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Readers want real data to inform their views
Before they write another commentary arguing for a minimum-wage hike, Aaron Sojourner and Michael Reich should make sure they don't base their argument on a disproven study ("Is a raise in order for Minnesotans?" Feb. 24).
The 1994 study they cite, by David Card and Alan Krueger, was subsequently disproved by economists David Neumark and William Wascher. After correcting for substantial errors in the data set used by Card and Krueger, they found a 3.9 to 4 percent decrease in employment following a wage hike — rather than the gains noted by Card and Krueger. As a result, Card and Krueger revised their original claims about minimum-wage increases boosting employment.
The debate in Minnesota over a minimum-wage hike should be based on facts, not misinformation. There's a reason why 85 percent of the most credible research points to a loss of job opportunities following a minimum wage hike.
Michael Saltsman, Washington, D.C.
The writer is research director for the Employment Policies Institute.
• • •
The headline highlights perfectly my dissatisfaction with the modern media giving equal weight to unequal evidence. Adhering to the principle of false equivalency, a writer and Republican activist who simply doesn't like the idea of minimum-wage increases is given equal weight to two economists with hard data whose job it is to use evidence to study the economy. You know someone's opinion is not backed up by facts when they make sweeping absolutist statements like "raising the minimum wage always negatively affects employment opportunity and reduces production," as the Republican activist did. Not all opinions are equal. Even high school debaters know that you can't win an argument without proven evidence from peer-reviewed sources. When the Star Tribune gives equal footing to unequally researched and unequally credentialed writers, it is doing a disservice in helping the public make informed decisions.
Betsy Faber, West St. Paul
We need a national solution for rising costs
David Goldhill's commentary "Health care costs you more than you know" (Feb. 24) does a useful service by pointing out how much of our income goes to one industry. His prescription, however, is misguided.
Why should employers shoulder any of this burden in the first place? We compete with countries that offer their people comprehensive, affordable health care without requiring employers to negotiate and administer complex benefit contracts. A proven national solution, such as Medicare, could be applied to all of us with significant savings.
Goldhill, however, believes that programs such as Medicare fail to control costs because "providers turn to lobbyists to keep prices up."
Here, he has it exactly backwards. Medicare has been much more successful than the private sector at containing the growth of health care prices. Those lobbyists who Goldhill rightly fears are dedicated to improving the bottom line of their private-sector insurers and hospitals.
Finally, Goldhill's solution, catastrophic-only insurance, would turn us all into amateur diagnosticians, with obviously disastrous results. Experiments with "consumer-driven" health care show that people do indeed seek less care, bringing down costs of care utilization. The problem is that needed care as well as the marginally useful is avoided, thus bringing into question why we have a health care system in the first place.
Joel Clemmer, St. Paul
Birth control would help in fighting poverty
There is no question that the Catholic Church has been a major help in tackling poverty in Africa and around the world ("Future of Roman Catholic Church may be in Africa," Feb. 24). A growing population is one major source stressing Africa and several parts of the world — leading to famine, wars and the poverty that follows. Shouldn't tackling the issue of overpopulation be a moral imperative? Wouldn't now be an appropriate time for the Catholic Church to relax its standards on birth control?
Ron Linde, Burnsville
Blame treaty, not bass, for Mille Lacs shortage
Once again the Lake Mille Lacs walleye problem is in the news ("Mille Lacs limit slashing looms," Feb. 24). The new harvest figures are 178,750 pounds for anglers and 71,250 pounds for Native Americans. Common sense has to enter these totals. Almost all of the 71,250 pounds taken by gill nets will be spawning fish, taken before the end of spawning season. One female walleye will lay thousands of eggs, and very few will reach even the fingerling age. But the odds go way down when so many females are taken before spawning.
How many Native Americans actually net the fish? Are these fish used to feed their families or sold to fisheries? The 1857 Treaty allowed Native Americans to hunt, fish and gather to feed their families. The treaty never mentioned nylon gill nets. Once again the Department of Natural Resources waffles and blames the increase of smallmouth bass and northern pike for the shortage of walleye. Indeed! It's time to modernize the 1857 Treaty.
Phil Bemis, Rosemount
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Powerful Aftershock Rocks JapanWritten by Stephen Lendman Subject: Environment
Measuring 7.1 (one or more other reports said 7.4), rocked northeast Japan, causing more damage and disruption to a devastated area. It cut electricity to four million homes, disrupted power at two nuclear facilities, and according to Kyodo News:
"Radioactive water spilled from pools holding spent nuclear fuel rods at the Onagawa power plant in Miyagi Prefecture," according to Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA).
For up to 80 minutes, power was lost at Onagawa and the Higashidori nuclear facility. "A small amount of contaminated water spilled on the floor (inside) all three (Onagawa) reactors....In all, water spilled or leaked at eight sections of the plant," also run by Tokyo Electric (TEPCO). In addition, blowout panels designed to control pressure were damaged in reactor number three's turbine building, TEPCO saying a complete damage assessment was ongoing.
Moreover, a Rokkasho village (Aomori Prefecture) spent nuclear fuel disposal facility also lost power temporarily. The extent of nuclear facility damage is unknown, except for sketchy and unreliable official reports.
As always, they say damage, new or earlier, poses no dangers. Already, in fact, Fukushima caused potentially apocalyptic ones, covered up to conceal their gravity, extending far beyond Japan and the Pacific rim.
Other reports also downplay them, including from The New York Times and Al Jazeera, often indistinguishable from and as unreliable as BBC, headlining (on April 8) "Japan quake causes radioactive spill," saying:
"A powerful earthquake in northeast Japan rocked a nuclear plant, causing a small amount of radioactive water to spill, but the operator said there was no immediate danger," case closed.
On April 8, New York Times writers Hiroko Tabuchi and Andrew Pollack were just as deceptive, headlining, "Millions Without Power After Japan Aftershock," saying:
TEPCO said "it had found no new damage (and no) increase in radiation levels" at any plant affected. Instead of explaining the situation's gravity, the report merely said concerns "remain high."
On the Progressive Radio News Hour's April 7 broadcast, nuclear expert Karl Grossman discussed worrisome issues raised by his mentor, nuclear physicist Dr. Richard E. Webb, the world expert on nuclear plant explosions. In his work, writings and 1976 book titled, "The Accident Hazards of Nuclear Power Plants," he explained the dangers, saying in his introduction:
"Nuclear power plants present a hazard to the health and safety of the public because they are subject to accident, such as an explosion, in which harmful substances called radioactivity could be released to the atmosphere as dust and expose a large population to lethal or injurious radiation."
His main conclusion was that "the full accident hazard of each type nuclear power reactor has not been scientifically established, even for the most likely of serious accidents."
Specifically, "the theory underlying the industry's safety calculations has not been experimentally verified, nor are the necessary experiments planned....This shortcoming is one of the two chief concerns of this book."
"The other, and more important, concern is that there are accident possibilities not considered for licensing which are more severe than the design basis accidents and that these have not even been theoretically investigated for the course they each could take...."
In other words, reactor containment systems aren't designed for the worst potential accidents. As a result, each operating reactor anywhere "appears to have an enormous potential for public disaster."
Thirty-five years later, little has changed. Many American reactors are as vulnerable as Fukushima's, and no plans are in place to handle worst case scenarios, too potentially catastrophic to imagine but are very real, likely, and sooner or later, inevitable as long as nuclear plants keep operating.
Webb estimated the "theoretical magnitude of the worst consequences of the worst conceivable reactor accident," a disturbing consideration but important. Moreover, he said it's not as unlikely as might appear, given America's passion with nuclear roulette - a ticking time bomb technology, accidents waiting to happen.
Widespread fallout depends on rainfall, he explained. Without it, contamination is better contained. Nonetheless, his worst possible accident scenario is as follows:
(1) a lethal radiation cloud a mile wide, extending 75 miles;
(2) evacuation or severely restrictive living conditions for an area the size of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio combined (120,000 square miles), lasting a year or longer; and
(3) severe long-term agricultural restrictions because of strontium 90 fallout over a land mass the size of half the land east of the Mississippi River (500,000 square miles), lasting one or more years, with dairy farming prohibited "for a very long time" over a 150,000 square mile area.
Other considerations involve genetic damage and LMFBR (Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor) accident consequences, especially for plutonium, the most toxic substance known by far. A millionth of a gram ingested can kill.
In addition, "the maximum distance downwind from a reactor accident" related to the above estimates is about 1,500 - 2,000 miles. "Hence, a nuclear reactor accident can affect distant communities as well as those nearby."
Moreover, the above estimates aren't maximum ones, as weather conditions can raise them. As a result, disaster levels depend on the amount of released radioactivity into the atmosphere "in the form of a very fine, light dust (particles one micron diameter in size) so that it can disperse over a wide area before fallout."
Also, the higher the fuel temperature, the stronger the explosion and greater fractional radioactivity release in the form of a finer dust. Contingency plans don't take these factors into consideration or the effects on food, water and human health.
On April 4, the web site eyreinternational.com quoted Webb's analysis of a spent fuel rod accident, what occurred disastrously at Fukushima, saying:
"160,000 square miles (is) rendered uninhabitable (the size of California) by Cesium-137 alone; 338,000 acres of land ruined agriculturally because of Strontium-90 fallout; 200,000 square miles ruined by plutonium contamination alone - a lung cancer dust hazard."
The site says after making these calculations, Webb concluded that radiation is much more harmful than he assumed, believing that within 48 hours of a major reactor accident, 30 - 100 million people potentially could be harmed by radioactive atmospheric, water and soil contamination. In other words, the most dire scenario is too frightening to imagine. Possibly it's now unfolding in Japan, what the fullness of time will reveal.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.


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A rumored bout between former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk (33-4-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and Clay Guida (25-11 MMA, 5-5 UFC) has been scratched from the UFC's first live card on Versus.
The March 21 bout was recently described as "abandoned" by FiveOuncesOfPain.com, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed that Sherk was removed from the potential matchup due to an undisclosed injury.
However, MMAjunkie.com confirmed Friday that Shannon Gugerty (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has agreed to step in for "The Muscle Shark" and face Guida.
Verbal agreements are in place for both fighters, though bout agreements have yet to be distributed.
UFC on Versus 1 is slated for The Odeum in Broomfield, Colo., and features a light heavyweight headliner between Jon Jones and Brandon Vera.
Gugerty most recently appeared at UFC 105, where he was submitted by British up-and-comer Terry Etim via guillotine choke in the second round. Prior to that, Gugerty netted an impressive decision victory over Matt Grice at UFC 100 this past July.
Since making his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 14, the San Diego-based fighter has alternated between wins and losses in four octagon appearances.
Guida, meanwhile, has lost his past two outings, most recently falling prey to Kenny Florian by submission at UFC 107. Before that, "The Carpenter" was bested in a gritty decision loss to Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, a bout that was ultimately awarded both by MMAjunkie.com readers and at the 2009 Fighters Only Mixed Martial Arts Awards as the "Fight of the Year."
Despite a pedestrian 5-5 record in the UFC, the Johnsburg, Ill., native has still managed to pick up three "Fight of the Night" honors for his wild-haired fighting style.
The full nature of Sherk's injury is currently unknown, and the former lightweight champion was not immediately available for comment when contacted by MMAjunkie.com.
It is unknown at this time whether Guida vs. Gugerty will grace the televised portion of the Versus TV card.
For complete coverage of "UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones," stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Shannon Gugerty)
Steven Marrocco is a staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com and an MMA contributor for The Vancouver Sun.
Story updated at 6:40 p.m. ET with confirmed information that Sherk was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.


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Write a News Story
Meet a Pioneer Pilot
Amelia Earhart Home
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Flight of Courage
By: Jason J.
Philippines, Age 10
Nine days after aviatrix Amelia Earhart went missing somewhere in Howland Island, the world is still hoping to see the Lockheed Electra 10E with its pilot Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan alive.
On June 1, 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan left Miami in their quest to circumnavigate the globe, having numerous stops in South America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. They arrived in Lae, New Guinea last June 29, 1937 after completing 22,000 miles (35,000 km)of the journey. They took off from Lae to Howland Island on July 2, 1937 to complete the remaining 7,000 miles (11,000 km) journey all over the Pacific.
In the midst of the flight to their destination, Howland Island which is a flat silver land of 6,500 ft long and 1,600 ft wide, 10 ft high, they went missing at their last known position near Nukumanu Islands. Her last radio transmission of''We are on the line 157 337. We will repeat this message. We will repeat this on 6210 kilocycles. Wait.'' However, a few moments later she was back on the same frequency (3105 kHz) with a transmission which was logged as a ''questionable'': ''We are running on line north and south.'' Earlier transmissions cited low on gas, unable to hear radio transmissions.
Air and sea search efforts are being exerted to full force until now. There were several speculations, theories but still undetermined and unverifiable on the disappearance of the noted American aviation pioneer and author, Amelia Mary Earhart. She was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas, US; married to George Putnam.
Amelia Earhart will always be known as the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross and awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
In a letter to her husband, written in case a dangerous flight proved to be her last, her courage was evident: ''Please know I am quite aware of the hazards,'' she said. ''I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.''
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TSA: Albany airport X-ray finds gun
COLONIE — A Hudson man went to Albany International Airport with a handgun in his carry-on bag, but the unloaded weapon was spotted at the airport's X-ray checkpoint, the Transportation Security Administration said.
The incident occurred Monday morning, when a TSA officer spotted the Ruger Single-Six .22-caliber in Robert Starr's bag as it went through the airport security X-ray scan, the TSA said.
The Albany County Sheriff's Office charged Starr, 64, with misdemeanor weapons possession and released him on an appearance ticket.
The TSA said it screens between 2,500 and 4,000 passengers at Albany International every week. Nationwide, 1,813 firearms were found at checkpoints last year, the TSA said, the highest total since the TSA began keeping track of those statistics.


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So anyway have you:
- posted about your favourite pins from Pinterest for the week, then link it up!
- posted a post that you would love others to pin to Pinterest, then link it up!
- If you have done both, well link them both up!
Let's get into it!
The rules or guidelines as such are all the same as what they were over at Tina's and if you aren't familiar with them they are:
- Grab the button (from above) and add it to your post and/or your sidebar. Because it's good karma. A little link love didn't hurt anyone. And the more people who see the button, the more that might join in and the more traffic we will get – hopefully.
- Add your blog link to the linky below – so other Pinners can come visit you and "pin it" to their Pinterest boards.
- Visit some of the other links, give some comment love and pin as many of the posts as you have time to do.
- If you are linking up a 'pinnable' post, please make sure that it is actually suitable for Pinterest. Please don't just link up a random post.
Happy Pinning!


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Just another technology to watch:
Titanium is the first open platform for building rich desktop applications.
* Open source
Titanium is licensed under the Apache Public License (version 2)
* Open web
Use standard HTML, CSS and Javascript to build rich desktop apps
* Open desktop
Run your apps on Windows, Mac and Linux (coming soon!)
* Open API
Add rich desktop capabilities to your apps using a simple Javascript API


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Home » Bagpipes & Accessories
An advanced version of the Fagerstrom TechnochanterHighly portable. Fits in your pocket. Perfect to play on the road. Authentic highland bagpipes, and two different smallpipes sounds. Drones sound with optional E or D drone. Built-in metronome. Adjustable contact sensitivity. Recording capabilities, with variable playback speed. MIDI output (cable included).
Battery and earphones are included. (Headphones may vary)
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Best Western Douglas hotels are provided below. Search for cheap and discount Best Western hotel rates in Douglas, MI for your upcoming individual or group travel. We list the best Best Western Douglas properties so you can review the Douglas Best Western hotel list below to find the perfect place.
Our site will provide Douglas, MI hotels/properties that get similar quality scores of a Best Western.Booking a group or meeting? Set up a group hotel block in Douglas MI
How should we direct your call?


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Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Friday March 21, 2008 12:41 pm
Gadget Pen Serves Five Functions
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Cell Phones, Handhelds, Video Games
Here's another device that multitasks. The 5 in 1 Gadget Pen is a stylus for PDAs, cell phones or NDSs, even in the dark. It acts as a red laser pointer, a bank note checker, and surprise, is also a ball point pen. Finally, you can use the bugger as a mini-torch. At the minute weight of 30g, the pen comes with three spare lithium batteries and a minuscule price of $11.00.
(Thanks, Fanny)
Read More | Gadget4all
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- 5-in-1 pen, bank checker, laser, mini-torch, pen, stylus, surprise
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Virus Scan software slows Call Completion Rate
From DocWiki
Virus Scan software slows Call Completion Rate
|Problem Summary
|When the Cisco Unified CCX system is under load, the system updates and writes to the log files more often. Therefore, Virus Scan software works more often. This can affect system performance.
|Error Message
|Possible Cause
|Changes or updates to log files trigger the Virus Scan software to read the files.
|Recommended Action
In order to improve the Call Completion Rate of the system running under high load, the virus scan software excludes some of the directories for performance reasons. Exclude the following directories:
|Release 7.0(1)
|Associated CDETS #


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Facebook Messenger's VoIP audio calling service, previously exclusive to Canada, has now been expanded to cover users in the Unites States of America. Ellis Hamburger from The Verge reported:
Facebook has confirmed to The Verge that the feature began rolling out to US users today, and requires no update through the App Store.
There's no video calling yet, so it's not a total, frontal assault on Skype, FaceTime, and other established VoIP services yet, but given Facebook's massive user base, that's a switch that can be flipped, and an attack that can begin at any time.
It worked fine when I tried it in Canada a while back, but no one hits a service like American hits a service. So, if you've taken Facebook Messenger calls for a spin, let me know how they sounded to you.
- Free - Download now
Source: The Verge
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.


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Blancpain & the world of Motorsport
In just seven years of involvement in motorsport, Blancpain has unremittingly strengthened its presence in this compelling field of activity. Partner of Lamborghini and title sponsor of the "Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo" since 2009; official timekeeper of the FIA GT1 Series since 2010 – in 2011 Blancpain took on two important new commitments with the launch of the "Blancpain Endurance Series" and its participation as official partner in the "ADAC GT Masters" championship. In 2013, Blancpain also became a partner of the British GT Championship. 2014 sees a change of direction with the creation of the Blancpain GT Series uniting the Blancpain Endurance Series and the Blancpain Sprint Series under the same banner. Over the years, Blancpain has made a name for itself among car manufacturers, drivers and spectators as a worldwide reference in the field of GT racing.


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Hi!! Lookin for a partner to play with during the week after 5pm or on weekends. I played 4 yrs of varsity high school tennis and then played off and on for the past 10 years. Just started taking lessons again and thinking of maybe doing the Mix and Match Doubles at pershing on Mondays and Fridays. Hoping to get my game back soon, being rusty is driving me nuts!
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Hi Jon,
I would be interested in playing on Friday. What is the fee?
And what time does it start? It is being played at the Las Pasitas courts right????
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Celtic Woman to Perform "You Raise Me Up" on Dancing with the Stars
I can't say how excited I am to see Celtic Woman on the Dancing with the Stars results show. I've read they're going to perform "You Raise Me Up" which is by far my favorite song I've heard them sing. Their performance is completely angelic. Check out the video of Celtic Woman to see what we have to look forward to on tomorrow's Dancing with the Stars.
Celtic Woman singing "You Raise me Up" (Download the MP3 of Celtic Woman on Amazon – Buy Celtic Woman CD on Amazon


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"Longitude focuses us away from our historic preference for small European countries towards the power, might and width of spreading monsters like the US, Canada, China and Russia, which spans almost half the globe and year. We spend 38 days in Mongolia and 40 days in Kazakhstan, but only 72 hours in Portugal."
"Surprisingly, Italy - which looks so long and thin (though note the Mercator Projection's distortions) spans more longitudes (12) than its total latitudes we perused last year"
"Chile, which endured so interminably the whole of last year, from the equator through to the end of the world and the year, now disappears in a flash, spanning only between day 293 and day 311 – a little over 2 weeks, bridging Halloween between 20thOctober (20.10.210!) & the 7th November."


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Sweet life for Geronimo Treviño III
Geronimo Treviño III and the Geronimo Band hit downbeat every first Friday at the Hangin' Tree in Bracken. They've been working that honky-tonk for 24 years, for good reason.
"I guess you'd call my style traditional country," Treviño said. "We've become a dance band. We play these halls and people come out to dance.
"I just feel real at ease with traditional country people. They don't hear these songs, and these kinds of songs, on the radio anymore, so they come out to hear us and to dance to the songs. That's why Ray Price, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard still sell out shows. People want to hear those traditional country songs, but they don't hear them on the radio."
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Treviño and his band are rectifying that with their new CD, "Now You Know" (Half Breed Records). The 11-track disc mixes classic songs including "(Blue) Spanish Eyes," "Papa's Waltz," "Remember Me" and "When Two Worlds Collide" with originals penned by Treviño and his band mates, songs such as a reprise of "I Luv Me Trucka," "Embers of Love" and "You Never Loved Me Anyway." For spice, Treviño and company covered John Prine's "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" and Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love."
"A couple of the songs I had previously recorded," Treviño said. "But I've been with these guys for so long, and we do the songs so much better now with harmonies and all that, that we just decided to do them again."
The Geronimo Band is Jeff Simonson (bass, vocals), Tom Strauch (lead guitar, vocals), Dick Walker (fiddle, keyboards), Greg Holland (pedal steel) and Ricky Bob (drums). The crew is no pickup band. Treviño, Simonson and Strauch have worked together for more than two decades. The other band members also have plenty of time in the ranks.
"Having a band that's been together for a long time makes it easy for me," Treviño said. "Dick and Greg have instrumentals that really work. Jeff and Tom sing. And we have some good harmonies. I really enjoy harmonies because they make songs solid and pretty."
Treviño, 64, was born in Laredo. He grew up on a family dairy farm in South Texas. The Treviño family moved to San Antonio when Geronimo was 10. His father, Geronimo Jr., nicknamed "Bebe," was a singer and guitarist who would cross the border into Mexico, pay mariachi musicians to write down the lyrics of their songs, return home and learn those songs.
Bebe and his brother, Gilberto, or "Beto," made music together and, in the early '60s, recorded with accordionist Flaco Jimenez. During family gatherings, the Treviños took turns playing songs. In 1989, Treviño saluted his dad and uncle by recording some of those old songs on the album "Conjunto con Padres."
Just as Treviño followed in his dad's footsteps musically, he followed his father's educational path.
"My father went to Texas A&M, so I was always going to go to A&M," he said, laughing. "I was in the Corps, in an agricultural dorm. Country was all we listened to. I just felt comfortable with country music. I grew up listening to country, to Ray Price. Ray still has that voice."
While Treviño and the band have an extensive traditional country repertoire, they add originals to the book, and get away with doing those originals live. Some, including "I Luv Me Trucka" and "Macho Man from Taco Land," have become dance hall hits.
"I fool 'em," Treviño said, laughing again. "I'll play the old songs, and I'll play the waltzes and slip my songs in there. With 'I Luv Me Trucka,' people love funny songs, and it's a real good dance song."
Treviño also writes prose. His book "Dance Halls and Last Calls" and an accompanying CD salute classic Texas dance halls and the bands that worked those rooms. He's writing another book, "From Asleep at the Wheel to ZZ Top," about Texas musicians who have been inducted into various halls of fame.
On top of all that, Treviño has a day job.
"I sell Swedish chocolate to bakeries and ice cream companies," he said. "When my dad worked at Carnation, he bought vanilla from Lotus Manufacturing. In 1971, my dad and I bought the company and changed the name to Lotus Company. We started adding bakery supplies. Right now, though, chocolate and cocoa powder is what we sell."
For Geronimo Trevino III, traditional country music and Swedish chocolate are a sweet combination.


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The site offers information on how to keep cheerleaders safe, including a number of training and education resources. Online resources include the NFHS Coach Education courses, Cheer and Dance: Fundamentals of Coaching Cheer and Dance and AACCA Spirit Safety Certification, available at www.nfhslearn.com.
The NFHS is part of a coalition of national, regional and state organizations that are committed to improving cheerleading safety by increasing awareness throughout the extended cheerleading community. In addition to USA Cheer and AACCA, other members include the NCAA, the National Athletic Trainers' Association and the International Cheer Union, among others.
"With the popularity of spirit and cheerleading continuing to be at an all-time high, the NFHS is committed to working with AACCA and fully embrace the effort behind National Cheerleading Safety Month," said Kent Summers, NFHS Spirit Rules Editor and Liaison to the Spirit Rules Committee. "The spirit committee has worked hard at ensuring that NFHS spirit rules are consistent with AACCA guidelines and put the safety of cheerleaders first."
According to the 2011-12 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, 108,307 students participate in competitive spirit, which ranks ninth among girls sports.


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I honestly believe this loss was on youth.
You can't seriously look me in the eye and tell me we lost because the Dolphins are a better football team. Nobody here buys that for a second.
Yes, this loss stings like a son of a bitch but that's because we have such potential and talent for such a young team.
Leon Washington, in the post game show was hinting to the fact that the team took the Dolphins lightly. They didn't expect much of a fight. They figured they could waltz on in to Miami and check off a "W" without too much pain and effort. I mean, it's the Dolphins, right??
Pete Carroll is right to question his preparations leading up to the game. He thought out loud that perhaps he underestimated how young his team really is to give them that amount of time off.
These players don't suddenly suck. No matter what it looks like on TV. No, these players (I am speaking generally here of course, yes I get that there were a few players that can be safely removed from this conversation) simply played down to their opponent and didn't expect the Dolphins to give them much trouble. Factor in a crowd with the enthusiasm of a High School chess match and it's not entirely unbelievable that this young team could be lulled to sleep without even realizing they were doing it.
TRUST ME. I'm NOT making excuses for that abomination. Bottom line is, we should have won that game and every human being on that plane flying back to Seattle knew it with every ounce of their Being.
No, this loss smacks to me of youth. These players didn't suddenly lose their talent. As much as we love to want to fire half the team and coaches after an upsetting loss, it's simply not the reality of the situation. If the Seahawks beat the Bears next Sunday (and if you've been a fan of this team longer than 10 minutes you know that is entirely probable) the vast majority of us will be back to our regularly scheduled programming of "Why We Love PC and JS and our talented young team!"
There's still SO much for us to be excited about, even though I concede the wound is too raw right now for me to get a collective "Amen Brother!" I get that.
I'm not trying to change anyone's minds about the loss on Sunday. Hell no. You have every stinkin' right to feel and post what you want (within the rules, smirk).
What I am trying to accomplish with this post is to consider what I personally believe is the most obvious factor in the loss.
This team -- as hauntingly good as they are at home -- are still just pups trying to find their way in this league.
As long as they use this loss as a learning lesson? I can accept it.
A victory next Sunday in Chicago would go a very long way in helping us all heal our wounds.


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Revisited: THE TEN Things That The Forthcoming Star Wars Blu-ray Should Include.
Marcus sees if he got what he wanted from the recent Star Wars Blu-rays....
"We're not ready to announce exactly when it's coming out, but it won't be in the too distant future." Lucasfilm director of fan relations Steve Sansweet, Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) April 2010.
So seventeen months later and we've got it. After deleted scene teasers, May the fourth madness, cover artwork reveals and plenty of online discussion over the quality of the movies, the Star Wars Saga has arrived on our shelves! Having had the much wanted boxset a week or so now and having mixed feelings about it, highs and lows and just plain loving any excuse to watch the Star Wars Saga again, I thought I'd take this opportunity to see how what we got compared to what I wanted when I wrote my original article back in April 2010.
But Wait!! Before we jump into the list of ten, the brakes are already slammed on, because this release has some issues when it comes to the one thing we all thought would be a no brainer. Back in the original article I didn't include A/V because as a bare minimum for this release we all expected "The Best Video and Audio Possible" right? It's Star Wars after all and if Star Wars can't be the jewel in the crown of your Blu-ray collection what else can be? Well video wise it's a mixture of good and bad news really. Phantom Menace is a clear step up from the previous DVD releases but the wow factor isn't consistent enough. The image is soft, sometimes a little blurry and only comes half loaded with that HD pop. Attack of the Clones fares worse in my opinion. It's hazy softened visuals really don't give this movie the HD oomph it deserves and even though it wins it back in the final arena battle it was pretty much a let down. Revenge of the Sith final steps up the HD visuals and becomes a dizzying
display of gorgeous Star Wars-ness. Sure there are issues with the effect layers looking inconsistent (look how flat Anakin looks in the opera scene-yuck) but the last of the prequels really does come to life and offers up a lot of the quality we all expected. As for the Original Trilogy, New Hope is a mixed bag. Areas of lifeless grain makes Tatooine look unpleasantly flat, making real backgrounds look like matte paintings. The colouring is getting scarily close to old classics like Wizard of Oz in places, especially tanned skin tones and with each passing year New Hope seems to feel its age. That said, some of the details here are astonishing and when the HD presentation clicks, you really begin to notice the differences to a movie we all know so well (for me it was around the Catina scene) it's a noticeable step up in quality. Colours really have come to life in new and wonderful ways and some of the lighting, especially on the Death Star, really gives New Hope a fresh coat of paint. As for Empire and Jedi, they follow pretty much the same path, pretty consistent, noticeably better video with some elements really shining. Sadly they are still full of no white core lightsabers and prove to be essentially a sharper version of the 2004 DVD's, so we're not exactly getting what we wanted. Luckily across the board the audio presentation kicks ass with that extra HD oomph and really feel more alive and textured than any releases before. Obviously this is a brief overview so be sure to check out Chris's full in depth reviews for more details on the individual Episodes.
In the original article I said I wanted "The Complete Saga presented as one complete story" Lucasfilm delivered on that. Seeing all six episodes housed as one story is great. The Star Wars Saga is finally complete on home release and there's no more mucking about with separate boxsets. Of course the option for you prequel haters to just go Original Trilogy is still there with some individual sets of three (albeit totally lacking in features beyond commentaries) so the first of the ten 'Wants' gets full marks.
So after delivering a solid 10/10 for 'Want 1', 'Want 2' takes a downward turn with what I consider to be the worst bit of Star Wars packaging to date. When I sat down for most of the afternoon of May 4th and watched the slow burning reveal of the artwork online, I was quite liking the individual packaging designs for the two trilogies. It was fresh and arty and a whole new look for Star Wars home releases. It wasn't perfect but it was acceptable. Then came the Saga boxset. The child's Bible artwork that was only missing Jesus cuddling a goat felt like a joke at first. Sure the image covers the entire Saga with little Annie and Luke (well sort of anyway, little Annie was never at the homestead but whatever) but it just felt half assed and totally missing the 'cool' factor. As the months passed, I got used to it a little more (kinda) but then came the reveal of the inside art. Seriously, what the hell is going on here? Weird sketchy painted art is one thing but art that looks like you need to hear a 'ping' before turning the page like old read-along kids books is pushing it. Then we get Boba on a Boga??? And the droids facing off against an unknown robot and a cattle rancher on a tauntaun???! Seriously what the hell was the thinking behind this boxset design? I have to say this boxset feels wrong. It feels like a cobbled together gag that Lucasfilm are pulling on us all and for a release I wanted to display proudly, I'm now quite looking forward to keeping it with only the spine on display rather than displaying that awful cover art face on. The score here is a low one and it really only gets two marks for the individual trilogy designs.
Being a completist and in the vain hope that Lucas would give us at least the original versions along with all the tinkered with versions, I was going all out for 'Want 3'. I was after EVERY version of Stars Wars we'd seen to date. Original releases, 1997 releases and of course the 2004 versions. Well guess what folks, we didn't get the original versions, we didn't even get any of the subsequent tinkered with versions. What we get is the all new touched up "Nooooooo" edition. Now I'm not going to bitch about the changes because outside the new Jedi "Noooooo" (which will take a while to sit right but I do understand the addition - I said understand it - not like it) and the new Krayt "kooooo-eeeeeeee" (okay that one sucks) I'm fine with the changes for the most part. Sure R2's all new rock cover is impossible to get in and out of and disappears a few shots later but Jabba's door being bigger, Dug's walking around the palace, Ewoks with full on eyes, new view screens and what not all slide for me. I like the smaller improvements for the most part (even though on first sight of the Ewoks it felt like a thing of nightmares).
It's more the fixes they haven't made that annoy me. Why is Luke's lightsaber three different colours when playing with his new toy on The Falcon? Why can I still see Vader's eyes on the tie fighter? Why does Obi-wan's lightsaber still look like a stick when he confronts Vader, why do the lightsabers in Empire and Jedi still not look right all the time and why havn't they ditched that Jabba's dance scene in ROTJ yet? (okay that one's not a fix as much as a nightmare that won't go away). These things are all the bugbears that plague us Star Wars fans and add a bit more history to our ever changing Saga. They annoy, they spark discussion and they never quite sit right but until Lucas replaces Hamill with Robert Pattinson and claims it's what he originally intended, these superficial elements are fine by me, the blatant disregard of the actual "errors" are not.
So moving on to the deleted scenes. This became a pretty big deal leading up to the release. The first glimpse of the alternative early scene in Return of the Jedi with Luke putting the finishing touches to his lightsaber was proper exciting stuff so how did the final package turn out? Well lets start with the negative, there's none of the previous DVD deleted scenes here which immediately feels weak. What we get is all new deleted scenes for the Prequel & Original trilogies. The prequels are mostly animatic or cobbled together scenes from the various elements that are shot. That in itself is pretty interesting as seeing how Lucas pastes together his scenes with so many different elements deserves a featurette in itself. As for the content of these rough scenes there ain't many for the prequels that feel all that special.
Spielberg's take on the Boga chase doesn't live up to the hype that's been attached to it since we found out ol' 'Berg took a crack at Star Wars. The Qui Gonn talking to Yoda via the force at the end of ROTS is a painful tease of something that really should be put in the film properly (and by properly, I mean with Liam Neeson's voice, not scary voice over guy). The Shaak Ti murder by Anakin is short and sweet but the shot of him walking through the temple while troopers kill Jedi needs to be placed back in the final cut as its pretty awesome. Everything else is pretty fluffy. Sure the small talk about Dooku leaving the order is nice but not even a mention of the 'Lost 20', the extended Maul vs. Qui-Gon on Tatooine is over in a flash and really it was all a bit underwhelming on the prequels side of things.
The Original Trilogy deleted scenes offer up a bit more of the goods. The Sandstorm is good to see even in this rough form (though I'd like to know who's Y-Wing that is?) The Wampa attack on the Hoth base is goofy fun and much of the New Hope stuff really shows how savvy Lucas was with what got cut because most of it is unconvincing visuals that felt like silly seventies sci-fi. Also Han's response to "Rebel Scum" is sort of brilliant. All in all, any new Star Wars, whether it's deleted, partially filmed or unfinished is still good by me. It's a shame we didn't get the deleted scenes off of previous releases as well and it's a shame some of these shots were not finished for our entertainment but hey, with theatrical 3D re-releases on the way and Lucasfilm watching our reactions to these scenes for this release who's to say what might get re-input into the films in the next six years.
The commentaries included here are not exactly what I was after from the all new boxset. Sure the original commentaries from the DVD's are all good stuff but as I mentioned in my original article, these tracks had to be quite coy in regards to letting out secrets before ROTS arrived, so not having an all new Lucas track seems a bit of a let down some how. As for the all new 'commentaries' that cobble together interviews from a number of different cast and crew members over the years and actually manage to feel quite scene specific despite that, they are all good to a point. For one, a lot of the interviews are very familiar. From past documentaries or even featured on the boxset's extras. Sure there are nuggets of good information but somehow the tracks lose a bit of personality with their edited together nature. It's still all good stuff but i wouldn't say it was exactly what we were after.
So here we are. The big sell. The extra features on a boxset that's got three extras discs to house the stuff. Skipping the deleted scenes which I've discussed, we'll start with the first extra disc. The Prequel Trilogy. Opting for the play all feature as the menu set up here is guff (more on that later) We'll start with the interviews.
Running for over an hour, this is a cobbled mish mash of stuff we've seen before with a few new bits from the ILMers telling us all stuff we've heard before. Snippets of previous documentaries are used to cover making of topics in super brief segments, old actor interviews are played over scenes they ain't even referring to and generally these 'interviews' are pretty weakly put together.
'The Collection' and the 'Concept Art Galleries' are fine. They're nice to look at for a bit but somehow on a disc this never feels all that engaging. Most of this stuff works so much better in books and even with their HD spin arounds I just got bored of these selections fast.
The second disc which covers The Original Trilogy is sadly just more of the same. The interviews cover a few cool archival bits and pieces but nothing new and even though seeing how they make Star Wars will never get old, with them being this brief, it isn't enough to stop going elsewhere being a better option.
Once again we're given 'The Collection' and the 'Concept Art Galleries' options and once again, I'm more inclined to stick to my Star Wars books than view this stuff here but that's down to personal opinion really. If I want to look at ships and costumes, seeing it in a well presented book is way better than sitting in front of a screen and clicking a button for two hours.
Okay the last disc. The one packed with documentaries. The three original making ofs that run for about fifty minutes each are a joy. In fact the Return of the Jedi 1983 making of was one of the big draws for me (as mentioned back in my original article – thanks Mr Lucas) and actually the first thing I went to when I got the boxset. I love how Star Wars documentaries refer to King Kong and The Muppets in the same breath and I remember seeing this as a kid and being mesmerised by it. Also something in me loves seeing Star Wars like it used to look (4:3 and really bad) so nostalgia wise these three docs are fantastic.
'Anatomy of a Dewback' from the '97 special edition release is 26 minutes we've all seen before and is a little irrelevant now. 'Star Warriors' is sort of the type of thing I said I wanted in my article – a documentary about fans. At 83 minutes I would have preferred more about the Hasbro/Kenner toys but this was an okay look into the life of some die hard Star Wars fans. 'Star Wars Tech' is a forty three TV documentary regarding Star Wars technology and its real life counterparts.
'A Conversation with the Masters' (25 minutes) is probably the best new-ish feature on the set. A great look back at Empire Strikes Back from Lucas, Kershner, Kasdan and John Williams and it's here you start wishing there was more stuff like this on the new boxset.
Last up we get 'Star Wars Spoofs' (96 mins). This is just 96 solid minutes of collected spoofs. From TV, Youtube and whatever else. It's great to have this all housed in one place (other than Youtube at any time). Fans who have not seem these will get a blast from all of them but I'd imagine most Star Wars fans will have seen these one way or any other. I would have liked a little bit from Lucas on his feelings on the spoofs but as it is, this is a fun extra, if only for Weird Al Yankovic's 'The Saga Begins' which is just plain genius.
Anyone noticing a pattern yet? The collection is only full of 'archive stuff' as opposed to anything new. And sadly it ends here. No beautifully constructed Saga retrospective. No joygasms over seeing Mark Hamill and Hayden Christensen telling stories together or getting Harrison Ford's take on Jar Jar Binks. Nothing really to celebrate the Saga coming together for the first time or really taking the time to big up the entire finished story. Honestly I'm pretty disappointed with this. Sure I love everything here. It's all great stuff but it's essentially a collection of second tier extras that deserved to sit along the main course of NEW extras. Also the Prequel Trilogy is woefully under celebrated. We've never had a full on look at Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith and this was the place to do it in my mind. Honestly the more I think about this collection of extras the more it feels like a bit weak, lazy even and this set really starts to feel like a it wasn't all that thought about when it was put together.
Back in the original article I mentioned a fact track would be a good idea for another way to watch The Wars. There's nothing here so...
Again – not a sausage. Luckily we have pretty much all the trailers on previous releases but it would have been nice for them to turn up here as well.
I guess to a point "Star Warriors" offers up a look at Star Wars fandom but something specifically about the Hasbro/Kenner toys would have been nice.
Well as you've seen so far, this release has had a pretty lazy approach to extras. Pulling stuff off of the Lucasfilm archive shelves as opposed to taking some time to put something really special together (y'know to sit along side the Alien Quadrilogy or the Blade Runner sets maybe?). So the 'Something New Want' really only applies to the menus and man are they frustratingly over complicated. Split into planets with subsections for extras that apply to each planet makes the 'play all' option on the main menu the only way to go really. On top of that the art design of the menus is pretty dull and even if the great use of the score makes everything acceptable, I can't help feeling a little underwhelmed.
So wrapping up my feelings on this new Star Wars Saga Blu-ray release, I have to say I'm torn. On one hand all the movies provide a clear upgrade to the existing DVD releases (some much more than others) on the other hand, the HD presentations seems to be lacking that 'something special' we've all come to expect from the Galaxy Far Far Away. The audio presentations here are startlingly strong, the Empire Strike Back special is fantastic and the three original making ofs for the original trilogy are a fanboys delight but everything else is just nice to have. There's nothing all that exciting about the extras here beyond the nostalgic buzz. Sure the deleted scenes are great to see, especially the Original Trilogy ones but the minimum amount of effort has been put into their presentation it seems. Everything else feels like this release isn't trying all that hard to set a standard and given the history of Star Wars that's the disappointment here. Star Wars should be the "reference quality" title (a term none of us really know what it really means but knows what it is when we see it), a collection you want to show off to friends or just plain sit in awe of while you watch it. This Blu-ray release just doesn't have enough of that feeling for me, even though there are a fair few moments dotted about such as Maul's Duel of Fates reveal looking amazing, CG Yoda, all of Revenge of the Sith, the HD glow of lightsabers (when they look right), the HD sound of lightsabers. Y'know, all that glorious Star Wars stuff.
It's great to finally have Star Wars on Blu-ray and my collection feels all the better for it but because of a slightly too laid back approach to this release, it does end up feeling a little too much like a filler release for an inevitable double dip that will no doubt fall in line with the 3D releases that start up next year. Let's just hope they give our Saga a little more love next time.
Editorial by Marcus Doidge
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About this Item
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Title: THE SHIRES
Publisher: Routledge and Keegan Paul, London
Publication Date: 1974
Binding: Hardcover
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Driving Spaces: A Cultural-Historical Geography of England's M1 Motorway
Driving Spaces: A Cultural-Historical Geography of England's M1 Motorway
ISBN: 978-1-405-13072-1 November 2007 Wiley-Blackwell 320 Pages
In Stock
DescriptionPeter Merriman traces the social and cultural histories and geographies of driving spaces through an examination of the design, construction and use of England's M1 motorway in the 1950s and 1960s.
- A first-of-its-kind academic study examining the production and consumption of the landscapes and spaces of a British motorway
- An interdisciplinary approach, engaging with theoretical and empirical work from sociology, history, cultural studies, anthropology and geography
- Contains 38 high quality illustrations
- Based on extensive, original archive work
Series Editors' Preface.
1 Introduction: Driving Spaces.
Driving, Space, Social Relations.
Driving, Landscape, Visuality.
Geographies of the Modern Road.
Contents of the Book.
2 Envisioning British Motorways.
Motoring and the Motor-Car Way, 1896-1930.
The German Autobahnen: The Politics and Aesthetics of a Nation's Roads.
Motorways for Britain? National Plans, National Defence.
Motorways, War and Reconstruction.
Motorways and the British Landscape.
3 Designing and Landscaping the M1.
Legislating and Campaigning: Towards a National Motorway Network.
Locating the M1: Regional Planning, Local Protests and the Authority of the Engineer.
Landscape Architecture and the Post-war, Modern Road.
'A New Look at the English Landscape': Landscape Architecture, Movement and the Aesthetics of a Modern Motorway.
Towards a Road Style: Service Areas in the Landscape.
'Cutting Holes in the Landscape': Britain's Motorway Signs.
4 Constructing the M1.
'Operation Motorway': Constructing the M1 Motorway.
Song of a Road: Folk Song, Working-Class Culture and the Labour of a Motorway.
5 Driving, Consuming and Governing the M1.
Motorway Driving, Embodiment, Competence.
'Motorway Madness': Driving, Governing, Expertise.
Motorway Modern: Consuming the M1.
Motorway Service Areas and the Motorist-Consumer.
Assessing the M1's Performance: Cost-Benefi t Analysis, Scientifi c Experiments, Accidents.
6 Motorways and Driving since the 1960s.
The 'M1 Corridor'.
Motorways and 'the Environment'.
Dystopian and Marginal Landscapes?
Placeless Environments?
Placing the M1 in the Late Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries.
Appendix: Archival Sources.
"Merriman's systematic, detailed and precisely documented description of the cultural context of the M1 will itself stand as a valuable documentary resource for researchers and students alike" (Area, December 2008)
"Thoroughly researched and full of rich … Driving Spaces presents the historical trajectory of the M1 Motorway through a series of cultural and political stages." (Journal of British Studies, October 2008)
"Merriman provides a fascinating perspective on the social and cultural aspects of driving and highways … in this multidisciplinary study. Includes … numerous references … .Recommended." (Choice)
- Based on extensive and original archive work this book is a first-of-its-kind academic study examining the production and consumption of the landscapes and spaces of a British motorway
- An interdisciplinary approach, engaging with theoretical and empirical work from sociology, history, cultural studies, anthropology and geography
- Contains 38 high quality illustrations, based on extensive, original archive work


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Las Vegas: Talking to the TV is usually a sign of extreme agitation, mental instability or loneliness. TV manufacturers are set to make it a more rational behavior this year, with a range of sets that respond to speech.
LG Electronics on Monday said it will sell a remote with its high-end flat-panel TVs that contains a microphone. You`ll be able to speak into the microphone to enter text on the TV for Twitter updates and Web searches. You still won`t be able to change the channel or control the volume by yelling at the TV.
Samsung Electronics also said it would have TVs that responded to voice commands. In addition, it`s launching its first TV with a built-in camera. As you watch the ES8000 set, it will watch you back, looking for hand gestures that prompt it to move the onscreen cursor or launch apps.
The two Korean rivals were the first to show new models at a preview day ahead of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which opens Tuesday. The show will feature many variations of so-called "smart" or Web-connected TVs.
Google Inc. has tried to break into the living room with software for smart TVs. So far it has been a flop. But Sony Corp. revealed at the show that it`s sticking to Google TV and bringing out a Blu-ray player that runs the software. That player will have a remote with a microphone for voice-powered Web searches.
"Smart" TVs have been around since 2008, but two things are holding them back. One is that the conventional TV remote is a hopeless tool for Web browsing, typing, and other PC-like behaviors.
"Anyone who`s actually checked email on a 50-inch (127-centimeter) TV knows it`s not a good experience," said Shawn Dubravac, head of research at the Consumer Electronics Association, which puts on the show.
As TVs become increasingly complex, more buttons are popping up on remotes. But that`s a trend that can`t continue, Dubravac said. TV makers are now looking for alternatives. Last year, LG introduced a "Magic Wand" remote that`s motion-sensitive, much like a game-console controller. This year, it`s taking another page from Microsoft Corp.`s Kinect game console and introducing a 3D camera that perches on top of a TV and interprets viewers` motions, letting them control the on-screen cursor with hand movements.
"I think 2012 will be the year of the interface," Dubravac said.
Samsung will be using its built-in cameras to try to recognize who`s in front of the TV. It will then bring up the right household member`s personalized "hub" of applications.
The other thing holding back "smart" TV: Viewers interact more with the cable or satellite set-top box than they do with the TV itself. The set-top box is where you find shows and change the channel.
Cable and satellite companies seem far less interested in revamping how people interact with their boxes. Dish Network Corp. unveiled a new box it calls the "Hopper" on Monday. It takes digital video recording to a new level by automatically recording all primetime shows of the four major networks. But it comes with a conventional remote, covered in buttons.
The renewed focus on smart TVs comes as TV makers are scrambling for new features to interest buyers. US TV sales are in decline after a rush to upgrade to high definition and flat panels abated.
Amid the slowdown, Asian TV makers tried to make 3-D a "must-have" feature, but that effort has fallen flat. Leichtman Research Group conducted a survey that found 80 percent of Americans have heard of 3-D TVs, but just 5 percent intend to buy one.
There`s another innovation waiting in the wings: Both LG and Samsung showed off TVs made of organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs, and said they`ll start selling them this year. It`s the first new screen technology since LCDs hit the scene. OLED sets are thinner than LCD sets and can boast impressive image quality. But they`ll be too expensive to be more than a niche product, and manufacturing difficulties may keep the price level high for years. Sony brought out a small OLED TV a few years ago, but has since given up on the technology.
LG is also showing off an 84-inch (213-centimeter) set with a resolution that`s more than four times that of top high-definition set. This so-called "4K" resolution represents another advance in screen technology that will take time to reach consumers, if it ever does — there are as yet no 4K TV channels or movie discs.
Bureau Report


text:
Regret over having sex is not the basis to convict MP Nigel Evans, a court has been told. Peter Wright QC, in his closing speech for the defence, said the man who claims the former deputy speaker raped him now regretted having sex with him, but this did not make the MP a guilty man.
Evans, 56, is alleged to have sexually abused seven young men on various dates between 2002 and last year by using his "powerful" political influence to take advantage of them, often while drunk. He denies all charges. Wright went through each of the charges one by one, pointing out what he claimed were inconsistencies in the accounts given and questioning the credibility of the evidence against the defendant.
In the most serious charge, rape, Mr Wright said the issue of consent was "central". The complainant, aged 22, told the jury he was raped and sexually assaulted by Evans after a dinner party at the defendant's home in Pendleton, Lancashire, in March last year. But the MP said the sex was consensual.
Wright told the jury: "Regret can't alter what has already taken place." The barrister said the young man had told "deliberate untruths" in the account given to police and to the jury to make himself "more convincing". He pointed to a series of inconsistencies between what he told officers and what he told the jury - there was no pushing on to the bed, no forcible undoing of trousers, no struggle to push his attacker off.
In fact the truth was the young man had consented to have sex with a man more than twice his age, the court heard. Wright added: "In the cold light of day, the complainant may regret what had taken place and how far it had actually gone. But such sentiments are some considerable distance removed from an incident of sexual assault and rape.
"He gave every indication of consent. Now he seeks to turn the clock back. Saving his conscience is not the basis on which to convict a man of rape and sexual assault." In 2003, Evans is alleged to have indecently assaulted two men in their 20s when he approached them in public places while drunk and put his hand down their trousers - one in a Soho bar the other at a hotel during the 2003 Tory Party conference.
Wright said: "We say these earlier alleged incidents did not amount to much then and do not do so now." They showed a "drunken over familiarity" - not what the prosecution "thesis" alleges - the actions of a powerful, "career making and breaking" politician abusing his position.
Wright added: "They are a high watermark of over-friendly, inappropriate behaviour by a drunken man, rather than the ingredients of an indecent assault." He next turned to the allegation of attempted sexual assault by leaning in to kiss a young man, who rebuffed him, in an alleged incident near the Strangers Bar at the House of Commons.
But there were inconsistencies between how the alleged complainant described the incident and what another alleged victim of Evans told police. Wright said: "We say it is telling that the accounts did not tally. The issue here is stark. Are you sure the incident happened in the way he alleges.
"This is an example how it is important, vital, it is fundamental to your approach to the evidence in the case. The prosecution bring the charge - they prove it." Next Wright turned to another allegation of sexual assault made by a young man who told the jury Evans "cupped" his genitals while having a drink at the Strangers Bar in 2010.
Wright said: "A casual indifference percolated his account, to say nothing of the absurdity of what Nigel Evans is alleged to have done in full view of everyone."
Evans' lawyer then addressed the jury concerning the claims made by another young man who said he was assaulted by Evans while sleeping on the sofa at the MP's home in June 2009. Again Wright said there was a "distinct lack of consistency" in his account.
The complainant had made a "casual remark" alleging Evans assaulted him in front of another MP, Dr Sarah Wollaston - which put him in a "quandary".
Wright continued: "After that it gathered a momentum of its own, on which he was carried. He was propelled into a meeting with the Speaker and that this was a police matter."
Later the complainant "embellished" his story and it was "bolstered" by claims of assault made by others - some who, the jury has heard, were friends of his. The final allegation dealt with by Wright was not connected to the others but was also "fundamentally flawed."
In this charge, the complainant alleged he was sexually assaulted by Evans in the House of Commons in March 2011.
But the alleged victim was a man who could not remember if he first contacted the police - or the press, with the claims, Mr Wright told the jury. And he also later invited Evans to functions and a dinner.
Wright asked the jury: "Why would you do that? Why would you invite your abuser? Why would you do that?" The complainant later called the incident a "drunken misunderstanding" and told officers he did not want to pursue the matter. Wright added: "The underlying truth is it didn't happen."
Evans denies two indecent assaults, five counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault and one count of rape. The judge is expected to begin summing up the case later today.
Mr Justice King began his summing up of the trial, now in its fifth week, by reminding the jury the defendant is innocent until proven guilty. He said: "The prosecution has the burden of proving the guilt of any defendant. You know the defendant faces some nine counts and he doesn't have to prove his innocence at all and the burden on the prosecution to prove an offence is a high one.
"The prosecution, on any particular count, must satisfy so you are sure of guilt, nothing less will do. I repeat, Mr Evans does not have to prove his innocence." The trial was adjourned until tomorrow morning when the judge will continue his summing up.


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Losing your cell phone is a bummer, period. Unfortunately for Floridians, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa rank among the top 20 metropolitan areas when it comes to lost or stolen cell phones, according to a new market-research survey.
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale area topped the list with more than half of respondents - 52 percent - of the Norton Mobile Survey, indicating they have either misplaced a cell phone or had one taken.
New York and Los Angeles ranked second and third with 49 percent and 44 percent, respectively; Tampa-St. Petersberg and Orlando-Daytona Beach ranked 10th and 14th, with 36 percent and 34 percent. Nationally, more than one and three people - 36 percent - lose contact with their mobile device.
A lot of hassle, worry and emotional pain comes with losing a cell phone, along with addresses, phone numbers, photos, banking information and other personal data many people pack into these ubiquitous devices. And for more advanced cell phone-atics, a lost device could mean someone finding and accessing your Facebook, Twitter and PayPal accounts.
The good news is there is plenty you can do to prevent cell phone loss and to deal with it when the worst happens. Oh, the humanity.
"When someone loses their cell phone there is this visceral experience. When their device is missing, they leave it in a cab or someone steals it, the level of panic is unusual compared to other things we may lose," said Mark Kanok, group product manager for Silicon Valley-based Symantec, which paid for the Norton Mobile Survey.
Symantec, the maker of Norton antivirus, anti-spyware and phishing protection software, is the largest maker of computer security software. The company commissioned the survey of 3,017 respondents, which was conducted in September.
"People get frustrated, they feel a sense of helplessness, confusion," Kanok said. "Most people don't know they have options."
Although Symantec has an interest in spreading the word about its survey and tech security, its findings – and the advice of Kanok and other security experts -- should be heeded.
What you can do:
Use the PIN or password feature of your phone to keep personal information, well…personal. Just about every cell phone offers a basic lockdown feature that blocks anyone from using the phone without knowing the PIN number or password. Some Android phones even allow you to set up a pattern - like anX - you draw on the touch screen to unlock the phone and access its data.
Beware free and/or strange apps. App designers must get approval from Apple before they offer apps to iPhone users. But nobody vets Android apps, which means they can be laden with malware, spyware and worse. Google yanked 21 free popular apps from the Android Market earlier this month because they secretly stole available data on users' smart phones and allowed for more malware to be downloaded. The list of titles included Falling Down, Super Guitar Solo, Chess, Photo Editor, Super History Eraser, Hot Sexy Videos, Falling Ball Dodge, Dice Roller, Funny Paint and Spider Man.
Kanok warns about using apps that request information about your location or permission to use your cell phone's camera or microphone. "Giving permission would be opportune if I want to spy on you," he said.
fonefindr.com is free and works very well. Lose your phone, find a computer and go to http://www.fonefindr.com. Type in your phone number and it will automatically call your phone; you can even set it to ring immediately or in 30 seconds or 1 minute, buying you time to walk around and search while you listen for the ring tone.
Consider software protection: Some of it is free, some it will cost you, but usually not much considering what is at stake here. Here are some options:
Norton Mobile Security 1.5 app for Android users is free in beta version. But don't count on it being available forever. Sorry, no version yet for iPhone, Blackberry. Available: Android Market at https://market.android.com/. Among its features is the ability for a remote wipe, which deletes the following data: contacts, SMS, call history, browser bookmarks, browser history, and SD card.
Lookout app for Android, Blackerry users, free. The Find My Phone feature helps locate your phone on a map and also sets off a loud alarm to help you find it when you're nearby. Available: Android Market, Blackberry App World.
McAfee WaveSecure -- for Blackberry, Android, Windows Phone, Java and Symbian OS users -- costs about $20 for one year. Check out the free 7-day trial. Features allow you to lock your phone remotely from another device or computer - or wipe your personal data so nobody can access it. It also backs up your data remotely online and allows you to restore in on another device. Available: https://www.wavesecure.com/. (Note the "s" secure Web designation in the URL address.)
MobileMe service is offered by Apple for $99 per year to iPhone users. It allows you to locate your phone on a map using another mobile device with a browser or a computer. I checked it out and was able to locate my phone down to the correct street name. This won't help you find an iPhone in a closet or sofa cushion, but at least you can determine whether it is at home, the office of the restaurant you just left. Avaialble: http://www.apple.com/mobileme or call 800-MY-APPLE.
firstname.lastname@example.com or 954-356-4219 or 561-243-6686. Daniel Vasquez' condo column runs Wednesdays in Your Money and at SunSentinel.com/condos. Check out Daniel's Condos & HOAs blog for news, information and tips related to life in community associations at SunSentinel.com/condoblog. You can also read his consumer column Mondays in Your Money and at sunsentinel.com/vasquez.


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That is typically what you get when you trade a player like Burrows who is a year from free agency.coco_canuck wrote:
Obviously, if the return is a B prospect and a late 1st, or a solid 3rd liner etc., then I'd hold off too.
Like you I wouldn't do it.
If anything it is us who should be putting a package like that together and trying to add another quality forward.


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N4010A-102 for ZigBee
|Status do Produto:
|Descontinuado | Com Suporte
Esse produto foi substituído por um novo:
Principais recursos e especificações
- Simplifies test equipment configurations - the N4010A is the only one box test available for ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4
- Obtains consistent test results moving through the test lifecycle to ensure smooth transitions between development and manufacturing
- Reduces potential for variable test results with calibrated wideband analyzer and source, while eliminating the need for golden radio/node test methodology
- Emulates more real-life stressing of device-under-test with ability to test burst signals
- Includes COM API to integrate automated test into your chosen software environment
For leading-edge designers developing ZigBee chipsets, modules, and devices, the N4010A wireless connectivity test set is the one-box test solution that delivers accurate and repeatable measurements.
The test set quickly ensures standards-compliance design performance for ZigBee RF physical layer testing through use of powerful signal analysis capabilities using the 89600 VSA software.
As an example, the following receiver tests may be performed:
The following options are recommended when using the N4010A to measure ZigBee signals.
Transmit and Receive
|Wireless connectivity test set
|Option 102
|2.4 GHz transmit/receive analysis
|Option 104
|Enable fully-flexible arbitrary waveform generation
|Option 110
|Additional I/O connectivity
|VSA software
|89601B Opt 200
|Basic vector signal analysis
|89601B Opt 300
|Hardware connectivity
|89601B Opt AYA
|Vector modulation analysis
Transmit Only
|Wireless connectivity test set
|Option 102
|2.4GHz transmit/receive analysis
|Option 110
|I/O connectivity
|VSA software
|89601B Opt 200
|Basic vector signal analysis
|89601B Opt 300
|Hardware connectivity
|89601B Opt AYA
|Vector modulation analysis
Centro de suporte dos produtos
Tecnologias e Mercados Relacionados
ZigBee test equipment and resources from Keysight Technologies. Signal generation and analysis tools to test the most common implementations of Zigbee.


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Emilio Estevez is hoping to plug into America's heartland with "The Way."
Pic, which Estevez wrote and directed and which stars his father, Martin Sheen, tells the story of an American who travels to France to reclaim the body of his estranged son, who has died in a storm on his way to the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Once in France, the father cremates his son's remains and decides to complete the pilgrimage.
"It's a pro-life movie in the truest sense that it celebrates life and the global village that we all find ourselves living in," Estevez told Variety.
"The Way," Estevez's fourth feature as a writer-director, is produced by Filmax chairman Julio Fernandez, Estevez and Elixir Films' David Alexanian.
Estevez is hoping to tap into the same Middle American auds who flocked to see Sandra Bullock starrer "The Blind Side."
"There's a huge demographic in America and the rest of world that's underserved when it comes to movies and stories coming out of Hollywood," said Estevez. "We're encouraged when a film like 'The Blind Side' comes out that doesn't rely on L.A. and New York for success. The middle of the country found it and embraced it. It would be outrageous if we could replicate that success."
Icon Entertainment is handling international sales at EFM.


text:
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The win extends the Eagles' win streak to six games, running their record to 13-7, 6-0 in Southern Conference play.
The Eagles added another run to their lead with a run in the top of the fourth on an RBI single to left by Jeremy Beckham.
The Bucs again cut the GSU advantage to one run after scoring a run in the sixth and seventh innings. Hargis hit his second homer of the season in the sixth, a solo shot down the right field line. Junior left fielder Josiah Glafenhein (
The Eagles scored an important insurance run in the top of the eighth as Wipke hit a solo homer, his second of the day, into the net above the left field wall.
ETSU again got within one run in the eighth as
Buccaneer sophomore centerfielder Stephen Douglas (
Everett Teaford earned the win (4-1) for the Eagles, allowing four earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings. He also walked two and struck out four on the afternoon. Steve Cogswell earned his fifth save of the year after pitching the ninth for
Buccaneer junior lefty Steven Calicutt (
Crowe, Glafenhein, Hargis and junior right fielder Shane Byrne (
Pelfrey, Smith and Wipke all had two hits in the win for the Eagles. Wipke also led the team with three runs scored and three RBIs.
"This was a highly-competitive series," said ETSU head coach Tony Skole following the game. "I tip my hat to


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This is your last chance to vote for these awesome projects!
Se registró el día 27 de marzo de 2013
- 36 Artículos
LAST CHANCE to give youth activists a helping hand... Tomorrow is
the last day to watch and vote for your favourite entry to the
Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards UNICEF
Winning projects will get funding and advice from our experts on the ground.
© UNICEF/MLIA2012-00565/Bindra


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Princess Catherine's red coat Poppy Day
The Cambridges were out today in London supporting Poppy Day staff and volunteers. At some point, they went on a bus ride. The poppies are for Armistice Day in England which is Remembrance Day here in Canada which, I think, is Veterans Day in the US.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We had to memorise that poem when I was in school and recite it right before the moment of silence at 11am. Do they still do this?
In other Kate news – apparently she has a friend who's trying to get her to dress more "quirky" and vintage. Erase the Middleton style? I'm not sure that's possible.
CARL COURT/ Getty


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AMD and
Dell share a long history of collaboration spanning commercial and consumer notebooks and desktops, workstations and servers. When AMD introduced its first multifunctional server solution for Compute, Professional Graphics and VDI in 2011, AMD FirePro™ V7800P professional graphics cards made their debut in Dell PowerEdge M610x blade servers – officially marking AMD FirePro™ professional graphics' entry into the data center.
Harnessing the massively parallel computing power of graphics processors allows Dell to support new usage models and demanding workflows, and its customers can appreciate the ultra-fast application performance, visual quality and massive parallel processing power AMD FirePro™ professional graphics deliver in server environments. AMD FirePro™ professional graphics can be found in four Dell PowerEdge blade, rack and tower server platforms:
With the introduction of Microsoft® RemoteFX, AMD and Dell are giving IT new options to leverage GPUs in Dell PowerEdgeTM servers to support multiple remote users with RemoteFX capable devices in ways that enable an optimal end user experience and maximize hardware asset utilization.
Dell and Microsoft have worked to certify AMD FirePro™ V7800P professional graphics and
Dell PowerEdge M610x blade server with RemoteFX in the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). This certification provides the stability and reassurance healthcare, financial services, government and education customers need to equip a workforce with remote and secure access to business productivity applications or specialized applications with rich graphics.


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[Intro - from the movie Attack the Block]
You know what that is? I told you what that is, that's that alien, bruv, believe it!
Musta come from outer space trying to take over the earth, innit?
Well it landed in the wrong place, though, you get me? The wrong place!
This is the block, fam! Nobody f*cks with the block, do you get me?
The B-L-O-C-K!
Block! Block! Block! Block!
[Sample from Dead Prez - "Hip Hop"]
It's bigger than hip hop
[Verse 1]
I ride for my n*ggas though
And we gotta stay alive just to get it, yall
The hood look like one big prison yard
And death is the only visitor
They don't want you at your best
That means they're at their worst
They wanna hear struggle bars
You wanna kick a classic verse
n*ggas sleep with the fish like a pelican
Get that snitch 'fore he tell again
They killed Pac, he was too Machiavellian
Stood out in the middle of a room like an elephant
Because what he said was way too relevant
Never ignorant, way too intelligent
Now we got them running scared of the melanin
Used to kick dust in the air, now we're settling
Don't want you to vote like an alien
Came here on a boat like Elian
Gonzales, but they want your dollars
Gotta work them hours, it's so Gladwellian
Ten thousand hours strong
Just to keep the lights and the power on
This new New York feels wrong
Babylon here but the towers gone
[Verse 2]
Victory so sweet, but all we ever
Taste is sour, that's the agony of
I really be in these streets
While the only Harlem you know is a Japanese club
I know Queens that'll rock them jewels
Pulling out ninas 'cuz they rock them tools
We on the Island of Staten
Follow to Manhattan like a big fan of the Wu
The Brooklyn you know is the battleship chick
Spill your blood like a battle with Crips
Youngsters looking up to the same game
Hunger in my belly, got the same pains
It's the same thing when we bang bang, let your fangs hang
In pursuit of the food, just to maintain
It's the same thing when we bang bang, let your fangs hang
In pursuit of the food, just to maintain


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Agencies must streamline their financial systems to reduce costs and increase transparency, according to a White House memo.
Currently, the Office of Management and Budget said, financial systems are designed to meet agency-specific needs and lack a governmentwide approach. In the future, agencies should create shared solutions to modernize core accounting and mixed systems -- information systems, such as payroll or procurement management, that support financial and non-financial functions.
"Traditional approaches to financial systems implementations have left agencies exposed to significant risks in cost, quality and performance," OMB wrote in the memo.
OMB will work with the Treasury Department's Office of Financial Innovation and Transformation to create common standards and requirements for future financial systems, and to track compliance with the directive. OMB said the transition "will take several years."
The goal of these systems, according to OMB, is to improve government's ability to find sellers, reduce implementation risks and timetables and enable auditable, governmentwide financial statements.
OMB encouraged agencies to consider federal shared service providers, in addition to commercial options, when making system upgrades.
(Image via Orhan Cam/Shutterstock.com)


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MILWAUKEE — Shaun Marcum struggled in his return to Miller Park, failing to build on recent success following a nightmarish start to his season with the Mets.
Marcum, who compiled a 20-11 record pitching for Milwaukee in 2011 and 2012, allowed 11 hits and five earned runs over five innings in the Mets' 7-6 loss to the Brewers.
"I fell behind in some counts and this isn't the most pitcher-friendly park to do that in so it makes it rough," said Marcum, who struck out three and walked one. "It was nice to come back here. I enjoyed my two years here. Obviously, I wish the results were better."
Marcum started the season 0-9 but had pitched well over his previous two outings heading into Saturday night's start. He pitched eight shutout innings in a win against the White Sox and allowed six hits over six innings in the Mets' 5-4 win over Arizona in an extra innings Monday.
"He's had some pretty good games recently," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Even the other day, he pitched pretty good even though his back started to get stiff on him."
Marcum, who experienced tingling in his right hand after his last start and had an MRI on Tuesday, took the mound as scheduled against the Brewers but experienced similar problems.
"I felt some numbness and tingling and a cold hand, but I'm never going to take myself out of a game," he said.
The Brewers jumped on Marcum (1-10) for a run in the first inning. Jonathan Lucroy's two-out single scored Norichika Aoki, who led off the game with an infield hit.
Milwaukee added two runs in the second. Logan Schafer singled, moved to third on a single by Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo and scored on Aoki's base hit. Jean Segura followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Gallardo.
Lucroy extended the Brewers lead to 4-0 with a one-out, solo home run to left field in the third.
"(Marcum) left a lot of balls up, more than he normally does," Collins said. "He's really a change-speed guy that keeps the ball down. The ball to Lucroy he left up. He left a breaking ball out over the plate in the first inning. That's just not where he usually pitches."
Gallardo helped himself again in the fourth, leading off with a double off the right field wall and scoring on Segura's one-out single. On the night, Gallardo singled, doubled, scored two runs and executed a successful sacrifice bunt off Marcum that led to a key play in the game.
The Mets broke through for two runs against Gallardo in the fifth. John Buck led off with a home run off the right field foul pole. Daniel Murphy had a run-scoring double later in the inning.
The Mets slashed the Brewers' lead to 5-4 on Buck's two-run single in the sixth.
Milwaukee scored in a key run in the sixth with Gallardo in the thick of things. After Schafer led off with a single, Gallardo executed a two-strike sacrifice bunt. Marcum fielded the ball cleanly but his throw was dropped by second-baseman Murphy, who was covering first. The ball skipped into right field, allowing Schafer to race around the bases and beat a throw to the plate.
The Mets cut the lead to 6-5 in the seventh on Marlon Byrd's sacrifice fly. Schafer's run-scoring double, his third hit of the game, put Milwaukee ahead 7-5.
Byrd's home run in the ninth pulled the Mets within a run, but Rodriguez struck out Kirk Nieuwenhuis to end the game.
Gallardo (7-8), who has been the subject of recent trade speculation, scattered six hits over six innings and allowed four earned runs, striking out six and walking three.
Gallardo gave up one hit through the first four innings before running into some trouble in the fifth and sixth.
"I think he started to get a little tired," said Lucroy, who drove in two runs. "I think he really threw well the first four innings. His last two he scuffled a little but for the most part it was a solid start and he gave us a chance to win. That's most important."
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke liked what he saw from Gallardo early in the game.
"Yovani started off really well then lost some command," Roenicke said.
Francisco Rodriguez recorded his eighth save of the season and 302nd of his career despite giving up the two-out solo home run to Byrd in the ninth.
Mets' rally falls just short
MILWAUKEE — Shaun Marcum struggled in his return to Miller Park, failing to build on recent success following a nightmarish start to his season with the Mets.


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For more years than I care to remember my website G4ILO's Shack has been a member of the QRP Web Ring. Web rings are a tool dating from long before search engines came on the scene and were set up to help web surfers locate sites of similar interest.
In order to be a member of the QRP Web Ring I include some links to other web ring sites on my home page, plus a banner.
Whether you still use the QRP Web Ring to find other QRP-related sites, or if you have never used it and have no intention of using it now that you know about it, I would appreciate your comments.


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Apple stock represents a value play and is worth much more than $450 per share, New York University finance professor and valuation expert Aswath Damodaran said Tuesday on CNBC.
"I think it's good news that the traders are leaving and the momentum is gone," he said.
On "Fast Money," Damodaran said that the stock was worth $600 per share.
Shares of Apple traded at $452.50 midday.
"This is a company that's being priced for no growth and compressed margins already, so I don't understand why the market would react the way it does to news that is, in a sense, is not being built into the stock price," he said.
Damodaran said that the stock's price decline was shaking out a certain type of investor.
"If you're a value investor, a true value investor, you've got to invest when you're not comfortable," he said. "Right now, am I comfortable investing in Apple? Not really, but I will invest in it because that's the time to get into a stock if you're a value investor.
"I'm going to buy Apple as a business, and I think I'm getting a pretty good business for the price I'm paying."
Damodaran cautioned against looking to institutional investors for a tell on what the stock will do next.
"I think large institutional investors and equity research analysts are followers, not leaders. They're going to be in the stock if it's up 100 points. They're going to be down if it's down 100 points," he said. "So, watching them for future direction is, I think, in a sense, misleading because they're going to be on the bandwagon after it switches sides."
Damodaran added that he was not surprised that the stock remained in a "holding pattern."
"I think that's precisely reason now the time, if you're a value investor, to think about buying the stock," he added.
Josh Brown of Fusion Analytics agreed on the valuation aspect.
"I think the way to look at Apple is, this is a stock that a lot of the hard-core momentum traders have actually abandoned. Things seem to be quieting down. Volatility seems to be quieting down," he said. "If you're a value investor and you think this company has been unfairly tarred with the no-growth brush, then this is where you buy it."
Traders, he added, were less likely to benefit from Apple stock.
"If you're a trader, if you're someone looking for that higher-beta, multi-point move, you probably move on," Brown said.
Apple shares, he added, were worth in the "mid-$400" range.
OptionMonster's Jon Najarian said that the stock needed to break above $462 and hold it for 24 hours before it was worth playing.
"It's sort of in a no-man's land where it is right here," he said.
RoseCliff Capital's Mike Murphy called the stock "broken" as a trade but workable as a long-term investment.
For those investors, "Apple right now is a screaming buy in my opinion," he said.
"I don't think Apple as a company, as a business is broken, so it's a name to hold on to," Murphy added.
Trader disclosure: On Feb. 5, 2013, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Joe Terranova is long VRTS; Joe Terranova is long AAPL; Joe Terranova is long MJN; Joe Terranova is long JPM; Joe Terranova is long DIS; Joe Terranova is long GS; Joe Terranova is long SWN; Joe Terranova is long XOM; Mike Murphy is long GS; Mike Murphy is long TGT; Mike Murphy is long FB; Mike Murphy is long TOL; Josh Brown is long AAPL; Josh Brown is long GLD; Josh Brown is long XLU; Josh Brown is long TLT; Josh Brown is long XLF; Josh Brown is long TGT.