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Today (All Times Eastern)
10:50 President Obama meets with the United States Sentencing Commission, Roosevelt Room
1:50: Departs White House
3:20: Arrives Worcester, Mass.
4:0: The President delivers remarks at the Worcester Technical High School Commencement
7:0: Delivers remarks and answers questions at a fundraiser for House Democrats, private residence, Weston, Mass.
8:20: Departs Worcester
10:0: Arrives White House
Later This Week
Thursday: The President will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia at the White House. In the afternoon, the President will welcome the WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx to the White House to honor the team and their victory in the WNBA Finals.
Friday: The President and the First Lady will travel to the Cannonball, North Dakota area to visit the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Following their visit to Indian Country, they will travel to Palm Springs, CA.
Saturday: The President will deliver the commencement address at University of California, Irvine on the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the UC Irvine campus by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The President and the First Lady will return to Washington, D.C on Monday.
President Obama and Tumblr's founder, David Karp
Adam Vaccaro: No, Obama's Student Debt Executive Order Doesn't Incentivize Colleges To Raise Tuition
When President Barack Obama announced yesterday that he would extend the "Pay as You Earn" federal student loan repayment program to older, previously ineligible debtors, it was met with a common contention. I've seen it in a few places, including the comments section in our article on the action. In short, people say that the order will make it easier for students to manage their debt, and that will incentivize schools to raise tuition. The assertion doesn't make any sense. The Pay as You Earn program, which limits monthly payments to 10 percent of a borrowers' income and can allow for loan forgiveness after 20 years of repayments, had previously only been available to new student borrowers. In order to be eligible, debtors could not have taken out a student loan before October 2007, and could not have stopped taking payments before October 2011.
In other words, the program was essentially put in place for the high school class of 2008 and later classes—meaning those currently in school are already eligible for the program. If the program incentivizes colleges to raise tuition—again, probably a fun debate, though it ignores that tuition was already skyrocketing well before the program was put in place—it was already happening. Obama's action, meanwhile, extends the option to older borrowers—those who have already graduated and are making repayments, some at much higher rates than the program allows. The vast majority of those people are by definition already out of school. Who, then, would colleges raise tuition on that they couldn't already?
More here
What the GOP woke up to today. http://t.co/MlncblhPjI—
Jim Roberts (@nycjim) June 11, 2014
Either Rs stand with folks who say this stuff or they stand against them RT @morningmoneyben: Good God. Really? http://t.co/tNvxH45lSa—
Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) June 11, 2014
Washington Post: Republican House Majority Leader Succumbs To Tea Party Challenger Dave Brat
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.), the chamber's second-ranking Republican, was badly beaten in a primary contest Tuesday by an obscure professor with tea party backing — a historic electoral surprise that left the GOP in chaos and the House without its heir apparent. Cantor, who has represented the Richmond suburbs since 2001, lost by 11 percentage points to Dave Brat, an economist at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. It was an operatic fall from power, swift and deep and utterly surprising.
As late as Tuesday morning, Cantor had felt so confident of victory that he spent the morning at a Starbucks on Capitol Hill, holding a fundraising meeting with lobbyists while his constituents went to the polls. By Tuesday night, he had suffered a defeat with few parallels in American history. Historians said that no House leader of Cantor's rank had ever been defeated in a primary. That left stunned Republicans — those who had supported Cantor, and even those who had worked to beat him — struggling to understand what happened.
More here
Nick Wing: If It's A School Week In America, Odds Are There Will Be A School Shooting
Since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, there have been an average of 1.37 school shootings for each school week, according to data maintained by Everytown for Gun Safety, a group fighting to end gun violence. Including Tuesday's incident at a high school in Troutdale, Oregon, 74 school shootings have taken place in the approximately 18 months since the Dec. 14, 2012, Newtown shooting. The average school year typically lasts about 180 days, which means there have been roughly 270 school days, or 54 weeks, of class since the shooting at Newtown.
Cantor's loss is "stunning," "an earthquake," and so on. Another school shooting is, well, not so much.—
Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) June 11, 2014
With 74 total incidents over that period, the nation is averaging well over a shooting per school week. The data maintained by Everytown for Gun Safety also shows that these shootings have occurred throughout the country. In all, 31 states have had an incident of gun violence at a school. Georgia has witnessed far more incidents than others, with 10 happening at schools there since Sandy Hook. There have been seven school shootings in Florida, five in Tennessee, four in North Carolina and four in California.
More here
Caitlin MacNeal: Obama: 'We Should Be Ashamed' Of Failure To Address Gun Violence
President Obama on Tuesday slammed the failure to curb gun violence in the United States. "My biggest frustration so far is the fact that this society has not been willing to take some basic steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who can do just unbelievable damage," he said during a Tumblr Q&A. "This is becoming the norm," he continued about school shootings. "We should be ashamed."
The President addressed lawmakers who blame mass shootings on mental health, not access to guns. "The United States does not have a monopoly on crazy people. It's not the only country that has psychosis. And yet, we kill each other in these mass shootings at rates that are exponentially higher than any place else," he said.
More here
Rob Wile: Small Business Confidence Surges
The NFIB's small business confidence index came in at 96.6 for May — the highest reading since 2007. That also beat expectations for 95.8. Pantheon Macro's Ian Shepherdson says this index is more important than payrolls, and sees this jump to the as a major shift. "At last, small businesses are on the move. We have been waiting for four years for a clean break to the upside, and it's finally here. The rise in the headline largely reflects a 9-point jump in economic expectations and a 5-point rise in sales expectations, but several other components rose too."
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You built this racism, GOP.
Brat rally joke: "A politician, a Muslim, and an illegal alien walk into a bar ... bartender said [Hi] Mr. President" bit.ly/1hOeEGW—
Bill Scher (@billscher) June 11, 2014
It's cute how the pundits are saying Cantor's loss is the nail in immigration reform's coffin as if the GOP was ever serious about doing it.—
Propane Jane (@docrocktex26) June 11, 2014
John B. Judis: Dave Brat And The Triumph Of Rightwing Populism
"Eric is running on the Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable principles," Brat told a Tea Party audience. "They want amnesty for illegal immigrants. They want them granted citizenship. And it's in the millions — 40 millions coming in. if you add 40 million workers to our labor supply, what will happen to the wage rate for the average American?" Brat's appeal was frankly demagogic. Cantor was not supporting amnesty, and there are about 10 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States. Some of Brat's Tea Party supporters took it a step further. Larry Nordvig, the head of the Richmond Tea Party, told a joke at Brat rally.
They'll use Cantor as a cautionary tale, but the real reason they can't budge on immigration is b/c the GOP base is xenophobic and racist.—
Propane Jane (@docrocktex26) June 11, 2014
"A politician, a Muslim, and an illegal alien walk into a bar, and you now what the bartender said? Good evening, Mr. President." If he is elected in November, Brat may, of course, jettison the anti-Wall Street and anti-big business side of his politics. His actual economic views appear to be close to those of the Cato Institute and Ayn Rand. His solutions for America's flagging economy consist in flattening the tax code and cutting spending – positions that will certainly not alienate the Chamber of Commerce or Business Roundtable.
More here
Eric Cantor is the first majority leader in US history to lose in a primary, according to @rollcall atr.rollcall.com/eric-cantor-lo…—
Matt Viser (@mviser) June 11, 2014
Cantoring - (verb) giving the Tea Party everything they demand and still being thrown under the bus—
Political Line (@PoliticaILine) June 11, 2014
Jonathan Cohn: The GOP Just Got a Wake-Up Call: Eric Cantor's Loss Proves The Tea Party Refuses To Rest In Peace
It's going to take a while to figure out precisely what happened Tuesday night in Virginia's 7th House District. Nobody thought Eric Cantor, the second most powerful Republican in the House, would lose his primary campaign to Dave Brat, an anonymous college professor too busy grading exams to attend campaign events. Not too many people even thought it'd be close. Robert Costa of the Washington Post wrote about Brat's surprising popularity a month ago, but the rest of the political press barely noticed.
still Obama's fault RT @jbouie: Any R thinking of working with Obama has just completely changed their mind. @ron_fournier, take note.—
Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) June 11, 2014
@ThePlumLineGS Beltway pundits did specifically demand that Obama prioritize fixing the Republican Party over fixing the economy—
Jason Linkins (@dceiver) June 11, 2014
The obvious explanation for Cantor's defeat is immigration. And in this case, the obvious explanation is probably right. Brat hammered Cantor for his supposed support of "amnesty." Cantor swore the charge was untrue and, lord knows, he wasn't doing anything to advance the cause of immigration reform publicly. It appears the voters didn't believe him. Brat also attacked Cantor for his supposed cooperation with, and enabling of, Obama. This charge may seem strange to the White House and, for that matter, most sentient beings. Few Republicans have spent more energy fighting Obama and the Democrats. And Cantor played a pivotal role in killing the grand bargain that Obama was trying to negotiate with House Speaker John Boehner in 2011
More here
Julia Edwards: Obama Administration To Make Push On American Indian Voting Rights
Concerned that American Indians are being unfairly kept out of the voting process, the Obama administration is considering a proposal that would require voting districts with tribal land to have at least one polling site in a location chosen by the tribe's government, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Monday. Holder said the Justice Department would begin consulting tribal authorities on whether it should suggest that Congress pass a law that would apply to state and local administrators whose territory includes tribal lands. The announcement came as President Barack Obama was expected to travel to an American Indian reservation in North Dakota on Friday.
Last Thursday, Holder addressed a tribal conference in the same state. Associate Attorney General Tony West on Monday will expand upon Holder's announcement in Anchorage, Alaska, where he will address a conference held by the National Congress of American Indians. "Our proposal would give American Indian and Alaska Native voters a right that most other citizens take for granted: a polling place in their community where they can cast a ballot and receive voter assistance to make sure their vote will be counted," West is expected to say, according a statement from the Justice Department.
More here
Daniel Strauss: Cantor Conquerer Caught Off Guard By Policy Questions In Interview
David Brat, who defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) in the Republican primary for Virginia's 7th Congressional District, was surprised when he appeared on MSNBC on Wednesday that he would be asked policy questions. In his interview with MSNBC's Chuck Todd Brat punted when Todd asked him both about the minimum wage and Syria. "Let me ask you a few other issue questions. Where are you on the minimum wage? Do you believe in it and would you raise it?" Todd asked. "Minimum wage, no, I'm a free market guy," Brat responded.
Cantor's friends are FURIOUS, said he was told by consultants that he was up 20-30 points, didn't need to worry...—
Robert Costa (@costareports) June 11, 2014
"Our labor markets right now are already distorted from too many regulations. I think Cato estimates there's $2 trillion of regulatory problems and then throw Obamacare on top of that, the work hours is 30 hours a week. You can only hire 50 people. There's just distortion after distortion after distortion and we wonder why our labor markets are broken." Todd then pressed Brat on the question. "Um, I don't have a well-crafted response on that one," Brat finally conceded. "All I know is if you take the long-run graph over 200 years of the wage rate, it cannot differ from your nation's productivity. Right? So you can't make up wage rates."
More here
CBS News: Judge Strikes Down Teacher Tenure In California
A judge struck down tenure and other job protections for California's public school teachers Tuesday, saying such laws harm students – especially poor and minority ones – by saddling them with bad teachers who are almost impossible to fire. In a landmark decision that could influence the gathering debate over tenure across the country, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu cited the historic case of Brown v. Board of Education in ruling that students have a fundamental right to equal education. Siding with the nine students who brought the lawsuit, he ruled that California's laws on hiring and firing in schools have resulted in "a significant number of grossly ineffective teachers currently active in California classrooms." He agreed, too, that a disproportionate number of these teachers are in schools that have mostly minority and low-income students.
The judge stayed the ruling pending appeals. The case involves 6 million students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The California Attorney General's office said it is considering its legal options, while the California Teachers Association, the state's biggest teachers union with 325,000 members, vowed an appeal. "Circumventing the legislative process to strip teachers of their professional rights hurts our students and our schools," the union said. Teachers have long argued that tenure prevents administrators from firing teachers on a whim. They contend also that the system preserves academic freedom and helps attract talented teachers to a profession that doesn't pay well. Other states have been paying close attention to how the case plays out in the nation's most populous state. The lawsuit was backed by wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur David Welch's nonprofit group Students Matter, which assembled a high-profile legal team including Boutrous, who successfully fought to overturn California's gay-marriage ban.
More here
Brian Beutler: Eric Cantor Lost Because He Exploited Conservatives, Not Immigration
Cantor practices a cunning, devious brand of politics. He played legislative strategy the same way he played intra-conference intrigue—devising too-clever-by-half schemes to seize momentary advantage, often at the expense of bigger picture goals. They frequently blew back at him. When Republicans took back the House, he advocated strategies that culminated in dangerous brinksmanship over funding the government and increasing the debt limit, exactly as conservatives demanded. But he also attempted to set the bizarre precedent of offsetting emergency spending for natural disaster relief with cuts to unrelated social spending programs. He never prevailed, but his position became extremely awkward when a rare and sizable earthquake severely damaged his own district in August 2011. After Obama's re-election, Cantor had to reverse course and orchestrate ransomless debt limit increases, to the great dismay of Republican hardliners. He then pandered to those same hardliners in ways that frequently undermined John Boehner's best-laid plans. These priorities were incongruous, and suggestive of an effort to situate himself as the Speaker's heir apparent, rather than of a commitment to conservative causes.
Same folks who told us months ago immig reform was dead now say Cantor loss CHANGES EVERYTHING AND MEANS IT'S REALLY REALLY DEAD—
Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) June 11, 2014
The Teaparty thought this guy was too liberal. This is actually where they are at. #cantor http://t.co/lxEcMVQhrM—
Miles Tache (@Sublimateus) June 11, 2014
Just two months ago, Cantor end ran around those same conservatives to secure passage of a bill protecting Medicare physicians from a substantial pay cut. For more than a year now, Cantor's stable of influential operatives and former operatives have done battle with the purity obsessed hardliners and opportunists who tried to seize control of the party's legislative strategy. Many of them sought retribution by taking aim at Cantor in his district. In the end the right's beef with him—as with McConnell—was about more than just affect. It was about his willingness to use power politics and procedural hijinks to cut conservatives out of the tangle when expedient. The lesson of his defeat isn't that immigration reform is particularly poisonous, but that the right expects its leaders to understand they can't subsume the movement's energy for tactical purposes, then grant it only selective influence over big decisions.
More here
I'm aghast at the amount of people in media who don't know that VA has open primaries. You all might want to revise your "expert" opinions.—
ScottHenriksenFinley (@ScottyBurberry) June 11, 2014
Nobody listen to me...ever http://t.co/7YPPLsIn0G—
Pun World (@TheFunnyWorId) June 09, 2014
On This Day
First Lady Michelle Obama sits with class valedictorian Jordan Smiley during the graduation ceremonies for Anacostia Senior High School on June 11, 2010 in Washington, DC


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The Plastic Problem: How to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Garden Plastics
Gardening is a beautiful and healthy thing, right? Bright flowers, fresh food, dappled shade from a leafy tree... unfortunately, it also means lots of plastic. The gardening industry consumes hundreds of millions of pounds of plastic each year and, according to Penn State scientist James Garthe, only about 1% of that is recycled - a far lower rate than other industries (about 25% of plastic in milk jugs is recycled, for example).
Why does an industry that should be green have such a horrible track record when it comes to plastic, and what's a home gardener to do?
"The $10 billion-a-year U.S. horticulture industry is based on cheap oil and cheap plastics," writes Beth Botts in the Chicago Tribune. Botts has won awards for her eloquent writing on the problems of garden plastics. Chief among them is the lack of standards for materials, colors or sizes of pots and other garden plastics. Often the materials used are not even identified -- making them devilishly hard to recycle. And the industry shies away from reuse because of the risks of spreading plant disease.
The result is a scenario most gardeners at some point face: an ever-growing tower of pots and flats languishing in the shed, eventually to be thrown out.
But things may be changing. The American Nursery and Landscape Association is developing a biodegradable pot made from chicken feathers it hopes can one day become the standard, and retailers now offer an array of alternatives, from coconut coir and rice hulls to pots made from cow manure. But the impact so far has been limited. Most gardeners still face a mountain of plastic when they visit their local home supply store or nursery. Fortunately, there are things we can do, especially here in the Portland area.
- Grow plants from seed (clean and reuse trays or pots every year) instead of buying starts in disposable plastic pots. It's cheaper, and you can trade seeds and cuttings with friends. Portland has a number of community seed exchanges. You can also buy plants grown in peat pots at some nurseries, and pot-free bare root plants from area nurseries.
- Ditch the plastic plant tags that often blow away and get lost anyway. Leave them at the nursery and ask, while you're at it, what they're doing to reduce plastic. You can reuse old tags that are blank one side, pencil in planting locations on a garden map, or make your own adorable plant tags with old silverware and a permanent marker. (This site shows how to bend the silverware, but you can also use it as is.)
- Avoid plastic packaging by buying fertilizer and other supplies in bulk.
Look for recycled content when buying durable plastic items like hoses, row covers and compost bins. Recycled materials are becoming more and more available. Fabric row covers like Reemay can be reused over and over, and even washed.
It's best to avoid plastic in the first place or reuse it, but we in the Portland metro area can now recycle pots in the blue bin. They have to be rigid and more than four inches in diameter - you just need to rinse them first.
For a more visual treatment of the problem by Allison Cobb, Portland poet and author of an upcoming book on plastic, see this cool Prezi presentation. (And special thanks to Allison Cobb for her contributions to this story.)
Other ideas for avoiding or minimizing plastic in the garden? Please share!

subset: commoncrawl


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If MSNBC were consistent, Keith Olbermann would not have been the only on-air personality disciplined for making political contributions.
For those who don't watch his "Countdown" program (which would be most of the country), Olbermann was suspended "indefinitely" after it was learned he donated money without approval from management to three Democratic congressional candidates. The problem for MSNBC was not only Olbermann's failure to get permission, but that he anchored part of the network's Election Night coverage. Apparently at MSNBC, the chair you sit in matters more than the content of your journalistic character.
Unlike Juan Williams, who was fired by National Public Radio for expressing an opinion on the hated (by liberals) Fox News Channel, Olbermann enjoyed a four-day weekend and is back on the air at MSNBC because he is a liberal and liberals mostly take care of their own.
I am intrigued by MSNBC's policy prohibiting host-anchors from financially contributing to political campaigns, because donating money isn't the only way one can make a contribution. Olbermann, along with other MSNBC hosts, regularly make "in-kind" contributions to Democrats by favoring candidates and policies in line with their beliefs. And yes, some host-anchors at Fox, including Glenn Beck, do the same. Most observers of broadcast TV (and cable news) know of other "contributions" made by on-air personalities, contributions that include the types of questions asked and even the kinds of guests invited to appear on programs.
For a conservative guest, the questioning by a liberal usually goes something like this: "What do you say to people who think you are a jerk?" Translated this means, "I think you're a jerk, but I'll couch it in a way that makes me look professional." To a liberal guest, the liberal host asks: "When did you first realize you were right about everything and the opposition was wrong?" I exaggerate only slightly to make a point. What passes for modern "journalism" is something quite different from what I remember growing up.
Mentors from my days as a copyboy at NBC News in Washington look at me now from black-and-white photos on my office wall. Most of their names would not be familiar to people younger than 40, unless they studied the history of the profession. Among them are Martin Agronsky, Ray Scherer, Bryson Rash, Frank McGee and Elie Abel, all now dead. The late David Brinkley is probably remembered more than the others because of his greater fame and a career that extended into the last decade.
These were real journalists who came to broadcast network news mostly from newspapers and wire services. They could write. They believed journalism was a calling and a public trust. Their agenda was to report facts as they discovered them. Probably most were Democrats, but compared to what passes for contemporary journalism, their politics and opinions were mostly kept out of their reporting. The cynicism created by Vietnam and Watergate began to change journalism and compromised many journalists and the ethical standard by which they once lived.
Today's "opinion journalism," which is a contradiction, has eroded the public's trust in networks and newspapers, as reflected in declining ratings and circulation. People today tune in to programming that only reinforces what they already believe.
Still, Keith Olbermann should not have been disciplined, if that's what a two-day suspension can be called. Instead, each time he makes a political comment, a disclaimer should be put on the screen which states which politicians he favored with donations. The same holds true for all the others. Silencing people does nothing for the credibility of a network. Every network "performer" and newspaper political reporter should have information about his or her actual and in-kind contributions available to the public, including any speeches given that endorse a specific candidate or political group.
We in the media demand full disclosure from politicians. If more of us were transparent about our political "contributions," perhaps the public would trust us more. Or not. Either way, what we demand of others, we should also demand of ourselves and show the way by example.


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Samsung sues Apple over iPhone 5
Samsung has filed suit against Apple and the iPhone 5. No, it's not because Samsung is worried they won't be able to copy "aluminium" fast enough, it's because they feel Apple is violating several of their patents, including six utility patents and 2 standards essential patents involving (non-LTE) wireless networking. Sakthi Prasad et al. from Reteurs have what little word there is at this point:
Samsung is expected to add LTE patents to its portfolio of lawsuits against Apple at some point as well. Two of the current patents being FRAND patents encumbered -- which are supposed to be licensed in a fair, reasonable, and non-descriminating manner, but have increasingly been used counter Apple's proprietary patent suits -- may end up being problematic for Samsung. Use of FRAND patents in lawsuits involving proprietary patents has even led to government investigation in some jurisdictions.
Whether this is simply a case of Apple not paying Samsung what they're due, or Apple believing they're covered by a manufacturer's license and Samsung begging to differ, or Samsung abusing the FRAND concept to try and extort proprietary cross-licenses out of Apple is unknown at this point. Lots of variables, even more arguments.
Samsung recently lost a billion dollar verdict to Apple in US courts when the jury found Samsung had willfully violated Apple's patents and trade dress. That was only one case among many, however, in the global legal battle currently being waged between Apple and Samsung, the two largest rivals in mobile, who also remain among the largest manufacturing partners as well.
No doubt there'll be more as this winds its way through the courts. Meanwhile, no one is coming to your house and taking away your iPhone, or your data connection.
Source: Reuters
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Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.
Please...gives us a break!!!
Shocking behavior from Samsung. This totally doesn't sound like something they would do, especially against Apple! /endheavysarcasm
I thought Qualcomm made the chips for LTE? Besides, we all know Motorola owns the patents for damn near everything related to an electron flowing through a closed circuit...
sorry for ur info.. but samsung holds the LTE patents, thats the reason why apple was after samsung. so when they release their LTE devices they dont have to pay the royalty to samsung.
Apple has quite a few as well.
no doubt bro.. thats y they r suein smasung. Apple wants something frm samsung n vice d versa. this is jus business tactics, or y the hell apple would continue makin their iphone components frm samsung, who they feel copies them. its all business n we all apple n android fan-boys fight wid each other.. n apple n samsung will benifit frm it... thats the bottom line.
I'm so tired of this patent lawsuit back-and-forth that has been going on.
Hahahahahahaha a taste of your own medicine Apple! Enjoy it!!!
you mean because samsung hasnt been suing apple over every little thing they can think of already? how is this different or a taste of ones own medicine? those two have been at it for quite a while ago. each doing thier own share of suing and counter suing.
Samsung, it doesn't matter if you sue Apple or not. What matters now please pay the $700+ millions from the last verdict! Settle and pay this first then we'll talk everything later.
Yeah... That's not the way it works. Get a clue.
You mean the bias US verdict against Samsung? My Sony laptop also have rounded corner and I wonder if Apple will take Sony for court?
Just because something didn't go your way doesn't make it biased. Maybe you need to know the law before you speak out of your rear end next time.
why is that ugly plastic thing trying to mate with that iphone in the picture?
Maybe the GS3 lost a bet and had to jump on the grenade? Or the GS3 is simply out for a good 'ole fashioned night of hogging?
Maybe the GS3 is trying to pay off Samsungs debt with a little bit of the worlds oldest profession.
Rene this write up made me chuckle I must admit. I can't tell if I'm reading sarcasm or serious outrage . Apple is playing big boy ball & will have to deal with its share of lawsuit roulette. After all, lawsuits are baked into the companies DNA. They just fail to mention that when on a self glorifying publicity tour. They won a few recently & lost a few. It'll go on for a long time in the mobile space. Apple may find itself getting hit with a major injunction or ban like they push on others. I'll look forward to your writeup on those stories. Because lately you seem to be taking this personally.
They're giant companies with billions of dollars, if they want to spend their time and money suing each other, that's up to them. I'll just report on it the minimum I have to and hope beyond hope we all get better phones out of it. Eventually.
I'm being just a little facetious so my apologies sir. I too long for a day when these stories aren't written.
Not likely - assuming the Apple/Samsung verdict stands, the lesson all parties will take is that vague patents and aggressive legal clubbing offers the best return on investment. It is going to get *a lot* worse before it gets better. If it ever does.
rene the first thing you said is (Samsung today has filed suit against Apple and the iPhone 5. Not, it's not because Samsung is worried they won't be able to copy "aluminium" fast enough) your reports is to educate people but not take side,and some people are happy that Apple won and get money from samsung,why can apple bring their factor to USA from china that they can creat jobs.
I hope they don't copy aluminium. I don't like my phone to scratch by looking at it.
Did they hire you as his boss? Just asking because i'm not sure how you know what his reports are supposed to do. Just saying guy. Look up top. Pro Apple blog, duh. Don't like it? Don't come back. Simple solution to a simple problem.
Lets Boycott Samsumg is about time enough is enough .
this company need to go back what the do best Fridges and laundry machines thats is made for
and never going to bite Apple jajajjajajaja
Unlike the Apple victory against Samsung, if Apple loses, they have to immediately stop sales of the iPhone 5. Even if they appeal, the iPhone 5 won't be for sale in the US then. Apple won against Samsung for "old" phones no longer on the market, and so Samsung is forced to pay Apple for the problem. Samsung could win this, they own several LTE and on-chip patents. It all depends on how Apple has utilized LTE on it's custom -in-house SoC.
Samsung will be a laughing stalk if they lose this trial. Samsung is just jealous of Apple.
I really enjoy how when Apple sues Samsung it is a matter to cheer about for most people here, yet when it happens the other way, it is time to trash Samsung. Both companies are suing each other, and this will likely continue into the foreseeable future. I think all of this is bad for consumers in the end, and everyone should only cheer when all of this comes to an end and these companies can coexist peacefully. I know that will likely never happen, but one can hope.
These lawsuits overall cause our products to be more expensive.
Haha kind of what you get huh Apple?
The Patents were disclosed, this is not just about LTE. They've expanded a past/already going suit to include iPhone5... http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57524092-37/samsung-makes-good-on-thre... http://www.scribd.com/doc/108669953/Samsung-s-revised-Patent-Complaint-a...
OMG why can't everyone just get along!?!
What would be most humourous is if Samsung manages to spook the carriers into using something else that doesn't infringe the LTE patents that Samsung claims. If it's a standard, it's only a standard if the carriers use it too, and Samsung ... you need the carriers more than they need you.
Soooo jelaous of Apple , cause their Galaxys sucks..haha
who cares? that's just part of the business world
Really getting tied of these "Are you dead, and don't know it???" Call Cheatem, Scamem, and Lie. We will get the money you deserve. Well your dead, so we will keep it in a safe place, and remember, you don't pay anything unless you win. Being an attorney with these companies, is big business. Yes, fight for what is right, but it is now just a waste. This last judge was very upset with both companies. The only way to make them work it out, is to have the power to freeze all their money, until they sit down, and work it out. One can only hope.
Butt hurt. This just makes Samsung look even more ridiculous.
I see many competing issues with Apple vs Samsung and Samsung vs Apple. Every company that is introducing new products does due diligence into what patents they may or may not be infringing on so they can be be assured for any potential legal issue down the road. However major corporations also know that if the patent(s) in question are FRAND they can likely ignore them and wait for the lawsuits to grind their way along, in the end the payment due may very likely be far less than if they had negotiated up front and the profits they are generating may also be out weighing the cost of legal fees. If Apple is using Samsung's LTE patents and they are FRAND related that is one thing, but if they are "Feature" related which Samsung is also alleging then those may not be covered under FRAND and in turn could be costly to Apple. Whether or not people think our legal system is biased (I feel it can be seen as biased across, Civil, Criminal, Pro Big Business, anti Little Business, etc). The question now comes up does Samsung have a chance of getting a fair hearing and an impartial jury given the last verdict (right or wrong is for the Appeals Court to decide). Apple is neither guilty nor innocent, that is for a court to decide and subsequent appeals. Perhaps if companies actually paid for the FRAND patents up front like they are obligated to do, and if they feel the FRAND licensing fee is not FRAND then they have alternative methods at their discretion. After all FRAND is there for a reason and they can sue.
It's getting very very tedious. Maybe samsung should spend the millions it takes to rty and sue every other company that does better than them, into developing a phone that beats the rest.......boring boring boring. I wouldn't buy a samsung phone if they were the last on the planet...simply because I am fed up with their nonsense!


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Computational Sciences Information Specialist
Purdue University — West Lafayette
0 other recent jobs
Created: April 29, 2013
DescriptionPurdue University has identified "Big Data" as a major thrust for inter-disciplinary research and education. Several faculty positions are available in enabling technologies as well as in domain sciences that deal with the use and management of digital data. The new hires will join a strong faculty group engaged in this thrust area and will have a unique opportunity to help shape Purdue's vision and research/education agenda in "Big Data".
Responsibilities: Candidates for tenure and tenure-track positions at the Assistant/Associate professor level will be considered. Strong interest in inter-disciplinary activities is required. Outstanding candidates with an interest in all data-related areas of computer science and engineering, physics, civil engineering and library science will be considered. Examples of specific fields of interest are data infrastructure (storage and networking), system software infrastructure (OS, programming models), scalable analytics (data mining and machine learning at scale), analytics presentation (information visualization) and data-enabled methods (data curation and preservation) and applications in domain sciences.
Qualifications: Candidates must hold a PhD degree in one of the above-mentioned areas or in a closely related discipline, or an MLS for appointment within the Libraries faculty, have demonstrated potential for excellence in research, and be committed to excellence in teaching. Successful candidates will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses, conduct research in their field of expertise, and participate in interdisciplinary "Big-Data" activities.
Applications: Salary and benefits are highly competitive. Submit applications online at https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/InfoFor/Employment/ptApplication?position_ids%3Alist=79 (APPLY HERE). The application should include a cover letter, a complete and detailed vitae, and statements of research and teaching interests. Also, please include names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses for three or more references. For questions regarding the application process, please contact Nicole Piegza (firstname.lastname@example.com). Applications for positions to begin in Fall 2013 are now being considered; the review will continue until the positions are filled. A background check will be required for employment in these positions. Hard copy applications can be sent to: Big Data Search Chair, Department of Computer Science, 305 N. University Street, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
How to apply
Published: Monday, April 29, 2013 12:54 UTC
Last updated: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 23:45 UTC


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Picture this: It's Christmas Day. You've opened up your gifts and want to get away from way too much family crashing at your place.
Or perhaps you don't celebrate Christmas and today is just another day off, albeit one where all the fun things are closed.
Or are they? If you need to just get out of the house on Christmas Day, here's a few places you can count on.
1. The mountains
If you live in the Lower Mainland, the North Shore hills, as well as Whistler, are all open Christmas Day. Not on the south coast? Places like Big White in the Okanagan are open, too.
Wishing you a very merry Christmas from all of us at Grouse Mountain. We encourage you to share the joy this holiday season! https://t.co/4LJUvjea0u pic.twitter.com/xVzdEHr9xa
— Grouse Mountain (@grousemountain) December 20, 2019
2. Vancouver Aquarium
If you want to swim with the dolphins, well, you're out of luck but you can look at some marine life at the Vancouver Aquarium. They're open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Day.
#Pupdate: Taz met Katmai this week and things got hairy…er, fluffy?
Taz is practicing her grooming skills on a patient Katmai in this sweet clip 🥺 pic.twitter.com/yIA8boxiF3
— Vancouver Aquarium (@vanaqua) December 12, 2019
3. Movie theatres
Most movie theatres are open Christmas Day. Whether you want to watch something festive, or forget about Christmas altogether, there's a spot – and a giant tub of popcorn – just waiting for you.
Come gather where it's warm, cozy and all lit up! Check out your Holiday Movie Guide here: https://t.co/minPfOUAqe ✨ pic.twitter.com/p6Nm67ZKQh
— Cineplex (@CineplexMovies) December 5, 2019
4. Netflix
Don't want to leave the house? We get it – baby, it's cold outside. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crave, Disney+ are all open 24/7, so you can catch the cheesiest holiday movie you can find, or binge that series you've been waiting to watch.
merry christmas eve eve
— Netflix Canada (@Netflix_CA) December 23, 2019
5. Play in the snow
This isn't for those of us in the Lower Mainland, but if you're in a place that gets snow – get out there! And even if there's no snow, take a wander around your neighbourhood and check out the light displays.
6. Chinese food
This one's a cliche, but it's a cliche for a reason. There's a good chance your local Chinese place joint will be open Christmas Day, so if you're not cooking Christmas dinner – you're welcome.
7. Grab the essentials
Finally, this isn't as fun, but if you forgot to stock up on some essentials before Christmas Day, some stores will be open. Many 7/11 stores, Shoppers Drug Marts, Starbucks, McDonald's, Tim Hortons and some Subways keep their doors open.


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To this day, Coca-Cola still imports coca leaves which are used to manufacture cocaine in the United States
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
(NaturalNews) Coca leaves have been chewed and consumed as tea for thousands of years in the high Andes. They are rich in many essential nutrients; they ease respiratory and digestive distress and are a natural stimulant and painkiller. Indigenous tradition and scientific studies have both confirmed that in their natural form, the leaves are completely safe and non-addictive — it takes intensive processing and toxic chemical ingredients to produce cocaine. That's why more and more coca-containing products have started to hit the market in Andean countries in the past few years.
Yet the United States still aggressively pursues an eradication policy that encourages Andean governments to spray their forests with toxic chemicals to eliminate this medicinal crop. It is illegal to import or possess the leaves under U.S. law — unless you're the Coca-Cola company. In an effort to preserve the traditional flavor of the best-selling drink, the company long ago convinced the U.S. government to exempt it from the law.
(Coca-Cola, by the way, used to literally contain cocaine in its original formula. The practice was halted in 1903, but the name persisted. The "coca" part of "coca-cola" is derived from the coca plant, and the "kola" comes from the kola nut which also flavored the original beverage.)
The secret history of Coca-Cola, coca leaves and cocaine
Coca-Cola is the only U.S. corporation that has been granted the right to legally import coca leaves into the United States, via a coca processing lab known as the Stepan Company). In 1922, the Jones-Miller Act banned cocaine imports into the United States, but Coca-Cola (and its lab) was granted an exception. This exception remained a secret until the late 1980's when the New York Times seemed shocked to discover the truth.
This week, details of how Coca-Cola obtains the coca and how it is processed emerged from interviews with Government officials and scientists involved in drug research programs. They identified the Illinois-based Stepan Company as the importer and processor of the coca used in Coke. After Stepan officials acknowledged their ties to Coca-Cola, the soft drink giant confirmed those details of its operations.
In a telephone interview from Coca-Cola's Atlanta headquarters, Randy Donaldson, a company spokesman, said, "Ingredients from the coca leaf are used, but there is no cocaine in it and it is all tightly overseen by regulatory authorities."
100 tons of cocaine ingredients each year – let's do the math
Approximately 100 metric tons of coca leaves are imported to the Stepan Company each year under "special permission" from the DEA. Keep all this in mind when you consider the total fraud of the current "War on Drugs" and how young African American men are given ten-year prison sentences for pot possession while one of the largest corporations in America is actually importing leaves that are used to manufacture cocaine.
Once the coca leaves are imported into the USA under these special permissions from the DEA, the cocaine is extracted out of the coca leaves. Coca-Cola doesn't use the cocaine, you see. There is no cocaine in Coca-Cola today.
This brings up an obvious question: Where does all the white powder cocaine go if not to Coca-Cola? It turns out that this cocaine is sold to a St. Louis company called Mallinckrodt Incorporated.
Mallinckrodt receives not only all the cocaine from the Coca-Cola imports, but also imports opium from India In addition, this company also buys THC extracted from marijuana grown in the United States. So much for the War on Drugs, huh? It turns out if you buddy up to the DEA and federal regulators, you can make all the cocaine you want while buying opium and marijuana by the ton — as long as you're a powerful corporation with ties to Coca-Cola and other wealthy organizations.
More than a quarter ton of cocaine for "medicinal" use?
It's a reasonable question to wonder where all this cocaine and opium ends up going after it arrives at Mallinckrodt. The official explanation is that it's for "medical use." But let's do the math on this and see if that explanation holds water.
According to various websites that are readily found in any search engine, it takes roughly 300 grams of coca leaves to produce 1 gram of refined cocaine. This means that 100 metric tons of coca leaves (100 x 1000 kilograms, or 100,000 kilograms) can produce roughly 333 kilos of cocaine each year.
Ask around… That's a lot of cocaine. Remember, too, that these are 333 kilos of cocaine approved by the DEA — an agency which claims to be fighting a "war on drugs" but somehow grants immunity to Coca-Cola suppliers who are literally manufacturing hundreds of kilos of cocaine each year.
All this brings up the obvious question: What is the Mallinckrodt company doing with 333 kilos of cocaine each year? Throwing a big annual Christmas party or something? It is impossible to imagine that 333 kilos of cocaine are being used for "medical purposes" unless you have a very loose definition of "medical purposes." Although this is pure conjecture, I wouldn't be surprised to learn if a significant portion of this was handed out to top DEA officials as bribes to pay them off and keep the cocaine operation running.
Enough lines of cocaine for the entire U.S. Congress!
Continuing with the math, 333 kilos is (obviously) 333,000 grams of cocaine. How much cocaine is that, exactly? Well, according to TheGoodDrugsGuide.com, a typical "line" of cocaine (a "line" is what a typical user will inhale to ingest the cocaine) contains 50 – 75mg, or roughly 1/20th of a gram.
This means that each gram of cocaine is enough to make up to 20 "lines" of cocaine, give or take, depending on how crazy you and your friends are.
Multiply that by the 333,000 grams of cocaine that could be produced from the 100 metric tons of cocaine leaves being imported into the USA each year, and you come to the astonishing realization that the coca leaves imported for the benefit of the Coca-Cola company can be processed into the equivalent of 6.66 million lines of cocaine each year!
Here's the math again (calculations are all rounded for the sake of convenience, so they're just rough estimates):
100 metric tons of coca leaves = 100,000 kilograms of coca leaves
100,000 kilograms of coca leaves produces 333 kilograms of cocaine
333 kilograms equals 333,000 grams
333,000 grams of cocaine can be divided into 6.66 million "lines" of cocaine
P.S. According to Wiki Answers, 333,000 grams of cocaine is worth roughly $16.7 million on the street (at $50 a gram).
It strains the limits of believability to think that 333,000 grams of cocaine are being used for "medical purposes" in America. How and where are 333,000 grams of cocaine being used for "medical purposes?" I mean, have you ever gone to your doctor and watched him write a prescription for cocaine? Nope.
This seemingly leaves only three possibilities for where all this cocaine is going:
Possibility #1) The Mallinckrodt company might be stockpiling massive amounts of cocaine each year, perhaps dwarfing Disneyland's "Space Mountain" ride.
Possibility #2) The Mallinckrodt company might be somehow destroying massive amounts of cocaine each year. (But human greed probably prevents this from happening, given that this white power is so darned valuable…)
Possibility #3) The Mallinckrodt company might be "losing track" of massive amounts of cocaine each year (i.e. is disappears out the back door and into the hands of DEA agents and politicians who keep the whole operation "legal"). This is one case where brown-nosing the DEA leaves a thin layer of white dust on your nose, too.
Or hey, maybe all this cocaine is being quietly distributed to all the doctors and pharmacists who are chronically addicted to drugs themselves — it's a huge percentage of the medical workforce because they have access to drugs on a day-to-day basis and they think they need a pharmaceutical kick to survive their long work hours. 6.66 million lines of cocaine is enough to keep a few thousand pharmacists churning away, filling high-profit prescriptions for painkillers and psychiatric drugs that turn everybody else into addicts, too.


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Riverdale's first gay character, Kevin Keller, joins the military, meets his partner and walks down the aisle in Life with Archie #16, released in comic book stores today. The series, which follows the lives of Riverdale High School students a few years after graduation, focuses on Kevin and his life as a young adult in its January issue.
In this issue, readers discover that Kevin decided to follow in his father's footsteps by joining the military, and following an injury in Iraq, he meets Dr. Clay Walker at a hospital's rehabilitation unit. While Dr. Walker helps Kevin regain his ability to walk, the two develop a friendship. It's not until a chance encounter at an airport that they start dating, which eventually leads to their marriage in Riverdale.
In an interview with CNN, Kevin's creator, Dan Parent, described marriage as a natural step for his character. In February, Kevin Keller will be getting his own Archie title in which, just like the other characters have experienced in the past, Kevin's dating life will be a major plotline.
The introduction of Kevin to the Riverdale group a year ago came after efforts by Archie Comics to develop a universe in which the complexity of their fans' world is reflected. "Riverdale, Archie and the gang are set in high school, and we ran a risk, unless we reflect what's going on with kids today in the real world, of becoming irrelevant," said Archie Comics CEO Jonathan Goldwater.
With Riverdale being a picture perfect image of the reality we live in, it is important for readers to see the diversity of American life reflected in this idealistic universe. Kevin, a charismatic and loved character, gives readers an image they can look up to and relate to. His prominence as an LGBT character, his dating life, the depiction of his wedding and his military career are important images for comic book readers across the country who are fans of the series.


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"It wasn't free agency that changed the NFL; it was the salary cap." The words of high-profile sport agent Leigh Steinberg help explain why negotiations between players and owners in all four of America's major professional sports are taking on so much importance in 2011. As outlined by America's leading sport business expert Rick Horrow in the upcoming Beyond the Scoreboard: An Insider's Guide to the Business of Sport (Human Kinetics, 2011), the collective bargaining agreements (CBA) of football, baseball, basketball, and hockey are due to expire over the next two years. Most leagues argue that setting a salary cap, like the one used by the National Football League, provides competitive balance, ensures profitability at the team level, and promotes widespread sharing by players of the sport's total revenues.
"As agents try to get their players the most money possible, executives are asked to turn limited dollars into championships," says Horrow, who serves as a sport business analyst for Fox Sports, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the BBC. "Teams are asking more and more of their athlete workforce—more playing time for less money and fewer perks. This issue is at the heart of the negotiations, placing the onus on agents and executives, just as much as it's placed on players and owners, to find common ground since, at the end of the day, responsible management means more money for everyone."
Horrow points out that while the National Hockey League has so far stayed relatively quiet about its yet-to-come CBA talks, team owners in the National Basketball Association, where the current CBA is set to expire in just a few weeks at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season, are reportedly planning to drop the players' salaries immensely during negotiations with the NBPA. They are also looking to shorten the maximum length of a contract to four or five years, with only the first two years guaranteed. Making the third and fourth years guaranteed only if a player reaches certain performance-based incentives would make the labor scenario in the NBA look much more like that in the National Football League.
There is also support for the Major League Baseball model, where the clubs with the highest payrolls have a higher likelihood of success on the field.
"The New York Yankees had a $208 million payroll in 2009, by far the highest in baseball," explains Horrow. "Was it sheer coincidence the franchise won its 27th World Series title that year?" But in baseball, without a salary cap, salaries seem particularly out of whack at a time when national unemployment hovers around 10 percent. Even the most inexperienced rookies in the majors are guaranteed a $400,000 minimum salary, the same salary paid to President Barack Obama. Yet MLB, facing the same down economy as everyone else, has slowly started to rationalize its pay structure, which looks to be the crux of upcoming baseball labor talks.
It's in the NFL where CBA talks have sport industry executives, as Horrow puts it, "doubling up on their blood pressure medication." Since a new deal wasn't consummated by Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith by March 2010, the 2010 season operated without a salary cap. And in early March 2011, the league's current agreement with its players expired, leaving in question whether or not the 2011 season will even take place.
Beyond the Scoreboard, coauthored by Horrow Sports Ventures vice president Karla Swatek, tackles the salary cap and many other hot-button topics head on, giving readers insider access to the boardrooms, negotiating tables, and executive suites of sport's most influential powerbrokers. For more information,
For more information, see Beyond the Scoreboard.


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The world is going Android crazy, with Google currently registering 200,000 activations per day. Is that a reflection of the popularity of the operating system or the sheer number of phones now jumping on board?
It's probably a mixture of both but, given those figures, we're going to see more and more phones like the ZTE Racer.
This sub-£100 Android 2.1-packing smartphone is the cheapest device to offer the Google operating system yet, and ZTE's first.
Affordable Android appears to be the order of the day. The T-Mobile Pulse Mini, Vodafone 845 and LG Optimus have all offered cheap alternatives to the blockbusting HTC, Samsung and Motorola Android phones, but can ZTE make an impression where those before have failed?
For a budget handset, the ZTE racer has quite a solid feel. Its smooth, matt plastic finish encases a 2.8-inch touchscreen, and below that are three touch-sensitive buttons: Home, Menu and Back.
Strangely, there's no search button. It's something we're used to seeing pretty on much every Android device, and it's missed here. If you want to access the phone's general search functionality, you'll need to do so through the Menu key.
Beneath those buttons sits a backlit plastic strip with a metallic finish, providing the Call and End call functionality. The strip lights up when any of the phone's keys pressed, while holding End call brings up the power menu. Overall it's quite an eye-catching feature.
The back of the device is also very pretty. We really like the matt finish; it gives the phone a pleasant feel, although it does get grubby pretty quickly. Everyone loves the Android robot, so it's nice to see him plastered on the back of the device.
Probably less welcome is the whopping great Three Mobile icon. The underdog network is again partnering with the Chinese manufacturer, as it has on many of its budget devices.
The silver-encased 3.2-megapixel camera's lens sits dead centre at the top of the handset. It's an interesting placement, but not an unwelcome one, because it keeps our paws out of the frame.
At 100g, the device has a reassuringly weighty feel, and most of the weight on this pocket-friendly 102 x 55 x 14.5mm device appears to sit at the thicker top half of the device, which becomes slimmer as it moves to the bottom.
This is a contrast to devices like the Vodafone 845, which serves up a rather flimsy-feeling symmetrical handset. The Racer is better.
The sides of the device are a stylish silver, the varying width of which reflects the shape of the handset. The left-hand side is clear of controls, while the right side has an uncovered micro-USB charging port and the volume bar. There's no hard camera button.
On top of the device is a 3.5mm jack and an extremely small power and screen-lock key. It's really too small and awkward to get at when using the device. Thankfully, you can wake the screen by pressing the touch-sensitive panel if the screen has timed out, rather than locking.
Overall, however, the candybar design feels comfortable to use and sits very nicely in the hand. The varying weight of the top and the bottom lends itself to quite a high grip.
Something that lets the phone down a little is how visible the edges of the touchscreen panel are. It goes a little way to cheapening what is definitely one of the most well designed budget handsets on the market.


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You are hereHow to get to the rodeo
How to get to the rodeo
Driving Directions with Google Maps
Printable Version of this page (PDF)
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is located at the end of Highway 66, approximately twenty-two miles northwest of the town of St. Francisville, Louisiana (Highway 61).
From New Orleans: Take I-10 to Baton Rouge. At exit 155-B, turn right onto ramp towards I-110/Business District/Metro Airport. I-110 ends at US Highway 61. Turn right (North) onto US Highway 61. Travel approximately twenty-six miles to Highway 66. Turn left on Highway 66. Highway 66 ends at the gates of Louisiana State Penitentiary.
From Baton Rouge: Follow I-110 (Martin Luther King Highway) to Highway 61 North (look for exit sign to Natchez/St. Francisville); this is a turn to the right. Travel approximately twenty-one miles to St. Francisville, and then follow the directions given above from St. Francisville.
From St. Francisville: Travel north on Highway 61 for approximately two miles. Shortly after passing the West Feliciana High School (appearing on your right), turn left onto Highway 66 using the turning lane provided. The twenty mile long highway ends at the penitentiary's front gate.
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A "monstrous" jump in demand for Android-equipped smartphones has turned the market upside down, a retail pollster said today.
Of the people who told ChangeWave Research in a mid-December survey that they planned to buy a smartphone in the next 90 days, 21% said they expected to purchase a handset powered by Google 's Android operating system. That number represented a 250% increase over the 6% that pegged Android as their mobile OS of choice when ChangeWave last queried consumers' plans in September.
"That change rivals anything that we've seen in the last three years of the smartphone market," said Paul Carton, ChangeWave's director of research, adding that the sudden surge in consumer interest in Android had "roiled" the market.
"This is an indication that Android has finally caught consumer interest," added Carton, who cited the recent advertising campaign by Motorola for its Droid smartphone as the reason why interest in the operating system has skyrocketed.
In September, the Android OS was tied for last place in consumers' preference among the major mobile operating systems. Since then, it "has surged into second place ahead of all competitors except the iPhone OS," said Carton.
The iPhone remained the No. 1 desired smartphone, according to ChangeWave's latest survey, with 28% of those who plan on buying in the next three months saying that they would choose an Apple device. However, that figure was down four percentage points from September, when 32% said that they would acquire an iPhone.
The drop in the iPhone's planned purchasing percentage wasn't unexpected. "The first two quarters after the introduction of the iPhone 3G [in mid-2008], you saw this huge pop in buying plans, and then a downtick," Carton said. "Same for the 3GS ... actually, the drop-off for the iPhone after the 3GS was far less than the 3G."
Android's leap translated into good news for Motorola and HTC, the most prominent makers of Google-powered handsets, with the former reaping most of the benefit. Motorola's share of smartphone purchases in the next 90 days shot up from 1% in September to 13% in December. Carton tagged the company's Droid as the reason.
"[It's] the first increase for Motorola we've seen in three years," said Carton.
All smartphone makers and mobile operating system developers are benefiting from the industry-wide upswing in sales, Carton contended. Approximately 42% of the 4,000-plus American consumers surveyed in December said they owned a smartphone, a three-point increase over September and 10 points higher than a year ago. "If a rising tide lifts all boats, then just by itself, the increase [in sales] means that it gets dicey to bet against anybody, or to bet on just one company," Carton said. "But Android phones are clearly going to benefit the most from this tick up."
The only mobile OS makers that Carton would peg as being in real trouble from Android's new popularity were Palm and Microsoft . "This puts a lot of pressure on the Palm Pre ," he said, noting that the Pre didn't have enough time to solidify its place in the smartphone market before Android handsets became the newest and latest rage. "And Windows Mobile ... those are the [operating systems] that have to worry about Android's numbers, they're the ones that have to strike back somehow, not Apple or RIM. It's hard to bet against those two."
Consumers who own an Android-powered smartphone are almost as satisfied with their purchases as are iPhone owners, who have been historically extremely happy with their hardware. Of the people who told ChangeWave they had an Android handset, 72% said they were "very satisfied;" 77% of those who reported they own an iPhone answered the same way.
By comparison, only 41% of the people who own a BlackBerry said they were very satisfied, and just 25% of Windows Mobile-equipped smartphone owners rated their satisfaction using that phrase.
While he acknowledged the buzz around the expected announcement on Tuesday of a Google-branded smartphone, Carton argued that it was unlikely that the Nexus One would kill sales of other Android smartphones. He cited Motorola's Droid as especially immune, in large part because of its link to Verizon.
"Unless Google's phone is magnitudes better, I can't see people walking out of Verizon and heading to T-Mobile," he said. Reports have pegged T-Mobile as the likely carrier partner for Google's own smartphone. "Look at Google's move not in the short term," Carton said. "But for three or four years from now."
ChangeWave has posted some of the smartphone survey data on its Web site.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld . Follow Gregg on Twitter @gkeizer , send e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed .


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Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles
"Penn State Humanities Laureate presentation is Monday, Oct. 7
The Penn State Humanities Laureate loves pop culture, yeah yeah yeah.
Kenneth Womack, a prolific writer on movies and music (and even the Sheetz convenience store chain), will share his Beatles scholarship on Monday, Oct. 7, at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles" takes place at 5 p.m. in 236 Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center. It is free and open to the public; parking will be available in the deck located behind Burke Center, off Technology Drive.
In this interactive multimedia presentation Womack traces the Beatles' songwriting practices, recording artistry and musicianship from its early, primitive recordings through the aesthetic heights of "Abbey Road" at the twilight of the band's career. He illustrates this artistic growth using a wide range of music and film clips.
Womack is a professor of English and integrative arts at Penn State Altoona and the 2013-14 Penn State Humanities Laureate. An honorary position established in 2008, the laureate is a full-time faculty member who spends half of one academic year traveling the state to promote the arts and humanities.
Womack has written three novels and multiple works of nonfiction about the Beatles, including "Long and Winding Roads" and "The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles." His newest book, "The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four" will be released in February 2014 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' legendary appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Also forthcoming from Womack are "The Mammoth Book of Movies" and "Made to Order: The Story of Sheetz," a chronicle of the family-owned convenience store chain based in Altoona.
For additional information about this event, contact Sarah E. Whitney, assistant director of Academic Administration, at 814-898-6158 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Bar will honor Regan for community service
CONCORD – The New Hampshire Bar Association announces the winners of its annual awards for private and public sector attorneys who have distinguished themselves through dedicated service and outstanding practice of law.
NH Bar President Larry Vogelman will present the following awards at the Honors and Awards Luncheon at the NHBA Midyear Meeting scheduled for March 8, at the Center of New Hampshire in Manchester:
The Vickie M. Bunnell Award for Community Service goes to Christopher T. Regan of Durham.
Regan, a solo law practitioner in and an at-large governor on the NHBA Board of Governors, is a classic example of the small-firm practitioner, active both in his community and his profession. A past president of the Strafford County Bar Association, Regan has been the town moderator in Durham since 2006. He has been a member of several state and community boards and has volunteered to assist with community fundraising efforts. He's also a member of the Durham Business Association and a volunteer at Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth.
Other awards include:
Distinguished Service to the Public Award to Margaret H. Nelson.
Nelson, an attorney with Sulloway & Hollis, recently stepped down after 16 years as a member of the NHBA Professional Conduct Committee, of which she had served as chair since August 2002.
Outstanding Service in the Public Sector/Public Interest Law Award to Alan Linder.
Linder is senior staff attorney at New Hampshire Legal Assistance, where he has worked for nearly 30 years.
The luncheon will also include a celebration of 40 years of service to justice by the NH Public Defender Program. For more information, contact NHBA Communications Director Dan Wise at 603-715-3264 or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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July 20th, 2013
White churches uncommonly quiet after Zimmerman verdict
By Jeffrey Weiss, special to CNN
(CNN) Even before the jury read their verdict acquitting George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a number of black religious leaders had responses at the ready.
The voices of white pastors and predominantly white churches and religious groups? Much harder to find.
Nearly a week later, some denominations that often weigh in on matters of national policy have yet to go on the public record. It's particularly notable in the leadership of the Catholic Church, the country's largest religious body.
Admittedly, the flood of responses from black religious leaders was a partly a function of where the TV cameras were pointed.
Familiar figures such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson hit Twitter moments after the verdict was released.
Less familiar figures, such as Pastor Michael McBride, head of the PICO Lifelines to Healing Campaign, immediately issued a call for peaceful demonstrations. McBride had also prepared a tool kit for "Hoodie Sundays" in honor of Martin before Saturday night's verdict.
The Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, preached a sermon about Martin's death on Sunday.
Others took longer to react.
National Council of Churches President Kathryn Lohre took a couple of days to release a statement about the "shocking impunity granted by a Florida jury to a man who stalked and killed a black child."
Similarly, the two largest Protestant denominations in America took several days to figure out their responses.
By Tuesday, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the first African-American leader of that body, offered a bland quote to his denomination's official news service.
"Some people are upset, angry and frustrated, while others are in full support of the verdict, so where does the church fit in? The church should be there to pray for both families, the city of Sanford, and our nation," said the Rev. Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans.
Russell Moore, head of the convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, took a stronger stand, saying that regardless of the verdict, Zimmerman was wrong to take "upon himself some sort of vigilante justice."
Several bishops, white and black, from the United Methodist Church rapidly offered their thoughts on the denomination's website. That included the white bishop for the area that includes Sanford, Florida, where Zimmerman shot Martin.
But other organizations where reactions might have been expected still haven't posted anything.
Where's the response from the Union of Reform Judaism? Where's a comment from the leaders of the Episcopal Church?** What's the position of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America?
Those, however, are religious groups that represent relatively few Americans. The largest claims fewer than 5 million members.
The most notable silence is from the American Catholic hierarchy, who head a church that claims to have nearly 70 million members.
It's not necessarily surprising that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has not issued a comment. The conference is large and sometimes moves slowly.
But it has committees that can be more nimble.
The day after Vermont legalized assisted suicide, for instance, Cardinal Seán O'Malley of Boston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, warned of a "slippery slope" and urged Catholics to fight the future passage of such laws.
But there's been nothing I can find from any Catholic committees this week.
Nothing from Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the conference president. Nothing from the bishops' Subcommittee on African American Affairs. Nothing from Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, former president of the conference and the first black man to hold the office.
In fact, when I searched the web for "Catholic" and "Bishop" and "Trayvon" and "Zimmerman" and "verdict" over the past week, I found only one bishop on the record: Retired Bishop John H. Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, now president of the National Black Catholic Congress. And that wasn't until Friday.
Ricard told Catholic News Service that it is proper for the church to encourage prayers for Martin and his family and Zimmerman and his family - "his life will never be the same either."
He also said that he didn't see a place in the church to foster interracial dialogues to deal with the vastly different understandings of the verdict by many whites and blacks.
It's not as if there isn't a logical opening for Catholic leaders to offer an opinion. Zimmerman, after all, is a former Catholic altar boy, according to news reports.
The official catechism of the church includes a section, 2263, on the right to self-defense. And individual bishops have not been reluctant in the past to speak out on questions of racial justice.
I did locate a parish priest who gingerly approached the topic: The Rev. Richard Voor serves at All Souls Catholic Church in Sanford, Florida, where the Trayvon Martin trial was held.
On Sunday, the day after the verdict, he focused his homily on the parable of the Good Samaritan.
It's a story that turns racial profiling on its head, of course. The hero of the tale, the Samaritan, belonged to a group that was a persecuted minority 2,000 years ago.
For several minutes, Voor circled rhetorically around the elephant in the room, talking about compassion and mercy and unpacking the historical understanding of the story.
"If somebody does something to us we kind of react and react badly sometimes and then we react back. You know how that goes? It's called the circle of violence," he said. "It happens between families, it happens between countries, it happens between groups of people."
Finally, Voor addressed directly the subject his parishioners were surely thinking about:
"I would suggest to you, especially what we've all been through in Sanford in the past 17 months, that what we need is compassion," the priest said. "Because people are all invested in one way of looking at that whole situation or the other way…this has really affected everybody."
Jeffrey Weiss is an award-winning religion reporter in Dallas.
** After this article was posted, an Episcopalian noted that the church's COO, Bishop Stacey Sauls, had a written a blog post about the verdict on July 15. You can read it here.
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About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.


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Winter Tool Maintenance
ANY GARDEN TOOL with a steel blade and a wooden handle will last longer if you clean and oil it every winter. And come spring, you'll be more excited to use gear that looks spiffy—and actually works. First, hose off tools and use a brush to scrub off soil or mud. Let them dry, then rid them of rust with steel wool, 80-grit sandpaper, or, worst case, a wire brush. To prevent future rust, cut some motor oil with kerosene in a 2:1 ratio and rub it onto any steel parts with a cotton rag. Treat wooden handles with a cotton rag dipped in linseed oil. Hang your arsenal on racks or nails in a dry place so blades don't touch each other or become blunted. While you're at it, why not hold a tool-cleaning party? The oil, kerosene, linseed oil, wire brushes, and sandpaper can be shared, reused, and, perhaps, accompanied by some leftover holiday cheer. A belly-warming toddy will surely make the task far less onerous.
For tool-sharpening tips, see Kate Bryant's blog, Plantwise.


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12 results, sorted by
Europe Christian Lindner on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
A year ago, on 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting a war of aggression against the entire Ukrainian territory. As Christian Lindner stated on the occasion of this anniversary, Ukraine is fighting for the values that we hold dear. We will remain on Ukraine's side until it prevails in this war.
Europe Press statement by Christian Lindner and Bruno Le Maire
Finance Minister Christian Lindner and his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire met in Paris for talks on pressing matters of fiscal policy. Prior to their meeting, they issued a joint press statement.
Europe Joint press conference on the Franco-German Economic and Financial Council
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire and German Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck gave press statements following the virtual Franco-German Economic and Financial Council.
eurogroup Finance Minister Christian Lindner before the start of the Eurogroup meeting
Before the start of the Eurogroup meeting, Finance Minister Christian Lindner talked about his priorities: tackling inflation with fiscal policy measures, implementing a minimum corporate tax at national level if the EU cannot reach an agreement, and the G7's oil price cap.
Europe Bilateral talks in Greece and Bulgaria
Finance Minister Christian Lindner travelled to Greece and Bulgaria on 14 June 2022. In Athens, he met with Finance Minister Christos Staikouras and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. During the talks, Lindner highlighted his great respect for Greece's achievements in overcoming its debt crisis. You can watch the exchange between Lindner und Mitsotakis here.
Europe Joint press conference with Bruno Le Maire
At a joint press conference, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire discussed gas supplies from Russia, among other topics. Both ministers emphasised that contracts are contracts, and both strongly agreed that political blackmail must be rejected. Minister Lindner reiterated that the gas supply contracts were concluded in euros and will continue to be …
Public finances Christian Lindner at the Bundestag's special session on the war in Ukraine
At the Bundestag's special session addressing Russia's attack on Ukraine in violation of international law, Finance Minister Christian Lindner announced massive investments in Germany's armed forces. A special fund worth €100 billion will be established for this purpose. In addition, the government plans to spend billions of euros to build up gas and coal reserves. It will also place an even …
eurogroup Christian Lindner on the war in Ukraine
Prior to the meetings of the Eurogroup and ECOFIN, Finance Minister Christian Lindner and France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire gave a joint statement to the press. EU leaders have already imposed tough sanctions on the Russian economy. EU finance ministers are now discussing how best to protect people and the economy in the EU.
Europe Christian Lindner at the Scale-Up Europe Conference
On 8 February 2022, Finance Minister Christian Lindner presented the European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI) in Paris, together with his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire. The initiative's aim is to mobilise more private capital from European long-term financial investors to strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy in a sustainable way. France and Germany intend to commit €1 …
ECOFIN Press statement by Christian Lindner after the ECOFIN Council meeting
Following the January 2022 meeting of the ECOFIN Council in Brussels, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner emphasised that the introduction of a global minimum effective tax is a priority for the German government and called for its implementation as of 1 January 2023.


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There's a reason very few hunters wander out into the woods armed with a slingshot. They can be deadly for smaller game, but you're probably not going to fell a buck with one. Unless you happen to be slingshot madman Joerg Sprave, and your slingshot fires friggin arrows.
Referring to his latest creation as a 'slingshot' might be a of a bit of a stretch (pun intended!) since Sprave has basically created a bow that uses elastics instead of tightened string. But the advantage to such a system is that the elastics can be easily swapped with thicker, stronger versions—like the tubing from a speargun which makes this weapon particularly lethal.
And this time around he's even included instructions on how to build your own, even if granting such power to the masses is a terrible, terrible idea. [YouTube]


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Scientific research is an attempt to identify a working truth about the world that is as independent of ideology as possible. As we appear to be entering a time of heightened skepticism about the value of scientific information, we feel it is important to emphasize and foster research practices that enhance the integrity of scientific data and thus scientific information. We have therefore created a list of better research practices that we believe, if followed, would enhance the reproducibility and reliability of psychological science. The proposed methodological practices are applicable for exploratory or confirmatory research, and for observational or experimental methods.
- If testing a specific hypothesis, pre-register your research[1], so others can know that the forthcoming tests are informative. Report the planned analyses as confirmatory, and report any other analyses or any deviations from the planned analyses as exploratory.
- If conducting exploratory research, present it as exploratory. Then, document the research by posting materials, such as measures, procedures, and analytical code so future researchers can benefit from them. Also, make research expectations and plans in advance of analyses—little, if any, research is truly exploratory. State the goals and parameters of your study as clearly as possible before beginning data analysis.
- Consider data sharing options prior to data collection (e.g., complete a data management plan; include necessary language in the consent form), and make data and associated meta-data needed to reproduce results available to others, preferably in a trusted and stable repository. Note that this does not imply full public disclosure of all data. If there are reasons why data can't be made available (e.g., containing clinically sensitive information), clarify that up-front and delineate the path available for others to acquire your data in order to reproduce your analyses.
- If some form of hypothesis testing is being used or an attempt is being made to accurately estimate an effect size, use power analysis to plan research before conducting it so that it is maximally informative.
- To the best of your ability maximize the power of your research to reach the power necessary to test the smallest effect size you are interested in testing (e.g., increase sample size, use within-subjects designs, use better, more precise measures, use stronger manipulations, etc.). Also, in order to increase the power of your research, consider collaborating with other labs, for example via StudySwap (https://osf.io/view/studyswap/). Be open to sharing existing data with other labs in order to pool data for a more robust study.
- If you find a result that you believe to be informative, make sure the result is robust. For smaller lab studies this means directly replicating your own work or, even better, having another lab replicate your finding, again via something like StudySwap. For larger studies, this may mean finding highly similar data, archival or otherwise, to replicate results. When other large studies are known in advance, seek to pool data before analysis. If the samples are large enough, consider employing cross-validation techniques, such as splitting samples into random halves, to confirm results. For unique studies, checking robustness may mean testing multiple alternative models and/or statistical controls to see if the effect is robust to multiple alternative hypotheses, confounds, and analytical approaches.
- Avoid performing conceptual replications of your own research in the absence of evidence that the original result is robust and/or without pre-registering the study. A pre-registered direct replication is the best evidence that an original result is robust.
- Once some level of evidence has been achieved that the effect is robust (e.g., a successful direct replication), by all means do conceptual replications, as conceptual replications can provide important evidence for the generalizability of a finding and the robustness of a theory.
- To the extent possible, report null findings. In science, null news from reasonably powered studies is informative news.
- To the extent possible, report small effects. Given the uncertainty about the robustness of results across psychological science, we do not have a clear understanding of when effect sizes are "too small" to matter. As many effects previously thought to be large are small, be open to finding evidence of effects of many sizes, particularly under conditions of large N and sound measurement.
- When others are interested in replicating your work be cooperative if they ask for input. Of course, one of the benefits of pre-registration is that there may be less of a need to interact with those interested in replicating your work.
- If researchers fail to replicate your work continue to be cooperative. Even in an ideal world where all studies are appropriately powered, there will still be failures to replicate because of sampling variance alone. If the failed replication was done well and had high power to detect the effect, at least consider the possibility that your original result could be a false positive. Given this inevitability, and the possibility of true moderators of an effect, aspire to work with researchers who fail to find your effect so as to provide more data and information to the larger scientific community that is heavily invested in knowing what is true or not about your findings.
We should note that these proposed practices are complementary to other statements of commitment, such as the commitment to research transparency (http://www.researchtransparency.org/). We would also note that the proposed practices are aspirational. Ideally, our field will adopt many, of not all of these practices. But, we also understand that change is difficult and takes time. In the interim, it would be ideal to reward any movement toward better research practices.
Brent W. Roberts
Rolf A. Zwaan
Lorne Campbell
[1] van 't Veer, A. E., & Giner-Sorolla, R. (2016). Pre-registration in social psychology—A discussion and suggested template. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 67, 2–12. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.03.004


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For some time now, I've been using x2x to combine two X servers to one virtual workspace. It's nice, because you can move your mouse off the display (say, your desktop machine) to the X server of another computer (in my use case: my laptop), and continue typing and clicking with your main mouse/keyboard. However, x2x gave me a few headaches, since the copypasting (middle mouse button) would not always work correctly between the two monitor setup you get.
However, I found out that synergy does the right thing when it comes to copypasting, so I switched to using synergy instead of x2x, and if you're seeing the same problems with x2x, I can only recommend trying synergy. Most likely it should "just work" for you, too.


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The ad below appears in today's New York Times. This half-page ad exposes the Palestinian case against Israel for what it is. Nothing but lies. We have run ads similar to this on a number of college campuses this Spring to counter the "Apartheid Weeks", the rise of the Muslim Student Associations and the dramatic rise of anti-Semitism in our Universities.
The Freedom Center is committed to defending Israel and what they stand for, and to fight anti-Semitism, not only on the campuses, but in our government, the media and in society at large.


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Molly, the Seventeen Beauty Assistant, tests everything and now she's giving you full access! Follow her at seventeen.com/beautycloset.
Today, I broke one of my nails, so—clearly—I went into the beauty closet to see what I could do to fix it. I usually keep a nail file at my desk but this break called for some heavy duty help. While digging through the nail drawers, I stumbled upon one of the most genius little nail clippers ever and had one of those, "Why didn't I think of that?" moments.
I think everyone can agree that nail clippings are absolutely disgusting. I don't really care to pinpoint why, and I don't think I need to. They are universally considered downright gross. When I see anyone even remotely near my personal space snipping away at their nails while clippings fly everywhere, it makes me shudder with disgust.
I always try to do the polite thing and clip directly over a trash bin, but that can get awkward especially when dealing with your toes. The
Sally Hansen Clip 'n Catch Nail Clipper solves this problem. It has a convenient little guard on each side that catches the clippings and blocks any flyaways inside as you go. Genius!
More From Seventeen
My tip for when you clip: hold the tool vertical with your nail pointing down so that gravity can do its job and catch the clippings as they fall. You can get one for yourself (and save those who dwell around you from future clipping horror) for $4 here ulta.com or at your local drugstore.


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Changes in Curriculum Bring Opportunity for Technical Colleges
At the state's technical colleges, controversial changes to the state's high school curriculum in House Bill 5 have been met with a sense of excitement — and anticipation that the shift could lead to significant expansion.
Higher education officials largely stayed on the sidelines last year when the Texas Legislature debated and ultimately passed a bill that led to a significant overhaul of the state's high school curriculum.
Those colleges and universities are now trying to determine if and how they must adjust as the state prepares to carry out the changes, including a requirement for high school students to select diploma "endorsements" in specialized areas like science and technology or business and industry.
Supporters argued the changes would allow students the flexibility to pursue a curriculum more tailored to their interests and abilities. Business leaders saw them as a way to funnel students — particularly those who were not university-bound — into the workforce more quickly.
At the state's technical colleges, the new approach has been met with a sense of excitement — and anticipation that the shift could lead to significant expansion.
Michael Reeser, the chancellor of the Texas State Technical College System, said he hoped the new openness to technical education would help more students view that post-secondary path more positively.
"We think an awful lot of Texans are missing the opportunity to get really high-paying jobs" through associate's degrees and certificates, he said, "because of that stigma that in some places remains."
It is too early to tell how many more high school graduates will enroll in technical colleges following completion of the new endorsements, though Reeser said they were expecting an increase.
The bill calls for high schools to partner with higher education institutions to supplement their course offerings. Dominic Chavez, a spokesman for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, predicted that most of the partnerships would be with technical or community colleges.
"School districts particularly need help in doing technical education because it is expensive to deliver and takes special expertise to teach," Reeser said.
A business and industry endorsement, for example, could include courses ranging from automotive technology to graphic design.
Reeser said that nearly 50 school districts have already inquired about partnerships, though it remains to be seen how many of the overtures will lead to new programs for the 2014-15 school year.
Some are already underway. In partnership with the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Texas State Technical College West Texas is offering online courses to high school students in Presidio.
"To me, it's like having a clean sheet of paper to design something to get really good about student outputs," said Paul Szuch, the president of the Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont. "It's a breath of fresh air that means we can really start making a difference now."
Adam Hutchison, the provost at Texas State Technical College Waco, said the changes presented opportunities for technical colleges to play a larger role in addressing students' post-secondary preparedness while they were still in high school, rather than playing catch-up after they graduated.
"We're all singing from the same sheet music, as it were," he said.
At other types of higher education institutions, however, there is still uncertainty about how changes will affect students' college readiness.
Sylvia Leal, the vice president of enrollment services at the University of Texas at Brownsville, told lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday that there was still "a lot of confusion" in her community.
She said some had concerns that this shift might emphasize career development over college preparation. "We need to do a better job sharing the information so that they know it's not one or the other," she said.
Chavez said increased advising in high school would be critical to ensure that students selected and followed the path they desired.
Disclosure: At the time of publication, the University of Texas-Permian Basin was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune in 2012 and 2013. (You can also review the full list of Tribune donors and sponsors below $1,000.)
Information about the authors
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Macquarie Semiconductor and Technology on behalf of Macquarie (Asia) Pte Ltd. Taiwan Branch - UMC
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The microscope include the wafer loader NWL860.
Handler Type is Cassette.
Vacuum is -28.7 in-Hg
Power is 108V
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Located in the Poorlgarla Family Area, the Marri Gazebo is surrounded by shady grassed areas, barbecues and great playground facilities.
The venue is also very close to Koorak Cafe (formerly Biara and Stickybeaks Cafe), open seven days and available for function catering.
This venue features relaxing surroundings, easy access and proximity to all facilities - great for families.
- Suited to
- Social and family functions, community groups
- Capacity
- 20 people
- Parking
- Parking directly outside venue (disabled bays available)
- Access
- Access to venue via carpark off Kings Park Road
- Toilets
- Available on site at Koorak Cafe (formerly Biara and Stickybeaks Cafe), including parent room
- Power
- Available
- Shelter
- Available
- Seating
- Bench seats and small round table
- Refreshments
- Available on site at Koorak Cafe (formerly Biara and Stickybeaks Cafe)
- Barbecues
- Available to all park users; cannot be reserved as part of your booking
- Booking times
- Available 9.00 am - 6.00 pm daily
- Bookings
- Please contact the Bookings Officer
- Location
- Poorlgarla Family Area