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It is clear that it is a mind possession what we go through when desiring or fearing something. Wanting to be alone is just the polarity of actually fearing to be alone and as such, creating a pattern of desire and suppression as fear within events that I then define according to this single character as 'The Loner.'
If we look at ourselves as society, we all eventually hit this spot of secluding ourselves within a constant desire or fear to be with another, fearing establishing relationships and at the same time desiring to be with others.
We have become so conflictive in our minds that we can structure an entire game of self-interest wherein all that exists is our personal benefit: 'Oh I want to be alone/ Oh I want to be with another' – and where's Life in all that? Where is an actual Self-Agreement that we can consider as an actual point of Self Support that is not dependent on 'external points' such as people, environment and situations to define who we are.
I realize throughout this exploration of 'the loner' that I have mostly danced around a desire to experience myself in a different way in relation to having company or not, which is then deliberately seeking to play a character that we can become for a moment and establish that as 'who we are:' I am alone or I am not alone anymore – and that's it. And in that we can build and create a thousand events and stories wherein we revolve around a constant friction and conflict in relation to one single point, while everything that we are as human beings that breathe and that require to consider that there is much more than one single point of desire or fear that we trap ourselves into when believing ourselves to be these thoughts in our head, that later on become actual actions that we 'give life' to literally, as all actions based on desires or fear are in fact not based on a practical and common sensical consideration of who we are as individuals that exist in a physical biosphere that we have abused when seeking only to satisfy our hopes, dreams and desires that we sometimes do not even realize we are 'living for' because we tend to make it 'ok' to keep one single piece of heaven in our pocket, without realizing that such heaven has always been an illusion, a sugary thought that we keep just because it makes us feel content for a moment – yet it has no substance as a practical living consideration wherein we actually become beings that are able to consider another as an actual equal and one part of ourselves – instead we antagonize and desire each other, like strangers that cannot conceive that we are in fact one and equal.
Back to the question:
Who am I within 'Wanting to Be Alone'?
It is just a character of self manipulation that is designed to actually activate the absolute opposite as a strong desire to create a relationship when and as the 'conditions' apply, which is once again a character that seeks to upgrade itself into a 'completeness' when being with another/ others, eventually creating yet another form of separation from that avoidance to be with others to an absolute dependency toward others – never in fact seeing and realizing that self is here as one and equal and as such, it is to step out of these limited versions of ourselves: struggling to be with others, yet wanting to be with others and in that just rocking back and forth like in a ping pong match wherein there is no actual ability to win or lose as none of the points are in fact 'real' – as we are never in fact all alone yet we cannot 'complete' ourselves with another either.
So this is a point of Self Honesty wherein we realize how we have created characters to stand as a form of entertainment and conflict to only exist up there in our minds, thinking why we would rather be alone or why we would want to be with another – and where is the rest? It's simply out of the picture as we become possessed with one single point only, going in circles chasing after each pole instead of actually allowing ourselves to stop, breathe and look for a moment what it is in reality that we are whining about: is this character in any way supporting me to actually take on the practical considerations within this physical world that I require to do.
It is rather ludicrous how we have become the characters to such an extent that there are moments wherein we cannot apparently see beyond the fog, yet we are always here, breathing, an entire physical body keeping ourselves alive while we consume ourselves with emotions or feelings that we accept as 'who we are.' This is then how we have to consider how to stand one and equal as the mind to become self directive as the mind, so that everything we participate in our day to day, moment by moment reality is no longer the type of prefab limitations such as 'the loner' characters that only exist as the limited version that we accepted and allowed ourselves to consume ourselves with.
It's definitely time to live, and by living at this stage it is to stop participating in all characters that we have created as the surrogate versions of ourselves, living for us just because we were too frightened to even consider that there is another way to exist.
I have realized how the participation in the mind is the point that becomes an addictive experience, believing that it is 'perfectly normal' to have some type of mind-discomfort translated as an actual pathology that we accept as 'real' such as 'being a loner,' which is just a delusion I cultivated in order to create my own character to entertain myself with – not necessary.
I have seen and realized how there is an actual fear to stop participating in our 'personal favorites' such as usual behavioral patterns that backup the idea of 'who we are' in our minds. It's almost like an aberration to the mind the moment that we do not participate in emotions and feelings and that is an actual point of self-movement, wherein we stop acting out on that which we saw as 'usual' within us when the necessary conditions/ context would present itself to then look into our character wardrobe and decide what type of conflictive or pleasing 'nature' we want to play out in such moment, never ever realizing or considering the point of abuse that this represents.
So, it's cool to see and realize how this character was just another way to keep me entertained in my tunnel vision in relation to myself and others
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to diminish myself to a single character in my mind such as 'The Loner' character wherein I reduce an entire moment of who I am as flesh to one single 'self' that wants/ needs/ desires or rejects being with others and creating a positive or negative energetic churning and sparks about it, which is absolutely delusional to exist as a default experience that in no way assists as support me to be here as breath, physically living and considering where and how I have to direct myself to support me to actually consider how I can be and become an example of what it means to live the word: Equality as Life wherein no reaction or wavering exists when the decision to Live is done and placed in motion by ourselves, I commit myself to LIVE as that is what we have not yet done/been in fact throughout our existence here: Life in Equality and Oneness
I see and realize that because we have all existed in our personal-limitations we have only feared actually getting to know each other because we have even feared establishing an equal and one relationship with ourselves, because we had not considered ourselves 'enough' but were actually waiting for something o someone to 'fill in the void' and because in our minds not just 'anything' can play that role. This is how we become hermits and loners to not have to actually realize that we were protecting ourselves from the actual opportunity of communicating and interacting with others as equals, which implies we cannot generate any positive or negative experience about it, but simply get used to and learn how to live and interact without any emotional or feeling input in order to assess it as 'being actually living.'
This is how we break the addictive pattern of generating any positive or negative experience upon being alone or being with others as I then instead decide to remain here as breath.
This is the actual fear: just being here, in simplicity – how ludicrous it is – yet it makes 'perfect sense' as in the mind we're always having to be bounding from one side to the other in order to keep ourselves 'alive' as the 'who I am' of/as the mind. Not necessary.
Alone is what I exist as here, as a physical breathing human body – yet I am a cell that is part of the whole that functions in unison. Right now we're not Sound enough in our living – thus I align myself to live as the physical which means: no more powering up experiences that I entertain myself within my mind, living here as breath is like living rehab for the very first real time, giving our physical the breaths that we missed when searching for our next greatest hit. Time to live our commitment to live in and as simplicity in every breath here.
"We are not alone in this. And no ONE alone will change the world."
– Bernard Poolman
For further review on 'The Loner' Character:
- 119. Oddity: Please, Leave Me Alone
- 120. 'I don't like breaking my routine'
- 121. Childhood Anti-Social Behavior
- 122. 'Is this as good as it gets?'
- 123. Home Alone: a Loner's Paradise
Blogs that enable you to understand the 7 Year Journey To Life Commitment_
Day 124: TRUE ACTIVIST TEAMLIFE
How Thoughts Activate Personalities – Part 2 (Self-Commitments): DAY 124
GREAT Support my Marduk in these two interviews wherein I was able to see and realize the dedication to life required in order to LIVE this process day by day ensuring that we establish ourselves as the physical in the physical practical reality
Reptilians – Marduk and the Existential Mind (Part 1) – Part 81
Ever wondered what 'black holes'?


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After months of integration work, we're pleased to announce that Microsoft is now displaying 360Cities panoramas as part of their Travel App, powered by Bing, in the new Windows 8 Release Preview launched on May 31st. There are currently over 4,300 of our stunning panoramas, each with attribution to the photographer and a link back to the panorama on 360cities.net. We expect to increase the number of panoramas available on the service over time.
According to Troy Batterberry, Principal Group Program Manager, "We are excited to partner with 360Cities and to integrate their beautiful panoramas into our Bing Travel app. 360Cities' panoramas offer Windows 8 users an immersive and visual way to discover and explore destinations from all over the world."

subset: commoncrawl


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When a mother giraffe gives birth, she will do so while standing up. So her calf's first act is to fall six feet to the ground, crash landing on his face. Then, as if such an arrival wasn't harsh enough, the youngling's mother will continually knock him down when he attempts to stand. Only when completely exhausted will she allow him to stagger to his feet.
This isn't cruelty. It is the youngster's first and most necessary lesson, a tough lesson for an even tougher world: If you are going to stay alive in a world of apex predators, you'd better learn to stand on your own feet. You'd better wise up as quickly as possible.
Yes, this is a dangerous, predatory world. If we are going to survive, we need to learn our lessons well. And since none of our mothers hatched us in the Serengeti, immediately kicked us in the head, or thumped us like a drum in the hospital nursery, we can't rely upon nature's classroom. We have to find a different way. That way is wisdom.
Wisdom is more than intelligence. One can have incredible brain power and be essentially clueless to how the world works. It's not knowledge. Being "in the know" is not the same as knowing how to live rightly. And wisdom is not just experience. Some people have all the experience in the world – they have fallen on their faces over and over – and they never get any smarter.
Wisdom, at its most basic, is the skillful application of knowledge. It is skillful use of experience. Some native peoples of North America put it this way: One has become wise when he or she can, 1) Understand what needs to be done, 2) He or she can do it successfully, and 3) He or she can do it without being told when to do it.
If this is indeed wisdom, then maybe no greater commodity is more needed in today's world. In all aspects of society – business, family, government, economics, education, and religion – there is a dearth of those who seem to have any understanding and discernment whatsoever. Twenty years ago Philip Howard wrote a book entitled, "The Death of Common Sense." If it was dead two decades ago, then by now, it has seized up with rigor mortis.
But beyond dropping all the idiots of the world on their heads and kicking them around for a while (A nice image I like to daydream about, but an image spoiled once I realize that I'm as big a moron as the people I criticize), what can we do on a planet with so little wisdom? Well, as simplistic as it sounds, we can pray.
The Apostle James said it like so: "If you need wisdom," and heaven knows we do, "ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver."
Wisdom, by all practical appearances, is there for the taking – at least for the asking. God will give those who request it, the insight and understanding that they need. He will grant common sense in living life; skill in dealing with people, perception about yourself and with situations. He can teach us to integrate our experience, knowledge, intuition, and know-how.
God can save us from foolish and reckless living, if – and this is a colossal "if" – we will trust him for these things and not ourselves. And that's the rub, the very definition of our absurdity: We do not trust God to show us the way of wisdom. We waver, follow our own hearts, and then fall victim to our own lunacy. By trusting ourselves, we land in the dust over and over again. Yes, I know it's hard to "let go and let God," show us the way. But his way is the only path to true wisdom, and it's a path far less painful than constantly falling on your face.


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The FINANCIAL — TiVo employee Greg Oncina is a busy man. He and just about nearly everyone else living and working in Silicon Valley struggles with juggling a hectic work schedule with having, well, a life.
So when TiVo added haircuts to its list of employee perks, Oncina was thrilled. Now TiVo's events coordinator gets his haircut at his office in Santa Clara – in the middle of his work day – in an RV operated by San Jose-based Onsite Haircuts.
Founded in 2003, the company services many of the Valley's major tech firms including Google, LinkedIn, VMware, and Yahoo.
The company's mobile hair salons consist of a fleet of five large RVs that have been retrofitted to be a hair salon on the inside and are certified by the state board of cosmetology. Staff use iPads for a register and Square – mobile payment technology developed by a San Francisco startup – to accept credit card payments. They also take cash.
Onsite Haircuts is an example of a growing trend of small businesses that see the benefit of taking products or services on the road, rather than having customers or clients come to them. These days, many business owners need little more than a smartphone and social networking accounts to accept payments and advertise their offerings. Such businesses are able to operate with lower overhead by avoiding such expenses as high rent, costly utilities, and print advertising.
And it seems that more and more people are getting used to the idea.
Forrester Research predicts that over the next five years, the amount that U.S. consumers will spend using mobile payments will climb to $90 billion by the end of 2017, compared with $12.8 billion in 2012.*
Leanna Trambino, Onsite Haircut's vice president of sales and marketing, said the mobile company was founded mainly to offer Silicon Valley workers more convenience. Also, as companies compete fiercely for talent, they have been increasingly more creative with their perks.
As cisco said, demand for such convenience is indeed growing. While Onsite Haircuts declined to reveal revenue figures, Trambino did say that revenue surged by 33 percent in 2012 compared with 2011.
BRINGING FOOD TO THE MASSES — Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Valley, the number of food trucks is growing as retail rents continue to climb and companies seek lively ways to spice up workers' days.
New Orleans native Dione Uht has always loved to cook and recently decided to take her passion to the streets – in the form of a food truck dubbed "Cajun Persuasion."
Debuting in San Jose in early 2013, the bright and colorful truck features what Uht describes as "authentic" Cajun meals such as gumbo and etoufee. Being a mobile restaurant helps a restaurateur take control of his or her business in a unique way, she says.
"I started catering here and there and wanted to open a restaurant but that just wasn't economically feasible," she said. "So I thought what better way than to have a food truck and go to the people."
The popularity of social media, Uht believes, is helping fuel the food truck industry as owners use social media to advertise where they'll be next.
Jeremy Goldman, founder of Firebrand Group and author of the book "Going Social," says the types of individuals who gravitate towards food truck, or other mobile, entrepreneurship are often inherently social, and as such "are great at conversations with customers."
"That's something Twitter is built for," Goldman says. "The fact that these mobile businesses keep moving around gives them something they need to communicate on an ongoing basis, which gives an 'excuse' to communicate."
The increasing number of companies trying to offer creative perks to employees is also helping fuel demand. Uht takes her truck to corporate campuses for Cajun lunches, among other locales.
But not all mobile business revolve around employee perks.
Charlotte Swancy's family runs Riverview Farms in Atlanta, Ga., where it raises organic vegetables, pork and beef.
In 2011, it occurred to Swancy that instead of "freezing our tails off in the winter" at various farmer's markets, that it made sense to create their own market – "Farm Mobile" where shoppers can pick up organic locally grown produce, cheese from local food artisans, free-range eggs and sustainable meats.
"We stop, You shop," is their motto. "Farm Mobile" sets up shop at restaurant and church parking lots, and even at outdoor retailer REI's parking lot. It too relies on social networking to get the word out.
Like Onsite Haircuts and Cajun Persuasion, "Farm Mobile" also accepts credit cards through Square. Customers can even pay with food stamps.
At minimum, having a mobile presence has helped the family get the word out about its farm.
"We're not getting rich but the truck is keeping itself running," she said. "And it's serving as another outlet for our farm products."


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Hi again! We're back with our new international cooking destination courtesy of Miss A. Usually when it's her turn we pull the big Atlas book out and she flips around to find a page she likes – more often than not it involves the color pink. This time the big book was not consulted. She was sure of her pick – France. I asked her if that was really what she wanted, and didn't she want to look at the big book…nope, France.
Talk about an intimidating choice. I mean French food. It's among the most revered cuisines around the world, there are many, many phenomenal French cooks, but perhaps most intimidating of all, my family roots can be traced back to the Rhine River area of France and I have not once made a French dish.
I didn't really know about my French history until Mr. N was required to research our heritage for school. We started by consulting the extensive family tree that was fortunate to be in my Grandpa's possession. If you trace the roots on our branch through many generations we end up at Daniel and Mary Fierre in 1685. After doing a little digging we discovered the following:
Maria Warenbauer [Marie de la Warenbau, Marie de la Warrembere, Mary Warrenbur] was born about 1650 possibly in France. She died 1716 in Pequea Valley, Lancaster (then Chester) County, Penn. Maria married Daniel Feree, a Descendent of Robert Ferree who in 1265 founded noble family at Forchamps known variously as LeFerre, Ferree, Ferrie, Fuchre, Fierre, Firre and Ferie. Daniel was a wealthy silk manufacturer who located at Landau, France, along Rhine River, where some and perhaps all of his six children were born. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 by French King Louis XIV, the family fled to Strasbourg, Alsace. Later, they moved to Steinwiel, Bittingheim. Daniel was born c.1650 in France and died early 1708 in Bittingheim. After the death of her husband, Maria and Matthias Schliermacher led a group of 54 Huguenot and German Calvinists from the Palatinate, where they were in danger from the soldiers of French King Louis XIV, to Holland and then London. Reaching London in the summer of 1708, she went to see William Penn about buying land in Pennsylvania. Penn arranged for her to have a private audience with Queen Anne, who then recommended the members of the group be given naturalization status. Mme. Ferree's group bought 4,000 acres from Penn in the Pequea Valley in Lancaster County. Ferree family joined party of Rev. Joshua Kocherthal and set sail 10-15-1708 on "The Globe," arriving in New York 12-31-1708. They then went up Hudson River valley to Esopus (Kingston) and nearby New Paltz, site of a Huguenot settlement where some of the group had relatives, including Maria's son-in-law, Isaac Lefevre, two of whose uncles, Simon and Andries Lefevre, had been among the founders of New Paltz, N.Y. They stayed there until the spring of 1712 while their Pennsylvania land was being surveyed. That done, they moved to what became Lancaster County.
We even discovered a reunion website and a cemetery. At this point I'm wondering why I've never cooked any French food! Better late than never I guess, so we bring you Coq au Vin (Chicken in Wine).
For this particular recipe, we adapted several versions of the dish we found online, all of which were based on Julia Child's version. We started by crisping a bit of bacon which was then removed and set aside. Next we tossed in the chicken and pearl onions to brown on both sides. We also poured in a touch of Cognac.
Once the chicken was browned, it was time to add the Burgundy, chicken stock, garlic and herbs.
Now if we had read Charles' post before cooking our coq au vin, we would have tied our thyme, rosemary and bay leaves into a little bouquet (or even made a sachet) to make it easier to discard them after cooking. C'est la vie.
After the chicken cooks in the wine for a bit it is removed, along with the pearl onions and set aside. (This is also the point the herbs are discarded.) Then the mushrooms and bacon are added to the pot and brought to a high heat. After stirring in a bit of flour, the sauce is left to reduce by 3/4's.
Lastly a bit of butter is melted in the sauce and the chicken and onions are once again incorporated.
The final dish was then served to our hungry crowd (the aromas were killing us!).
Well, I have one word for you – délicieux. The chicken was tender, full of flavor and a total crowd pleaser. Even Mike, who has often said, "It's good, but it's just chicken," gave this recipe the coveted 4 spoons! (So did I.)
Mr. N and Miss A were both happy with the taste of the chicken and each ate two pieces. The mushrooms were a bit too much for them to get around though. While they have been eating mushrooms hidden in ravioli or other creative dishes, it's hard to hide the mushrooms in coq au vin. Remarkably they both still came in with a 3 spoon vote. I'd say that's some good chicken!
I wonder if our French ancestors would be proud. We were for our first attempt at la cuisine. In fact I'm certain it won't be our last French meal in this house! However, before we move on we'll share the recipe for the side dish we enjoyed with our chicken (and of course the dessert!).
Until then, if you'd like to try your hand at a delicious French meal print the recipe: Coq au Vin


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Forgive the major broadcast networks for feeling a bit like the evil "Queen in Snow White" and the Seven Dwarfs these days. When asking their Magic Mirror for positive reinforcement, the answer is seldom completely satisfying.
Still the fairest of them all? Not in terms of prestige and awards. The biggest? Yes, but this season programs like "The Walking Dead," "The Bible," "Downton Abbey" and (from the sublime to the ridiculous) "Duck Dynasty" have all drawn ratings that level the playing field — and undercut traditional claims to commercial broadcasters representing a unique audience-delivery vehicle.
For the broadcast networks, the challenge encapsulated if seldom articulated during their upfront-week presentations thus boiled down to a simple question: In today's fragmented world, what attributes still make them special?
And so, the networks' pitch to media buyers — a ritual NBC's Ted Harbert suggested has lost much of its luster due to dozens of smaller-network spiels dribbling through spring — at times settled for less-glamorous points of differentiation, including volume. Unlike cable networks that churn out an original program here or there, programmers argued, we're open every night in primetime.
In sales terms, it's the equivalent of a corner diner — one serving comfort food, as opposed to gourmet fare. Plus, with a new emphasis on limited series during the coming season, there's the promise of fewer reruns — solving a frequent complaint, as networks have traditionally sought to stretch 22-episode orders of popular shows over a 35-week span from September through May.
Of course, as they touted their new programs, scheduling strategies and digital schemes, there was relatively little time for a full-throated argument on behalf of broadcasting. That chore as usual fell to CBS, not only the most-watched network (by a wide margin in total viewership, it happily pointed out) but the most combative when people try to write network TV's epitaph. Indeed, CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves even deviated temporarily from trumpeting his network's specific competitive advantages to magnanimously note in regard to attracting a mass audience, "Every single network has its own success," adding that broadcast TV "reaches people like no other medium on Earth."
Elsewhere, the networks employed various approaches to address the elephant in the room — namely, the fact collective ratings fell sharply during the current season, triggering a flurry of oft-overheated media stories about broadcasting's woes.
In a one-two punch, the Los Angeles Times and New York Times highlighted the networks' struggles in simultaneous front-page stories to kick off upfront week, in both cases using the dreaded term "tipping point" and wondering whether the decline has passed some sort of arbitrary threshold.
The big-box store rejoinder was perhaps best put by Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly, who risked sounding a trifle defensive by dismissing the significance of cable's perceived inroads during his pitch to advertisers. "Some cable channels have a legitimate hit or two," he said. "(But) if we're talking scale and consistency, the numbers say it all."
To buttress the point, Fox opened its presentation with a taped package discussing network TV's power and influence, with producer James L. Brooks — who gave the network "The Simpsons" back in the first Bush administration — saying the major broadcasters are "still the water-cooler place."
Other than Moonves, the network presentations largely sidestepped the doom-and-gloom forecasts. ABC Entertainment czar Paul Lee was relentlessly upbeat, stressing "the best comedies in the world are on broadcast television" — which is clearly true when considering the combination of ratings and prestige for programs like "Modern Family" and "The Big Bang Theory." If only the medium weren't increasingly defined, qualitatively speaking, by drama, where a broadcast net hasn't won the best series Emmy since 2006, with Fox's "24" (a skein somewhat improbably slated to return for a reduced run next year).
For his part, NBC's Bob Greenblatt alluded to the larger landscape by joking rather dryly about developing shows based on zombies and the Bible.
Whatever the merits of this year's crop of new series, viewing the networks through a wider lens does find fewer clear demarcations that separate them from the pack. Star power is a tough claim to make when Michael J. Fox, Greg Kinnear and Robin Williams are among the biggest names in the new series crop, while HBO this month is promoting the heck out of Matt Damon and Michael Douglas in the juicy Liberace biopic "Behind the Candelabra."
Truth be told, TV is usually best when it makes its own stars, which is why there's anticipation for the first sitcom toplined by "Saturday Night Live" alum Andy Samberg (Fox's "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"), and the return of "Lost" hunk Josh Holloway (CBS' "Intelligence").
Even the point about putting on more original programming each week warrants a bit of context, since the networks have gone to great lengths to reduce their footprints, primarily for economic reasons. As a consequence, every broadcast net has essentially thrown in the towel on Saturday, filling the night with a mix of reruns and sports.
Reality competition series, meanwhile, regularly gobble up two and three hours per week, reducing the number of scripted programs. "Come September," 40% of Fox's primetime will consist of sports or "The X Factor," just as "The Voice" and "Sunday Night Football" — a tandem that managed to obscure many of NBC's deficiencies through the fall — account for a third of its programming payload.
Viewed that way, the gap between major broadcasters and more aggressive ad-supported cable alternatives — USA, FX, AMC, TNT — isn't quite as cavernous. Nor can English-language broadcasters ignore the popularity of Univision, which has capitalized on the broadcast nets' aging viewer profile and the younger skew of the Spanish-language audience to occasionally top them — including the milestone of beating NBC during the February sweeps.
Network claims to possessing the unique capacity to offer the kind of mass-appeal events that assemble millions also have been somewhat undercut as signature sports properties migrate to cable, from ESPN's Bowl Championship Series telecasts to TBS now horning in on college basketball's Final Four.
Finally, the distinction of network TV being "free" or "over the air" has become untidy, inasmuch as broadcasters have avidly sought and gained retransmission fees from distributors, adding one more line item to the monthly bill roughly 90% of U.S. homes — even with cord-cutting — currently pay for the privilege of watching television.
In a strange way, for all the griping networks do about journalists bad-mouthing them, one of the strongest bellwethers for their importance remains the media. That's because news outlets still look to broadcasters as a signpost in analyzing the elusive American zeitgeist — a touchstone for what primetime TV says about the culture. This seemed particularly true in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, where the collective choices of network execs were seized upon in an attempt to discern the national mood — such as whether there was a heightened thirst for escapism, or laughter, as a balm against harsh realities and a scary world.
From that perspective, while those dueling upfront pieces in the Times on both coasts provoked groans from network officials, the sheer timing sends a message that broadcast's portion of the ad-sales ritual still occupies a unique place in the cultural firmament.
In a pre-upfront briefing for reporters, Moonves was more pointed and forceful about the networks' durability, citing his company's record profits and buoyant stock price, despite the perception cable and digital options are whittling away broadcasters' one-time dominance and threatening their future.
Moonves also reiterated how the original content churned out by broadcasters remains the primary driver through the TV industry's food chain, from online viewing to the popularity of "Big Bang Theory" reruns. "We are the center of the universe," Moonves said. "This is where the shows start."
There would have probably been much more discussion of how TV series are driving the streaming-content biz that is so sexy on Wall Street these days for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu et al. Except that the upfronts are all about setting the table for the Big Four and CW — which had a bit more company this year in pushing its multiplatform, choose-your-preferred-screen strategy — to sell an estimated $9 billion-plus boatload of advertising commitments for the coming season. And where Madison Avenue is concerned, nothing makes more money than an old-fashioned 30-second spot watched live as the TV gods originally intended — as opposed to DVR playback, VOD or Web streaming. (Surprisingly, few arrows were slung at Nielsen from the upfront stages, given how frustrated CEOs are at the measurement titan's sluggishness in adapting a system to capture all of that additional viewing.)
Notably, this year's upfronts also coincided with the 15-year anniversary of the "Seinfeld" finale, a juncture at which the media also wondered aloud whether the network-TV party was coming to an end. At the time, then-NBC West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer contended it would be "a terrible thing for our culture" not to have programs vast numbers of people share, adding, "As a society, if we wake up one morning and everyone has watched their own channel, the water cooler is going to be a much more boring place." Yet even in the social-media, 500-channel age, there is still such a thing as a massive Thursday-night sitcom hit: It just happened to migrate from NBC over to CBS, under the name "The Big Bang Theory."
For years, the viewing habits of children have been used as evidence of the major networks' inevitable fate. Specifically, kids harbor no particular allegiance toward or special feeling for channels in the 2 through 13 positions vs. those in the 100s or 400s. And as those kids become older each year, that crack in the Magic Mirror presumably grows a little bigger, and its picture fuzzier.
So what's left for the networks in a niche-oriented environment, where they face being drowned out by a cacophony of media voices? For now, they can still cling to snatches of daylight between themselves and the rest of the world. With apologies to Snow White's pals, the question is when that's going to translate to simply being the tallest dwarf in the room.


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1.5 Million Reasons Microsoft Windows 8 Needs Its Start Menu Back
So far, Microsoft Windows 8 isn't working. The operating system is tasked with reinvigorating the stagnant PC market. One of the biggest challenges that Microsoft is pursuing is the dramatic reinventing of Windows 8's interface, a tall order when you consider how many users have become accustomed to Windows over the decades.
Perhaps the most controversial move was the elimination of the Start Menu that we all know and love. The Start Menu originally debuted in 1995 alongside Windows 95 nearly two decades ago. In Windows 8, the Start Menu has been replaced by the Start Screen that features its characteristic live tiles to access various apps.
The lack of a Start Menu is confusing for some consumers -- not too surprising when you think how long they've been trained to go there. Shortly after launch, user interface design specialist told CNET that Windows 8 "smothers usability" and even experienced users had problems figuring it out.
Microsoft now has 1.5 million more reasons to bring back the Start Menu: Pokki.
Pokki is a third-party application launcher for Windows 8 that offers a substitute Start Menu that it calls the Pokki Menu.
Source: Pokki.
It looks and functions just like the traditional Start Menu and also offers options that allow users to bypass the default "Metro" interface and boot directly to the warm embraces of the familiar desktop. The newest version allows you to use the Windows 8 logo instead of Pokki's so it even looks like it's part of the OS.
Pokki has now announced that it's reached over 1.5 million downloads, proof that a large number of Windows users want to go back to the way it was.
Microsoft recently announced 60 million Windows 8 licenses sold. Those downloads would only comprise 2.5% of those licenses sold, but remember that Microsoft's figure represents both upgrades and OEM sales. A lot of the PC sales in the fourth quarter were clearing out Windows 7 inventory, so it's hard to estimate Windows 8 sales to end users, but they're likely much less than 60 million. That also means that the Pokki penetration among the Windows 8 installed base is higher.
Pokki also has its own app store, which could divert traffic and dollars away from the Windows Store, so Microsoft should take note of its growing popularity.
The new interface is a big risk that Microsoft is taking -- a bet that might not be resonating with PC users.
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The article 1.5 Million Reasons Microsoft Windows 8 Needs Its Start Menu Back originally appeared on Fool.com.
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readers. Happy Women's Week!
One of my passions is to promote girls' and women's
empowerment globally through opportunities in education. I'm glad that Harvard
has a strong community that is able to celebrate the strides women have made
throughout history and the important societal contributions that have been
implemented as a result of us! This week, there were several exciting events on
campus including a screening of Half the
Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women, an awesome documentary that portrays the status of women internationally, especially in developing
countries. There were also panels on maternal health, women workers at Harvard,
different women's advocacy careers, and a spoken word event. As a woman in
college, I have grown to realize that my passion is to not only develop my own
leadership skills and career paths but simultaneously inspire other girls and
women to become leaders in their respective fields as well. I believe that we
are obligated to be united as advocates for other women and girls because the
progression of women's leadership is not only an accomplishment for one person,
but for women as a whole.
In honor of women's week, here are some tips that can
hopefully help you through the mid-term hump:
More From Seventeen
- Take a study break and read a thoughtful online
blog on women's issues. One of my favorite online blogs to read during study
breaks is called Thought Catalog. I am also a blogger for
Girls' Globe (girlsglobe.org), which covers issues, solutions, and matters that
affect women and girls worldwide. There's also Huffington Post Women and, of
course, the other amazing bloggers part of Seventeen's Freshman 15 Panel!
- Start thinking about summer opportunities,
internships, or trips with friends that promote women's issues and solutions! There
are plenty of opportunities in the non-profit sector and health sector that
focus on women's issues. I'm very involved with the March of Dimes, a
non-profit organization dedicated to policy advocacy for expecting mothers and
their babies. Excitingly, I just found out that I will be going to Kenya this
summer to study the African healthcare system and healthcare innovation.
Additionally, I will be spending the rest of my summer back home hopefully
running a summer science camp for girls from my elementary school or initiating
maternal health projects in my local community. Look for any study abroad programs and internships at your university and any additional opportunities
for funding! If you're also interested in going abroad during the summer, start
thinking about working during the school year to fund your trip. E-mail lots of
people and apply to lots of programs—you never know what you'll get!
- Watch Girl
Rising, an awesome film dedicated to extending girls
education in developing countries. There are several screenings in local movie
theaters. There are also internships with the organization who spearheaded the
film (called the 10x10 Act) in NYC and LA for those who are interested!
With this, I hope you all have a
fun and safe spring break! I'll be off to New Orleans to do some non-profit
volunteering with friends. It will be quite the adventure. Also, let me know if
you need any assistance finding internships—I would be glad to help you!


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The sheer destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan (known locally in the Philippines as Yolanda) is mind-boggling. Thousands have been killed, countless homes have been destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of Filipinos left homeless. Americans, and indeed people all over the world, have been shocked by arresting images of a destroyed landscape and desperate people whose lives have been ruptured. While nothing can undo the damage wrought by the storm, the U.S. Government has mounted a swift, large, and coordinated relief effort using all of the tools at our disposal, with USAID leading that humanitarian response.
While this is the fifth time since 2009 that USAID has been called to respond to a significant typhoon in the Philippines, this is by far the most devastating. It is also the first major disaster in my short tenure as Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and I have been encouraged to see how the present effort is beginning to make a tangible difference in the lives of ordinary Filipinos. As aid begins to reach tens of thousands of survivors, we are proud of our assistance to the Filipino people even as we are humbled by the breadth of the devastation. A few observations from the past week:
Preparedness and rapid response was critical. USAID/OFDA's hydro-meteorological expert had sounded the alarm about the storm well in advance, and so we were able to pre-position a disaster response advance team in Manila ahead of the typhoon. That team reached Leyte Island, the epicenter of the crisis, within 24 hours of the typhoon's passage. That team was on the first commercial vessel to reach the affected area and rapidly began to assess the areas hit by the storm and pinpoint the major priority needs. We found the immediate needs to be emergency shelter, water, and food and we have been working closely with our military colleagues to deliver much-needed assistance.
The damage is heartwrenching. Roughly 90 percent of structures are visibly damaged, including office buildings, hospitals, and homes. We saw severe damage to infrastructure systems, making access to water systems, communications systems, and transportation systems difficult. Weaker structures were totally destroyed but even hardened concrete structure suffered major damage in the ferocious storm surge.
Much more help will be needed. Immediately after Haiyan hit, the United States offered $20 million in humanitarian assistance, which allowed us to distribute emergency shelter kits and family hygiene kits to the region. This is enabling us to reach 20,000 families with plastic sheeting for their homes, soap, toothbrushes, toilet paper, and sanitary supplies. Additionally, with the help of World Food Program, USAID has sent 55 metric tons of food, including highly nutritious bars and paste–containing a day's worth of calories–to nourish approximately 20,000 children and 15,000 adults for roughly four to five days.
This is a first step, and we will do more in the coming weeks to help families meet their basic needs, regroup, and begin to recover. It has been incredible to witness the unity of communities to offer help where they can. We are already beginning to see a major uptick in the volume of international aid to the Philippines as the global aid response reaches full capacity. As more and more aid from the U.S. and many others – from countries to charities to individual donors – begins to reach the Philippines, we are optimistic that the response effort is turning a corner.
Get the latest news and updates on Typhoon Haiyan.


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Do locksmiths install smart locks?
Are your locksmith professionals trained to mount smart locks? Yes! Our locksmith professionals are trained to aid you with your wise lock installment.


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One month ago, we decided to start posting regular articles that spotlight organic, GMO-free product manufacturers—with a focus on those that are backed by a healthy dose of integrity, sustainability, and overall do-good-for-the-community. Our first spotlight of outstanding Non-GMO brands was Annie's Homegrown / Annie's Naturals. This month, we'd like to spotlight…
Nature's Path
Founded / Owned by:
Founded in 1985, Nature's Path is owned by a private family who is very much involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. Founders Arran and Ratana Stephens were one of the earliest pioneers in the organic food movement. Says Arran, "We haven't sold out—and we don't intend to."
Non-GMO, certified organic breakfast cereals, granolas, hot oatmeal, waffles, toaster pastries, pancake mix, and granola / snack bars.
GMO Stance:
Not only did Nature's Path donate $660,709 towards California's Prop 37 to label GMOs (the largest donation from a private food manufacturer), they believe "everyone has the right to know" with a bold statement about GMOs on their packaging. If that's not enough, Nature's Path ensures that ALL of their products are verified by the Non-GMO Project. Read more about their GMO philosophy by clicking here >
What Makes 'Em Extra Special:
• Fairtrade Certified: Nature's Path sources all of their ingredients as locally as possible–over 78% of the weight of their ingredients come from organic farmers in North America. Read more about their commitment by clicking here >
• Globally Minded: Every time you buy one of their "EnviroKidz" products, 1% of the sales are donated to support endangered species, habitat conservation and environmental education for kids worldwide. Read more about this program by clicking here >
• Gardens for Good: This annual grant program, born in the spring of 2010 with the help of Organic Gardening Magazine, donates $15,000 each to 3 deserving non-profits who demonstrate a passion and vision for organic urban gardening. Read more about Gardens for Good by clicking here >
• Food Bank Donations: For every bag of Nature's Path granola cereal you buy, their "Bite for Bite" program donates the equivalent in cash and organic food to the local food bank, up to $1 million a year!
• Sustainable Business: in 2008, Nature's Path signed the Sustainable Food Trade Association's declaration of sustainability to guide their business in achieving even more sustainable practices, including diverting 92% of their waste from landfills, reducing energy consumption, and more. Find out everything they're working on by clicking here >
© GMO-Awareness.com, January 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to GMO-Awareness.com with appropriate and specific links back to the original content.


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Breaking the silence: Time to strengthen UN role to end impunity – UN experts
International Day to End Impunity, Saturday 23 November
GENEVA (22 November 2013) – A group of United Nations independent human rights experts* today called on the UN to adopt a more central role in the fight against impunity, and urged Member States to give more support to and strengthen on-going efforts to secure accountability and justice for human rights violations, including serious crimes.
"Ending impunity requires greater scrutiny, prosecution and punishment, and no other international institution is better placed than the United Nations to effectively contribute to this goal," they stressed. "It is time for the UN to take a more decisive role in combating impunity and focus on all dimensions of the problem, including the erosion of the rule of law and the violation of general principles of justice."
Welcoming civil society's initiative to commemorate 23 November as an annual International Day to End Impunity, the human rights experts recalled that the Heads of State and Government pledged to ensure that impunity for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law is not tolerated, and that such violations are properly investigated, prosecuted and sanctioned, as stated in the UN Declaration on the rule of law adopted on 24 September 2012.
The experts recalled that States are required to hold accountable those who fail to protect and prevent, as well as those who perpetrate, violations of human rights, including the rights of women and other groups at risk. "Fighting against impunity implies not only the obligation of States to investigate violations and take appropriate measures in respect of the perpetrators and the victims, but also to ensure the inalienable right to know the truth about violations and take other necessary steps to prevent their recurrence", they added.
"Efforts to address impunity must demand transparency and accountability of all State and non-State actors, including not only paramilitary forces, mercenaries, private military companies and terrorists, but also transnational corporations," they said.
"The goal of ending impunity does not aim at revenge but at justice," the independent experts underscored. "It requires objectivity and non-selectivity in identifying abuses that have not been redressed."
"Addressing the challenge of impunity is not the one-way street of victor's justice and the punishment of the guilty among the vanquished," they said. "The solution must be found in equal application of the law and the commitment to obtain an accounting by the powerful and the weak alike."
The human rights experts noted that the fight against impunity requires Governments to ensure access to justice for all, to proactively make information available to all and to refrain from using national security, immunities or any other measures to cloak criminal behaviour.
"Universal access to diverse and reliable information, effective domestic justice systems, the globalization of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and the practical realization of the right to truth are necessary conditions to do away with impunity," they concluded.
(*) The experts: Mr. Alfred de Zayas, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Mr. Anand Grover, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; Mr. Anton Katz, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination; Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation; Mr. Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Ms. Gabriela Knaul, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Ms. Gulnara Shahinian, Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of slavery; Mr. Heiner Bielefeldt, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; Mr. Juan Méndez, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Mr. Maina Kiai, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Ms. Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; Ms. Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Ms. Najat Maalla M'jid, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; Mr. Pablo de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence; Ms. Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
The United Nations human rights experts are part of what it is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the United Nations Human Rights, is the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are charged by the Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise on human rights issues. Currently, there are 37 thematic mandates and 14 mandates related to countries and territories, with 72 mandate holders. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. Learn more: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx
Check the UN Declaration on the rule of law: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/67/L.1
For more information and media requests, please contact Pol Planas (+41 22 9179657 / firstname.lastname@example.com).
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / firstname.lastname@example.com)
UN Human Rights, follow us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unitednationshumanrights
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Watch "20 years of human rights - the road ahead": http://youtu.be/yW7s-Q8S14E


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In honor of tonight's Glee season finale, the Journey to Regionals album has been released both in stores and online! To celebrate the six track CD, you're getting invited to join an exclusive album listening party. Using the widget below, you can preview all songs and even get a sneak peek at the music video for "Faithfully!" And for more music from the show, check out gleethemusic.com.
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Are you excited for the finale tonight? What has been your favorite Glee moment this season? Tell us below!