text: Residency status is determined upon admission to Jefferson State. The in-state tuition rate will be extended to students who have graduated from an Alabama high school or obtained a GED in the State of Alabama within three years of the date of their application for admission. Students who do not meet this criteria may still qualify for in-state tuition. Students may complete the Certification of Eligibility for In-State Residency application. The application and supporting documentation can be submitted to the admissions office. Determination of eligibility for in-state tuition shall be made by Jefferson State by evaluating the presence or absence of connections with the State of Alabama.


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Obama Administration's Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative Strengthens Local Capacity to Help Spark Economic Growth
Guest blog post by John Fernandez, Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, Economic Development Administration
Mayors across the country are working hard to strengthen local economic ecosystems, given the economic challenges cities face today.
As a former Mayor myself, I understand those challenges–How do we create more jobs? How do we attract new businesses? How do we enhance our workforce? And equally as important, how do we leverage the state and federal resources that may be available to help us achieve our economic goals and objectives?
The Obama administration understands these challenges and knows that cities play a vital role in strengthening our nation's economy.
We are finding ways to be a better partner, and that is why today the administration launched the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative in Fresno,
Calif., and five other cities: Chester,
Pa.; Cleveland,
Ohio; Detroit,
Mich.; Memphis,
Tenn.; and New
Orleans, La.
We know that development happens from the bottom up - that the best ideas come from America's communities. Whether investment comes from the federal government, states, the private sector, or ideally all of the above, resources do more good when they serve a well-developed, robust plan.
In Fresno, for example, this bottom up approach will help the region capitalize on the coming high-speed rail station to improve the downtown area and to build on a successful neighborhood development program to help create new economic opportunity and jobs.
We can't have a strong national economy without strong cities. The 14 federal agencies participating in this effort are working to break down traditional Washington silos and identify ways to partner more effectively with cities and regions across the country.
This is an important initiative that will help to support cities across the nation, create a new framework for intergovernmental cooperation and strengthen the American economy.

subset: commoncrawl


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*as posted in DigBoston
Look who finally decided to blow into town? It's Old Man Winter in all his glory, causing a curmudgeonly ruckus with low temperatures and even lower wind chill factors. At times like these we need to refocus on the little things that can bring joy, such as a delightful hot cocktail on a snowy winter's day. A favorite among these is Hot Buttered Rum.
Butter and hot drinks is a tradition that dates back to the days of Henry VIII, when buttered beer or ale was recommended as a remedy for hoarseness. Where and when spirits entered the equation is unclear, and by the pre-Prohibition golden age of cocktails, most imbibers eschewed this delightful buttery treat for Hot Scotch. A few still swore by it – as we continue to today.
Hot Buttered Rum is even celebrated with its own national holiday, January 17. We're not sure who declared it, but it certainly gives us something to look forward to on such cold, dark days.
This recipe is a favorite of our pal Adam Lantheaume, proprietor of The Boston Shaker in Davis Square. He can probably hook you up with an appropriate mug from which to sip such a libation, too.
Hot Buttered Rum
2 heaping tablespoons batter*
1 1/2 ounces aged rum
2-3 ounces of boiling water
In a pre-heated coffee mug combine 2 heaping tablespoons batter with 1 1/2 ounces rum. Top with boiling water and stir well to mix. Serve with a spoon.
*Hot Buttered Rum Batter
1 lb light brown sugar
1/2 lb unsalted butter (softened)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a mixing bowl beat together softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and spices until well combined. Refrigerate in an airtight reusable container for up to a month, or place in your freezer until ready to use.
If you can, make the batter in advance so the spices have an opportunity to get to know each other. Be sure to remove batter from refrigerator at least six
hours prior to serving to allow it to soften.
There's no real wrong way to enjoy warm boozy pancake juice. There is definently a right way, however, and that's at the Omni Mt. Washington Resort lounge, built into an actual cave. Just sayin'.


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Kouzmanoff Update
Also, Jan. 16 was the two-year anniversary of his trade from the Padres to the Oakland A's. That was such a sad day. I can't believe it's been two years already. Thankfully, I did get to go see him in August when he was with the Rockies. That was the coolest game ever.
I'm just happy that my boy is still in baseball and still doing the best he can. He hasn't had an easy career, that's for sure, but he's fighting hard. I love him 🙂
Unfortunately, the Padres won't be playing the Royals in Interleague this season, so I won't get to see him at all. But hopefully next year, when he gets traded back to the Padres. Right Padres? Right. Sounds good.


text: Im Rufus! Please sponsor me and help take care of me! You can sponsor me for three, six or twelve months. With your money Red Paws Rescue will make sure I get fed daily, my vaccinations are upto date, I get dewormed on time. I will make sure that they send you regular updates about me so you know how im doing. Thank you so much.


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Lehman creditors can question "London Whale" - judge
A bankruptcy judge on Wednesday gave creditors of Lehman Brothers the green light to subpoena former JPMorgan Chase & Co trader Bruno Iksil, the so-called "London Whale," in an $8.6 billion lawsuit against the bank, a Lehman spokeswoman said.
Judge James Peck made the decision at a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, spokeswoman Kim McLeod said on Wednesday.
The judge rejected arguments from JPMorgan that Iksil had little to do with the allegations in the lawsuit, which centers on JPMorgan's role as Lehman's main clearing bank in the days leading up to its September 15, 2008, bankruptcy.
Lehman and its unsecured creditors' committee accuse JPMorgan of using its access to Lehman to extract $8.6 billion of collateral in the four business days ahead of the Chapter 11 filing.
They argued that Iksil had a "practice of intentional mismarking," and wanted to review trades that led to an "unjustified" $273.3 million collateral call on September 9, 2008, which JPMorgan reversed the next day.
Iksil gained notoriety after his activities were linked to $6.2 billion of trading losses at JPMorgan's Chief Investment Office. The French national had worked in London for the New York-based bank.
In court papers, JPMorgan had argued that getting Iksil involved in the case would waste time and money, particularly in light of statements by former U.S. Treasury Secretaries Timothy Geithner and Henry Paulson that the collateral requests did not cause Lehman to fail.
The bank said Lehman pointed to nothing that shows the bank's Chief Investment Office had any role in the collateral requests at the center of Lehman's lawsuit.
"It is readily apparent that the only real reason for the plaintiffs' interest in taking Mr. Iksil's deposition is that he has been in the news," JPMorgan said in court papers.
Lawyers for both the Lehman creditors' committee and JPMorgan did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Last April, Judge Peck narrowed but refused to dismiss Lehman's lawsuit, saying the company could pursue claims that JPMorgan had acted in a "commercially unreasonable" manner.
Lehman emerged from Chapter 11 in March 2012. It has said it hopes to repay creditors about $65 billion, a process that is expected to take several years.
The JPMorgan case is Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc et al v. JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, No. 10-ap-03266. The main bankruptcy case is In re: Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc in the same court, No. 08-13555.
(Reporting by Nick Brown; editing by Andrew Hay)


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© 2023
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Gateway to Pacific Islands tourism, travel and holiday sites
The Pacific Islands Tourism Guide is a comprehensive online directory of tourism and travel companies. In this guide you will find hundreds of Pacific Islands accommodation, attractions, tours and transport, cuisine and dining and event planning listings plus great visitor holiday and vacation information.
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A Pacific Island holiday is a great way to unwind. The Pacific Islands (also known as the South Pacific Islands) are the major group of islands north of New Zealand and east of Australia. The islands of the Pacific are an ideal holiday destination.
Each Pacific Island holiday destination offers a great holiday experience and are typically relaxing with sun and surf usually not far away. This is not only because of its pleasant tropical climate, beaches and palm trees but also because of the diversity and beauty of the landscapes, the richness of the local cultures and the friendly Pacific Island people.
- Pacific Islands accommodation
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The Pacific Islands cater for all travellers so check out places to stay, things to do, tours to go on and view information about each of the nations that make up the Pacific Islands.


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The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and luxury Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen have announced that Cate Blanchett will head the jury for the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Award at this year's edition of the festival.
The winning feature film project will receive a cash prize of $100,000 towards the making of the film. A shortlist of four projects has been selected from among hundreds of submissions from filmmakers in the Gulf region (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain).
The four shortlisted projects are Nothing Doing In Baghdad, from UAE/Iraqi filmmaker Maysoon Pachachi; The Sleeping Tree, from Bahrain's Mohammed Rashed Buali; Girls In The Know, from Abdullah Al Kaabi (UAE), and From A To B by Ali F. Mostafa (UAE).
Joining Blanchett on the jury are IWC Schaffhausen CEO Georges Kern, DIFF chairman Abdulhamid Juma, DIFF artistic director Masoud Amralla Al Ali and Olivier Père, general director of Paris-based Arte France Cinema.
Kern said: "Our experiences with the region's leading film festivals in the last few years convinced us that the talent and stories from the Gulf deserves an international stage. We believe in the proliferation of new voices, and we are delighted to contribute to the Arab storytelling by this Filmmaker Award."
The winner will be announced during the 9th edition of DIFF (Dec 9-16) at a gala event held at The One and Only, Royal Mirage.


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It is time to extol the pleasures of being a Mam of two under two. They won't be this small and sweet for ever. I will look back and long for these days. They may be long, tiring and at times very stressful but they are always, always worth it. I started this blog with a mission. To start exercising. No, there is still dirt and dust aplenty on the spanking new treadmill bought in flawed optimism two babies ago in the spare room (how on earth will we move that so Betsy will have her own space when she moves into that room? Another question for another day!). No, not physical excerise. Jumping Jacks can go away for another day. No. Emotional exercise. It was An exercise in happiness. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. Motherhood. Responsibility. Bad weather. Starting to blog, I hoped, would help me deal with this unwanted feeling of pressure. Something I could do in spare minutes, in the middle of a wakeful night or even after lights out. You might get a rewarding feeling, I thought, that will help you be a successful mother. I hoped it would be beneficial. Has it been? I truly believe so. Cathartic even.
Being able to write, chat and rant without judgement, to others who I may feel are daily visitors to my life, but I have never actually met, has really been tremendously therapeutic. So thank you one and all. You guys are helping me live the bigger picture. I always could see it. It was a bit too elusive though, carefully framed and a little out of reach, but now I think I can say I am there. Inside frame.
Friends of ours are expecting twins. Excellent news. At times however, the Dad to be is spitting feathers. Every work colleague or jocular buddy has told him that his life is ruined. Once or twice is bearable. Repeatedly is insufferable. Sure, he is known as someone who lives a healthy social life and also gets to go to lots of sporting events. Maybe they will be paused awhile. It is unfair however to throw such negativity his way, I feel. Their life will change . Their life will be amazing.
The Joys? Let us dwell a little.
Today Gigi was standing on furniture when she's not allowed. I warned her gently. Waggly finger, eye contact, shaking head, no-no, the usual. She would lose her cartoon if she did it again. She did it again. I turned off the TV. She ran to me 'I sowwy Mammy, I sowwy', she said very coaxingly. Grinning at me. Winningly. I turned away for a second to smile. It was her first true apology. I don't even know how she learned to do it so well. I hadn't even realised she knew my warnings were warnings. So many firsts as she learns to talk. We were hugging and playing baby dolls seconds later, TV and furniture standing forgotten as usual in zip time. It was TV caused the issue in the first place. Bored. She needed interaction. I had been busy with Betsy. We played babies therefore, all three. I live and learn with two babies.
Betsy is so new in our world yet so central to it already. How can a four month old have such a laughing presence, such a vivacious personality, such a command of an audience? Gigi loves her. They are too little to fight. The joys of their age. Betsy cried yesterday as I was changing Gigi. I popped Gigi down and said, 'Quick, run see if Betsy's OK!". Engaged straight away, her curly little head popped up, 'Oh! OK Mammy!'and she tore away in urgency, I watching her closely as I dealt with nappy clean up. Behind her in moments, I held back to watch the scene. Betsy in her swinger beaming. Gigi on her knees jabbering. 'OK Baby Beh (she can't say the full name yet) OK baby?'. She laid her head on her lap and kept changing the music buttons. It was beautiful. Naturally the incident itself is amazing. Also, I don't know if it seeing yourself reflected in such a loving manner being such a compliment and relief or is it that your 23 month old can't say her sister's name yet but is able to show love and comfort so deftly, but there is definitely the feeling of a magic spell or higher being at work in those times. Joys. Wonders.
It is a joy to look at your children's faces in the morning when you peep into the cots and they beam at you. Sure, some mornings they are grumpy. Rare though. Very rare. Small children love morning time. It is a pleasure to see when they are wanting, that you and Daddy can satisfy their need with hugs, snacks you provide or games. Betsy and I have a moment every evening at bedtime. She is sleeping twelve hours now. I know, this is probably the main reason I feel happier and the writing is only an aside!! It is not just the sleep. It is her complete look of happiness and satisfaction when I play with her. Sing. Rhyme. Speak Irish. She thinks my attempts at Gaeilge are hysterical so I keep doing it. Now Mrs Healey (old teacher), who said my Irish needed focus!?! This is our time together. Giggles and laughs. She is clutched to me. We are so close physically that I have been unable to grab the phone and tape it so far. I can't break the clench.
The Joys are many and far reaching. Yes my hair is unwashed half the time. I spend days dealing with nappies, (an extreme amount of poo. There, I said it) laundry, food and handling an inhuman amount of baby wipes. Throw up related extra work occurs at least once a fortnight. Toys are everywhere. I sing songs all day. My recycling bin, once full of wine bottles now only holds empty baby medicine jars and diet mineral tins. If I don't eat right, I cannot get away with it and have full scale meltdowns and mood crashes. My sleep is an aside to being a night watchman for my children's safety.
Yet I am away from them right now. In a Starbucks. Sneaky hour away. I have bought them clothes. I am thinking of them. I have looked at pictures of them. I am writing about them. I am in love with my family. Everything else falls in behind. The Joys of my two under two. My blessings. We wouldn't have it any other way.
I am a teacher and often have to work with poets such as Plath and Dickinson, renowned for depression (Plath) and reclusivity (Dickinson). I find that I try to sell other sides of these women to my students. Their intelligence. Beauty. Skills. I don't think they should be overshadowed by horror. So now I plan to quote a Plath poem that means so much to me. I almost tear up when teaching it now whereas pre motherhood I was indifferent. I wish that I could forget Plath's tragedy when reading her works so every poem is not affected. I omit the first three stanzas of this poem because they are part of another story in another location. The three stanzas I place in are so beautiful and simple. A woman listening for her child. Ready to nurture. Tired. Emotional. Joyful. A paradox of feelings which culminates in love. Their words ring so true. I also never fully felt their power until I had children. So how can I expect my students to? I once had a class of 18 year olds which included a few more mature students. One of the mature students was older than me, a married soldier who had served peacekeeping time in Afghanistan and Chad and had two children. He spoke at length about Plath's 'Child' and 'Morning Song' in class. He could relate. I could not. Who taught who that day? I hope I am not egotistical enough to think that I didn't learn from him. We all did.
So I feel joys again. I can enjoy this experience. I am blessed. Fancy Paper is helping all the way and all of you out there too!


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E3's biggest loser? It's Sony. They've been lagging behind for years overall, but to lose at hardware, their strongest suit? What a pity.
Look at all three companies that define the industry. Microsoft is a software company, so Xbox has the best software and services, like Xbox Live, Zune and Windows Media Extender. Nintendo is fundamentally a games company, so they make the best games (or at least, the greatest quantity of amazing, if iterative games). Sony is a consumer electronics company, so they excel at hardware: The PlayStation 3 is defined by Blu-ray and its Cell processor; the PSP blew out the DS in terms of specs, not software. Raw hardware power.
So how the hell has Sony lost the hardware race two years running at E3? Squandering their most valuable brand, PlayStation, is a spectacular failure that doesn't bode well for a glorious return to the Sony of old.
In the Home
True to Sony form, PlayStation Move out-rawrs the Nintendo Wii's motion controls on paper, using the PlayStation Eye camera to track the Move controllers more accurately, with real depth-mapping. (And the technical demos of the hardware are just straight up neat.) But like Mark says, it's just Wii HD. It's derivative, not powerful. You wave sticks around. (It's not even superior to the Wii, at least in some game demos: "The combat? Laggy. And I never felt like my punches were registered the way I threw them onscreen.")
The home console hardware that garnered the most attention—judging by people's reactions, the lines at E3, and our own experiences—is Microsoft's completely controller-less Kinect, which seemingly promises something completely new. You are the controller with Kinect. That's killer hardware.
But wait! PlayStation 3 does 3D! The Xbox 360 does it, but Microsoft has kept it basically a secret, and the Wii doesn't have the capability to do "real" 3D at all. But guess what? No one will use 3D—at least not this generation. Sony's 3D advantage is a waste of hype because it necessitates the purchase of a $2000 3D-capable TV and $150 glasses, even though you just dropped a grand or more on an HDTV just a couple of years ago. It'll be a nice bonus for certain games, but nobody will design an experience entirely around 3D to sell, because there's such a small market of potential customers in this generation.
In the Lap
Nintendo's 3DS highlights the miserable position of the PSP and the complete bomb that was the PSP Go. When the PSP was announced in 2004, its hardware power shamed the DS. Last year, instead of a true successor to the PSP, Sony released the PSP Go, a sleeker, completely disc-less iteration of the PSP. Great idea (sort of), botched execution.
Now, Nintendo, the same company whose most cutting edge home console is stuffed with 10-year-old guts, is beating Sony on hardware with the 3DS, which has horsepower comparable to a Wii. And it's 3D!
Viewed in the context of Sony's massive, company-wide push on 3D (an impressively unified effort for Sony), the real swift-kick-to-the-nuts aspect of the 3DS is that it will probably be the first mass 3D piece of consumer electronics. It's cheaper, easier, portable, and you don't need glasses. Sony, the gigantonormous hardware company, just got punked by Nintendo, the short-sighted game company.
Taken together, Kinect and the 3DS paint a gloomy picture, not just for PlayStation, but for Sony and their entire worldview. For Microsoft and Nintendo, hardware is simply a means to an end. In the past, that meant they had out-maneuver Sony's hardware with killer games or services. Now, that ethos has driven them to produce better hardware. Sony didn't just lose at their own game; they've lost their reason to exist.


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Chargers-Rams Week 3 Matchup
It's time for the battle of Los Angeles. No, not the classic Rage Against the Machine album, and certainly not the rumored WWII attack that never happened. This Sunday the Los Angeles Chargers head about 20 minutes north to face the Los Angeles Rams at L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The teams' first meeting since each returned to La-La Land might just be the most anticipated matchup of Week 3.
Philip Rivers (Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty Images)
A popular pre-season sleeper pick, the Chargers seem to finally have all the offensive weapons for Philip Rivers to win. Keenan Allen is among the NFL's top receivers; Tyrell Williams is a serious downfield threat; and Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler can both get it done out of the backfield. Last season's top passing offense has had no problem gaining yards and putting up points so far. Rivers threw for 424 yards and 3 touchdowns in their Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and those numbers might have been higher without the drops. He added another 256 yards and 3 TDs in their Week 2 win over the Buffalo Bills.
But, after two games, it's hard to know quite yet where this Chargers team is heading. Rivers has been sublime so far, albeit against two of the NFL's worst defenses. On the other side of the ball, the Chargers defense couldn't contain Chiefs' rookie sensation, Patrick Mahomes, who torched them for four touchdowns. Two of those went to Tyreek Hill, who also had 169 yards receiving and a punt return for yet another touchdown. Bills rookie Josh Allen put up another 245 yards, much of it in a second half that included two nice drives. The Chargers were sitting on lead at this point, but still were outplayed for half the game.
The Chiefs are among the NFL's best teams, at least on offense, and improving, while the Bills might be the League's worst, and heading south. So where does that put the Chargers? This week's game with the Rams should shed some light on the situation.
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Toddy Gurley (Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Rams have been stellar so far, controlling the Oakland Raiders in Week 1 and shutting out the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. While neither of those teams have won a game yet this season, the Rams' wins were convincing. Good teams put away bad teams, and that's what the Rams did.
Jared Goff has done a stellar job keeping the Rams' high-powered offense moving, spreading the ball around and putting points on the board. Four different players have at least 5 receptions so far, with Brandin Cooks hauling in 12 for a whopping 246 yards. Todd Gurley remains the team's workhorse, gaining 150 yards on 39 carries, with 3 TDs, and picking up 70 yards on 6 catches, with another TD.
The Rams have been almost as impressive on defense, allowing just one touchdown so far. Their defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage in both games; DT Aaron Donald practically lived in the Cardinals' backfield. Their secondary allowed Derek Carr to throw for 303 yards, but picked him off three times. They held Sam Bradford to just 90 yards. Neither opponent had a rusher exceed 50 yards.
The Chargers-Rams matchup Sunday will probably come down to defense. This isn't to suggest a defensive battle is in the offing; both teams will put up some points. But which team's defense can slow down the other's offense enough to gain an advantage?
The nod goes to the Rams, as Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and their formidable D-Line lines up across from a Chargers O-Line that's been a little suspect so far. Flipping things around, the Chargers will continue to miss DE Joey Bosa, who's already been ruled out for Week 3.
The Rams should win, but will they cover? As SportsLine analyst Mike Tierney sees it:
This intra-city tussle offers a potential Super Bowl preview. Anytime the underdog in such a scenario is spotted a full touchdown, the opportunity to seize it cannot be passed up. The Chargers would be 2-0 if not for a slew of dropped passes in the opener against Kansas City. They could have bounced Buffalo by a wider margin but lost interest with a healthy lead. QB Philip Rivers has been Brady-like in his twilight years. Keep in mind that, while the Chargers are the visitors, they need not board a plane -- or even a bus -- for the commute.
for more features.


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Hello listeners,
In cities the world over, people are staging sit-ins; so naturally we followed suit, and sat in AMT Towers to produce Answer Me This! Episode 194. Yeah, we're sticking it to The Man!
This classic episode is available to BUY NOW for just 79p at the Answer Me This! Store, through a secure server, without DRM restriction. CLICK HERE to find out more and support our podcast. (This helps keep our most recent episodes free)
This week, we talk of:
naughty nuns
Going for Gold
The Lion King 3D
fancy dress pitfalls
AFoLs (Adult Fans of Lego)
standard deviation in men's haircuts
Cornish separatists
Victorian vaginas
Hans Zimmer
high tea
the pink British Empire
impersonating a police officer
John Suchet (NOT David Suchet)
the true meaning of 'fascinating'
ALF the Alien vs. nipple tassels
Southall's antique jamrags.
Plus: Olly's suspicions are proven correct that the perennially awful Rosemary Daniels did not get into Neighbours on merit; Helen's not going to allow someone else to have the pleasure of waving sharp blades close to her head, thankyou very much; and Martin the Sound Man fleetingly refers to 'The Bill Callahan Effect'. Don't worry if you've never heard of this phenomenon: it is familiar to precisely one person, and that person is Martin. Well done, Martin, for tapping into the popular consciousness so very effectively.
On this week's Bonus Bit of Crap on the App (available for iPhones, iPads and Android devices) you can find out what costume you need to be sexy, smart AND snug on Halloween. Clue: it involves tweed and elbow patches. Ring-a-ding-ding!
Like the greedy greedy bankers, we are greedy – for your QUESTIONS! Leave voicemails on the Question Line (dial 0208 123 5877, Skype answermethis) or send emails to email@example.com, and don't worry about the consequences: us having a big coffer full of questions will not mean that 99% of the populace has to struggle on without questions at all. Especially as we'll be giving those questions BACK in next week's episode, plus interest (answers). In the AMT economy, nobody has to suffer.
See you next Thursday,
Helen & Olly


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Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, and others have vociferously denied that they gave the NSA direct access to their networks to provide data to the massive surveillance program called PRISM. Several of these companies emphasize the importance of protecting privacy and limiting government intrusions as part of their company ethos.
Twitter refused to participate in PRISM and elected instead not to make it easier for the NSA to gather information on users' communications. It is widely acknowledged to be the most aggressive protector of user privacy and regularly works with its users to fight court orders for Twitter-related data.
Twitter's absence from the list of cooperating companies is striking because the company's personal messaging system is widely used by its 500-million person user base (see e.g. the Anthony Weiner scandal) and surely contains information of interest to the US government. But the company likely complies with more traditional, targeted FISA requests, because it would otherwise risk criminal liability in US courts.
The scale of private communications taking place over Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft (the owner of Hotmail) networks makes their data valuable to the NSA. They control even larger amounts of information than Twitter because unlike tweets, email messages, chat conversations, video conferences, etc. are not public. The combined user-base of these three leading email providers is over 1 billion people, double that of Twitter. And Facebook's estimated 1.1 billion users generate not only public postings, but also a significant amount of chat conversations, direct messages, and other private communications.
According to the US government, the surveillance program is managed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court orders (pdf), which are issued in secret with only US government lawyers present. These orders put Google, Yahoo, Facebook, etc. in a bind because as US companies, they are required to comply with federal law, including the Patriot Act and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, among others. It is unclear how a company, even Twitter, would fight a FISA order, when the very existence of the order is a state secret, and gag orders prevent the companies from disclosing any information about them.
These companies are much younger than the telephone industry and have a much shorter history of being subject to government regulation (and fewer regulations at that). According, to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, telephone companies do very little to protect private customer/user data from government collection. They regularly do not: require a warrant for content; tell users about government requests; publish transparency reports; publish law enforcement guidelines; fight for users' privacy rights in court; and/or fight for users' privacy rights in Congress. In the wake of recent revelations, telecom companies should their policies as consumers become more conscious—and likely concerned—about how and when their information is being shared.
Verizon has not denied that it received—and presumably complied with—an April 25 order by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to provide the NSA on an "ongoing, daily basis" information about all calls placed on its system, both landline and mobile, both within the US and between the US and foreign countries. The telecom company and its peers have a long history of complying with government regulation, especially since 9/11. Because the telephone has been the predominant method of communication for so long, phone companies have longstanding relationships with the US intelligence community.
Leading technology companies will increasingly become embroiled in US intelligence-gathering activities as new communications platforms and patterns evolve and the government strives to keep up. After all, PRISM is merely one method of complying with FISA orders—among many—that makes the transfer of data to the NSA (in compliance with such orders) easier. So even if a company like Twitter declines to participate, it still has to provide the data sought by the FISA order another way.
While they are forced to comply with their legal obligations, it is also incumbent upon them to stand up for user privacy instead of following in the foot steps of telephone companies and willingly submitting to increased government control. Google, which has traditionally scored high on protection of customer data, has attempted to maintain its track record through transparency. The company has requested—via an open letter to the Attorney General—that it be allowed to publish general information about the quantity and scope of FISA requests it receives as part of its annual transparency report. Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter followed suit and are also calling for increased government transparency. Hopefully, Washington will listen and be more open about what exactly it's asking these companies for and why.


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This is Tom's mother from Promises Made Under Fire. Very different kettle of fish from Mrs. S.
Mother met me at the station, full of smiles and news. Father's back playing up, her head much better, thank you, scandal about the neighbour's son, who'd somehow mysteriously moved to Ireland.
"And your friend Ben—he asked me to apologise for his not being here to meet you but the silly boy's gone and got mumps." She slipped her arm in mine. "So he's strictly persona non grata."
She didn't need to add why—any of my platoon could have told you the risk to a man's wedding tackle. What the hell had I done to get such a run of luck?
"Have you any plans? Apart from rattling around at home?" Mother squeezed my arm, her hand seeming so tiny against my uniform coat. I patted it.
"I've a commission to fulfil. No, don't worry." I patted her hand again. "It's not the army. You remember Foden?"
Of course she did, the way she paled at the mention of the name and gripped my arm tighter. She'd have remembered my tears, too. I hailed a cab and carried on. "He left a letter asking me to make some visits on his behalf. Least I can do."
"You always were a good lad," Mother said as we bundled into the cab and gave the driver our address.
Good lad I might be, but I wasn't looking forward to doing this particular duty. "He wanted me to visit his mother," I said, looking out of the window, unseeing. "Do you think I should write to her and make an initial introduction, rather than just turn up on her doorstep?"
"It would depend on her character. If it were to bring her distress rather than comfort, she might prefer one dose of it."
Only one dose of discomfort for me, too; I'd forgotten how wise Mother was. "I have no idea. She's a cook, up in London."
"A cook?" A brief look—surprise tinged with quickly hidden disdain—crossed her face.
"It will have hurt her as much to lose her son as it would the lady of the household." The anger I felt shocked me.
"I'm sorry. You're quite right. You've always said that bullets don't make any social distinctions." She suddenly produced a mischievous smile. "And since the 'to do' with the lad next door, even Father says you can't tell how brave someone is from the school he went to. He's very proud of you, you know."


text:
And WHERE THE HELL AM I?!on April 19, 2017 at 12:01 am
The "and WHERE THE HELL AM I?!" at the end cracks me up every time.
Why are these question you ask now ?
What makes this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights, SEMME and the Aliens are a secret, but on this night, they're exposed.
On all other nights, Danny is oblivious, but on this night he gets answers.
On all other nights, the continent isn't under threat of being destroyed by a tree branch, but on this night it is.
On all other nights, we sit upright, but on this night we lie on the ground with gaping wounds.
Well, the defining factor is that Danny is present, of course.
also, personally, I'm not all that bothered with Danny only freaking out now. I can appreciate a character for focusing on the really important stuff when the really important stuff happens (Floating, sad love interest, giant cheese robot, injurned collage-ex-stalker) and then asking the annoying questions AFTER the whole mess died down, he probably had "WHAT THE FUCK'S GOING ON" lowkey in his brain the whole time, but comforting Sal took priority
If Walky had saved us from Year Zero, and had not come to placate Sal, it would have been enough, DAYENU
Follow up to my question from yesterday: does he have enough context to know they're twins? He never asked Walky's age (sorry, I know I'm just being obtuse at this point).
What's Joe looking at in panel three?
…that wasn't supposed to be a reply.
Joe's still imagining what life would be like if only The Cheese had hit him ten inches lower.
Shave it so
Grunt SPLAT!
To a good friend
We'll never be lonely again
What's that?
I swear these are plot generators
But it's in the sky!
Why aren't you happy?
So, bro, where were you?
One of those parenting books.
I found the aliens.
Lovestruck nonsense
Scarin' Me With All This Aliens Stuff
Love Monkey
Explain what?
Mood whiplash.
It's not fair!
I look horrible!
Dad's dead?!
Cute coeds
Joe: You haven't changed a bit, have you Danny?
Danny: What do you mean?
Joe: You still talk too much.
You ran out of ink too, didn't you, you bastards.
Funny, he doesn't look Joe-ish
Sure he does, he looks exceedingly Joe-ish, perhaps even archetypically so…
So sez you, Barfolomew.
Is it good for the Joes?
About time Danny asked all these questions. I'm surprised he didn't sooner.
You are in Storage and Lockdown. Yes, I know that doesn't really help.
Normally I wouldn't do this… I blame people posting stuff drawing my attention to the links…
Thrust into university
And then the sperm
Jurassic Park III
Do we have to explain biology to you, Danny?
"That's the final straw! … No wait, I have 3 more questions!"
Originally posted:
August 8, 2002
That smile tho
Oh, there's the Danny I know.
Why is everybody yelling?


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Brady embraces underdog role in AFC title game
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - It's been seven years since the Patriots were underdogs in a postseason game.
So Tom Brady isn't wasting a chance to embrace that role now.
If that motivational tactic is good enough for the star quarterback, it's good enough for his teammates.
"If Tom's going to embrace it, I'm going to embrace it," New England running back LeGarrette Blount said with a smile on Monday. "That's the leader of this team, and if that's how he feels, I'm sure that's how most of the guys out here feel."
For the first time in 12 postseason games, the Patriots are underdogs in Sunday's AFC championship matchup with Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Denver.
The last time the Patriots weren't favored in the playoffs was in another conference title game against Manning when he was with Indianapolis in 2007. The Colts rallied at home for a 38-34 win after trailing 21-3 in the final minute of the first half.
That also was the Patriots most recent playoff road game. Since then, they're 7-2 at home and 0-2 in Super Bowls.
This season, they were underdogs at home against Denver on Nov. 24 but won 34-31 in overtime after trailing 24-0 at halftime.
In their next to last regular-season game, the Patriots (13-4) were underdogs at Baltimore, which had won four straight games, but beat the Ravens 41-7.
"I know when we played Baltimore nobody picked us to win," Brady said during his weekly appearance on WEEI radio. "I'm sure no one's going to pick us to win this week. We've had our backs against the wall for a while. Really, the whole season we've lost players, and teams have really counted us out."
That may be an exaggeration. Teams don't take the Patriots lightly.
Still, Brady said, "We've got a bunch of underdogs on our team, and we'll be an underdog again."
He knows what it's like to be underestimated. Back in 2000, he wasn't drafted until the sixth round. Teams chose 198 players before the Patriots took a chance on him.
"He came into the league as a big underdog," fullback James Develin said, "so I'm sure he's used to that."
It's not surprising that the Broncos (14-3) are favored.
They're at home. They have Manning throwing to a deep group of receivers. The one-two running punch of Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball is rolling. The defense may be suspect with five starters sidelined, but so is New England's, which is missing four of its front seven.
All the more fuel to stoke the underdog fire.
"We play with a chip on our shoulder and we like to play that way," wide receiver Danny Amendola said.
New England was favored at home against the Colts in an AFC divisional-round game on Saturday night and won 43-22.
Denver upheld its favored status by repelling a late comeback and beating the San Diego Chargers 24-17 on Sunday.
The regular-season game against the Broncos could help in the rematch, but the Patriots know both teams have evolved. One of the big changes is that Denver's Julius Thomas is ready after missing the first meeting with a knee injury.
"He's a big, talented tight end that can pretty much do it all," Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich said.
Thomas had 65 catches this season, one of five Broncos with at least 60. Only Julian Edelman, with 105, had at least 60 for the Patriots.
But New England can expect a lot more out of Blount than he provided - 13 yards on two carries - in the previous game against Denver.
His three most productive rushing games have been his past three with 76 yards and two touchdowns against Baltimore, 189 yards and two touchdowns against Buffalo and 166 yards and four touchdowns against Indianapolis.
He wants more.
"I can do a lot of improving," Blount said after watching video of the Indianapolis game. "I've seen a couple of holes I could have hit, and I've seen a couple of cuts I could have made. I'm going to go out there and look at what they're going to give me, and hopefully explode somewhere."
And once the game starts, it doesn't matter who's favored.
"Whoever they pick, they pick," safety Steve Gregory said. "Nobody really knows what's going to happen. So it's two very good football teams that are going to go at it and we'll see who gets it at the end."


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Backstagers, Batigirl and The Birds of Prey, Batman, Black Hammer, Black Road, Black Widow, BOOM!, Brian Wood, Briggs Land, Chelsea Cain, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Dean Ormston, Dynamite Entertainment, Essex County, IDW, Jamie McKelvie, Jeff Lemire, Kieron Gillen, Klaus, Marvel, Matthew Wilson, Mockingbird, My Little Pony: Friends Forever, Nightwing, Powerpuff Girls, Red Team: Double Tap, Strawberry Shortcake, Suicide Squad, Superman, The Joyners, The Massive, The Mighty Thor, Tom King
Ugh. I'm running out of vacation–and discretionary income. Rebirth is partly to blame for both, thanks to bigger weekly bags and bills. Also to blame: my love for the heroes of my childhood and my having the constitution of a totalitarian state.
DC and me!
Oh, there's other stuff, too.
- Black Hammer #2 (Dark Horse): I&N Demand Re: #1: Jeff Lemire nailed it: he delivered Essex County with superheroes. Finally. A nice way to follow up Plutonia, which lived in that realm, for sure, but leaned more on the kids than on the capes. Lemire lets loose here, trusting his instincts, as he fans the flames of familiarity, forging, with Dean Ormston and Dave Stewart's beautiful balance between fantastic and rustic, something unflinchingly fresh. I've been down on Lemire's "doing what he does" to decidedly disappointing degrees (Descender/Sweet Tooth, Trillium/Hawkeye, Bloodshot: Reborn/Moon Knight); here, however, the antecedent doesn't drown out the current–it enlivens it.
- Briggs Land #1 (Dark Horse): Just I&N Brian Wood's as good as it gets. His Black Road–also out this week—is a solid book: it has a Massive feel to it, and satisfies for that; but I'm hungry for more, you know, with the final course of the perfectly plated Starve having been served up far, far too soon. Expectations are very high for this one. Hey: This is a Briggs deal, I&Nmates!
- Batgirl and The Birds of Prey #1 (DC)
- Batman #5 (DC): I&N Demand Re: #4: Fear has a new number: 27. Through four issues, Tom King's got Batman doing things by the numbers–in more ways than one; oh, add 'em up yourself–but this one's let him down. Aww, snap! The personification of Gotham makes for many wrinkles that King'll most assuredly irony out by arc's end. It might take a miracle, man, to put this kid down. Does Batman have it in him? I can't wait to see how this rounds out!
- Nightwing #3 (DC)
- Suicide Squad #3 (DC)
- Superman #5 (DC)
- Black Road #5 (Image)
- The Wicked & The Divine #22 (Image): I&N Demand A monthly bright spot–not only because of Matthew Wilson's way cray-cray colors. OK, mostly because of Wilson's way cray-cray colors. Sure, Gillen's greatness shines here, too; and McKelvie's impeccable consistency is absolutely ambrosial. Thing is, when I think WicDiv, I get most excited about the prospect of Wilson's wielding his nonpareil palette in yet another innovative way. (He's also killing it over on Black Widow and hammering home The Mighty Thor, which are out this week, as well. But if you're a Wilson enthusiast, you already know that!)
- Black Widow #6 (Marvel)
- The Mighty Thor #10 (Marvel)
- Mockingbird #6 (Marvel): I&N Demand Re: #5: "There's a gift store?" Damn right, there is–and it's well stocked with Mockingbird! Thank you, Chelsea Cain for your quirky chaos, which is clearly a clever way to, at the same time, mask and amplify your obsessive control over the story you're telling. High praise: reminds of James Ausmus's recent run on Quantum & Woody. Concern: these big-event tie-ins more often than not murder momentum. I'm gonna go into this one singing, "We will, we will Mock you!" So good or bad, I'm covered!
- Backstagers #1 (BOOM!)
- Red Team: Double Tap #2 (Dynamite)
- The Joyners #3 (BOOM!)
- Klaus #7 (BOOM!)
Avery's Picks of the Week
- My Little Pony: Friends Forever #31 (IDW)
- Powerpuff Girls #2 (IDW)
- Strawberry Shortcake #5 (IDW)
What are you looking forward to this week?
Turning pages,


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Things have only just gotten under way at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco and the company's RealSense depth-sensing camera technology has already emerged as the most important technology at the show.
In years past, Intel would work up the crowd with a glimpse of its next chips for PCs and servers. But with Moore's Law stumbling and the action in computing shifting to robots and the Internet of Things, the chip maker has more important things to emphasize.
In his opening keynote Tuesday morning, CEO Brian Krzanich showed how the computer vision enabled by RealSense can be used in all kinds of applications, ranging from robots to computer games to vending machines that interact with the people around them.
Krzanich showed the first prototype smartphone with a RealSense camera embedded inside. It will allow smartphones to be used to create 3D scans of objects, or even to act as motion sensors for computer games.
Intel and Google are building a software developer kit to be released later this year that will let Android developers start building apps that make use of RealSense.
But the technology is also coming to a huge range of other software platforms, including Mac OS X, Linux, the open source Robot Operating System and the Unity gaming engine, Krzanich said.
It's all part of Intel's effort to get developers thinking creatively and using its chips and other technologies in non-PC devices. With drones, robots and wearables all taking off, Intel needs to make sure it doesn't get left behind when all that computing action shifts to other platforms.
"The big question for IDF this year is, What will you develop? What will you bring to the world?" Krzanich asked the hall of developers.
RealSense can play a big role in PC gaming, he said. A company called Razer will sell a standalone camera peripheral, powered by RealSense, that can track gamers' movements when they're playing a PC game.
Shaped like a small flashlight, the camera can track head movements, for instance, so if a gamer looks to the side while playing a game, the movement gets reflected in what the gamer sees on the screen. The camera is due out in the first quarter next year.
Krzanich also showed a vending machine fitted with a RealSense camera. It allows the machine to identify the gender of the person using the machine and even an approximate age range, according to Krzanich.
It can then display ads targeted to that person on a transparent video display on the front of the machine. And because RealSense supports gesture control, the person can order from the machine without actually touching it.
It's one of those technologies that seems to be looking for a problem to solve - vending machines might not be it. But Krzanich said a touch-free interface could also be useful in a sterile environment like a hospital.
Vending machine maker N&W plans to produce 5,000 of the RealSense vending machines next year, Krzanich said.
He also showed a mirror for stores that allows people to try an item of clothing in different colors without actually trying it on. The RealSense camera locates the person in front of the mirror, and software changes the color of the item they're wearing.
The Intel chief showed a few new technologies for PC users too.
He demonstrated a technology developed with Microsoft called Wake on Voice that allows a computer to listen for voice commands even when it's in sleep mode, so a user can wake the PC instantly with a voice command without touching it.
The companies are integrating the technology with Microsoft's Cortana assistant so a user will be able to walk up to a Windows 10 PC and say "Hey Cortana, wake up," and the PC will instantly start working.
Wake on Voice will be integrated with all of Intel's families of client processors, including its Core and Atom chips.
Intel also showed a wristband that can authenticate a user on a PC and unlock the system simply by having the person walk up to the PC.
The person wearing the wristband has to log into the PC manually the first time, typing a password. The PC then sends an authentication token to the wearable, and it unlocks the PC each subsequent time the user is nearby, using Bluetooth Low Energy.
When the user takes the wristband off, the authentication token disappears, and a manual log-in is necessary.
"This proof of concept shows that wearables can solve the password problem with enterprise-grade security and consumer-level usability," according to Krzanich.
It uses one of a handful of new SDKs that Intel is providing to developers this week. The authentication service is being standardized now by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, Krzanich said.
Intel will say more about the new tools it has for developers during the course of the week. It's trying to nurture a "maker" feel at the event, with plenty of computerized toys and robot cars around for people to play with.
And there is barely a PC or a server in sight.


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Woman Dies One Month After Being Hit By Cyclist In San Francisco
A woman who had been hospitalized since being struck by a cyclist in San Francisco last month died Thursday, opening the question of what charges, if any, might be filed against the cyclist. Dionette Cherney, a Washington, D.C., resident in her late 60s, suffered a head injury in the crash, from which she did not recover.
In July, police said that Cherney had nearly finished crossing the six-lane street at the intersection of Mission St. and The Embarcadero, with the light in her favor, when a cyclist struck her in the bike lane next to the sidewalk. The accident occurred during the busy morning rush hour, at 8:15 a.m.
The cyclist, who stayed at the scene and spoke with police, suffered only minor injuries. At the time, he was not charged with an infraction.
After the July 15 accident, San Francisco Police Officer Albie Esparza told KCBS, "Every bicyclist in the city should be reminded each and every day that all the laws on the books apply to them too. They need to stop at every stop sign and every stop light."
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon tells the AP that his office has not yet decided whether to file any charges against the bicyclist, 25.
After the accident, news outlets in the city mentioned various degrees of manslaughter as potential charges in the case.
Cherney, known to many as Didi, worked in finance and real estate, in addition to being a longtime volunteer for Score, an organization that gives advice to small businesses and entrepreneurs. She had apparently been visiting San Francisco with her husband.
In San Francisco, cyclists don't pose as great a risk to pedestrians, reports the transportation site SF Streetsblog: "811 people were injured by drivers last year, 18 people were injured by bicyclists, according to SFPD data."
But the site, which promotes the use of more mass transit and bicycles for commuting, also notes that Cherney's death is a reminder that even with cycling's rising popularity, "we need more respect on the streets, especially as the numbers continue to grow."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Terms of Service
TimeBanks USA Terms of Service
TimeBanking is designed to encourage connections between community members on the basis that everyone has something to give and everyone has needs. TimeBank members commit to "give and receive" using Time Credits earned and spent. The "golden rule" of TimeBanking is this: An hour of my time is equal to an hour of your time. One hour of service given earns one time credit. For one hour of service received, pay one time credit.
A commitment to the core values helps people to get into the spirit of TimeBanking and helps keep that spirit alive.
- Assets: Everyone has something to offer;
- Redefining Work: Building home, family and community is valued work;
- Reciprocity: Encouraging givers to receive – and receivers to give – builds trust and resiliency and sharing;
- Community: We are stronger together;
- Respect: Respect is the root of equality.
I understand that the function of TimeBank Hurunui is to facilitate the exchange of services within the community in the spirit of the core values of TimeBanking. It is my responsibility to use the same caution I would in other circumstances to get to know a person, make reference checks, and use my instincts before engaging with another TimeBank participant - especially for babysitting, elder care, and driving.
I understand that any agreements shall be made solely by and between parties involved in this transaction. TimeBanks USA and TimeBank Hurunui will not be held responsible and will not assume any liability for claims, damages, or any other consequences which may arise from this arrangement.
I understand that TimeBanks USA and TimeBank Hurunui shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by information contained on this web site or any other TimeBank resources. I agree to indemnify and hold harmless all parties who facilitate or participate in TimeBank exchanges.
I agree that this site is not to be used for buying and selling and trading in illegal goods and services.
This site provides information that may reveal aspects of members' lives that they wish to keep private. For that reason, I pledge not to reveal any of the contents of this site that are associated with any members' personal information.
I understand that I will receive messages from other members of my TimeBank through this web site. Notification of such messages will be sent to the email address I have registered with. I also understand that I will receive newsletters, broadcasts and alerts for my TimeBank from my Coordinator(s) through this web site.
I have read these guidelines and agreements and I agree to abide by these core values, rules, and guidelines provided by TimeBanks USA and TimeBank Hurunui for proper and courteous behavior. I pledge to proceed with good intent towards being of service to others in my community and treat others in the TimeBank with respect and kindness.


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How To: Avoid Ice Dams and Water Damage
This winter, keep water at bay and home repairs away by following this guide.
What Are Ice Dams?
Many homeowners in the northern United States are all too familiar with ice dams. These are thick accumulations of ice that form over the eaves of a house. Water then collects behind the dam and gradually works its way beneath roof shingles through a cycle of freezing and thawing. The result can be leakage into the living areas of the home, which in turn can produce sagging plaster, stains, and other damage.
Low-pitched roofs are the most likely to be affected, but the cause is a warm roof. Heat escapes the living areas of the home and rises, warming the blanket of snow on the roof. As the snow melts, it flows down the slope of the roof only to refreeze on top of the unheated roof overhang. The ice builds up, the thawing and freezing cycle continues, and the flow begins.
Ice dams are preventable. If new roofing is being added at your home, make sure that proper precautions are being taken. The keys are these:
1) Ensure adequate ventilation.
The roof needs to be vented both at the eaves (usually in the soffits) and at the peak, either in the roof itself or via vents in the end walls of the house. An air space above the insulation in the ceiling or attic then allows cold air to move freely, keeping the roof cold and preventing the snow cover from melting. When a roof is being constructed, inexpensive Styrofoam baffles may be installed to ensure that there is a passageway for cold air from the eaves to the peak.
2) Seal off the house.
Proper insulation of the attic rafters or ceiling joists is another part of the solution. So is a tight vapor barrier to prevent moisture from passing from the living areas into and through the insulation.
3) Install a snow and ice shield.
There are a number of products on the market that, when installed immediately on top of the subroof and beneath the shingles covering the overhang of the roof, will prevent water from working its way into the home. A snow and ice shield consists of a bituminous membrane that seals the roof, forming a continuous barrier to water.


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September has flown past us, and in approximately two and a half months I'll be graduating from college. (Scary!) Then I'll be starting grad school, to which I was accepted this month. (Even scarier!) Not quite so scary are the stats for this month of movie watching, so lets all calm ourselves and have a look at the past 30 days in film.
New-to-me viewings: 42
Re-watches: 3
Total for the month: 45
Total for 2013 thus far: 320
The new-to-me list:
- Pizza My Heart (2005)
- Five Steps to Danger (1957)
- Our Idiot Brother (2011)
- Good Time Girl (1948)
- Mermaids (1990)
- It's All Over Town (1963)
- Move Over, Darling (1963)
- I Love You Again (1940)
- One Too Many (1916)
- The Lady Says No (1951)
- Young Guns (1988)
- New Shoes (1936)
- Ich möchte kein Mann sein (1918)
- A Cold Wind in August (1961)
- The Black Sleep (1956)
- Riddick (2013)
- Blue Crush 2 (2011)
- September 30, 1955 (1977)
- The Reinactors (2008)
- Redhead (1934)
- Against the Odds: The Artists of the Harlem Renaissance (1994)
- How to Be a Serial Killer (2008)
- Young Adult (2011)
- Daydream Nation (2010)
- The Clairvoyant (1934)
- Don Jon (2013)
- Simply Irresistible (1999)
- The Cat and the Canary (1927)
- The Wrong Mr. Fox (1917)
- Mr. Flip (1909)
- Alkali Ike's Auto (1911)
- Fox Trot Finesse (1915)
- A Cure for Pokeritis (1912)
- Be My Wife (1921)
- A Natural Born Gambler (1916)
- Mabel's Dramatic Career (1913)
- Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life (1913)
- The Rounders (1914)
- A Muddy Romance (1913)
- A Movie Star (1916)
- Teddy at the Throttle (1917)
- The Dalton Girls (1957)
Note: many of the films I watched late in the month are silent shorts… so while 45 may seem like a big number for this month (especially considering I'm back in school), I was able to watch nearly 15 of these shorts in a single night — in fact, in just a few hours! Without the shorts this would have been a somewhat slow month since I've been bogged down with coursework. (Remind me again why I didn't give myself an easy final semester?)
Viewing methods:
- Amazon Instant Video – 2
- Big screen – 3
- My collection – 18
- Netflix DVD – 1
- Netflix Instant – 19
- In class – 1
By decade:
- 1900s – 1
- 1910s – 13
- 1920s – 2
- 1930s – 4
- 1940s – 3
- 1950s – 4
- 1960s – 3
- 1970s – 1
- 1980s – 1
- 1990s – 4
- 2000s – 3
- 2010s – 6
DVD collection update
I almost made it through September without a single DVD collection addition, which would have made my first-ever two month streak of no DVD buying in the past couple of years. I still did pretty well at sticking to a semi-ban, purchasing three bargain DVDs and receiving one as a gift from my mom. The films are:
- The Awful Truth – Continuing in my journey of Cary Grant complete-ism, this was a long overdue addition to the collection. Now I don't have to keep a copy from TCM saved on my DVR anymore!
- Carolina – I saw this on Netflix last year and loved it. Couldn't pass it up when I found it for less than $5.
- Simply Irresistible – This wild and wacky 1999 rom-com was gifted to me by my mom, who said it was the weirdest movie she'd ever seen aside from the time I made her watch Lady in a Cage. Keep an eye out for a review of this one soon.
- Wings – Another long overdue addition, one of my favorite Clara Bow films! I was holding out for the Blu-ray, but the DVD was on serious clearance at Barnes & Noble and I couldn't help myself.
Tiny announcement!
I've decided to, for the second year in a row, cook up the one-woman movie-fest known as HORROR HALF-WEEK. You may remember that last year, Halloween week, I looked at four horror flicks from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. This time around I'm looking at the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s as well as providing recommendations of spooky films and spooky songs in a special edition of What to Watch! This four-day event will take place October 28 – 31. THIS IS NOT A BLOGATHON but I would like to invite those of you who have your own blogs to join in on the fun if you'd like. (I know a lot of people have already signed on for Halloween-themed blogging events, so no pressure.) Stick to my decades or pick your own series of decades. Write about any films you'd like, and you don't have to claim them or let me know ahead of time, since — I repeat — this is not an organized blogathon. Anything goes, no rules.
Another tiny announcement!
Beginning some time in the near-ish future, probably in December, I'm going to start publishing a series called "Lindsey Tries to Appreciate Westerns." (The title is not creative at all, I realize.) Basically, what I'm going to do is subject myself to hours and hours of my least favorite film genre in order to see if I can find a few films that increase my appreciation of it. I've got my Netflix queue loaded up with a couple of films to kick off the series, but I want your input on what I should watch, so please leave Western movie suggestions in the comments here and I'll pop them onto my "to watch" list. Bonus points if they're available on Netflix, the Internet Archive or Amazon Prime.
One more!
I made an account on Letterboxd so feel free to add me there if you've got one. :) I also reluctantly reactivated my Facebook page for grad school networking purposes, so TMP has a page there now. New posts are automatically sent there but I also have posted a "Name that movie!" guessing game, updates to the Top Film of the Week feature that most of you probably didn't even know I had on the front page of TMP, and a fun little ditty called "Hilariously Awful Netflix Poster of the Week." You can find the link in the right-hand sidebar over there ——->


text:
- Đã giải quyết
- Đã lưu trữ
"If you are connected but behind a firewall, check that Firefox has permission to access the Web."
I get the above instruction when I can't access a website--but I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to to. My firewall is the one installed with win10.


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FileZilla is an FTP program for file uploading and downloading to and from your FTP site, server, or host. The program lets you transfer files and navigate among folders, Web sites, and your computer. This software enables you to perform multiple file transfers simultaneously.
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
Rich in Web content, short on cash? This free, open-source FTP application is handy if you're looking for a solid tool to handle FTP transfers and don't want to part with your bucks.
The straightforward interface offers translations in most of the world's major languages. Caching directories speeds up browsing FTP sites, and multiple secure connection options ensure that you can move files around without concern. Bookmarking comes in two flavors: the Site Manager for all your major FTP locations, and QuickConnect for fast switching on the fly.
The program lets you download or upload multiple files at once from and to several servers. If your bandwidth is somewhat limited, you'll appreciate a feature that lets you automatically adjust transfer speeds based on the time of day or date. FileZilla also lets you browse FTP sites mid-transfer. The lack of a task scheduler is compensated for, in our eyes, by a powerful filter so you only see the files you need.
FileZilla is no monster, either, eating up a manageable 50 MB in memory. Clearly, this is one of the best FTP tools around.
[catlist id=11]
Home |Sitemap |Contact us | Disclaimer | FREE FileZilla PortableDOWNLOAD |


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Type: Upload file
Dr. Martin "Casey" Childers and the Bella, matriarch of his research into myotubular myopathy, a muscle-wasting disease. Credit: Clare McLean
Type: Upload file
Lab activity in Dr. Paul Yager's lab reflects work on paper-based diagnostics. Their hope is that in two to three years, people miles from a lab will be able to cough, spit, or urinate on a piece of...


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ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) An eastern Kansas college has announced former Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will deliver its commencement address in May.
Benedictine College says the congressman will be the featured speaker at the May 11 ceremony in the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium. More than 360 students are expected to participate in what is the largest graduating class in recent school history.
Benedictine President Stephen D. Minnis says Ryan is a great family man who is willing to stand up for what he thinks is best for the country.
Ryan is senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Benedictine College is a Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison.


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As the editorial chairman of BigThink.com, I've personally conducted video interviews with many interesting thought leaders, including evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins , New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff, and novelist John Irving. Now I've had the honor of interviewing the first chess player for Big Think, grandmaster Anatoly Karpov. The interview was posted today on Big Think. Here's the blog post that went up on Big Think when the interview went live:
"Anatoly Karpov, the twelfth world chess champion, is one of the most successful chess players in the history of the game. The Russian grandmaster was the world champion for a decade, from 1975 to 1985, and he held the No. 1 position on the international chess rating list for 90 months, second only to his archrival, Garry Kasparov.
"In his video interview with Big Think, Karpov shares the secret of his success: his fighting spirit, which serves him well not just at the chessboard but in the rest of his life, too. Karpov also reveals his prime weakness as a player—his laziness in studying chess opening-move theory—and how he had to turn that into a strength, by learning to play the inferior positions he sometimes achieved owing to his lack of theoretical knowledge. He also dissects Kasparov's strengths and flaws, and says that Kasparov can be blinded by fear when his king is in danger.
"Karpov is still a strong tournament competitor, but these days he is focused on chess politics and is fighting to succeed Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as the president of FIDE, the world chess federation. Karpov and his team have accused Ilyumzhinov—who famously claimed to have been whisked aboard a spaceship by yellow-robed aliens—of corruption and mental instability. But madness—and accusations of madness—are nothing new to chess. The only two Americans to reach the No. 1 spot in the chess world, Bobby Fischer in the early 1970s and Paul Morphy in the late 1850s, were both crazy and paranoid. Karpov himself emphatically told Big Think that you don't have to be mad to play strong chess and he shares his impressions of Fischer."


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Game Candy Crush Jelly Saga level 738
Solutions, Tips, Answers, Video and Download
characteristics of the game Game Candy Crush Jelly Saga level 738
The jelly-like, wiggling Jelly Queen is here and she threw the gauntlet at you: face her in Candy Crush Jelly Saga! Unfold your best moves: they will have to be in order to defeat Jelly Queen.
Spalma to more I can not! The new Candy Crush Jelly Saga is full of new game modes, features and boss fights, including Jelly Queen! Play as Jenny, pull off your most icy moves and swap candies in turn to defeat the swaying Jelly Queen. Every move will spread jelly and whoever manages to spread more will come out the winner! Have you prepared your best moves?
There are new fantastic sweets, a wonderful new booster and a dream world to explore at the top of the candy tree!


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UPDATE: if you are a PR person and you are reading this blog, any vitriol aimed at the PR industry is NOT aimed at you. Probably. 🙂
I remember working at a small tech startup back in the mid 1990s. Winnov. We made video capture cards and videoconferencing solutions. I was the director of marketing and I used to think that if only Walt Mossberg or Dan Gillmor (who back then was the tech journalist at the San Jose Mercury News) or some other big-name journalist would pay attention to us that we'd have it made.
Eventually I realized that wasn't going to happen, for a whole lot of reasons, but that it didn't matter. We still had a lot of very happy customers and they seemed to find us through word-of-mouth and other efforts (we had booths at the big trade shows and I hung out in forums and Usenet newsgroups and went on radio shows, and built relationships with people who did video streaming and stuff like that). Not getting their attention made me focus and come up with innovative ways to get the word out about our products. Same thing I did at NEC, which is what led to me selling Vic Gundotra hundreds of Tablet PCs at Microsoft (and later getting a job there). Vic didn't find me in the Wall Street Journal, he found me in an obscure newsgroup online.
Over the past few days there's been a consternation about the future of PR. Mostly based on my rant about PR the other day and how it's so refreshing to hear about a new company from its users first, especially when those users are very excited about the product.
Here's just a small selection of the blogs I've seen talking about PR and bloggers in the past day or two:
Steve Rubel (Vice President at Edelman, which is the largest private PR firm in the world) talks about how dismayed he's been at the PR industry lately.
Mike Arrington, founder of TechCrunch, talks about how dismayed he's been at the PR industry lately.
Brian Solis, who is one of the few PR people who builds relationships first with everyone in the industry (it's hard to remember the last industry event where Brian wasn't holding court and if you're a tech blogger and you haven't yet met Brian you probably haven't been blogging for more than a week or two), stands up for the PR industry (and links to pretty much everyone who is writing about this today).
Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins, in Mashable, says Rubel is onto something.
Jeremy Toeman, who I don't think of as a PR guy, but rather something else (he's the only guy that I know of who has gotten other people in the industry to work in a food bank, for instance) also stood up for PR in the comment section of the blog post I wrote the other day.
Jeremy Pepper writes "STFU" to bloggers in his headline, which also sticks up for the PR industry.
There's a few others talking about this topic that are linked to here on TechMeme.
Why so much noise, both pro and con, about the current state of PR?
I've been blogging very little over the past month. I wanted to get off of the Techmeme bandwagon and take a fresh look at what I, and FastCompanyTV are doing. This latest blowup also got me to look at which PR practicioners I find are good for the industry and which ones are bad.
Why so much negativity on PR lately? A few reasons:
1. PR people had gotten wise to how to get their stories onto Techmeme, which made us all look like sheep. We not only were writing the same stories everyone else was, because that's how you get onto Techmeme, but the PR people were figuring out how to work us into that circle jerk, so they could get their messages out to the world. That is opposite to how life was four years ago back when I worked at Microsoft. Back then most PR people couldn't spell blog and didn't know what they were. I'm to blame for helping them figure it out, because we wrote a book about corporate blogging that a lot of them have read. I'll burn in hell for doing that, I think, if we can't find a new way to serve the industry better than we are currently.
2. Company after company came to us who weren't building sustainable businesses that cared about real customers. They only cared about whether they could get onto Techmeme or whether bloggers or "social media experts" would write about them. I feel like I'm just a new social media press release conduit and, while that's building pretty sustainable businesses over at some other tech blogs, it isn't what I started writing a blog for. More on that in a second.
3. Bloggers are being commoditized. If we just go to press conferences, or only deal with embargoed news, and report on the same news everyone else is reporting on, well, then, just what reason is there for our business to exist? How will we build an audience that's any different, than, say, TechCrunch or Fortune's or ZDNet's efforts? How will we justify to our sponsors that they should sponsor us as we are doing the same thing as everyone else? Especially if we have a smaller audience? Yeah, advertisers really love getting THOSE kinds of sales pitches. Imagine walking into a big company and putting up a Powerpoint that says "we're the same as Techcrunch, but smaller." What's the chances you'll walk out with a sponsorship?
4. We aren't having fun (as Rubel says, discovering new stuff is fun, getting new stuff fed to you at conferences and press conferences where everyone else learns the same news at the same time isn't nearly as fun) while fun isn't a good reason to do much, following my heart got me here and if you aren't having fun as a blogger your writing, reporting, etc will suffer and you'll start generally just being a jerk. Not to mention if you want to compete with people who do love what they are doing you'll need to be keeping up at 2 a.m. and if you aren't loving what you are doing you'll turn on the Olympics instead and not get the job done. Most tech bloggers love being able to tell you about something cool that you don't yet know about. Read Engadget, for instance. Their best writing is when they are showing you a new gadget that they found on their own. Yes we all read them for their coverage of Apple Press Conferences but I can tell you that isn't nearly as fun as walking around with some product designer and getting a first look at a really new product (I was there when Ryan Block got his first look at Bug Labs' prototypes).
5. We're all looking for a breakthrough idea or product and they are just very rare. Look at Microsoft's latest photographic technologies as an example. Now, look at my "to blog" folder, which has 5,000 items in it. How many get close to something as cool? Not many. If we only wrote about Photosynth, though, our blogs would be pretty damn sparse. So we're faced with writing about stuff that doesn't come up to that bar. It makes us anxious, because we want to tell our friends (er, you, about cool stuff). Like, have I shown you the Shazam iPhone app yet? It's very cool, it lets you identify music you hear in a shopping mall or on the radio and it works pretty darn well. But for every Shazam, or Evernote, or Twinkle, there are tons of really stupid apps and if we want to tell you about more than 20 apps we're going to have to dig into some really lame apps.
"Scoble, you're rambling, why did you get into blogging?"
Oh, sorry. I got into blogging to celebrate the people who are improving our lives through technology and to hear their stories about how they developed it, so that we'd encourage other developers to bring us even more useful technologies.
Scratch that. I got into blogging because Dori Smith and Dave Winer wanted to know what was happening behind the scenes while working at a computer magazine/conference company.
Back when I started blogging I was helping plan a conference for programmers. I just told stories about what I was seeing and hearing and who was doing cool stuff. No one in PR told me about stuff, I just talked about what I was seeing. As my audience grew, more and more PR people started pitching me stuff. They started seeing me as a gatekeeper. The way I looked at those old-school journalists like Mossberg and Pogue and others.
I remember being flattered by the first wave of PR. When Munjal Shah, CEO of Like.com, told me he'd rather have me write about his company than have Walt Mossberg write about it, I was flattered but remembered telling him that Mossberg was still more important (and still is, in my view).
But that was flattering because only a few CEOs were like Munjal and I think he was pulling a little flattery on me to get me to pay attention. And, he knew that doing a different style of PR would get him noticed. It did, too. He now has millions of users and has been on MSNBC and CNN (he told me later that those brought huge numbers of users to his service).
"Scoble, you're rambling again, get to the point. What is it that tech bloggers want?"
In the early days of blogging I wanted to do a few things:
1. Impress Dave Winer and Dori Smith.
2. Get stuff into Google so I could pull it out later.
3. Share what I was seeing because I had access to unique people and technology that the mainstream press wasn't writing about.
Today I still write for these reasons, but I'd add on some more:
4. Get more people access to interesting experiences. It's impossible to have 100,000 people visit Facebook's headquarters and have a tour, for instance, but it's very possible to have that many participate in a live cell phone tour.
5. Help us get more out of the technology that we're all seeing. There are about 800 services on the Office 2.0 database. How many of those have you actually used? For most people? None. For most of my readers? I'd guess about five. Out of 800. So, can I increase that to seven? By showing you a demo of something that would improve your life (and mine?) I know I'm using Evernote now because of a demo I got a few weeks ago, for instance.
6. Learn from thought leaders on how to improve our lives. That's why I've had people like David Allen and Tim Ferriss and why I want to get Gina Trapani from Lifehacker onto my shows. They show you a different way to live and how to deal with our changing lives.
"So, Scoble, what do these things have to do with PR?"
Well, the smart PR people (like Solis and Toeman) bring me into experiences like these. I still remember when Toeman hosted a dinner for a small group of us, including Dave Winer, where he and a guy I didn't know showed me a prototype of what became Bug Labs. That was PR. But it was personal, small, and wasn't aimed at getting 60 journalists to tell the same story to each of their audiences. At that point he didn't care if he got Bug Labs onto Techmeme. Just wanted to talk about where the product might go and wanted to get feedback.
Hey, PR 2.0 includes listening!
Now I'm getting to where I'm getting fed up with a large swath of PR and why you're seeing such vitriol aimed toward PR people.
See, some of them (er, most of them) are treating bloggers as just "channels of message distribution." We're there to take the news they are pitching and regurgitate it and spit it at all of you.
That exercise it totally not interesting. For all the reasons I've gone over here. It doesn't let me figure out my own take on the story. It doesn't let me hear from customers who are wildly happy. It doesn't let me even figure out if the product works (many of those kinds of stories are pitched to bloggers who don't even have any expertise in what they are pitching). Here, do another exercise. Let's assume that StackOverflow was pitched to me by a PR company in an email. Would it have gotten coverage here? No. It doesn't let me really find my own voice, or build an audience that's any different than anyone else on Google Reader or TechMeme.
First off, why would I write about yet another Digg copycat? Second of all, how would I know that the community there really is good and has some unique aspects? Third of all, how would I really know that it solves real pain, the way that StackOverflow does?
"OK, Scoble, wrap it up. What are some things that you tech blogger types want from PR?"
1. What we really want is an exclusive interview with Steve Jobs. Oh, OK, we're not going to get that. So, can we get an exclusive with Jonathan Ives? Oh, OK, we're not going to get that either. 🙂 (PR teams tell me that handing out an exclusive like that will only be done for journalists with the largest audiences). Well, OK, but let's see if we can find a different angle on the same topic. When I traveled to Israel with Sarah Lacy I noticed she made plans to interview the same people I did, but she interviewed them alone so she got a different story than I did. Now compare to what you see on TechMeme. How many people get the same story about the same thing. PR people are doing themselves a disservice when they just treat journalists and bloggers like cattle. Every time I get an email pitch it reminds me that I'm being treated like cattle. Especially when I get together with Arrington and Malik and Lacy and other bloggers and we see that we got the same pitch. Moooooo!
2. I want to see some passion about building a great service for customers that solves their pain. I don't want to hear about how they are hoping I write about them. That turns me (and others) off. I still remember when my brother asked Dave Winer for a link and Dave got very angry at him. Why is that? Because Dave wanted my brother to give him a reason to link without having to beg for the link. Bring me a customer that says "XYZ product solved this need and transformed my life" and that'll get my attention. It'll get even more attention when that customer calls me and wants to talk about you and your service. Why? Because it tells me that the company is focused on the right thing. Watch what Don MacAskill, CEO of SmugMug does. I remember the first time I met him because he didn't want me to write about his company. He just started talking about customers and why he loved doing what he's doing. I later learned that he had more than 100,000 people who paid for his service when his competitors, like Flickr, are free. THAT got my attention and it made me want to learn more about the company and the service.
3. If you really have a killer product and a killer service I don't care how you get ahold of me. Call me day or night at +1-425-205-1921. Email me at firstname.lastname@example.com. Or camp out on my front lawn. It doesn't matter. If you are as good as SmugMug, I'll make time for you. If you are a me too product, though, that doesn't solve a real problem or doesn't thrill its customers, I'll see through that and I'll be less likely to call. Some exceptions? I hate Facebook and Twitter direct messages. I can't answer those, so don't even try.
4. Don't call us (especially me) if you want to get on TechMeme and that's your main goal. First of all, my TechMeme juice is going down because I'm writing less and less. So if that's your goal I can already tell you haven't done your homework (Mike Arrington is the first guy I'd call if that was my goal). But what do other tech bloggers want? Well, even Arrington (who does like getting on TechMeme) tells me he'd rather get there because he found a kick ass company or product before anyone else.
5. For those of us who are on the TechMeme game we MUST be in the first group. That's how this game works. That's why Arrington won't cover you if you don't let him be in the first set of people to talk about you. But don't assume that we're all playing the TechMeme game. I'm a video guy. I want to have an intimate look at your company/product/people. We can do that days, weeks, or even months after you ship. My Evernote video, for instance, was done long after they first launched. I still got excited because the people I hang out with were praising it on blogs and twitters and I wanted to get a good look for myself (I'm a visual learner, I don't often get the point of a product just by reading about it on TechCrunch).
6. Don't just pitch the product. When I first heard about FriendFeed I thought "so what, Jaiku and Social Thing do the same thing." But then I found out that two of the founders were the guys who ran the Gmail and Google Maps teams. Now my expectations went way up (and, sure enough, that service has delivered huge value to me). If you have an interesting person working for you, let me know.
7. Video bloggers need different things than text bloggers. When I do a text blog often times I can just sit on a conference call, pull out a quote, and write up the news. But if you want to get me to put you on video it really helps if you think a little bit about the visual. Don't shove me into a conference room with 40 other bloggers. I probably won't even unpack my video cameras. Nothing is more boring visually. But bring me into a someone's office and magic happens.
8. Why don't you get a ton of FriendFeed'ers to vote up your own blog? That'd guarantee I'd see it, and I'd see that people are happy about what you're doing. I'm far more likely to cover you if that's the case. I follow more than 3,000 FriendFeeders. I even keep track of all the things I like there. It's quite an interesting feed to watch.
9. Build experiences where we can get to know you. Microsoft recently held a Digital Photo Summit. That was really great because there wasn't any pressure to report on anything, just a chance to get to know you, your team, and see some of the things you are working on. Same thing at EA last week. By providing experiences where we can get our hands on your products, meet your team, etc, we'll discover new story ideas together. I found a few at EA that I would never have known about if they didn't have an event where we could hang out for a day.
Anyway, I'm sorry for generalizing the PR industry. The good ones are invaluable to my mission. They know who they are. The bad ones probably aren't even reading my blog anyway, so that's why I shouldn't piss and moan about the PR industry. I'll just piss off the good ones and the bad ones won't care. Just chalk it up to letting off a little steam.
Back to answering email and setting up interviews…


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Extracted from the March 1959 SCI Magazine.
To view or download the article - click on the article title above. If there are any other articles related to this story they will be in the box at the top right.
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Labor loses ground in former stronghold
- Union membership declines especially felt in Rust Belt states such as Michigan
DETROIT -- Labor used to rule the roost in the industrial Midwest. Its support was sought by nearly everyone, from politicians to philanthropic groups.
But, if nothing else, Gov. Rick Snyder's stated intention to sign a right-to-work rule for Michigan shows that organized labor's star has lost some of its luster in a region — and in a state — that helped to make it a giant of industry and influence.
Until a couple of years ago, the thought of such a law in Michigan — which makes it illegal to require employees to financially support unions as a condition of employment — was unthinkable. The unions, including the UAW, were just too strong.
Gov. John Engler, Snyder's most recent Republican predecessor, served three terms in office, from 1991-2003 — and never even tried it.
But the situation has changed in recent years, as governors and legislators have started to roll back labor rights in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. Right-to-work rules get at the heart of organized labor, its funding source, which allows it to wield such a big stick.
"I think that unions are embattled institutions," said Roland Zullo of the University of Michigan's Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy. "In Michigan, and the Midwest in general over the past decade, we have seen a huge decline in the number of manufacturing jobs. A lot of those were good union jobs."
To be sure, organized labor remains a potent force in politics and the American economy, in particular as the recession recedes and manufacturing stages a return in the wake of several years of wage and job cuts.
The number of union-related work stoppages involving more than 1,000 workers, which reached an all-time low of just five in 2009, rose to 13 as of October.
Also, some political and labor experts say that President Obama's November victory, regardless of labor's exact electoral role, shows unions still have clout.
It's not difficult to trace the recent attempts to limit union power in what used to be organized labor's safest strongholds to its declining membership. In the 1950s, one out of every three nonagricultural workers nationwide was said to be a union member. In 1985, 21% of employees were represented by a union. By 2011, that was down to 13%.
Those declines have been especially felt in Rust Belt states such as Michigan, where the number of workers represented by a union fell from 27% in 1990 to 18% in 2011.
But the UAW and other unions are still able to make their presence felt, sometimes powerfully.
Labor, according to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, was among the top 10 interest groups in federal campaign contributions in 2011-12, giving $143 million in the most recent count. The National Education Association and the UAW each gave more than $12 million to Obama, who has spent a couple of Labor Day celebrations in southeast Michigan.
At the same time, however, labor has found it's no longer able to count on monolithic Democratic support. In Wisconsin this year, a recall election for Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who backed legislation that stripped most public employees of their collective-bargaining rights, failed. And in Michigan this fall, the UAW-backed Prop 2, which would have enshrined collective-bargaining rights in the state constitution, failed by a margin of 57%-43%, even as Obama cruised to a 54%-45% victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
It clearly indicated what polls done for the Detroit Free Press showed: A sizable number of Democrats — nearly a quarter, in one poll — and a plurality of independents were against Proposal 2, despite supporting the Democratic president. About a third of respondents who were either union members themselves or lived in a union household also were against the proposition.
That's proof that unions no longer have as much clout and sway in the Democratic Party as they once did, said Nelson Lichtenstein, professor of history and labor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
"I wouldn't frame it as saying there is a conflict between labor and the Obama liberals," said Lichtenstein, author of "Walter Reuther: The Most Dangerous Man in Detroit." "It's just that the alignment has not been as clear or linked as it was in the heyday of the UAW."
Right-to-work spreads
There's no dearth of rationales for why union rights would be under attack in the industrial Midwest. In recent years, Republicans have wrested control from Democrats in state governments. And the recession also has heightened a sense of economic competition between the states, at the same time appropriators are calling for cutbacks for unionized government employees.
Some argue that in states such as Michigan, union demands have chased business and economic growth out. Labor, and many Democrats, have long argued that corporate America is undermining the middle class by chasing the lowest wages and cheapest benefits they can provide — and those usually aren't union.
Right-to-work, long a mainstay in the South and the Southwest, has been pitched as a way to attract jobs, though a quick scan at federal unemployment statistics for October shows that the 23 states with right-to-work laws on the books were near the bottom and top, meaning the rule is no guarantee of growth.
"There are views among state legislators that say we're competing against a lot of states in the South and Southwest, and they're growing a lot faster," said Daniel DiSalvo, a labor expert and political science professor at the City College of New York. "I think there's a good bit of economic calculation here."
Indiana became state No. 23 among right-to-work states — and the first in the upper Midwest — this year. Snyder referenced the neighboring Hoosier State, and pointed to economic growth and competition there, as one of the reasons he decided to support right-to-work in Michigan.
Rick Berman, president of management consulting firm Berman and Co., said that outside of union members, most people think they should have the right to decide whether to belong to a union and that it shouldn't be a requirement of their employment.
"I think the politicians are on the side of the public," Berman said. "I don't think the unions represent the majority opinion."
Payback for unions
Politically, right-to-work rules are seen as a way to cut into organized labor's ability to raise resources from its potential members, further weakening its power. And that, in turn, could have enormous ramifications at a time when corporations can spend unlimited amounts supporting candidates and issues thanks to the controversial Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court in 2010.
Obama has reiterated his opposition to right-to-work rules.
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, a Republican, said that unlike the situation in other states, Michigan's drive for right-to-work seems motivated by the union's push for Proposal 2, which he called "a greedy move."
"I don't know where any union has gone that far in any state," he said.
The UAW, already out organizing support for Obama's re-election, may have seen an opportunity to protect itself and taken it, despite suggestions from Snyder that it should drop the referendum, political experts said.
It may have been an overreach, said Democratic political consultant Joe DiSano in Lansing. But if it was, so is the reaction now in Lansing, he said. Voters might not have been ready to give collective bargaining constitutional protection, but that doesn't mean they want a governor rolling back existing union rights, he said.
The unions would likely mount a referendum to overturn right-to-work, DiSano said. The GOP-controlled Legislature has attached an appropriation to the bills pending in Lansing, protecting them from having voters repeal them at the ballot box.
And where DiSano said he had expected Snyder to skate to re-election previously, this could attract a stronger and more emboldened Democratic opponent.
Certainly, no one should count out the UAW, Teamsters, AFL-CIO and other unions, despite the defeat of Proposal 2. They can still motivate and organize thousands of members and retirees across the state, arguing for no more than not upsetting the status quo.
"It says to me, first of all, that elections have consequences," UAW President Bob King said. "The Republicans have a supermajority in the (state) Senate and a strong majority in the House, and they are taking advantage of it by pushing a very partisan agenda, which I don't think is good for Michigan.
"It says that we in labor have to do a much better job of engaging our membership and their families and their friends, because I think 90% of the people disagree with the economics of the Republican economic agenda."