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Name: Manson.
Age: 21
I was born with hypospadias and I was operated three times during my life. The last operation was when I was 16. Now, I am 21. My problem is that my penis is only 11 cm or 4.3 inches! I am middle-eastern. I am worried about my penis size, since I have heard it won't grow longer after the ages of 21-25. What is the best method of penis enlargement that you can suggest in my case?
Thank you
First, a quick review of what is hypospadias is for those unfamiliar with the term. It's an abnormality of the urethra in some men. It involves an unusual placed urinary meatus (piss slit). Instead of opening being at the tip of the glans (or dickhead), a hypospadic urethra opens anywhere on a (raphe) line running from the tip of the dude's cock along the underside of the shaft to where the base.
This happens when a guy's dick does not fully develop in the womb.
This condition has levels of severity, from the hardly noticeable to very obvious. Some children are born intersexed, and have ambiguous genitalia, which requires sexual reassignment surgery. But I'll save that discussion for another time.
Some guys, particularly those with conspicuous hypospadias can develop a complex about their appearance. This in turn, impacts on their self-image and complicates their ability to form lasting sexual/partner/marriage relationships. Severe hypospadias can also interfere with procreation. Other men, perhaps those with less conspicuous or severe hypospadias show little to no concern for the appearance of their dick and live completely normal lives.
Some parents of children with mild hypospadias seek a surgical correction to the problem. I view this as a highly risky means to solve a less relatively innocuous cosmetic problem. There are men who were operated on as a child who now, as adults, resent the interference. Are you one such man, Manson? You say you've had three surgeries. As you may know, matters are often made worse rather than better through surgery. And of course, there's always the risk of complications, infections and the like. There are, however, more serious cases of hypospadias that demand reconstruction. If your dick issue is causing you anxiety or low self-esteem, help is available. Check out: The Hypospadias and Epispadias Association.
On to the size of your cock. While your cock falls on the smaller end of the spectrum, it still is near the average. You might want to google — average penis size to get the lowdown on that.
It's true what you suspect. Don't count on your dick growing any larger than it is. And frankly, there are no effective methods for permanent enlargement. Here's what I wrote to another young man (18yo) who wanted to grow his dick bigger…
Jeez, this is just about my least favorite topic of all. I keep promising myself that I won't respond to anymore "how do I grow my dick bigger?" questions. And then along comes a young pup, like you John, and asks the question again. Here's a tip, everything I have to say about cock enlargement schemes I've already said. If you want to know my thoughts about this wearisome topic look for the CATEGORIES pull down menu in the sidebar to your right. Under the main heading Body Issues you will find a subcategory Cock Size. Once you read through all columns and listen to the podcasts you will have all the information you seek.
But since you're a youngster I will respond kindly. First, you're not even completely through puberty yet, John. So if you could just chill out for a couple more years till your growing spurt is complete, you might find that nature itself will resolve your issue for you. If, by chance, you find that by your 18th birthday your cock is no bigger than it currently is, then it's time to make your peace with your piece. Because basically that's the dick you're gonna have to work with for the rest of your life.
In other words, you have about as much chance of growing a bigger dick than what your genetics has determined for you as you do growing your feet bigger or adding inches to your height or changing the color of your skin. It's simply not gonna happen. There is no true way of safely increasing either the width or the length of your johnson short of a surgical intervention. And I never recommend that.
Just like there are ways to give the illusion of bigger feet, darker or lighter skin or being taller than you really are, there are things you can do to create the illusion that you're growin' yourself a bigger dick. But all the creams, the jelqing, the pumps, the weights, the what-have-you, will only have a short-term effect if they have any effect at all. In the end you will have spent a whole lot of money, wasted a lot of time, been consumed with a great deal of anxiety and possibly even injured yourself to wind up having what you've always had and not significantly more.
May I suggest that you practice accepting what genetics has determined for you in terms of cock size and everything else. Because that will give you more time and energy to learn how to use what you have to its greatest benefit. Luckily, our capacity to be a good, and even great, lover has nothing to do with the size of our cock. Anyone who tries to tell you different is pullin' your leg.
I hope this is helpful.
Good luck


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Best Of :: Food & Drink
We're not sure we're totally with this whole tapas thing. Sure, if you're some Andalusian alkie hitting the booze parlors in Granada, the quality's guaranteed. Plus, in Spain, these bar snacks often come free with the drinks. Here in Ameri-duh, they make you pay through the nose, sometimes $13, the price of an entree, for a portion of food that barely takes up the better half of the palm of your hand! But at least at DC Ranch's Sol y Sombra, you seem to get your ducat's worth most of the time. We attribute this success rate to the presence of chef Aaron May, who once worked for Food Network overachiever and obsessive clog-wearer Mario Batali. May can whip up patatas bravas that'll make you sing, and gazpacho that'll make you dance like them fools on Fuse TV's Pants-Off Dance-Off. This being Scottsdale, there's a floor show of sorts with all the MILFs showing off their new implants to one another, so you have something to watch while you nosh.
When we decided to do a Garden of Eden theme for this year's Best of Phoenix, we knew we'd have to tell you where to find the best apple pie, the best place to make your garden grow, the best place to rent a snake. And, of course, we figured we needed to tell you where to find the best spareribs apologies to Adam. Turns out, the term "sparerib" doesn't refer to an extra rib at all. It originates from the German word rippenspeer, which means "spear ribs" apparently, the cut was traditionally speared and roasted. We Americans bastardized the term 'til it became sparerib also so-named because the cut, from the bottom section of the ribs and breastbone of the pig, doesn't have much meat. So we're confused. We want to tell you where to get the best spareribs, but frankly, we're not 100 percent sure of the cut of the ribs at Golden Eggroll, one of our favorite little Chinese joints, just around the corner from REI in Tempe. No matter, really. These are the best ribs in town an order comes with four juicy, tasty ribs, covered in a light sweet sauce and sprinkled with scallions. We often make a meal of them alone, so perhaps therein lies our answer there's nothing spare about them. One thing we know for sure: Eve would have chosen these ribs over that apple any day of the week. And she wouldn't have had to leave the garden: Golden Eggroll delivers.
In our opinion, it's always worth a trek out to east Mesa, to this homey and charming shrine to the land where corn grows freely, and it's all because of our favorite part of the day: dessert. More than 20 types of homemade pie are baked daily using passed-down family recipes, and the offerings will overwhelm your taste buds. There are straight-ahead varieties like the cherry and peach pies, as well as more unusual offerings like the decadent chocolate peanut butter and the sweet sour cream raisin. But what keeps us coming back to fill our greedy guts is the award-winning apple pie, a thick and sweet creation with a flaky butter crust available by the slice at $2.59 a pop or as a whole delight for $10.99 (with a $2 refundable on each pie tin). We guarantee that you won't leave hungry or dissatisfied, you hear, now?
We can't help but sigh when we think about Hermosa Inn and its beloved restaurant, Lon's. With its view of Camelback Mountain, its cozy patio fireplace, and trees and cactuses everywhere, the place oozes so much desert charm that we wish we could live there. (Yeah, only in our dreams . . . ) Of course, painter Lon Megargee did live there in the 1930s, and these days, the old-fashioned Arizona adobe ranch house that used to be his residence is home to one of the Valley's most memorable dining destinations. From the dining rooms to the intimate bar to the candlelit stone wine cellar, the ambiance is rustic and romantic, with antique Navajo rugs, wood-beamed ceilings, and Southwestern art throughout. And true to Megargee's artistic spirit, Lon's not only serves Friday night drink specials in Megargee's former art studio (a.k.a. "the Studio Lounge"), but also hosts its own artist-in-residence series, a four-course wine dinner and reception with a different talent every month. As for executive chef Michael Rusconi's creative menu, many of the ingredients are organic, locally grown, or even plucked straight out of the inn's own gardens. For a taste of the Southwest, try the moist cactus pear lacquered breast of duck, or the smoky, pepper-crusted pork tenderloin with prickly pear braised red cabbage. Mmm. We might not be able to move in, but on the bright side, we can't wear out our welcome at the dinner table, either.
Fifty years ago, former circus trapeze artist Bill Johnson threw open the doors on what would become one of the best-known and longest-running restaurants in the Valley, and the place that bears his name has been dishing out chops and barbecue ever since. The rustic interior of Bill Johnson's Big Apple is still hung with Western memorabilia, its servers still dress in cowboy drag, and it's still run by the Johnson family (Bill died in 1966, after which his kids took over). All these things add up to a place perfect for the sentimentalist in us. Because Phoenix's first theme restaurant has changed so little over the years, we can head to the Big Apple and relive favorite memories of a late-night post-prom dinner date; a brother's long-ago "just divorced" party; or merely the memory of an exceptional slice of deep-dish apple pie, a specialty of the house. The sign out front features a giant steer's head and the legend "Let's Eat!" But we visit Bill Johnson's for more than grub; we go there to remember our and Phoenix's past.
"In vino veritas," as the Romans were fond of saying when they weren't having orgies or out conquering the ancient world: That is, "In wine, there's truth." But the truth we've discovered through our own oenophilia is that it's often too damned expensive to drink the blood of the vine while dining out at a fine restaurant, assuming you want something better than the cheapest swill on hand. Then along comes cork dork Jock Wulffson, who had the nutty idea of combining a wine store and storage facility with a French-influenced restaurant where the eclectic art and decor are all for sale. And voil! Backstreet Wine Salon was born. Wulffson knows how to score deals on various vintages, passing along the savings to the customer. And should you spy a bottle you crave from the retail side of the aisle, you can consume it on the premises for a corkage fee, instead of doling out two or three times the bottle's worth. To this setup, Wulffson adds the culinary know-how of chef Patrice Barry, who cranks out scrumptious, small plates, such as veal empanadas, roasted head of garlic, frisee aux lardons, sorrel bisque, pork-fig roulade, petite osso buco, and so on. As a result, Wulffson's got a winning recipe on his hands a funky-cool ambiance with a very knowledgeable wait staff, a kick-ass chef producing value-laden, Frenchified eats, and a collection of affordable, palate-tickling wines. Best new restaurant? You betcha. If only all newbies gave you this much for your hard-earned greenback.
Expat Dean Thomas of Gunnislake, Cornwall, has single-handedly turned Tempe into Arizona's capital of Cornish pasty. See, pasties (pronounced pass-tee) are a Cornish specialty, the type of hearty fare tin miners in that section of England traditionally took with them to the mines. To the uninitiated, they might resemble a jumbo Hot Pocket or the Brit version of a calzone. The shape of a half-deflated football, the flaky, pot-pie crust is pinched in the middle so that it forms a distinctive, squiggly seam. Inside could be a whole lot of things, depending on your order. They come stuffed with lamb and mint, bangers and mash, chicken tikka masala, meatballs, chicken Alfredo, and so on. But the classic pasty is the oggie, filled with steak, potato, onion and rutabaga, accompanied by a side of red wine gravy. Served piping hot, the pasties go great with a pint of Newcastle or Kronenbourg, both on tap here along with other brews. It would not surprise us in the least to see Cornish Pasty Co.'s springing up all over Arizona one day, and even beyond, as both the concept and execution in Thomas' hands have been so cool, and so universally acclaimed.
How can you not love a pizza joint where the menu describes the Chicago-style thin-crust pie as "custom cut into tiny squares, like finger-jello"? This is a place that does not take itself seriously except when it comes to the quality of the food, which is always high, even as Oregano's prepares to take over the world or, at least, Arizona. There are now five Oregano's in metro Phoenix (Mesa, Phoenix, Tempe, and two in Scottsdale), one in Tucson, and another in Flagstaff. Really, even though the place doesn't deliver, you can pretty much reach up from the couch and grab a slice there are that many outposts, that close. Or pick up the phone and call; we've found the counter service to be as friendly as the table service. Once you're there to pick up your pie or salad or wings or garlic bread you'll likely want to stay, and soak up Oregano's retro-with-a-flair surroundings, along with the strong scent of garlic. It's all good.
Cave Creek: home of javelinas, biker bars, speed traps and fine dining? Hell, where'd you think all those folks in their million-dollar pads go to graze? To Binkley's Restaurant, of course, a little patch of genteel Napa Valley amidst the giant rocks and saguaros. Chef Kevin Binkley, who once worked side-by-side with Thomas Keller at Keller's much-ballyhooed French Laundry in Napa, commands the kitchen, while Binkley's wife and matre d' Amy works the front. The combination of flawless service and nonpareil grub keeps the small, elegant eatery booked reservation-wise most nights of the week. As the menu changes, the latter might include such French-inspired American cuisine as poached pear stuffed with duck liver mousse or monkfish medallions, with pattypan squash, polenta, and one sublime sliver of monkfish liver. Service, on the other hand, boasts Riedel stemware, serviettes tied with red ribbons, and periodic palate-cleansers to amuse your bouche. Only bad thing about Binkley's is that you have to hoof it all the way to Cave Creek to get there. Is it worth the drive? Well, what do you think?
Welcome Diner is the heart of Roosevelt Row we have friends who swear by the place, not as a good spot to grab lunch but as a mood elevator. Located just east of the gallery action, the diner has quickly become the weekday afternoon hangout for developers, artists and shopkeepers, who gather to eat the hamburgers and fries and catch up on neighborhood gossip. The joint is small the diner is a Valentine original, manufactured in Kansas and the A/C has to work hard to keep up with the hustle on the counter stools as well as behind the counter. Don't miss one of the house specialties, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies baked two at a time in a toaster oven. You'll blow your diet, but we promise you'll leave Welcome Diner in a good mood.
Here's how the conversation went, over the menus at Pink Taco: "Hey," said our dining companion, a Pink Taco fan (actually, Jason Rose, the restaurant's local PR guy), "you've gotta order the Pink Taco." "Oh, no," we replied. "We'll pass. We really don't like fish." That cracked Rose up. Whoops. Our bad. Turns out, the Pink Taco (a.k.a. panuchos) doesn't have any fish in it at all. C'mon, Jason. Who can blame us for assuming? Still, we turned the same rosy shade as the pink pickled onions in the restaurant's signature dish, and after all that, we had to order one. And we've gotta say: It was damn good. A small corn tortilla is filled with beans, grilled chicken, salsa roja, pickled onions and avocado. The chicken is tender and tasty, the tortilla's fresh and the onions are a nice complement. The only problem with the Pink Taco? It was a little messy. We know, we know . . . T.M.I. . . .
Like many longtime Valleyites, we have fond memories of the original Trader Vic's. It was located in downtown Scottsdale, and by the time we made it there, the blush was off the rose, the blowfish draped with cobwebs and dust. Still, for us, this was as glamorous as it got. (This was before the Drinkwaters brought liquor and clubs to town, and before we could order a cocktail ourselves, for that matter even with a fake ID.) We're not sure the contents are exactly the same, but one thing from the old Trader Vic's that seems resurrected with some authenticity at the new version swank and stark, tacked onto the edge of the Hotel Valley Ho is the pupu platter. Still aflame, still featuring enough pork and fried items to ensure you won't make it to the next resurrection of Trader Vic's, we love it, particularly alongside several cocktails we're now more than old enough to order.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Our Mission: Growth House, Inc., provides education about life-threatening illness and end of life care. Our primary mission is to improve the quality of compassionate care for people who are dying through public education and global professional collaboration. Our search engine gives you access to the Internet's most comprehensive collection of reviewed resources for end-of-life care.
Growth House, Inc., gives you free access to over 4,000 pages of high-quality education materials about end-of-life care, palliative medicine, and hospice care, including the full text of several books. We provide education both for the general public and for health care professionals. Our content is provided through syndication arrangements with over forty major health care organizations and publishing houses who are members of the Inter-Institutional Collaborating Network On End-of-life Care (IICN), a content syndication network that we founded in 1996.
Our consumer education features include the Handbook for Mortals, an easy-to-understand guide to the dying process. For medical background on palliative care consult the Stanford EOL Care Curriculum. For tips on how to carry out institutional quality improvement projects check the Quality Improvement Sourcebook, the Common Sense Guide To Quality Improvement , and the archive of national demonstration projects for Promoting Excellence In EOL Care. For public policy background on why end-of-life care is critical to national healthcare strategy, see the Sick To Death Public Policy Book.
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tweider brauchte ein neues Logo Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 77 Designs von 37 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
Looking for a new logo to match website style and design. logo is to be simple so it may also be used as a water mark during our videos.
Currently 'Make a Splash' thinking of changing to 'its a lifestyle' - we are also taking suggestions
Desired Color Scheme:
Red Grey Blue - but not required
Desired Style:
Open - but must be simple and not sterile
Accepted File Formats:
popular formats only and high resolution
http://www.Splash Vision.com is the name of the website - How about a mascot 'splash' or something with a TV or Film. Have fun!
Tag line is currently Make a Splash! and open for change, however it has not been confimed a new tag will be used- one thought is 'it's a lifestyle'
Here is a description of the site.
Splash Vision is a popular free video sharing website which lets users upload, view, and share videos and photos. What makes splashvision so unique is its focus. The site is focused squarely on the ocean related and maritime market.
The site invites both amateur's and professional's to share their content. Submitted by users who have an affinity for aquatic and ocean related lifestyles. The site offers diverse knowledge and insight not available or collected in any one place. User's collaborate and exchange information on all topics related to oceans and maritime.
Finden Sie heraus, wie ein Designwettbewerb funktioniert, oder lernen Sie mehr über unsere Logo-Design-Angebote.


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Note: This item is more than six years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
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News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, firstname.lastname@example.com, 512-389-8030
June 4, 2013
Take Care of Texas Campaign Helps Texans Conserve Water During Drought, Care for Air, Water, Parks
Country Music Star Kevin Fowler is Spokesperson in PSAs, Donates Song to Support Effort
In a shared announcement today, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas Parks and Wildlife unveiled a statewide public service campaign to promote outdoor recreation and encourage personal responsibility in protecting our state's natural resources.
Country music star Kevin Fowler donated his talents for radio and TV spots, including writing and performing the campaign's jingle, "Take Care of Texas," which will be broadcast on Texas radio and TV stations throughout the summer.
"Kevin's jingle is not only a catchy song, but it's also a very noteworthy message," says TCEQ Executive Director Zak Covar. "Through this statewide campaign, we hope that everyone who enjoys the abundant outdoor recreation opportunities here will do their part to conserve and protect those natural resources."
"With the punishing drought our state has suffered in recent years, most people know how important it is to conserve water, and public education efforts like Take Care of Texas are absolutely vital to help get the job done," said Carter Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department executive director. "In poll after poll, Texans have consistently ranked water resources near the very top of public priorities. It's important for people in cities, and it's important for fish and wildlife, state parks and natural habitats—everything is connected, and we all have a role to play. Take Care of Texas provides quick and easy practical guidance for people to do what they already know is right."
The PSA, as well as a video about the making of it, is available on the TakeCareOfTexas.org website. The website offers Texans easy ways to conserve water and energy, and includes an online calculator to estimate how much household water, energy, and money they can save by taking these conservation measures in their own home and garden. Everyone who takes an online pledge to help keep Texas clean will receive a free Texas State Park Guide in appreciation for their efforts.
All TCEQ news releases are available at http://www.tceq.texas.gov. To receive news releases and other newly posted information automatically, visit the Sign up for E-mail Updates on the TCEQ home page.
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Die cut handle (banana) bags differ from all other types with more sophisticated design and ease of handles positioning. Most often they are used in cosmetics stores, clothing stores, jewellery and accessories, as well as promotional events, exhibitions and presentations.
Special fold, can be placed at the bottom of the package of this type, increasing it's size and capacity significantly. The "Banana" package may vary according to the type of polyethylene: LDPE (rough), HDPE (soft) and handle type. Most budget option for manufacturing this type of packages – is a package with average, unenforced handles.
In addition to direct production of packages of this type, we offer various kinds of image, logo and other information about your company placed on them. Due to this package is an effective advertising medium.


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How does one shame the shameless in India?POLITICALLY INCORRECT How does one shame the shameless in India? SHOBHAA DE This is not an empty rant against the ruling class. It is much more — it is an expression of utter and total condemnation. It is a notice. The entire country stood as one, a rare occurrence, behind Nirbhaya who passed away in Singapore on December 29. Her tragic death generated deep anguish, yes. But there was also deep disgust. Citizens raised their voices across platforms and demanded that this day be permanently marked as the Day of Shame. Will that happen? More importantly, will that help? How does one shame the shameless in any case? Behind all the emotional outbursts, one thing was constant — the vociferous demand for justice. The demand for change. Not years from now. But immediately. Perhaps, this is precisely the tipping point India has been waiting for. Here was one case which touched countless hearts and pushed an important concern to centre stage in a way no other case or movement has in recent memory. It took a horrific rape to expose our politicians. Suddenly the netas of Delhi were stripped naked. And there was no place to hide. Years of strutting around pompously and grand standing during one crisis after another, provided zero protection to these people as enraged citizenry took to the streets crying out for better governance, sickened by the apathy and abuse of power. The moment of truth was finally here. And the reins got seamlessly transferred into the hands of the people of India. Announcing a commission to examine what went so horribly wrong in the 23-year-old girl's case, is a ruse that will no longer work. Those days of buying time and fobbing off angry citizens with empty assurances of 'looking into the matter' are over. This was the old way of doing things. Young India is not ready to play ball with such deception. As was amply demonstrated at India Gate, yes, by those very dented and painted people. Had even one of these leaders bothered to meet protestors during those early days when storm clouds were rapidly gathering over the Capital, perhaps this clumsy, even callous debacle could have been better managed. The young girl would have died regardless. That was a given from the word go. But we would have been spared the farce of watching the meaningless airlift to Singapore. That was the final straw. It was the wrong decision taken for the wrong reasons, by the wrong people. It fooled nobody. If anything, it further fanned the flames of collective anger. Citizens instinctively saw through the political game that was being played out in such a brazen manner. That high-minded gesture was not about saving a critically injured girl. It was about saving their own face. And faking concern. It was already too late. The time for such hypocrisy and sham is unequivocally over. If those in positions of power refuse to recognize what this crisis is all about, it will be their tragedy. While a disenfranchised woman's heartrending plea — "Mummy, I want to live!" — fell on deaf ears and was dismissed by deadened souls, it was left to the people of India to continue the struggle, while our leaders resolutely and foolishly refused to meet protestors. Such aloofness. Such cowardice. It is going to cost. And cost big time. Leadership is about engagement. Real leaders do not run away from crises. But ours have specialized in burying their heads during any emergency hoping it will resolve itself and disappear on its own. This was one time they miscalculated — and how. The courageous young girl is dead. But there is an elephant in the room. An elephant that refuses to turn tail and leave. Ignoring the animal is not an option. But which of our mighty leaders is ready to take on the challenge and deal with not just the elephant, but the hungry beast that is on the prowl. It is a beast without a name. It is ferocious and cannot be tamed.The power of this beast is bigger than the state. This insatiable creature is about to gobble up Delhi. Water cannons, lathi charges…even bullets, will not stop its march. 2013 belongs to the Citizen of India. Have a great year ahead, readers.
From THE TIMES OF INDIA (MUMBAI): 06.01.13
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2 Responses to "How does one shame the shameless in India?"
Well drafted article
Congratulations Shobha De. '2013 belongs to the Citizen of India.' Let us hope your prediction becomes true. Requesting all our readers , all organisations , all the people of India to keep up the spirit.
Leave a Reply


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DUBLIN (Reuters) - A growing number of EU countries do not want the European Commission to launch an investigation into Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE, Sweden said on Thursday.
The European Commission, the EU's executive body, has been collecting evidence to prepare a possible case against the two companies over alleged state subsidies that would allow them to undercut European competitors.
EU trade investigations normally begin with a company complaint, but manufacturers Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens have not lodged one.
Trade sources say they do not wish to do so because of fear of being shut out of the growing Chinese telecom equipment market in retaliation, rather than because they do not believe Chinese companies are benefiting from subsidies.
EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht told a news conference in Dublin he had brought the topic up at a meeting of EU trade ministers on Thursday. He declined to elaborate or say when the Commission might decide on any possible investigation.
Swedish Trade Minister Ewa Bjorling told Reuters that a majority of her counterparts indicated that they did not support the launch of an investigation.
"Not all member states spoke out, but of those that spoke, a majority was for our position," she said.
One trade diplomat close to the discussions said only four member states out of the 27 spoke in favor of an investigation, and did not include Germany, the EU's biggest economy.
While it is for the Commission to decide whether it wishes to launch such an investigation, EU countries decide whether or not to impose punitive duties for subsidies or dumping.
The Commission is investigating 30 dumping and subsidy cases, 19 of them involving China. Last year it launched its largest investigation to date, into the alleged dumping of, and subsidies for, an annual 21 billion euros ($27 billion) of solar panels and components that China exports to the EU.
The European Union is China's biggest trading partner, while for the EU, China is second only to the United States and the friction risks sparking a trade war.
An internal EU report last year recommended that the EU should take action against Chinese telecom equipment makers as their increasing dominance of mobile networks made them a threat to security as well as to homegrown companies.
Huawei has denied that it has received unfair subsidies and that its advantages are due to low-cost manufacturing and innovation. It says it complies with international laws and maintains that is products are secure.
China's ambassador to the EU, Wu Hailong, said earlier on Thursday in Brussels that the rising trade frictions between China and EU were worrisome.
"The EU side has been frequently resorting to trade remedy measures to restrict access of Chinese products to the EU market," he said. "The negative practice is counterproductive to the sound, sustained and stable development of China-EU trade relations."
Additional reporting by Ethan Bilby in Brussels; editing by Ron Askew


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Porto // Navy
Product Description
From its bases in Monza and Milan, Frette employs only the finest materials and most skilled artisans to craft a range of products that have come to embody luxury, comfort and creativity across the globe. With a heritage defined by craftsmanship and an outlook rooted in innovation, Frette will continue to dress the world's most remarkable beds for generations to come, and you can be the next link in a history that goes back to 1860 with this special selection of sheets.
The Porto collection is characterized by a smart and understated nautical design with a contrasting border and impeccable 8-stitch detail. Crafted from cotton sateen for a silky smooth finish, it's the height of decadence.
Product Details
- ColorsNavy
- Materials
100% Cotton Sateen
- OriginItaly
— Duvet Cover And Shams Sold Separately
— No Sheets Included
Shipping Information
*Continental US only. Surcharges apply to HI, AK and Canada
Shipping Availability— USA
Shipping PolicyFREE Standard Shipping
Ships In3-5 weeks
Return PolicyFinal sale, not eligible for return


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Peace, Truth, Prosperity.
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Full Protection against Any Missile
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010 — The industry has spoken and we are proud to announce the Retailer of the Year Finalists in the Single Store, Small Chain and Medium/Large Chain categories and the Finalists for Installer of the Year. The industry submitted more than 4,000 votes for candidates from the Top 100. Mobile Electronics would again like to thank Sony for sponsoring the Top 100 Retailers and MECP for sponsoring the Top 100 Installers.
Mobile Electronics' Publisher Joni Owens commented on the voting process, saying, "We ended up with a good geographical list of states being represented. It looks like there will be a lot of pressure on the installers from Arizona and Illinois when assembling their final submissions for the coveted Installer of the Year award. Missouri has representation in nearly every category, so we're looking forward to seeing how these finalists score at the end of the process."
Mobile Electronics will send each Finalist a list of instructions by the end of April 2010 for submitting documents and information pertinent to their business so each can be judged in their respective category for the three Retailer of the Year awards and the single Installer of the Year award. We will ask each Finalist to submit a binder with all required information and samples for Mobile Electronics' staff and judges to review. Finalists will have approximately 60 days to assemble their submissions. If any Installer of the Year Finalists are disqualified for any reason, we will judge submissions from the alternates (listed below).
During the judging process we will use a points-based system to evaluate the criteria listed in the instructions we send to Finalists. Those with the highest scores in each of the award categories will be the winners. We will announce the winners at an awards ceremony held during MERA in October.
Mobile Electronics will be sending a certificate in May to nominees who made the Top 100 list noting their selection by the industry to that list. Following is the list of Finalists, in alphabetical order.
© 2010 Mobile Electronics All Rights Reserved.


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My Childhood Best Friend, the Mastermind
I'm rarely surprised to discover how my childhood classmates turned out on Facebook. Like, the geeky girl with the coke bottle glasses, who whittled wood during recess, is now into belly dancing. The sophisticated European girl who lost her virginity at 14 is now a Catholic stay-at-home mom of six living in the suburbs. These arcs makes sense, narratively.
But I was surprised to find out that the kooky space cadet, who was my best friend, is now a.... space cadet.
Laura Matthews, the space cadet, was my first best friend. That isn't her real name. I'm not using her real name because I'm afraid of what might happen to me if this shows up in a Google search. Also, she's the great-granddaughter of a former Republican President. But it's not the Republicans that scare me, this time.
Laura was a very important person in my life, the first person to truly accept and appreciate me. I had friends before her; I got around. But she burst into my life in the fifth grade, moved six houses down, and fulfilled the young adult novel fantasy of best friendship. I was already ten when we met. I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen for me. I remember when we first said it to each other - "You're my best friend too!" Soon, we were saying it all the time to each other and taking it further: "LYLAS" (love you like a sister).
Like any perfect match, Laura and I complemented each other. She was tall, blond, and athletic, a pre-debutante. I was Jewy and bookish. We created our own society together, with our own language, games, and rules. She was the inspiration and I was the brains behind the operation. I wrote our theme song; she thought we needed a theme song.
Our good times often involved shoplifting and pranking. We would go door-to-door, for instance, and pretend I was a Mexican orphan girl and ask for money. In another classic bit, she would take a used dirty Butterfingers wrapper and try to sell it to people – "Hey, wanna buy some candy!" Nobody got it, but I would die laughing. To me, it was like post-modern anti-comedy. I got into trouble hanging out with Laura. I was kicked out of the school play for misbehaving. But who cared about a stupid corny school play, when we were doing underground street theater?
I considered Laura to be pure raw talent, an underappreciated genius mastermind. She thought very well of me too, always telling me how smart, funny, sweet, and outgoing I was. I didn't even know I was sweet and outgoing before I met her.
Laura and I had our Stand by Me moment, then drifted in high school. I went to a different school, got good grades, and went to college to study English literature and prolong my virginity. She got into pot and psychedelic drugs, went to wilderness school, lived in the woods for a while with an old guy she called a Wizard because he had a long beard, then with him or someone else, had twin boys and traveled the country living in vans following the band Phish.
Laura became a joke to her classmates and even her family. She was voted "Most Spacy" in her senior yearbook. I continued to defend her. Laura was special, brilliant! Laura was really doing it, really living life by her own terms! (Not that I would ever listen to Phish.)
When I did see her, over the years, I would still get caught up in the spell of her unique charisma. She just became harder to pin down – for a date or even a conversation Her thoughts would wander anxiously.
Then years passed with no contact. She seemed to disappear. I couldn't find her online. I had close friends after her; I got around. I found Laura-substitutes, but never anyone else that felt like a soul mate. There was a hole in my heart with her (real) name on it.
Then, three years ago, my mom sent me a link for a website for a woman named Laura Minerva, which was a variation on her given middle name. There was a picture of her. She looked the same, but calmer and with dreadlocks, like she had arrived at the "spacey" woman she foreshadowed. The website included very dense language about the womb of the mother, the birthing process, and taking on the dark forces of the false matrix towards the Golden Age in 2012. I was so happy to find Laura and to see that she finally had a thing! (Not that I would ever personally read about the New Age.)
We exchanged a few emails and talked for hours on the phone. She was the same funny, insightful, high-strung, high-on-substances spirit-being. She was still bringing out something in me that says things like "spirit-being." She sent me her latest art work, amazingly realistic nature drawings, entirely on etch-a-sketch.
Best of all, Laura was moving to Los Angeles, where I lived. We would be reunited, as if by destiny, in California, where destinies are made! That hole in my heart was filling up.
Then we met in person in L.A., over raw food. That was her choice. (I would never.)
At first, it seemed like we were on a parallel path in life. She said that was hurt by a recent break-up. "Me too!" I said. She said that her ex had been keeping lies from her. "Me too!" I said.
Then she said that her ex turned out to be an undercover CIA operative, from the future, who was planning a mission to Mars and targeted her because of her family. She was having trouble learning to trust again.
"Um… me too…."
Oh no! Was Laura completely insane? Was she always, and I didn't see it before, because I was half-insane? She did look unwell, like she had just escaped a war camp, although that might have been the raw food diet.
I wouldn't let myself entertain such thoughts. Laura always took things further than everyone else, and what did I know about the false matrix? Maybe she came into my life to guide me through the false matrix.
Then, Laura added me on Facebook. She posted a lot, all day, at great length, about everything – world events, the weather, a fight with her boyfriend, peaches. She over-shared, some would say, including our other childhood friends. "Can you believe Laura? I had to block her. Isn't she weird?" Well yes, I'd think… but no! Laura's just unique. She's always been braver and more honest than the rest of us!
In a show of support, I commented on one of her posts. She wrote: "Corn on the cob. We are all corn on the proverbial cob." My reply: "Wise. And adorable!"
An hour later I had a notification that more than 80 people had commented on the same post. "I love you Laura… You are so wise…You are a goddess." I started to catch on that people were responding to all of her posts that way. Who were these people? She told me she had no friends. Then, she added a fan page, about the return of the goddess. Within a month, it had 20,000 fans.
So I woke up, investigated, and figured out that my childhood best friend Laura, who lives in Ventura and works for her boyfriend's water company, has a long dirty braid and halitosis, is believed by many, many thousands of people to be the reincarnation of the divine ancient Sophia who will save us in the year 2012.
Some of her followers are very serious. The "About Me" on one man's Facebook page said that he "lives only to prove that Laura Minerva is the one true Sophia." I had a friend request from a follower of hers in Panama. His profile picture included his wife and children.
I wrote her: "What the heck? Are you a cult leader?" She wrote back: "Oh, I don't know. I guess my family has always attracted a lot of attention! But nobody as important to me as you. Xoxox." Her flighty response annoyed me. I remembered why we drifted.
Then, a few months later, I noticed that her online activity had picked up and changed flavor. She had issued a press release, calling herself "Whistle blower Laura Minerva," and now taking on her famous great-grandfather's last name. She says she's continuing his legacy of nation-building by exposing her ex-boyfriend's Mars colony project. She's gotten a ton of press.
I could see her trying to make sense of everything, put together a story that included her background, beliefs, and experiences. She was always, from childhood, looking for the deeper singular truths... It's hard for me to stop defending Laura … although…
Her website was recently updated. She is taking payment for consultations and donations. There is a long page with dozens of testimonials from "various clients and celebrities," such as the following:
I like the way you think... You directly speak your mind. – a famous network news anchor
Is this still post-modern anti-comedy?
(Not that I'm an idiot and can't spot a con artist.)
(Not that I haven't always thought it would be cool to be a con artist, ever since I hustled as a Mexican orphan.)
So I stopped calling or writing her. I don't know if she believes she's a goddess. Even more, I don't know what to say to her anymore.
Plus, I've had a lot going on lately. I wrote a screenplay that's gotten major attention from a few people. I've been performing, tweeting, really getting myself out there. And she's busy getting her legions of followers ready for the apocalypse. Who has time?
Please, credit where it's due. I discovered Laura first, when nobody else was interested. I'm just not impressed anymore. Except for the etch-a-sketch art. That's genius.
Epilogue: I wrote this story after not hearing from Laura for more than a year. The very same day I finished writing it, she posted on my Facebook wall: "I have come to haunt you, now that it's been forever." So there's that.


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Wisconsin | RV and Camping Travel Tips
Camping Gem | Cedarburg, Wisconsin
- Article Information
- Category: Camping Gems
Explore Quaint Historic Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Wisconsin has many fantastic cities to visit, one of these fantastic gems is Cedarburg. Visitors to this town have the opportunity to learn about it's history, as well as moments of historical significance that occurred here. Today, the town is a wonderful spot to enjoy exploring historic buildings, shops, galleries and more. Cedarburg is truly one of Wisconsin's gems.


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The U.S. regained some of its lost competitiveness this year, edging up two places in the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s annual survey of global competitiveness.
The world's largest economy crept up to the fifth spot in 2013, recovering from a four-year spell of decreasing competitiveness and overtaking the Netherlands and Sweden.
(Read more: U.S. slips down the ranks of global competitiveness in 2012)
WEF Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab attributed the gains to improvements in U.S. financial markets and public institutions, two of 12 "pillars" on which the organization judges national competitiveness.
"While the economy is getting back on track, the deleveraging process in the banking sector continues to show positive effects on the stability and efficiency of the country's financial markets, improving from 31st three years ago to 10th this year in that pillar. At the same time, the assessment of public institutions is slightly more positive, which is a hopeful outcome after a number of years of weakening confidence in this area," Schwab said in the report.
He added that pre-existing structural factors continued to boost the U.S. economy's productivity.
"U.S. companies are highly sophisticated and innovative, supported by an excellent university system that collaborates admirably with the business sector in R&D. Combined with flexible labor markets and the scale opportunities afforded by the sheer size of its domestic economy—the largest in the world by far—these qualities continue to make the United States very competitive," he said.
(Read more: 5 million new US jobs by 2020—in manufacturing?)
Switzerland and Singapore retained their positions as the world's most competitive economies, coming in first and second, respectively.
According to WEF, Switzerland's most notable strengths were innovation, labor market efficiency and the sophistication of its business sector.
"Switzerland's top-notch scientific research institutions, along with other factors, make the country a top innovator. Productivity is further enhanced by a business sector that offers excellent on-the-job-training opportunities, both citizens and private companies that are proactive at adapting the latest technologies and labor markets that balance employee protection with business efficiency. Moreover, public institutions in Switzerland are among the most effective and transparent in the world," Schwab said.
At the other extreme, Chad was rated the least competitive country in the world, followed by Guinea and Burundi.
Top 10 most competitive countries in 2013-14
1. Switzerland
2. Singapore
3. Finland
4. Germany
5. United States
6. Sweden
7. Hong Kong
8. The Netherlands
9. Japan
10. United Kingdom
—By CNBC's Katy Barnato


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Ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a former and likely future presidential candidate, sounded like a would-be RV enthusiast as he entertained a crowd of about 400 diners at the RV Business Top 50 Dealer Awards last Wednesday (Oct. 7) at a dinner held in conjunction with the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association's (RVDA) International Convention & Expo, at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
In fact, Huckabee — a two-time Arkansas chief executive who made a strong bid for the Republican nomination during the 2008 presidential election —credited an RV dealer for resuscitating his presidential campaign in its early stages.
"In the summer of 2007," he said, "we were just about on fumes and were having to make a decision whether we would go ahead and go all the way to the Iowa straw poll — which was going to be a turning point for us. We were just about to the point where we had another week's worth of funds, and then we were going to have to probably close up shop.
"Jack Sizemore, from Amarillo, Texas, one of your fellow RV dealers … has been a friend of mine for some 30-plus years. Well, Jack said 'I'll host a fundraiser for you in Amarillo.' That was the summer of 2007. And it was that particular event in his home — it wasn't huge like it was a multimillion-dollar fund-raiser — but it was enough. It kept us on our feet for another three weeks and kept us in the race. And we went on to come in second in the straw poll. That shook out several of the others, and we went on to win the Iowa caucuses and about eight or nine other states before finally Sen, McCain captured the nomination."
A rumored contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Huckabee won a straw poll taken at the Value Voters Summit, an annual gathering of Christian conservatives, in September in Washington, D.C., easily outdistancing a field that included Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Alaska chief executive Sarah Palin and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
A congenial celebrity to whom the industry crowd seemed to gravitate, the former Razorback governor followed his '08 presidential bid with a nationwide tour to promote his fifth book "From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to Restoring America's Greatness." He's also enhanced his celebrity status with a stint as host of the popular weekly show, "Huckabee," on the Fox News Channel where the pundit's conservative views resonate with many conservative Americans.
While the former Baptist pastor did share some of those conservative views with his audience, however, he didn't spend the evening hammering the Democrats. Instead, it was his recollections of campaign motorhoming, mixed with a folksy blend of opinion and storytelling, that prompted repeated applause from the dinner crowd.
"In 2002, when I was running (for re-election) for governor, we bought an RV, a Class A diesel pusher," he recalled. "We used that thing the whole year, I lived in it, slept in it overnight — we parked in RV parks — it was the greatest experience of my life. The best part was that I could take my dog with me, and the whole staff said, 'You are so much more calm and wonderful to be around when you're in that RV because the dog is with you and the dog just keeps your equilibrium set.'"
Huckabee went on to use a Class C coach during his presidential campaign, and noted that motorhomes also were put to good use not only during previous book tours but also one planned for November to introduce his latest tome. "The reason I tell you this is because I don't want you to think that for me this is just a speech. I absolutely appreciate … how much an important part of the fabric of American life the RV industry is."
Huckabee, likewise, noted the relationship between the economic health of the RV industry and the country at large. "Most of us know that one of the first industries to feel the pain of a downturned economy is the RV industry, and one of the first to be an indicator that it is starting to come back will be the RV industry," he said. "When recent numbers in the news started reporting that sales and manufacturing are beginning to rebound, frankly, that was great news — not just for your industry. That was great news for all of America. And I'm hoping that those numbers continue because it's in all of our best interests to have an economy that once again lets families enjoy the time that they can spend together."


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So someone asks, "How are you doing?" and you say Fine or Good or Alright, Thanks for asking, how are you? and you say this because it would just be weird to say what you are really thinking like
Well I picked up the beautiful and oddly heavy tiny memento urn which hold my dad's ashes yesterday and pretty much lost it for the rest of the day, and then I set up this kind-of altar in our dining room, where I surrounded the little urn with some of his stuff, random stuff really, like his old dice cups and his mothers tiny blue glasses and that broken beer stein that plays a song when you wind it and lift it up, and the music stops when you set it down, the one that I swear I remember him telling me that he got from some girl he dated who was the daughter of his good friend, and those twizzle sticks - drink stirrers, right? - made from that old, sparkly plastic, that have tiny whistles danging from the ends, I mean, it's weird to make that kind of altar right? And it's even weirder to want to add more stuff to it, right? Holy hell, I miss him and I have an emptiness in me everyday that I don't talk about, because you really don't want to hear it.
So yeah, I probably shouldn't say that, so I just say, "I'm fine, thanks for asking."


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P&W-supported writer Melissa Petro recently led a memoir-writing workshop for current and former sex workers at Red Umbrella Project in New York City. Petro's work has appeared in the Huffington Post, Daily Beast, Salon, Jezebel, Guardian, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City and teaches for Gotham Writers Workshop.
When people with no experience or personal knowledge hear the phrase "sex work," one media misrepresentation may spring to mind: Julia Roberts in a cut-out mini dress and patent leather knee-high boots or—just as bad—that floor-length red velvet gown.
This is not an accurate picture of people who trade sex for things they need—or of what happens when people do—according to Red Umbrella Project, an organization that provides storytelling, media, and advocacy training and support for people in the sex trades who wish to speak out about their experiences.
On December 6, 2012, Red Umbrella Project celebrated the graduating class of the Becoming Writers Workshop, an eight-week memoir-writing workshop for individuals with experiences in the sex trade, made possible in part by a grant from Poets & Writers. The evening was part one of a two-night event (the second will be on January 3, 2013) and featured one half of the class sharing original material conceived in class, which was published in the inaugural issue of PROS(E), the literary journal of Red Umbrella Project (available for sale at http://www.redumbrellaproject.org/buy-prose-issue-1/).
The purpose of the workshop, like all Red Umbrella Project programming, was to challenge common misconceptions and erroneous representations of sex workers by allowing individuals with experiences in the sex trade to represent themselves publicly and in print.
The organization combats stigma and discrimination while providing people in the sex trade with communication and transferrable job skills. People turn to the sex trade to generate income for as many reasons as there are sex workers, and yet given the prevalence of misinformation about the trade, sex workers' personal stories are oftentimes surprising.
In 2010, I lost my job as a public elementary school teacher after it was discovered that I was writing and speaking about my past experience moonlighting as a call girl on Craigslist while earning my masters in creative nonfiction from the New School. Since losing my job, I have dedicated myself to the task of changing people's negative perceptions of current and former sex workers by continuing to tell my story in all its richness and by teaching other individuals with minority experiences to tell theirs.
At the event, readers included "Dominick," a former gay male escort; Aimee Herman, a queer performance poet living in Brooklyn; Essence Revealed, whose story chronicles the highs and lows of being a black woman working in Manhattan's gentlemen's lap dance club scene; as well as eighties porn actress and activist Veronica Vera, who recreated for a raptured audience the moment she became co-star to her then-friend Annie Sprinkle.
The January 3 event boasts an equally diverse line-up. Expect anything and everything—anything and everything, that is, except just another "Pretty Woman."
Photos: Top: Melissa Petro reads from the anthology PROS(E). Bottom: Red Umbrella staff and participants (left to right): Melissa Petro, Veronica Vera, Niesha Sharay Davis, Aimee Herman, Essence Revealed, Dominick, and Audacia Ray at Happy Ending Lounge. Credit: David Kornfield.
Support for Readings/Workshops in New York City is provided, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, with additional support from the Louis & Anne Abrons Foundation, the Axe-Houghton Foundation, the Cowles Charitable Trust, the Abbey K. Starr Charitable Trust, and the Friends of Poets & Writers.


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Publish Date
This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about United States Federal Laws and how they impact confidentiality for survivors and service providers. The laws discussed include the Clery Act, Violence Against Women Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The Confidentiality Institute & the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence
Publication Type


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On 28/02/2014 an Ariane-rocket with ATV-5 will carry the materials science laboratory electromagnetic levitation unit (MSL-EML) to the International Space Station (ISS). The experiment module will be installed in the European science laboratory Columbus at the ISS. It allows for the investigation of thermophysical properties of liquid metals and their solidification under weightlessness and without any contact with container walls.
On July 4th to 6th 2012, the sixth investigator working group (IWG) meeting was held at the Institute of Materials Physics in Space, DLR in Cologne. Scientists from Europe, USA and Asia, representatives from industry (Astrium), staff members of the Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC), and representatives of the space agencies ESA and DLR meet to discuss and coordinate the current scientific and technical issues of EML.
I.Egry and D.Matson in front of EDR EML Trainings Model at EAC, CologneProf. Ivan Egry announced his decision to retire from his longstanding leadership of the IWG, after a dedicated and fruitful tour of duty. Douglas Matson, associate professor at Tufts University in Medford (United States) was elected as his successor. As deputy spokesman, Stefan Klein from the Institute of Materials Physics in Space was selected.
I.Egry and D.Matson in front of EDR EML Trainings Model at EAC, Cologne
In addition, the participants visited the training model of the experiment at the neighboring European Astronaut Centre (EAC) where the astronauts are trained for the installation and operation of the planned missions.


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Archive for August 13th, 2012
Who Should Pay for Mail Forwarding?
More than 40 million Americans change their address each year, which means the U.S. Postal Service forwards an awful lot of mail. In fiscal year 2010, it forwarded 1.2 billion pieces. Under the Postal Service's regulations, customers who fill out a change of address form have their mail forwarded to their new address for 12 months after the move. Mail forwarding costs the Postal Service almost $300 million a year. The cost to return mail to sender is another $800 million.


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Category Archives: to California
I went to California once ❤
'Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.'
'Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.'
Pandora's Box for Art Lovers and Beauty Seekers
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gone wilder or gone wiser in a world gone wild?
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where would-be writer works with words
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mountain landscape and adventure photographer in Banff, Alberta | Banff photography


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Top of the line smartphone cameras now boast specs that rival compacts. The difference is that you get a phone thrown in for good measure and making the decision which one to buy is a difficult, particularly for those not quite persuaded by the supposed 1080p and 8-megapixel goodness that all the top handsets claim. As such it's about time to pick the best of the bunch with a cameraphone shootout.
We conducted the test using three separate images that push the sensor in different ways. First was something in bright light to check how well the sensor held onto detail when there was a lot of pure white flying about. It also helps to show what colour, contrast and dynamic range the camera is capable of.
The second shot was in low light and used for examining things like noise, blacks and dynamic range. Finally, we did a close up shot to look at macro capabilities and threw in a video round as well.
Each of the tests were performed at the same time under the exact same conditions and the results were cropped to 1000px on the long side. All smartphones were setup to do everything automatically and no flash was used.
Detail & Resolution
- 1st: Nokia Lumia 800
- Best clarity in dog's fur
- 2nd: iPhone 4S
- Crisp but a touch soft
- 3rd: Galaxy S II
- Suffers slightly from over sharpening
- 4th: iPhone 4
- Lack of megapixels shows
- 5th: Xperia Arc S
- Too soft
- 6th: Galaxy Nexus
- No clarity in fur
- 7th: HTC Sensation
- Very soft
The amount of detail every camera managed to pick out was quite frankly staggering. For mobile phones, we couldn't believe the amount of definition being pulled out of images. Concentrating on the sharpness on the fur of the dog (Senna) around its eye, the Lumia just managed to claim the victory here. The more balanced exposure definitely helped, but we felt that Nokia's camera just did a better job at picking out each individual hair. Special mention does need to be given to the iPhone 4S and Galaxy S II, both of which performed admirably.
In terms of resolution, virtually every phone used came with an 8-megapixel sensor. That doesn't necessarily mean that pictures will be clearer or more defined, just that you will have a bigger file size to play with once you take the image off your camera. The Lumia, despite being hampered by Windows Phone 7's lack of 1080p video recording, still displayed beautiful pics in the stills department. Again the iPhone 4S and Galaxy S II were both very close. What pushed the others lower down the table was the lack of clarity and quality that appeared when we started to zoom in on a computer screen. The HTC in particular appeared to misbehave quite badly, despite having just as many megapixels as the competition.
Colour & Dynamic Range
- 1st: iPhone 4S
- Outstanding balance and tone
- 2nd: iPhone 4
- Good balance of colour
- 3rd: Galaxy S II
- A tad too blue
- 4th: HTC Sensation
- Performs well in right conditions
- 5th: Xperia Arc S
- Slightly grey
- 6th: Nokia Lumia
- No pop at all
- 7th: Galaxy Nexus
- Most drab of the lot
The colour and dynamic range is usually one of the best tests of a camera's worth. A top of the range SLR or medium format film camera will have a huge dynamic range and be capable of turning out diverse and colourful images with good detail in both the high and low areas of exposure.
With a mobile phone you wouldn't expect performance even close to an SLR. Most suffer from the scourge of flat imagery and tend to turn out pictures that just don't pop in any way, that or they are the complete opposite and saturation makes for a blown out and inaccurate shot.
A lot of this section is down to the code running behind each camera and the re-written tech for the iPhone 4S makes it a standout winner. Of all the shots we took, this was the only one we could see where one outshone the competition by a long way. Its image was so much more rich in contrast, less grey and incredibly balanced in tone compared to everything else.
Following up behind was a grey brigade of handsets, helped no doubt by the lovely winter weather we were having at the time. The iPhone 4 still retained a few skills from its bigger brother but, ultimately, it just wasn't as good. The Galaxy S II showed real promise, particularly in the rich browns of the doors in the block of flats, but, again, it left everything looking slightly too blue for us.
The Sensation's shot here proved that, in the right conditions, it could still perform well. While not quite as balanced as the Galaxy S II's, there was a definite richness of colour which we liked.
The Arc S, Lumia and Nexus all fell into the trap of creating very flat images. The lack of dynamic range in each shot makes it immediately apparent that they are just mobile phone cameras. As such we ranked each according to which managed more colour from the shot.
- 1st: iPhone 4S
- Good exposure results in low noise
- 2nd: Nokia Lumia
- Deals very well with difficult lighting
- 3rd: Galaxy S II
- Holds onto a lot of detail
- 4th: iPhone 4
- A tad noisy
- 5th: Xperia Arc S
- Slightly softened from noise cancelling
- 6th: HTC Sensation
- Far too soft
- 7th: Galaxy Nexus
- Too much grain to be usable
Noise is a really important factor in a mobile phone camera as most of the time they are used in low light situations. Say, for example, you are out in a club or in a bar with friends in the evening. We know normally you would use a flash but it's simply not good enough any any mobile phone at the moment, so there's little point in testing with it on or using it at all, on the whole.
The iPhone 4S's exposure management helped it claim the win in this section. A properly exposed shot meant a lot less noise in the dark sections of the image and it also made the picture look cleaner. The Lumia was also very close. It was the only other camera to retain the correct colours of the wood floor in low light while still keeping the noise level down and not over softening the image.
The Galaxy S II definitely tried and its noise performance is very good but the shot just doesn't hold the right colour. The iPhone 4 suffers in a similar way, as does the Xperia Arc S. It's only really the Sensation and Nexus that disappoint, both a little too smooth and noisy.
- 1st: iPhone 4S
- Super fast camera app
- 2nd: Galaxy Nexus
- User friendly but adaptable
- 3rd:Nokia Lumia
- Best in class ease of use
- 4th: Xperia Arc S
- Great photo browser
- 5th: iPhone 4
- Not quite speedy enough
- 6th: Galaxy S II
- Rather clunky app
- 7th: HTC Sensation
- Unfriendly UI
A lot of this section is down to the individual and what he/she wants from a camera application. Some want nothing more than a means to simply take photos, others want all sorts of in-camera editing and image trickery. Personally we think a balance between the two is best and for that reason we gave this category to the iPhone 4S.
The speed that the 4S's camera app booted up, coupled with the post production improvements implemented in iOS 5, made it a joy to use. The only reason the iPhone 4 isn't so high up is simply because its camera app can't boot as quickly.
The Galaxy Nexus implements Google's new Ice Cream Sandwich camera app which was the best on the Android side by a long way. The speed at which photos are recorded is staggering, as is how the video is ripped onto the handset. A simple app with a bit of the Android customisation that many know and love.
The Lumia proved to be a real turn up for the books in this test. Then again everyone knows Nokia can make a good camera. Windows Phone 7's approach to photography might be a bit bare bones but then it's hard to argue with its quick and easy way of snapping. We also liked the way that captured images can be quickly scrolled through from within the camera app just by swiping left or right.
The lower end of this list contains mostly Android phones with their own skinned camera apps. Sony Ericsson has done a good job with the Arc S of letting you easily shoot and navigate and the app loads very quickly. Focus and image recording also seems to be lightning quick. It's also worth noting that HTC's camera app is much improved over the likes of the Sensation XL and XE thanks to the Sense 3.5 UI.
In all, the phones performed well. They all did brilliantly, it just so happens the iPhone 4S was that little bit better.
- 1st: iPhone 4S
- Some issues but ahead of competition
- 2nd= iPhone 4
- Not as vibrant but still good
- 2nd= Nokia Lumia
- No wobble detail not so good
- 4th: HTC Sensation
- Good colour and detail, bit wobbly
- 5th: Arc S
- Tad soft and wobbly but nice colour
- 6th: Galaxy S II
- Lack of detail
- 7th: Galaxy Nexus
- Lack of detail and nasty effect when panning
1080p is definitely the buzz word in this section. Most are looking to proper HD video when going for a flagship smartphone. Do not be fooled, however, high resolution video does not necessarily mean quality.
The majority of handsets here are marred by rather nasty image wobble when you move the camera, something the Lumia does not really suffer from. The iPhone 4S does admittedly have a bit of judder, but then so do all the others, the reason it wins is because of its exposure and colour management. Ultimately, this is what matters in a phone camera as they're typically used for quick fire capturing of moments and to get the smooth shot you either have to take a hit on the detail, as with the Lumia, or go for a dedicated device instead.
The Sensation and Arc S at least managed some decent colour rendition. Their issues were struggling to expose properly and suffering from a slight image wobble. It was only really the Samsungs that let the side down. The Galaxy S II was flat, missed lots of detail and had exposure problems, but the Galaxy Nexus was nigh on abysmal. The colour was a shade better in general, but there was a bad effect when changing directions at the end of a pan. You get both a bending and also a bubbling of the perspective too and even a change in the colour when it happens. Not nice at all.
- 1st: iPhone 4S
- A cut above by quite a long way
- 2nd= iphone 4
- Bit noisy and missing MPs but otherwise good
- 2nd= Nokia Lumia
- Disappointing colour but great elsewhere
- 2nd= galaxy S II
- Solid if a bit flawed on the video side
- 5th: Xperia Arc S
- Some great points but ultimately not quite there
- 6th: htc sensation
- Video decent, the rest not
- 7th: galaxy nexus
- Good app but the rest shocking
Picking a winner here is relatively difficult. Just about every phone did better than we thought it would. The bright light tests in particular surprised us with many of the shots able to compete with an entry-level compact.
That said, turn the conditions against them and it soon sorted the sheep from the goats. The iPhone 4S placed just a cut above everything else on the whole. Whatever we threw at it, colour and exposure would always be maintained. The video, image quality, detail and resolution was also outstanding, as is the actual camera app itself.
Below that, there was a clutch of three that was hard to separate. The iPhone 4 still held its own really well on key areas of image quality and in the video as well, but it's easy to see why and how the camera unit was redesigned for the later Apple smartphone. The Lumia was generally excellent which is great to see from Nokia. Were the colour better, it wouldn't have been far behind the iPhone 4S at all, and had the Galaxy S II performed better on the video side, it might well have seen a better placing too.
Slightly in no-man's-land was the Xperia Arc S which was basically okay. It does the job in fairly unspectacular fashion. It won't let you down but it won't excite either. The biggest disappointments of all though, were the efforts of the HTC Sensation and the Galaxy Nexus. Both continually underperformed unless given ideal lighting conditions.
Thanks to Vodafone for lending us a Nokia Lumia and Galaxy Nexus for this one. Also cheers to Sony Ericsson for the Xperia Arc S and to Three for the HTC Sensation.
What do you think? Which phone sports the best camera? Let us know in the comments below...


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Amateur Big Bass Challenge Set for Lake Fork, Texas
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The 8th annual Amateur Big Bass Challenge presented by Berkley® and Sebile® and hosted by BassChamps will take place on Lake Fork, Texas. The event is set for October 19th, 2013. The big money event will take place out of Lake Fork Marina and continues to grow in popularity as over 800 anglers last year vied for over $100,000 in cash and prizes including two Skeeter bass boats.
While everyone is vying for the biggest bass over and under the slot limits to win the Skeeter boats, most checks are for fish in the 2-4 pound range. Several checks, however, were handed out for fish in the one-pound range. The rules do not allow anglers that have paid a $2,500 tournament entry to fish the tournament and this opens the field for the weekend tournament warriors and recreational angler to win some money, have fun and also a shot at winning a new Skeeter boat.
Each hour an angler can bring one fish to the scales to try and stay in the running for a chance to receive one of the hourly cash awards. The unique aspect of this tournament is that only Berkley and Sebile baits can be used during the challenge.
"This fun format lets anglers be exposed to the full spectrum of our baits," said Andrew Marks, Marketing Director for Berkley. "It is challenging to not only adjust to some of the new baits that are being used, but also the added strategy of when to weigh in your fish that lends a unique twist making it fun for everyone."
Some new bait's this year include the Berkley Havoc Backslide designed by BASS Pro Mike Iaconelli along with the PowerBait Rib Snake. This will also be the launch platform for the new Sebile Action First baits.
These baits are specifically designed for bass by legendary angler, Patrick Sebile, who has over 350 IGFA records and caught over 700 species of fish. Sebile Action First are priced between $5 - $8 and shipping to retailers in mid September.
The Berkley Experience trailer, a 60-foot event center, will be on site for the entire event. The trailer features Interactive presentation screens, educational seminars on line selection, reel maintenance, rod selection and selecting the right bait, a knot tying station and competition, bait demonstration tanks and many other fun elements designed to help the angers Catch
More Fish. Lake Fork Marina will be partnering with the Experience trailer and will have a good selection of baits for sale, if anglers have not already stocked up for the tournament.
More information can be found at
About Pure Fishing, Inc.
Pure Fishing, Inc. is a leading global provider of fishing tackle, lures, rods and reels with a portfolio of brands that includes Abu Garcia®, All Star®, Berkley®, Fenwick®, Gulp!®, Mitchell®, Penn®, Pflueger®, Sebile®, SevenStrand®, Shakespeare®, SpiderWire®, Stren®, Trilene® and Ugly Stik®. With operations in 19 countries and a dedicated workforce conversant in 28 languages, Pure Fishing, Inc. is part of Jarden Outdoor Solutions, a leader in developing outdoor and active lifestyle products and a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation. Additional information can be found at
About Jarden Corporation
Jarden Corporation is a leading provider of a diverse range of consumer products with a portfolio of over 100 trusted, quality brands sold globally. Jarden operates in three primary business segments through a number of well recognized brands, including: Outdoor Solutions: Abu Garcia®, Aero®, Berkley®, Campingaz® and Coleman®, ExOfficio®, Fenwick®, Gulp!®, Invicta®, K2®, Marker®, Marmot®, Mitchell®, Penn®, Rawlings®, Shakespeare®, Stearns®, Stren®, Trilene®, Völkl® and Zoot®; Consumer Solutions: Bionaire®, Breville®, Crock-Pot®, FoodSaver®, Health o meter®, Holmes®, Mr. Coffee®, Oster®, Patton®, Rival®, Seal-a-Meal®, Sunbeam®, VillaWare® and White Mountain®; and Branded Consumables: Ball®, Bee®, Bernardin®, Bicycle®, Billy Boy®, Crawford®, Diamond®, Dicon®, Fiona®, First Alert®, First Essentials®, Hoyle®, Kerr®, Lehigh®, Lifoam®, Lillo®, Loew Cornell®, Mapa®, NUK®, Pine Mountain®, Quickie®, Spontex® and Tigex®. Headquartered in Rye, N.Y., Jarden ranks #371 on the Fortune 500 and has over 25,000 employees worldwide. For in-depth information about Jarden, please visit
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The Geography Blog focusing on all things geography: human, physical, technical, space, news, and geopolitics. Also known as Geographic Travels with Catholicgauze! Written by a former National Geographic employee who also proudly served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference
Not discussed in most of the media are three things. The first is the environmental damage being done. The relocation of government officials and environmentalists is outputting the equivalent of 20,000 cars. Sure one has to burn carbon credits to save carbon credits (?) but couldn't we have a teleconference instead? Secondly, some dissenters are not allowed to present or be in the press. Thirdly, the blame game. The People's Republic of China, the biggest polluter of CO2 in the world, wants other countries to pay up and not itself.
A world problem should rationally be handled by the world.
4 comments:
- subadei said...
But wait, there's more!
The "black balling" goes beyond members of the media and includes scientists (or heretics, perhaps) critical of the theory.
What is this,
a news item or propaganda against the Global warming?
* If you videoconference hunderds of people together (if possible) it is also not exactly carbon-neutral. Besides this is an argument thast will to stop every act of coorporation.
* I'm sure enough environmentalist newsgroups who are as biased as this one are also refused. The voice of climatesceptics is still much stonger than it should be if you count how small the number of scientists in that group is.
* This one is the most insane argument. In all media there is info about the position of China on global warming. An issue to complicated to push away in this way. Every country tries to let other countries pay most. I also don't like Chinese politics but they sure have a point. China is a big polluter but, China also has about 1/5th of the world population. If you calculate the amount an average citizen claims from the planet (like ecological footprint does), the US is still by far the most guilty party.
So far I really liked this blog, but please look at both sides of the story on important issues like this one. it is good to be critical and skeptical, but this is just repeating your republican propanda.
Messages like this are exactly the reason the US are so hated in Europe.
- Catholicgauze said...
Thanks for the comment.
1) Still may not be "carbon-neutral" but it is a heck of a lot better.
2) "climatesceptics"? There is a reasonable debate with more than two sides. It is dynamic and should be thought as such.
3) The distrubtion of China's energy use and output isn't equal at all. Plus, every country should carry its own weight.
4) "republican propaganda"? Like the UN chief badmouthing the country while he flies all over the world for a Music concert?
The U.N. should be seen as a prototype of the future World Socialist Government that the left dreams about. The role of the U.N. is to consume the resources of capitalist countries in order to feed and preserve inefficient dictatorships and failed states worldwide.


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Thu, 22 May 2008
The value of nature and the services it offers us, from purifying water through freshwater systems to supplying cures for life threatening diseases, cannot be undervalued. Yet the business and financial community can be slow to put a price on what we normally see as being free.
Pavan Sukhdev has been keen to right this wrong producing the Stern-like report, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Loss. He's Grounded in the business establishment, working as Managing Director and Head of Deutsche Bank's Global Markets Business in India, he explains just why we need to put a price on nature.
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