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And so, at last, it had come to this. Day after day, week after week, they had come to him. Talking to him. Telling him their lies, trying to see where he broke. They'd never realized how much they had told him instead. When you hear enough lies, you get a feeling for the truth. You can see the shape of the truth, by how the lies outline it.
He had everything in place. He'd had it in place for quite some time. Plans, plots, and schemes, all ready to go, when everything was right. In the end, all it took to spark it off was a simple cold. The old lady had already been quite weak, refusing to indulge in treatments like the others. An illness introduced into her system by a well-placed cough, and she passed away in her sleep. The numbers above and below her had came to him and offered him her numbers. He accepted, with a show of reluctance. Those who are shown to desire power are those least likely to be trusted with it.
And now O5-4 sat in his office. He had been given his mark of office. A foot-long length of bone, polished smooth. His name had been erased, not just from Foundation databanks, but from the minds of all who had known him. He was sure the other numbers knew his name, but soon enough, they wouldn't matter. He let his fingers drift towards the keyboard before him, and a half smile rose to his lips. Alone, with no one watching, he still felt the need to say, well, something. For posterity. "I feel like a super villain. Like Lex Luthor, or Adrian Veidt. Heh. 'Do it, Dr. Bright? I did it 35 minutes ago.'" As good a set of words as any.
Four touched a series of buttons, setting into motion the events that would place the entirety of the Foundation into his hands. Then he sat back and waited. Fifteen minutes, and everything would be his.
Thirteen was easiest. Mainly because O5-13 didn't really exist. Oh, the Senior Staff were told he did. There were memos, handed down by 'O5-13,' but it was just one more lie. Thirteen's vote was rotated to the other O5's, moving up a step any time there was a tie vote and the tie breaker was needed. But there was a power there. Knowledge, that only those who held Thirteen's vote could access. A simple (actually quite complex) computer virus snuck past the Overseers' firewalls, and bestowed the power of Thirteen to Four. Easy as that.
A large African man sat in his chair, behind an expensive desk. The room he used as his office could also quite easily be described as 'expensive.' The man himself could be described the same. Silk tie. Gold cufflinks. Armani suit. Shoes made from the skin of a very rare reptile. He wore dark wrap-around glasses, smoked glass framed in ivory, perhaps to hide his eyes, perhaps to keep him from looking too closely at the things he had to. Although he had once borne another name, these days he was known to one and all as O5-12. He was the accountant for the Overseer council, making sure the numbers added up, everywhere.
His assistant entered the office on schedule. Everything Twelve did was on schedule. From the moment he woke up, to the moment he went to sleep, and perhaps even his dreams, followed a precise, practical order. To do things otherwise invited chaos, and with chaos came death. The assistant walked calmly to the drink cabinet, opening it as he had done every day for years. Somewhere in his head, things were turning. A thing had been planted in his head, before he became Twelve's right-hand man. And now, this thing made him pick a different bottle than the one he normally did.
The glass was poured, and it looked like whiskey. It even smelled like whiskey. When the brainwashed assistant dropped an ice cube in it, it even bubbled a little, like whiskey. But, when O5-12 raised it to his lips and gulped it down, it didn't act like whiskey. Contact with the soft, wet flesh of his tongue and throat resulted in a chemical reaction. Instead of the sweet soothing burn of alcohol, Twelve was rewarded with the swift, horrible burn of acid.
He was dead before the glass left his lips.
The two men sat across from each other, separated only by a chessboard. It was an old board, but they were old men. O5-11 was a pleasant enough looking Caucasian gentlemen, one of those old men who sit on their porch and offer candy to little children. Not the creepy kind. Eleven fiddled with a bracelet made from human teeth as he considered both the board, and his opponent.
"It's still your move, 'Leven," Agent Alto Clef teased his superior. Maybe the Devil, maybe a reality bender, one thing could be said for certain: Clef enjoyed these monthly games with Eleven. When his phone beeped to alert him to an incoming text, he almost ignored it. Almost. But he'd expected this. Sure enough, the text merely read 'Now.'
"Where? You don't have check anywhere!" O5-11 leaned across the chessboard, searching for his opponent's move, his hands touching both sides of the board.
A sad smile on his face, Clef spoke. "There." He calmly tipped over his own king, and 300 amps of electricity charged into Eleven's body, frying his brain to a crisp.
O5-10 didn't notice when the air conditioning kicked on. It was just another distraction from the endless paperwork that filled her life these days. She was a strong, capable woman, a brunette, dressed in a functional long skirt and jacket. Every five minutes she'd raise her hand to the necklace around her throat, a carved marble eyeball, dangling to stare at her paperwork with the same disgust she felt for it.
Her first indication that anything was wrong was when she realized she'd read the same page 4 times without comprehending it. By then it was too late. She could hear the clicking and hissing sounds being made by her body. Her hand refused to let go of the paper. Her hand refused to let go of the paper. Her hand refused to let go. Her hand refused. Her hand. Her.
He always claimed he was the unluckiest O5. The only one who didn't get to be a world-traveling jetsetter. Oh no. Nine was stuck deep in the middle of the ocean. Sure, he could travel to any of the water Sites, all couple dozen of them, but most of the time, he ended up here, deep beneath the sea, where no natural light could find its way. He was a pale man, small, always looking lost in the suits he tried to make look good. A bone-handled knife rested in his hands at this moment in time, as he stared into the abyss. It would have been poetic to say something gazed back, but the only thing outside the window in his office was water, lots and lots of water.
Several seconds later, the only thing inside his office was lots and lots of water. Between the water in his lungs, and the pressure so deep, O5-9 was the unluckiest O5.
A shower could never make her feel clean. No matter how many times she washed, she could still feel those things crawling across her skin, could still see all the people she'd condemned to death. Eight was not a pretty woman. Despite being one of a handful of all-powerful Overseers, she'd never gotten any work done, no surgery to fix her sloped forehead, her craggy brow, no lap band to cut back on her weight. Somehow, despite having no appetite, she'd still gained weight. Even naked under the water, she still wore a braided ring of sinew on her left ring finger.
She turned the water up hotter, trying to blast away the horrible memories, boil them off. The heat felt very nice. Until there was nothing but heat. She didn't even manage a scream when her flesh boiled away. In fact, she may have smiled, because the memories, at last, were gone.
"I'm sorry, driver, I don't think I've seen you before. What did you say your name was?" Seven asked absently, fiddling with the ivory chopstick in her hair.
"Oh, it's Rodney. But most people call me Dr. Gerald."
He had been an Agent, once upon a time. When he worked the field, they called him Cowboy. People still remembered the agent, even if no one knew he was now the Overseer known as Six. He had been the best.
And now, he was an old man. Dressed as always in an immaculate white suit, his long grey hair pulled back in a ponytail, his trademark Stetson tilted at an angle on his head. Between his gnarled old hands he held a white cane, the handle carved into the shape of a howling wolf. At his back were his two trusted bodyguards, Thompson and Black. They were almost as good as him. One day, they'd be better. When they were, well, one of them could take his number, and he could retire. Maybe spend some time with his granddaughter.
He didn't look back when Black got a text. He never knew that O5-4 had once been Agent Black's personal physician. Or, if he had known, it wouldn't have mattered. He did, however, feel it when Black drew his guns. He began to turn, but, no, too slow. As he fell to the floor, he noticed Thompson falling beside him. But the hole in the back of his head prevented him from noticing any more.
"It's an emergency, sir! We have to get you out of here!" The security guard hurried O5-5 and his secretary into the nearest airlock, and slammed the door shut behind the three of them. The guard leaned against the door, panting. "Keter, sir. It sounds bad." The secretary sniffed, but then, she always had pneumonia, or some other sinus problem.
O5-5 was nondescript. He dressed nice, but not well. His hair was… enh. His face was… blah. He didn't stand out. In fact, the only thing that was noticeable about him was the leather shoes. A nice, tanned leather. His secretary was an African-American woman, about 51 years old, quiet, with a rather large nose. She had always been his emergency escape, even if she didn't know it.
As the room proceeded to move upwards, the guard frowned, turning to look at the two of them. "Do either of you hear a hissing sound?"
The gas was fast-acting, invisible, unscented. It poured out of 108's nose at a furious pace, killing them all as they rode to safety.
"Well hey guys, how are you today? It's fantastic to see you!" Three looked like a teenage boy, late teens, blond hair down to his collar, jean jacket filled with patches, geek-style glasses. O5-3 never let himself be seen in person, or, at least, not for many years. He always showed up on a monitor, broadcasting from a white room, a fancy desk and old-fashioned computer beside him. While he always had a prop or two at hand, it was never anything real. In fact, O5-3 wasn't real. He'd died, decades ago, plugged into a prototype computer he'd invented. He just didn't go away.
The Overseer council took a vote, and decided they didn't care. He was still their best coder. He could still do the job. So, they set his bone earring on the mainframe, installed some safety programs, and let him work.
An electromagnetic pulse set off inside the hardware that carried him removed him from this world at last.
60 km west of Astrakhan, a garden was in bloom. O5-2 took great pride in her garden. Of course, she was cheating, a little. She didn't mind. Once you get old enough, you don't mind using a few cheat codes to get things done. Two was the type of woman you pictured when you heard the word 'Grandma.' She always had a blonde shawl on, no matter the weather, and usually a pair of gardening gloves. She had a fantastic gardening hat a friend had made for her, pushed down tightly on her grey curls.
Her helper was an old friend, a man old well before his time, and maybe after it as well. He glanced up, a slight frown on his face, and pointed, looking uncomfortable. He wasn't used to this much attention on him.
Two had the time to look up and smile at the Russian satellite that was screaming down through the sky at her. She could have moved. She could have run. She noticed the 'rogue' satellite too early, and she could have made it to the spring, saved herself. But she didn't.
If anyone had been around to hear her last words, they might have been confused that what she chose to say was "It's about time."
And One. The first. Once upon a time, he had been known as the Administrator. All the power in the Foundation had been his. But he didn't trust himself. He knew that absolute power corrupts absolutely. So, he parceled off his power. Handed out badges of responsibility. Numbered them, and made sure they could balance each other. Set up a system, so that if one died, the authority, the votes, were passed to another, so the balance would never be uneven for long.
And then he retreated from the world. Buried himself down deep, with only electronic means to keep him in touch with the outside. Which means that O5-1, still looking like a 13-year-old boy, still clad in the rags and bones that hadn't been used to mark the other 12, was completely alone. When his systems shut down, he didn't panic. When the liquid concrete began seeping out of the air vents, he didn't panic. He just lay down, and accepted it. After all, he'd been expecting it.
O5-4 stared at the screen before him, as the 13 lights shifted, back and forth, here and there. One dies a little ahead of another, so the vote goes to her, then she dies, so vote travels here… until, finally, at last, the votes were all his. The power was all his. The Foundation was all his.
Dr. Everett Mann, the Administrator, allowed himself one appreciative cackle. Just one. No sense going all maniacal about it. Besides, he had so much work to do. His fingers flew across the keyboards, as he prepared to change everything. As he typed, he muttered to himself.
"Good evening, Doctor. No, no, don't stand up…"


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Send Results to This Email:
Street Address:
Street Address:
Angela Copeland
Many people think they know what it is that makes one candidate stand out from another. Some think it's an expensive graduate degree. Others say it's the ability to take on loads of student debt, or being born into the right family. Although a pedigree from a good school and being in the right social circle never hurts, it usually won't be the deciding factor between you and another candidate.
The difference boils down to something called "sticktoitiveness." Sticktoitiveness can be observed in a person who doesn't give up. It's someone who sees projects through to the end. Someone who perseveres. Someone who is tenacious. This is someone who really believes in themselves and their mission.
I recently met with a newly minted college graduate. She was prompt, friendly, straightforward, prepared and open. She was confident in her abilities, despite little work experience. When compared to someone older, with more experience and possibly more degrees, one might automatically assume that she has no chance.
Upon taking a closer look however, the more experienced candidate may also be the one who comes with more baggage. The experienced candidate has been to battle and has come back with scars and memories of harsh realities. They may no longer believe in themselves or their abilities.
When you're starting to look for a job, I encourage you to think back to the time when you were the bright-eyed graduate full of possibilities. Realize that, in other's eyes, you still have potential and value. Try not to assume that just because you don't meet every criterion for a job that you won't be considered. What do you really have to lose from trying?
Also, don't assume that because you don't have a graduate degree that you won't be valued. Many job seekers immediately sign up for graduate school before exploring their options fully. It's one thing if your field requires an advanced degree. But, don't sign up for years of work and debt with the expectation that the only thing standing between you and a better job is a piece of paper. This often leads down a path of debt and disappointment. What can you learn on your own, or through volunteering? Does the employer truly require an additional degree? Could you take a handful of courses without signing up for an entire program?
For those just starting their careers, hone into the edge you have. Find your energy and confidence. Even when you hear no's, keep knocking on doors. You only need to find one yes. My first job out of college required both work experience and a master's degree, neither of which I had. At the end of the day, I got the job because I was willing to show up for myself.
Whether you are a new job seeker or a seasoned professional, the message is the same. Stick to what you believe in. Stand up for yourself. Keep pushing forward on your search each day. And be an advocate for yourself and your abilities. Other people believe in you, and you should too.
Angela Copeland is CEO/founder of Copeland Coaching, www.CopelandCoaching.com. You can follow Copeland Coaching on Twitter (@CopelandCoach) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CopelandCoaching).
Copyright 1995 -
by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved

subset: commoncrawl


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Exercising in the water is the perfect way to get fit without putting a lot of extra stress on your body's joints. This is why water aerobics is the preferred type of exercise for the elderly, as well as those who are disabled, suffering certain illnesses or recovering from an injury. While you are exercising in the water, though, you can use special gear to make the most of your efforts. One of these tools is the Swim Stuff jogging belt.
How It Works
When you put on an aqua jogging belt, you will gain some additional buoyancy in the water, which is essential when you are jogging in deeper waters. While some people like to jog with a floatation vest on, the jogging belt is often a preferred option because it offers less interference with the way your body naturally moves as you job. Because of the freedom of movement you will enjoy, you will gain strength in your arms, all while keeping the stress on your shoulders down. Jogging in the water will also tone up your core muscles in your abdomen and give your lower body a workout as you move your legs through the water against the natural resistance of the water.
The Swim Stuff Jogging Belt
The Swim Stuff jogging belt is a cost-effective option for people who are looking for a quality jogging belt without spending a great deal of money. This particular belt is durable and strong, giving you long-lasting use so you won't have to worry about buying another one. The adjustable strap allows just about anyone to wear the belt, though it is available in two sizes to best meet everyone needs. The foam from which the belt is made is non-porous, allowing the gear to dry quickly. The belt is contoured in the back for proper lumbar support and it features a quick-release strap for ease of use.
If jogging in the water is on your list of exercises to perform, you need a quality jogging belt to make your workout even more successful. The Swim Stuff jogging belt is an incredible option for every swimmer, offering additional buoyancy for those situations where you are jogging through deep water, as well as a long list of other features to make your workout successful. Don't attempt to jog through the water without one of these incredible belts.


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Acetic Acid Market Size
Bio-based acetic acid market to witness remarkable gains over 2017-2024, U.S. to drive the regional industry trends
The global acetic acid market is witnessing a major upswing with the growing utilization trend of this acid as a raw material to produce purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM). Acetic acid is used as an intermediate in formulating polyester, coatings, greases, and sealants which are widely used in textiles, automotive, packaging, paints & coatings, and electronic industries. The overall acetic acid market is certain to generate lucrative avenues, owing to its rising application scope in aforementioned industries. A report on Acetic Acid Market predicts the industry to register an annual growth rate of 8.7% over 2017-2024 and generate revenue over USD 16 billion by 2024.
Europe Acetic Acid Market size, by application, 2013 – 2024 (USD Million)
The expansion of the global chemical industry has almost doubled in terms of value over the last decade and was recorded around USD 5 trillion in 2013. This has strongly influenced the growth of acetic acid market as this acid finds its major application in the production of purified terephthalic acid, acetate esters, vinyl acetate monomer, and acetic anhydride. In terms of volume purified terephthalic acid contributed to more than 25% of the global acetic acid industry share in 2016. PTA is further used in the production of polyester films, polyester fiber, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin. Vinyl acetate monomer is another major application segment which finds wide application in making of polymers and resins used in paints, films, adhesives, and textiles.
Get a Sample Copy of this Report@ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1594
North America, led by US acetic acid industry, recorded a consumption of over 1900 kilotons in 2016. The pharmaceutical industry holds a strong foot in North America with the presence of major manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Roche Holding AG, and Gilead Sciences. This factor has led to increasing demand for medical devices and saline bottles which are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET. The regional acetic acid market will witness a profitable growth over the years ahead, owing to its profound usage as raw material in the production of PTA.
Acetic acid industry is quite consolidated and is likely to witness an increasingly growing trend of mergers and acquisitions. In 2011, the acetic acid product division of Sterling Chemicals was acquired by Eastman in order to support its growth strategy for the plasticizers and acetic acid product-line.
The manufacturers are aggressively involved in research and development activities to develop bio-based pathways for the complete replacement of fossil based raw materials. Bio-based acetic acid can be manufactured from fermenting sugar, ethanol, and corn starch. The product synthesis with bio-base material is gaining a wide acceptance among the consumers. Wacker Chemie, a well-known chemical company has recently established its bio-based acetic acid plant in Germany having an annual capacity of 500 tons. Bio-based acetic acid on grounds of addressing the hazardous environmental effects is poised to bring a paradigm shift in the global acetic acid industry landscape. Some of the major participants in this space include Saudi International Petrochemicals, DuPont, Celanese Corporation, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, Jiangsu Sopo (Group) Co., Ltd., Sinopec, Wacker Chemie, and British Petroleum (BP).
Author Name : Ojaswita Kutepatil


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5mm Round Top Blue Slow Flashing 1Hz LED - Ultra Bright
In stock
- Buy 50 for $0.21 each and save 5%
- Buy 100 for $0.20 each and save 9%
- Buy 250 for $0.19 each and save 14%
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- Buy 1000 for $0.16 each and save 27%
The 5mm flashing round top blue led will begin flashing as soon as you apply power to the led.
You may upload your own images that portray this specific product being used. We do ask that you do not watermark them in any way and such images will be declined. Images that are accepted may be used as product images, in tutorials, or other related articles. By uploading an image, you accept to these terms. These images may not directly represent the product on this page. The items shown may have been modified/changed and the images are shown for demonstration, ideas, and creativity only. Colors depicted in the photos may also be "skewed" from difficult nature of capturing true light colors with a camera.
Now in one of the most popular sizes, we have brought a flashing led. The 5mm flashing round top blue led will automatically start flashing once it is appropriately hooked up to power. There is nothing extra needed when hooking this led up to power. A power source, led, and resistor is all you need.
We use and have only the highest quality leds out there.
|5mm Round Top Clear Flashing
|Animation Type
|1Hz Flashing / Blinking On / Off
|12,000-14,000 mcd
|Forward Voltage
|Viewing Angle
|20-30 Degrees
|Mount Style
|Through Hole (DIP)
|Lens Color
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Write Your Own Review


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Did your trading card game collection get any bigger during the holiday season? I know my kids' collections have. The latest craze around here is still Monsuno. We have been playing the card and action figure game for a while now, but apparently there is also an animated series on which the game is based. What am I thinking? Of course there is an animated series! TCG's and cartoons go together like gaming conventions and bad hygiene.
The wonderful people at Shout! Factory have just released the first collection of episodes on DVD entitled Monsuno: Destiny . We have watched through these and what you get is the first five episodes of the show that airs on Nicktoons. There are also tons of extras including behind the scenes videos and character bios. The bios come in particularly handy for the layman such as myself – all the suno can get confusing.
To celebrate this week's release of this first DVD collection Shout! Factory and Jakks Pacific have put together an excellent assortment of prizes for us to give away! We are giving away one grand prize which consists of a copy of Monsuno: Destiny and four Monsuno (two individuals and one 2-pack). We also have four copies of Monsuno: Destiny to give to the runners-up!
Entries will be accepted until 5:59pm PST on January 17th. Winners will be chosen at random and prizes will be shipped soon after. If for any reason the entry form above doesn't work for you, you can enter here instead.
Open to North American residents only. One entry per physical address. Must be 18 or older to enter. Winners will be chosen at random from the giveaway entries. Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry. Prize is supplied by a 3rd party, and may be a demonstration or review unit, previously used for evaluation. GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for non-new condition, or items damaged or lost in shipping.


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Face-chewing victim details attack in interview
MIAMI – A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre assault alongside a busy South Florida highway told police that his attacker "just ripped me to ribbons."
In a recorded interview with investigators made available Thursday, Ronald Poppo said the man who approached him initially seemed friendly. Then the man, Rudy Eugene, seemed to become angry about something that had happened on Miami Beach, where thousands were partying through the Memorial Day weekend.
"For a while he was acting nice. Then he got flustered. He probably remembered something that happened on the beach and was not happy about it," Poppo told investigators in the interview. It was taped July 19 and first reported Wednesday by Miami news station WFOR-TV.
Poppo said Eugene then "turned berserk" and attacked with his bare hands, screaming that both men would die.
"He just ripped me to ribbons. He chewed up my face. He plucked out my eyes. Basically, that's all there is to say about it," Poppo said.
According to a report by investigators, Poppo told police Eugene walked "out of blue" and said, "You're going to be my wife and this is going to be a Lover's Concerto." Eugene placed him in a headlock and dragged him along the sidewalk, Poppo told investigators.
Poppo recalled Eugene telling him that his Bible was stolen in Miami Beach and that Poppo was the one who took it. Poppo said he told Eugene he did not have anything, had not been to Miami Beach and "did not antagonize the offender in any way," the report said.
Eugene's family has said they can't explain his bizarre behavior. They described him as a mild-mannered and religious person who smoked marijuana.
Poppo, 65, remains in a long-term care facility after losing an eye, his eyebrows, his nose and parts of his forehead and right cheek in the May 26 attack. His other eye was severely damaged.
Doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center said last month that Poppo was in good spirits, talking and walking around, but would need several more surgeries before he could explore the options for reconstructing his face.
Eugene, 31, was shot and killed by a Miami police officer during the attack on the Macarthur Causeway just off downtown Miami. Lab tests found only marijuana in Eugene's system, but no other drugs or alcohol.
Poppo said Eugene had said something about not being able "to score," adding that Eugene "must have been souped up on something."
In the police interview, Poppo sometimes seems confused about some details of the attack. He described Eugene wearing a green shirt and getting out of a car, but surveillance video recorded from security cameras on The Miami Herald building showed a naked Eugene walking up to Poppo as cars and bicyclists zipped by. Poppo was reclining on the sidewalk near the parking garage where he lived.
Police asked Poppo whether he provoked Eugene.
"What could provoke an attack of that type?" Poppo said. "I didn't curse at the guy or say anything mean or nasty."
Poppo also thanked the police for saving his life, saying the officer who shot Eugene arrived in the nick of time. He also said he did not like how he was being portrayed in the news and did not want to speak to the media.
The investigation is ongoing, Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes said.


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Is Apple phasing out the MacBook Air? It certainly seems so, with the 11-inch Air no longer for sale and the 13-inch model getting a new rival in the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
That's right, Apple introduced two 13-inch MacBook Pros at Thursday's "Hello again" event in Cupertino. One has a Touch Bar, which replaces the keyboard's function keys. The other keeps all of its keys, but is 12 percent thinner than a MacBook Air with two Thunderbolt 3 ports to replace the MagSafe connector and standard USB ports. (Don't worry, all the MacBooks are keeping their headphone jacks.)
Apple won't be updating the 13-inch MacBook Air going forward, according to CNET, but you can still pick one up for $999 if all you care about is price—oh, and battery life. The Air lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge, while the 13-inch Pros last up to 10.
The Pros are more expensive than the Air, but they're also more powerful. The new 13-inch Pro with function keys starts at $1499 with a 2GHz dual-core i5, Intel Iris Graphics 540, 256GB flash and 8GB of RAM. For $300 more, you get the Touch Bar, Touch ID, and 2.9GHz Intel Core i5 processor.
With just one MacBook Air model hanging around, it's clear that Apple is focused on the 12-inch MacBook (which has just one USB-C port—kind of a problem if you use a lot of peripheral devices) and its new Pro laptops.
But none of those options are cheap, and without the MacBook Air, Apple won't have a single sub-$1,000 laptop in its lineup. (The 12-inch MacBook starts at $1,299.) There's always the iPad Pros—there you have a 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch to choose from. The 9.7-inch model starts at $599, but that's the base 32GB model and doesn't include accessories like the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil.
The MacBook Air is a solid laptop and it would be a shame to see it disappear altogether. The Pro is more computer than most people need, and the 12-inch MacBook's single port and high price tag can be tough to stomach. What do you think Apple's master plan for the MacBook is? Share your predictions in the comments.


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Oct. 7, 2013 — Over the past 10 years, social media has changed the way that people influence each other. By analysing data from the social networking service, Twitter, and stock trading in the financial market, researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have shown that events in society bring rise to common behaviour among large groups of people who do not otherwise know each other The analysis shows that there are common features in user activity on Twitter and in stock market transactions in the financial market.
The results are published in the scientific journal, PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The figure shows how often the international brands IBM, Pepsi and Toyota have been mentioned during a five-week period on Twitter. The activity is during long periods relatively steady and is then interrupted by sudden activity spikes. The research from NBI shows that there are common features in user activity on Twitter and in stock market transactions in the financial market. (Credit: Niels Bohr Institute)
"The whole idea of the study is to understand how social networks function. The strength of using the popular social media, Twitter, is that they are more than 200 million users worldwide, who write short messages about immediate experiences and impressions. This means that you can directly study human behaviour in crowds on the web. Twitter can be seen as a global social sensor," explains Joachim Mathiesen, Associate Professor of physics at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.
Dynamic Twitter behaviour
Joachim Mathiesen developed a programme that could follow the use of Twitter constantly. He could see that there were periods with relatively steady activity and then there would be a very abrupt and intense upswing in activity. Suddenly there was an event that everyone had to respond to and there was an explosion in the amount of online activity.
"There arises a collective behaviour between people who otherwise do not know each other, but who are coupled together via events in society," explains Joachim Mathiesen.
The analysis also took into account how frequently approximately 100 international brands, like Pepsi, IBM, Apple, Nokia, Toyota, etc. occurred in messages on Twitter. Here too, the level is characterised by days of steady activity, which is interrupted by sudden, but brief explosions of activity.
"Something happens that encourages people to write on Twitter, and suddenly the activity explodes. This is a kind of horde behaviour that is driven by an external even and gets crowds to react," says Joachim Mathiesen.
But why is a physicist concerning himself with social behaviour?
"As physicists, we are good at understanding large amounts of complex data and we can create systems in this sea of coincidences. Complex systems are seen in many contexts and are simply learning about human behaviour in large social groups," he explains.
The model calculations shed light on the statistical properties of large-scale user activity on Twitter and the underlying contexts. Similarly, he analysed the fluctuations in the activity of trading shares on the financial market.
"We saw prolonged intervals with steady activity, after which there was sudden and almost earthquake like activity. An even starts an avalanche in the trading. Statistically, we see the same characteristic horde behaviour in the financial markets as we do on Twitter, so the two social systems are not that different," concludes Joachim Mathiesen.
Journal Reference:
- J. Mathiesen, L. Angheluta, P. T. H. Ahlgren, M. H. Jensen.Excitable human dynamics driven by extrinsic events in massive communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1304179110


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Ultra-zoom cameras are becoming increasingly popular and it's easy to see why. All that magnifying power in a compact means you've got everything you need to hand. No swapping lenses or wishing you had a longer zoom.
Historically, ultra-zoom cameras have been fitted with lower-resolution sensors than standard cameras, mainly to keep the price affordable. However, 6-megapixel resolutions are starting to become standard on ultra-zooms - and the Olympus SP500-UZ is one of the first budget cameras to feature this combination.
Nothing with a 10x optical zoom is going to be tiny, but the SP500-UZ is small and light enough to use with one hand. The Mode dial is a decent size but is slightly recessed, so that you can only turn it with your thumb rather than forefinger.
The buttons are limited to the essential few and are well spaced, but we feel Olympus has tried to go a little too minimalist here; the circular buttons are so small that pressing them involves real concentration.
Other than these small quibbles, the camera is a joy to use. Start-up time is around two seconds, which is reasonable for a camera with a motorised zoom. Olympus' zoom system uses a collar around the shutter button; you move a dial left or right to zoom in or out.
Olympus have used this method for years and it's the most intuitive motorised control we've come across. Generally speaking, the zoom is responsive (going from wide to far takes just under three seconds) although zooming out involves a little quarter second hiccup as the camera sorts itself out. Shutter lag is average for this kind of camera.
Composition is via the large, 2.5-inch LCD screen or the electronic viewfinder (EVF). The EVF image seems a little small compared to some other cameras - and there's no dioptre adjustment, so those of us who wear glasses could have problems. The LCD screen itself is seriously big, although the resolution isn't really high enough so you still need to zoom in to check small details on your shots.
Low-light shooting is a little problematic. The need for a flash seems to kick in earlier than the aperture range suggests, and indoor shots will almost always need flash. There's no hotshoe so you can't upgrade, but the built-in flash is better than on many compact cameras. To get the best results, though, you'll have to fiddle with the exposure compensation.
The biggest potential problem with the SP500-UZ is lack of any image stabilisation. Competitors such as the Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 (only slightly more expensive) have similar specs to the Olympus, plus an anti-shake system that makes handheld shots at the long end of the zoom far easier to take.
That's enough about the handling - what about the images? Colour is excellent, although subject to a little too much punch on bright primaries, but it's easy to dial down the saturation in the menus. Grain is apparent on most shots when viewed at 100% but it isn't really a problem. Images could do with a little more than the default sharpening but it's not something you're going to notice unless you're printing at over A4.
The level of barrel distortion is more than acceptable for an ultra-zoom camera. Macro and SuperMacro modes are excellent and the focus is quick and accurate. All told, image quality is first class - as long as there's enough light and you've held the camera steady enough for long zoom shots.
Horses for courses
It's safe to say that Olympus' new baby is designed for people who want a big zoom with point and shoot simplicity. The Scene modes are clearly explained in the menu and we suspect that Olympus thinks 99.9% of people will use these and the Auto setting.
There is additional functionality (both on the Mode dial and in the menu) but burying such essentials as Macro mode four button presses away in a menu does rather give away its beginner credentials. The lack of a hotshoe means you're completely reliant on the built-in flash. Of course, this isn't a problem if you simply want to get on with taking photos with a minimum of fuss and bother. Adam Evans
Via PhotoRadar


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Working at TJ's is far from difficult most days, save for the occasional jar-of-salsa-explosion or Total Refrigerator Melt Down Disaster (sorry cows, looks like your death was in vain). There's also a lot of idle brain time, as it turns out putting cans on a shelf and carrying on light conversations about the weather doesn't occupy much brain activity, leaving about a good 97 percent free to window shop down the streets of your inner psyche, dropping change into the cup of homeless pursuits, or to traipse through the garden of imagination, willing new flowers to bloom at each turn.
The unshackled imagination is what helps turn the ordinary, and often quite repetitive, nature of the work into something fanciful, or at least a cartoonishly fascinating version of itself.
I quickly realized the nature of the work at TJ's has the qualities and cyclical challenges of an 8-bit video game. You know the kind I'm talking about, the ones before cartridge memory was really available so the games forced you to relive the same tasks over and over again to varying degrees of difficulty simply because there wasn't that much depth or range to the games (e.g.: Spy
Hunter, Donkey Kong, Elevator Action, Wrecking Crew, etc). The challenge becomes not in whether you can complete the tasks at hand — which are often ceaseless and without true terminus — but the efficiency in which you can complete them, the perfection of the process, and the stylized methods through which you can overcome the digital hurdles. There were no hidden bonuses, secret endings or completion percentages back then. It was up to you and your grade-school friends to continue to milk the enjoyment out of that cartridge of Dodgeball, because you knew your parents weren't buying you another game until at least Christmas, and maybe not even then since you didn't listen to them and refused to wear a raincoat over your mummy costume at Halloween because you were standing up for the realism of the outfit and they just wouldn't listen to logic that no mummy, no matter how heavily it was raining in ancient Egypt, would have left the pyramid wearing a raincoat, especially not a Members Only raincoat.


text: 2013-03-17-6620-m Post author By Donncha Post date March 17, 2013 No Comments on 2013-03-17-6620-m Aperture ƒ/6.3 Camera Canon EOS 40D Focal length 106mm ISO 200 Shutter speed 1/160s By Donncha Donncha Ó Caoimh is a software developer at Automattic and WordPress plugin developer. He posts photos at In Photos and can also be found on Twitter. View Archive → Leave a Reply Cancel reply


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Apart from Battle Royale (released in 2000 and directed by Kinji Fukasaku) Takeshi Kitano aka Beat Takeshi has never been better. Written, directed and edited by Beat hana-bi (translates as fireworks) is another facet of his view on crime and the penalty it exacts from its participants.
Hana-bi is a slow ballad of a film. It has a relentless rhythm from the very first frame. I have titled my review a "Bittersweet Romance" but in terms of the overall film, it really is more of a romantic tragedy. Either way you want to describe the film would fit, but I've always felt that romance was the ruling factor of the film.
With Beat Takeshi's character, Nishi and his wife Myuki (Kayoko Kishimoto) their double tragedy [the death of their 5-year-old daughter and Myuki's dying from leukaemia] is not enough to defeat the obvious love that they have for one another. Their humour has managed to survive the battering that their life has taken. Late in the film, Nishi sets up a camera on the side of their car to take a timed picture. Just as the camera takes their photo another car drives in between them and it. Their laughter over the incident feels infectious and genuine.
The vast majority of the film is a mixture of flash backs and "present day" which works very well. You do have to pay attention though or you can get a bit lost. But regardless of the "to-ing and fro-ing" of the sequences the rhythm of the film is still relentless.
And relentless describes Nishi's life perfectly. He has so many plates spinning at once that it's easy to see why his character rarely says anything; but having said that, it is a trait of Beat Takeshi characters in almost all of his films. His taciturn and stoic face with its tics and mannerisms says more in repose than he could ever say literally.
Nishi's boss and best friend Horibe (played by Takeshi regular Ren Ohsugi) is shot and paralysed when he does Nishi's stake-out duty so Nishi can visit his wife in hospital. Noribe then has a difficult time dealing with life in a wheel chair and takes up art as a therapy measure.
When Nishi and two detectives catch the villain who shot Horibe, Nishi is punched repeatedly in the face and thrown off the suspect. Kudoh and Nakamura (played by another Takeshi regular Susumu Terajima) jump on the yakuza to restrain him. The yakuza then shoots both Kudoh and Nakamura. Nakamura is wounded but Kudoh dies on the scene. Nishi takes his service revolver out and shoots the yakuza in the head.
He then goes over to the dead yakuza and empties his revolver into the dead man's head. This results in Nishi getting fired from the force. Already in debt to a local yakuza gang because of loans he took out for his wife's hospital bills and their daughter's death, Nishi decides to rob a bank to set everything right. He takes his dying wife on a holiday, pays for Horibe's painting supplies and gives Kudoh's widow a huge sum of money.
Since the pervading mood of the film is its relentless nature, we know that Nishi is going to pay dearly for his generosity and his guilt.
Most of Beat Takeshi's films feature a lone character that doesn't conform or sets himself away from other's. His characters always have a nasty end or at the very least a short violent one. His message seems to be that it is alright to live to your own rules and ideals, but it will cost you in the end.
All of Takeshi's films feature a lot of shots of the sea. Hana-bi features a lot of scenes by the sea and focuses on the waves beating against the shore or the tide coming in. This again points the film's theme toward relentlessness and he appears to be drawing a parallel between the never-ending waves and the theme of the film.
The art that Horibe paints and draws in the film were all done by Beat Takeshi himself. Some of the most emotional scenes come from Horibe studying flowers in a shop and "seeing" the pictures that he will draw in his mind. Dogs with sunflowers for heads are just some of the funny, and odd, images he creates.
If ever any one man could be deemed an institution Takeshi Kitano is that man. The running joke in Japan's entertainment industry is that Beat Takeshi is on television 8 days a week. Takeshi does have several television shows, writes articles for many different publications and writes, directs, and edits his own films. There seems to be no end to this man's talent pool.
In August of 1994 Kitano was in an accident while riding his moped. The crash almost killed him and left his face partially paralysed. As part of his therapy he took up painting and poetry. By 1995 he was back to work full-time.
Beat Takeshi is an amazing individual who rose from humble beginnings to become an institution and an icon of Japanese culture. In the England people watch Takeshi's Castle a Japanese game show that Beat shows up for at the end of each program to "fight off" winning contestants to keep them from winning the ultimate prize. Most of the viewers (and apparently the producers and the narrator of the show) have no idea who Takeshi is.
Hana-bi is always mentioned as the last in a trilogy that Takeshi helmed for himself. Violent Cop (1989), Sonatine (1993) and Hana-bi (1997) all feature a character who marches to the "beat" of his own drum and is more than happy to pay the price required to do so.
If I could equate Beat Takeshi's acting style to anyone from the western world of cinema, I'd say he is the Japanese Spencer Tracy. But that would be in the area of acting alone, I honestly don't think there is anyone in the industry who equates 100 percent to Takeshi Kitano.
If you can stand to sit through the subtitles, watch this film. The translated title of Fireworks might be easier to find, but whatever title it's being sold or rented as, it's worth watching.
Related articles
- Angry mobster looms large over politicians (japantimes.co.jp)
- Takeshi about co-starring with Kimura Takuya: "I look like an extra" (jenewsdaily.wordpress.com)
- Variety Show Round-up – 10-01 to 10-14 (tylerraiz.wordpress.com)


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I am working closely with a number of teachers on blogging in the classroom and how they might embrace this communication technology. There has naturally been some who have embraced the platform while others have initially shown some resistance as they have struggled with both the mechanics of building in a digital space, but more so their uncomfortableness with communicating in this space. Many teachers still feel nervous about being "on show". There is also the prevailing view from our generation of the "large consequences" of voicing things in the online space. I'm not sure how true that view is.
I have also been working on a term long unit of work with my friend and fellow educator Dan Donahoo. We were working with a group of 30 children aged 11 and the contrasting opinions and use of the digital world has been quite enlightening. The focus of our unit is on game making and it is an exciting and totally engaging unit for these kids.
At the start of the project I quickly built the students a blog to help us communicate with them. As we are only with this class for one hour a week I was looking for a space where they could potentially become involved with the project outside of the classroom and beyond our physical contact hours. Dan and I gave them no instruction on how to use a blog or what we expected of them in this space. Rather we simply gave them the URL and said it was available to them if they wanted to use it.
The subsequent 6 weeks and the way the blog was used by the students was incredibly informative on this generations ability to communicate in the online space. But beyond that it was quite interesting to note the reasons for their communication how it relates to learning how it is quite different to some of our more traditional practices.
Allow me to give a few examples.
The first night there were 19 comments – this is a class of 25 and shows the ease of which they use this medium. There was little to no evidence of fear of leaving a comment an opinion or asking a question. There was no feeling of "permanency" of their digital imprints leading to a fear of learning from the environment. Something I think we need to consider in our current approaches to "cyber safety". Maybe its time to stop condemning the young for permanent records of their youth and inexperience. Maybe it is time to embrace a different perspective.
You can note in the picture below that opinion of our class is given (thankfully positive) and information about the subject is freely offered up helping us as educators to get t know our students better.
Secondly, Dan and I decided to upload a vague plan of where we were heading in the unit – a unit outline. A number of students had read all of the planned work and jumped ahead and started to work at the place they were ready and excited to work at. They were rejecting our linear strategies and rather learning at the point of there own readiness. This really best represents how learning works – it is never linear. Perhaps some of the students had already covered our initial work in other classes or other parts of their life and didn't require that from our plan. Excellent. Our idea of putting up the whole course content was also to encourage immersion into the work.
Potentially there would be kids who would so take to this subject that they would like to do it in their own time, to be limited to our system of learning which only involved the one class a week at 2.30 on a Monday afternoon. Thankfully this did prove to be the case and it allowed for us as educators to stretch out and notice how it is important for our planning to be very flexible and dynamic. Kids were moving in directions beyond our planning and we needed to allow for that rather than constrict them to or initial limitations.
Finally the blog was a great place for the children to extend each other and provide each other feedback beyond the ability of Dan and myself to do that. They would upload the games they were making and respond with critique both positive and negative to each others work, they would ask for immediate help and get quick responses rather than waiting for Dan or myself to be the sole assisters in their learning. Below Charlie expresses something he has learnt from his own investigations with the group allowing response from Dan and suggestions on how to move forward.
The following clip shows evidence of students uploading incomplete work, not afraid of public condemnation of poor work, rather they are uploading it to generate learning – they are looking for advice and subsequently got it from other students, myself and Dan.
One final thing of note, that will hopefully encourage many nervous teachers to jump in. While being one of the main educators involved in a game-making unit I have never created a game in any of the platforms the students chose to create in. I have used many others but not these ones. As a teacher you don't need to be an expert in software – you need to be able to set up learning environments that allow for a degree of student empowerment allowing you to manage the environment and push the students to go deeper in their inquiries.


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Grimm: 'I'm a moral man'
NEW YORK — Rep. Michael Grimm was hit with a 20-count federal indictment on Monday, including allegations that he skimmed more than $1 million from a restaurant he owned before he came to Congress.
But in a defiant, nine-minute press conference afterwards, Grimm vowed to prove his innocence in court. He portrayed himself as the victim of a "vendetta" and "political witch hunt" by his opponents.
"I know who I am, and I know what I've done for this country… I know I'm a moral man, a man of integrity," Grimm declared. "We're going to fight tooth and nail until I am fully exonerated."
( Also on POLITICO: The GOP's bad boys)
"Time and time again I have shown I don't abandon my post, Grimm added. "I didn't abandon my post when I was being fired upon in combat," or when he was an FBI agent. "I'm not abandoning my post now."
The allegations against Grimm, 44, are related to his ownership of a health food restaurant in Manhattan called Healthalicious. Grimm owned the restaurant after he left the FBI in 2006 until he was elected to the House in 2010.
The New York Republican was taken into custody prior to his arraignment on the federal charges, which took place early Monday afternoon, said Loretta Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Lynch's office oversaw the Grimm investigation, which initially focused on campaign fundraising from his 2010 House race but then shifted to his pre-congressional activities as a restaurant owner.
( DRIVING THE DAY: What's next for Michael Grimm?)
Grimm, quiet and seemingly a bit unsure of his footing as he was led by an FBI agent into the Brooklyn courtroom, was released on a $400,000 bond, using his home as collateral. Grimm will be represented in the case by John and Elizabeth Kase, two New York City defense attorneys. Grimm said little other than "Yes, your honor" during the proceedings before Magistrate Judge Robert Levy.
( Also on POLITICO: Grimm could cost GOP swing seat)
Yet the indictment unveiled by Lynch lays out a long list of criminal charges against Grimm, including mail and wire fraud, filing false tax returns, health care fraud, hiring undocumented workers, perjury and obstruction.
Lynch held a scathing press conference denouncing the one-time FBI agent and Marine.
"In 2007, Michael Grimm - a former Marine, former FBI agent who knew what fraud looked like, accountant, and attorney - was poised for success as a small business owner," Lynch said at her press conference in Brooklyn. "Instead, as alleged, Grimm made the choice on upholding the law to breaking it. In doing so, he turned his back on every oath he ever took."
Lynch and her prosecution team allege that Grimm failed to report more than $1 million in income, showing his restaurant - Healthalicious - operating at a loss rather than a profit.
( QUIZ: How well do you know Michael Grimm?)
Lynch stated that "more than $1 million simply disappeared" from the restaurant's books thanks to Grimm's action. Grimm reportedly had a "systematic plan to deliberately lie" to every tax-reporting agency. After Grimm stepped out of the day-to-day management of the restaurant, he became a "fraud instructor" showing other how to cheat the system, Lynch asserted.
"Even after his return to public service, when called to account for his actions and questioned under oath, Grimm went for the cover up, and lied about his role in his own business," said George Venizelos, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York office. "As a former FBI agent, Rep. Grimm should understand the motto: fidelity, bravery, and integrity. Yet he broke our credo at nearly every turn."
Grimm lived by "a new motto: fraud, perjury and obstruction. We demand the best from our political leaders. Yet today we again find ourselves wanting more," Venizelos said.
Grimm's New York-based defense attorney did not respond to repeated calls or emails on Monday. Sources close to Grimm expect him to hold a press conference to discuss the allegations.
GOP leaders on Capitol Hill, including Speaker John Boehner, haven't yet commented on Grimm's situation.
According to the 30-page indictment, Grimm "engaged in schemes to fraudulently under-report the wages he paid his workers - many of whom did not have legal status in the United States - and fraudulently under-report the true amount of money the restaurant earned to both federal and New York State tax and insurance authorities."
Grimm allegedly paid the restaurant employees partially in cash, and then didn't report those earnings to either the IRS or New York State, the indictment asserts.
"In total, Grimm concealed over $1,000,000 in Healthalicious gross receipts alone, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars of employees' wages, fraudulently depriving the federal and New York State governments of sales, income and payroll taxes," said the indictment.
When questioned about Healthalicious' operations in 2013 as part of a civil lawsuit brought by two former restaurant employees - a full three years after he won his House seat - Grimm allegedly continued to lie about it, the indictment states.
Lynch said Grimm's coverup was sparked by that lawsuit and his "deception continued into 2013."
The federal prosecutor, appointed by President Barack Obama to her post in 2010, said the Grimm probe is continuing, and sources close to the case said a superseding indictment was possible. Lynch would not comment on whether her office has had contact with and or interviewed Grimm.
Lynch, though, rejected claims of playing politics by indicting Grimm after the filing deadline closed for his race. Grimm is now almost certain to be on the ballot in November, giving Democrats a pick-up opportunity on a seat they've long targeted.
"When you investigate a case like this, we follow the evidence," Lynch said. "It's just as irresponsible to bring it before it's ready."
Lynch said the various counts carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years, while others carry potential five and 10-year terms.
She said Grimm is just another example of a politician who "let their greed in their personal life implicate their actions even after they've taken office."


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MOVIE REVIEW: 'Red Tails' fails to soar
In its opening seconds, "Red Tails" is revealed to be inspired by true events surrounding the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the black pilots who helped protect the skies over Europe during WWII and who , apparently against the wishes of certain bigoted military brass, even got to go plane vs. plane against German fliers in aerial dogfights.
It's a great story that falls far short of the movie it could have been. This cliché-ridden, overly melodramatic film reduces everything to bouts of happy (but racially frustrated) flyboys soaring either recklessly or in perfect formation over the skies of Italy and Germany in 1944, while nonchalantly chattering with each other on radio headsets and skillfully picking off would-be Red Barons.
Down on the ground there are white senior officers who, no matter what these guys do, are convinced that "Negroes are inferior," and shouldn't be up there helping out the big (white) boys in bombers. Also down there, when the film's quartet of daredevil heroes – well played by David Oleyowo, Nate Parker, Tristan Wilds, and Elijah Kelley – are off duty, they're involved in, among other side stories, an improbable romance with an Italian woman, a drinking problem, and a gnawing desire to "see real action" as opposed to being saddled with strafing runs and coastal patrols. Or as one of them moans, "The white boys are the only ones that get to tangle with the Jerries around here."
These guys complain a lot, and they joke around a lot. In fact, the best parts of the film are when they're sitting around trading one-liners and barbs. The filmmakers all come from careers in directing or writing for television, and you can feel that they're much more comfortable with their characters doing that type of fast-paced banter here. When the talk gets serious, the film gets bogged down.
When the film shifts into action gear, the fingerprints of executive producer George Lucas are all over it, and the computer generated imagery goes into overdrive. Unfortunately, that's not a good thing, since most of the effects are ineffective – many of the planes look like models and much of that action, especially when things start exploding, looks fake.
Running at just over two hours, the film could use a major trimming, cutting out storylines that serve only to put a cap on extraneous plot points that don't aid the narrative.
RED TAILS (Rated PG-13 for some war violence) Written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder; directed by Anthony Hemingway With David Oleyowo, Nate Parker, Tristan Wilds, Elijah Kelley, Terence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Grade: 2 stars


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Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Monday announced a deal with Republican leaders that would extend Bush-era tax cuts for two years and unemployment benefits for 13 months while also lowering the payroll tax by two percentage points for a year.
The compromise, worked out in negotiations involving the White House, the Treasury and congressional leaders from both parties, includes provisions that each side doesn't like, Obama said in a hastily arranged statement to reporters after discussing the proposed deal with Democratic leaders.
"It's not perfect," Obama said of the plan, which also would continue tax breaks for students and families contained in the 2009 stimulus bill and allow businesses to write off all investments they make next year. "We cannot play politics at a time when the American people are looking for us to solve problems."
As outlined by Obama and sources, the deal would add up to hundreds of billions of dollars in more federal spending or lower revenue in coming years at a time when the president, Republican leaders and a federal deficit commission appointed by the president all say that the growing federal debt must be brought under control.
Democrats in Congress expressed initial concern with the deal, saying it conceded too much to Republican demands.
"I'm not at all happy with this. I want to see all the details before I make some kind of commitment," Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio told CNN. Asked if Obama "caved" to Republicans, Brown said: "I don't know if he caved. I think he could have gotten a better agreement."
Vice President Joe Biden will attend the weekly Senate Democratic policy lunch Tuesday in the Capitol to "defend the deal," according to a Senate Democratic leadership aide.
A revolt by liberal Democrats, particularly in the House, would imperil the chances for the plan to win approval before the end of current lame-duck session of Congress. With the Bush-era tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, Obama said it was more important to act now than to continue waging a political fight.
"I know there are some people in my own party and in the other party who are willing to let this fight continue," Obama said. "I'm not willing to let us slip backwards just as we're recovering form this devastating recession."
Republican leaders expressed initial support for the plan because it would extend the current tax rates for everyone.
"I am optimistic that Democrats in Congress will show the same openness to preventing tax hikes the administration has already shown," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in a statement.
However, retiring Republican Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio indicated he would oppose the deal because the higher spending it calls for would add to the federal debt.
The deal includes the temporary two percentage-point reduction in the payroll tax to replace Obama's "making work pay" tax credit from the 2009 economic stimulus package for lower-income Americans. An administration source familiar with the talks said the one-year reduction of the payroll tax would bring savings of about $1,000 for someone making $50,000.
In a concession to Republicans, it sets the estate tax at 35% for two years on inheritances worth more than $5 million. That rate is a compromise between Democratic and Republican positions on the estate tax, which previously had been expected to be higher and apply to estates of $3.5 million or greater, a senior administration official told reporters.
House Democrats, who have approved a measure extending the Bush-era tax cuts for family incomes up to $250,000 a year, indicated earlier Monday they were unhappy with the negotiations that the White House was conducting with congressional Republicans.
"We won't rubber stamp a deal between the White House and (Senate Minority Leader) Mitch McConnell," one Democratic congressional source told CNN. "We want to make it clear. Don't take our support for granted."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, were among Democratic leaders who attended a White House meeting with Obama and Biden to discuss the proposed deal.
According to the senior Democratic source, Obama and Biden told the congressional Democrats that the proposed deal was the best they could expect.
Liberal House Democrats are believed to be among the most reluctant in Congress to agree to a deal extending all of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
The House measure, which was blocked from consideration in the Senate by a Republican filibuster, would cause tax rates to increase to 1990s levels for individuals making more than $200,000 a year and families earning more than $250,000. Senate Republicans blocked a similar proposal that set the income threshold for higher tax rates at anything over $1 million.
Obama noted that Republicans opposed to the Democratic plan to allow tax rates for the wealth to increase showed they would undermine any extension of current tax rates.
"Without a willingness to give on both sides, there's no reason to believe that this stalemate won't continue well into next year," Obama said. "This would be a chilling prospect for the American people whose taxes are currently scheduled to go up on January 1st because of arrangements that were made back in 2001 and 2003 under the Bush tax cuts. I am not willing to let that happen."
Senior administration officials who briefed reporters after the announcement said the extended unemployment benefits and tax credits in the deal justified the agreement to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for everyone for another two years. In particular, they cited the payroll tax cut for 2011 that would benefit directly benefit workers.
"We felt that if there was an opportunity to get significant tax relief to working families in 2011, that would be the most compelling thing to the economy," one of the senior administration officials said.
Top senators from both parties had indicated Sunday that a deal linking the extension of lower tax rates for everyone with extended unemployment benefits was likely. Congress would continue working on a long-term plan to reduce the nation's debt.
Democrats contend the nation must prevent working-class Americans from facing higher taxes, as promised by Obama in his 2008 election campaign, but can't afford the extra hundreds of billions of dollars it would cost to maintain the tax cuts for the wealthy. Republicans argue that the economy remains too weak to allow anyone's taxes to increase.
Earlier Monday, Obama reiterated his position that extending the cuts for the wealthiest Americans would be fiscally irresponsible, and stressed the opinion of Democratic leaders that an extension of unemployment benefits needs to be part of any agreement with the GOP.
"We have got to find consensus here because a middle-class tax hike would be very tough, not only on working families, it would also be a drag on our economy at this moment," Obama told an audience in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"We've got to make sure that we are coming up with a solution even if it is not 100% of what I want or what the Republicans want," he said.
CNN's Alan Silverleib, Tom Cohen, John King and Brianna Keilar contributed to this report


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After four endless days and nights submerged up to her neck in a dense thicket of mud, branches and insects in a Florida swamp, Kathleen Shino had one thought running through her mind.
"That nobody was going to find me; that that was going to be it,'' Shino told TODAY's Lester Holt Monday. "There were times that I [thought], 'Maybe I'm already dead, and I don't know it yet.' ''
When the ordeal finally ended with the exhausted body of the 62-year-old grandmother being pulled from the thicket after rescuers had to chain-saw the vines and branches, she even was able to find some humor in the situation.
"The one thing I did think of every once in a while to give myself a little bit of a laugh sometimes during the day is that people pay a lot of money to go sit in mud spas,'' she told NBC News. "Then I'm thinking, 'They're wasting their money. It's not what it's cracked up to be.' ''
'I didn't know where I was'
On Friday, June 17, Shino, a mother of four and grandmother of eight, left her home in Holiday, Fla., around 9 p.m. to take a stroll. For unclear medical reasons — Shino suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, but has no history of dementia — she blacked out and soon became submerged in a dense mangrove area only 800 steps from her home.
Ants began to crawl over her face, fish nipped at her body, and shadowy figures lurked in the water. "I knew I was in water,'' she said. "I didn't know exactly where I was.''
After she survived more than 90 hours in sweltering temperatures with no water or food, Shino's faint plea for help was heard by a pair of neighbors on Monday afternoon. Alexandra Echazabal, 30, and her mother, Alexia Cuartas, were tending their garden in the backyard a few blocks from where Shino was trapped. At first the two thought the moaning might be an animal, before the faint voice stated that she was stuck in the water.
Shino's children had called neighbors to inform them of their search for her, and Cuartas soon asked if the voice coming from the swamp was Shino's. By that time Cuartas had called the police, fearing what might be lurking in the water. "I know for a fact there is an alligator there,'' Cuartas said in her call to 911.
Pasco County Deputy Keith Krapfl was the first responder to find Shino, whose face was the only thing that could be seen above the water. Paramedics needed chain saws to cut away all of the branches and roots to finally extricate Shino after her harrowing ordeal. The muck and branches were so dense that the emergency crew also had to help Krapfl out of the swamp after he helped rescue Shino.
'She wouldn't have made it through the night'
Mercifully, Shino did not hear about the alligator that lived in the swamp until several days after leaving the hospital. At first, Krapfl told local reporters that he had feared he would find an alligator feasting on an animal or person rather than what he stumbled upon.
"When you see a human face in the water coming out, it kind of blows your mind,'' Krapfl told NBC News. "She wouldn't have made it through the night, I don't think.''
Despite struggling to stay awake nearly all night during her four-day ordeal, Shino had enough energy to mark the passage of time. She could reach two nearby branches, and would put a leaf on one every morning to mark a new morning, and stick a leaf on the other one to mark another night.
"In case I forgot, I would know how long I was there,'' she told Holt.
Her daughter, Kristi Fusco, had filed a missing person's report on Sunday after being unable to reach Shino on Saturday. A trip to Shino's house had revealed her wallet, cell phone and car untouched. The crutches she used for her arthritis on bad days and a pillowcase she was sewing for her grandson lay untouched.
While her family frantically scoured the neighborhood and called neighbors in a search for Shino, detectives also were searching for her and calling her name, but she was too weak to respond. Meanwhile, the sun kept falling and rising.
"I never realized how long 24 hours really is,'' Shino told NBC News.
The cause of her plight still remains unknown, and she had not even seen the site of her ordeal until watching the NBC News segment on it that aired before her in-studio appearance alongside her daughter.
"I'm getting stronger, and just trying to cope with everything and take it all in,'' Shino said. "Some of it, I still try to not to think about now.''
Doctors have speculated it could have been a wild change in her sugar levels because of her diabetes that may have caused an episode.
"I have some medical problems, and they're just not sure if it was any of that or something that just happened,'' Shino said.
Shino and her daughter also appeared on TODAY to promote Project Lifesaver, which helps provide rapid response to save lives and reduce potential for serious injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer's, autism, Down syndrome, dementia and other related cognitive conditions, according to its website. One of the products Project Lifesaver provides is a waterproof tracking bracelet with GPS for quick and easy location of anyone in trouble or missing.
For more information about Project Lifesaver, click here.


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Rick Holmes: The crimes of Tarek Mehanna
Ahmed Mehanna was worried, aggravated and fearful for his son. He worried about the websites young Tarek had been visiting, the books he'd been reading. Tarek had taken a trip to Yemen his father thought might look suspicious to the authorities.
Then word got back to Ahmed that Tarek had been giving radical sermons at the Islamic Center in Sharon, Mass. "If we didn't know he was your son," a friend told him, "we would say he was a member of al-Qaida."
Like many young people, Tarek thought his father's fears weren't justified.
"I think my dad thinks I'm part of a group," he told a friend. "If I was actually doing something ... I'd understand, but come on, man."
Ahmed Mehanna was right to be concerned. While the family was on vacation in 2006, the feds, using "sneak and peak" powers granted under the USA Patriot Act, broke into their Sudbury, Mass., home, searched for incriminating evidence and planted surveillance devices.
In 2008, Tarek Mehanna, now 29 years old, was arrested. Since then he has been in solitary confinement. In a Boston courtroom, prosecutors are now trying to prove to a jury that he actually did something worthy of life in prison.
Daniel Spaulding, who testified Tuesday, was a prosecution witness, but he didn't seem to help their cause.
Spaulding, a friend of Mehanna's who shared - for awhile at least - Mehanna's religious and political beliefs, had agreed to testify under a grant of immunity. He confirmed on the witness stand what other evidence had made clear: Tarek Mehanna and some of his friends had embraced some of the concepts of radical Islam, had cheered the 9/11 attacks, goofing for pictures at Ground Zero. Mehanna had been enraged about the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and spoke of the holy obligation to oppose those who killed fellow Muslims. He shared his views in person and in online chat rooms. He translated from Arabic documents, including "39 Ways to Serve and Participate in Jihad," and shared them with friends.
But did Tarek Mehanna actually do something that broke a law?
In Mehanna's indictment, prosecutors alleged he conspired with friends to attack Americans at a shopping mall. Spaulding testified that the idea had come up in conversation, but that Mehanna thought it was "stupid and impractical."
Under cross-examination, Spaulding said Mehanna never mentioned al-Qaida, and, for religious reasons, opposed the idea of attacking civilians in the U.S.
Prosecutors say Mehanna went to Yemen for training as a terrorist, though they admit he never found any. Spaulding said Mehanna was "disillusioned by Yemen," and that his father talked him into coming home.
Prosecutors say Mehanna, an American citizen, graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury High School and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, who lived with his parents, returned to the U.S. to be part of al-Qaida's "media wing." The term certainly implies Mehanna was taking orders from al-Qaida or coordinating his propaganda efforts with the terrorist organization. But while the prosecution hasn't finished presenting its case, it has yet to prove there were any specific contacts between Mehanna and anyone in al-Qaida.
Absent some kind of smoking gun, jurors in Mehanna's federal court trial face a decision about the limits of dissent in post-9/11 America.
Mehanna's defenders inside and outside of court concede he disagreed strongly with U.S. policies in Iraq and sympathized with some Islamist radicals. They know he hung out with young men his age who wanted to put those beliefs in action. One of his friends fled after being questioned by the FBI, and is now believed to be in Syria. Another ended up going to Somalia for training, and is now serving a 10-year prison sentence.
"May Allah reward you, dude," Mehanna told the friend in a call tapped by the FBI.
The slogan at the top of the website run by Mehanna's defenders (freetarek.com) says "Nothing to hide." His defense attorneys take the same position. Mehanna didn't do anything. He talked with his friends about maybe doing something. He expressed, in conversation and in writing, ideas that are unpopular with most Americans.
Yes, Mehanna translated some documents from Arabic to English, apparently of his own volition. There may be authoritarian countries where translating documents into your native tongue is a crime, but is it a crime in America?
Unpopular speech is a right protected by the First Amendment, the defense says, a principle confirmed by the Supreme Court just this year, when it upheld the right of members of the Westboro Baptist Church to protest at military funerals.
The charges against Mehanna sound serious: Providing and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, misleading investigators.
But Mehanna's defenders raise a higher standard. Does America put people in prison because of what they think, what they believe, what they talk to their friends about doing, what they post online, what they maybe intend to do but never get around to doing?
Mehanna was surely immature, naive and wrong about a lot of things, including when he shrugged off his father's warnings. "If I was actually doing something," he told his friend, "I'd understand, but come on, man."
It will be up to jurors in Boston, and perhaps judges hearing the case on appeal, to decide whether what Mehanna did was enough to punish him with life in prison.
Rick Holmes, opinion editor of the MetroWest Daily News, blogs at Holmes & Co. (blogs.wickedlocal.com/holmesandco). He can be reached at email@example.com.


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(New information at bottom)
For a while, I've been toying around with solving recurrence equations of the form
$$a_1 = r_{1,1}$$ $$a_n = \sum_{m=1}^{n-1} r_{n,m} a_m$$
What are these kind of recurrence equations called? Does one have any references for any general theory behind them?
The goal is to try to find a non-recursive formula for the coefficients of what is called the "Schroder function" of $e^{uz} - 1$, which satisfies the functional equation
$$\chi(e^{uz} - 1) = u \chi(z)$$.
This function can be expressed as
$$\chi(z) = \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \chi_n z^n$$
$$\chi_1 = 1$$ $$\chi_n = \sum_{m=1}^{n-1} \frac{u^{n-1}}{1 - u^{n-1}} \frac{m!}{n!} S(n, m) \chi_m$$
a recurrence of the given form, where $S(n, m)$ is a Stirling number of the 2nd kind.
I managed to find the following formula:
$$a_n = r_{1,1} \sum_{\substack{1 = m_1 < m_2 < \cdots < m_k = n\\ 2 \le k \le n}}\ \prod_{j=2}^{k} r_{m_j, m_{j-1}},\ n > 1$$
which sums over $2^{n-2}$ terms, namely, all subsets of the integer interval from 1 to $n$ that contain 1 and $n$. However, is there a way to simplify this for the case I gave, where $r_{n,m} = \frac{u^{n-1}}{1 - u^{n-1}} \frac{m!}{n!} S(n, m)$? I note that in cases like the Bernoulli numbers, these kind of recurrences have solutions expressible as nested sums or as products over many fewer terms than above (with a simple linear index). Is such a thing also possible here with the $r_{n,m}$ I just gave? If so, how? Also, is the above formula already known?
ADDENDUM (19 Sep 2011): I later found out on a different group (the Usenet newsgroup sci.math) that such a recurrence may be called a "full-history recurrence", though that term seems a little more general than just referring to the specific kind of sum recurrence mentioned above, and googling it did not turn up much (much less the solution formula mentioned above! (and too bad you can't google math formulas!)), and much of what it did turn up seemed to have to do more with the recurrence in the context of algorithmic theory and computer science than with just pure maths. Is there a better name or something more useful I might try looking up?
EDIT (25 Sep 2011): There is another form of this formula, for the indexing
$$a_0 = \alpha$$, $$a_{n+1} = \sum_{m=0}^{n} r_{n,m} a_m$$.
This version goes as
$$a_n = \alpha \sum_{\substack{-1 = m_0 < m_1 < m_2 < \cdots < m_k = n-1\\ 1 \le k \le n}}\ \prod_{j=1}^{k} r_{m_j,m_{j-1}+1},\ n > 0$$.
Does that ring a bell better? Notice how we can get, e.g. the Bernoulli numbers by setting $\alpha = 1$, $r_{n,m} = -{n \choose m} \frac{1}{n - m + 1}$.
EDIT/ADD #2 (28 Sep 2011): Unfortunately, Helms' answer did not help very much. However, my access to academic resources is somewhat limited. It would be nice to have a direct reference to something containing the mentioned solution formula or a suitable equivalent and the specific kind of linear recurrence I'm asking about (the general form that is, not necessarily the "Schroder" one above), and also discussion of them of course.
EDIT/ADD #3 (29 Sep 2011): Yeah. "Eigensequence" did not seem to yield much on Google (incl. Google Scholar and Google Books). It looks to be much too broad. Certainly didn't find anything with the solution formulas I mentioned. Could this usage be peculiar to the OEIS site?


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June 8, 2009 — -- Steve Jobs, master of the iPhone, iPod, iTunes, MacBook and all other things Apple, is apparently on the mend after a mysterious illness, sources said, and word of his recovery comes at the same time as the expected announcement of a new, lower-priced iPhone.
Jobs, 54, has been on medical leave from his post as Apple's chief executive since the beginning of the year, forced by what was only described as a nutritional problem related to a hormone imbalance.
Industry insiders, who asked not to be quoted by name, said the illness may have been quite serious, depriving his body of the ability to digest protein properly. But, they said, he received the necessary help to overcome it.
Word of Jobs' improvement coincides with Apple's annual software developers' conference (the Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC) this week in San Francisco, and with word that Apple is ready to introduce a third-generation iPhone. Apple-watchers say the new phone is likely to be able to record and edit video, and could be unveiled at the conference.
The new phone could be priced at $149 or even $99, analysts said. The base model iPhone 3G sells for $199 plus tax, fees and a two-year contract with AT&T.
Rumors have been flying as fast as tweets on Twitter. New iPhones could have a faster processor, or longer battery life, or more memory, or a black case to replace the shiny but fingerprint-prone current version. Or the rumors could be just rumors.
"We've confirmed with a supplier in Taiwan that they're producing a new iPhone, probably to go on sale in mid-July," said Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray who tracks Apple, the iPhone and Jobs' health.
Munster said he expects the price to be $149, while Kathryn Huberty of Morgan Stanley writes that a $99 model, which she thinks could be announced today, might double iPhone sales.
As for an on-the-record statement from the company, either about the phone or the boss, "We look forward to Steve returning to Apple at the end of June," Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said, repeating a statement the company has used before. "Beyond that, we don't comment on rumors and speculation."
Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies, Inc., a Silicon Valley analyst, said, "I don't think he'll be at the conference. When they refer you back to the previous statement about when he'll come back, that's usually code for, 'That's exactly when he'll come back.'"
Steve Jobs' Comeback Trail
Jobs, described as "a strict vegetarian, very much into Eastern mysticism," is said by two sources to have turned to alternative medicine to treat his health problems. "He believes anything can be treated naturally," one of the sources said, asking not to be named.
There was a solution that came from an extract made with pork; the source said Jobs finally decided to use it.
Jobs has been private about medical matters, including a case of pancreatic cancer that was successfully treated with surgery in 2004. Members of Apple's board of directors, sources said, persuaded him that his health was "a fiduciary issue," interwoven with the health of the company.
He was listed last year as 189th on the Forbes list of the world's billionaires, with a net worth of about $5.7 billion. After selling Pixar animation studios to The Walt Disney Company in 2006, he became a Disney board member and the company's largest shareholder. Disney is the parent company of ABCNews.com.
Analysts said Apple has done fine in Jobs' absence, partly because he has been available for big decisions, partly because he has delegated day-to-day decisions for about five years.
Apple Inc., stock, which dropped to $78.20 a share in January after he announced he was going on leave, has since climbed to above $140 a share.


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The Imaginary Invalid at PCS
At its premiere, Moliére's The Imaginary Invalid must have been a scathing farce about the ignorance and quackery rampant in the field of medicine in France in the 1600's. Now, a new adaption by Constance Congdon serves a duck of a different color. She pulls to the forefront all manner of silly and ceaseless jokes about farts, sex, and cow poop (twice mentioned).
Here's the story rundown: An old man is ill and overly reliant on his doctor. His daughter is young, beautiful, and in love. His new wife is a schemer. His maid knows the truth. Hilarity ensues. The result, at Portland Center Stage through February 6, is a frothy, frivolous night at the theater that fizzes past without leaving much of a trace behind. But there's plenty of fun to be had before that curtain comes down; in fact, this may be the merriest band of scenery-chewers ever to grace a proscenium, and the gang of players brings wit to a spate of scatological humor that would be a tiresome slog in less skilled hands.
Draped in sumptuous period costumes by designer Jeff Cone, the cast is delightful to look at. John Wernke, as the romantic hero Cleante, shows comedic mastery in his luxurious blond-locked wig, and he has such a way with a pair or preposterously pleated pantaloons, that I might be tempted to sit through the entire production again just to re-watch his entrance.
Hollye Gilbert and Christine Calfas both do amusing turns respectively as Angelique (the angelic, virtuous daughter, huh, really?) and Beline, the scheming, wicked step mother ( huh, really ) . Danny Wolohan, plays Claude, a doltish rival for Angelique's affections, as a slack-jawed, screen-staring, rugby-jersey-wearing galoot—despite being trussed up in tights and festooned with ribbons. The combination of character and costume is silly, and a little weird, and totally wonderful to watch.
But it is David Margulies who holds center stage in this production. He is Argan, a hypocondriac invalid who may (or many not) be dying at a moment's notice. Margulies brings a respectful balance to his role, playing a querulous old fart for laughs, but unearthing beneath the flowing brocade dressing gown and silly night cap, a vulnerable little old man, genuinely consumed with the aches and pains and treatments of his age and his unspecified illnesses.
Audience favorite Sharonlee McLean, plays the tough and grudgingly devoted maid, Toinette. She is the keeper of any and every ounce of good sense in this play, and as such she delivers a lot of punchlines with impeccable timing, a welcome breath of salty air, and an unwavering (though often unspoken) fondness for her charges. McLean also spends a fair amount of time opening and closing the large windows and dressing the canopied bed on William Bloodgood's regal single-room set.
Constance Congdon's adaption released Moliére from obscure manners, but drops her audience pretty consistently into conversations about cow poop. It feels modern and breezy—on the other hand, that's an awful lot of fart jokes.
For other upcoming arts events, visit PoMo's Arts & Entertainment Calendar!


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TCX Clima Surround Gore-Tex Boots
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Cheboygan Brewing Co. wins 2 gold, 1 silver at world expo
The Cheboygan Brewing Company is making a name for itself when it comes to its brewed products.
During the recent 2013 World Expo of Beers in Frankenmuth, Mich., the local brewery's flagship beer, Lighthouse Amber, received the gold medal in the Amber Hybrid category. The company's Winter Marzen also took gold in the Amber Lager category.
"We entered four of our products, and three of them we took a medal for," said Mark Lorenz, managing partner of the company. "We won the silver medal for the Helles Bock, which was in the Bock category."
He said this was an accomplishment, especially for his brewmaster Tim Perry.
"Our brewmaster was really excited because we beat out a famous seasoned brewmaster from Germany," Lorenz said. "That has been his goal."
Last year at the same event, the company's Oktoberfest took gold as well.
Beers were represented from North America and central Europe in the competition.
"We are thrilled with the continued success of our beers," said Cheboygan Brewing Company managing partner Jamie McClurg. "We think that we produce great beers, but it's very fulfilling to see that the public enthusiastically agrees with us."
Lorenz said the company is not about awards, but it shows people like the product.
"This should translate into more opportunity and growth for us," he said. "We currently have eight distributors and have the whole state covered except the western U.P. Volume is picking up."
Cheboygan Brewing Company is set to introduce a new brew in the next few weeks.
"High Grade Export is currently in production and will soon be available in mid June," said Lorenz. "This new offering is a premium double-hopped pilsner that takes its name from one of the beers created by Cheboygan brewmasters more than 100 years ago."
The brewery's taproom at 101 N. Main St., includes museum displays, artifacts, and vintage photographs that tell the history of Cheboygan brewing.
The hours are Monday-Thursday noon-9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from noon-10:30 p.m. (Memorial Day through Labor Day).


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Analysts Calling For Vita Price Cut
Research firm Strategy Analytics thinks that the new PlayStation Vita can sell 12.4 million units in 2012. But only if the price tag is cut.
"Sony now is experiencing the same story in Japan [as Nintendo]," says analyst Jia Wu. "Sales of the Wi-Fi version of PlayStation Vita at $249 initially exploded, selling more than 300,000 units in the first week of release. But the new console is barely moving 20,000 units per week in its home market after all the hardcore fans made their purchases, mirroring the experience of the Nintendo 3DS." Therefore, Wu suggests that Sony should further follow in Nintendo's footsteps and cut the price of the Vita to spur sales. Nintendo did that in 2011 for the 3DS, and it's already reaping the rewards.
Regardless, Wu notes that the Vita should do well for Sony, expecting it to bring in $2 billion in hardware and software sales in 2012. In particular, he thinks the unit has the potential to make a lot of money through its PlayStation Store.
[via GamesIndustry.biz]