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Whether we like it or not, my wife and I recently became statistics. About eight weeks ago, we moved back to California after spending two years in Germany. We had a suspended T-Mobile USA contract while we were away and were likely going to re-activate it on our unlocked iPhones upon our return. But knowing that we'd only get EDGE speeds on our phones back in the US, it didn't seem worth it to pay well north of $100 for two phones per month.
So we made the jump—becoming two more of the many Americans who have recently made the switch from postpaid to prepaid.
New industry data released in May shows American mobile phone operators have been hit with the first-ever net decline in contract ("postpaid") subscriptions, a loss of 52,000 subscribers. And the number of non-contract ("prepaid") mobile customers has reached record levels—now accounting for about 25 percent of all mobile phone users in America.
"While one data point doesn't make a trend, we are approaching the peak of the curve where new, traditional postpaid subscribers will be hard to find," wrote Chetan Sharma, a mobile industry analyst, in his Q1 2012 report. "It is possible that the newly minted prepaid subs might return to postpaid subscriptions. The shift is correlated to the economic woes. Majority of the new subscribers will come from connected devices as we have been saying for the last couple of years."
That 25 percent of American mobile phone customers? Sharma told Ars it pales in comparison to most other parts of the world. Western Europe is about 70 percent prepaid. China, India, and Africa reach 70, 95, and 99 percent, respectively.
But the American mobile industry is at a turning point. It's becoming harder and harder for companies to attract new customers—110 percent of American residents already have cell phones. There are more mobile phones than people.
The industry is still experiencing growth, however. "Connected devices" refers to entities that use a mobile network, but that aren't traditional phones—your iPad, Galaxy Tab, or some other tablet-style device. Sharma's report shows that this segment of the mobile market grew 23 percent even as prepaid mobile service rose 15 percent (both beating out postpaid growth, which only went up by just 1 percent). And while Verizon remains the country's top postpaid carrier, AT&T is leading the pack in providing data to connected devices, and Sprint leads with prepaid customers. Data now constitutes 85 percent of all mobile traffic in the United States.
In other words, we all want more service on more devices. But we want to also save more money while doing it, and that may mean moving toward prepaid services.
As postpaid falls, carriers adapt
Carriers across the United States are aware that customer habits are changing—both AT&T and Verizon have said they're working on shared data plans across multiple users and devices. This month, AT&T announced that data-only plans would be coming within two years.
"The key advantage is that then you can tailor your usage according to your cloth, so to speak," said Windsor Holden, an analyst with Juniper Research. "It can be considerably cheaper, and there's an increasing amount of competition for prepaid services."
Many new mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) are now launching. These are companies that lease spectrum and towers from the big four. There's Ting (which some Ars readers have already discovered) running on Sprint's network, as well as payLo (Virgin's new brand, also on Sprint), which hit the market May 21. Verizon, meanwhile, announced its $80 unlimited everything plan at the end of last month. T-Mobile just announced a slew of prepaid, month-to-month portable data options. Heck, some analysts even expect Apple to launch a prepaid version of the iPhone 3GS—Cricket did just that at the end of last month, except with the iPhone 4 and 4S.
Sprint has been one of the innovators in this area—probably because it has been the big player facing the biggest problems as a company. Indeed, with Sprint's new offerings being resold by Virgin, Boost, and now Voyager, the company seems to be poised to take advantage of the rising prepaid market.
"Most of the world doesn't live with contract anyway, and that was the only place we were going to be able to grow," Jayne Wallace, a Sprint spokesperson, told Ars.
She added that historically, prepaid phones were "crappy." Sometimes it was hard to sell this service, especially when there were better handsets available on postpaid plans.
"From a marketing standpoint, we would use the term 'no-contract' rather than 'prepaid.' That has a negative connotation with people," Wallace noted. But switching away from a contract—and convincing your friends and family to follow suit—still poses challenges that don't exist in other markets.


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Shock waves from one Wall Street scandal after another have completely disillusioned us with our banking system; yet we cannot do without banks. Nearly all money today is simply bank credit. Economies run on it, and it is created when banks make loans. The main flaw in the current model is that private profiteers have acquired control of the credit spigots. They can cut off the flow, direct it to their cronies, and manipulate it for personal gain at the expense of the producing economy. The benefits of bank credit can be maintained while eliminating these flaws, through a system of banks operated as public utilities, serving the public interest and returning their profits to the public. This book looks at the public bank alternative, and shows with examples from around the world and through history that it works admirably well, providing the key to sustained high performance for the economy and well-being for the people. Order here.
Read the Table of Contents for a preview of what is inside —
Foreword by Hazel Henderson
Chapter 1: From Bail-Outs to Bail-Ins: A Banking Dinosaur On Life Support
Chapter 14: The Reconstruction Finance Corporation: The Little-Known Public Financial Institution That Reversed the Depression and Funded World War II
Chapter 25: Latin America: Breaking the Taboos of the Neoliberal Agenda
Chapter 36: Toward A New Theory of Money And Credit
Ellen Brown has written what will become one of THE most important books of our time. She eloquently educates us on how the democratization of money is the very foundation of a free society. Ellen brilliantly shows how money can be the current or currency that facilitates the spiritual experience of manifesting our collective intentions for a better world. Her book is an absolute game-changer and a must read for all those interested in having a world that works for everyone. Buy it, read it, and tell everyone you know to do the same.
— Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of Money and Co-Founder of the Pachamama Alliance
This is a must read! Ellen Brown is the leader of the public banking movement and this masterful work is certain to become the go-to book for anyone interested in transcending the speculation-driven global financial system—and helping lay sound foundations for the fast-emerging New Economy.
– Gar Alperovitz, author of What Then Must We Do?, Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy at the University of Maryland and CoFounder of the Democracy Collaborative
Brown has done it again. The Public Bank Solution follows her Web of Debt, a brilliant analysis of privatized banking, how it has usurped the money creation power, and how we can get it back. Public banking is the antidote to corrupted, dysfunctional privatized banking, the way forward for sustainable long-term growth and prosperity. The Public Bank Solution explains an idea whose time has come.
– Stephen Lendman, talk show host, author, How Wall Street Fleeces America

subset: commoncrawl


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Date: 11th March 2014
Zac Efron has teased he would like to return to his High School Musical roots.
The 26-year-old said he would reunite with his co-stars and reprise his role as singing basketball star Troy Bolton for a film sequel.
"We're all thinking about it. (I would) 100 per cent," he told E! News.
Zac, who was promoting his new film Neighbors (2014) at the SXSW festival, added: "I continue to see all the guys from High School. Every time we do... There's just this look between us. It's so cool because we never forget a single moment of that experience."
The High School Musical franchise, which propelled Zac to stardom and also starred Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu, started as a TV film on the Disney Channel in 2006.
A 2007 sequel and 2008 film followed, along with several spin-offs, a concert tour and a book series. It even spawned a stage musical, an ice tour and video games.
Zac, who has starred in films like The Paperboy, That Awkward Moment and Parkland since High School Musical ended, had a blast filming Neighbors (2014) alongside co-stars Seth Rogen, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Craig Roberts.
"For us, we really had a fraternity," he said. "We really made it into a fraternity. It was kind of method. It really was. It was just so much fun."
The actor admitted he didn't mind shooting the raunchy bits either, saying: "It was neat. For me it was essentially the same as filming a drama. They took it really seriously."
Source: Press Release
Advertising Terms & Conditions Privacy Statement Press
© 1999 - 2023 Cinema.com


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For the first time in its 22-year history, Nissan is offering a V-8 engine in the mid-size, three-row Pathfinder SUV. The base engine remains the excellent and powerful 4.0-liter V-6 with 266 horsepower. Completely redesigned in 2005, the Pathfinder enters 2008 with not only a new, 310-hp V-8 but also a host of exterior and interior design changes.
Built on the same F-Alpha body-on-frame platform that underpins the Nissan Xterra and the Nissan Frontier, the Pathfinder is solid and sturdy, but it is a bit heavier than some of the newer crossover (unibody) sport-utility vehicles. The driving experience is sportier than the truckish body-on-frame architecture might lead one to believe, however. Pathfinders have good steering, strong brakes, and feel well built. Adding a V-8 gives the Pathfinder impressive acceleration and boosts towing capacity to 7000 pounds.
The popularity of crossover utility vehicles has eaten into the Pathfinder's traditional body-on-frame SUV segment, and the number of vehicles that compete against the Pathfinder continues to dwindle. Direct competitors (mid-size body-on-frame sport-utility vehicles) to the Pathfinder include the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Ford Explorer, GMC Envoy, Toyota 4Runner, and upcoming Kia Borrego. The Pathfinder is a standout in its segment, thanks to its two powerful engines and its combination of decent on-road refinement and capability.
Pathfinders come in six different trim levels—S, SE V-6, SE Off Road, SE V-8, LE V-6, and LE V-8—that encompass everything from the very basic to the off-road ready to luxurious and leather-lined. The S and the SE Off Road are V-6 only; the SE Off Road is 4WD only.
The Pathfinder might not have the lighter structure and overtly carlike demeanor of a crossover utility vehicle, but it does offer a tougher look, excellent steering and handling, and the choice of two terrific and beefy engines. For those still shopping for a traditional SUV with three rows, the Pathfinder is among the best in its segment.
Click here to read our full review of the Nissan Pathfinder.
Click here to read our latest comparison test involving the Nissan Pathfinder.
What's New for 2008
For 2008, the Pathfinder gets a revised interior that includes a richer-looking center console and instrument gauges. Other changes include new front and rear fascias and new wheel designs that attempt to give the Pathfinder a more up-to-date look. New optional equipment includes the 310-hp, 5.6-liter V-8 and a 9.3-gigabyte music storage system.
Trim Levels
At the bottom of the Pathfinder lineup is the S model that starts at $26,665 for rear-wheel drive (2WD) and $28,665 for the four-wheel-drive (4WD) version. Standard equipment on the S includes the 266-hp, 4.0-liter V-6; a five-speed automatic transmission; stability control; anti-lock brakes; tire-pressure monitoring; front-seat active head restraints and seatbelt pretensioners; 16-inch aluminum wheels; roof rails; a towing hitch; air conditioning; power windows, doors, and locks; remote keyless entry; a theft alarm; cruise control; three-row seating; cloth upholstery; and an AM/FM/CD stereo with six speakers.
The next step up is the SE V-6 that costs $29,965 with 2WD and $31,965 with 4WD; the SE V-8 begins at $31,565 for 2WD and $33,815 for 4WD. SE models add fog lights, a backup camera, an eight-way power driver's seat, power-adjustable pedals, auto dual-zone climate control, rear-seat air conditioning, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, steering-wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls, and an auxiliary music input. The SE V-6 gets 17-inch aluminum wheels; the SE V-8 gets 18-inch aluminum wheels.
For the buyer who intends to take his or her Pathfinder off-road or just wants a sportier look, Nissan offers the SE Off Road, which starts at $34,875. In addition to the equipment that comes on the SE V-6 trim level, the SE Off Road adds standard 4WD, heavy-duty Bilstein shocks, hill-descent and hill-ascent control, 16-inch aluminum wheels with off-road-ready tires, skid plates, a power sunroof, XM satellite radio, and a 10-speaker Bose stereo system with AM/FM/CD and auxiliary capabilities.
For those seeking luxury, a Pathfinder in LE V-6 or LE V-8 trim should fill the bill.
Rear-drive models start at $35,765 for the LE V-6 and $37,465 for the LE V-8; 4WD is a $2200 option on both. LE models come with everything that is standard on the SE trim levels and add a power sunroof, automatic headlights, leather trim for the first and second rows, heated front seats and exterior mirrors, front-seat-mounted side-impact airbags, three-row curtain airbags, wood-tone trim, a 10-speaker Bose stereo system with AM/FM/CD and auxiliary capability, XM satellite radio, and a four-way power passenger seat. Aside from the powertrain differences, the LE V-6 comes with 17-inch aluminum wheels and the LE V-8 comes with 18-inch aluminum wheels.
Optional Equipment
The Pathfinder S only offers two options: 4WD ($2000) and a side-airbag package ($700) that has front-seat-mounted side-impact airbags and a three-row curtain airbag.
SE V-6 and SE V-8 models offer 4WD ($2000 on V-6 models and $2250 on V-8 versions), XM satellite radio ($150), White Frost pearlescent paint ($300), the Premium package (10-speaker Bose stereo, automatic headlights, and power sunroof) for $1850, the Side Air Bags package ($700), the Leather package (leather-trimmed first- and second-row seats, heated front seats and outside mirrors, power four-way passenger seat) for $1850, and the rear-seat Nissan DVD Entertainment package that adds a roof-mounted seven-inch LCD, a DVD player, and two headphones for $1600. Buyers interested in the SE Off Road model will face the same choices as SE V-6 and SE V-8 buyers minus the not-available pearlescent paint. The Premium package and XM satellite radio are standard on the SE Off Road.
The luxurious LE model comes very well equipped and offers but a handful of options. These include 4WD ($2200); the Nissan Navigation package with a seven-inch touch screen ($2400), Bluetooth hands-free phone capability, keyless start, and a hard-drive-based music storage system; the Nissan DVD Entertainment package; and White Frost pearlescent paint.
Dual front airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-seat active headrests, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, stability control, and tire-pressure monitoring are standard across the Pathfinder lineup. Front-seat-mounted side impact airbags and three-row curtain airbags are standard on the LE V-6 and LE V-8 and optional on all other Pathfinder models for $700.


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Hello everyone! I wasn't specifically tagged by anyone to do this, but I saw this way back on Bhramori's blog, and I thought I might try it out. I really shouldn't be doing this tag when I have so many other pending tags in which I was actually tagged in, but this one was in my drafts for quite some time, so why not? It seems like a pretty unique tag too, so let's get to it, shall we?
1. Find a book for each of your initials .
There are lots of books I could choose! I'm going to go with:
2. Count your age along your book shelf- which book is it?
That would be 17… and the book would be:
3. Pick a book set in your city/state/country.
I decided to go for the broad choice for this one, with a book that is set in my country (Canada, in case you didn't know):
4. Pick a book that represents a destination you would love to travel to.
Umm… basically every book?? I'm not even kidding. But I'm going to go with:
I've always wanted to visit Paris, France! I haven't read this book yet, but judging from the cover and what I've read about it, Paris is one of its settings. 🙂
5. Pick a book that's your favourite colour.
I love almost all the colors of the rainbow, so I guess the most accurate choices would be:
The covers for A Thousand Pieces of You and Ten Thousand Skies Above You are stunning!! Love them so much!!
6. Which book do you have the fondest memories of?
Probably Roald Dahl's books! I remember loving to read them as a kid. 🙂
7. Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?
I feel like I use this series way too much for these kind of questions, but I honestly can't think of any that would suit this question more. It's pretty sad when you think of it. To me, the series just got worse and it took me forever to complete the books.
8. Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest sense of accomplishment when you finish it?
Probably the Game of Thrones series! Those books are really thick, and since currently I don't even know if I'm going to read them, I imagine if I do finish the series, it would be quite satisfying.
This was a very cool tag! I hereby tag:
- Aira @ Aira Reads
- Alejandra @ The Bookish Unicorn
- Alicia @ #LoveBooks
- Alyssa @ The Ramblings of a Literature Nerd
- Alysyn @ Rein Reads
- Amanda @ Chocolate Pages
- Anjie @ Love Thy Shelf
- Ashley @ Dear World…
- Ashley @ What's She Reading
- Becca @ Becca and Books
- Brandie @ Brandie is a Book Junkie
- Carolyn @ A Hundred Thousand Stories
- Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much
- Charley @ Books and Bakes
- Claire @ Art and Soul
- Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse
- Emma @ Wandering Words
- Erika @ Erika in Bookventureland
- Giselle @ Hardwork Boulevard
- Jesse @ Books at Dawn
- Jessica @ Paper Utopia
- Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts
- Josie @ Josie's Book Corner
- Kimsiang @ The Spines Breaker
- Kirsty @ Kirsty Reads
- Lia @ Bookland
- Makayla @ Random Reads
- Mariana @ Book is Glee
- Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books
- Michelle @ The Writing Hufflepuff
- Nya @ Nya Reads
- Sara @ Freadom Library
- Tasha @ Head in the Clouds, Heart in the Books
- Thuong Le @ I Read Therefore I Am
- T.K. Lawrence @ Read it or Not Reviews
- Victoria @ Addlepates and Book Nerds
- Vrushali @ Vrushali21
- Wesaun @ Oreos and Books
- Zezee @ Zezee with Books
I'm sorry if I missed you on here! If you want to do this tag, please just tell me below and I'll add your name to the post. ❤ I'd love to see your answers if you do it, so please link back if you do it! If you don't want to do it and I tagged you, feel free to ignore!
So what did you think of my answers and this tag? Let me know in the comments! Hope you're having a great Friday!


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By Charlene Muhammad
LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com) – Rappers and music audiences appear to be engaged in a battle over freedom of speech and consumerism with a backlash against negative lyrics.
The latest to feel public pressure is former prison guard-turned rapper Rick Ross, who also uses a former drug trafficker's name. He recently apologized for controversial rape lyrics belted out as a featured rapper on another artist's song. Ross glorified drugging and date rape, activists and rape survivors charged.
His initial response, saying there was a misunderstanding with a lyric or misinterpretation, was the wrong response, they added.
The word on Mr. Ross' official website is there's much anticipation about his upcoming album, "God Forgives. I Don't." Despite his apology, (which at Final Call press time, wasn't posted online), it seems many will not soon forgive or forget his latest antics.
The powers behind rappers
Reebok, the sportswear company, dropped Mr. Ross, indicating he hadn't shown enough remorse for the lyrics.
"We have to celebrate our victories and Reebok dropping Rick Ross is important, but we know and obviously the readers of The Final Call are smart enough to know that Reebok did not do this out of humanity or the kindness of their heart. They had no choice but to do this because of the pressure," said Rosa Clemente, hip hop activist and 2008 Green Party vice presidential candidate.
Ms. Clemente made a video response to Mr. Ross' lyrics. But the problem is bigger than Mr. Ross and it will continue unless specific acts are taken, she cautioned.
Her video challenges men in hip hop to stand up and say this is unacceptable.
Rick Ross isn't the only rapper that spews such sentiment, she said, and proof is in the number of radio stations playing the song.
It will continue until the brothers stand with the sisters and denounce it, because it's not just a woman's issue, said Ms. Clemente.
Every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey, there is an average of more than 207,000 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and assault each year.


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The events that occurred ten years ago were undeniably horrific, scary and tragic. They were also an opportunity to show how strong democratic values are; to show how powerful reason is when armed with information; to unite behind our belief in freedom of speech and freedom of knowledge.
I was working at Daily Information, writing some new features for their web platform. It was a little past two in the afternoon, and I was sitting with one of the high school students who occasionally did work there, and its proprietor, John Rose. John was an eccentric but brilliant man – an outsider entrepreneur who had become the hub for a cross-section of Oxford life. (I learned a lot from him, and he's massively influenced everything I've done since.) He had set up the office in the basement of a house he owned; paper, computer parts and assorted detritus occupied every available surface. Although I was writing code and checking on the website, we would often break for conversation. (A sample John Rose icebreaker: "aren't other people awful?")
My dad happened to be nearby, and came into the office to tell me what had happened. The second plane had hit by this time, and it was obvious that it wasn't an accident. He feared that this was the prelude to something bigger. We had ISDN in the office, and we immediately began checking the news sites: the BBC, CNN, and so on. I remember vividly that within a few minutes, the only website that stayed up was the Guardian, and we all sat there at our Windows 2000 workstations, on a makeshift network in a cluttered office in North Oxford, reloading the page in the newly-released Internet Explorer 6 and gasping in horror at each new revelation. John had been to New York not long before, and told us about his trip to the top of the World Trade Center. By 5pm, though, we'd returned to work, shaken but determined to continue.
I waited at the bus stop for twenty minutes that evening, and remember thinking that the world had changed irrevocably. Although I would become increasingly politicized over the next few months (and have been ever since), I didn't know enough about the world to really understand what was going to happen. But I knew enough that day to understand that President Bush would probably want to go to war, and that rather than being mourned as a great loss, this was going to be used as an excuse to do some pretty terrible things. I remember watching the faces of the people driving by, behind the wheel or sitting in the Oxford buses, searching in vain for a mirror of the unease that was welling up inside of me. Person after person seemed unemotional; distant; detached.
I browsed my Livejournal friends page that night, using the Demon Internet dial-up connection at my parents' house (I was staying with them that autumn), and reactions ran the gamut from fear to – and here I sadly quote word-for-word, the post etched forever on my memory – "burn, America, burn!"
It wasn't a lone sentiment. I was the only American in my friends group, and many (but by no means all) of the people I knew felt that, at least to a certain extent, America deserved this. Not in the third world, not in the midst of fundamentalist religion – but well-educated, middle class kids all over England. I'm close to being a third culture child, and often say that my family is my nationality and my religion all at once, but for the first time in my life I found myself defending one of my source countries. I love America, and I love the values of its people – even when its government is clearly not in sync.
The Onion said it best, of course, both following the attacks and a year earlier, when George W Bush finally assumed the Presidency. And as the insanity ramped up and the Bush administration began to drag much of the western world into illegal wars (enabled by a fabrication or two from Tony Blair's government in the UK), news sources who dared to bring the irregularities to light had their wings duly clipped. I was one of over a million people – over 2% of the entire population of the UK – who marched against the impending war in Iraq. Nothing happened; the war went ahead as planned. And as the government failed us, and the TV news became more obviously watered down, two sources stood out. One was the Daily Show, which became the primary political commentary source for a generation by pointing out the increasing hypocrisy. And the other one was the vast expanse of independent websites and communities on the web.
This is my personal opinion about the decline of the news media over the last decade: they're dying not because someone came up with a better model, but because they lost our trust. From the events of September 11th itself, through Enron the month afterwards, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the entirety of the Bush Administration, and so on and so on and so on (pick a scandal, any scandal), right up to the curated illogicality and overstated popularity of the Tea Party, my perception is that, as a whole, the news media hasn't been with us. Instead, I think the best analysis has been found in books (a hat doff to my colleague Jim Moore, whose book Bush's Brain was one of the first in-depth criticisms of Bush); in magazines like Rolling Stone and the New Yorker (Seymour Hersh has become a personal hero); in documentary movies (Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, though imperfect, is a kind of turning point). The television news and the daily newspaper, once staples of modern life, have all but obsoleted themselves by bowing to pressure to neuter the principles that underwrite their content, and by reacting poorly to their economic decline. This is a tragedy of democracy, because my god, the investigative journalists are still out there. We need them more than ever, but they've lost their platforms, either because those platforms have lost their ability to be honest, or because they've lost their ability to pay for experienced journalists (or both).
On the web, we are at the forefront of a new kind of discourse – we not only participate in the content, as I am with this piece, but also by influencing the form of conversation, debate, communication and dissemination. Imagine being back in the 17th century, inventing the form of the newspaper, or creating the newsreel in 1908 – that's what our industry is doing today, except we're also inventing the wire, the telephone, the telediagraph, the telex, the fax machine and the wire photo: the back-end technology that makes the content that goes into the end-user product possible. Sure, we're building cool new music apps or remixing kitten pics, but we're also influencing how people will create and consume information for generations. It's an exciting field to be in, but it's also a great responsibility. Information and community sit together at the center of democracy.
Back to those events ten years ago; for me, back to sitting at a bus stop, watching the faces of passers-by, searching for meaning and wondering what would happen next. I think there's great value in reflection and remembrance on September 11th, not only of the tragedy that occurred, but all of the tragedies and all of the injustices that occurred in its name. This was an opportunity to show how strong democratic values are; to show how powerful reason is when armed with information and education; to unite behind our belief in freedom of speech and freedom of knowledge. I believe that in the content of our actions, discourse and stated values, we went the other way.
But if we remember what's important, and build what we know, we have the promise, perhaps more than ever, of creating something much greater. Freedom is a core value of both us as a people and us as an industry. Let's bring it on home.


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Fox News psych pundit Keith Ablow warns that having affordable insurance makes America soft and infantile.
But Fox News' resident psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow may win the prize for the most outrageous reaction. In a column posted on FoxNews.com and during an interview Monday afternoon on the network, Ablow claimed that the court's decision will "iInfantilize" Americans:
ABLOW: [T]oday it could be healthcare, tomorrow it could be a hybrid vehicle that you are penalized financially for not buying. It takes control of your behavior in the way that a parent would of a child, and it diminishes us in terms of our autonomy and ability to achieve things even for liberty on the world stage, quite literally.
I'm only a nurse, but in my observation, mental illness takes control of people's behavior in ways that devastate their own lives and the lives of people close to them. Mental illness often strikes in early adulthood, turning promising students into people who struggle all their lives with disability. People with mental illness are likely to suffer loss of earning power, to the point of living in chronic poverty. It's not that people can't recover, but mental illness is common, difficult to treat, and often undiagnosed. Good psychiatrists and counselors are often not available to the people who need them the most. This care is expensive, and when states are cutting costs mental health treatment programs disappear while the need grows.
If Dr. Ablow has refused gummint insurance, such as Medicare, Medicaid, VA— then he gets credit for being consistent. He would only spend his non-TV time ministering to the wealthy, but the wealthy suffer from mental illness too.
If he takes the gummint money and goes on Fox to try to shame people for wanting affordable health care– I think there's a name for that kind of thing. Projection? Reaction Formation? Denial? Snake Oil Peddling?


text:
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
6 Charging Stations for Your Cell Phones, iPods and More
The only gadget I need to recharge regularly is my iPhone. But many families have multiple phones and other electronics that need recharging - and then a charging station might be useful.
Idapt has charging stations to handle two, three or four products. The i3, shown above, comes in silver, black and white - as well as pink; the i4 has the same colors, except there's no pink. [picture from Amazon.com] Update on Dec. 1, 2019: Amazon notes that this product has been discontinued by the manufacturer.
Pink must be in style; Refresh, from Bluelounge, comes in white, black - and pink. Update on March 19, 2014: This product seems to have been discontinued.
Blu Dot calls its charging station the Juice Box. Update on Dec. 1, 2019: I'm no longer finding this on the Blu Dot website — or anywhere else.
The Lessev Mobile Station is a Japanese design. [via Core77]
The Powermat (paired with a receiver for each device) allows you to do wireless charging. Different size mats allows you to charge one, two or three devices at a time. [via organizer Allison Carter]
And finally, Cost Plus World Market is selling a jewelry armoire with a charging station. The picture may be a bit confusing - that's a mirror in the top, reflecting the items which are charging. Update on Dec. 1, 2019: I'm no longer finding this at World Market, but there are different ones available at Chasing Treasure and WatchWinder Station.
Related Posts:
13 Ways to Recharge the Gadgets
Woodworking Gallery in Half Moon Bay: Stunning Storage and Other Organizing Products
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 2:09 PM 2 comments
Is a Family Member's Clutter Driving You Crazy?
I've raved about Naomi Seldin's Simpler Living blog many times before, and the guest post she wrote here was very popular with readers.
Naomi kindly offered me a chance to write a guest post on her blog - so go there to read strategies for dealing with someone else's clutter.
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 8:56 AM 2 comments
Labels: organizing techniques
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
June 2010 Organizing Tips and More
My June 2010 newsletter is now available.
Tip of the Month: Avoiding the Feeling of Information Overload
Product of the Month: Piggy banks made from recycled materials - which also support the work of CAMBIE, a non-governmental non-profit organization focused on environmental education.
Also: Organizing Poem of the Month: To-Do Haiku
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 12:21 AM 0 comments
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Clutter and QVC
Clutter and poor shopping choices go hand in hand - so I was intrigued by Megan McArdle's article called The Genius of QVC, found in the June 2010 issue of The Atlantic.
The article starts with the story of Megan calling her mom and suggesting she check out the flatware being sold on QVC right then; her mom had wanted to buy that flatware as a wedding gift. Here's how the story continues:
"You want me to buy something ... from the television?" Her tone suggested icy Thanksgiving dinners and rewritten wills.Read the rest of this interesting article to understand how the QVC hosts "sell you things you don't quite need."
And to be fair, 30 minutes later, she had not bought any flatware. Somehow, though, our family came to own three jumbo sets of Lock and Lock storage containers, in Kiwi, Fuschia, and Coral. ... Now that we each had a color-coded personal set, my mother explained, the McArdle women would never again tussle over the Tupperware.
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 10:12 PM 3 comments
Labels: simplicity and consumerism
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Time to Gawk: Amazing Hooks and Hangers
While I usually try to include items at many price points in my posts, this post will be an exception - because I just found two novel products I wanted to share. The first is the Garderobe Tempelhof; I love this one both for the design and the story behind it. I'll just quote from the vendor's web site:
The wardrobe Tempelhof came into existence one year after the the same called airport in Berlin was shutdown. The airport Tempelhof became historical importance through the Berlin airlift during the days of the blockade in 1948-1949. The hangers have the shape of the legendary C-47 which became famous as the candy bombers. They are made from the same material — aluminium.[via Ape to Gentleman; price on request]
And then there are the parrot coat racks from Lladro. Price: $400. [via Decofinder]
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 8:38 PM 0 comments
Monday, June 21, 2010
Guest Post: Why I'll Continue to Hold Garage Sales
I've never hosted a garage sale myself - and many people feel it's too much work for the money raised. So when I heard that a colleague from CoastViews Magazine, Jean Headley Darmody, just had a garage sale with her husband Daniel, I asked if she would share her thoughts. Here's Jean!
I would always have a garage sale as opposed to just donating. (We usually donate what's left at the end of the day to Goodwill, but we didn't really have that much to start with this time, so whatever was left we kept for our next garage sale.)
When we have a garage sale, I always invite friends to bring their things and join me because I have such a great location. (Editor's note: Jean's home is on a major road, so many people pass by her sale - and there's plenty of parking, too.) I also put an ad in the local paper the previous Wednesday to bring people from other parts of town.
One friend, Sandy Morgan, always brings stuff by the night before the garage sale. She's not a morning person, so Daniel helps me set up the tables and get things out onto the tables, and then Sandy arrives around 11:30 or 12:00 and we spend the rest of the day together just hanging out - which we, as two busy ladies, rarely get time to do! Daniel usually goes out to do windshield repairs once he helps with the setup, and he's back by the end of the day and the three of us (Daniel, Sandy, and I) do the boxing up of leftovers and breaking down the tables.
Another good thing that comes from having a garage sale is that I pass out Daniel's and my business cards to almost every customer, thereby promoting both of our businesses and gaining future customers. (We often get business from people who say they got our card at our garage sale.)
We also get to socialize with friends and neighbors that drop by.
We're always happy when someone finds just what they're looking for. I love passing my things on to new homes that will appreciate them as I did. I do find, however, that clothing, no matter how beautiful and special, does not move very well.
So, in summary, it's a lot of work and leaves us all exhausted, but I feel it's worth it in the long run.
Jean's business is Headley Office Services, located in Pacifica, Calif. Her husband Daniel is the Windshield Wizard.
Related Post:
Garage Sales - Love Them or Leave Them?
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 5:48 PM 3 comments
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Organizing Made Easy: Coat Racks
Getting (and staying) organized is easier when you have easy-to-use tools. And coat racks, like hooks, are one way to make things easy. And, of course, I can point you to some attractive options. The one above is the Scacco Matto coat stand from Servetto, available from Milk Concept Boutique.
I like the burnt orange color on this Merkled coat rack, but it also comes in white.
The Brahms coat rack is an inexpensive option. [via Not Martha]
This coat tree by Fritz Hansen, sold by Nest.co.uk and by hivemodern.com, is not inexpensive! The multicolor version is the most unusual, but you can also get it in white, chrome, or multiple shades of gray. [via Cribcandy]
Gumps has a number of coat racks, including this one. Update on May 26, 2011: This is the only coat rack I'm seeing on the Gumps web site now.
Mooby's hall tree is a simple redwood option. (You can also get it in Douglas fir.)
And finally, here's another simple design: the Stem tree, which comes from an Australian company, DesignByThem. It's designed to fit inside a standard mailing tube, and the company says it's easily assembled. You can get it in the natural maple finish, or you can have it painted or stained in custom colors. [via swissmiss]
Related Posts:
Nine Coat Racks That Caught My Eye
Reader Question: Coat Trees
Clothes Trees for Kids
Interesting Combination: Wall Stickers and Coat Hangers
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 11:54 PM 5 comments
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Reader Question: Bathroom Cabinets, Part 2
How bout a nice selection of cabinets for the bathroom? One that will hold towels and a few toiletries for guests? Both wall-mount and floor-style would be of interest.
When I first replied to this question, I promised more to come. So here we go! I'm going to start with something that isn't actually a cabinet, but might still meet the questioner's needs. The teak étagère above comes from Williams Sonoma home, and it's on sale. (So are the storage baskets.)
VivaTerra also has teak shelving.
LineaAqua has a whole collection of linen cabinets for the bathroom.
While I think of toilets when I hear the Toto brand, the company actually makes a range of products, including these wall cabinets - which also come in white. [via Trendir]
Moving over to the U.K., The White Cottage has a number of bathroom cabinets.
And finally, because I just can't stay away from the sleek modern designs, I'll point you to the cabinet options from Nameek's, a U.S.-based European importer. Each of the vanity lines seems to also include a cabinet or two.
Iotti is one of the lines carried by Nameek's, and it's fun to look around the Iotti web site. [warning: site plays music]
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 8:51 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Space-Saving Options: Collapsible Wheelbarrows
Would you love to have a wheelbarrow - but you can't figure out where you'd store it? Maybe the answer is a collapsible wheelbarrow! The folding wheelbarrow above was just mentioned on Apartment Therapy today, and it gets mixed reviews - but there are other options.
The WheelEasy from Allsop is the collapsible wheelbarrow (or yard cart) I found most often as I searched around the web. And, of course, a wheelbarrow can be used for more than just yard work!
The most fanciful products are those from Fallen Fruits. You can buy them from TouchedByDutch.com (carrot and daisy patterns) and Greenfingers.com (daisy, tomato and leaf patterns).
Hammacher Schlemmer also has a folding wheelbarrow, with some handy pockets on the side.
And going beyond the wheelbarrow, there's the Fold-A-Cart. There are four different models, with capacities ranging from 150 pounds to 400 pounds. [via Toolmonger]
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 8:03 PM 1 comments
Labels: small spaces
Monday, June 14, 2010
8 Tips for Getting (and Staying) Organized When You Have Memory Problems
Memory problems can result from all sorts of medical issues - so it's worth seeing a doctor if you have concerns about your memory.
But here are some suggestions on how to stay organized even when your memory isn't working at its best. (Note: These tips are intended for those with manageable memory issues, not severe issues that put someone at serious risk of harm.) Many of these suggestions are useful to those without memory issues; they just take on some added urgency if memory is a concern.
1. Declutter
If you do misplace something, it will be easier to find if your space isn't cluttered.
2. Have a place for everything - and label it.
This may include labeling the outside of dresser drawers and kitchen cabinets. The Remind and Find labels shown above were designed for just this purpose - and of course you can find others, or create your own. [via organizer Shannon Zipoy]
You'll want to be especially sure to have set places for your glasses, keys, wallet, medications and important papers.
3. Use routines and checklists.
If there are things you need to do repeatedly - every day, for example - consider creating a checklist. A morning checklist and a before-bed checklist work well for some people.
Specialized checklists for how to do specific tasks can be helpful, too. My mother used to have a checklist that told her exactly how to take her insulin, and it worked fine for her, even though she sometimes had memory challenges in other areas.
4. Use a calendar, a to-do list, and a message-taking notebook.
A single calendar or planner that lists all your appointments is a critical tool. Your to-do list could be noted on the calendar/planner or kept separately; some people like to use a whiteboard to keep their to-do items in front of them.
It can also help to have a notebook where you record all your phone messages and notes from conversations with others, so you don't wind up with random pieces of paper all over the place. With the single-notebook approach, you know that if you forget what someone said, you can easily go look it up.
An alternative (or supplement) to the notebook might be a voice recorder; this is another good way to capture notes to yourself.
5. Use whatever memory aid products are useful to you.
Some of the most common memory aids are weekly pill cases; there are many to choose from. There are all sorts of pill dispensers and reminders, too; see MaxiAids and ActiveForever.com for some ideas. BIndependent has some advice about selecting the medication aid that's best for you.
Timers of all sorts can be useful, too.
But I've been amazed at the range of products available - such as the Clarity photo phones, found here and here. [Via BIndependent, which also sells this phone] A glance at the list of memory aids at Gold Violin and Dynamic Living might give you some ideas, too.
6. Consider tools that help you find misplaced items.
ADDitude Magazine lists a few of the many products available, including the Find One, Find All key finder shown above.
7. Let people help.
Sometimes just a little help is all someone needs. My brother or I loaded my mom's weekly pill cases each week - but she didn't need any help remembering to take the pills once they were in the pill cases. She had her routines, and they served her well.
8. Mix and match all of the above into a solution that works for you.
Everyone's needs are different; experiment and find out what works for your particular situation!
Anyone else have suggestions? If something has worked particularly well for you or someone you know, I'd love to hear about it.
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 10:23 PM 5 comments
Labels: organizing products, organizing techniques
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Paper Shredders: From Furry to Functional to Fantastic
If you want a "pretty, fuzzy paper shredder," Purrrpl_Haze / Hazel I. has just the shredder for you. No, you can't have Minky - but you can certainly get a Minky equivalent. [photo licensed under Creative Commons]
But if you want a more reliable shredder - one that shreds just the things you want shredded - you can get something like the Fellowes shredder I own - which you can buy for much less than the price listed on the Fellowes web site. And there are plenty of less-expensive shredders that might suit your needs just fine, too. Monica Ricci writes about some things to consider when selecting a decent shredder.
If you don't like the standard shredder look, you might want to consider the Conof shredders, sold here.
Want something very special? You could get the Papervore coffee table - a coffee table that's also a shredder - which is sold by Voos Furniture. [via Apartment Therapy]
Related Posts:
Shredders With Style
Staples MAILMATE Shredder
A Simple Shredder
Oddest Shredder Ever
Update: Six More Shredder Options
Shredders: Getting a Good One
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 12:31 AM 4 comments
Thursday, June 10, 2010
11 Wooden Boxes That Don't Cost a Fortune
I know that the products I feature here are often on the expensive side. So today I decided to only list products under $75 - sometimes substantially under!
Let's start with this fun handpainted wood box from Jessica Simanowski. Price: $68
The Harbinger Co. sells a number of boxes. Price for this set: $60. [via Lushlee]
River Otter Rustics has a number of woodburned boxes. This one: $40.
And Wooden You Love It has a number of wooden boxes in different shapes, including this little goldfish bowl trinket box. Price: $27.
Moving on to the non-painted versions, there's this lovely box from Wood Expressions - one of the few boxes this shop sells. Price: $22.
Jim Steele of Steele Woodworking also makes some eye-catching wooden boxes. Price of this one: $38.
This lovely box - one of many - comes from Bruce, who has spent 21 years in the boating industry as a woodworker. Price: $62.
And Bark Up a Tree Woodworks make taper leg boxes in many different woods - sold on his site and on Etsy. Price: $59.95.
Dave Hoskins is another woodworker with notable wooden boxes; this one is pecan. Price: $60 - the most expensive one of the bunch.
Tim's Green Thumb notes that its boxes are made from recycled woods. Price of this one: $36.
And finally, Paradise Hills Design makes boxes from reclaimed barn wood. Price of this box: $24. [via Apartment Therapy]
Anyone have a favorite?
Related Posts (more wooden boxes):
Two Artisans Make Noteworthy Boxes
Shaker Boxes by Brent Rourke
StoryPeople: Organizing-Related Thoughts and Much More
For Valentine's Day 2009: Yet More Boxes
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 12:31 AM 0 comments
Labels: green alternatives, organizing products
Monday, June 7, 2010
Taming the Magazine Madness: 11 Magazine Racks
So you've gotten rid of the stack of old magazines you'll never get around to reading, and winnowed your subscription list down to a reasonable number. And now you're looking for a nice magazine rack to keep your latest editions.
Fortunately, there's a huge range of interesting choices. Let's start with the To You To Me storage unit from The Life Aesthetic. Update on Nov. 22, 2010: You can also see this product on the new website of the designer/maker, Gary Moore.
Zack makes this stainless steel magazine rack; there are a number of on-line vendors.
And here's an eye-catching leather magazine rack from Hagform, in Sweden. It comes in a number of colors: green, orange, red, black, etc. Update on June 2, 2012: This magazine rack is actually made by Midipy, a French company; Hagform is the French distributor.
Here's another product from Sweden: The Stackmag, from Paug - available from Scand. Design Online in black, orange, purple, white and green. Update on January 14, 2015: I'm no longer finding this product.
And yet another Swedish magazine rack is this one designed by Anne Krook, from Krookodil. Again, you can buy it at Scand. Design Online. [via Apartment Therapy] Update on March 5, 2011: I'm no longer finding this one available for online sales.
This over-the-door reading rack from Jokari isn't as attractive as some - but it might fit your space perfectly.
Returning to the more fanciful designs, this is just one of the magazine racks from Paolo Design. Since these are made in France, it's no surprise that there's also a design featuring a dog.
As Retro to Go notes, this magazine rack by Fornasetti "may not leave you with much money for magazines to put in it." But if you're interested, you can find it at Unica Home.
Another option is a magazine basket. Update on March 5, 2011: The site that had sold this basket no longer carries it.
And then there are the canvas magazine baskets sold by KC Hawaii. This 3-level version comes in your choice of four colors; there's also a single-basket version with different designs.
And finally, MD. Iron Designs has a magazine rack designed specifically for the bathroom.
Related Posts:
Magazine Racks for Any Room
Magazine Racks: Some Mighty Fine Choices
Five Fantastic Magazine Racks
Posted by Jeri Dansky at 12:53 AM 9 comments
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text:
FDA begins cracking down on medical diagnosis apps starting with 'uChek' iPhone urinalysis app
Bloomberg reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is launching a first of its kind inquiry into medical diagnosis apps starting with the 'uChek' urine analysis app from Biosense Technologies. The free app, which is currently still on the App Store, requires users to purchase a kit containing urine test strips that can be visually analyzed with the iPhone's camera. The problem, according to a letter sent to Biosense from the FDA, is the fact that the test strips have only been cleared for "direct visual reading" and not automated analysis from an application:
Please note that though the types of urinalysis dipsticks you reference for use with your application are cleared, they are only cleared when interpreted by direct visual reading. Since your app allows a mobile phone to analyze the dipsticks, the phone and device as a whole functions as an automated strip reader. When these dipsticks are read by an automated strip reader, the dipsticks require new clearance as part of the test system. Therefore, any company intending to promote their device for use in analyzing, reading, and/or interpreting these dipsticks need to obtain clearance for the entire urinalysis test system (i.e., the strip reader and the test strips, as used together).
While Biosense plans to work with the FDA to resolve the issue, Bloomberg notes that this is only the start of a broader crack down on apps that claim to diagnose medical conditions: Expand


text:
Many 80's CFNY tunes are up on my server/station, there's only room for 32 listeners at this time, I plan on upgrading in the near future
http://184.108.40.206:8000/listen.pls For windows Media player
it's not online all the time, check back if offline
Listen m3u! (for WinAmp, iTunes, Mac)
Listen asx! (For Windows)
Listen ram! (For Real player)
Our Web Page is at:
Streaming music from our low power radio station, stay tuned, drop us a line
CFNY 80's TUNES HERE
Outlets today for Spirit-era music
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text: Design Sponge just slayed me with the latest installment of their Holiday Gift Series. These mountain pillows by Kate Pruitt are so adorable I will have to make one for myself too. Or maybe it will be my Christmas present to my couch. It has been so good to me.


text:
Italian-San Joaquin Sourdough
Yesterday, I made Chicken Cacciatore for tonight, when my sisters would be at our house for dinner. It seemed to me I should be serving some sort of Italian bread with this dinner. I didn't really feel like tackling a brand new recipe, although there are a number of Italian breads on my "to bake" list. I thought about the sourdough version of Reinhart's Italian bread from BBA which I have made many times and enjoyed. However, once the idea of formulating an "Italian version" of my San Joaquin Sourdough occurred to me, I knew that's what I was going to make.
I was delighted with the result, although I don't know that anyone more knowledgable than I regarding Italian breads would recognize it as in any way "Italian."
Wt. (g)
Baker's %
AP flour
Fine durum flour
Diastatic malt powder
Active Liquid levain
Olive oil
In a large bowl, disperse the levain in the water.
Add the flours, sugar and malt to the liquid and mix to a shaggy mass.
Cover the bowl and let it rest for 20-60 minutes.
Add the salt and olive oil and mix thoroughly. (Note: I squish the dough with my hands until it comes back together, then do stretch and folds in the bowl until it forms a smooth ball and the oil appears completely incorporated.)
Transfer the dough to a 2 quart lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl tightly.
After 30 minutes, do 20 stretch and folds in the bowl. Repeat 3 more times at 30 minute intervals.
Refrigerate for 12-36 hours.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to warm up for 1-2 hour.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces and pre-shape as rounds. Cover with a clean towel or plasti-crap and let rest for one hour.
Shape as boules or bâtards and proof en couche or in bannetons for about 45 minutes. (Note: Optionally, if proofing en couche, roll the loaves on damp paper towels then in a tray of sesame seeds. Alternatively, you can brush the loaves with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. If proofing in bannetons, you would use the second method but after transferring the loaves to a peel, just before baking.)
One hour before baking, pre-heat the oven to 480ºF with a baking stone and steaming apparatus in place.
Transfer the loves to the baking stone. Steam the oven, and turn the temperature down to 460ºF.
After 12 minutes, remove the steaming apparatus. (Note: What I actually do at this point is switch to convection bake and turn the oven down to 435ºF for the remainder of the bake.) Continue baking for another 12-15 minutes or until the loaves are nicely browned and the internal temperature is at least 205ºF.
Turn off the oven, but leave the loaves on the baking stone and the oven door ajar for another 5-10 minutes to dry the crust.
Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.
The crust was chewy except for the ear and bottom crust which were nicely crunchy. The crumb was nice and chewy-tender. The crust flavor was sweet and nutty with the sesame flavor we always enjoy. The crumb was sweet and nutty. Absent the rye flour and with the addition of the oil, sugar, malt and durum flour, the flavor was delightful but very different from that of the San Joaquin Sourdough.
The four of us consumed 2/3 of a loaf with dinner. When I was going to slice some more, sister Ruth told me she would prefer to save it for breakfast toast. Her proposal prevailed.
I'm sure this will make delicious toast, even competing with the Hamelman 5-grain Levain I also baked this afternoon.
Submitted to YeastSpotting


text:
For the second time in 18 months, the northern edition of Viveck Goenka's Indian Express (sold in the south as The National Standard) has been drawn into a blazing row between the Congress-led UPA government and the then (and now retired) chief of the Army staff, General V.K. Singh.
In April 2012, the Express put out a front-page, full-page, eight-column, triple-decker banner-headlined story that on the day Gen Singh's petition before the Supreme Court on his date of birth was coming up on January 16, 2012, two units of the Indian Army had moved towards Delhi
In effect, that Express story—bylined "by Shekhar Gupta, Ritu Sarin, Pranab Dhal Samanta, with Ajmer Singh"—was making the thinly disguised insinuation that the general had tried to stage a coup in the national capital but without using the dreaded "C" word.
The Express story was denied by defence minister A.K. Antony, and most newspapers punched holes in the Express story, but the paper stuck to its guns.
Last Friday, September 20—five days after Gen Singh had shared the dais with the BJP's "prime ministerial candidate" Narendra Damodardas Modi—the Express front-paged an eight-column, double-decker, half-page story, by Ritu Sarin, that a unit set up by Gen Singh had, among other things, tried to topple the Jammu & Kashmir government headed by Omar Abdullah.
In effect, a "C" minor.
But unlike the first occasion, when the General was still in his uniform and constrained from speaking out on its veracity, this time he has let loose a volley of personal criticism on Indian Express editor-in-chief Shekhar Gupta, who has a demonstrated record of top-flight reporting on defence matters, both at Express and his previous port of call, India Today magazine.
First, on Twitter, General Singh called Shekhar Gupta a "UPA stooge" and gave oxygen to a number of unsubstantiated charges on his assets and income-tax returns, even drawing Gupta's spouse, Neelam Jolly, into the picture.
Then, on the 9 pm news on television, after he had filed an application under the right to information seeking the Army report on which Express said it had based its story, General Singh went for the jugular, both against Express and its editor.
In an interview with Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Times Now, Gen Singh said:
"This paper first accuses me of trying to topple the government in Delhi, now it accuses me of trying to topple the government in J&K…. How did Indian Express know about it? If there is a leak (of the Army report) to a paper, why can't it be made available to me?
"I don't consider Indian Express a newspaper which can be believed. Sorry. A paper which can dub a movement of two units on simple mobilization as a 'coup' should be thrown out into the wastepaper basket."
Express reported the latter criticism in its editions today, quoting Times Now, but conveniently excised the middle portion, which questioned the veracity of its April 2012 "C" report.
Then, in an interview Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief of CNN-IBN, Gen Singh answered a few questions:
Who is behind this 'motivated report'?
When I say motivated, I am only going by what the Indian Express has reported. With my previous experience of their putting out a 'coup' story, I feel it is highly motivated…. If a newspaper can have this report or parts of this report, I think I as a person directly affected must have a copy.
Sir, you have also today on social media made comments about the editor of the Indian Express, Shekhar Gupta.
I don't know if it is a personal battle for him. If a person comes to my house, has a meal, understands the situation, then goes and does a banner headline on spooking the government, and a coup, based on two units that moved, what was the agenda?
In an interview with Nitin A. Gokhale, NDTV's defence editor, 17 days before the Express report, Gen Singh said:
(M)isunderstandings are created deliberately by people who hobnob with certain journalists, who seem to be having an axe to grind and there are some of them very prominent ones. Why the axe is there to grind, whether it is because they have been bought over or something else I really can't comment on. But it appears quite obvious.
In this particular instance there was, you know, banner headlines. Army is spying, Army is bugging, Army is doing A, B and C…
I have tried to clarify it once earlier. But I find same reports keep coming up. In fact this great paper called Indian Express had done the same report with just a minor variation of figure by the same reporter couple of months back. He has brought it up again, same thing no change in it, just a minor variation. So much for the journalistic talent that this paper has….
For a paper to say Rs 8 crore is missing, have they seen the logbooks? Have they gone through the details? They haven't. No, I think lot of things that this paper has been doing is totally wrong.
While the rest of mainstream media stayed silent on the Twitter war between Gen Singh and Shekhar Gupta, it briefly popped up as a news item on NewsX, the news channel.
But, on social media, as the paper's reputation was taking a pounding, the Indian Express scion Anant Goenka felt it fit to enter the debate (here, here).
"#"To the haters: you can allege a variety of vested interests but our history shows we take up issues that no one else has the courage….
#"Fact is that Express is and has always been feared because we don't care who hates us…I think our readers expect nothing less from us."
Update: NewsX, which put out a news report on V.K. Singh's allegations against Shekhar Gupta, issued a clarification on 14 October 2013:
"News X would like to clarify that its report of September 23 in no capacity an endorsement of the claim or reflects the editorial view held by the channel with regard to Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekha Gupta. News X was only reporting the Tweets as put out by the General on his individual account."
Also read: What they are saying about Express 'sue' report
Adolf Hitler reacts to Indian Express 'C' report


text:
But there hasn't been much knitting this last week!
Last Monday I participated in a service day for the Backpack Program. We packed 420 weekend lunch bags, which means 840 lunches. This program provides lunches for low-income children who are at risk for hunger. The program began in the fall of 2008, serving 10 children, and quickly grew to 30. It now serves 60 children, and the current goal is to serve 100 children for the entire school year. It's a cooperative effort of four local United Methodist churches, and has grown to include community volunteers and school groups.
I love that people of all ages volunteer for this program.
The Day Old Pastries led some singing after the lunch packing. We're a group of friends that like to play and sing together, 6 guitarists and a mandolin player. Occasionally a guitar gets swapped for an accordian! We were all acoustic that day (no amps, no mics), and it was folkie fun. I recorded it with my Zoom H2. (This little stereo digital recorder is fabulous; it's easy to use and works well.)
The week blew past, and DH celebrated a significant birthday. Happy birthday, Sweetie!
We had family in from out of town, and ended the weekend with dim sum before they headed back to the airport. Who got the last piece of shiu mai?
Back to knitting this week! Here's a little yarn for this post:
Hat tip to the Twist Collective Blog.


text:
Featured products
Racing Warrior$10.00
Rail Scout$8.00
$2.00 Discount on your total order if you buy both Racing Warrior and Rail Scout!
Discount applied at checkout.
is the place to get unique papercraft models that are hand drawn by a webdeveloper who is playing around with a webshop.
I'm going to be completely honest here. This site is basically a practise playground for me, the webdeveloper who needs to learn to develop within webshops.
And this will show. There is not much of a design, and not a particularly diverse inventory. But everything is real. I make sure that the production version of the site (which you are visiting right now) works, and that you can truly get the products presented here.
And the products are the result of a hobby of mine that I actually practise very little these days: Designing papercraft.
It will also be clear that I am a fan of a certain brand of convertible robots, which leads to papercraft with a lot of moving parts.
So I do invite you to browse around this relatively barren webshop, and, of course, buy. ;)


text:
Twitter reaction: Brooklyn Decker's Manti Te'o girlfriend joke
The news of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's inspirational girlfriend story turning out to be a hoax spread at a rapid pace on social media Wednesday.
The Deadspin.com story that showed there were no records of Lennay Kekua's death led to many snarky tweets from famous sports figures and celebrities.
Perhaps the most surprising tweet came from the wife of a retired athlete. Actress and model Brooklyn Decker made a joke while tweeting her husband Andy Roddick: ".@andyroddick Surprise!!!!HOAX!! I don't exist."
Decker later deleted the tweet.
Roddick gave his own input on Wednesday: "I think I believe te'o ...... There is no way that somebody would make up a fake person and have them die of something tragic (I hope)"
Here's a scroll of other reaction tweets from Wednesday:
NBC Universal's Michelle Beadle @MichelleDBeadle: Crying?!?! There's no CRYING in fake girlfriend death hoax bs extravaganza!!! #Manti"
Jenn Sterger @jennifersterger: "Show me a dude that openly admits to having an online relationship with a girl. That's NOT in a kitchen with Chris Hansen."
Johnny Manziel @JManziel2: "#MindBlown"
Cleveland Browns player Scott Fujita @scottfujita99: "Is it weird that I had no idea who this Te'o guy was until about 5 minutes ago? But not nearly as weird as this story! WTF?!!"
Saturday Night Live comedian Seth Meyers @sethmeyers21: "These Te'o jokes are all very funny but let's all try and remember that a person who never existed is dead."
Former Ohio State player turned sports blogger Mark Titus @clubtrillion: "Protip: Get your Te'o jersey now. By the time Halloween rolls around, you'll forget about this and blow the chance to be Te'o & his fake GF."
Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel @DanWetzel: "I have to say, inventing a dead girlfriend is the boldest Heisman stunt ever. Makes a Times Square billboard seem quaint"
ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale: "Don't know what to believe in MANTI soap opera-heard from insiders that they could identify those involved in hoax !NEED TRUTH FROM TE'O NOW"
Houston Chronicle columnist Jerome Solomon @JeromeSolomon: "Don't believe a person can be as gullible as Te'o apparently claims he was? Why do you think Nigerian prince's send so much email?"
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas: "The Manti Te'o story is the most confusing boyfriend-girlfriend situation since Jan Brady and George Glass. Bizarre."


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January 24th, 2011
Thousands rally against abortion on Capitol Hill
By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
Thousands of abortion opponents joined Monday afternoon in a cold march on Capitol Hill, beginning on the National Mall and ending at the Supreme Court building.
Saturday marked the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal throughout the United States. Organizers planned the rally for Monday so marchers could visit with their congressional representatives to express their opposition to the law.
As thousands of bundled-up marchers walked up Constitution Avenue, some prayed the rosary, feeding wooden rosary beads through gloved fingers. Others held signs calling for the government to "Defund Planned Parenthood."
Barbara Murray, a real estate agent from Havertown, Pennsylvania, who is Catholic, came down by bus with a group of 80 others. She said she has high hopes for the new GOP majority in Congress.
Last week Republicans introduced legislation to ban all federal funding for abortion. House Speaker John Boehner, during his weekly news conference, said, "A ban on taxpayer funding of abortions is the will of the people and it ought to be the will of the land."
Murray and others at the rally were looking for ways to fight abortions beyond overturning Roe v. Wade and were energized by a recent suggestion from Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who greeted marchers Monday on Capitol Hill and will be the keynote speaker at a March for Life dinner Monday night.
"I'm thrilled to death with her," Murray said. "One of the things she said she wants to do is defund Planned Parenthood. If we do that, we don't have to worry about the law as much."
As much as abortion opponents want the law changed, she said, "if we can defund the whole business and get rid of the whole abortion business in our country, the law can be on the books, but we have to make sure that we protect every single child and that's unborn and born."
Christopher Pushaw, an attorney from Wayne, Pennsylvania, marched alongside Murray as they made their way past the Capitol in matching knit caps with "Pro-Life" stitched on the front.
"I'm a lawyer and abortion is the law of the land and I have to respect that because it's constitutional. Morally and spiritually I think it's repugnant," Pushaw said.
"So I think it's more of an educational mission at this point. I would love to see it be overturned but part of it is just witnessing now, you know, a critical mass of people saying this is wrong and we oppose it even though it's the law of the land," he said.
Pushaw said there are different approaches within the anti-abortion movement.
"There's the Genocide Project down there," he said pointing back a few blocks. "It's that visceral depiction of what happens in an abortion, and I think that, for me, is a little polarizing. But I don't question their conviction in doing it. I'm just more trying to make it as non-sectarian and educational as possible in keeping the conviction. You don't need to scream. There's 100,000 people and the statement is made load and clear."
The rally drew from many parts of the country. Marchers held banners from churches in Missouri and parochial schools in New Jersey. Many of the marchers were young.
Alex Perry, 16, and Will Stancil, 17, were given the day off from their school. They attend a Catholic high school in Hyattsville, Maryland, where, they said, many of their friends and classmates are pro-choice.
"There's very few who are pro-life in our school, even though it is encouraged," Perry said.
"Nobody forces it on you. No one tries to sway you one way or the other. Everyone knows it's a really personal decision," Stancil said.
Heather Dougherty, a Catholic from Pittsburgh, said that for her the march was intensely personal.
"I've been marching all my life because I was an unplanned pregnancy," she said. "My parents were in college, they weren't married, and rather than abort me, my parents chose to give me up for adoption. And so I was blessed that she chose life."
She added, "I think we need to come at it from all sides. You can't just change the laws. You have to change the hearts of the people who are looking for it. You need to make people aware adoption is an option if they can't support a child."
About 15 abortion rights supporters stood outside the Supreme Court building as the march unfolded. They chanted and held signs of their own, imploring the court and Congress to keep abortion legal.
U.S. Capitol Police said there were no arrests as a result of the march and counterprotest.
soundoff (118 Responses)
About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.


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Why China Wants to Dump the DollarPosted: October 17, 2013 Filed under: China, Economics | Tags: China, Chinese, Economy of the People's Republic of China, Japan, Renminbi, United State, United States Treasury security, Washington 2 Comments
Chriss W. Street writes: China's Dagong credit rating agency on October 17th downgraded its United States sovereign credit rating to A- and maintained its negative outlook on America's solvency. Dagong warned that despite Washington's last-minute resolution of the debt ceiling deadlock, "The fundamental situation that the debt growth rate significantly outpaces that of fiscal income and gross domestic product remains unchanged."
China's official state-run news agency, Xinhua, reiterated its statements that because of the continuing risk of a U.S. debt default, it is "a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a de-Americanized world." This language is code for China wanting to abandon the U.S. dollar as the world's "reserve currency" and move international financial transactions to the renminbi, the currency of the People's Republic of China.
Having benefited for twenty years from their under-valued currency, importing manufacturing jobs, and exporting lower priced products, China's comparative advantage is being destroyed by America's oil and natural gas fracking boom. The Chinese communist authorities are terrified their loss of competitiveness will cause unemployment and the social consequences that flow from it. But with the terms of trade now substantially against China, convincing the world to dump the U.S. dollar as reserve currency and switch to the Chinese "renminbi" is their best hope to try to save tens of millions of manufacturing jobs.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, China's economy began to implode and inflation skyrocketed from 10% to 25%. The United States, Europe, and Japan saved the Chinese economy by allowing China to devalue their currency by 68% and gain tariff free export to the world's largest markets. Under this new communist form of capitalism from 1993 to 2008, China's economy quadrupled, the U.S. economy doubled, Europe's rose by half, and Japan's stagnated.
Contract manufacturing is a very competitive business and historically had an average profit margin of only 3.5%. This assumes uncontrollable costs of about 75-80% for purchased inputs and 13.5% for energy. The companies primarily compete over managements' ability to get more or less productivity from an average of 8.5% in labor cost, but China's labor rates were initially 75% cheaper than the U.S. By moving production to China, manufacturers could often double their profit margins to 7% of sales. Once in China, manufacturers could also discount their sales prices to wipe out U.S. competition.
U.S. trade "experts" in 1993 expected Chinese workers' total factor productivity (TFP) would be less than a quarter of American workers' 1.25% annual productivity gain. This may not sound like allot, but over a 15 year period Chinese manufacturers would produce a unit for 95% of original cost and U.S. manufacturers would be producing the same unit for 82% of cost. The "experts" predicted few jobs would be lost to China, and America would gain new markets for high tech manufactured goods.
Over the next 15 years, China grew the number of assembly workers involved in manufacturing for export to over 200 million workers. America lost about eight million manufacturing jobs to China, 40% of our 20 million production jobs. But even more damaging, every manufacturing job also lost four service jobs and another 1.58 manufacturing jobs from sub-assembly manufacturers who locate near their customer.
China understood that as it sucked manufacturing jobs out of the U.S., the Chinese renminbi currency would be expected to rise in value and destroy their "cheap" labor advantage. As a communist nation, they adopted a national policy of recycling a portion of their export sales revenue into the purchase of U.S. Treasury bonds to drive up the value of the U.S. dollar versus the Chinese renminbi.
Fearing that every 10% increase in the exchange rate of the renminbi to the dollar would cause the loss of 35 million manufacturing jobs, by 2008 China had purchased $2 trillion in U.S. Treasury Bonds. China's bond purchases drove down U.S. interest rates and caused a real estate building boom, employing millions of Americans. But when the real estate bubble burst, the "Great Recession" educated Americans on the pain of losing manufacturing jobs.
China's labor costs became even more uncompetitive versus the U.S. after the 2008 financial crash drove down U.S. wages. In response, the communist nation began "administering" input costs by subsidizing the cost its state-owned export manufacturers paid to purchase energy. As a country that imports 70% of its oil needs, subsidies preserved manufacturing employment. But the subsidized prices increased the demand for oil and drove the international price of oil from a recession low of $40 up to $100 barrel.
The financial crisis caused such scandal in the U.S. that banks were forced to slash their leverage risk down from holding $25 to $13 of assets for each $1 of deposits. The Chinese authorities directed their state-owned-banks to increase leverage from $35 to $48 of assets for each $1 of deposits. Chinese banks also increased infrastructure and commercial and residential property loans. Policy lending created such huge new inefficiencies in the Chinese economy that many bank loans can never be repaid.
"China's steady growth in oil demand has led it to become the world's largest net oil importer, exceeding the United States in September 2013," according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. China's rising oil demand in September outstripped domestic production by 6.3 million barrels per day. But U.S. imports continue to fall as fracking technology increased production to 7.8 million barrels per day, the highest level since early 1989. Natural gas production is also rapidly increasing, and America will soon be self-sufficient in this important industrial energy source. The price for 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas averages about $3.50 in the U.S. versus over $12 in China.
China remains an impoverished nation, where 900 million people have an annual per capita income around the same level as Guatemala ($3,000-$3,500 a year) and 500 million have an annual per capita income around the same level as Nicaragua ($1,500-$1,700). China's per capita GDP is around the same level as the Dominican Republic. Stimulating the domestic consumer economy will not help manufacturers when the vast majority of Chinese cannot afford to buy the products they currently produce for export.
The Chinese benefited enormously from being allowed to devalue their currency and participating with the dollar as their reserve currency. But if China continues aggressive lending to failing businesses, they will generate higher inflation and make Chinese exports more uncompetitive. But allowing businesses to fail would cause unemployment and massive social and political problems. If China sells their $3.3 trillion of U.S. Bonds, the dollar will fall and America will become more competitive. As China's economic decline becomes obvious, it is doubtful they will convince the world to allow China to devalue and make the renminbi the world's reserve currency.
China, as the second largest economy in the world, will continue to be a major international power. But its days as the low-wage, high-growth center of the earth are over. Their ability to project military power in Asia will also fade. China's future may be similar to what George Friedman of Stratfor famously said about the future of Japan after the end of its high-growth cycle: "it will play a different role."
Related articles
- Obama takes tough tone, decries pressure from 'extremes' – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
- China mocks U.S. as debt default looms (truthfrequencyradio.com)
- Chinese banks will be able to set up branches in Britain under Chancellor's plans (standard.co.uk)
- China to United States: Don't Default, For Our Sake (world.time.com)
- China Got into Bed with the U.S. Treasury and Can't Get Out (business.time.com)
- China mocks U.S. as possible default looms, but as our biggest investor, China would suffer too (cbsnews.com)
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The Easy-Inter Burial Container (Screw-in Coffin)
Donald Scruggs is a mechanical engineer and inventor. His most bizarre invention has come to be known as "the screw-in coffin." It's a casket shaped like a gigantic screw, with the idea being that it goes into the ground easier -- and uses cemetery space more efficiently by burying people (or pets) vertically. "It definitely is not for everybody," says Scruggs. Agreed. Here's a short video by PBS explaining the invention, and tastefully avoiding anything gruesome.
Scruggs: "It's no more trouble than putting a fence post in."


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Motherwell 0 Celtic 2
Celtic leapfrogged Motherwell to the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League by dismantling the Steelmen in impressive style at Fir Park.
On-form striker Gary Hooper opened the scoring in the 31st minute with a low drive before Well defender Adam Cummins put Scott Brown's cross past Darren Randolph and into his own net four minutes later.
Cummins was sent off soon after the break by referee Iain Brines for a 'last man' challenge on Kris Commons but Brown saw his second penalty in a week saved before a sterling display by Randolph – along with some poor finishing - prevented the scoreline reflecting the Hoops' dominance.
Neil Lennon's men will travel to Russia tomorrow for their Champions League Group G game against Spartak Moscow on Tuesday buoyed by their performance in contrast to the beleaguered Lanarkshire side, who barely troubled Hoops keeper Fraser Forster, who had one of his easiest afternoons.
Stuart McCall's men, knocked out of the Scottish Communities League Cup third-round by Rangers at Ibrox in midweek, showed three changes with Jamie Murphy, Simon Ramsden and Zaine Francis-Angol in for Henrik Ojamaa, Fraser Kerr and Steven Hammell, the latter out of the squad altogether with an injury.
Brown, Forster, Mikael Lustig, Commons and Victor Wanyama all came back after missing the 4-1 Scottish Communities League Cup third-round win over Irn-Bru First Division side Raith Rovers on Tuesday.
Efe Ambrose, who performed so impressively in the middle of the park against Raith in his first start for Celtic, partnered Kelvin Wilson in the heart of the Hoops defence, with Charlie Mulgrew moving wide left in midfield.
Celtic were pushed back in the early stages but it was Randolph who had to make the first real save of the game in the ninth minute from Hooper's close-range shot, after the Parkhead striker had raced on to a well-timed pass from James Forrest.
The visitors, playing in a three o'clock kick-off away from home on a Saturday for the first time in seven years, appeared to turn on a switch and moments later Randolph did well to parry Brown's low drive before Wanyama failed to get the rebound on target.
Commons looked in the mood and he had three efforts on goal, all of which narrowly missed the target, but the third of which was a clever lob in the 22nd minute which almost caught out Randolph.
In the 27th minute, though, it was casual play by the former Nottingham Forest and Derby player which gave possession away to Tom Hateley but the Fir Park defender blazed his shot from distance high over the bar.
Moments later, Hooper looked favourite to beat Randolph to Wanyama's through ball which beat the Well defence, again caught square, but the Well keeper race from his line to clear.
As Celtic kept up the pressure it took a good blocking tackle by Francis-Angol to prevent the Englishman's close-range shot again testing the Steelmen's number one.
However, Hooper was not to be denied and just after the half-hour mark, Commons' perfectly-flighted pass evaded Hutchinson and the former Scunthorpe striker took the ball in his stride before confidently steering it past Randolph for his sixth goal in three games.
Four minutes later Cummins, in his bid to cut out Brown's cross from the left, after the former Hibs player had been picked out by Emilio Izaguirre, knocked the ball into his own net from six yards.
Celtic started the second-half with unsurprising confidence, Forrest playing in Hooper whose driven cross from wide on the right was begging for a team mate to tap into the net.
In the 54th minute the home side's chances of an unlikely comeback disappeared when Cummins was shown a straight red for bundling Commons to the ground inside the box as the Celtic player shaped to go through on goal after racing on to a Wanyama pass.
Brown, who had a penalty saved by Robert Douglas in last week's win over Dundee, stepped up again and Randolph guessed right to parry the shot with Wanyama putting the rebound over the bar.
It was all rather irrelevant though.
Motherwell's 10 men were penned inside their own half, struggling to survive a Celtic siege and in the 65th minute Randolph had to make a great save from Brown, who had latched on to an Izaguirre cross.
Two minutes later, the Scotland midfielder was replaced by Georgios Samaras, who returned for the first time since injuring his elbow on international duty for Greece earlier in the month, before Wanyama headed over another good Izaguirre cross from the left.
Celtic were relentless. Randolph saved from Izaguirre, who decided to have a go himself, before making another block from Forrest, who had outstripped the bedraggled Well defence.
Randolph prevented further damage being inflicted by a rampant Parkhead side who will travel to Russia tomorrow with confidence.


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Postal Service releases Forever Stamps in honor of 'brave and loyal' working military dogs
On Thursday, the United States Postal Service released a new set of Forever Stamps in honor of "the nation's brave and loyal military working dogs."
"Each block of four stamps features one stamp of each of the following breeds — German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois and Dutch shepherd — that commonly serve in America's armed forces," a press release states. "The background of each stamp features a detail of a white star. A star appears in the center of each block. The stylized digital illustrations are in red, white, blue and gold to represent the American flag and patriotism."
Customers can get the stamps online at the USPS website or at any USPS store.
The Postal Service revealed four additional stamp designs, which include a star ribbon, an oil-on-linen painting of tennis star Maureen Connolly Brinker, designs from artist Ellsworth Kelly and engines from the transcontinental railroad.