text:
Please click here for other Twilight and New Moon products, graphics and posts on this site, including:
- Backgrounds for iPhones, Blackberries and other handhelds
- Facebook tagging memes
- Photo sized cards (print like regular 6″ x 4″ photo)
- Polls (related to Twilight Saga or their actors and actresses)
- Posters (8″ x 12″ up to 20″ x 24″, most also printable as 6″ x 4″ photos)
- Wallpapers for monitors of many sizes
My Twilight Facebook picture tagging meme has proven quite popular, widely stolen for reposting all over the Net, stripped of its credits and plastered with advertisements for the thieves. It's made a lot of Twilight fans happy, I'm sure, but it's caused a lot of people pain as well… seeing how strong the anti-Twilight movement is out there. So I decided to restore the balance by creating an anti-Twilight Facebook picture tagging meme.
You can use this in several ways. You can tag your friends who are anti-Twilight fans. What might be funner is to let them tag themselves on the icon of their choice. I don't know if there's a maximum you can tag per picture, but if you hit a limit, can you tell me?
I don't recommend tagging friends who are Twilight fans. It's not nice and they can untag themselves anyway… although I left a space for the secret Twilight lover, or one who wants to subject themselves to the ridicule, just for the heck of it, but let them tag themselves, eh? Have your fun, but not at the expense of others, K?
Here's how to get this graphic for your Facebook fun:
- Click on the picture at the bottom to get it at full size.
- Right click on that picture and save to your computer.
- Upload it to your Facebook profile.
- Tag your friends!
Please click here for a complete list of over 100 Facebook picture tagging memes on this site with which you can use for fun with your friends.
from the original post
Twilight fans, you can thank a commenter named Ashley for this one. About a week ago, she urged me to make a Twilight Facebook picture tagging meme in a comment. I had to do research but thank goodness for Wikipedia to detail the characters for me. I hope you enjoy it!
Obviously, those anti-Twilight types are going to hate me for this, but hey, what can I say?
That would seem "appropriate". 😉
The big yellow Warning and Caution signs in the Anti-Twilight meme was created by Persnicketese on Deviant Art. Please see links and comments below for claim.
Used with permission of the original author. Thank you.
Twilight Anime Animals theme pointed out to me by my friend LorieM via one of her friends AlysonH. Thanks!


text:
About Native Eyewear
Since 1997, Native Eyewear has been making sunglasses for the most hardcore outdoor athlete. Their sunglasses are designed to have a close, secure fit so you can ski, climb, bike, or throw yourself out of an airplane with confidence they'll stay put. On models with interchangeable lenses, you get four different colors that allow you to adapt to any light conditions. Standard on every pair of Native sunglasses are polarized lenses, which cut sun glare off of smooth surfaces like roadways and water for improved vision in the outdoors.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Story highlights
National District Attorneys Association: Only 13 killings in past 100 years
Two prosecutors were killed in one Texas county recently
Law Enforcement Memorial in D.C. has names of more than 19,000 officers
The murders of two Texas prosecutors has raised concerns about the safety of others in those positions, but the slayings of prosecutors in the U.S. is "beyond rare," according to a leader of the nation's state and local prosecutors.
Scott Burns, executive director for the National District Attorneys Association, indicated Tuesday that there is no need for overreacting to the recent shooting.
Burns said the best available figures show that only 13 prosecutors have been killed in the line of duty in the past 100 years.
Neighbor of slain Texas prosecutor heard nothing unusual
A memorial in Columbia, South Carolina, erected to honor murdered prosecutors bears only 11 names, including just one federal official.
The names of the two state prosecutors slain in Kaufman County, Texas – District Attorney Mike McLelland and Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse – will be added to the memorial at an appropriate time, the association said.
While no one discounts the potential danger to prosecutors, officials are seeking to maintain perspective.
The National District Attorneys Association has issued a statement to "remind all prosecutors to continue to be vigilant with respect to their personal safety and take appropriate steps should they receive any threats or cause for concern."
Similarly, the Justice Department took a low key approach.
"We always take the safety of Justice Department personnel extremely seriously and take appropriate steps when warranted," said Justice spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle.
In contrast to the handful of slain prosecutors in the nation, the count of sworn law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty continues to mount.
The National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington now bears the names of more than 19,000 officers slain while on duty, according to memorial officials.


text:
Showtime has announced that several of the cable channel' series will be airing in the next few months. The returning series include Weeds, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, and The Big C. New shows include The Borgias and Web Therapy.
The returns of Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara were announced back in January.
Here's the press release from Showtime:
2011 Spring/Summer Programming Overview
2-hour premiere: Sunday, April 3rd at 9 PM ET/PT; following premiere, new episodes will air Sundays at 10 PM ET/PT
1 Hour, 9 Episodes
THE BORGIAS stars Oscar(R)-winning actor Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, the cunning, manipulative patriarch of The Borgia family who builds an empire through the corruption of the holy Catholic Church and orchestrates a relentless reign of power and flamboyant cruelty. The series begins as Rodrigo (Irons), bribes, buys and muscles his way into the papacy becoming Pope Alexander VI. The series is set in one of the most significant periods in history: the Western Renaissance and the discovery of the New World. Contemporaries of Da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Medicis, the Borgias were controversial and heretical, not so much for performing acts unheard of in their time, but for being better at it than their enemies. Along the way, the family commits virtually every sin in the book and invented more than a few of their own. Academy Award(R)-winning director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) serves as creator, executive producer and writer of all nine episodes, in addition to directing the first two episodes.
Premiere: Thursday, April 7th at 11 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 8 Episodes
GIGOLOS is a half-hour reality series following a tight-knit group of regular Vegas guys — they hit the gym, balance relationships, provide for their families — and they just so happen to be high-end male escorts.
Premiere: Tuesday, July 19th at 11 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 10 Episodes
WEB THERAPY stars Emmy(R) Award-winning actress Lisa Kudrow as "Dr. Fiona Wallice," a self-professed psychotherapist who treats patients via webcam in weekly, three-minute sessions – a modality she believes more effective than the traditional 50-minute talk-a-thons heralded by other mental health professionals. However, she spends more time feigning boredom, interrupting and giving meaningless personal data than hearing her patient's issues. Her "patients" including Jane Lynch ("Glee"), Courteney Cox ("Cougar Town"), Rashida Jones ("Parks and Recreation"), and, veteran star Bob Balaban ("For Your Consideration"), among others, are given a script framework, but ad-lib their performances with riotous results. The series will also delve into the doctor's personal life and will feature Lily Tomlin as her mother and Victor Garber ("Alias") as her husband.
NURSE JACKIE (Season 3)
Premiere: Monday, March 28th at 10 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 12 Episodes
Picking up right where she left off, Jackie (EDIE FALCO) takes the contents of the medicine cabinet, throws it in a laundry bag and dumps it at Kevin's (DOMINIC FUMUSA) feet. She attacks him right back about spending, the girls' school and her bad back – she's no drug addict. Akalitus (ANNA DEVEARE SMITH) announces that nearby hospitals have closed down and that the staff should remain on their toes. A hungover Sam (ARJUN GUPTA) is now totally beholden to Jackie and Thor (STEPHEN WALLEM) for their help. Post intervention, things are tense with O'Hara (EVE BEST) and Jackie, and O'Hara goes to Akalitus hoping to avoid working with Jackie. Dr. Cooper (PETER FACINELLI) avoids Sam and treats a little boy who stuck a small mirror up his nose, trying to see his brain. Zoey (MERRITT WEVER) confesses to everyone that she and Lenny (LENNY JACOBSON) had sex. Kevin enrolls Fiona (MACKENZIE ALADJEM) in Immaculate Virgin and shows up unannounced at the ER, causing a stir and freaking out Eddie (PAUL SCHULZE) and Jackie. After her shift, Jackie shows up at the softball field to cheer Kevin and his bar team on. Things are strained, but she's not showing it.
UNITED STATES OF TARA (Season 3)
Premiere: Monday, March 28th at 10:30 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 12 Episodes
Season 3 begins with Tara (TONI COLLETTE) returning to the family's Labor Day barbecue, after a transition to Buck leads her on an unexpected mission. Kate (BRIE LARSON) is trying desperately to plan the next phase of her life, one that does not include college or living with her very pregnant Aunt Charmaine (ROSEMARIE DEWITT), who, in her own way, avoids committing to Neil (PATTON OSWALT). Meanwhile, student filmmakers Marshall (KEIR GILCHRIST) and Lionel Trane (MICHAEL WILLETT) make their first commitment together when they purchase a new video camera for film class. All the college talk makes Tara realize how badly she wants to finish the last few credits of her own degree, and so, with the help of Ted Mayo (MICHAEL HITCHCOCK), Tara enrolls in a few classes, including a psychology course taught by the charismatic Dr. Jack Hattaras (EDDIE IZZARD). But Max (JOHN CORBETT) is fearful that the stress of college will cause Tara to transition… or worse.
SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL (Final Season)
Premiere: Thursday, April 7th at 10:30 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 8 Episodes
Belle (BILLIE PIPER) is back and in the final season, the stakes have never been higher – accepting Ben's (IDDO GOLDBERG) offer of a lasting relationship means that Belle has a real chance of happiness, but Ben is her one true friend and if she messes up, she'll lose him forever. And with Stephanie (CHERIE LUNGHI) in prison for her questionable finances, Belle finds herself being — albeit reluctantly – a Madam, while also becoming the unlikely guardian of Stephanie's innocent 19 year-old daughter, Poppy (LILY JAMES). But as Belle succeeds in her professional life, her personal life starts to fall apart. A series of misunderstandings with loyal, loving Ben, the unravelling and corruption of 'good girl' Poppy and the introduction of the dangerous and alluring vice cop Harry (PAUL NICHOLLS), all force Belle to question who she really is and what she wants her future to be. Will she give up 'Belle' for Ben and commit to being just 'Hannah' or will she cut all ties and throw herself into the world of prostitution forever?
THE REAL L WORD(TM) (Season 2)
Premiere: Sunday, June 5th at 10 PM ET/PT
1 Hour, 9 Episodes
Season two follows a group of intriguing women – some returning and some new – as they share their personal stories at work and play, in the Los Angeles lesbian scene – all uncut and uncensored. The series is produced by one of the original executive producers of THE L WORD(R), Ilene Chaiken, and Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of the Emmy(R)-winning reality powerhouse Magical Elves (Project Runway, Top Chef).
WEEDS (Season 7)
Premiere: Monday, June 27th at 10 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 13 Episodes
Description TBD.
THE BIG C (Season 2)
Premiere: Monday, June 27th at 10:30 PM ET/PT
30 Minutes, 13 Episodes
As we move into fall for season two, a now well-seasoned Cathy (LAURA LINNEY) has progressed from Denial to Anger on the grief cycle and will become an all-out warrior in the fight against her Stage 4 melanoma, while Paul (OLIVER PLATT) finally steps up to become her greatest advocate and treatment cheerleader. But will he be threatened by Cathy's hot cancer specialist and her new best friend? Adam (GABRIEL BASSO) and Andrea's (special guest star GABOUREY SIDIBE) bond strengthens; and Sean (JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY), now living in Marlene's (PHYLLIS SOMERVILLE) old house, must ride the insufferable, emotional rollercoaster that is Rebecca's (guest star CYNTHIA NIXON) pregnancy.
Premieres: Saturday, March 5th at 9 PM ET/PT
Filmed in front of a sold out audience of 1,800 people, former sitcom star and talk show host Caroline Rhea performs as well as hosts her funniest friends. From Ryan Hamilton, winner of Best New Artist at the 2010 Montreal Comedy Festival), and seasoned veterans like Page Hurwitz and Liam McEnearny, to Costaki Econonmpouos, long-time comic and writer (who just happens to be the father of Caroline's child.)
Premiere: Thursday, March 10th at 8:30 PM ET/PT
Taped in Santa Monica in 2010, FIERCE FUNNY WOMEN present stand-up comedy for all audiences. Subtle, disarming GLORIA BIGELOW will make you laugh, think, and leave you wanting more, JEN KOBER uses her southern-style charm, sardonic GAYLA JOHNSON reveals her view on life with an explosive presence and BETSY SALKIND, best known for her squirrel impression, is a smart, subversive comic with the charm to get away with it.
Premiere: Saturday, April 16th at 9 PM ET/PT
ARIES SPEARS: HOLLYWOOD, LOOK I'M SMILING is a laugh-out-loud and insightful comedy concert starring Mad TV's breakout star Aries Spears. He is in rare form as he tackles controversial topics such as "political correctness," the "Hollywood establishment" and race relations in America. Filmed in front of a live audience at the Best Buy Theater in New York's Times Square, Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling is not only one of Spears' strongest performances, it is also a no-holds-barred attempt to shed light on the hypocrisy of today's society. Spears refuses to play by the rules. Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling is in-your-face, ironical and smart… but most of all, it's hilariously funny.
Premiere: Saturday, April 23rd at 9 PM ET/PT
Filmed in front of a sold-out audience of 1,800 in San Bernardino during the LOL Comedy Festival. Jon Lovitz shot to stardom as one of the cast members on Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1992. His famous idiom "Yeah yeah, that's the ticket" was a pop cultural quote throughout the mid 80's and early 90's. Jon Lovitz brings the best performers from his own Jon Lovitz Comedy Club, with hilarious performances by seasoned veterans: Quinn Dahle, Ian Bagg, Al Del Bene and Daryl Wright.
Premiere: Thursday, March 3rd at 8:30 PM ET/PT
Ahead of Time tells the remarkable life story of 99 year-old female trailblazer Ruth Gruber, born in 1911. She defied tradition from the moment she became the world's youngest PhD at the age of 20 in 1931.
* During her trail-blazing career, she was the first journalist to enter the Soviet Arctic (in 1935)
* She was chosen by the Roosevelt administration to escort 1,000 Holocaust refugees from Naples to New York in a secret wartime mission in 1944.
* Ruth covered the Nuremberg trials in 1946.
* She covered the heart wrenching ordeal of the refugees aboard the ship Exodus 1947 with photographs that helped change the world. Her photos of the ship Exodus 1947 were published in Life Magazine and around the world.
* On October 19, 2010, The Norman Mailer Center awarded 99 year-old Ruth Gruber their Distinguished Humanitarian and Journalism Prize
* She has won multiple Lifetime Achievement Awards and Honorary Doctorates. (A complete list can be supplied upon request.)
This is the directorial debut of noted cinematographer Bob Richman (The September Issue, My Architect, and An Inconvenient Truth).
Premiere: Thursday, March 31st at 8 PM ET/PT
First time filmmaker Leslie Zemeckis paints an "affectionate and engaging" (New York Daily News) portrait of the art of burlesque and its relevance in cultural history. Burlesque was one of America's most popular forms of live entertainment in the first half of the 20th century. Gaudy, bawdy and spectacular, the shows entertained thousands of paying customers every night of the week and yet the legacy of burlesque is often misunderstood and left out of the history books. By telling the intimate and surprising stories from its golden age through the women (and men) who lived it, Behind the Burly Q reveals the true story of burlesque as it experiences a new renaissance.
What do you think? Are you looking forward to seeing one of these shows in particular?
Image courtesy Showtime.


text:
It's not everyday that y
ou read about a stolen house. Not the entire contents of a house, but the actual house itself.
Such is the plight of a man from Brampton, ON Canada who was shocked to find his 45-foot long double-wide mobile home was stolen from his rural property. While he was away, someone hooked up the double-wide to the back of a truck and drove off with it.
The culprit did not make it too far as the $30,000 mobile home was found a few days later in the next town over, a mere 10 km (6 miles) from the local police station. The thief produced documents proving the home was his, but, big surprise, they were forged. [National Post via Boing Boing; Photo by David McNew/Getty Images]


text:
Editor: Michael Dell, CPA
Expenses & Deductions
The IRS in September issued proposed regulations (REG-124148-05) clarifying the application of Sec. 174 to the costs to create "pilot models" or prototypes. The proposed rules state that the reason a taxpayer creates a prototype or other product, and not its subsequent sale or use, determines whether it qualifies under Sec. 174. In addition, the IRS provides a definition of a pilot model and proposes to apply an approach consistent with the Sec. 41 research credit "shrinking back" rule to prototype costs.
Under Sec. 174(a), taxpayers may treat research or experimental expenditures paid or incurred in a tax year in connection with a trade or business as expenses that are not chargeable to a capital account. They may deduct such expenditures in the year paid or incurred. Regs. Sec. 1.174-2(a)(1) defines "research or experimental expenditures" as "expenditures incurred in connection with the taxpayer's trade or business which represent research and development costs in the experimental or laboratory sense. The term generally includes all such costs incident to the development or improvement of a product."
Sec. 174(c) and Regs. Sec. 1.174-2(b)(1) specify that Sec. 174 does not apply to any expenditure for the acquisition or improvement of land, or for the acquisition or improvement of property to be used in connection with the research or experimentation that is of a character that is subject to the allowance for depreciation. Regs. Secs. 1.174-2(b)(2) and (4) expand upon this limitation when research or experimental expenditures occur on a project that results, as an end product of the overall effort, in depreciable property to be used in the taxpayer's trade or business. Under this provision, the costs to design the end product may be treated as Sec. 174 costs and deducted in the year incurred, but the cost of the component materials of the asset constructed are not deductible and must be charged to an asset account.
The IRS has argued in the past that Sec. 174(c) precludes Sec. 174 treatment in the case of a subsequent sale of a resulting product to a customer because the sale gives rise to depreciable property in the hands of the customer. However, in T.G. Missouri, 133 T.C. 278 (2009), the Tax Court rejected this argument.
Proposed Regs.
In particular, adopting the Tax Court's holding in T.G. Missouri, the proposed regulations provide that a deduction under Sec. 174(a) is not inconsistent with a taxpayer's subsequent sale or use of a pilot model. In putting forth this rule, the IRS stated that allowing a subsequent event (such as a sale of a resulting product to a customer) to override Sec. 174 eligibility is inconsistent with congressional intent of avoiding uncertainty and encouraging research investment.
Accordingly, the proposed regulations specify that the ultimate success, failure, sale, or other use of research or property resulting from research or experimentation is not relevant for determining Sec. 174 eligibility. The proposed regulations also clarify that the rule requiring capitalization of the costs of depreciable property resulting from a project to design and build property is an application of the general rule and should not be applied to exclude otherwise eligible expenditures.
The proposed regulations also include a number of other helpful clarifications. They specify that the costs of producing a product after uncertainty concerning the development or improvement of the product is eliminated are not eligible expenses under Sec. 174 because the costs are not for research or experimentation, but also state that eligible costs may be incurred after production of a business component commences when uncertainty concerning the development or improvement of a product continues to exist.
The proposed regulations define a pilot model as "any representation or model of a product that is produced to evaluate and resolve uncertainty concerning the product during the development or improvement of the product." This includes fully functional representations or models of a product and, to the extent the shrinking-back rule applies, a component of a product.
The shrinking-back rule in the proposed regulations, similar to the one in the Sec. 41 regulations (Regs. Sec. 1.41-4(b)(2)), addresses when the requirements for Sec. 174 eligibility are met with respect to only a component part of a product and not the overall product. The IRS states that the shrinking-back rule preserves Sec. 174 eligibility when research expenditures relate to component parts but not the larger project. The proposed regulations' preamble provides as an example research related to an automobile's braking system when the overall design of the automobile and other components is already certain. The proposed regulations also state that the shrinking-back rule is not intended to exclude otherwise eligible expenditures.
The IRS proposes the regulations to apply to tax years ending on or after the final regulations are published. However, the IRS states that taxpayers may rely on the proposed regulations until that time, and it will not challenge return positions consistent with the proposed regulations.
The proposed regulations provide a number of helpful clarifications to the application of the Sec. 174 rules. In particular, the rejection of the argument propounded by the IRS in T.G. Missouri —that the character of the property resulting from the research could prohibit the application of Sec. 174 to the costs to create the property—will eliminate needless controversy.
Also useful will be the proposed definition of a prototype quoted above. Moreover, the incorporation into this definition of a fully functional representation of a design will help, since the IRS previously questioned whether functional prototypes tested in actual operating environments are necessarily a component of research "in the experimental or laboratory sense." In addition, the example enabling multiple prototypes of a design representation will diminish controversy about the scope of the Sec. 174 rules.
Furthermore, the proposed regulations contain a helpful example of an evolutionary product development effort. While other examples illustrate the creation of "new" products or processes, Prop. Regs. Sec. 1.174-2(a)(11), Example (6), illustrates qualifying costs paid or incurred by a taxpayer seeking "to improve a machine for use in its trade or business."
How the IRS incorporates the research credit shrinking-back concept into the Sec. 174 rules will be important in determining how favorable this rule is for taxpayers in resolving controversies with the IRS. In particular, the statement in the proposed regulations that "[t]he presence of uncertainty concerning the development or improvement of certain components of a product does not necessarily indicate the presence of uncertainty concerning the development or improvement of other components of the product or the product as a whole" (Prop. Regs. Sec. 1.174-2(a)(5)) may create needless controversy if the IRS seeks to isolate the most experimental elements of a product improvement effort without considering the integration issues involved in developing the larger product.
In addition, the proposed rules may place more pressure on determining when uncertainty ends.
On balance, however, the proposed regulations contain several significant taxpayer-favorable clarifications and changes upon which taxpayers may immediately rely.
Michael Dell is a partner at Ernst & Young LLP in Washington, D.C.
For additional information about these items, contact Mr. Dell at 202-327-8788 or firstname.lastname@example.com .
Unless otherwise noted, contributors are members of or associated with Ernst & Young LLP.


text:
About Us
Springer Nature is an ambitious and dynamic organisation that is home to some of the best known names in research, educational and professional publishing. Working at the heart of a changing industry we are always looking for great people who care about delivering quality to our customers and the communities we work alongside.
In return you will find Springer Nature is a great place to learn from some of the best in the business, with a culture that empowers people to find solutions and act on their instincts.
Whether you are at the beginning of your career or are an experienced professional, we invite you to find out more about the roles we offer and explore our current vacancies.


text:
So … after owning a set of Curlformers for two years … I'm finally trying them for the first time. I've watched Naptural85 and MahoganyCurls tutorials 50 gajillion times and finally successfully and easily installed a Curlformer this past weekend. So, since I have an event to attend this weekend, I decided I'd give them a try!!
22″ Extra Long and Wide
Too short?!?! When did my hair get longer than 22″??!?!
Shoot, when did it get to be 22″?? I thought it was 19-20″!!!
So, I had to pull most of the curlers down about an inch from the root
to make certain my ends were fully covered.
Hopefully my hair will dry overnight and survive my morning workout (I don't think that I can run with these in my hair, so I may just do some incline walking instead). I'll be back to report the results tomorrow hopefully (Man of Steel is going down tomorrow night … so I can't make any promises) … the good, the bad or the ugly. And then I'll share what I did, what products I used, what I'd do differently next time and what I think of the much lauded and reviewed Curlformers!!


text:
|Nat Rothschild loses libel action against Daily Mail
Banker had sued Associated Newspapers over what he claimed were sustained and unjustified attacks in a May 2010 story
| February 10, 2012
Nat Rothschild has lost his libel action against the Daily Mail over being portrayed as a "puppet-master" who brought together Lord Mandelson and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
Rothschild, the Swiss-based financier, had asked for very substantial damages from Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers over what he claimed were sustained and unjustified attacks in a May 2010 story.
The newspaper denied libel and pleaded justification.
After the decision was given on Friday by Mr Justice Tugendhat, who heard the case at London's high court without a jury, Rothschild, who was not present, said in a statement that he intended to appeal.
Tugendhat said that it had been established by Associated Newspapers that "the words complained of were substantially true".
He added that even if he had decided in favour of Rothschild over the article, headlined, "Exclusive: Mandelson an oligarch and a £500m deal", he would only have awarded "modest" £3,000 damages. A decision is yet to be made on costs.
Tugendhat said it was for Rothschild, who sued over the whole article, to prove that it was defamatory of him.
He added that when Rothschild flew Mandelson to Russia in his private jet, he must or ought to have foreseen that his attendance at an Alcoa dinner "would and it did, bring Lord Mandelson's public offices and personal integrity into disrepute, and expose him to accusations of conflict between his duties as EU trade commissioner and his private interest and enjoyment of private jets and other luxuries, and thus in pleasing those from who he accepted such generous hospitality".
Regarding the claim that Rothschild's conduct was "inappropriate", the judge said: "In my judgment that conduct foreseeably brought Lord Mandelson's public office and personal integrity into disrepute and exposed him to accusations of conflict of interest , and it gave rise to the reasonable grounds to suspect that Lord Mandelson had engaged in improper discussions with Mr Deripaska about aluminium."
A spokesman for the Daily Mail said:"We are pleased with Mr Justice Tugendhat's judgment which vindicates our reporting of this story.
"He concluded, rightly, that Mr Rothschild placed the reputation of his friend, Mr Mandelson (then the European trade commissioner) at risk by inviting him to meet Mr Deripaska in Russia.
"Mr Justice Tugendhat accepted Mr Rothschild's conduct had been 'inappropriate in a number of respects' and had 'brought Lord Mandelson's public office and personal integrity into disrepute and exposed him to accusations of conflict of interest'.
"This case is a reminder, at a time when newspapers are under attack for invading privacy, that the rich and powerful regularly use the law to prevent legitimate scrutiny of their activities. Had the Mail lost this case, it could have incurred costs of more than £1m.
"Not many news organisations, however committed they are to free speech, can afford to risk a loss of that magnitude.
"As Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry considers the balance between privacy and freedom of expression, the chilling effect on free speech that court cases like this one exert needs to be borne in mind."
Rothschild said after Friday's judgment: "I am disappointed with today's ruling, although I do not regret bringing the action.
"I brought this action seeking an apology for the Daily Mail's utterly false claim that I had arranged for Lord Mandelson to attend a dinner in Moscow to close a deal between Alcoa and Rusal and that this had caused the loss of 300 British jobs," Rothschild added.
"The truth is, as the Daily Mail has now accepted, that I had nothing whatsoever to do with this deal and that it had in any event been completed before Lord Mandelson and I even arrived in Moscow.
"Lord Mandelson's trip to Russia was entirely recreational ñ as the court has accepted ñ and Lord Mandelson had obtained clearance for the trip from his office before undertaking it."
Andrew Caldecott QC, for Associated Newspapers, said during the trial that the defence of the Daily Mail's story should succeed as it was "clear beyond doubt" that the article meant there was a "wider malaise".
Caldecott added that Rothschild fostered a relationship between Mandelson and Deripaska that endangered the dignity and reputation of the then EU commissioner.
"It is way beyond the norm for a Russian oligarch to be flying the trade commissioner, who he does not know well at the time, to fly him in his private jet to his private chalet to be wined and dined by him," he told the high court. "It creates the perception that Lord Mandelson may be beholden to his host and also gives Mr Deripaska cachet."
Caldecott said the main purpose of the trip was to allow Deripaska to get to know Mandelson better, and the Daily Mail said that was inappropriate.
The paper accepted that there were recreational moments on the trip, but Caldecott said the court should be wary of the photos it had seen, which Rothschild said showed a "light-hearted and enjoyable visit" by friends.
"Businessmen discuss business on ski lifts ñ and when they are having banyas [steam baths]. You may have a recreational background to a business discussion," he added.
Rothschild's counsel, Hugh Tomlinson QC, said during last month's trial that the newspaper's case was that the banker took Mandelson, then European Commissioner for Trade, on a January 2005 trip to Siberia in order to impress Deripaska when he knew, or ought to have known, that if anyone found out about it, the former Labour cabinet minister would have been compromised.
Tomlinson added that it was also said there were grounds for believing that Mandelson discussed aluminium tariffs with Deripaska and Rothschild encouraged the inappropriate relationship.
Mandelson and Deripaska were not parties to the action and did not take any part in the trial.
Tomlinson emphasised that the case was not about them and the newspaper made no allegations they had done anything wrong.
"It is not said that Lord Mandelson had in fact a conflict of interest ñ simply there was an appearance," he told the high court.
"It is not said that Lord Mandelson failed to make any declarations of interest that he ought to have made or anything of that sort."
Giving evidence, Rothschild said he was "incredibly upset and distressed and amazed" when he saw the story, which he dismissed as "fiction".


text:
Brazil: reservoir of future ag production capacity?
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- In 2001, we estimated that Brazil could bring 200 to 300 million acres of land into agricultural production -- an area equal to the U.S. acreage involved in major crop production. Two years later, the, USDA Foreign Agricultura...
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- In 2001, we estimated that Brazil could bring 200 to 300 million acres of land into agricultural production -- an area equal to the U.S. acreage involved in major crop production. Two years later, the, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service estimated that, over time, the potential added production acreage could be closer to 420 million acres.
In our 2003 column describing the FAS report, we wrote "The long-term trend suggests that this expansion would proceed at the rate of 3 to 4 percent a year, if current conditions continue to prevail. Significantly lower crop prices or higher cattle prices could retard the expansion of crop acreage, while high crop prices could accelerate the growth in crop acreage. This growth is premised on three conditions: the legalization of the production of GMO crops in Brazil, the widespread adoption of high-yield crop varieties and improvement in the transportation infrastructure in Brazil that will lower the cost of getting agricultural crops to the port."
Looking at this information nearly a decade later, crop prices in 2012 are at record levels. Brazil has long since adopted the cultivation of GMOs and soybean yields match or exceed those in the U.S., depending upon weather. The only obstacle Brazilian farmers face is getting the crop from the field to international markets, though that will not always be a problem.
We were not surprised to read, in a series of three DTN articles by Alistair Stewart, that "record prices will prompt Brazilian farmers to plant soybeans on any available ground this season [note the word "season" not "year"], whether it be old pasture in the east of Mato Grosso, recently cleared scrub in the new frontier lands of the northeast, or land previously earmarked for corn in the south. As a result, soybean-planted area is set to rise for a fifth-consecutive year -- by 8 percent to 12 percent to 67 million to 69 million acres -- forecasters say."
That is not all. If farmers in a number of areas can get the soybeans growing in time, they will be able to double-crop their fields with corn in late February. While corn yields in Brazil are well below those in the U.S., a second crop of corn helps cover fixed costs, increasing already profitable margins per hectare. Those who are able have every reason to try to double-crop their fields.
Though today's Brazilian corn yields are nowhere near those in the U.S., that is unlikely to be the case in the long-run. The current high prices will drive investment in the research necessary to increase yields.
In addition to double cropping, Brazilian farmers have the option to rotate crops with cattle production, an option unavailable to most Iowa and Illinois farmers. In 2003 when we talked to a member of the FAS team who estimated the 420 million acres, he told us that the rotation of livestock and crops, particularly soybeans, accounted for a portion of the increased acreage they had identified. That option is particularly attractive given the synergy between crop and livestock production.
In the last decade, Brazil has made progress improving its transportation infrastructure, but with the huge increase in crop production, there is still a long way to go. Today's high prices, however are driving long-term investments in paving roads, extending railroads and improving port facilities all with the goal of reducing transportation costs.
To us, all of this suggests that the world's ability to grow crops, lead by Brazil, will continue to run ahead of population growth, putting a downward pressure on crop prices. As suggested by the word "continue," this is indeed what has been happening through the decades, with the major geographical contributions to agricultural productivity varying over time.
There are those who think agriculture has entered a "new era." They argue that future agricultural supply and demand conditions will cause inflation-adjusted agricultural prices to reverse their historical patterns and trend upward in the years and decades ahead.
Although such Malthusian predictions are common, some of the arguments this time are worth considering.
Editor's Note: Ray holds the Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy in the Institute of Agriculture at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and is director of the university's Agricultural Policy Analysis Center. Schaffer is a research assistant professor at APAC.


text:
HONG KONG — Most Asian stock markets fell Monday, as new figures showed Japan's economy contracted the most in 35 years and Group of Seven finance ministers warned the global slump will drag on through most of the year.
The fourth quarter GDP numbers out of Japan, worse than many forecasts, was a sobering reminder of the toll on Asia's export-driven countries as world demand collapses amid the worst economic downturn in decades. According to the government, the world's second-biggest economy shrank 3.3 percent from the previous quarter, or at an annual pace of 12.7 percent.
Investors also seemed disappointed after finance chiefs from the Group of Seven developed countries finished their meeting in Rome with pledges to work together to boost growth and unemployment, but stopped short of concrete measures.
Increasingly, investors are unconvinced governments around the world are acting quick enough to solve the credit crisis, plummeting consumer demand and other problems at the heart of the economic slowdown, analysts said.
"The global recession is deeper than anticipated. At the same time policy makers are failing to deliver measures to address the problems," said Dariusz Kowalczyk, chief investment strategist for SJS Markets in Hong Kong. "It seems that what they're doing is too little too late."
Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average edged down 22.45 points, or 0.3 percent, to 7,756.95, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 231.84 points, or 1.7 percent, to 13,322.83. South Korea's Kospi lost 1.4 percent to 1,176.23.
Markets in Australia, India and Singapore also declined, while benchmarks in Shanghai and Taiwan gained.
In Japan, exporters were down on data showing the economy sank deeper into recession.
The result represents the steepest drop for Japan since the oil shock of 1974 and outpaced annual pace declines of 3.8 percent in the U.S. and 1.1 percent in the euro zone. A survey of economists by Kyodo news agency had projected an 11.6 percent contraction.
"It's clearly very shocking data," said Clive McDonnell, head of Asia strategy at BNP Paribas Securities in Hong Kong. "The drop is certainly beyond our own quite negative expectations. (Japan's) policy response has not been as effective."
Shares in Toyota Motor Corp. lost 1 percent, while electronics heavyweight Canon Inc. slid 1.8 percent.
Also weighing on markets were declines on Wall Street last week.
Friday, the Dow fell 82.35, or 1.04 percent, to 7,850.41, its lowest close since Nov. 20. Broader stock indicators also fell, with the Standard & Poor's 500 index down 8.35, or 1.00 percent, to 826.84. The S&P 500 ended the week off 4.8 percent.
U.S. markets are closed Monday for Presidents Day.
In the coming days, investors will be watching President Barack Obama, expected to sign the country's $787 billion economic stimulus measure on Tuesday. He plans to outline steps to stem home foreclosures on Wednesday, though analysts say investor enthusiasm surrounding the pending announcement is fairly low
In currencies, the dollar weakened to 91.74 yen, down from 91.87 yen late Friday. The euro fell to $1.2760 compared to $1.2860.
Oil prices were steady after soaring 10 percent last week, trading 12 cents higher at $37.63 for a barrel of light, sweet crude for March delivery. The contract rose $3.53 to settle at $37.51 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Friday.
Asian Stocks Slump on Recession Fears
HONG KONG — Most Asian stock markets fell Monday, as new figures showed Japan's economy contracted the most in 35 years and Group of Seven finance ministers warned the global slump will drag on through most of the year.


text:
Just The Facts: The Pros & Cons Of Homeschooling
You might assume the small children counting change at the grocery store register or hightailing it into the library at 12 p.m. on a Thursday are off from school for some unknown holiday or exotic teacher preparation ritual. Despite the preponderance of kids of all ages out there on the street, this may not be the case. The hoards of youngsters standing on line at museums and pottery classes, or accompanying their parents to yoga or jazz ballet during weekday hours, may actually be among the 1.5 million children currently estimated as being homeschooled in the U.S.
The U.S. Dept. of Education's most recent statistics show a slow, yet steady climb in the number of children whose parents eschew both the public school system and expensive, private schools, opting to take matters into their own hands and educate their kids on their own. The reasons for this phenomena vary and may be linked to ideology or geographic region. While the ranks of homeschooling families were once comprised primarily of parents citing religious reasons for their choice, the familial demographics of those opting out of formalized education has become wildly diverse and currently includes every stereotypical parental prototype imaginable.
Why homeschool?
"I realized early on that my daughter was a fidgeter," says one Vermont mother whose child was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and who asked to remain anonymous. "I saw so much of myself in her at that age. My inability to sit still absolutely interfered with my desire to excel in school. Watching her struggle made me remember how frustrated I felt, having to sit, unmoving, in a classroom. In those days, ADD was only something you did with numbers and not a diagnosis. When my daughter started having the same types of issues, it occurred to me that her school environment was holding her back in the same way it held me back. Rather than take the school system on, I decided to homeschool my daughter so she could move around freely without feeling shame and learn at her own pace. So far, so good. She excels at math and is able to comprehend challenging concepts as long as they are presented in small doses." She is not alone in her frustration with how the educational system handles atypical learning styles or learning disabilities. A Dept. of Education survey cites 73 percent of homeschooling parents as being dissatisfied with the academic instruction available in local schools.
Learning styles can be a significant factor in a parent's decision to homeschool their child, but is not the only one. Kids, particularly those growing up in urban areas, may find the regular school schedule chafing up against their burgeoning interests in theater, dance or art. Some parents who opt to homeschool their children do so in an attempt to alleviate scheduling issues between traditional class time and time spent pursuing their children's specialized talents. Advocates of homeschooling cite this as an admirable choice, but others argue that it is not in the best interests of the child.
Why not homeschool?
Teaching styles vary widely among parents who homeschool their kids. Some follow standard school curriculum, utilizing text books and following a schedule that includes math and English, while others opt to unschool, meaning that no curriculum whatsoever is utilized and each day is different from the next. Unschooling may be earmarked by a variety of trips and learning experiences and can be highly creative and child-led. But for some, these freewheeling unschooling days may instead be parent-led, pushing children to concentrate their efforts on interests of note for the adult rather than the child, or on religious ideology.
Arguably, an asset of attending regular school is the opportunity it affords kids to be exposed to a wide variety of subjects, not just those currently of interest, as well as a diverse group of people. While not all schools are created equal, the ability they give children to socialize with others is a big plus.
Recognizing the need for socialization, parents who homeschool typically attempt to create a social network for their children by organizing field trips and by joining homeschooling networks or groups. However, rarely do they encompass disparate types of people. Within urban areas, these groups may be ethnically diverse, yet similar socio-economically. In rural regions, the groups may be religion-focused or comprised of people sharing other common ideologies. Either way, it is a rare homeschooling parent who will include children who do not get along easily with their own. This can limit their child's social experiences and make it harder for them to learn things like compromise or conflict resolution.
Can homeschooling make or break a child's future?
Adults who were homeschooled often reference extreme social awkwardness as an obstacle they experienced upon entering college or the workforce. Others, whose teaching was steeped in religious ideology, note astonishment and even anger towards their parents because they were shielded from scientific learning and had no knowledge of subjects like evolution, the big bang theory or even the existence of dinosaurs. Some adults, however, upon looking back at their homeschooling days, express gratitude to their parents for letting them focus on career-boosting skills and teaching them the benefit of learning in the world as well as in the classroom.
Individuals vary as much as homeschooling styles do and, just like traditional school, it will work for some but not for others. It is clear the one constant that can make or break this situation for any child is their parent's flexibility and willingness for the child's needs to come before their own, allowing for course corrections that might or might not include the addition of traditional schooling. This will prove to be just as important of a desire for their child to achieve and thrive not only as an individual, but as a member of society.
Corey Whelan is a freelance writer in New York. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
for more features.


text:
Top Items:
Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:
Exclusive: Myspace to Be Sold to Specific Media for $35 Million — Closing another chapter on one of the Internet's most iconic properties, Myspace has been sold to to Specific Media, an advertising network, for $35 million. — Sources close to the situation said the deal is being completed today …
Discussion: Computerworld, VatorNews, All Facebook, VentureBeat, Media Decoder, Daily Social EN, SiliconANGLE, @percival, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, DailyTech, Mashable!, The Tech Trade, Epicenter, Daily Dot, PE Hub Blog, TechSpot, BGR, ReadWriteWeb, Digital Trends, The Wrap, Gawker, PC World, PC Magazine, BaltTech, ClickZ, Fortune, The Business Insider, Tech Trader Daily, ReelSEO, The Next Web, MarketingVox News & Trends, The Tech Herald …, Deadline.com, SlashGear, Beet.TV, @brianstelter, paidContent:UK, Lost Remote, hypebot, CNET News, The Atlantic Wire, Techland, WebProNews, Deal Journal, Boing Boing and @pkedrosky
Bambi Francisco Roizen / VatorNews: MySpace CEO leaving, after Specific Media purchase
David Cohen / All Facebook: Former Facebook Rival MySpace Sold To Specific Media
Tom Cheredar / VentureBeat: Justin Timberlake takes a stake in Myspace
Brian Stelter / Media Decoder: News Corporation Sells MySpace for $35 Million
Rama Mamuaya / Daily Social EN: Friendster Relaunched As Gaming Platform
Ross LaRocco / SiliconANGLE: MySpace SOLD to the Dungeon of Doom! Crack Those Ads.
Sean Percival / @percival: Today is my last day with Myspace. It was a unique moment in time and an impossible problem to solve. Was proud to be a part of it.
Jennifer Saba / Reuters: News Corp to sell Myspace for $35 million: source
Brenna Ehrlich / Mashable!: MySpace Sold to Ad Network for $35 Million
John C Abell / Epicenter: News Corp Dumps MySpace for Pennies on the Dollar
Janet Kornblum / Daily Dot: Myspace's community of 60 million worth $35 million in sale
Emil Protalinski / TechSpot: Specific Media buys Myspace for $35 million from News Corp.
Todd Haselton / BGR: Specific Media buys Myspace for $35 million, cutting staff by 50%
Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb: Remembering the Arrogance of MySpace
Ryan Fleming / Digital Trends: MySpace sold from the bargain bin at $35 million
Adrian Chen / Gawker: MySpace Sold For Basically Nothing as Layoffs Begin
Juan Carlos Perez / PC World: News Corp. Unloads MySpace
Leslie Horn / PC Magazine: Specific Media Buys MySpace for a Rumored $35 Million
Gus Sentementes / BaltTech: Myspace: Put a fork in it — it's done
Zachary Rodgers / ClickZ: Ad Network Specific Media Buys MySpace
Dan Primack / Fortune: MySpace sale: The Taiwanese animation
Steven Mostyn / The Tech Herald Technology News: News Corp flogs MySpace for chump change
Deadline.com: Justin Timberlake Will Take Stake In MySpace After News Corp Sells Site For $30M-$40M To Specific Media
Andy Plesser / Beet.TV: Online Ad Network Specific Media Acquires MySpace
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: I'm on hold w/ a News Corp. exec's office re: the MySpace sale. I'm pretty sure the on-hold music is from "Titanic."
David Kaplan / paidContent:UK: Specific Media Buys Myspace for $35 Million; Justin Timberlake Gets A Stake
Cory Bergman / Lost Remote: MySpace sells for $35M, what went wrong?
Bruce Houghton / hypebot: MySpace Sold To Ad Network Specific Media For Just $35 Million
Chris Richardson / WebProNews: Myspace Finds A Specific Buyer, Justin Timberlake Joins In
Stephen Grocer / Deal Journal: Deals of the Day: BofA's $8.5 Billion Countrywide Tab
Paul Kedrosky / @pkedrosky: Remarkable cautionary reminder: Myspace to be sold for $35m. http://dthin.gs/mALEFb (via @cdixon)
Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:
MySpace Acquired: Email From CEO Mike Jones To Employees — Myspace CEO Mike Jones just sent out this mass internal email and press release confirming the company's sale to Specific Media earlier this morning. Kara Swisher is reporting that the sale was for $35 million.
Discussion: @mjones and Neowin.net
Michael Jones / @mjones: The LA Tech Community just got a massive infusion of talent
John Callaham / Neowin.net: MySpace officially sold to Specific Media for $35 million
Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:
He's Bringing Myspace Back: Justin Timberlake Takes A Stake — You know what isn't cool? $35 million isn't cool ... So in a move that makes truth stranger than fiction, Justin Timberlake, who played Facebook president Sean Parker in a movie called The Social Network, has taken an ownership stake …
Discussion: L.A. Times Tech Blog, EON, Mashable!, CNET News, AllThingsD, SlashGear, Hollywood Reporter, VentureBeat, PC Magazine, MediaPost and Deal Journal
Jessica Guynn / L.A. Times Tech Blog: Bebo founder Michael Birch on Myspace sale to Specific Media, Justin Timberlake
Brenna Ehrlich / Mashable!: Justin Timberlake To Take Ownership Stake in MySpace
Josh Lowensohn / CNET News: Justin Timberlake an investor in MySpace buy
Kara Swisher / AllThingsD: Employees Already Crowdsourcing a Myspace History
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter: Justin Timberlake Takes Stake in MySpace
Tom Cheredar / VentureBeat: Specific Media acquires Myspace for $35 million
Leslie Horn / PC Magazine: Sean Parker: MySpace Could Have Been Facebook
Gavin O'Malley / MediaPost: Specific Media Buys Myspace, Timberlake Takes Stake
Shira Ovide / Deal Journal: Justin vs. Ashton for Best Actor/Tech Investor
Lee Brenner / hypervocal:
Was MySpace Downfall Inevitable? Plenty of Blame to Go Around
Was MySpace Downfall Inevitable? Plenty of Blame to Go Around
Discussion: Search Engine Watch, CNNMoney.com and Sean Percival's Blog
Frank Watson / Search Engine Watch: News Corp Sells MySpace For $545 Million Loss
Sean Percival / Sean Percival's Blog: Saving Space
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Google Now Lets Those In Google+ Offically Invite Others — Already in Google+ and want to let others in? Google's now allowing this. — Just look to the bottom of the right-hand side of your stream. You should see an invite icon, like this: — Select that, and you can invite anyone you like!
Discussion: ReadWriteWeb, Gizmodo, TechCrunch and The Next Web
Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb: How to Get and Share Invites to Google Plus Right Now (Really)
Kelly Hodgkins / Gizmodo: Here's a Way To Get a Google+ Invite Now
Gina Trapani / Smarterware:
What Google+ Learned from Buzz and Wave — After a half day of using Google+ with the limited number of people I know in the field test so far, I like it a lot. I will love Google+ when and if all my friends show up and stick around. — I've been been watching Google flail around social web apps …
Discussion: Digital Trends, Guardian, TechCrunch, The Huffington Post and SiliconFilter, Thanks:arpitnext
Jeffrey Van Camp / Digital Trends: Five reasons why Google+ will succeed
Dan Gillmor / Guardian: A B+ for the beta Google+ | Dan Gillmor
MG Siegler / TechCrunch: While We Await The Native App, The Google+ iPhone Mobile Web App Is Pretty Solid
Frederic Lardinois / SiliconFilter: A Day With Google+: They Finally Got it Right
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Does The Google+ Interface Remind You Of Facebook? You're Not The Only One
Does The Google+ Interface Remind You Of Facebook? You're Not The Only One
Discussion: The Business Insider, PC World and @dannysullivan
HP Is In Talks to License WebOS Software — Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), the world's largest maker of personal computers, is in talks to license its webOS mobile software, Chief Executive Officer Leo Apotheker said in an interview. — "We are talking to a number of companies," …
Discussion: SlashGear, BGR, TechCrunch, Phone Scoop, Fast Company, VentureBeat, Gizmodo, The Next Web, This is my next, paidContent, Best Tablet PC Reviews …, PreCentral.net, TechSpot, Everything webOS, webOSroundup, VR-Zone, MacRumors, GigaOM, PhoneDog.com, IntoMobile, GottaBeMobile and MobileBurn.com
Chris Davies / SlashGear: HP confirms webOS licensing talks; Samsung tipped as suitor
Todd Haselton / BGR: HP in talks to license webOS
Greg Kumparak / TechCrunch: HP In Talks To License webOS — But Who Would Want To?
Eric M. Zeman / Phone Scoop: HP Confirms Talks to License webOS
Devindra Hardawar / VentureBeat: HP in talks to license WebOS to others as an iOS, Android alternative
Adrian Covert / Gizmodo: HP Thinks About Putting WebOS on Samsung Phones
Brad McCarty / The Next Web: Reports say that webOS could come to Samsung devices
Paul Miller / This is my next: HP 'talking to a number of companies' about potential webOS licensing, Jon Rubinstein gives us the lowdown
John Pope / Best Tablet PC Reviews, News & Comparisons: HP wants to licence WebOS, offers discount for upcoming TouchPad
Phil Nickinson / PreCentral.net: HP in talks to license out webOS, Apotheker says; Samsung named as a suitor
Emil Protalinski / TechSpot: More HP licensing webOS talks, Samsung reportedly interested
Christopher Meinck / Everything webOS: HP in talks to license webOS is an article from Everything webOS …
Ruben Kertesz / webOSroundup: Bloomberg: HP Looking to License webOS After All
LG Nilsson / VR-Zone: HP mulling WebOS licensing
Darrell Etherington / GigaOM: Could webOS be the third major mobile platform with Samsung's help?
Taylor Martin / PhoneDog.com: Which manufacturer should make a webOS phone for HP?
Marin Perez / IntoMobile: HP in talks to license webOS
Warner Crocker / GottaBeMobile: HP in Talks About Licensing webOS
Phil Goldstein / FierceWireless:
HP confirms talks to license webOS, Samsung reportedly interested
HP confirms talks to license webOS, Samsung reportedly interested
Discussion: Engadget, The Digital Home and PhoneDog.com
Joe Pollicino / Engadget: HP tempts webOS early adopters to buy a TouchPad with $50 rebate
Don Reisinger / The Digital Home: HP: $50 TouchPad rebate, with a catch
Walter S. Mossberg / AllThingsD:
TouchPad Needs More Apps, Reboot To Rival iPad — A small army of multitouch tablet computers has been launched this year to take on Apple's iPad, which has managed to sell 25 million units and attract 90,000 tablet-specific apps in just about 15 months, and is already in its second generation, the iPad 2.
Tim Stevens / Engadget: HP TouchPad review
Joshua Topolsky / This is my next: HP TouchPad review
Jason Snell / Computerworld: Hands on with the HP TouchPad
Derek Kessler / PreCentral.net: Review: HP TouchPad [part 1]
Matthew Miller / The Mobile Gadgeteer Blog: HP TouchPad reviews go live, not the iPad contender some hoped for
Casey Johnston / Ars Technica: Feature: webOS takes on tablets: Ars reviews the HP TouchPad
Mark Spoonauer / LAPTOP Mag: HP TouchPad Review
David Pogue / New York Times: Pretty Tablet, Though Late For the Ball
Elizabeth Woyke / Mobilized: Cisco Explains Its $700 Cius: More Than A Tablet
Jonathan S. Geller / BGR: HP TouchPad hands-on!
Nathan Olivarez-Giles / L.A. Times Tech Blog: HP reportedly talking with other manufacturers to make HP WebOS devices
Mark Gurman / 9 to 5 Mac:
New MacBook Airs with OS X Lion, Thunderbolt and Sandy Bridge in mid-July — Apple's new MacBook Air line has been expected for weeks now, with evidence supporting a refresh coming by way of constraints at global retailers and most recently at major Apple reseller BestBuy.com.
Discussion: AppleNApps, Gizmodo, Ars Technica, BGR, MacRumors and SlashGear, Thanks:jakeosmith
Trevor Sheridan / AppleNApps: Apple To Ship Mac OS X Lion And New MacBook Airs On July 19th
Andrew Tarantola / Gizmodo: Are MacBook Airs Getting Updated This July?
Todd Haselton / BGR: Refreshed MacBook Air line could land July 19th with Sandy Bridge, OS X Lion, Thunderbolt
Eric Slivka / MacRumors: MacBook Air Update Coming in Mid-July?
Rue Liu / SlashGear: New MacBook Airs To Arrive Mid-July?
Neil Hughes / AppleInsider:
Supply of Apple's white MacBook severely constrained ahead of Lion debut — Availability of Apple's current $999 white MacBook, built with hardware that is now getting long in the tooth, has become constrained, potentially signaling a forthcoming update to the entry-level notebook.
Discussion: VentureBeat, Apple Bitch, MacRumors, I4U News, SlashGear, MacStories, CNET News and iFans
Regina Hope Sinsky / VentureBeat: Can't get a white MacBook? An update might be coming.
Eric Slivka / MacRumors: MacBook Supplies Tightening at Third-Party Retailers Ahead of Potential Refresh [Update: Mac Mini Too]
Luigi Lugmayr / I4U News: MacBook Update soon as Retailer Inventories are running low
Chris Davies / SlashGear: Apple MacBook refresh tipped as stocks run low
Cody Fink / MacStories: Apple's Stock of White MacBooks Dwindling in Supply at Authorized Apple Resellers
Josh Lowensohn / CNET News: Report: MacBook supplies dwindling
Jacob Wilson / iFans: White MacBook Supply Dwindles As Lion Nears
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
Samsung files ITC complaint against Apple:long-time partners heading for ugly divorce? — The ITC website shows that yesterday Samsung filed complaint no. 337-2824 concerning the following types of products: Mobile Electronic Devices, Including Wireless Communication Devices …
Discussion: Bloomberg, PadGadget, TiPb, VentureBeat, SlashGear, MacStories, iPhone Buzz, MobileCrunch, paidContent, GigaOM, AppleInsider, The Next Web, The Register, iPhone Download Blog and Computerworld, Thanks:fosspatents
Susan Decker / Bloomberg: Samsung Takes Apple Dispute to ITC to Block IPhone Imports
Rene Ritchie / TiPb: Samsung asks ITC to ban import of iPhone, iPod, iPad
Sean Ludwig / VentureBeat: Samsung asks ITC for an import ban on Apple products
Shane McGlaun / SlashGear: Samsung files ITC complaint against Apple as legal battle rages
Graham Spencer / MacStories: Samsung Lodges Complaint To The ITC, Asks For Import Ban On iPhone, iPad and iPod
Shane McGlaun / iPhone Buzz: Samsung files ITC complaint, Google Swiffy transforms Flash video, iPhone 5 hinted at in LulzSec leak
Jordan Crook / MobileCrunch: Samsung Files ITC Complaint Against Apple, Tries To Ban Imports Of iStuff
Ingrid Lunden / paidContent: More Love Lost Between Apple And Samsung: Now At The ITC
Darrell Etherington / GigaOM: Samsung asks ITC to ban the import of Apple devices
Sam Oliver / AppleInsider: Samsung asks ITC to ban import of Apple products in latest legal complaint
Sebastien / iPhone Download Blog: Samsung Asking for an Import Ban Against the iPhone, iPad and iPod
Rob Beschizza / Boing Boing:
Amazon: associates program in California to be terminated (Update: Gov. signs tax law) — Amazon announced today that its Associates program is to be terminated in California, in response to a new sales tax bill there. The move appears to be pre-emptive hardball to try and avert the bill being signed into law.
Discussion: Paul Kedrosky's …, GeekWire, @dannysullivan, @scobleizer and TechCrunch
Paul Kedrosky / Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed: Amazon Calls California's Tax Non-Bluff
Danny Sullivan / @dannysullivan: You know what, @Amazon? Just start collecting sales tax.
Robert Scoble / @scobleizer: Sad day for content creators in California. They just lost a lot of revenue opportunity from being an Amazon Affiliate due to a new law.
Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch: Amazon Warns That It May Shut Down CA Associates Affiliate Program
James Galbraith / Macworld:
Thunderbolt RAID dramatically faster than FireWire 800 — A first lab test of the Promise Pegasus R6 — The wait for Thunderbolt-ready peripherals is over. Four months after the debut of Thunderbolt in Apple's revamped MacBook Pro lineup, storage devices that support Intel's new interconnect technology have finally arrived.
Discussion: Ars Technica, AppleInsider, MacRumors, Apple, Computerworld, OS X Daily, MacStories and The Next Web
Chris Foresman / Ars Technica: The technology inside Apple's $50 Thunderbolt cable
Blake Steven / AppleInsider: Early Thunderbolt tests find blazing speeds with bootable external drives
Roman Loyola / Computerworld: Apple posts FAQ for Thunderbolt cable
Matt Chan / OS X Daily: Thunderbolt Supports External Boot Disks
Federico Viticci / MacStories: First Thunderbolt Tests: "Dramatically Faster" Than FireWire, Supports Booting from Disk
Matthew Panzarino / The Next Web: Thunderbolt drive blows away Firewire 800 with 11.5x faster speeds
Abdur Chowdhury / Twitter Blog:
Global pulse — During major events, people use Twitter to share news and thoughts with friends, family and followers around the world. Messages originating in one place are quickly spread across the globe through Retweets, @replies and Direct Messages. We see this behavior during everything …
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Twitter to launch site for platform developers — Twitter, the San Francisco-based social messaging service, is working to develop and launch a dedicated site for developers working on the Twitter platform. The new site could be launched sometime in July, company officials said.
Discussion: The Next Web
Zach Epstein / BGR:
Apple iPhone 3GS to be free on contract following iPhone 5 launch, analyst says — Apple is set to finally hit the $0 on-contract mark with its entry-level iPhone 3GS once it launches the next-generation iPhone 5 later this year. In a note to investors on Wednesday, RBC Capital Markets …
Discussion: CNET News, CNN, AppleInsider, The Tech Trade, MediaFile, Mashable!, iFans, Tech Trader Daily, iPhone Alley, I4U News, Neowin.net, MacDailyNews, FierceWireless, PhoneArena, RazorianFly and MacRumors
Kent German / CNET News: Four years of the iPhone
John D. Sutter / CNN: Four years later, has iPhone changed that much?
Matt Reeder / MediaFile: Tech wrap: And Myspace goes to . . .
Christina Warren / Mashable!: Happy 4th Anniversary, iPhone [INFOGRAPHIC]
Trey Trawick / iFans: iPhone 3GS to be Free On Contract Post iPhone 5 Launch
Alex Gardner / iPhone Alley: Apple to Offer Free iPhone With Contract?
Luigi Lugmayr / I4U News: iPhone 3GS to be Free on Contract once iPhone 5 is Out
John Callaham / Neowin.net: Rumor: iPhone 3GS to be offered for free on two year contract
Phone Arena: Analyst predicts that the iPhone 3GS will be priced at free when the next iPhone debuts
Arron / RazorianFly: iPhone 3GS To Go FREE With 2-Year Contract, "Baby" iPhone Expected 2012 - [REPORT]
Eric Slivka / MacRumors: Apple to Cut iPhone 3GS Price to Free With Next Update?
Pete Williams / msnbc.com:
NBC News: Hacker attack cripples al-Qaida web communications — WASHINGTON — Computer hackers shut down al-Qaida's ability to communicate its messages to the world through the Internet, interrupting the group's flow of videos and communiqués, according to a terrorism expert.
Discussion: CNET News
Elinor Mills / CNET News: Hackers shut down Al Qaeda Net communications
Dean Hachamovitch / MSDN Blogs:
Site-ready HTML5: Second IE10 Platform Preview Available for Developers — IE10 Platform Preview 2, the same HTML5 engine seen in the recent public "Windows 8" demos, is now available for download. With this update, IE10 continues to deliver support for site-ready HTML5 technologies as well as improving performance:
Discussion: eWeek, The Next Web, The Windows Blog, PC Magazine, msdn.microsoft.com, GeekWire, PC Pro, Neowin.net and ExtremeTech
Darryl K. Taft / eWeek: Microsoft IE10 Platform Preview 2 Ships
Alex Wilhelm / The Next Web: Microsoft releases IE10 Platform Preview 2
Michael Muchmore / PC Magazine: Looking to Windows 8, Microsoft Unveils IE10 Platform Preview 2
Todd Bishop / GeekWire: Microsoft issues new Internet Explorer 10 tech preview
Nicole Kobie / PC Pro: Microsoft has unveiled the second platform preview for IE10 …
Brad Sams / Neowin.net: IE10 Platform Preview 2 released
Sebastian Anthony / ExtremeTech: Internet Explorer 10 preview 2 released: drag-and-drop, web workers, and more
Marc Andreessen / ben's blog:
Meet Our New Special Advisor, Larry Summers — This is a guest post by Marc Andreessen, co-founder and General Partner of Andreessen Horowitz — Today I'm delighted to announce that economist and former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is joining our team as a part-time Special Advisor.
Discussion: Digits, AllThingsD, TechCrunch, DealBook and Washington Post
Pui-Wing Tam / Digits: Larry Summers Marches Further Into Silicon Valley
Kara Swisher / AllThingsD: Now Is the (Larry) Summers of Our Silicon Valley VC: Economic Guru Joins Andreessen Horowitz As "Special Advisor"
Evelyn M. Rusli / DealBook: Larry Summers Joins Andreessen Horowitz
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Accel Puts $34 Million In Online Payments Platform Braintree — It's no secret that Accel is making major investments in the online payments space, funding both Wonga and e-payments company Yapstone. And today the venture firm is announcing a $34 million Series A investment in Chicago-based online payments company Braintree.
Discussion: Online Payment Systems … and PE Hub Blog, Thanks:arjkumar
Bryan Johnson / Online Payment Systems & …: Braintree's $34 Million Accel Investment: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Terril Yue Jones / Reuters:
Hewlett-Packard to develop cloud products in China: CEO — (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co, the world's No.1 PC maker, plans to develop cloud computing products in China, Chief Executive Leo Apotheker said on Wednesday. — Apotheker also said at a news conference in Beijing that a dispute with Oracle Corp …
Alexis Madrigal / The Atlantic Online:
Biz Stone Isn't So Sure About Twitter's Cozy Relationship With the State Department — ASPEN — Twitter has played a celebrated role in the uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa this year that have come to be known as "the Arab spring." The social network has been one of activists …
Discussion: The Register, FT Tech Hub and ITworld.com
Natalie Apostolou / The Register: Twitter co-founder quits day job
Maryam Nabi / FT Tech Hub: Biz Stone's premature exit from Twitter
Chris Nerney / ITworld.com: So, why is Biz Stone is leaving Twitter?
Gavin Clarke / The Register:
Microsoft hires Disney man for consumer crusade — Corporate mission: to be less stodgy — Microsoft has raided the Walt Disney Corporation to fill a position tasked with flogging Windows 8 to consumers buying PCs and tablets next year. — The company appointed former Disney director …
Discussion: WinRumors and Electronista
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Animoto In It To Win It, Takes $25 Million In Third Venture Round — Well, apparently Animoto is going for it. This jewel of a startup, which lets people easily create professional-looking videos from audio and video clips and pictures, has raised a third round of funding - $25 million in a round led by Spectrum Equity Investors.
Discussion: PR Newswire, Animojo, MediaPost, GeekWire and VentureBeat
Brad / Animojo: Animoto raises $25M
Gavin O'Malley / MediaPost: Animoto Eyes Mobile On $25M Investment
John Cook / GeekWire: Bellevue high school grads raise $25 million for online slideshow maker Animoto
Regina Hope Sinsky / VentureBeat: Video slideshow service Animoto raises $25 million
Erik Sherman / BNET:
Facebook Locks Down an Important Patent on Social Gift Giving — Facebook has been on a roll of late, nailing a number of patent grants that will help it retain dominance in social networking by creating barriers for competitors. Yesterday came patent number 7,970,657 …
Discussion: Friending Facebook Blog
John Biggs / Gadgetwise:
A Cheaper Way to Navigate Abroad, No Costly Data-Roaming Required — A few years ago I took a trip to Europe and brought along my new iPhone for a bit of sightseeing. With international roaming charges so high I reduced my e-mail and Web browsing to a mere trickle, thinking I'd save a bit of money.
John Cook / GeekWire:
Audio: Microsoft's Ballmer gives a bellowing response to calls for his dismissal — You'd think that the Seattle Rotary Club might be friendly turf for Steve Ballmer. But it didn't take long for a Rotarian to toss a hardball question to the Microsoft CEO after he finished formal remarks today at the Westin in downtown Seattle.
Discussion: TechFlash, The Business Insider, All about Microsoft Blog, Seattle Times, WinRumors and The Next Web, Thanks:lovelletters
Jay Yarow / The Business Insider: Ballmer Hits Back At Critics: YOU TELL ME IF I LACK ENERGY OR CONVICTION!
Sharon Pian Chan / Seattle Times: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer addresses critics who say he needs to go
Ben Horowitz / ben's blog:
Why the Browser Matters … Before my partner Marc Andreessen and his friends at the University of Illinois invented the browser in 1993, most people thought only scientists and researchers would use the Internet. The Internet was thought to be too arcane, insecure and slow to meet real business needs.
Discussion: MediaPost, GMSV and Inside Facebook
Gavin O'Malley / MediaPost: Social Browser RockMelt Secures "Serious" $30M
Levi Sumagaysay / GMSV: The funding game: Square, RockMelt


text:
Jon Matsumoto scores first 2 NHL goals in Hurricanes' rout of Islanders
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Once the Carolina Hurricanes finally figured out how to score at home, they just didn't stop peppering New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro.
Carolina was shut out by Washington and Pittsburgh in its only other home games this season, but broke out in a big way with a 7-2 rout of the Islanders on Wednesday night.
Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice thought his team was tense in the opening minutes against New York, but by the time the first period was over, Carolina had a 3-0 lead.
By the time Carolina finished scoring a season-high seven goals, there was no anxiety at all in the victorious dressing room.
"I didn't want to go through that first period without scoring," Maurice said. "It was good because then you don't have to talk about [the scoreless streak] any more."
Cam Ward made 31 saves, and Jon Matsumoto scored his first two NHL goals to pace the Hurricanes.
Joe Corvo, Eric Staal, Brandon Sutter, Jiri Tlusty and Jeff Skinner also scored, Sergei Samsonov had three assists, and Chad LaRose and Tom Kostopoulos both helped set up two goals for the Hurricanes, who snapped a two-game losing streak. The seven goals were Carolina's season high.
"It was pretty much the same kind of effort we've been getting," Maurice said. "There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. [But] then we got on a roll, got a good feeling and started to do a lot of good things right for a while. Then coaches have fun after that."
DiPietro played the whole game and allowed all seven goals on 32 shots as the Islanders lost their fifth straight game.
Michael Grabner and P.A. Parenteau had goals for the Islanders, who have been outscored 13-3 in their past two games -- including a 6-1 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday night.
"We're extremely disappointed," New York defenseman Mike Mottau said. "We wanted to come out with a better effort after the loss in Philly. This team was struggling at home, and we wanted to take advantage of it. We didn't put our best effort out there, and it showed on the scoreboard."
The Hurricanes broke their home scoreless streak 10:12 into the first period when Corvo slapped a shot past a lunging DiPietro.
Samsonov was instrumental in the next goal, darting around the offensive zone before finding Matsumoto in front. Matsumoto shoveled a shot past DiPietro for his first goal.
Just over three minutes later, Samsonov centered the puck out of the corner to Staal, who sent a one-timer past DiPietro from the slot.
The Hurricanes then scored a pair of odd goals 43 seconds apart in the middle period.
DiPietro tried to freeze the puck in the crease under little pressure from the Hurricanes, but he couldn't grab it. Sutter stole the puck and snapped a shot into the open net.
Tlusty then scored on a rebound off the end boards. Sutter fell into DiPietro before the goal, causing DiPietro to complain to the officials. Tlusty also clipped New York defenseman Radek Martinek in the face with his stick on his follow-through.
"They did a good job offensively, and we needed to tighten up defensively and not give them as much time and space," Mottau said.
Grabner scored early in the third period to spoil Ward's shutout bid.
Skinner and Parenteau then traded power-play goals before Matsumoto finished the scoring.
"[General manager] Jim Rutherford came down today and he just told us, 'If you're going to play in the league, at least have fun while you're doing it," Matsumoto said. "It's a lot more fun when you're winning."
Game notes
Carolina D Joni Pitkanen left the game with an upper body injury in the second period and didn't return. New York's John Tavares took a high stick took the face in the second period and went to the dressing room for stitches. Skinner leads NHL rookies in scoring.
Regular Season Series
CAR leads 1-0
Game Information
- Linesmen:
- Andy McElman
- Michel Cormier


text:
Paul Jannace: Treatment of Kyle Williams disgraceful
Kyle Williams learned the hard way how cruel sports can be.
There's a fine line between hero and goat, much like the line between love and hate. The heroes are admired and the goats are notorious villains in the eyes of fans.
In many cases, athletes can play both roles during a career, or even one game.
Williams, the 49ers' second-year wide receiver, had a punt bounce off his knee and another punched out by Giants linebacker Jacquian Williams — the latter leading to Lawrence Tynes' NFC Championship-winning field goal in overtime.
The word "fan" is short for fanatic, so the emotion spewing from those plays isn't surprising. However, some fans have crossed the line.
Kyle Williams has received death threats, according to a report from The Associated Press, and hate messages on his Twitter feed.
One tweet at Kyle Williams from the user name @javpasquel said the following:
"@KyleWilliams_10 I hope you, youre wife, kids and family die, you deserve it."
There is something wrong with people who think like that, even in jest. The user @javpasquel has a 49ers logo as his twitter avatar, so presumably it's an angry fan upset over his team's heartbreaking loss.
It's fine for fans to be invested in a team's success or failure and be upset or jubilant. There is a line, however, and some people crossed it with their treatment of Kyle Williams.
When the Bills' Leodis McKelvin fumbled a kick return that helped the New England Patriots seal a victory two years ago, his lawn was vandalized. Luckily, that's as far as it went, but it has to make athletes worry for their own safety when people invade their personal property.
Think back to the World Cup 1994, when Colombian soccer player Andres Escobar stretched to break up a pass against the United States and the ball went into his own net. The U.S. won the game 2-1 and a heavily favored Colombian team was eliminated from the tournament.
Then 10 days later, Escobar was murdered in his hometown of Medellin, and reports have said the alleged killers shouted "Thanks for the own goal" in Spanish before firing their guns.
Think about that for a second. ... A man died because of a mistake in a game.
Passion for sports is fine and rooting for teams is natural, but taking it to such an extreme is unhealthy to say the least.
Hopefully nobody even thinks about making good on these threats of violence on Kyle Williams, but even a joke or a momentary fit of emotion can be dangerous.
Kyle Williams was not the only person who will be remembered for mistakes during NFL?Championship weekend. Much like Kyle Williams, it's hard not to feel terrible for Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff and wide receiver Lee Evans. As many know from his time with the Bills, Evans is a super guy who seemed to genuinely love playing in Buffalo.
Evans had a forgettable season in Baltimore with only four catches in nine games, but suddenly found himself making an impact in the AFC?Championship game. Evans had three catches for 39 yards before his drop in the end zone that would have — barring a miracle — sent the Ravens to the Super Bowl.
Sure, the ball was knocked out of his grasp, but Evans still should have found a way to secure it before New England's Sterling Moore punched it out.
As for Cundiff, he simply fell victim to the cruel world of NFL?kickers. Tynes walked away as a hero again, while Cundiff is being compared to Scott Norwood.
No more doubting Tom.
Tom Coughlin has had a roller coaster career with the New York Giants. He has been fired by the media and fans at least three times, but here he is once again leading his team to the Super Bowl.
The late-season collapses are black marks on his resume, but these two runs to the Super Bowl are so improbable that it outweighs the bad at this point.
He and Eli?Manning are linked in many ways and his quarterback has not disappointed. Manning also came close to being run out of town before the magical run four years ago.
The same way football was cruel to Kyle Williams, Billy Cundiff, and Lee Evans on Sunday night, is the same way it's been great to a guy like Manning who is suddenly in the discussion as the greatest Giants' quarterback ever.
Funny how things can change.
Follow Paul Jannace on Twitter at @pjscribe.


text:
Im writing some guidance on equipment management, and fridge temperature settings and alarm points seems to be an issue across pathology, and I would appreciate some help particularly as MU (Measurement Uncertainty) the term used by UKAS is causing confusion and a lot of unnecessary time spent trying to address this-and it would be useful for us all to get it right.
So please comment on the following points: - are these assumptions correct/ incorrect/ overkill?
1.MU (Measurement Uncertainty- term used by UKAS) = Tolerance (term used by MHRA inspectors) = Error or variation to the actual temperature value. So therefore the same thing?
2. For blood storage equipment the final tolerance (MU, which can be found on the calibration certificates) should be no greater than 0.5C to the primary calibrating equipment (traceable thermocouple) - the equipment used to calibrate the engineers testing probes (so add the MU between thermocouple to engineers equipment and then the MU between engineers equipment and your temp probes= no greater than 0.5C) ?
3.The MU of the temperature monitoring/ alert probes is used to determine the alarm settings for the fridges etc.- so, if the final MU is 0.36C (round this up to 0.5'C), then the blood fridge CORE temperature alarm would be set min: 2.5C and Max: 5.5 C instead of 2'C to 6'C ( with no alarm delay ) . Similarly, the AIR temp alarm would be set Min: 2.5C and Max: 7.5C instead of 2'C to 8'C and a suitable/ justified delay set to prevent false alerts caused by routine opening/ re-stocking.
4. I dont know if anyone else has this issue- but after receiving calibration reports and certificates I usually have to contact the company to provide the certificate for the equipment used to calibrate the engineers probes- am I doing this right shouldn't this be routinely provided or is there an easier way?
There are so many other equipment issues I would like to discuss so perhaps we could use this thread to include these- particularly:
- Temperature mapping and position of monitoring probes
- Fixing probes inside equipment/ cold rooms etc
- Reviewing mapping reports and calibration certificates
- Managing temperature excursions outside of routine hours- particularly with wireless monitoring equipment ........ and lots of other things!!!
Many thanks,


text:
I made a mistake.
I was wrong.
I'm sorry.
I'm not sure.
I don't know.
Would you help me?
Could you help me understand? I'm not sure I get it.
What do you think?
What do you suggest?
What would you do?
No one likes to show their ignorance, or admit they are wrong. When we become a leader, we might feel even less likely to show our vulnerability. After all, aren't we supposed to have the answers when we are the boss? Didn't we get the job because of our expertise?
Take a deep breath.
No one has all the answers, including you. And even if you did you don't, remember?, saying things like the ten phrases above would still be in your best interest. Here's why.
You must be a learner. You can't know it all. You don't even need to know it all. You have a team to track, know and understand things you can't and don't. You have too many things going on and too many moving parts to your team/organization to know it all. So you must be curious, open and ready to learn. This fact isn't an excuse to stop learning, but rather to be open-minded, curious and continually learning. Each of the statements above is, at their heart, about learning.
You are a role model. People are watching you and they will follow your example. Do you want your team members to admit mistakes, admit when they don't know and want to learn? If they don't see you doing those things, as the phrases above demonstrate, how likely are they to do those things? Since you are a role model, you need to model the behaviors you want in others.
You need to engage others. It is quite simple – if you want to engage people in a situation, ask their opinion, shut up and listen. What do you think? What would you do? These are powerful questions because they invite input, promote learning and engage the other person in a useful and meaningful way. Asking questions like these don't mean you don't have an opinion, it just means you care about the opinions, ideas and perspectives of others.
You are in the trust business. Do you only trust people that have all the answers, or people who are willing to admit when they don't know? Do you only trust those with a quick and pointed decision-making style or those that engage the ideas and opinions of others sometimes? No one is perfect and so trust is built though honesty and openness. If you want people to trust you, be honest. Let people know when you don't know, have made a mistake or aren't sure.
There are powerful reasons why we must ask these potentially uncomfortable questions. As leaders, we do have knowledge and there are times when our experience and expertise should carry the day, yet at other times, being curious, open and yes, even vulnerable, might be even more important and useful. Walking this tightrope is part of our job as a leader. If you are willing to regularly make the statements at the top of this article, you are likely walking that tightrope pretty well.


text:
74. Bill No. 23. A proposed act changing and removing the election precinct in Kiamitia
County. Passed Senate December 18, 1902. Passed House and approved December 18,
75. Bill No. 24. A resolution accepting the report of George W. Scott, treasure, for the fiscal
year ending October 1902. Passed Senate December 18, 1902. Passed House and approved
December 19, 1902.
76. Bill No. 25. A proposed act amending an act changing the County court ground in Jackson
County. Passed House December 18, 1902. Passed Senate December 19, 1902. Approved
December 19, 1902.
77. Bill No. 26. The Principal Chief is authorized to communicate with said prisoners in the
various United States prisons to the end that said prisoners may select suitable persons to
represent them in the selection of their allotments and in drawing of the money due them.
Passed House, Senate, and approved December 19, 1902.
78. Bill No. 27. A resolution to appropriate $350.00 to build an iron fence around the grave of
ex-chief Jack McCurtain. Passed Senate December 18, 1902. Passed House and approved
December 19, 1902.
79. Bill No. 28. A proposed act changing the County court ground in Kiamichia County. Passed
and approved December 19, 1902.
80. Bill No. 29. A proposed act to provide for the payment of general expenses necessary to
protect the interests of the Choctaw Nation. Passed and approved December 19, 1902.
81. Bill No. 30. An act authorizing the County judge to dispose of court house at Goodland.
Passed and approved December 19, 1902.
82. Bill No. 31. A proposed act for the relief of S.B. Spring. Passed December 19, 1902.
83. Bill No. 32. A resolution to have the townsite money paid out per capita to the Choctaw
84. Bill No. 33. A proposed act taxing non-citizens residing in Choctaw Nation and holding
more livestock than the law allows them. Passed December 20, 1902.
Box 39
Acts, Bills, and Resolutions of the Choctaw Nation, 1903
1. A letter from acting U.S. Inspector to E.H. Wilson informing him that the act relative to
leasing the unleased coal and asphalt lands in the Choctaw Nation was disapproved by the
President on January 6, 1903. Dated January 15, 1903.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries | 401 West Brooks Street, Norman, OK 73019 | (405)325-4142


text:
The Volcker Rule was originally proposed to end the problem of banks needing taxpayer bailouts. Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, proposed that commercial banks using customer deposits to trade — a practice known as proprietary trading — played a key role in the financial crisis that began in 2007.
Five former Secretaries of the Treasury — W. Michael Blumenthal, Nicholas Brady, Paul O'Neill, George Shultz, and John Snow — endorsed the Volcker Rule in an open letter to the Wall Street Journal, writing that banks "should not engage in essentially speculative activity unrelated to essential bank services."
The Volcker Rule was signed into law as part of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in July of 2010, but its implementation has been delayed until yesterday when it finally received approval from the five (!) regulatory agencies that will enforce it — the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).


text:
Logging in to file-sharing networks has become a routine part of online child pornography investigations—so routine that multiple agencies sometimes target the same person without knowing it. Case in point: an undercover FBI agent was using the GigaTribe P2P program back in September 2010 in order to observe the material being shared by "pedodad36569."
The case didn't look to be a difficult one. "Pedodad36569" had hundreds of child pornography images in his share folder, and he had a publicly viewable IP address that resolved to a home on Fig Tree Lane in Roscoe, Illinois. But before a search warrant could even be obtained, a separate law enforcement agency gave the same information to the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children task force, which got a warrant and conducted a search. (Including any variant of "pedo" in your online user name no doubt invites this sort of extra attention from law enforcement, but people just keep doing it.)
But police found nothing—except, we imagine, one terrified homeowner. All computers at the residence were examined, but no child pornography was discovered. Investigators finally realized that the home had an open wireless router and that anyone in the nearby area could have been responsible.
So it was back to GigaTribe in search of another IP address for "pedodad36569." Investigators had trouble finding one, though. Not until December 6, 2011 did a special agent working at a national operations unit get a new IP address for the target. This IP address also resolved to the city of Roscoe, but now it pointed to a home on Summerwood Drive—less than a block away from the first home.
Another search warrant, executed on January 9, 2012, revealed a man named Jason Nicoson who admitting to trading child porn online. As investigators went through his two computers, they learned that he had been exchanging child pornography through e-mail with people around the country. One of them went by the name "email@example.com" (see what I mean?). The two men had found each other through a Russian website.
Yahoo provided the last known IP address for "pedodave69," which was controlled by AT&T's Internet services unit. AT&T told the FBI that the account in question belonged to one Donald Sachtleben, a 54-year old former FBI agent now living in Carmel, Indiana, a well-off spot just northeast of Indianapolis.
Given their experience with Nicoson, however, investigators were refreshingly cautious about just getting a search warrant and pounding on the door. On April 30, two FBI special agents drove past the Carmel home and noted the existence of two WiFi networks reachable from the property. One used WEP encryption, the other had the more robust WPA2, but the key point from the FBI's perspective was that neither network was unsecured. A search thus seemed much more likely to find its proper target.
The FBI and the Indiana State Police then executed a warrant on the home on May 11, just minutes after Sachtleben returned home from the Indianapolis airport. According to agents, onsite triage of his computers immediately revealed "approximately 30 image and video files containing child pornography," generally featuring kids under the age of 12.
Sachtleben's wife told investigators at the scene that her husband generally used a laptop computer and that she knew nothing about any child porn. The FBI's own analysis of GigaTribe—the Bureau apparently keeps a database of files, usernames, and IP addresses traded through the service—found that Sachtleben's IP address had traded numerous files through the P2P network in addition to his e-mails. Sachtleben was arrested and charged both with possession and distribution. His case, currently proceeding in Indiana's Southern District, could result in a maximum 20 years of prison for distribution and another 10 for possession—along with a $250,000 fine.
Sachtleben had a 25-year career with the FBI, mainly in explosives and forensics (watch video of him blowing up a car here). CNN notes that he investigated both the Unabomber case and the Oklahoma City bombing. Until his arrest, he was Director of Training at the Oklahoma State University Center for Improvised Explosives Research and Training (OSU-IMPEX). His photo and biography have already been removed from OSU's website.


text:
Known for its bourbon and equestrian centers, Louisville combines old Southern charm with a modern vibe. Its revitalized downtown area boasts many gourmet restaurants, a variety of shopping venues and a vibrant nightlife. Any Louisville guide will point out the city's famous landmarks, but there are many more things to do in the area that are slightly off the beaten path.
Those looking for outdoor things to do in Louisville could start with a visit to one of the area's many parks. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the brains behind New York City's Central Park, the extensive park system in Louisville is urban beauty at its best. Between its 18 different parks and various parkways, there are many opportunities to have a picnic, take a hike, go for a swim or play some tennis, basketball, volleyball or a host of other sports.
History buffs have plenty to choose from. The Brown Hotel, home of the famous hot brown, has been operating since 1923. The Louisville Slugger Museum has been producing bats, known as the official bats of the Major League, since 1884. Churchill Downs is home to the Kentucky Derby, the city's major annual event. Although its museum offers an education on its history, the Barn and Backside tour gives insight into its operations, and sometimes a view of the horses.
The city is home to several malls that offer all types of shopping experiences, but there is no experience like a stroll down Bardstown Road with its vintage boutiques and eclectic shops. No guide to Louisville would be complete without mentioning the city's exceptional restaurants. Those looking for high-end cuisine instead of Louisville deals might seek out one of Chef Michael Paley's restaurants, such as Proof On Main, featuring American and Southern cuisine, or Garage Bar, which serves up a variety of artisanal pizzas.


text:
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
Runtime: 175 minutes
Release Date 1972-03-14
Budget: $6,000,000.00
Revenue: $245,066,411.00
Website: Link
Tagline: An offer you can't refuse.
Production company:
Production country:
The Godfather Review by Al Carlson The Godfather is a film considered by most to be one of the greatest ever made. From The American Film Institute to as voted by users on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) it is consider to be one of the best. As a film that ranks as high as other masterpieces including Citizen Kane, Pulp Fiction and 12 Angry Men, The Godfather is an exceptional piece of cinema excellence that is flawless and is simply the pinnacle crime drama. The Godfather revolves around the Corleone's, an Italian family with deep roots in the New York City mafia. The head of the Corleone's is Don Vito Corleone, a man who takes care of his family and demands respect in return. His son Michael however, who just returned home from World War II, doesn't want to become involved with the family business. The Sollozzo's, a family of drug dealers, confront Don and request protection in exchange for profits from the Sollozzo's drug sales. But Don declines the offer, for he is against selling narcotics. The rejected offer starts what turns into an all out mafia war between the two families with Michael diving deep into the mafia lifestyle. The characters are portrayed by a legendary all-star cast including Marlon Brando as Don, Al Pacino as his son Michael and James Caan as Don's oldest son Sonny. The casting for this film has been considered by many to be the best casted film in history for their astonishing performances. All three main actors were nominated for an academy award, but only Marlon Brando won an Oscar for best actor in a leading role. It's fascinating to watch how these characters change over the course of the movie, with one in particular changing drastically. Directer Francis Ford Coppola, being raised in an Italian-American family in New York, understood Italian culture exceptionally and made the film very authentically. Everything from the wedding dances to the cuisine to the terms used by the characters in Sicilian come from Coppola's first-hand knowledge of Italian-American culture. Italian composer Nino Rota did an outstanding job making the soundtrack for the film, despite not getting the Oscar for best music (but he did win an Oscar for his work in the sequel, The Godfather: Part II). Virtually everyone recognizes that iconic trumpet solo once it starts playing. He also wrote the score for another great Italian film 8 1/2. This film should be immediately followed up by it's sequel, The Godfather: Part II, which also won best picture. The series still holds the title of most best picture awards for a film series to this day. They're both flawless crime dramas and have earned their titles as some of the best pieces of cinema ever. I will guarantee you won't be able to see this film only once, as it gets better after continual viewings. There is really nothing more to add other than if you haven't seen this movie yet, it's about time you did. The Godfather is a movie you can't refuse.