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How emerging market brands can go global.
UNC Kenan-Flagler marketing professor Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp has identified eight strategies that emerging market firms can use to build global brands in "Brand Breakout: How Emerging Market Brands Will Go Global" (Palgrave-Macmillan, June 2013). CEIBS Publishing Group published a Chinese edition (August 2013) of the book, co-authored with Nirmalya Kumar. The book is based on extensive interviews with executives in emerging markets; original academic research; and consulting with companies on all continents. It has insights that will apply to Western brand managers in search of global growth and focused on emerging markets.
What are common misconception(s) about marketing in today's globalized and digital world?
The greatest misconception is the widely held belief that emerging companies will not be a threat to global – largely Western – powerhouses. This includes the assumption that emerging-market companies will remain content to remain as the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for Western brands. This will change in the next few years.
How do you define building a global brand?
A global brand is a brand that uses the same name and logo, has awareness, availability and acceptance in multiple regions of the world, derives at least 5 percent of its sales from outside the home region, and is managed in an internationally coordinated manner.
What are the benefits of building a global brand?
The benefits are:
What preparations should a company engage in to build a global brand?
The company must be able to manufacture a good quality product or provide a good quality service. Since trust is the bedrock of brands, the company must deliver on the functional promise (product performance) or everything else is a waste of money. It should overlay this with deep knowledge of the marketplace and choose a strategy to global success. "Brand Breakout" outlines strategies and how to implement them.
Maintaining brand consistency and adapting to local markets is tricky. What should a company that plans to go global do?
The best way to balance these two forces is by developing a "global brand audit sheet" to identify if each element of the brand strategy is globally imperative, locally adaptable and locally discretionary. This together with the appointment of a brand champion with general oversight over the brand and authority on all issues that are not locally discretionary will help.
Why do you believe that Chinese brands and brands from other emerging markets could become household names in next decade?
My conviction is based on three fundamental observations:
What are the major problems or challenges for brands from emerging markets to go global?
The poor perception of products from these countries combined with a lack of marketing experience pose the greatest barriers.
Going from local to global brand building is a long learning curve. What are the common mistakes or misconceptions companies made during this process?
Sometimes companies are impatient. You cannot build a global brand overnight. Building a brand takes time. It took the Japanese brands decades; the Koreans somewhat less time.
There can be a misconception that brands are all about functional logic. Strong brands command strong emotional attachment. Strong brands have both logic and magic. This is not easy to grasp for companies that made their success by selling good quality products.
How can emerging-market firms use social media to boost their brand image?
Companies around the world are struggling how to leverage the power of social media to their advantage. Two aspects of social media are noteworthy for emerging-market brands.
Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp is the Knox Massey Distinguished Professor of Marketing and area chair of marketing.


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Almost half a year since the WHO deemed cellphones possibly carcinogenic, a group of scientists say the US government's in-house testing obscured serious radiation dangers, ABC News reports. Why? The FCC uses a 6-foot-2, 220-pound model as the average American.
Background radiation exposure increases cancer risks in anyone, but still-developing children are acutely more vulnerable—twice as vulnerable, in fact, claims the Environmental Health Trust, helmed by former Clinton White House appointee Dr. Devra Davis. With a wide receiver representing the nation's electromagnetic radiation-exposed handset users, children are squeezed out of the equation. The government also fails to check radiation exposure for typical phone resting areas like pants pockets, where handsets are nuzzled up against some particularly sensitive anatomy.
The Environmental Health Trust says the FCC needs to start testing phones based on the ways they're used today—increasingly by children, and small enough to fit anywhere. This isn't a cry of panic, but a call for more thorough science. [Environmental Health Trust via ABC News]
Photo: piotrwzk/Shutterstock

subset: commoncrawl


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SACRAMENTO — More than a century ago John Muir argued that Congress should include a wildlife corridor with stunning vistas of the Merced River in the boundaries of Yosemite National Park. He lost to timber interests.
Now with the old-growth Ponderosa pine and cedar long gone, a California nonprofit is trying to make good on the famed environmentalist's vision. Pacific Forest Trust has agreed with a group of private landowners to sell the 1,600-acre parcel to the National Park Service.
The addition of land on the western boundary near El Portal would be the 761,000-acre park's first expansion in more than 70 years.
"It has a magnificent view of the Wild and Scenic Merced River, and it's also a migration corridor for deer," said Laurie Wayburn, president of the forest trust group. "This was always meant to be a part of the park."
The federal government would use money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which collects fees from offshore oil drilling fees to acquire sensitive land and easements.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Jim Costa introduced bills Tuesday to modify the boundary of the park that hosts 4 million visitors a year.


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What better way to celebrate "Fat Tuesday" than to make our own rendered fat!
Strutto is rendered pig fat or lard. It is the process of removing water and bits of meat from the lard so that all that is left is pure fat. There is no smell or no taste.
The finished product can be used in baking or cooking anywhere that fat is used. We think of Italy as the land of olive oil - but in some places here in Le Marche there are no olive trees but plenty of pigs, leaving strutto or lardo the main source of fat for cooking, etc.
Lard is simply uncooked pig fat. Jason uses lard to rub on roasts in particular - usually salt is added & tastes/smells like pig. Strutto to on the other hand is boiled and should have no smell/taste and can be used to make pies, in baking and to fry. In fact, according to our resident Cardiologist, Dr. Gaggi he prefers and suggests to frying in strutto over olive oil because of the way the fat molecules penetrate the skin of the potato! Pork Fat Cardiologist Recommended
He's not alone...our free range hens love it too!
|the chickens go crazy for the bits of fat left behind!
The best part of making strutto at home is the by-product of the fat (if you can call something this amazing a by-product), the ciccioli, all those bits of meat that were stuck to the lard are now crispy fried bits of deliciousness! Some call it cracklings even thought there is no skin, we call it ciccioli (pronounced: chee-cho-lee in our area) but whatever it's name, it's porky goodness! Everytime we make this - we are reminded "do not eat them while they are hot because they will give you an upset stomach." And every time we all reach in and devour handfuls while they are piping hot until our bellies ache…not sure if it's the ciccioli or the sheer quantity we consume!
Types of Fat/Lard
The best type of pig fat for strutto is usually cut from the back.
The Grind
The fat must be ground, similar to grinding pork shoulder for sausages. Each person has their own preference for the size of the grind - this will affect the time it takes for the fat to melt.
The courser the grind the larger the pieces of "ciccioli" or fried bites you will have.
How to Make Strutto & Ciccioli
In a large pot, melt down a little bit of already made strutto on the bottom of the pot to get it started so the fat does not stick and nothing burns. Add in your ground lard a bit at a time, stirring to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Once everything is in - allow the lard to completely melt and start to boil. Lower the heat and allow the fat to simmer until the little pieces of "ciccioli" can be mushed apart when pressed with a spoon upon the side of the pot. Once the ciccioli are golden & ready, strain them from the fat and toss with bay or laurel leaves and salt.
Extracting the Strutto
There are a number of different ways to press the fat out of the ciccioli - from homemade strainer to two pieces of wood as a press (as seen above). Be prepared this could get messy!!
Allow the liquid strutto to cool slightly, then funnel into whatever mode you like: long plastic sleeves, empty water bottles, etc - then you can freeze it or hang in your cellar and use as needed. In the rustic Italian countryside this is considered a beautiful gift - an old plastic water bottled filled with rendered pork fat, just cut the bottle away as you use it!
|Jason & Dr. Gaggi at our farmhouse making homemade strutto


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Citroen 2CV Spot
From Citroen press: Citroën released new, more powerful versions in the early 70s. The 2 CV came into full bloom and the range continued to expand.
With the introduction of the 2 CV 4 and 2 CV 6 in 1970, Citroën now had several versions with top speeds of over 100 km/h which Citroën used as spearheads in its advertising campaigns. The 2 CV went back to its roots with these younger models. They required only the most basic maintenance and brought down the cost of vehicle upkeep.
Citroën organized a number of rally raids in the 70s, including the famous Paris-Kabul event.
The 2 CV was thoroughly reworked for the 1974 Paris Motor Show, with a plastic grille and rectangular headlamps. The "duck" still had a number of surprises up its sleeve...
But the nostalgic were not overlooked. Citroën launched a "special" 2 CV in 1976 for fans of the traditional, old-style 2CV. With round headlamps, minimalist interior and an overall rustic look, this model looked almost exactly like the very first 2 CVs.


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Climate Finance Untangled
Global leaders have spoken strongly on the urgent need for climate action, putting it back on top of the 2013 agenda. During his inaugural address and State of the Union speech, President Obama gave clear signals about his intentions to address this issue in his second term. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, president of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim reminded economic leaders about the potentially devastating impacts that could occur in a world 4°C warmer by the end of the century.
Unlocking finance is an essential part of avoiding that future. But, before leaders can determine how much more money is needed, they need to establish how much is already flowing, what the main sources are, and where it's going.
These are the key questions my team and I at Climate Policy Initiative aimed to answer with the release of the "The Landscape of Climate Finance 2012". Our analysis estimated global climate finance flows at an average $364 billion in 2011. To put this in context, according to the International Energy Agency, the world needs $1 trillion a year over 2012 to 2050 to finance a low-emissions transition, so current finance flows still fall far short of what is needed.
Private finance dominates but public finance plays a key role
A couple of weeks ago in a freezing Washington I had the opportunity to share the findings of the report, and the Climate Finance Flows Diagram (or "spaghetti" diagram, so-called for its tangle of finance flows) to an expert audience of practitioners at the Word Bank's premises.
Confirming last year's findings, we found that private finance – predominantly of domestic nature – represented the lion's share of this total, almost 74%. Public funds, estimated at $16 to $23 billion, played a pivotal role in catalyzing private investments, as well as providing bilateral aid to developing countries.


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
I'm planning to have the primary LinuxMCE box in my basement, and thin clients behind each tv/display throughout my house.
I will have the TV tuner card in the primary system in the basement, but it won't have any actual display. Would I need a nVidia card for this "basement/master" system or can I just use any old thing for now?
1) What "slim" thin clients are there now that I can buy that will attach to the back of a 20" lcd monitor or behind a ~40" 720p plasma/lcd?
2) What specs will I need to stream video to 3 remote systems for the "basement/master" system?
Ideally I'd like it to download torrents automatically to the NAS as well
... Your "thin clients" (Media Directors) are just computers that boot off the core over the network. I believe they are actually "fat clients" but you get the idea....
ASUS EEE BOX B202 BLACKRight, will probably try one of those then and see how well it works. So it won't support network boot then if the NIC has issues, so I'll have to install it onto the drive. Since it doesn't have a nVidia card do you think it will be fast enough? Any other suggestions for a "thin" client?
Quote from: freymann on November 04, 2008, 10:33:43 pm1) What "slim" thin clients are there now that I can buy that will attach to the back of a 20" lcd monitor or behind a ~40" 720p plasma/lcd? I think the new ASUS EEE BOX B202 BLACK, INTEL ATOM 1.6GHZ, 1G DDR2, 80GB machines work for that. There are some initial issues getting the network card (and possibly sound card too?) to work but that can be solved with some manual updates under 7.10RC2. I'm not sure if all that is supported out of the box with the upcoming 8.10 release, but there has been a lot of forum discussion about these boxes with instructions on how to make them work. They are about $375 CDN a box though. I'd love to have 3 or 4 of them too
Is there any way to get the Asus EEE B202 to work such that you can use it wirelessly and not have to boot over ethernet? Does it have a wireless PXE chip?
The ASUS Eee Box is a great MD but will need some manual config changes when adding it to a 'standard' LinuxMCE-0710 Core as Niz23 says earlier in the thread. We will put up a Wiki page (or add to the one Niz23 refers to) based on our experience getting the Eee Box integrated.The Eee Box is almost silent, will drive screens at 720p/1080p under UI2 + Overlay (UI2 + Alpha blending is not supported currently by the Intel graphics drivers) and performs very smoothly graphically. With its tiny form factor, included VESA mounting kit and its performance it is highly recommended indeed.All the best


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'Making A Murderer': Federal court affirms ruling overturning Brendan Dassey conviction
A federal appeals court in Chicago has upheld a lower court's ruling overturning Brendan Dassey's conviction for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach in Manitowoc County.
Attorney Steven A Drizin, who worked on the Dassey case, tweeted that the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Judge William Duffin's ruling in a 2-1 vote.
The court's judgement, issued Thursday:
"The decision of the district court is AFFIRMED, with costs, in all respects. The writ of habeas corpus is GRANTED unless the State of Wisconsin elects to retry Dassey within 90 days of issuance of this court's final mandate, or of the Supreme Court's final mandate. The above is in accordance with the decision of this court entered on this date."
In August, federal judge William Duffin overturned Dassey's 1st Degree Intentional Homicide conviction, ruling that Dassey's confession was improperly obtained by Manitowoc County investigators due to his age (he was 16 at the time); intellectual deficits and lack of adult present for his questioning.
The ruling states that Dassey's confession to helping his uncle rape and kill Halbach was involuntary under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.


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Kumho Ecsta HS51 Tyres Available in Hereford
Ecsta HS51
Ensuring the smoothest ride for executive cars. The ECSTA HS51 is the perfect tyre for luxury vehicle drivers who want smoothness and quietness with precision handling and braking. With its cutting-edge tread design and high-tech compound, this tyre offers the best of both worlds.
- Exceptionally low noise, for a more comfortable ride.
- Maximum wet weather traction when cornering.
- Optimised balance between performance and fuel efficiency.


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Think of "Vanishing on 7th Street," starring Hayden Christensen, John Leguizamo and Thandie Newton, as the apocalypse sneaking in on the down-low.
No fiery inferno or towering tsunami or other mega-disaster to bring the walls crashing down. For this particular end-of-days tale, director Brad Anderson turns down the lights, puts some blues on the juke and proceeds to terrorize and philosophize with the last few remaining living souls on Earth.
Writer Anthony Jaswinski's understated script starts with a belief that to frighten, you don't need to actually show the things that go bump in the night. A few more "Boos!" wouldn't have hurt. He definitely favors biblical allegories of the type you would expect, starting with the "7" in the title and ending with a religious experience at church.
In between, there is a lot of overcoming to do for our small band of survivors. Set in a down-market corner of Detroit, "Vanishing on 7th Street" opens in an old movie house where Leguizamo's Paul runs the projector and flirts with the cute girl working concessions. The filmmakers take time here to have some allegorical fun of the theatrical sort, but don't let the popcorn fool you.
Soon enough, the lights go out and Paul's panic rises as he finds all that's left of anyone is…. now I would normally consider a drum roll here, but the trailers have already let the cat out of the bag, or, more precisely, the people out of their clothes. Well, shoes and hats and purses too. It's as if the recently departed have all gone poof, but in a polite way. No messy cleanup required.
We'll get back to our story in a minute, but not before a moment of appreciation for just how stylish and artfully designed Anderson, director of photography Uta Briesewitz and production designer Stephen Beatrice have made their low-budget effort. Detroit may be on the skids, but the filmmakers have used the decay to create a sepia-drenched vintage look that is ideal for letting the menace steal in.
Now, on to the action, which turns out to be very reflective of Anderson's intellectual brand of creepy that has made his work — particularly "The Machinist," with Christian Bale's factory worker literally shrinking from his guilt — so interesting to watch.
The still-living are soon being led by Christensen's Luke, playing the young hunk in charge. That might sound like typecasting, given his "Star Wars" gig, but the actor goes a different kind of Darth, make that dark, in a very human, rather than sci-fi-enhanced, way. Newton's Rosemary as a distraught mother whose baby's gone missing, and Jacob Latimore, as 12-year-old James, round out the ensemble.
As the lights go out and the sun dies, the one place still breathing life is that bar with its jazz juke and its drinks and one very frightened boy in James, whose mom owns the establishment and promised to be right back. Well, we'll see about that.
Like moths to a flame, everyone eventually gathers there, including a badly injured Paul, with Leguizamo groaning and grimacing and carrying on weighty discussions as he walks that fine line between camp and credible.
As the ancient gasoline-powered generator struggles, sparks flying, bad things start piling up like all those clothes, and desperate measures become necessary. That allows for some decent action scenes in big cars on midnight streets, which is good because you're getting hungry for something more to happen by this point.
Anderson spends most of his energy creating a mood — making "Vanishing" more cerebral than white-knuckle, though a few more shrieks (mine) might have been nice.


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Petrobras Hosts FOUNDATION for ROM Demonstration in Brazil
Single Data Management Environment Unifies Key Remote I/O, Wireless and Digital Protocols
The Fieldbus Foundation conducted the first live demonstration of its FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM) technology at the Petrobras research and development facility (Cenpes) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Held on April 30, 2013, this important event was attended by Petrobras company executives and automation industry media from around the world.
The first development of its kind integrating remote input/output (I/O), ISA 100.11a, WirelessHART, wired HART, and H1 fieldbus protocols into a single standard data management environment, FOUNDATION for ROM extends the capabilities of FOUNDATION fieldbus to countless wired and wireless devices installed in some of the world's harshest and most remote locations. This open, non-proprietary solution provides a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms, and even original equipment manufacturer (OEM) skids.
Whether operating on a wired or wireless High Speed Ethernet (HSE) backhaul network, the FOUNDATION for ROM solution enables end users to pull device data into the FOUNDATION fieldbus infrastructure, which provides a single source of data management, diagnostics, alarms and alerts, data quality control, control-in-the-field capability, and object-oriented block structure.
Industry leader evaluates the technology
Petrobras is interested in specifying FOUNDATION for ROM technology for the ambitious projects it is undertaking in the upstream and downstream hydrocarbon industry. The company has a record-setting $224 billion capital spending plan through 2015, with most of the investments targeted at the upstream sector on the highly publicized Pre-Salt area of the Santos Basin.
The Petrobras Centro de Pesquisas Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello, also known as Cenpes, is the largest oil and gas research center in the Southern Hemisphere. During the press day event, a series of tests were performed with a FOUNDATION for ROM system installed on a distillation process pilot plant to evaluate the use of fieldbus-based ROM devices with wireless protocols for remote applications.
Senior Equipment Engineer Miguel Borges, who is employed at the Cenpes facility, believes FOUNDATION for ROM can be an enabling technology for remote applications on Petrobras' offshore platforms. "The Fieldbus Foundation's ROM solution is attractive to us, since we want to gain access to diagnostic information from devices installed at our remote sites," said Borges. "Petrobras is committed to investing in this type of technology, and is seeking the most effective solutions available in the marketplace."
Reliance Industries (India) has also agreed to host FOUNDATION for ROM field demonstrations, and additional end user demonstrations in Japan, the Middle East and Europe are being planned.
Purpose of the field demonstration
Running on one of many of the Cenpes pilot plants, the Petrobras field demonstration offered a look at the full functionality of FOUNDATION for ROM, including wireless device integration, remote I/O integration, and wireless backhaul capabilities. This demonstration is the first step to show the capabilities of FOUNDATION for ROM before it is specified for commercial projects. The ROM solution enables end users to diagnose, either locally or remotely, the condition of their automation assets and then optimize predictive and preventive maintenance strategies.
FOUNDATION for ROM equipment is installed on an existing distillation column unit in the Cenpes pilot plant area. The project was completed through a cooperative effort between Petrobras and local Brazilian automation suppliers sponsoring the ROM initiative. The Cenpes installation is an excellent example of the value of installing FOUNDATION for ROM and FOUNDATION fieldbus in an existing plant. The existing distillation column already has many analog and HART field devices installed. Petrobras was able to install a number of additional measuring points with a very small hardware footprint through a combination FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 and wireless devices. The installation includes three types of FOUNDATION for ROM devices—wireless gateways, process controllers connected to FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 devices and conventional remote I/O.
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The e-edition is now available in e-book format. This means you can download the e-edition as a single, compact file to your mobile phone, PDA or other device and then read it even if you are no longer connected to the Internet. E-Book editions are provided in Mobi format, and software that can read this format is available on a wide range of mobile devices.
Below are complete instructions for getting started. It is recommended that you view this page on a computer while performing each step of the instructions on your mobile device.
You will need to install a program on your mobile device that can read e-books. Mobipocket Reader is available for a number of different mobile devices. You can download it by going to the following web address on your mobile device: m.mobipocket.com.
You can also download e-book editions to a computer and transfer them to your device via cable.


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Shaping Croquettes
When making salmon or tuna croquettes, I use a metal ice cream scoop for shaping them. I pack the scoop, turn the croquettes out into the hot cooking oil and press each one down with the scoop. It works as well as shaping them by hand, but you avoid the mess and odor on your hands. —Flora M., Yucaipa, California
© 2019 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC


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Review: RoundFlash, a Portable Softbox for Portraits
Several years ago, ring flashes appeared out of the need to provide a uniform light on the subject's face, as a diffused light solution that did not create strong or unpleasant shadows. Of course, you could do this using several skilfully positioned lights and using various modifiers (light diffusing accessories, for example). However, sometimes you do not have room for all the lights or you need a quick solution contained in a single device. That is how ring flashes first appeared, which in addition to the uniform light they generate, also create a charming ring of light in the eyes of the subject.
Ring flashes have evolved over time, and recently a new variant that's more portable and accessible was launched: the RoundFlash ring flash diffuser. In short, the RoundFlash that I've tested is a light diffuser that is used with an external Flash on a D-SLR. Its purpose is to provide a more pleasant light on the face of the subject, and to help you when you need to do portraits under unfavorable lighting conditions.
So let's see how well the RoundFlash we tested peformed. The RoundFlash is available at $79.
RoundFlash: what is it and how to use it?
As I already mentioned, it is a light modifier that is mounted on the lens and connects to the external Flash on the device via a very simple system. To explain better how it works, I have prepared a series of questions and answers that present the accessory in all its aspects:
- How portable is it? (weight, size)
The RoundFlash is foldable and tucks into a pouch the size of 10-CD spindle. Folded and in a pouch, it looks like in the photo below. When unfolded it has 18in/45cm in diameter, while folded it has nearly 6.5in/16-17cm. The weight is 10.5 ounces/300 grams.
- How do I fold it?
As in the videoclip below.
- What lenses can I put it on?
We've used it on a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. Although it's a zoom lens, I've never had problems turning the zoom ring. Fixed lenses are ideal, as to no longer be forced to control the focal length. A 35 mm, 50 mm or 85 mm would do the job just fine. But you can use pretty much any lens, as long as it lets you take a photo from 1 to 2 yards away. At larger distances the effect of the RoundFlash gets lost (the round reflection in the eye), but can still be used for light filling.
- What types of photos can I use it for?
I've used it for portraits, event photography, product shots and close-up shots. Of course, it is intended for portraits, but you can get beautiful results while photographing other subjects. The RoundFlash offers great mobility and lets you be creative.
- How can I control the flash power: manually or by TTL?
Because it's an accessory that is not directly connected to the Flash, the exposure system has no way to know how much light gets retained by the RoundFlash, which is why the TTL mode might not work properly, at least without some solid overexposure. We used the manual mode in all photos.
RoundFlash is available at $79.
Test: portrait photography
Undoubtedly, that was the first test that I performed. If you are careful and have a good grip on the camera, the flash and the distance to the subject, you can obtain extremely successful portrait pictures. Here are a few things that I've noticed and some tips that might be useful to you if you purchased a RoundFlash:
- If you follow the round circular reflection in the subject's eyes it is recommended to shoot from distances of up to 2 feet/70 cm between you and the subject;
- The light can sometimes be hard compared to the ambient light, which is why you can increase your ISO or exposure time to obtain a good exposure on the background, and then you can lower the flash intensity so light is uniform;
- I noticed that if I leave the zoom Flash at the lowest (24 mm), the diffusion is better made than if I let the flash select its zoom automatically;
I liked how the RoundFlash performed, especially when I used it during the day, as a light filler. During the day there are shadows under the eyes or nose or chin. Using the RoundFlash, I got rid of these shadows and I got a pleasant light on the face. Have a look at some examples.
And a few crops at 100% with the reflection in the eyes of the subjects.
On top of this I did a group photo test. The light diffuses well over the subjects, only you have to be careful to not include the dark edge of the adapter in the frame. That happened to me when I hastily took photos at 24mm and did not pay attention to the upper part of the photo.
Test: Product Photography
Product photograph was the next test. Out of curiosity I wanted to see how the modifier performs when it comes to photographs of products taken against a white background. In the absence of a setup with multiple lights, the roundFlash is a good alternative at an affordable price. Of course, if you really want a higher-end setup, you'll be able to control the light in a much better way. But if you need photos for your blog, for example, to illustrate something specific, it is more than appropriate.
Here are some product photos that I've taken.
Test: close-up photos
Unfortunately I never got to do a lot of close-up photos. It would have been interesting to do a test with a macro lens. The size of the RoundFlash would scare the bugs away, I reckon, but for photographing flowers it might be a good solution.
However, when used from short distances, it generates a rather hard light, which is why you must lower the Flash power and reach a balance with the ambient light, otherwise you will get large differences in lighting.
Conclusions: Pros and Cons
RoundFlash is an accessory that I will buy in the near future. I find it useful for event photos taken in dim light – although it may draw the attention and suspicion of subjects – or for portraits where you need filler light and pleasant reflections in the subject's eyes. Nevertheless, here are the pros and cons that I've discovered.
- compact;
- cheaper than a ring flash;
- portable;
- provides a uniform light on the face of the subject and a nice reflection in the eyes;
- Sometimes it can inhibit the subject (it's big and if you draw near at a certain speed, the person might not react very well);
- Although it's apparently light, you can get tired after 2-3 hours of use;
RoundFlash is available for $79.
How would I look like using the RoundFlash?
Something like that. Looks cute to me!


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Cobb, Rays down Yanks
St. Petersburg, FL – Alex Cobb handcuffed the New York Yankees on Sunday, helping the Tampa Bay Rays avoid a three-game series sweep with an 8-3 win at Tropicana Field.
"He was wonderful," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said of Cobb.
Cobb (6-2) kept New York off the board for eight innings, but Brett Gardner spoiled the right-hander's shutout bid with a leadoff home run to right field in the ninth.
"He's got one of the best changes, split-change, whatever you want to call it in the game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Robinson Cano then ripped a single to center for the fifth hit off Cobb, who was removed after striking out Vernon Wells. The frame got interesting when Cesar Ramos threw eight straight balls to load the bases before David Adams plated a pair with a double to left.
The rally was shut down by Joel Peralta, however, as the righty fanned Ichiro Suzuki and Jayson Nix to end the game.
Cobb stymied the Yankees in another outing earlier this season, allowing three hits over 8 1/3 scoreless innings on April 24.
James Loney and Sean Rodriguez clubbed two-run homers off New York starter CC Sabathia. Yunel Escobar went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI for Tampa Bay, which snapped a three-game losing streak and a four-game slide at home.
Sabathia (4-4), winless in his last five starts, was tagged for a season-high seven runs on seven hits over seven frames.
The Rays loaded the bases in the second without placing a ball out of the infield. Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, while Escobar and Loney each reached on a fielder's choice. Jose Lobaton blooped a single to center to put Tampa Bay on the board and Sam Fuld lofted a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Rodriguez took Sabathia deep with two outs in the third, sending a liner just inside the left-field foul pole. Escobar doubled home a run in the sixth and scored on Loney's blast to right-center for a 7-0 game.
David Huff, making his Yankees debut after being claimed off waivers from Cleveland on Saturday, gave up an RBI double to Desmond Jennings in the eighth.
Game Notes
Cobb recorded eight strikeouts and didn't walk a batter ... New York hasn't swept a three-game set at Tropicana Field since Sept. 13-15, 2005 ... The Yankees designated outfielder Ben Francisco for assignment to make room for Huff.


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Back when I was little, parents used to teach you things by letting you do something stupid, and then hoping that the consequences of what you'd just done would inform you as to why you should not have done it in the first place. A minor burn from a hot pot or open fire was a far more effective way of teaching a kid not to touch hot things than simply telling them. I, unfortunately, am an idiot, and even to this day, when I see fire, my initial reaction is, "Man, I bet I could catch it this time!"
Similarly, I've never learned that doing a marathon viewing of an awful movie series is never as funny an idea as I think it is. This started back in college, when my roommate and I thought it wold be hilarious to watch all the Porky's films in one sitting. The sickness continues to this very day, with no lesson learned in the interim despite ample experience to teach me. And so I found myself one day sitting around with a stack of Hellraiser movies.
I, like many people, loved the first two Hellraiser films, and as they garner some modicum of respect, I decided it was best to skip over them and go directly to the one featuring a wisecracking Cenobite with a video camera embedded in his head. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth represents a quantum leap downward from the first two films — disappointing not just because of the drop in quality, but also because this was supposed to be something of a "Pinhead and crew run wild on Earth" scenario. In reality, the rampage through New York City of these demons called forth from another realm by way of a cursed puzzle box ends up looking more like Jason's five minute jaunt through Manhattan in Friday the 13th, Part 8.
For those who don't know the Hellraiser story, here it is in a nutshell: a long time ago, someone made a puzzle box. The box happens to be a key to opening a door to Hell, and out of it come creatures known to fans as the Cenobites. The Cenobites, lead by the now iconic Pinhead, are dedicated to pushing the humans who summon them into the extremes of pain/pleasure, something that is usually expressed via hooked chains shooting out of the ether and ripping the person apart — which always seemed to me to be a bit of a gyp in terms of the pain/pleasure ratio, but I guess that's what you get for fooling around with an undead guy whose head is covered in pins.
At the end of part two, the Cenobites were defeated, the puzzle box lost but that didn't last for very long. Part three picks up with a skeevy young guy who owns the most ridiculous combination of fancy five-star restaurant playing "String Quintet In E Major, Op.13, No.5 – Minuet" and fake industrial goth club decorated with S&M teddy bears. He buys a horrific sculpture that we know to be the current prison of Pinhead. Meanwhile, plucky young reporter Terry Farrell is trying to make a name for herself. When at a hospital, she stumbles upon a screaming young man embedded with hooked chains. He eventually explodes, and this puts her on the track leading to the goth club, which is supposed to be the most awesome underground goth club ever, except that it's full of early 1990s frat guy types.
Eventually, of course, Pinhead will be released from his prison and, after creating a new army of Cenobites to replace the ones he lost last movie, he will go on the aforementioned rampage through New York, which means he mostly goes on a casual stroll through a deserted movie set and makes some manhole covers blow up.The reporter will have to team up with the ghost of Pinhead's former self in hopes of defeating the lord of Hell in a fairly unmemorable final showdown.
It's all pretty tepid stuff, but it's still watchable despite being such a letdown. Pinhead at least gets to massacre a club full of fake movie goths, so I guess that counts for something. But mostly, the whole thing is just a letdown. Pinhead's new Cenobites are completely ludicrous and possess none of the menace of the previous batch. Instead, this time around, we got a guy who throws CDs at people and a guy with a video camera in his head — and a mustache! What the hell kind of a demon has a droopy Southern rock mustache? This is ground zero for the Cenobites being transformed from creatures of evil and terror into wisecracking goofballs.
The acting is almost uniformly terrible with the exception of Douglas Bradley, the guy who plays Pinhead. But even Pinhead doesn't escape completely unscathed, as he is put through a number of ham-fisted "shock" scenes, such as the completely ludicrous bit that takes place in a church and has Pinhead assuming "The Jesus pose." We get it, we get it! It's ironic!
Terry Farrell was a couple years away from fame and the lust of sci-fi nerds everywhere thanks to her role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and she's pretty terrible here. At least she's in like company. Still, despite all that, the movie manages to be watchable and even entertaining in a pretty lame way. There's still some decent scenes, a fleeting vestige of "that ol' Hellraiser magic," Pinhead is in decent form, and if nothing else, it's a lot better than what Hellraiser would have in store for us later on down the road.


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As part of a four-year turnaround plan, Eastman Kodak expects to cut 5,000 to 7,000 jobs by the end of 2007 in an effort to reduce its administrative overhead and boost profits from digital photography instead of standard film, the company told investors on Thursday.
Kodak leaders had already cut 1,200 jobs during the fourth quarter of 2006, bringing the total jobs lost to 23,400 since the company first announced its restructuring plan in January 2004. By the end of this year, that total could reach 30,000, nearly half of the company's size in 2003.
The company has already cut jobs from its manufacturing division, and will trim the remaining jobs from its selling, general and administrative unit, Kodak chief financial officer Frank Sklarsky said. The move will reduce administrative overhead from Kodak's current level of 18 per cent of revenue to just 14-15 per cent.
The company has also slashed costs by announcing on 10 January it would sell its 8,100-person medical imaging and health-care IT division to Canada's Onex Corp for $2.55 billion. That deal is expected to close in the first half of 2007.
On the revenue side of its books, Kodak hopes to boost income through new products like its consumer inkjet printers, image sensors and picture kiosks, said CEO Antonio Perez. The company will also draw $250 million in revenue by licensing its intellectual-property patents this year, he said.
Kodak introduced a line of inkjet printers this week to compete with Hewlett-Packard and Xerox. Kodak will target consumers and home-office users by selling replacement ink cartridges at about half the price of its competitors. Likewise, Kodak will sell a range of printers priced below $200.
Also on Thursday, Kodak announced it would partner with Mozilla to improve Kodak's online photo gallery by allowing users to access it from Mozilla's Firefox browser. The companies hope to generate more income from the 83 million US users who are predicted to upload, share and print their photographs by 2010. Users can now download the new tool.


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The Yanagisawa S-992 Bb-Soprano Sax features a removable straight and bent S-bow and is manufactured from a bronze alloy.
Both ends of the octave key axis rotate in a receptacle that is coated to insure a smooth operation every time
The C# and Bb keys have a rocking table mechanism that allows for optimal speed and fluidity between these pitches. Not only are the C# and Bb keys connected with the oscillating table mechanism, but the C# and B have also adopted this same motion.
The white shell keys are exceptionally comfortable and suite all players. The white shells also enhance the beauty of the instrument while also preventing the player's fingers from slipping during technical passages. Both thumb rests on the saxophone are metal to match with the style of the saxophone and the right hand thumb hook is adjustable so that the performer can customize the feel of their saxophone
The pivot screws that are used have a pointed end which facilitates an accurate centre and precise action.
The pads are completely air-tight which supports stability in playing and their life is extended thanks to being waterproof while the metal resonators give clarity to the sound of the instrument in all dynamic ranges.
Finally, blue steel springs give the player quick response and are much more resilient than stainless steel (they also last much longer).
The main features of the Yanagisawa S-992 Bb-Soprano Sax include:


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The Digital Humanities initiative (DHi) at Hamilton College is a collaboratory - digital parlance for a research and teaching collaboration - where new media and computing technologies are used to promote humanities-based teaching, research, and scholarship across the liberal arts.
DHi creates opportunities for new interdisciplinary models and methods of collaboration between faculty and students.
These activities support a fundamental shift in humanities research, leveraging the potential of technology to access and manipulate rich media collections in ways that increase collaborative scholarship (not only within Hamilton humanities but also, potentially, with other institutions around the world) and lead to the generation of new knowledge.


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When Kevin Beaulieu bought a Sealegs boat a few years ago, his kids were really impressed.
"My kids love it," he said. "They were telling their friends, 'We've got the coolest boat,' and told them it had wheels."
When you live on Narragansett Bay and tell people you have the "coolest boat," you have a lot to live up to. Between Newport yachts and quahoggers' skiffs, that's a lot of boats to be cooler than, but when you decide you want to go to Iggy's for clamcakes and chowder and can drive right up on the beach to get them, the camera phones come out and even veteran boaters' jaws drop. The boat has retractable wheels with the knobby treads you find on dirt bikes and ATVs. The tires are fat and capable of pulling the boat over sand and much rockier beaches.
Sealegs, a boat manufacturer in New Zealand, has come up with a boat design that allows Beaulieu to drive out of his garage and right onto the bay. He lives on Warwick Neck and has the landscape to allow it, so when he first saw video and pictures of the design; he knew it was for him. Australians are famous for the lifeboat and lifesaving drills that give lifeguards much needed extra time. It was inevitable that they would come up with a boat that drives right into the surf and races toward a drowning victim at 35 to 40 miles per hour. Of course, like their neighbors in New Zealand, they also saw the potential for carefree fun, much the way Beaulieu did. But carefree comes with a price. Expect to pay between $110,000 and $140,000 for a boat, which puts the Sealegs into the luxury class of boating. But, given the annual costs of putting boats in and out of the water and renting a slip, it might pay itself off in a decade or two.
"It is expensive," said Beaulieu, "but mostly you're paying for the wheels. The wheels add about $20,000 to the price. Without them, they [Sealegs] are pretty much like any quality, commercial grade [rigid] inflatable."
Beaulieu has had the boat for about four years and has yet to regret the outlay. It's no speedster of the cigarette boat ilk, but it's fast enough for most purposes.
"I keep a speed boat in East Greenwich, so I just hop in the boat and I'm there in no time," said Beaulieu. "I sail boats at Newport, so I get in the boat and I'm there in 15 minutes, instead of an hour by car."
Nobody claims that the Sealegs is the first amphibious boat, but it seems to be the best embodiment of the concept so far. Anyone who has been on the "duck boats" used for tourists in Boston and other cities can tell you they leave a lot to be desired. The Amphicar that debuted in 1961 was a flop commercially. Mostly because it looked homemade and flimsy and they leaked, they were slow on the water and they look more like an accident that just happened or is about to happen, than a fun day at the beach. The editors of Popular Mechanics, the technical journal that has seen the birth and death of many amphibious craft, reviewed the Sealegs in August of 2010:
"The tide is low, so there's a patch of thick mud some 40 yards wide standing between us and the water's edge of Massachusetts' Duxbury Bay. For most boaters, the only option is to wait for hours until the tide fills back in enough to cover the boat ramp. But not for us. We just fire up the Sealegs amphibious craft and charge straight into the muck. By the time we're crossing the mud flats, more than a dozen curious onlookers have gathered to watch. By the look on their faces, they're impressed: The convenience of this boat isn't lost on them … This boat is an ideal way to get to the water during low tide, perfect for rescue professionals who need to access challenging terrain and more safely and efficiently transfer victims from the water to waiting ambulances. It's also just fun."
Sealegs was first launched in 2004 but came to America around the time Beaulieu bought his about four years ago. Military and coast guard units are using them worldwide.
On water, the craft is powered by a 150-hp Evinrude ETEC outboard motor. On land, the Sealegs gets around via three retractable hydraulic aluminum legs with fat 25-inch tires. It's a rear-drive system but an all-wheel-drive has become available this year. A 24-horsepower, 4-stroke motor beneath the driver's bench powers the wheels. The system accounts for approximately 330 pounds of the craft's 2,690-pound weight.
With the legs extended, the boat stands 7' 7" high. Front and rear legs can be raised independently, making it easier to board passengers. The wheels fit tightly against the tube, above the waterline. Push-button controls raise and lower the legs and wheels, and a throttle on the console controls the motor for the wheels. The drive stick on the top of the console controls the speed and direction of the wheels. But don't expect car-like performance on land.
"It rides more like a lawn tractor than a car," said Beaulieu, "but it has a lot of ground clearance, so you can land almost anywhere you find access."
Beaulieu said he's had it down at the Vineyard for example, where he didn't need a dock to go ashore. But you have to walk the rest of the way. It tops out around 6 miles per hour on land and the air-cooled engine overheats after 30 minutes of continuous running, but you can't drive it on the street. You still have to tow it as far as the parking lot of the beach – where you can then drive it into the water.
It can climb and descend 25-degree grades of soft sand, rocks and reach otherwise inaccessible beaches without being stranded when the tide goes out. The big customers, though, are people who need rather than want to launch off ocean beaches – rescue groups and water police. There is more than convenience involved: Serious injuries and even deaths from people caught between boats and trailers in surf.
People who like to fish will find it very convenient.
"If we want to go fishing after work, I just load the kids into the boat and it takes us about two minutes to get out there," said Beaulieu. "We can catch a few fluke in about 15 minutes and then head back to the house. We don't have to make going fishing a big [family] event the way it usually is."
For more about Sealegs, visit www.sealegs.com.


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Designing Safer Streets
With a goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030, we are being proactive and redesigning our streets to make them safer and more complete for all users.
A Complete Street approach
Complete Streets is a design goal for all SDOT projects. It is a comprehensive review of safety, how a street functions and the quality of the streetscape (trees, street furniture, etc.). On busier streets, one way to improve safety and keep traffic moving- is to turn a four-lane street into a two-lane street with a center turn lane. It also opens up space, providing opportunities for bike lanes, landscaping, widen sidewalks or more efficient transit. This type of design usually works well on streets with around 25,000 cars or less a day.
It might seem like changing the number of lanes would mean fewer cars could use the street, or that more congestion might occur. However, creating a turn lane in the middle allows vehicles to turn without blocking traffic; adding bike lanes creates more predictability; and a single lane of traffic helps manage drivers cutting in and out of lanes. There are a number of benefits to building complete streets.
Safer Streets for All. People drive closer to the speed limit. This is especially critical for people walking, traveling in a wheelchair, and riding a bike, as well as other drivers. When motorists move at slower speeds, they're better able to stop and prevent a crash.
Easier to Cross Streets. When people cross streets with four lanes they encounter a 'double threat.' This is caused by drivers in the inside lanes not seeing them. Redesigning the streets makes it easier to cross.
Improved Bus and Freight Movement. Changing the road to two lanes usually means lanes can be a little bit wider. This makes it easier for freight and buses to travel.
Easier to Walk and Bike. Having a little extra road space means bike lanes or wider sidewalks may become an option. The more people are able to walk and bike the closer we are to being the walkable, livable city Seattleites want.
The results
The City of Seattle has transformed 36 different roads since 1972. We can confidently say that not only does redesigning our streets make them safer, but it keeps people and goods moving. The Federal Highway Administration agrees. A 2010 study looked at 30 redesigned street in Washington and California and determined there was a 19 percent reduction in collision rate.
Read our before and after studies to learn more.


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NEW: Offense Struggles, Patriots Blown Out by Titans 34-10
Sunday, November 11, 2018
New England Patriots offense managed only one touchdown and a field goal as the Patriots were blown out by the Tennessee Titans 34-10 on Sunday afternoon in Nashville.
This is the second time in three weeks in which New England's offense has struggled, the last time coming on the road in Buffalo. However, the Patriots won that game.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed just 21 of 41 passes for 254 yards with no touchdowns. The 20 incompletions are the most that Brady has had all season.
The loss drops the Patriots to 7-3 on the season, while the Titans improve to 5-4 overall.
Patriots Fall to Tennessee
New England did not get off to a good start in the game and it never got better.
On the opening kickoff, the Titans' Darius Jennings returned it just over 50-yards to set the Titans offense up in good field position right away.
Seven plays later, Titans' quarterback Marcus Mariota found Jonnu Smith for a four-yard touchdown pass to put Tennessee up 7-0 after an extra point from kicker Ryan Succop.
After New England came away with a 52-yard field goal on their first possession to make the score 7-3, the Titans offense immediately extended the lead to 14-3 on a Mariota 23-yard pass to Corey Davis with 5:58 to play in the first quarter.
The Titans would add a field goal in the final minutes of the quarter to go up 17-3.
The Patriots opened the second quarter with their best offensive drive of the game, resulting in their only touchdown of the game.
Brady led the Patriots on a 10-play, 75-yard drive ending with a one-yard touchdown run by James Develin to cut the Titans lead to 17-10.
However, the Patriots offense would not get anything going the rest of the way.
With just a minute left before the half, Tennessee's Derrick Henry scored on a one-yard touchdown run to put the Titans up 24-10 before the half.
In the second half, it would be more of the same.
The Titans would extend their lead with a Ryan Succop field goal to go up 27-10, before Henry ran in for another touchdown from ten yards out to give the Titans a 34-10 advantage.
Offensive Struggles by the Numbers
The Patriots offense managed just 272 total yards and 15 first downs in the game, compared to 24 first downs for the Titans.
New England went 3 of 14 on third down and punted six times in the game.
Bye Week
The Patriots are on bye this week.
They return to action on Sunday, November 25 when they visit the New York Jets.
Game time is set for 1 p.m.
Related Slideshow: The 21 Biggest Patriots Controversies
What do Michael Jackson and deflated footballs have in common? Read on for some of the more colorful chapters in Patriots history.
"Snow Plow" Game
December 12, 1982
The Snowplow Game took place against the Miami Dolphins at the old Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro. During the game, the stadium's snowplow operator cleared a spot on the snowy field in order for New England kicker John Smith to kick the winning field goal to give the Patriots a 3–0 win.
The Astroturf surface of the field had been waterlogged the night before due to heavy rain, and froze over before the game began. Shortly after the game began, it began to snow heavily. For this game, officials could call for a time-out, and allow the ground crew to use a snowplow to clear the yard markers.
With just 4:45 left to go in the scoreless game, Patriots coach Ron Meyer ordered a snowplow operator to clear a spot on the field for placekicker John Smith. Instead of plowing straight across the field, the plow turned left, directly in front of the goal post, giving Smith a clear advantage. Miami coach Don Shula vehemently protested but the field goal was good and the Patriots won the game with a final score of 3–0.
The following year, the NFL banned the use of snowplows on the field during a game.
The plow itself now hangs from the ceiling at an exhibit marking the event at Gillette Stadium.
'Roughing the Passer'
Dec. 18, 1976
Patriots vs. Raiders
On December 18, 1976 the Patriots visited the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The Patriots led the game 21-17 with 1:24 to play when Patriots Defensive tackle Ray Hamilton sacked Oakland quarterback Kenny Stabler in what should have been the end of the game.
However, referee Ben Dreith called a roughing the passer penalty on Hamilton giving Oakland new life. Stabler proceeded to get himself into the end zone with ten seconds left to give Oakland a 24-21 lead.
The game still stands as one of the most controversial games ever played.
Chuck Fairbanks Quits
Chuck Fairbanks had been Head Coach of the Patriots since 1973.
In 1978, wide receiver Darryl Stingley was left paralyzed following a hit by Jack Tatum during pregam play in Oakland; Fairbanks had worked out a contract extension with Stingley before the game but later, owner Chuck Sullivan reneged on the deal. Fairbanks was furious and resolved to leave the team after the season.
The Patriots won the AFC East title that year, and seemed poised for a Super Bowl appearance. Just before the final regular season game, Sullivan suspended Fairbanks for breaking a contract by agreeing to become head coach for the University of Colorado in 1979. Fairbanks was reinstated for the Pat's first playoff game, but the Patriots were upset by the Houston Oilers.
The Patriots sued Fairbanks for breach of contract. During the course of the lawsuit, he admitted recruiting for Colorado while still on the Patriots payroll. The team won an injunction preventing him from leaving. However, a group of CU supporters bought out his contract, paving the way for him to leave the Patriots.
Irving Fryar PVD Fight
October 1990
A nightclub altercation in downtown Providence left New England Patriot wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes hospitalized with an eye injury and teammate Irving Fryar facing a weapons charge back in October of 1990.
Fryar had filed a police report that said he was hit over the head from behind while trying to help Dykes.
Fryar was supposedly walking to his car outside Club Shalimar around 1:20 a.m., when he saw Dykes arguing with some people, and pulled a handgun out during the fracas.
Michael Jackson
Summer 1984
In the summer of 1984, Michael Jackson reunited with his brothers for the final time for their "Victory" World Tour. The tour was promoted by Patriot's owner Billy Sullivan and his son Chuck.
Chuck Sullivan guaranteed the Jacksons a $36.6 million advance, and put the stadium up as collateral for a $12.5 million loan to pay the first installment shortly before the tour started.
He tried to use his NFL connections to make more lucrative deals with other stadium owners, but many balked at his terms.
In the most humiliating chapter of this story, the board of selectmen in Foxboro denied a permit for the concert, citing an "unknown element" of danger, thought to be a fear of a large black attendance at the shows.
The Sullivans lost tens of millions on the tour, forcing them to sell the team to Victor Kiam in 1988.
Potential St. Louis Move
James Orthwein purchased the New England Patriots from Victor Kiam in 1992 when the Kiam was facing bankruptcy and owed Orthwein millions. He planned to relocate the Patriots franchise to St. Louis, renaming the team the St. Louis Stallions.
His plans were curtailed when Bob Kraft, owner of Foxboro Stadium, refused to accept a buyout of the lease. Kraft used his ownership of the stadium to stage a hostile takeover, offering to pay $175 million for the team knowing that Orthwein no longer wanted the team if he could not move it to St. Louis. Orthwein accepted the bid.
Drew Bledsoe Mosh Pit
November 13. 1997
On Christmas Eve, 1997, Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe was sued by a woman who said that she was injured when Bledsoe and teammates Scott Zolak and Max Lane were stage diving and crowd surfing at an Everclear concert at Boston's Paradise Rock Club.
It was determined that there was no criminal wrongdoing, but Bledsoe and Lane each settled, with Bledsoe paying $400,000 and Lane paying $600,000 towards a $1.2 million settlement.
Bledsoe, who weighed 235 pounds, and Lane, who weighed 305 pounds, admitted they dove off the stage, but said they did not cause the woman's injuries.
Potential Providence Move
October, 1997
After Bob Kraft purchased the Patriots in 1994, he spent years trying to negotiate a new stadium deal either in Foxboro or in Boston proper. Several New England cities began talking with Kraft, including Providence. Mayor Buddy Cianci was a particular cheerleader for a stadium to be built downtown near I-95, where the Foundry is located.
Kraft later came to terms with the town of Foxboro and state of Massachusetts and built a new stadium right next to the old one.
Superbowl XX Humiliation
January 26, 1986
The Patriots were humiliatingly defeated in their first Super Bowl appearance, losing 46-10 to the Chicago Bears.
Maybe the less said about that one, the better.
Potential Hartford Move
November 1998
After failing to get anywhere while trying to secure a new stadium to replace the aging, outdated 1971 facility in Foxboro, Bob Kraft unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a move to Boston or Providence. In November of 1998, Hartford, CT came calling with an offer for a 100% publically financed stadium facility on the riverfront. A deal was made, and plans moved forward, until it was discovered that the proposed site was contaminated, and would require a massive cleanup cost.
Massachusetts ended up coughing up $72 million for a new stadium in Foxboro, with Kraft financing the rest himself.
Millen vs Sullivan
Jan. 5, 1986
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. This is one of those times.
This incident occurred at the L.A. Coliseum on Jan. 5, 1986, after an AFC divisional playoff game between the Patriots and the Raiders. The Raiders' Howie Long had spent the week leading up to the game taking shots at the Patriots.
In response, General Manager Pat Sullivan spent the whole game mocking and teasing Long.
The Raiders wound up losing 27-20. After the loss, Long and Sullivan met up on the field. Long said things got heated when Sullivan grabbed his face mask.
This is where Matt Millen comes in.
Millen said he saw someone swing at Long, but didn't know who it was. He got quite the shot in, claiming to not realize it was Sullivan.
Parcells Exits
Coach Bill Parcells left the Patriots in 1996 after disagreements with owner Robert Kraft. Parcells thought that he didn't have enough input into personnel decisions. When he left, he famously said: "They want you to cook the dinner; at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries. Okay?" This was in reference to an incident during the 1996 draft where Parcells, who wanted to draft a defensive player with their first-round choice, was vetoed by Kraft, who favored drafting a wide reciever instead.
Belichick/Jets Tampering
When Bill Parcells stepped down as head coach in of the New York Jets in 1999, he had already arranged to have Belichick be his successor.
Belichick would be the New York Jets' head coach for only one day, however. At Belichick's press conference announcing him head coach, he surprisingly resigned the post. He then delivered a half-hour speech explaining his resignation to the assembled press corps.
Soon after, he was introduced as the Patriots' head coach. Parcells and the Jets claimed that Belichick was still under contract to the Jets, and demanded compensation from the Patriots. The NFL agreed, and the Patriots had to surrender a first-round draft pick to the Jets, causing the loss of acquiring running back Curtis Martin.
The "Tuck Rule" Game
January 19, 2002
The 2001 AFC divisional playoff game, or the "Tuck Rule Game", took place at Foxboro Stadium between the Patriots and the Oakland Raiders.
The name "Tuck Rule Game" comes from a controversial play where Raiders' cornerback Charles Woodson sacked Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady which initially appeared to cause a fumble that was eventually recovered by Raiders' linebacker Greg Biekert. If it was a fumble, it would have almost definitely guaranteed a win for the Raiders.
Officials reviewed the play, and determined that Brady's arm was moving forward, making it an incomplete pass and not a fumble. As a result, the original call was overturned, and the ball was given back to the Patriots who moved the ball into field goal range. With under a minute remaining in the game, Adam Vinatieri kicked a 45-yard field goal to tie the game, which sent the game into overtime.
In overtime, Vinatieri kicked a 23-yard field goal to win the game for the Patriots, who went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI.
September 9, 2007
During the 2007 season, the Patriots were disciplined by the NFL for videotaping the New York Jets' coaches' signals during a September 9, 2007 game.
After an investigation, the NFL fined Patriots head coach Bill Belichick $500,000 (the largest fine ever imposed on a coach in the league's history and the maximum allowed) for his role in the incident, fined the Patriots $250,000, and relieved the team of their first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Aaron Hernandez
June 2013
On August 22, 2013, tight end Aaron Hernandez was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player, in July 2013. On May 15, 2014, Hernandez was indicted for the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
After his arrest, Hernandez was released by the Patriots organization.
Deflated Balls
January 18, 2015
After the 2015 AFC Championship game between the Patriots and the Colts, the NFL announced that it was investigating reports that game balls had been deflated. One such report came from Indianapolis Colts player D'Qwell Jackson after he intercepted a pass by quarterback Tom Brady.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he didn't know anything about the controversy until the morning after the game, and that he "cooperate fully" with any probe. Brady called the allegation "ridiculous".
According to reports, the NFL found 11 of 12 Patriots game balls were underinflated.
The South Boston Megaplex
Mid 90's
The South Boston "Megaplex" was proposed in the mid-1990's to replace the aging Fenway Park and Foxboro Stadium.
Massachusetts Governor William Weld pushed for construction of a full "Megaplex" at one site, while Boston Mayor Thomas Menino favored a new convention center complex at another site in South Boston. In the end, the residents of neither of these neighborhoods wanted a stadium, and protested vigorously.
In the end, Fenway replacement plans were cancelled, and the Patriots constructed a new stadium right next to the old Foxboro Stadium after flirting with moves to Hartford and Providence.
The "Flying Elvis"
1993 Season
In 1993, the team replaced mascot "Pat Patriot" with a new, aerodynamic logo that resembled the King of Rock and Roll. Dubbed "The Flying Elvis" by fans, the new logo never took off with some fans, who prefer the "Old School" Pat Patriot to the sleek Flying Elvis.
Bledsoe Vs. Brady
November 2001
When Drew Bledsoe returned from a lung injury during the 2001 season, he assumed that he'd return to his QB position.
However, Coach Bill Belichick controversially announced that Tom Brady would be starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Many fans thought this was unfair to Bledsoe, but history has proven Belichick made the right move.
Ravens "Manipulation"
January 10, 2015
After the team's 35-31 loss, Ravens headcoach John Harbaugh complained about a "substitution trick" by the Patriots during the game, saying it was "clearly deception" that he hoped the NFL would investigate.
Harbaugh received an "unsportsmanlike conduct" penalty for running onto the field and screaming in objection. After the game, he said that the officials "didn't understand what was going on."
The NFL found that there was no wrongdoing by the Patriots.
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- Patriots Beat Packers 31-17 for 6th Straight Win


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The New York Mets' game against the Houston Astros was rained out today, forcing them to alter their pitching rotation.
Fifth-starter candidate John Lannan, scheduled to start, will now work Friday against St. Louis at Port St. Lucie. Daisuke Matsuzaka will also pitch against the Cardinals. Rafael Montero and Steven Matz, also scheduled to pitch today, will go tomorrow.
In addition:
* Recovery for first basemen Ike Davis and Lucas Duda from leg injuries remain slow, with neither expected to play soon. Davis hit against live pitching in an intrasquad game, but did no running.
* Bartolo Colon, who has been bothered with a tight calf, threw three scoreless innings in an intrasquad game and said he will be ready to pitch Monday against Miami.
* David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Ruben Tejada hit in the intrasquad game. Wright homered. Jonathon Niese and Bobby Parnell pitched after Colon.


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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a team of legal experts has called on the U.S. Court of Appeals to free Andrew Auernheimer, a computer hacker recently sentenced to 41 months in prison for illegally accessing data from AT&T's networks.
In a motion filed Monday, the digital rights group claimed that the government's prosecution of Auernheimer was based on an improper application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), and the the sentence was far too long for his crimes.
"The government set out to make an example of Auernheimer," EFF staff attorney Hanni Fakhoury wrote in a blog post on Monday. "But the only message this sends to the security-research community is that if you discover a vulnerability, you could go to jail for sounding the alarm."
Auernheimer made headlines in June 2010, when he and a partner, Daniel Spitler, used an automated script they called the iPad 3G Account Slurper to extract from AT&T servers the email addresses and SIM card ID numbers of more than 100,000 iPad owners.
The data included the email addresses of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Chicago Mayor and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel and other well-known figures, and was subsequently leaked to reporters.
Auernheimer and Spitler maintained that they did not directly hack into AT&T systems, nor did they misuse passwords to gain access to data. Instead, they said an automated script was used to download data that the was publicly accessible from a website because of poor server configuration.
The duo claim they accessed the data only to show weaknesses in AT&T's technology and to convince the company to better secure its data.
However, prosecutors charged both with violating provisions of the CFAA, which makes it illegal for individuals to knowingly access a computer without authorization, to exceed authorized use of a system, or to access information valued at more than $5,000 from a system.
The CFAA was enacted by Congress in 1986.
Prosecutors claimed the caper was a self-serving stunt by Auernheimer to promote himself and Goatse Security, a security group to which he belonged. The Goatse team's aim is to expose online security flaws.
The prosecutors noted that AT&T had to spend more than $73,000 for breach notifications as a result of the disclosure of the alleged server weakness.
Spitler accepted a plea bargain in 2011 but Auernheimer decided to fight the charges in court. He was convicted in November 2012 and sentenced in March to 41 months in federal prison, the maximum sought by prosecutors.
In the motion filed this week, the EFF contended that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act was improperly applied to prosecute Auernheimer. The group contended that the law is, in intent and spirit, an online anti-trespassing law targeting criminal hackers who break into systems to steal or sabotage data.
"Visiting a publicly available website is not unauthorized access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act," the motion noted. "AT&T chose not to employ any passwords or any other protective measures to control access to the email addresses of its customers."
By configuring its servers to make the information publicly available on its website, AT&T in fact had authorized access to the data to anybody that visited the site, the EFF motion noted.
The group also contends that the 41-month sentence was imposed because the government unfairly characterizes Auernheimer's actions as a felony. The action is at most a misdemeanor, they say.
The appeal also contends that the breach notification costs considered by the judge cannot be considered a "loss" for the purposes of sentencing an individual.
In an interview with Computerworld today, Fakhoury said the case is more proof that the scope of the CFAA has been broadened by prosecutors far beyond the intent of the legislators who passed it.
The statute has been under intense scrutiny since Internet activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide earlier this year, apparently over fears that he faced a long prison sentence if convicted of violating the CFAA.
Swartz' death prompted two lawmakers to introduce "Aaron's Law," a bill that would tighten some language in CFAA. The proposed tweaks are designed to ensure that CFAA is applied only in situations where somebody actually breaks into a system, and not merely misuses it.
"Courts are starting to be more cautious in applying CFAA too broadly," Fakhour said.
There has been a lot of debate judicially whether CFAA can be applied to situations where someone might break a terms-of-service agreement, he said. With the Auernheimer case, what the appeals court is being asked to consider is whether CFAA covers situations where someone accesses data on a publicly available website, Fakhoury said.
Jaikumar Vijayan covers data security and privacy issues, financial services security and e-voting for Computerworld. Follow Jaikumar on Twitter at @jaivijayan, or subscribe to Jaikumar's RSS feed . His email address is email@example.com.
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text: Hi everyone, I have ordered a SSL certificate to verisign, now I just sent the CSR code to verisign and I'm waiting for the approval. After the approval what should I do? because some tutorials talks about replace the files on the ssl folder, and other one just paste the one code like CSR on the last box in the SSL tab. In order to don't spoil the server, what should I do in the specific case of VeriSign?Someone has installed a SSL certificate from VeriSign in ISPconfig 3? Thanks in advance. By the way, I have a Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS platform running a Apache server, installed following the steps in: Perfect Ubuntu server with ISPconfig 3 Joan


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Lady Gaga Comes Under Fire for 'Princess Die' Lyrics
Lady Gaga debuted the melancholy piano ballad 'Princess Die' at the Melbourne stop of the Born This Way Ball tour, which may or may not appear on her next album. The song, whose lyrics are laced with double entendre about the late Princess Diana, who perished in a 1997 car accident in Paris, has already come under fire. Apparently, the references to suicide and to Diana are too much for some to handle.
The song's lyrics reference taking pills and leaving a note, and the paparazzi swarming after being proposed to. Some of the words seem to be lifted from the final days of Princess Di, who died in a car accident with her boyfriend after being chased by photographers into a tunnel.
Sample lyrics: "I wish that I would go / In my rich boyfriend's limo / Right after he proposed / With a 16-carat stone wrapped in rose gold / With the paparazzi all swarming around." She also sings about a dead blonde. Di, of course, was a famous blonde.
Now Monsters and Critics reports that suicide organizations in Australia have criticized the song and are displeased about the message that it sends to little monsters.
Chris Wagner, communications director for Lifeline, said: "We understand artistic license and we get artistic expression, but celebrities need to recognize that they're role models for young people in the community."
The Daily Mail also reports that Diana fans – and there are many of those, as she was once the most beloved and photographed woman in the world -- are also not happy with the song.
We will say this. Gaga is an artist and her lyrics have double meanings in them. She is also incredibly conscious about her sphere of influence on the youth and her little monsters. It is a role she does not take lightly. We also highly doubt that she meant any disrespect and that she is eulogizing Diana in the best way she knows how – through a song. Gaga is not the type to skirt controversy, either, so we don't think she will change her song.
Oh, and speaking of skirts (sort of), Ma Monster stepped out in Melbourne wearing a padlocked collar. We guess she was in an S&M fashion mood, as she wore a thick black collar around her neck, with a gold lock and a cleavage-revealing bra.
Listen to Lady Gaga Perform 'Princess Die'


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Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Selecting a Journal for 2012 IFJM and Some Pre-IFJM Contest Musing
Because I make my own journals for my daily use I like to select commercially bound journals for use during International Fake Journal Month. This helps me distance myself from the "character" who is keeping the journal.
This year I started testing a couple types of paper and a couple commercially bound journals, but I wasn't finding anything that I liked. On a whim I took a 7 x 7 inch Stonehenge journal off my shelf and started playing with inks on the last page. I knew that my character would be taking walks so I wanted something portable. I thought that there might be a lot of architecture in the journal because I'd like to sketch more scenes and buildings. Suddenly I realized my character would be at the same place everyday and I would need a larger book than the 7 x 7 inch book. The "end" of the month flashed in my brain. I started to back off of the idea.
My reluctance came from the rather somber nature of the concept. For me IFJM was always about looking into the dark side of things, exploring my somber side. But when I went public on the internet with IFJM in 2009 I found that my projects, while still a bit on the dark side (there always seems to be some death or injury), were in many ways upbeat (at least in certain aspects).
Well the last 18 months I have found a tendency in my regular journal work to become more and more personal. I show less of it to others. I select portions I take to classes for student viewing more carefully. I'm moving into a more private mode, which is a typical cycle for me.
I realized that the IFJM idea I had "settled" upon was not something I could share publicly. I also decided it wasn't an idea I wanted to work on at the present time. I believe that character has a lot to teach me, but not now.
So instead this year I'm going to take a bit more playful approach. Currently I am thinking that there will be a recurring motif about a certain someone in my fake journal: his name is Frank. You'll meet him soon enough if I go that way. I'll include illustrations and a bit of text each day. As usual I'll begin in medias res.
In order to work in this journal I will be creating a backstory from which to work, but I won't be supplying any backstory when I post the images. I am considering holding a contest for readers to suggest a backstory and then printing both of them after IFJM. I'm still thinking about the contests.
You get the idea, there is a lot up in the air about IFJM this year. That's another reason I wanted to be a little bit more playful this year.
I'm focusing this year on making changes to the public face of IFJM so that it runs with less administration time for me. If I'm successful at my attempts it means that next year I can go back to my more somber and challenging ideas because I'll have more time to explore them.
Immediate Changes To the Organization of IFJM
This year, instead of asking everyone to send jpgs for me to post here, or to have people send me links to "x-number" of posts on their own blogs so that they can be eligible for a prize drawing, I will be asking that everyone post his or her own images on a blog or website for which a link can be provided.
As soon as a participant has posted 5 pages and sent me a link I'll go and check out their posts at that time. The link will then be placed in the link list of 2012 participants in the right column of this blog. The introductory material on the blog will direct readers to that list. Whatever shape the contest takes this year, the winner will come from that list.
This will immediately free up more time for me to make and scan my own work. And I won't have to keep track of links and addresses and such.
Watch for additional changes as they are finalized.
In the meantime, I hope you are selecting paper that you will enjoy working on for a month, ditto media!
Take a moment to read past posts about preparing for IFJM by scanning the category cloud.
It is most important to spend a little bit of time thinking about who your character is. He or she will be writing your journal in the first person, a little bit each day (ideally) or a little bit several times a week, during April 2012. You want to be sure that he or she is someone with whom you can live and grow.
To test your idea you might want to write a brief background of your character. This isn't part of your journal because it isn't written in the first person. It's just a little examination of who your character is, what she or he might want. What goals does your character have? What occupation? What quirks? How will you be able to pull off writing and sketching from the perspective of that person? Will you have to do some research? Will you be interviewing someone who has that job? Do you have the time, each day in April, to make progress in your project, in a meaningful and significant way? Which is more important to you—experimenting with a visual style or with the text? How does the project further your current art goals? How can you tweak the project so that it better supports your current art goals or personal goals?
Keep in mind that it is perfectly suitable to keep an IFJM journal with no text at all, and no explanation. Only YOU need to know what is going on and what will be a consistent action (and art action) on the part of your character. You do not need to explain anything to anyone! (I do recommend that at the end of the month you write a background note and paste it into the back of your fake journal so that 10 years from now you can remind yourself what the perspective of your character was—even who she or he was.)
So now it's time to do some serious thought for your project. Don't sweat it, just sit down and think about it, start taking some notes, let it grow. If you find an idea that appeals to you let it sit in your brain for a couple days and ask yourself "when during MY day would I be able to write from this character's perspective?" The answers may surprise you. If after two or three days you find the idea begins to lose its shine, go back to the drawing board for a new concept.
While I know that I'll be working in the thin, blue-covered book shown above, I'm not sure yet that my final idea has fully gelled. I have a couple weeks to let it percolate.
I hope you'll all consider joining me this year with your own fake journal. I look forward to seeing them.
14 comments:
- Miss T said...
Frank! I can't wait!
- March 6, 2012 at 7:09 AM
- journalrat said...
Well it's still just a thought. I have too much to get my head around these days and everything seems to be falling through the cracks. Can Frank save IFJM for me? EEEEEK.
- March 6, 2012 at 9:34 AM
- Miss T said...
Frank seems to be a very heroic sort of guy. I think he can save the month!
- March 7, 2012 at 10:44 AM
- Judi said...
Hi Roz, Had so much fun with my Fake Journal last year! Does this year's change in IFJM's organization mean that there will be a link on this site to our entire Fake Journal Blog (if we dedicate an entire blog to it) by the end of the month rather than the previous year's link to only the first post we make? Thanks in advance....
- March 9, 2012 at 11:50 PM
- Judi said...
By the way....I already have your 2012 image and link on my blog. Actually remembered how to do it from last year. :-)
- March 10, 2012 at 12:01 AM
- journalrat said...
Judi, each year everyone who sent me links was put in a link list, scroll down the right column to see the appropriate lists from the different years. If you were missed you can get added to that if you send me the first link.
Since most people have been putting their posts in an existing blog I have to go with a link to the first post so that people landing there can be oriented (and I'm assuming find their way from there), but some people, like Anne Bray if I'm remembering correctly, do a dedicated blog and then the link goes to the blog directly, at least in theory (there could be human error on my part). Hope that answers your question. It isn't really a change, except that I'll be doing this earlier after people send me a notification they have five postings up. The big change is that there won't be all the notification of every posting going on and on. A cutting down of "digital" paper work on the part of both parties.
- March 10, 2012 at 9:45 AM
- journalrat said...
Judi, thanks for promotion the 2012 IFJM on your blog already!
I hope you have fun participating this year.
- March 10, 2012 at 9:46 AM
- Judi said...
Thanks, Roz. I had dedicated an entire blog to my IFJ last year, but the link on your site only contained the first post (and not the rest of the blog). I don't think a lot of people know how to get to our entire IFJM blog after day one when it's posted that way. Or maybe I'm not giving them enough credit! This year I'll try to link to my ongoing blog as I plan to dedicate the whole blog to this year's IFJ again. Can't wait!!
- March 11, 2012 at 6:25 PM
- journalrat said...
Judi, there's sort of two thoughts on this. If people can't get to the first one they might get frustrated and just give up (I know I do). So I basically give people credit for knowing how to navigate around a dedicated blog if I get them to the first post.
- March 11, 2012 at 9:03 PM
- Green Morning said...
Yay! I can't wait for April! So close!
- March 14, 2012 at 12:30 AM
- anne m bray said...
Yes, SpyGirl will attend!
From a lowly drawing under a bush in 2010, a creative explosion in 2011, and my passport to a fashion bloggers conference this March, SpyGirl has taken on a life of her own. The blog has become very "real" and it'll be fun to deliberately "go fake" again. Looking forward to April!
- March 20, 2012 at 8:12 AM
- Susan Walker Art said...
Going to join you again this year. I can't wait to get started. Well I've started, but you know what I mean...See everyone soon!
- March 23, 2012 at 8:14 AM
- Maggie said...
Hi Roz
I'm in for the 2012 IFJM this year and I'm excited about it. My character has been practically shouting in my head. I really can't wait; I've already started designing her blog so that it's ready when she starts journaling.
- March 27, 2012 at 11:06 AM
- journalrat said...
Susan, Maggie, and Ann, so great to hear you are all in for this year. I'm sorry if your comments didn't get posted right away, I'm playing catch up!
- March 31, 2012 at 9:52 AM


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Blacks fret free-for-all for Ill. seat
Black leaders are growing increasingly worried that a white candidate might seize the seat of former Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in the upcoming Illinois special election.
With a host of black candidates announcing their intention to seek the seat, the concern is that they could split the African-American vote and provide a plurality to a white contender. The worries escalated this week after former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, a white Democrat and veteran of suburban Chicago politics, threw her hat into the ring.
Story Continued Below
( PHOTOS: Jesse Jackson Jr.'s career)
Losing Jackson's seat would be a blow to the black establishment. Chicago, long a center of black cultural and political power — it's the home of the nation's first black president, Barack Obama, and the first 20th-century black member of Congress, Oscar De Priest — would see its delegation in the Congressional Black Caucus diminish from three seats to two. And there's Jackson's background as the son of iconic civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Jackson's district, which first elected him in 1995, contains a small majority of black voters.
"There's a great deal of concern that Debbie Halvorson would win because the black vote would be split 18 ways," said Delmarie Cobb, a longtime Democratic political consultant in Chicago who formerly worked for Jackson Jr.
"The battle we have is that we can't afford to lose a black voice in Congress," she added. "It would be a terrible loss in many ways."
Jackson Jr., who has been undergoing treatment for mental health issues, announced his resignation last week. Gov. Pat Quinn has set the primary election for Feb. 26, and a general election is expected on April 9.
Halvorson, black leaders say, presents a particular threat. The former congresswoman, who served two years in the House and spent 15 years in local and state office, fell short in her primary bid early this year against Jackson, but she won majorities of the vote in Will and Kankakee counties — suburban, mostly white areas that comprise two of the district's three counties.
Some black officials have met Halvorson's entry into the race with outright hostility. Kwame Raoul, a Democratic state senator who has been vocal about his concern that a white candidate could win the seat, said the former congresswoman is exploiting an opportunity she saw in the emerging crowded field of black candidates.


text:
It's no secret that more and more people use their smartphones as an extension of their hands—look around any public place and it won't be long before you see someone with their head down, focusing on their BlackBerry® smartphone. Inbound Marketing Blog Hubspot® estimates that in the United States alone, smartphone users will number around 107 million in 2012 – roughly one-third of the population. And Reuters claims that global smartphone sales will top 1 billion units in 2014.
So, how are people using their smartphones? We curated research from industry sources and rounded up five reasons why people are grabbing their smartphones at home and at work:
- Surfing the Web: For those of you surfing the digital cosmos via the BlackBerry Browser, you're not alone. Hubspot estimates that the number of mobile internet users will reach 113.9 million in 2012.
- SMS Text/BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) Messaging: Portio Research found that about 8 trillion SMS messages were sent in 2011, and they predict that number to grow to nearly 10 trillion by the end of 2012.
- Socializing: A recent ComScore survey found that 70 percent of mobile users posted a status update to Twitter®, Facebook®, LinkedIn® or another social network via their smartphone in 2011.
- Email: Another ComScore report states that 90 million Americans use their smartphone to access email, with 64 percent of those users accessing their email almost every day.
- Gaming: Reports form several sources found that in 2011, about 1 in 3 smartphone users played games on their devices (that's a lot of Angry Birds).
How many of these five examples describe your mobile life? I'm pretty much using my BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone for all five of them – how about you?


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Michael Long - Worship Assistant & Graphic Artist
Playing the piano by the age of seven, Michael Long has served churches as pianist since the age of 15. Michael attended Liberty University. He was the Office Manager in their family business for 10 years and was called into full time ministry at FBC Lexington in October of 2007. Michael has served First Baptist as the church pianist since 2004. Currently Michael is the Worship Assistant and Graphic Designer at FBC.
Contact Michael
803-957-0686 ext. 1005


text: Osaka, Japan, November 3, 2010 - The Dominican Republic beat Canada in four sets (21-25, 28-26, 25-11, 25-20) for their first victory at the FIVB Women's World Championship on the final day of first-round action in Pool D at Osaka City Municipal Gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon.Prisilla Rivera paced the Dominicans (1-4) with a match-high 24 points. Dahiana Burgos added 17 for the winners. Tiffany Dodds led Canada (0-5) with 14 points.Canada held a 16-13 lead at the second TTO in the first set but the Dominicans came back to equalize at 16-16 before Canada took the set 25-21.Elisa Eve had a tough time in the second set, as she was hit in the face twice in the space of three points. The first came after a spike from Canada, the second when a team-mate tried to keep a ball in play. The second set was close all the way. Canada had two set-points but could not close out the set and saw the Dominican Republic prevail 28-26.Marcos Kwiek's team took control of the match in the third set. Dominating play at the net and making several excellent saves, they won 25-11. The fourth set provided more of the same as the Dominicans continued their momentum until the end.