / Telegraph Blogs: iPhone reaction round-up
Gordon Finlayson / The Digital Music Weblog: The iPhone Finally Arrives
Niall Kennedy / Niall Kennedy's Weblog: The end of Apple Computer
Matt Hickey / CrunchGear: Apple's Extremes Airport Extreme
Cyril Kowaliski / The Tech Report: Apple to adopt 802.11n early
Ryan Block / Engadget:
The iPhone is not a smartphone — And the reality slowly sets in about what the iPhone is and is not. Noted analyst and Engadget pal Michael Gartenberg stated that the iPhone is first party software ONLY — i.e. not a smartphone by conventional terms, being that a smartphone is a platform device that allows software to be installed.
Discussion: Gear Factor, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, MediaVidea and John Tokash's Blog
Rob Beschizza / Gear Factor: Top 5 Worst Things About The iPhone
Victor Agreda, Jr / The Unofficial Apple Weblog: Can't touch this — Now that my pulse has slowed a bit …
Pramit Singh / MediaVidea: Apple's iPhone: 8 important issues
John Tokash / John Tokash's Blog: The iPhone - 3 Lies
Lev Grossman / Time:
Apple's New Calling: The iPhone — If you've ever wondered how it works, this is how it works: I don't call Steve, Steve calls me. Or more accurately, someone in Steve Jobs's office calls someone in my office—someone at a much higher pay grade —to say that he has something cool.
Brad Linder / PVR Wire: Steve Jobs announces the iPhone
Scott Rosenberg / Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard: iPhone: the interface's the thing
Rex Hammock / Rex Hammock's weblog: The least impressive thing about the iPhone is that it's a phone
Om Malik / GigaOM: iPhone and the End of PC Era
Jcorbett / EirePreneur: The best thing about the iPhone...
Ryan Block / Engadget: The genesis of the iPhone — "Everybody hates their phone, and that's not a good thing.
Rob Griffiths / Macworld:
Expo reaction: iDisappointed — First, let me say this. The iPhone looks incredible. It's a definite paradigm shift in the world of phones, PDAs, and iPods. I want one, even if I never use the phone portion of the device. Same with Apple TV—I've actually ordered one for our home, as it will meet our needs perfectly.
Discussion: blackrimglasses.com, Teching It Easy, Wi-Fi Networking News, Listening Post, TechBlog and digg
Glenn Fleishman / Wi-Fi Networking News: Apple Announces 802.11n Products, iPhone, Apple TV
Jim Thompson / TechBlog: Updated: Is Apple fixing a hole in iTunes?
Gizmodo iPhone Hands-On: I Called My Mommy — Apple just gave us 15 minutes with the iPhone. To be frank, I was surprised — Apple doesn't usually grace us with this kind of love. I guess they liked our iPhone posts from last month. The legends say Woz and Steve love to pull pranks.
Discussion: iPlot, Guardian Unlimited and Bits
Tim Leberecht / iPlot: The Truth About the Phune (...ah..sorry, the iPhone)
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: Now what's inside an iPhone?
David Pogue / Bits: The iPhone Rumors Are Right...Finally
Robert Scoble / Scobleizer:
AppleTV: Xbox without the "X?" — Phil Waligora, who works at Microsoft, is watching Steve Jobs' keynote (I'm not, but am trying to check in here and there) and calls me out, wondering if I'll say the just announced AppleTV is innovative. — Oh, Phil, haven't you gotten the memo?
Nathan Weinberg / InsideMicrosoft: Can Apple TV Compete With Media Center?
Jason Lopez / PodTech.net: iPhone: Product of the Year?
Chris Tew / PVR Wire: More details on the Xbox IPTV service
Duncan / duncanriley.com: Steve Jobs at MacWorld: iLame
Rachel Konrad / Associated Press: Apple renames itself, unveils iPhone
Lev Grossman / Time:
Apple's New Calling: The iPhone
Apple's New Calling: The iPhone
Discussion: Mickeleh's Take
Mickeleh / Mickeleh's Take: Blog Schmog. …
Tom Evslin / Fractals of Change:
Apple Fails to Reinvent Telecommunications Industry - Too Bad
Apple Fails to Reinvent Telecommunications Industry - Too Bad
Discussion: The Next Net, scot hacker's foobar blog and blackrimglasses.com
Erick Schonfeld / The Next Net: What We Still Don't Know About The iPhone — Steve Jobs did not disappoint today.
Scot Hacker / scot hacker's foobar blog: Negative Space — Dangling participles left after today's introduction of the iPhone.
Apple now Apple Inc.
Apple now Apple Inc.
Discussion: Webware.com and A View from the Isle
Caroline McCarthy / Webware.com: AT THE NY TECH MEETUP, ANIMATION LESSONS AND IPHONE WORSHIP
Scott McNulty / The Unofficial Apple Weblog:
Steve Jobs interview on CNBC
Steve Jobs interview on CNBC
Discussion: textually.org
Tristan Louis / The TNL.net weblog:
The iPhone is here — So it's official: Apple now is a phone manufacturer.
The iPhone is here — So it's official: Apple now is a phone manufacturer.
Discussion: Profy.Com, O'Reilly Emerging Telephony and TechBlog
Robert Sanzalone / Profy.Com: iPhone - Apple Changes All The Rules AGAIN
Imran Ali / O'Reilly Emerging Telephony: Yay! iPhone! — As a Muslim, the most sacred days in my calendar …
It's Coming: Mac BU Announces Intent to Deliver Office 2008 for Mac — New version brings enhanced compatibility and Mac-first, Mac-only capabilities. — Microsoft Corp.'s Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) today revealed at Macworld Conference & Expo 2007 the news Mac fans have been waiting to hear …
Discussion: Web Worker Daily, Macsimum News, MacUser, Monkey Bites and The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Dennis Sellers / Macsimum News: MWSF: Office 2008 for Mac due in last half of 2007
Aaron Freedman / MacUser: MW07: MacBU unveils Office 2008 for Mac details
Scott Gilbertson / Monkey Bites: The Morning Reboot: Wednesday January 10
Scott McNulty / The Unofficial Apple Weblog: Office 2008 for Mac in second half of 2007
Inside Microsoft Office 2008 for Macintosh — Q&A: From Macworld Conference & Expo 2007, the head of Microsoft's Mac Business Unit discusses the story behind the next generation of Microsoft's productivity software suite for the Mac. — Microsoft continues to deliver world-class technology products …
Discussion: All about Microsoft and Guardian Unlimited
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft: Microsoft updates timetables for next Office for Mac, XML file-format converters
Jim Dalrymple / Macworld:
Microsoft reveals details of Office 2008 for Mac — Intel-based Mac owners will have a Universal version of Microsoft's Office to call their own later this year. Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit revealed some details about Office 2008 for Mac Tuesday—namely that the suite …
Discussion: O'Reilly Radar and digg
Brady Forrest / O'Reilly Radar: I Don't Need MS Office 2008 for Mac, I Have Parallels
Dan Warne / APC:
Top 10 things to hate about the Apple iPhone — Hopefully you've read my colleague Tim Gaden's article about the top 10 things to love about the iPhone. — I agree with him completely, except for the fact that some of his points are on my list of things to hate about it. — Don't get me wrong.
Discussion: The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Scott McNulty / The Unofficial Apple Weblog: Dan Warne hates 10 things about the iPhone
The Apple iPhone — Apple's new iPhone looks like a thing of beauty.
The Apple iPhone — Apple's new iPhone looks like a thing of beauty.
Andrew / Treonauts: Palm Treo 680 vs. Apple iPhone
Mikek / Hacking NetFlix: Apple: The Day After
Alan Reiter / Reiter's Camera Phone Report: Apple iPhone might be revolutionary, but perhaps not for wireless imaging
Jason Dowdell / Marketing Blog Bent …: Apple iPhone Will Disrupt Mobile Phone Market
Jeff Ventura / Graceful Flavor: The Dust Settles: iPhone Aftermath
Tim O'Reilly / O'Reilly Radar: Lovely Post by Kottke on iPhone
Cisco's Official Comments on the Apple iPhone Announcement
Cisco's Official Comments on the Apple iPhone Announcement
Discussion: Infinite Loop, GigaOM and Mr Blog
Clint Ecker / Infinite Loop: iPhone: What happened with Cisco?
Susan Wu:
Second Life goes open source, though open source doesn't necessarily equal openness — In a previous post, I talked about how I respected Second Life but felt that it was probably unsustainable, primarily due to the fact that the system isn't more open. Virtual worlds and social networks generally thrive …
Discussion: Official Linden Blog, New World Notes, The Blog Herald and digg
Corylinden / Official Linden Blog: Pre-Town Hall Answers
SLHamlet / New World Notes: OPEN FORUM: OPEN VIEWER EXPO?
J. Angelo Racoma / The Blog Herald: Second Life Client Now Open Source
Alex St. John / Gamasutra:
Opinion: 'Vista Casts A Pall On PC Gaming' — Will new features in Windows Vista have a chilling effect on indie PC game development? In this exclusive Gamasutra opinion piece, WildTangent founder and CEO Alex St. John highlights obstructive security controls embedded in Vista that threaten to do just that.
Discussion: Channel 9, Cathode Tan and Slashdot
Thumbtacks / Channel 9: Vista and the Game Explorer
Scott Gilbertson / Monkey Bites:
Wherefore Art Thou Software? — We was robbed! Don't get me wrong, the iPhone is a pretty spectacular device and I'm glad it was announced now so I can start saving for the next six months, but this is a software blog and frankly we're a bit miffed — we got nothing from Apple. — Phone Schmone.
Discussion: IT|Redux, ClickZ News Blog, Googling Google and Signal vs. Noise
Ismael Ghalimi / IT|Redux: iPhone and Office 2.0 — Steve Jobs and his friends …
Zachary Rodgers / ClickZ News Blog: iPhone is a Go; Google Maps and Yahoo Apps are Bundled
Garett Rogers / Googling Google: Apple introduces iPhone with Google integration
Jason / Signal vs. Noise: iPhone: Not touchy feely
Nik Cubrilovic / New Web Order:
Getting Your Startup Covered — Mike has written a post on Techcrunch about getting your startup covered on the blog. There is a section in the new forum that allows entrepreneurs to pitch their startups. I haven't written for Techcrunch in a long time, but from my own experience I can add a few tips:
Discussion: TechCrunch and Things That
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch: Getting Your Startup on TechCrunch
Paul R. La Monica / CNNMoney.com:
Tired of Google and Yahoo? Try Cranky.com — New search engine geared toward Baby Boomers and seniors aims to make Web search easier. — NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — A media firm catering to people over the age of 50 has launched a new search engine on Tuesday geared to Baby Boomers and seniors.
Discussion: Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim
Google Blogoscoped:
Freeing Google Books — Google Book Search allows you to download full PDFs of books which are in the copyright-free zone of the public domain. I think Google, as well as the libraries which offered their books to be scanned by Google, deserve credit for this.
Discussion: Search Engine Land


text:
Food and nutrition programs should have adequate funding to engage in robust outreach efforts.
Food labels should be written in clear, plain, understandable language and printed in legible type size, font, and color. Labels i
Federal and state policymakers should establish reasonable requirements for labeling nutritional values of standard menu offerings in restaurants and simil
The federal government should play a strong role in protecting patients' rights to direct their care and make other decisions.
The federal government and states should encourage advance care planning.
States should set strong licensing standards for all health care providers.
States should require all health professionals to maintain competency in their respective professions.
States should mandate public disclosure of disciplinary actions taken by health regulatory boards and make this information easily accessible to consumers.


text:
Read Time:44 Second
TORONTO (AP) — A rehab facility in a small Ontario town has confirmed that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is undergoing treatment at its clinic.
GreenStone Clinic Muskoka in Bala, Ontario, released a statement Friday saying that Ford is at its facility. The clinic says it released this information with the embattled mayor's consent.
Ford announced late last month that he was seeking treatment for an alcohol problem after a new video surfaced that appeared to show the mayor smoking a crack pipe — nearly a year after reports of an initial video that appeared show him smoking the drug.
Ford's erratic behavior — including another video in which he threatened to "murder" — led Toronto's city council to strip him of most of his powers. For says he's running for re-election in October.


text:
Catherine Burt Driver, MD, is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Driver is a member of the American College of Rheumatology. She currently is in active practice in the field of rheumatology in Mission Viejo, Calif., where she is a partner in Mission Internal Medical Group.
Dr. Driver treats patients with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, including gout, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Dr. Driver received a BA in chemistry from Dartmouth College. She graduated cum laude from medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pa. While in medical school, she was awarded the Beach Memorial Scholarship and the Measey Scholarship for academic excellence and community service. She was a member of the Hobart Amory Hare Honor Society. She then completed her internal medicine internship and residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and subsequently a fellowship in rheumatology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Driver has been involved in clinical research on systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and biologic medications. She has authored several papers on lupus and the use of biologic medications.
Dr. Driver currently resides in Orange County, Calif., with her husband and daughter.


text:
What's New
YWFT Attic Font by YouWorkForThem
This is about a journey, from humble EPS handset to magical OpenType glory that might even be a bit spooky if it wasn't so darn majestic. This stately YWFT Attic is full of surprises, with gorgeous stylistic alternates and swash features that even Scooby Doo might leap into your arms over, if it wasn't for you meddling kids. Make no mistake, though, there's no Ruh Ro here--in fact there's glyphs in that thar Attic--over 350 of them, each one hand-carved by YouWorkForThem and the artisan Brazilian type ninjas at PintassilgoPrints, known for their vigorous crafting of magical OpenType features.
Tough, demanding and theatrical, yet delicate enough for the most slender chanteuses to catch the Phantom's eye, YWFT Attic packs all of the emotional power of OpenType, with strong, historical handset roots. Sing, my angels. Sing for the Attic.
YWFT Attic was previously known as the handset design, Bucky. The original eps handset Bucky also comes FREE with your purchase of YWFT Attic.


text:
As developers hunker down and get into the business of trying to work out how to get consumers to buy more of their product on mobile devices, some revealing numbers out from Nielsen on what people are willing to pay for on tablets already.
The upshot: paid content, it seems, is alive and well, but some media categories are doing a lot better than others.
Taking just the use of paid content on tablets in Q4 2011, Nielsen found that in the U.S., a majority of tablet owners have already paid for downloaded music, books and movies, with 62 percent, 58 percent and 51 percent respectively saying they have already made such purchases. The one area that really fell down in the U.S. was news, where only 19 percent said they had ever paid to read news on their tablets.
Given how popular news is as a general category for consuming on tablets, why the big difference? It's likely because there are many more ways of getting news content for free via apps and the web, while those other, higher ranking categories are viewed as chargeable, "premium" content — both by the industry and by users.
What's interesting is that when Nielsen asked the U.S. participants of its survey about what they would be willing to pay for on their tablet, those high percentages went down. Only 46 percent said they would pay for music; books became 45 percent and movies 38 percent: this suggests that although people have been willing to give things a try, they're not necessarily going to come back for more.
In contrast, those categories that scored lower for paid content to date actually went up when people were asked if they would ever consider paying for that content in future. (See table below.)
Nielsen also incorporated some stats on how paid content is doing in some European markets, specifically Italy, Germany and the U.K.
News, ironically, is doing a lot better in Europe than it is in the New World. A whopping 44 percent of Italians surveyed said they had paid for news content on their tablets. That probably points to fewer instances of "free" apps and more of a drive to premium subscriptions in that market.
Italy, in fact, seems to have paid content-friendly consumers in general. The country also outscored Germany and the U.K. in every other category, from music and books, to streaming radio, magazines and sports.
[Top image via News.me.]


text:
There is no need to read between the lines.
There is no hidden meaning or hidden agenda.
There is no mystery, intrigue or puzzle to solve.
There is no top secret information that needs to be shared.
And, if you are a University of Miami football fan, there is certainly no need to get your knickers all in a wad over the Denver Kirkland situation.
As everyone reading this already knows, Kirkland is the highly sought after, four star offensive lineman from Booker T Washington high school in Miami. UM was one of many schools that were heavily recruiting Kirkland and had even offered him a scholarship to become a Miami Hurricane.
At least until yesterday that is. That was when Kirkland, apparently playing the always popular but not always effective "recruiting game" that usually involves more hats tricks than a full season of hockey games, was informed by Miami that the Hurricane train had left the station.
Every single one of the Internets that Al Gore created were all abuzz on Thursday night after news of the situation broke in the late afternoon. So, I thought I would weigh in and offer my humble opinion on this issue.
To me it would appear that UM head coach Al Golden sent a clear, concise and long overdue message to all potential high school recruits who might like to spend their college years as a student-athlete at "The U": U snooze, U lose.
And, I for one, totally, completely and fully approve of this message.
So now, the day after the smoke has cleared, it appears that Booker T. Washington high school football Coach Ice "Ice Baby" Harris is back-pedaling a little on the comments he made on Twitter last night to the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro.
It seems coach Harris may have had big dreams of getting some serious media attention for himself and his school by playing match-maker between Kirkland and his many college suitors and instead fumbled the ball at the goal line and was shocked that his little scheme and his client wound up paying a heavy price in what basically amounted to recruiting divorce court.
Personally, I respected, appreciated and valued the move by Golden and the way he handled this situation so much that I have invented a new term to mark the day, and the way, that he single-handedly brought college football recruiting finally crashing back to earth: "Kirklanded".
Definition: (1) The act of waiting too long to make your decision on verbally committing to your school of choice and thereby having the school pull your scholarship offer and leaving you standing all alone out in the cold looking more foolish than you are young; (2) trying to get too cute during the recruiting process by telling the school you really want to attend that they are in your "top three" schools under the delusion of having all of the power in the recruiting process and thereby losing your best option; (3) the act of having your high school coach get in the way, give you bad advice and fumble away the only real chance you ever had to attend your dream school.
Just a word of advice to all high school football recruits out there: hat tricks are for kids, so commit to Miami while you can.
And please, whatever U do, don't get "Kirklanded".


text:
This article will help you if you can say, "My husband is controlling" or "My wife is controlling."
She could not look people in the eye as they greeted her. Head down, shoulders slumped; she headed to the nearest open seat and quietly slid into it. Her husband was a study in contrast. Confident, gregarious, he firmly shook hands and made polite small talk before striding over to sit beside his wife.
Years before she had been a decorated officer in the military. A leader of men and women. Shrinking violets do not earn those positions, so it was obvious the woman in that seat was only a shell of the woman she used to be. When anyone tried talking with her, she clasped her purse to her chest with both arms, glancing up only occasionally. If asked a question, she spoke briefly and timidly.
Abused? Yes, but perhaps not in the way you think.
Her husband had never hit her or used his physical presence to intimidate her. No spousal rape or sexual domination. In fact, he had no idea that he abused her at all. He considered himself a good man that would never be so evil as to harm a woman. In fact, he was the type that would go to the defense of any woman being threatened physically.
More than that, he seemed not to notice his wife's public timidity. His view was that she could hold her own and gave as well, if not better, than she got when they clashed. When she argued with him via email, she was forceful, angry, and articulate. She did the same aloud when they were alone. He held that perception of her to the degree that the behavior others saw seemed not to register with him. He saw a brawling, selfish witch. Others saw a frightened woman drowning in her own lack of confidence and esteem.
When the subject of controlling spouses came up, he was quick to tell how controlling his wife was. Not unusual: Often the person who is the most controlling is the one who feels the most controlled.
When he finally understood that the bulk of their problem was his behavior as a controlling husband, he reacted first with anger, then regret, and finally genuine change. Their relationship changed in a matter of three days and the change is still in effect nearly three years later.
What Is Control?
People crave respect. They want to be accepted for who they are in reality, rather than having to pretend to meet someone else's criteria. When treated as an inferior, they react badly. When they feel they have to pretend, living as a picture of what another wants rather than as the person they actually are, they slowly dissolve their own identity. Some become lost and never rediscover who they were. Others deteriorate for a while, but eventually hit a point of frustration that leads to defiance, anger, and rebellion. Yet others live between those extremes.
Picture the lion or tiger in a cage snarling and slapping at the tamer making them jump through hoops and put on a show. They show their anger, but ultimately comply because they do not wish to receive punishment, and they enjoy receiving reward. The award is not equal to the freedom they once had, but over time they submit themselves to captivity and the morsels handed by the one who controls them. The whip hurts; the morsels are tasty; compliance results. At least for some of the big cats. Others likely never yield to the control of the tamer. Maybe others do for a while, but finally have enough and fight back.
Though the illustration may miss the mark a place or two in actual lion taming, the idea makes clear how some marriages or relationships work. One person (man or woman) tries to make the other do, think, or feel a certain way, rather than accepting the natural differences that exist in individuals.
If their spouse does not act as they wish, they bring about some type of punishment. It does not have to be physical. It can be emotional, mental, financial, sexual, or more. When the other person complies, a morsel of enjoyment comes their way, perhaps by the opposite of the method used to punish. For example, a wife may try to control her husband by withholding sexual favor when he does not do as she wishes, and giving him sexual pleasure when he does. A man may try to control his wife by controlling the finances in the home, punishing and rewarding based on whether she ignores or complies with his wishes. It could work the opposite depending on the dynamic of the marriage.
The control may apply to more than action. Some individuals bicker and argue until their lover gives in and agrees to some point of thought. They think they won the argument; the yielding lover did not give in, they gave up. Ending the pain of the argument became more important than defending their thoughts or beliefs. The controlling spouse feels good that the other finally saw the light. The controlled spouse feels resentment.
Often the control applies even to emotions. The controller forces the controlled to claim an emotion that the controller wants, rather than the honest emotion that the controlled actually feels. In those relationships, "I love you" from the controlled may be a statement to avoid pain and get a morsel of reward rather than a declaration of actual sentiment.
Who Is the Controller?
One reason that controlling people often claim that they are controlled is that when they do not get what they want, they blame the other person. If one wants more lovemaking and the other spouse does not provide it, the deprived views the refuser as controlling through sex and that may be the case. However, the difference in one who really is a controller and one who is being controlled is whether one allows the other to be who he or she truly is.
In the story that began this article, the husband was controlling. He had so beaten his wife down with his arguing, intensity, and sense of self-righteousness that she had long since come to believe herself invalid. The reason they came to us for help was that she had finally reached a point of absolute rebellion. That is why she fought so hard in emails and when just the two of them were alone. However, her sense of inferiority developed from being corrected, cajoled, and coerced over the years made her doubt herself. Therefore, in public, she was a docile, fearful individual who could not look other people in the eye. She could fight him in private because she was full of resentment, but inside she feared that she really was inferior. Because of that low self-esteem, if there was anyone else in the room, she cowered. She was terrified that others would validate his superiority and her inferiority.
He felt she controlled because she had reached the point where she would react with anger rather than yielding. He did not get what he had always gotten when he overpowered her with his intensity of argument. That change angered him. When she fought back, though in private, he was convinced that no one could be married to a shrew such as she.
Two things happened to help him understand that he was the controller and not his wife.
First, other people in their marriage workshop reached out to her and validated her as a human being with value and worth. They accepted her as she was. Perhaps that was the first time she had had such direct validation in years. It gave her strength. Strength turned her anger into confidence and resolve. With great self-control, she calmly informed him the last day of the crisis marriage workshop that she would not tolerate being treated as inferior ever again. He would treat her as an equal or he would live without her in his world.
Second, one of the leaders of our workshop finally got through to the husband what he was doing. It is fine to have an opinion: It is not fine to force it on her. It is okay to want her to feel certain emotions: However, he had to accept that her feelings belonged to her, not him. He had no right to try to control what she felt. In the same way, he had no right to control any of her life. Overpowering another person by personality, intensity, argumentation, or any other means is in essence a form of slavery. Words and behaviors can be just as frightening as chains and whips.
What Should a Controlled Person Do?
We have seen as many controlling husbands as controlling wives. It's not isolated to a specific sex. As indicated above, sometimes controllers feel that they are the controlled. Having wise, objective counsel sometimes is essential to discovering whether one is the controlled or the controller.
Additionally, if one is truly being manipulated or controlled, that person has to make a decision that he or she will no longer live under those conditions. Anger will not solve the problem. Calm strength can. Therapy or counseling may be required. Almost certainly there must be a strong support group. Many find that through my Marriage Helper weekend for marriages in crisis. The couple in the story at the beginning of this article did.
Lastly, if someone is being physically controlled (violence, abuse, or similar), that person must seek professional intervention before any confrontation with the controller. Many cities have hotlines for abused people. If a person does not know where to find help, a talk with a caring physician or a call to the police can lead to the right resources.
If your marriage is in danger of separation or divorce, call us at (866) 903-0990 to speak with someone or use the form below to request more information about our Marriage Helper workshop for troubled marriages. Our success rate over the last decade is saving three out of four marriages, even when adultery, porn, anger, or other things have deeply hurt the relationship! (If you're thinking your spouse would never come, contact us by phone or the form below and we'll tell you what others who felt the same way did to get their spouses there.) We will keep everything you tell us completely confidential. Our motivation is to help you determine if this workshop is right for your particular situation. We also offer solutions for couples who can't attend the workshop.