text:
-- What's your interest?
career will produce the largest growth?
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Demonstrators, product promoters, and models create public interest
in buying products such as clothing, cosmetics, food items, and
housewares. The information they provide helps consumers make
educated choices among the wide variety of products and services
Demonstrators and product promoters create public interest in
buying a product by demonstrating it to prospective customers
and answering their questions. They may sell the demonstrated
merchandise, or gather names of prospects to contact at a later
date or to pass on to a sales staff. Demonstrators promote
sales of a product to consumers, while product promoters
try to induce retail stores to sell particular products and market
them effectively. Product demonstration is an effective technique
used by both to introduce new products or promote sales of old
products because it allows face-to-face interaction with potential
Demonstrators and product promoters build current and future
sales of both sophisticated and simple products, ranging from
computer software to mops. They attract an audience by offering
samples, administering contests, distributing prizes, and using
direct-mail advertising. They must greet and catch the attention
of possible customers and quickly identify those who are interested
and qualified. They inform and educate customers about the features
of products and demonstrate their use with apparent ease to inspire
confidence in the product and its manufacturer. They also distribute
information, such as brochures and applications. Some demonstrations
are intended to generate immediate sales through impulse buying,
while others are considered an investment to generate future sales
and increase brand awareness.
Demonstrations and product promotions are conducted in retail
and grocery stores, shopping malls, trade shows, and outdoor fairs.
Locations are selected based on both the nature of the product
and the type of audience. Demonstrations at large events may require
teams of demonstrators to efficiently handle large crowds. Some
demonstrators promote products on videotape or on television programs,
such as "infomercials" or home shopping programs.
Demonstrators and product promoters may prepare the content of
a presentation and alter it to target a specific audience or to
keep it current. They may participate in the design of an exhibit
or customize exhibits for particular audiences. Results obtained
by demonstrators and product promoters are analyzed, and presentations
are adjusted to make them more effective. Demonstrators and product
promoters also may be involved in transporting, assembling, and
disassembling materials used in demonstrations.
A demonstrator's presentation may include visuals, models, case
studies, testimonials, test results, and surveys. The equipment
used for a demonstration varies with the product being demonstrated.
A food product demonstration might require the use of cooking
utensils, while a software demonstration could require the use
of a multimedia computer. Demonstrators must be familiar with
the product to be able to relate detailed information to customers
and to answer any questions that arise before, during, or after
a demonstration. Therefore, they may research the product to be
presented, the products of competitors, and the interests and
concerns of the target audience before conducting a demonstration.
Demonstrations of complex products can require practice.
Models pose for photos or as subjects for paintings or
sculptures. They display clothing, such as dresses, coats, underclothing,
swimwear, and suits, for a variety of audiences and in various
types of media. They model accessories, such as handbags, shoes,
and jewelry, and promote beauty products, including fragrances
and cosmetics. The most successful models, called supermodels,
hold celebrity status and often use their image to sell products
such as books, calendars, and fitness videos. In addition to modeling,
they may appear in movies and television shows.
Models' clients use printed publications, live modeling, and
television to advertise and promote products and services. There
are different categories of modeling jobs within these media,
and the nature of a model's work may vary with each. Most modeling
jobs are for printed publications, and models usually do a combination
of editorial, commercial, and catalog work. Editorial print modeling
uses still photographs of models for fashion magazine covers and
to accompany feature articles, but does not include modeling for
advertisements. Commercial print modeling includes work for advertisements
in magazines and newspapers, and for outdoor advertisements such
as billboards. Catalog models appear in department store and mail
order catalogs.
During a photo shoot, a model poses to demonstrate the features
of clothing and products. Models make small changes in posture
and facial expression to capture the look desired by the client.
As they shoot film, photographers instruct models to pose in certain
positions and to interact with their physical surroundings. Models
work closely with photographers, hair and clothing stylists, makeup
artists, and clients to produce the desired look and to finish
the photo shoot on schedule. Stylists and makeup artists prepare
the model for the photo shoot, provide touchups, and change the
look of models throughout the day. If stylists are not provided,
models must apply their own makeup and bring their own clothing.
Because the client spends time and money planning for and preparing
an advertising campaign, the client usually is present to ensure
that the work is satisfactory. The client also may offer suggestions.
Editorial printwork generally pays less than other types of modeling,
but provides exposure for a model and can lead to commercial modeling
opportunities. Often, beginning fashion models work in foreign
countries where fashion magazines are more plentiful.
Live modeling is done in a variety of locations. Live models
stand, turn, and walk to demonstrate clothing to a variety of
audiences. At fashion shows and in showrooms, garment buyers are
the primary audience. Runway models display clothes that either
are intended for direct sale to consumers or are the artistic
expressions of the designer. High fashion, or haute couture, runway
models confidently walk a narrow runway before an audience of
photographers, journalists, designers, and garment buyers. Live
modeling also is done in apparel marts, department stores, and
fitting rooms of clothing designers. In retail establishments,
models display clothing directly for shoppers and may be required
to describe the features and price of the clothing. Other models
pose for sketching artists, painters, and sculptors.
Models may compete with actors and actresses for work in television
and may even receive speaking parts. Television work includes
commercials, cable television programs, and even game shows. However,
competition for television work is intense because of the potential
for high earnings and extensive exposure.
Because advertisers need to target very specific segments of
the population, models may specialize in a certain area. Petite
and plus-size fashions are modeled by women whose dress size is
smaller or larger than that worn by the typical model. Models
who are disabled may be used to model fashions or products for
disabled consumers. "Parts" models have a body part, such as a
hand or foot, that is particularly well-suited to model products
such as fingernail polish or shoes.
Almost all models work through agents. Agents provide a link
between models and clients. Clients pay models, while the agency
receives a portion of the model's earnings for its services. Agents
scout for new faces, advise and train new models, and promote
them to clients. A typical modeling job lasts only 1 day, so modeling
agencies differ from other employment agencies in that they maintain
an ongoing relationship with the model. Agents find and nurture
relationships with clients, arrange auditions called "go-sees,"
and book shoots if a model is hired. They also provide bookkeeping
and billing services to models and may offer them financial planning
services. Relatively short careers and variable incomes make financial
planning an important issue for many models.
With the help of agents, models spend a considerable amount of
time promoting and developing themselves. Models assemble and
maintain portfolios, print composite cards, and travel to go-sees.
A portfolio is a collection of a model's previous work that is
carried to all go-sees and bookings. A composite card, or comp
card, contains the best photographs from a model's portfolio,
along with his or her measurements.
Models must gather information before a job. From an agent, they
learn the pay, date, time, and length of the shoot. Also, models
need to ask if hair, makeup, and clothing stylists will be provided.
It is helpful to know what product is being promoted and what
image they should project. Some models research the client and
the product being modeled to prepare for a shoot. Models use a
document called a voucher to record the rate of pay and the actual
duration of the job. The voucher is used for billing purposes
after both the client and model sign it. Once a job is completed,
models must check in with their agency and plan for the next appointment.
More than half of all demonstrators, product promoters, and models
work part time and about 1 in 4 have variable work schedules.
Many positions last 6 months or less.
Demonstrators and product promoters may work long hours while
standing or walking, with little opportunity to rest. Some of
them travel frequently, and night and weekend work often is required.
The atmosphere of a crowded trade show or State fair is often
hectic, and demonstrators and product promoters may feel pressure
to influence the greatest number of consumers possible in a very
limited amount of time. However, many enjoy the opportunity to
interact with a variety of people.
Models work under a variety of conditions, which can often be
both difficult and glamorous. The coming season's fashions may
be modeled in a comfortable, climate-controlled studio or in a
cold, damp outdoor location. Schedules can be demanding, and models
must keep in constant touch with an agent so that they do not
miss an opportunity for work. Being away from friends and family,
and needing to focus on the photographer's instructions despite
constant interruption for touchups, clothing, and set changes
can be stressful. Yet, successful models interact with a variety
of people and enjoy frequent travel. They may meet potential clients
at several go-sees in one day and often travel to work in distant
cities, foreign countries, and exotic locations.
Formal training and education requirements are limited for demonstrators,
product promoters, and models. Training usually is moderate term,
lasting a month or more. Postsecondary education, while helpful,
usually is not required: only 1 in 5 of these workers has a bachelor's
degree or higher.
Demonstrators and product promoters usually receive on-the-job
training. Training is primarily product oriented because a demonstrator
must be familiar with the product to demonstrate it properly.
The length of training varies with the complexity of the product.
Experience with the product or familiarity with similar products
may be required for demonstration of complex products, such as
computers. During the training process, demonstrators may be introduced
to the manufacturer's corporate philosophy and preferred methods
for dealing with customers.
Employers look for demonstrators and product promoters with good
communication skills and a pleasant appearance and personality.
Demonstrators and product promoters must be comfortable with public
speaking. They should be able to entertain an audience and use
humor, spontaneity, and personal interest in the product as promotional
tools. Foreign language skills are helpful.
While no formal training is required to begin a modeling career,
models should be photogenic and have a basic knowledge of hair
styling, makeup, and clothing. Some local governments require
models under the age of 18 to hold a work permit. An attractive
physical appearance is necessary to become a successful model.
A model should have flawless skin, healthy hair, and attractive
facial features. Specific requirements depend on the client, but
most models must be within certain ranges for height, weight,
and dress or coat size in order to meet the practical needs of
fashion designers, photographers, and advertisers. Requirements
may change slightly from time to time as our society's perceptions
about physical beauty change; however, most fashion designers
feel that their clothing looks its best on tall, thin models.
Although physical requirements may be relaxed for some types of
modeling jobs, opportunities are limited for those who do not
meet these basic requirements.
Because a model's career depends on preservation of his or her
physical characteristics, models must control their diet, exercise
regularly, and get enough sleep in order to stay healthy. Haircuts,
pedicures, and manicures are necessary work-related expenses for
In addition to being attractive, models must be photogenic. The
ability to relate to the camera in order to capture the desired
look on film is essential, and agents test prospective models
using snapshots or professional photographs. For photographic
and runway work, models must be able to move gracefully and confidently.
Training in acting, voice, and dance is useful and allows a model
to be considered for television work. Foreign language skills
are useful because successful models travel frequently to foreign
Because models must interact with a large number of people, personality
plays an important role in success. Models must be professional,
polite, and prompt; every contact could lead to future employment.
Organizational skills are necessary to manage personal lives,
financial matters, and busy work and travel schedules. Because
competition for jobs is stiff and clients' needs are very specific,
patience and persistence are essential.
Modeling schools provide training in posing, walking, makeup
application, and other basic tasks, but attending such schools
does not necessarily lead to job opportunities. In fact, many
agents prefer beginning models with little or no previous experience
and discourage models from attending modeling schools and purchasing
professional photographs. A model's selection of an agency is
an important factor for advancement in the occupation. The better
the reputation and skill of the agency, the more assignments a
model is likely to get. Because clients prefer to work with agents,
it is very difficult for a model to pursue a freelance career.
Agents continually scout for new faces, and many of the top models
are discovered in this way. Most agencies review snapshots or
have "open calls", during which models are seen in person; this
service usually is provided free of charge. Some agencies sponsor
modeling contests and searches. Very few people who send in snapshots
or attend open calls are offered contracts.
Agencies advise models on how to dress, wear makeup, and conduct
themselves properly during go-sees and bookings. Because models'
advancement depends on their previous work, development of a good
portfolio is key to getting assignments. Models accumulate and
display current tear sheets—examples of a model's editorial print
work—and photographs in the portfolio. The higher the quality
and currency of the photos in the portfolio, the more likely it
is that the model will find work.
Demonstrators and product promoters who perform well and show
leadership ability may advance to other marketing and sales occupations
or open their own businesses. Because modeling careers are relatively
short, most models eventually transfer to other occupations.
Demonstrators, product promoters, and models held about 120,000
jobs in 2004. Of these, models held only about 2,200 jobs in 2004.
About 23 percent of all salaried jobs for demonstrators, product
promoters, and models were in retail trade, especially general
merchandise stores, and 14 percent were in administrative and
support services—which includes employment services. Other jobs
were found in advertising and related services.
Demonstrator and product promoter jobs may be found in communities
throughout the Nation, but modeling jobs are concentrated in New
York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles.
Employment of demonstrators, product promoters, and models is
expected to grow about as fast as average for all occupations
through 2014. Job growth should be driven by increases in the
number and size of trade shows and greater use of these workers
in department stores and various retail shops for in-store promotions.
Additional job openings will arise from the need to replace demonstrators,
product promoters, and models that transfer to other occupations,
retire, or stop working for other reasons.
Job openings should be plentiful for demonstrators and product
promoters. Employers may have difficulty finding qualified demonstrators
who are willing to fill part-time, short-term positions. Product
demonstration is considered a very effective marketing tool. New
jobs should arise as firms devote a greater percentage of marketing
budgets to product demonstration.
On the other hand, modeling is considered a glamorous occupation,
with limited formal entry requirements. Consequently, those who
wish to pursue a modeling career can expect keen competition for
jobs. The modeling profession typically attracts many more jobseekers
than there are job openings available. Only models who closely
meet the unique requirements of the occupation will achieve regular
employment. The increasing diversification of the general population
should boost demand for models more representative of diverse
racial and ethnic groups. Work for male models also should increase
as society becomes more receptive to the marketing of men's fashions.
Because fashions change frequently, demand for a model's look
may fluctuate. Most models experience periods of unemployment.
Employment of demonstrators, product promoters, and models is
affected by downturns in the business cycle. Many firms tend to
reduce advertising budgets during recessions.
Demonstrators and product promoters had median hourly earnings
of $9.95 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.18
and $13.29. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.25, and
the highest 10 percent earned more than $20.08. Employers of demonstrators,
product promoters, and models generally pay for job-related travel
Median hourly earnings of models were $10.50 in May 2004. The
middle 50 percent earned between $8.44 and $14.34. The lowest
10 percent earned less than $7.16, and the highest 10 percent
earned more than $17.17. Earnings vary for different types of
modeling, and depend on the experience and reputation of the model.
Female models typically earn more than male models for similar
work. Hourly earnings can be relatively high, particularly for
supermodels and others in high demand, but models may not have
work every day, and jobs may last only a few hours. Models occasionally
receive clothing or clothing discounts instead of, or in addition
to, regular earnings. Almost all models work with agents, and
pay 15 to 20 percent of their earnings in return for an agent's
services. Models who do not find immediate work may receive payments,
called advances, from agents to cover promotional and living expenses.
Models must provide their own health and retirement benefits.
Demonstrators, product promoters, and models create public interest
in buying clothing, products, and services. Others who create
interest in a product or service include actors, producers, and
directors; insurance sales agents; real estate brokers; retail
salespersons; sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing;
and reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks.
For information about modeling schools and agencies in your area,
contact a local consumer affairs organization such as the Better
Business Bureau.
Source: Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational
Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition


text:
This week's guest is radio host, media marketing consultant, and author David Hooper.
Tag: Music Business
The Local Music Show Podcast: Episode 6 – Dave Bernal
Musician and radio host Dave Bernal discusses running his country jam and tips on how to make extra money as a performer.
The Local Music Show Podcast: Episode 5 – Ian Tamblyn
Singer-songwriter Ian Tamblyn, author of "A Brief History of Why Artists Are No Longer Making A Living Making Music", talks about unions, performance rights organizations, and being a community musician.
The Local Music Show Podcast: Episode 3 – Mark S. A. Smith
David Scott Norton is joined by Mark S. A. Smith, Musician, Business Growth Strategist, and Author, to talk about the business of being a musician and how to interact with your true fans.
Local Music Show Podcast: Episode 2 – Loren Weisman
Loren Weisman, author of The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business, discusses how to make it in the age of social media.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
As you may recall from our last post, we had decided to upgrade our trailer axles, instead of just replacing the brakes. Of course, projects such as these have a way of one thing leading to another. Upgrading from 5200 pound to 7000 axles also meant getting new wheels and tires, as the current axles have 6 lug nuts and the new axles have 8. When discussing this with our friend Bill (bkamericanodyssey), he mentioned that he and Kelly were going to be upgrading their wheels and tires this summer in New Jersey. Since their current set was what I was upgrading to, they decided to do it now in Florida and sell the old ones to us. They were already planning on coming to our area for a visit.
They delivered them on Wednesday, February 1, when the came over for dinner. The tires were nearing the end of their lifespan…maybe a year left…but the wheels were perfect. Bill pointed out that we were going to need our spare tire swapped out, as it was also a 6 lug. Dang…forgot about that one. That meant buying a tire and wheel. Not wanting to invest in a new spare tire that hopefully would never be used, we opted to buy four new road tires to mount on our newly purchased wheels and use one of the used tires we bought from them as a spare. With all the miles we are planning on putting on in the near future, that will most likely end up being the smarter choice. Take note that this started out as a brake job. 😳 Bottom line is: we are much safer than before the project began. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Thursday was spent on the beach with Kelly and Bill. We then walked to the west side of the park and watched the sun set over the Indian River Lagoon.
On Friday, February 3, I ordered our tires from Walmart.com. They had a really good sale on Goodyear G614 tires, coupled with free two-day shipping to our door, made for an easy transaction. Later that afternoon, we headed over to Kelly and Bill's place.
They were staying at the Melbourne Elks lodge. They made us a delicious meal of ribs, broccoli, and cole slaw. 😃 We talked so much, we forgot to get photos!
On Saturday, Diana and I drove 2 hours south to Palm Beach Gardens to visit her uncle and cousin.
Uncle Gus had recently took a tumble and broke his arm, so Jon was down from Michigan to help him out for awhile.
On Monday, Kelly and Bill came over to our place again. We went for a bike ride around Melbourne Beach, then spent the afternoon on the beach. Afterwards, we headed up to Bizzarro Pizza for dinner. Remember the Seinfeld episode about the soup nazi? Well this dining establishment is affectionately known by the locals as the 'pizza nazi', as you need to have your order ready at the counter when they ask, or no pizza for you! We chuckled when Bill asked what beers they had on draft and the guy taking the order pulled out a decade old draft beer list on a board from behind the parmesan cheese and quickly put it in front of him. He's lucky he got a beer. 😉 After dinner, we wished each other safe travels and headed off in different directions. We look forward to seeing them again, down the road.
Tuesday was spent waiting for FedEx to show up with our new tires. As soon as they came in, I headed into Melbourne to have them mounted on our new-to-us wheels. The axles arrived on Wednesday and we made an appointment to have them installed on Saturday. That left us some free time for the week.
Ok, so it's off to the beach…
…and a corn hole tournament with the neighbors. 😃
I also installed a row of hooks to organize my shoes. That's six pairs of size 13's on there!
Saturday came and we headed off to Ferguson's Automotive and Marine in Melbourne.
There are our old 5200 pound axles…
And here are our new 7000 pound axles and our new tires! After they were done, we hooked up and headed one hour south to Fort Pierce. As you may recall from our last post, we had been given tickets to a John Ford Coley and Terry Sylvester concert at Summer Crush Winery. They are part of Harvest Hosts, so we were able to park our rig right on the property. That sure cut down on the traffic after the concert, as the only other rig staying there belonged to the musicians!
John led us through the hits from his England Dan/John Ford Coley days and Terry sang several of his songs from when he was the lead singer of The Hollies. Everyone had a great time…
….including us!
So I mentioned 'future plans' in the title. We've been busy planning a summer journey to the west coast! Our plan is to leave Melbourne Beach on April 1. We are excited to be visiting family and friends in Texas. Next we will do some exploring in the southwest, including some areas of the country we have yet to see. One of the main reasons for going west this summer is to visit Diana's uncle, aunts, and cousins in southern California. She hasn't seen an aunt and several of these cousins since she was in the fifth grade! We also have several close friends we have contacted and are planning on seeing in the LA area. We will be exploring several sites in Northern California, including Napa Valley with Diana's cousin Nancy and her husband David. We had a ton of fun with them last spring at Big Bend National Park, so we are looking forward to having them join us for this portion of our trip. Then we will be settling in Oregon for the summer. We have two work camping jobs as interpretive hosts with the Oregon State Parks. One begins Memorial Weekend and goes through the end of June. The second one begins July 1 and ends after Labor Day weekend. These are considered volunteer positions where we work about 24 hours a week and are compensated with a free campsite. We will miss our friends at Wild Cherry Resort, but are excited for this new adventure. We will reveal more of the details as we go. Be sure to stay tuned!
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text:
AP source: Gordon wants to play in CFL but can't
CLEVELAND (AP) — Josh Gordon can't run a deep pass route into Canada and play.
The Cleveland Browns' suspended star wide receiver wanted to play in the Canadian Football League during his indefinite suspension, but CFL rules prohibit him from doing so.
Gordon, whose season-long suspension by the NFL was upheld on Wednesday, asked the Browns for permission to play for the Calgary Stampeders, a person familiar with the Pro Bowler's situation told The Associated Press on Thursday. However, a CFL rule that has been in place since 2006 bars any suspended NFL players under contract from playing.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks.
CFL spokesman Jamie Dykstra said the only way Gordon could play in the league is if he was released by the Browns and became a free agent. Former Indianapolis wide receiver LaVon Brazill, serving a four-game NFL drug suspension, signed last week with Toronto after being cut by the Colts.
The CFL's board of governors adopted the rule eight years ago after suspended running back Ricky Williams played one season for Toronto.
Gordon will miss the entire 2014 season after another violation of the NFL's substance-abuse program. He appealed the yearlong punishment, but arbitrator Harold Henderson agreed with league's initial ruling. The league said Gordon's eligibility for reinstatement will be determined after the season.
The 23-year-old is not allowed to practice with the Browns or attend any meetings. He is only allowed in Cleveland's headquarters during his banishment when he's getting medical treatment.
Gordon led the NFL with 1,646 yards receiving last season despite being suspended for two games and playing with three quarterbacks.
Without him, the Browns, who host the Chicago Bears in their final exhibition on Thursday, are lacking a deep threat to keep defenses honest.
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFLA


text:
Last Friday night's action saw a total of 89 karts in attendance with 11 of 18 heat races being completed before a heavy rain shower soaked the Kartway racing surface just prior to 8 p.m.
With all heat races not being completed the show was totally cancelled, meaning the racing program will start over this Friday. Heat race points will not be awarded for any divisions last week, as all of the heat races were not completed.
All drivers that were entered and paid last Friday will be given free entries this Friday, May 16. Drivers will still have to sign in at the main pit window and again draw a pill for Friday night's heat races. The pill draw officially closes at 6:15pm.
Crew members and fans that were in the pit area last Friday can exchange their May 9 pit wristband for a May 16 wristband at the pit window, free of charge. If you do not return to the track on Friday with last week's pit wristband you will have to pay again to enter the pits this week.
There are no exceptions in this policy. If you do not bring your May 9 wristband to the pit window, as instructed over the public address last week, you will have to pay for another pit pass on Friday.
Friday night's racing marks the first event counting toward the Oswego Kartway Driver Rewards program, featuring two brand new Slack Xpect racing chassis from Root Racing Enterprises and Performance Manufacturing, which will be awarded to two lucky drivers at the season ending championship banquet.
A 14 division racing card is on the docket for Friday night, including a new junior racing division.
Jr. Purple Clone will be added to the racing schedule as a middle ground between Jr. Green Clone and Jr. Blue Clone. The Jr. Purple class will run at 275 lbs. with drivers ranging in ages between 7-11 years old.
Other junior classes include Sr. Blue Clone and Gold Plate flathead.
Senior racing divisions will include Stock Light, Stock Heavy, Stock 425, Clone Light, Clone Heavy, Clone 425, BSP Clone (open pipe, open clutch), Open, and Champ Kart.
Pit gates will open for competitors beginning at 4:30pm with hot laps scheduled to hit the Kartway at 6:30pm. Racing is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm
Entry fees for Kartway members will be set at $15 while non-member entry fees are $18, with pit passes included. Pit passes will also be available for spectators for just $10.
Friday night's racing program will see heat race lineups determined by a pill draw, with feature lineups starting straight up from heat race finishes.
As always spectators are welcome to come to the Kartway and enjoy the racing action with a full concession stand available. Spectator admission is just $5 a car load.
Kartway events run May through September on most Friday nights, culminating with the Fall Frenzy 200 Championships on Saturday, September 20.
For more information on Oswego Kartway be sure to visit online at www.oswegokartway.com. You can FOLLOW the Kartway on Twitter @OswegoKartway or LIKE on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OswegoKartway. To speak to a Kartway representative call the Oswego Speedway box office at (315) 342-0646.
Oswego Kartway – May 16th Kartway Kick-Off presented by Gater News
Pit Gates Open – 4:30pm
Hot Laps – 6:30pm
Driver's Meeting – 7pm
Racing – 7:30pm
May 16 – FEES
Pit Passes: $10
Member Entry Fee - $15/$10 for second class
Non-Member Entry Fee - $18/$13 for second class
Tentative Race Order: (We may institute fewer feature lap distances for classes with 4 or fewer karts. We may combine classes with 3 or fewer karts. This is at discretion of race officials.)
- Jr. Green Clone
- Jr. Blue Clone
- Jr. Purple Clone
- Gold Plate
- Sr. Blue Clone
- Stock Light
- Clone Heavy
- Stock 425
- Stock Heavy
- Clone Light
- Clone 425
- BSP Clone
- Open
- Champ


text:
Experience is life's greatest teacher.
Authors-choice: Hope & Revival
Obviously, I'm not a relationship expert. But there's something about my divorce being finalized this week that gives me perspective of things I wish I would have done different… After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here's the advice I wish I would have had
1. Never stop courting. Never stop dating. NEVER EVER take that woman for granted. When you asked her to marry you, you promised to be that man that would OWN HER HEART and to fiercely protect it. This is the most important and sacred treasure you will ever be entrusted with. SHE CHOSE YOU. Never forget that, and NEVER GET LAZY in your love.
2. Protect your own heart. Just as you committed to being the protector of her heart, you must guard your own with the same vigilance. Love yourself fully, love the world openly, but there…
View original post 1,459 more words


text:
John Millward hat auf seinem Blog zwei interessante Artikel zur Prostitution
In dem einen geht es um die Ansichten der Prostituierten:
Hier beispielsweise über die Freier:
The women described the average client's attitude towards sex as primarily being respectful, nervous and eager. I got the impression from the way the escorts spoke about their clients that they do respect the men who pay them for sex, but it's mostly a professional type of respect, much like the kind any seller would have for a buyer. This sentiment shone through in the women's answers to two questions in particular: would you consider being friends with a client? Most would, but only select clients. And would you ever consider dating a client? 77% said no, they wouldn't. Only 4 of the 30 had dated a punter. Whether this is because escorts tend to see their clients as being undesirable in some way is anyone's guess. It could just be that, like in the rest of life, you don't mix business with pleasure. Clients are clients.
When I asked why they think the men choose to pay to have sex with them, their responses were mixed but did contain one theme in particular: the men don't get the sex and intimacy they desire elsewhere, or simply prefer it without the other 'baggage' of a relationship.
Also die meisten scheinen respektvoll und nervös zu sein.
Und eine interessante Analyse der Motive der Freier:
Because they require an uncomplicated emotionally detached sexual service as opposed to an affair. This allows them to cognitively justify the act of adultery and therefore alleviates feelings of guilt and betrayal."
Also der Gedanke, dass es weniger ein Fremdgehen ist, weil man ja keine Gefühlsbindung aufbaut, sondern einfach nur einen Service nutzt.
Und zu ihrer Meinung über den Job´:
When I asked the 30 escorts what the benefits of the job are, the main one (27 mentions) was money, followed by being their own boss (22) and the working hours (20). The sex ranked dead last with only 8 women including it as a positive. Of course, there's no reason that should come as a shock to anyone. How many people, after all, could say that they do their job first and foremost because of what it is and not what it pays? A minority, I think. 4 out of the 30 women said that their dream job—the profession they'd most like to work in if they could do it with no chance of failure—was that of an escort. The others listed jobs that anyone, of either gender and any background, might choose: writer, teacher, DJ, chef, vet, midwife, wife a billionaire
Auch da scheint der Job eine gewisse Normalität aufzuweisen.
In dem anderen Artikel geht es um die Anzeigen der Prostituierten und die Bewertungen der Freier:
It's impossible to miss the recurring themes of the field reports on PunterNet. The reviewers always make reference to the same things. They care about the way the girl looks, how she's dressed, her sexual technique and how into the sex she appears to be. If an escort falls down in any of these areas, perhaps by looking different to the photos on her site or by rushing the punter out of the door, you can be sure he'll mention it in his review of her.
Es soll eben die Illusion von echten Sex sein. Um so mehr es sich entsprechend anfühlt um so besser für den Kunden.
Und die abschließende Wertung:
Who the sucker is in the punter/escort relationship is hard to tell. Maybe both, maybe neither. The women are well paid and seem happy with their choice of job and the men enjoy their punts and tend to repeat them again and again. Those are the positives. The negatives might be that the men are indulging a basic craving that would be satisfied in a healthier, more productive way by more traditional sexual relationships, and the women are undermining the dignity of their sexual selves by opening the door to any man who has enough cash. Escorts and punters would presumably agree with the former summary, whereas the general public, who stand at a distance from the business, would be more likely to go with the latter. Prostitution is as good or bad as the results it produces; sometimes there will be smiles all round, other times it's bound to be a bleaker situation.


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Why Investors Shouldn't Always Shy Away From High-Paid CEOs
Let's remember for a minute the story of former Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski. Anyone with an MBA, or who had read a newspaper in the early 2000s, knows this story -- but I get a kick out of it every time it comes up. The ultrawealthy corporate leader squandered $6,000 on a shower curtain, $2,900 on coat hangers, and $15,000 on a dog-shaped umbrella stand (well, who doesn't need one of those?).
Kozlowski's outrageous spending, more than $110 million in white-collar theft, and subsequent imprisonment are quite well known. What is less well known is that, despite his nine-figure theft, he earned over $300 million in the four-year period 1998-2001. Why in the world would a company intentionally pay a CEO that much money? Let's look at executive compensation and what it means to investors.
What is executive compensation?
Executive compensation is simply the value of everything that an executive (we'll focus on CEOs) gets for being the CEO. In general, CEOs receive multiple forms of compensation, including a base salary, an incentive cash-based bonus, short-term stock grants and options, long-term stock grants and options, and a slew of others (pension, company car, etc.).
How is executive compensation set?
Every company sets a unique executive compensation plan for its leader. Generally, a few members of the company's board of directors will form a compensation committee and they will set all of the baselines and benchmarks related to the CEO's total compensation package.
To answer the question that just popped into your head: Yes, CEOs can have significant influence on the decisions made by their compensation committees (especially when the CEO is also the chairman of the board, as Kozlowski was), and CEO pay packages are not always unbiased. But we'll leave discussing CEO influence on the board for another time.
The common forms of CEO pay
Base salary: a check in the mail every month, just like the ones the janitors and parking attendants get.
Cash bonus: an additional cash payment that CEOs get, assuming they meet some short-term goal. Unfortunately for some investors, there is evidence to suggest that CEOs often get this cash bonus whether they meet their short-term goals or not.
Stock grants: a bunch of stocks that the CEO gets for meeting certain short- and long-term goals. These (along with options) often make up the majority of CEO total compensation, especially for larger companies. Investors take heart: Unlike cash bonuses, companies are much better about not paying these stock grants if the firm doesn't perform well under the CEO.
Stock options: the right to buy shares of the company's stock, given to the CEO, if certain goals are met. Typically there will be a vesting period of a few years where the CEO can't touch them.
What do these forms of payment mean to investors?
Simply put, the more money a company pays its CEO, the less money is left over for its investors. Below we can look at each type of payment and decide what it means for us investors.
Basically, base salaries and cash bonuses are going to be paid to CEOs regardless of how they do (assuming they don't pull a Kozlowski and get fired). As investors, we don't like to see too high of a cash payment, so that the company can hang on to that wealth if the CEO doesn't earn it.
Stock grants are the best form of payment, in my opinion. If the CEO holds a large portion of their personal wealth in the company's stock, they are very likely to do everything they can to maximize the value of that stock. This works out well for you, the investor, who surely wants the same. Even better is when the stock grants are blocked for a period of a few years: The CEO must do a good job for a long time before they can cash out. These are called restricted stock grants, and they benefit you, the long-term investor.
Stock options are good in the same way that stock grants are good. But because of the way people make money on stock options -- capitalizing on the difference between the set exercise price of the option and the market price of the stock -- option holders may be incentivized to alter their behavior to maximize the value of their options, in a way that could hurt the value of common stock; for example, reducing dividends would help an option holder and potentially hurt a common stockholder.
How to research executive compensation
Now that you know the different kinds of executive compensation out there, and what they may mean for you, it's time to incorporate it into your regular research. If you're researching big companies, it's likely that the information is already nicely compiled on a credible investing website. But if you have to dig around for it yourself, thankfully it's pretty easy!
Pull up most any annual report and what's included is a compensation report, remuneration report, or something with a similar title. If it isn't in the annual report, the annual report will point you to a separate proxy statement to read. It's usually a few pages long and can be a little dry. But by the time you get through it, you'll have a good feeling of how a CEO is compensated, and you can decide if their interests are forced to align with yours.
Kozlowski's compensation package
So, what was it about Kozlowski's compensation package that allowed him to decide it was in his own best interest to steal from the company? After all, the goal of an incentive package is to force the interests of the CEO to align with those of the shareholders. Below is a breakdown of Kozlowski's 1999 compensation.
Dennis Kozlowski Compensation (as reported in Tyco proxy statements)
Restricted Stock Grants
Total (excluding options)
Total (including options)
OK, what do we see here? We see $4.5 million in salary and bonus. That's a huge number, but it isn't too big compared to the total compensation, so no red flag there. I love to see that high number in restricted stock grants. As an investor, if I know that Dennis Kozlowski has $25 million of stock in Tyco and is going to hold it for at least a few years, I'm going to be pretty confident that he's going to maximize the value of that stock -- which is exactly what I want. As for the options, $68 million is a lot, and options can sometimes be problematic, but generally the goals of option holders are very close to the goals of stockholders.
I would have liked Kozlowski's options to have been restricted for a much longer period, so that he could earn this money only if the company did well for a very long time. But overall, this isn't a terrible compensation package. The fact is that while compensation packages often do a very good job of aligning executive goals with those of shareholders, they're not a complete safeguard against greed and corruption. Kozlowski was set to earn a staggering amount of money legally and still decided to steal over $100 million of shareholder wealth.
Incorporating compensation analysis into your regular research will help see that management incentives are aligned with your own, but you also should make a qualitative assessment of the character of the individuals running the company. While you may not be able to identify future white-collar criminals just from reading a few press releases, thinking about the alignment of goals, compensation breakdowns, and character just may keep you from investing in a company headed by the next Kozlowski.
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"JUST DO IT" is a film about the direct action taking place in the U.K. and all over the world. It is a great relief and a sense of hope to see a new generation of climate change activists taking peaceful protest to new levels. Emily James' film follows a lineage of independent film makers such as Franny Armstrong (The Age of Stupid), Annie Leonard (The Story of Stuff) and the thousands of filmakers all over the world who are chrystallising events and providing a community memory of efforts to save the planet despite governments and vested interests.
The film is part of the " INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL " being held in Barcelona from the 5th – 11th November. It is being screened in many locations but can be downloaded from the website at http://justdoitfilm.com/


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Monday, July 9, 2012
Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank
Opinion Editorial, Denver Post
"New Patent Office in Denver will Spur Innovation, Jobs"
Thomas Edison received more than 1,000 U.S. patents as the inventor of the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the first practical light bulb, to name a few. And, as a true entrepreneur, Edison worked to put his inventions on productions lines of American factories so that people everywhere could buy them.
Today, as we emerge from a deep recession, thousands of entrepreneurs are gearing up to follow in Edison's footsteps. They live all across America, including in Denver. They are ready to put their creative ideas to work in the global marketplace and create good jobs here at home.
The Obama administration is working alongside state, local and private sector partners to foster an environment in which these innovators can start thriving new businesses.
One critical pillar of their success is a strong and efficient patent system that protects their intellectual property and empowers them to compete.
That's why, last week, I was pleased to announce the first-ever satellite offices of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Denver area will be home to one of them, along with Dallas, Silicon Valley, and Detroit.
These offices will help expand the capacity and productivity of our patent system. That's important, because more people are filing patent applications than ever before. From 2009 to 2011, the number of patent applications jumped by about 10 percent.
To help meet this growing demand, we anticipate that each office will hire about 100 new patent examiners, intellectual property experts, administrative law judges, and others.
Working with the local community, they will help develop a powerful hub for innovation in Denver by building on this area's strengths, including its large number of workers with science and engineering degrees as well as Denver's thriving industries such as aerospace, aviation, and biosciences. In fact, I will be meeting with some of these folks when I visit Denver on Thursday.
By expanding USPTO to more regions and more time zones, we will be able to serve entrepreneurs better than ever before. These four offices will allow us to reach out and help them get the patents they need, so that they can attract capital and put their business plans into action.
Importantly, more patent holders mean more good-paying jobs.
A recent Commerce Department report showed that industries that rely heavily on intellectual property protection support at least 40 million jobs. And these jobs pay about 42 percent higher—on average—than others, helping strengthen economic security for middle class families.
But these efforts to modernize our patent system—flowing from the America Invents Act that President Obama signed last year—are only one piece of the puzzle. There is even more we need to do to support a 21st-century American economy built on innovation.
For example, President Obama is calling on Congress to provide more funding for research and development in his 2013 budget, including increased support for critical areas like high-tech and advanced manufacturing.
In addition, the Commerce Department is helping lead an effort with over 200 universities—including the University of Colorado and Colorado School of Mines—to push more of their technological discoveries into the marketplace, through commercialization.
And, of course, we need to ensure that even more bright young people have the opportunity to enter and succeed in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. That's why the President's new budget proposes increased support for STEM education.
For America to continue its global economic leadership, we need more Edisons—more Americans who have a passion for ushering in new ideas that improve our way of life, strengthen our prosperity, and create good jobs for the middle class.
So let's continue to make smart and strategic investments to create an innovation economy, which is key to America's overall strength in the 21st century.
Thomas Edison famously said, "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."
The people of Denver have worked hard to bolster America's entrepreneurial spirit and to attract a new patent office. Let's keep pushing forward to support our innovators here and across the nation as they create new products that will keep America competitive.


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Sometime last week or so, Sockpuppets for Ed Reform marched on City Hall in NY demanding that the city and teachers union come to a deal on a teacher evaluation system compliant with the state's new regulations for such systems, so that the district could receive an approximately $300 million grant payment associated with the implementation of that system. Well, actually, it was more about trying to enrage the public that the evil teachers union in particular was at fault for holding hostage and potentially losing this supposedly massive sum of funding.
As one can see by the signs the SFER protesters were displaying, the protest was much less clearly articulated than I've described above. On would think, from looking at stuff like this: http://nyulocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DSC_0841.jpg that this protest was actually about obtaining funding for the district – funding that would provide for substantive and sustained improvement to district programs/services.
But hey, far be it for SFER to actually carry placards that are in any way accurate or precise (or to have any clue what they are talking about). At this particular event in NYC, they even convinced a 15 year old that the fight was really about funding.
So, we've got a protest that is presented as being about funding, but is really about a teacher evaluation system driven by student test scores, being carried out by a group that clearly has little or no understanding of either.
You know, I would typically give a group of undergrads a break on stuff like this. Hey, they're undergrads and have time to learn/develop the discipline/understanding of these complex topics. Heck, I was anything but a disciplined undergrad myself. But unfortunately, this group has thus far displayed to me the worst attributes of the most intellectually lazy of today's college students – a persistent pattern of copying and pasting low quality content from web sites and presenting it as novel content of their own. It's as if their placards, and their entire website was generated by lifting content from "reformy-pedia."
So then, what is the real story on what's goin' on with Teacher Evaluation and School Funding in New York State?
The State Evaluation System/Guidelines
I've written several posts recently about the state metrics for teacher evaluation and the state department of education push to get districts on board. I also wrote about the letter from the Chancellor of the Board of Regents which appeared in the NY Post, encouraging NYC in particular to get on board with that $300m RAW deal!
In my humble opinion, no-one should sign on to a deal to implement a teacher evaluation system under the current NYSED guidelines, given the evidence I've laid out over the past few weeks. No-one. Just say NO.
First, the state's consultants designing their teacher and principal effectiveness measures find that those measures are substantively biased:
Despite the model conditioning on prior year test scores, schools and teachers with students who had higher prior year test scores, on average, had higher MGPs. Teachers of classes with higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students had lower MGPs. (p. 1) https://schoolfinance101.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/growth-model-11-12-air-technical-report.pdf
But instead of questioning their own measures, they decide to give them their blessing and pass them along to the state as being "fair and accurate."
The model selected to estimate growth scores for New York State provides a fair and accurate method for estimating individual teacher and principal effectiveness based on specific regulatory requirements for a "growth model" in the 2011-2012 school year. p. 40 https://schoolfinance101.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/growth-model-11-12-air-technical-report.pdf
The next step was for the Chancellor to take this misinformation and polish it up as pure spin as part of the power play against the teachers in New York City (who've already had the opportunity to scrutinize what is arguably a better but still substantially flawed set of metrics). The Chancellor proclaimed:
The student-growth scores provided by the state for teacher evaluations are adjusted for factors such as students who are English Language Learners, students with disabilities and students living in poverty. When used right, growth data from student assessments provide an objective measurement of student achievement and, by extension, teacher performance. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/for_nyc_students_move_on_evaluations_EZVY4h9ddpxQSGz3oBWf0M
Then send in the enforcers…. This statement came from a letter sent to a district that did decide to play ball with the state on the teacher evaluation regulations. The state responded that… sure… you can adopt the system of multiple measures you propose – BUT ONLY AS LONG AS ALL OF THOSE OTHER MEASURES ARE SUFFICIENTLY CORRELATED WITH OUR BIASED MEASURES… AND ONLY AS LONG AS AT LEAST SOMEONE GETS A BAD RATING.
The department will be analyzing data supplied by districts, BOCES and/or schools and may order a corrective action plan if there are unacceptably low correlation results between the student growth subcomponent and any other measure of teacher and principal effectiveness… https://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/its-time-to-just-say-no-more-thoughts-on-the-ny-state-tchr-eval-system/
This is a raw deal, whether attached to what appears to be a pretty big bribe or not. And quite honestly, while $300 million is nothing to sneeze at, it pales in comparison to what the city schools are actually owed under the state's own proposal for how it would fund its schools to comply with a court order of nearly a decade ago.
THE REAL ISSUE in NY State
Meanwhile, at the other end of the state – well sort of – a different protest was going on. This protest in Albany actually was about funding and the fact that the state of New York has repeatedly cut state aid from local public school districts each of the past few years, has systematically cut more per pupil funding from districts serving needier student populations and has never once come close to providing the funding levels that the state's own funding formula suggest are needed (actually, were needed back in 2007!).
Here's a quick run-down on the state of school funding in New York:
- New York continues to maintain one of the least equitable school finance systems in the country, where districts serving higher concentrations of children in poverty have systematically less state and local revenue per pupil.
- New York State accomplishes these patterns of egregious disparity not merely by lack of effort, but by actually allocating substantial state resources – disproportionate state resources – toward buying down the tax rates of the state's wealthiest districts and making other politically convenient state aid allocations to economically advantaged districts, at the expense of children in poverty.
- Even though the state was ordered by the NY court of appeals nearly a decade ago to provide adequate resources to children attending high need districts, and even though the court accepted the state's own proposed funding formula to meet that goal (which was much lower than more rigorously determined spending targets), the state has chosen to not even come close to funding those targets and in recent years has systematically cut more funding from children with greater needs.
So, how does this all affect districts across New York State and NYC in particular? I'm going to set a really low bar here for my comparisons. In response to court order in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case the state of New York proposed a new school finance formula – a foundation aid formula – to begin implementation in 2007. It was actually a pretty lame, relatively low-balled funding formula to begin with, as explained here!
But even that low-balled estimate of what districts were supposed to get has never been close to fully funded. Several large districts, including Albany, for example, receive in 2012-13, less than half of the state aid they are supposed to receive if the formula was implemented.
The formula provides a target level of funding for each district based on student needs and regional costs. Then, the formula determines the share of that target funding that should come from the state. Then, the formula as actually implemented, ignores all of that and provides a marginal increase or decrease (over what districts have historically received) maintaining the persistent inequities of the system.
The first figure below shows the difference between actual state foundation aid per pupil (after applying this trick they refer to as gap elimination adjustment) and the aid calculated to be needed according to THE STATE'S OWN FORMULA for addressing regional costs and student needs. Districts are organized from low need (left) to high need (right) using the state's own pupil need index. Bubble size indicates district enrollment size. NYC is the BIG ONE! And, we can see, by eyeballing the middle of that bubble, that NYC is being shorted between $3,000 and $4,000 per pupil. At 1 million kids, that's about $3.4 billion … each year… every year… over time. No, not a $300m implementation grant, but $3.4 billion in annual operating funds. Yeah… the stuff that actually provides for smaller class sizes, decent teacher pay, up to date materials, supplies and equipment, and arts, music and all that other stuff!
The table below provides a closer look at districts with the largest funding gap between what the formula calculates is needed and what districts actually receive in state aid.
So, instead of talking about a one shot $300m bribe to implement a bad system based on bad data, at a cost that may exceed the amount of grant to begin with, perhaps it would make more sense to focus on that $3.4 billion deal! You know, the one state officials themselves promised in response to that court order all those years ago.
And when we do start taking more seriously this much bigger funding issue, don't forget to send me a cool lookin' knit protest hat!
Policy Brief on State Aid in New York (Summer 2011) NY Aid Policy Brief_Fall2011_DRAFT6
Baker, B.D., Welner, K.G. (2012) Evidence and Rigor: Scrutinizing the Rhetorical Embrace of
Evidence-based Decision-making. Educational Researcher 41 (3) 98-101
Baker, B.D., Welner, K. (2011) School Finance and Courts: Does Reform Matter, and How Can We
Tell? Teachers College Record 113 (11) p. –
Baker, B.D., Corcoran, S.P.(2012) The Stealth Inequalities of School Funding: How Local Tax
Systems and State Aid Formulas Undermine Equality. Washington, DC. Center for American
Progress. http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/StealthInequities.pdf
Baker, B.D., Sciarra, D., Farrie, D. (2012) Is School Funding Fair? Second Edition, June 2012.
Baker, B.D. (2012) Revisiting the Age Old Question: Does Money Matter in Education. Shanker
Institute. http://www.shankerinstitute.org/images/doesmoneymatter_final.pdf
Baker, B.D., Welner, K.G. (2011) Productivity Research, the U.S. Department of Education, and
High-Quality Evidence. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center. Retrieved [date] from


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Leaving history behind more or less, we had a wander around the modern (ish) town centre, though that still had a lot of tudor buildings around the square. Some random shots were taken along the way.
Phil got to re-visit his boyhood.
I think that will do for now. All the photos are embiggenable if you click on them to see them better.
Stay tooned for more adventures.


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People complain about businesses online all the time. But one bus company's campaign to shut down its Internet haters has expanded into an array of lawsuits and, most recently, threats against a reddit forum moderator.
Suburban Express is a bus line that caters to students, providing weekend lifts into the Chicago area from colleges in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. The company has developed a bad reputation online, with reviewers on Yelp and commenters on reddit sharing stories of what they claim are the company's cutthroat business practices. For example, the company's ticket policy includes a "ticket fraud" clause that hits riders who hand the wrong ticket to a driver with a $100 fine, charged to the credit card used to purchase their ticket. "In the event that ticket is used to obtain transportation on another day or at another time," the company's policy statement reads, "or to or from a Chicago area stop other than printed on your ticket, you will be charged full fare for the trip you actually rode PLUS $100 penalty. You will also be permanently banned." The company also has a history of suing passengers for violating its terms and conditions—it has filed 125 tort and contract damage lawsuits against passengers this year alone, according to a report from a student newspaper.
The terms of service don't include not speaking ill of the company online, but apparently they might as well. Some commenters have accused the company's owner, Dennis Toeppen, of hunting down negative reviewers and banning them from the company's buses.
The Internet cauldron of opinion boiled over for Suburban Express after an incident on March 31. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate student Jeremy Leval took to Facebook, describing a driver he saw make derogatory comments to an international student who was having difficulty understanding him—"If you don't understand English, you don't belong at the University of Illinois or any 'American' University," he reportedly told her.
Four days later, Leval told the Daily Illini, University of Illinois' student newspaper, about the incident. He received an e-mail from the company that said he was being fined $500 for "liquidated damages" and was permanently banned. In a statement on the company's website, company owner Toeppen threatened to sue Leval, saying, "The attorneys for Suburban Express are reviewing this incident with a view towards filing the appropriate legal action against this meddlesome MBA student."
Toeppen then took to reddit himself to counter Leval's claims, saying that
the company someone had apologized for the incident with the foreign student in a voicemail, saying, "I apologize for any offense taken in this incident, and don't know how this happened. We strive for perfection but can fall short in this imperfect world we live in..." But he denied that it was him that left the message, and wouldn't even say if it was someone representing the company. "Where did I say I heard the voice mail?" he posted in his own Reddit thread. "The person who left the message wrote his apology out on paper before he called Leval, and then read it. This he did so that he would know exactly what he said."
Notorious cybersquatter accused of hurling insults through fake accounts
The ongoing controversy led to the following note being posted atop the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) subreddit: "Don't ride Suburban Express! They're likely to sue you, have terrible reviews, and also this." The "this" in question is a series of anonymous comments that a reddit moderator believes were made by Suburban Express, describing the reddit users as being virgins and chronic masturbators. "I'm a virgin and I'm sick of it," reads one comment. "Welcome to the forum for lonely virgins!" reads another.
Now, Suburban Express has unleashed its lawyers on the reddit moderator that deleted those comments. On April 24, James E. Long, an attorney for Toeppen and Suburban Express, sent a letter and e-mail to Murph Finnicum, a UIUC graduate student, accusing him of "allowing false and libelous" comments to be made about the company and of deleting posts "which counterbalance the negativity." They wrote, "If you do not take corrective action to remedy the damages from your false and libelous postings by removing the items by April 27, 2013, Suburban Express has authorized the pursuit of legal action against you as a result of your conduct."
Toeppen is no stranger to legal action over Internet controversy. In the late 1990s, he was a self-confessed cybersquatter, registering over 200 domain names and asking for payment by trademark holders in exchange for them—including Panavision.com, for which he demanded $13,000. That led to the 1998 case Panavision International L.P. v. Toeppen (which Toeppen lost) and in part to the AntiCybersquatting Consumer Protection Act of 1999.
"It was clear to me at the time that domain names were valuable, undeveloped virtual real estate," he wrote on his personal home page. "There was absolutely no statutory or case law regarding trademarks in the context of Internet domain names at the time. It seemed to be an excellent opportunity to do the virtual equivalent of buying up property around a factory—eventually the factory owner would realize that he needed the scarce resource which I possessed."
The legal threat against Finnicum quickly drew promises of support from others on reddit—including Ken White, the lawyer behind the legal blog Popehat. White sent an e-mail to Long, which he also posted to reddit: "I do not represent any party (though I have offered to connect the recipient of your threat with pro bono counsel). However, I am considering writing a post about the matter."
"Would you be willing to answer some questions about your threat?" White continued. "I'm particularly interested in discussing the factual basis for your assertions, how you reconcile your position with Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and your evaluation of risks in light of the Streisand Effect."
White has also asked for others who have received legal threats from Suburban Express to contact him.
Ars contacted Toeppen to ask about his legal threats against the reddit moderator, but we haven't heard back. We'll update this post if we do.
Update: In a letter sent to Finnicum this afternoon by email and post shortly after this story ran, Suburban Express' attorney James Long said that no legal action would be pursued. "I will confess that I have very limited understanding of Reddit," he wrote, "and your response regarding the thread being moderated by several different individuals was instructive and was confirmed by individuals with much more knowledge of Reddit than I possess. At this time Suburban Express is of the opinion that it is best for the company and all individuals involved with this issue for Suburban Express to move forward with its mission to provide safe, courteous and efficient service to its current and future customers."
There is no word on whether Suburban Express intends to continue to press a case against Laval, or the other 125 individuals the company has filed suit against this year. Toeppen and Long have not yet responded to inquiries from Ars.


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Did you know that Paul Krugman is more compassionate than you are? Or so he says.
In fact, just about everybody who is left of center is more compassionate than everybody who is right of center, Krugman explained in a recent New York Times editorial.
"American politics is fundamentally about different moral visions," he wrote. If you identify with Milton Friedman's "Free to Choose" vision you are today part of the "free to die" crowd.
That last bit is a reference to Republican presidential candidates foolishly stumbling over a Wolf Blitzer question about what should be done with a man who willfully chooses to be uninsured and then discovers needs lifesaving medical care. No, in case you are wondering, none of them said "let him die." But Krugman would like you to believe that is the position of the entire Republican Party.
[Democrats, by the way, would also have trouble with that question. In fact there is nothing in Obama Care that guarantees health care for someone who ignores the government mandate and remains uninsured.]
Krugman is not alone. Writing at Health Affairs the other day, Princeton University economist Uwe E. Reinhardt described the current budget impasse in Washington by declaring that this country has been in:
…a long ideological war fought over the distribution of economic privilege in this country, a war that has been raging unabated for over three decades now.
One side in this war believes that the current distribution of income and wealth in this country is fair, as it rewards generously those who contribute commensurately to the economy and properly gives short shrift for those who do not — e.g., unskilled workers…
The opposing faction believes that the current distribution of income and wealth no longer is the product of a genuine meritocracy, and even if it were, that health care, education and legal care are so-called social goods to which rich and poor should have access on roughly equal terms, regardless of their own ability to pay.
Although Reinhardt doesn't engage in the kind of ad hominem personal character attacks that are Krugman's stock in trade, the message is still the same: one side cares about the unfortunate and the other side doesn't.
Before going further, there is something you should know. There is no evidence whatsoever – zero evidence – that liberals are more compassionate than conservatives. In fact all the evidence points in the other direction. More about that in a moment.
Since Krugman is a Nobel Prize winning economist, I would like to turn first to the science of economics, just as Adam Smith did more than 200 years ago. What Smith realized was that it's not compassion, or any other feeling that is going to eliminate most deprivation and suffering around the world. It's sound economic policies, produced by rational thought.
Several years ago, I was at a conference at the Vatican and I heard another Nobel laureate, University of Chicago economist Gary Becker, make a remarkable statement. Becker said, "I believe in capitalism. The reason: capitalism confers its greatest benefits on those at the bottom of the income ladder. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be a capitalist. And Milton Friedman thinks the same way."
Non-economists are generally unaware of how much evidence there isin support of the Becker/Friedman position. If you look around the world, you will find that the bottom 10% of the income distribution gets about the same percent of national income in countries with the least economic freedom (2.5%) as they do in the countries with the most economic freedom (2.6%). Whether a country is capitalist or socialist doesn't seem to matter. But there is a huge difference in the absolute level of income. In fact, the bottom 10% gets almost ten times more income ($8,474 per persons per year vs. $910) in capitalist countries than in non-capitalist countries.
Given that disparity, what is the most compassionate economic system? It is the system advocated by the University of Chicago economists and other classical liberals: a system that leaves people free to use their intelligence, their creativity and their innovative ability to pursue their own interests. In other words, it is a system in which people are "free to choose."
That freedom and free enterprise are good for poor people is a fact of economic science. It has nothing in particular to do with compassion. But since the issue has been raised, who are the most compassionate people? It turns out, they are not liberals. In an exhaustive study of this issue American Enterprise institute president Arthur Brooks discovered that:
In 2000, households headed by a conservative gave, on average, 30 percent more money to charity than households headed by a liberal ($1,600 to $1,227). This discrepancy is not simply an artifact of income differences; on the contrary, liberal families earned an average of 6 percent more per year than conservative families, and conservative families gave more than liberal families within every income class, from poor to middle class to rich…
The differences go beyond money and time. Take blood donations, for example. In 2002, conservative Americans were more likely to donate blood each year, and did so more often, than liberals. If liberals and moderates gave blood at the same rate as conservative, the blood supply in the United States would jump by about 45 percent.
What about Krugman, personally? I don't know him. But the next time he is on television, mute the sound and focus on the image on the screen. Is there anything about Paul Krugman that seems to be the least bit compassionate? Not to me.


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Then he slaps her. It was only because she deserves it!
Nah but to be srs, Das sweet
Then he slaps her. It was only because she deserves it!
Nah but to be srs, Das sweet
I love the colors and the style, so adorbs <3
What I really like about this is how you drew Daisy the chubby cutie she always was.
why haven't more people praised this!!
it's so good!!
daisy is wonderful!!
Thats a really cute chunky/fluffy daisy. Thats quite the hook she has on her tail. Is that how she caught abby?
The best is this person kept the features of each cat race. Abbey really looks like an Abyssian
This is absolutely adorable. Aww.
This should get an excellent tag. Also, OTL FREAKING ADORABLE. Daisy's tail makes me wiggle.
"Are you okay?"
Aww! This is so sweet! I love them as a couple! Abby treats her right and Daisy always returns the love!
No words. Only feels.


text:
Here's a lecture Jay Richards did for the Acton Institue.
And here is a related article from Boundless.
The big environmental issue nowadays is global warming. Anyone who watches or reads the news even occasionally has been told that humans are causing global warming through all the fossil fuels we're burning. They've also been told that this warming process eventually will prove catastrophic if we don't reverse course as soon as possible.
As thinking Christians and good stewards, how should we respond?
The short answer is, we should respond thoughtfully. Thoughtless stewards are rarely good stewards.
Notice that my brief summary of the global warming controversy bundled together several distinct claims. To think clearly about this issue, we have to tease apart this bundle of claims and consider each one. For each claim, there is a corresponding question we need to answer. And it's only after answering these questions that we can be in a position to determine what, if anything, we ought to do about global warming.
Here are the four central questions:
- Is the earth warming?
- If the earth is warming, is human activity (like carbon dioxide emissions) causing it?
- If the earth is warming, and we're causing it, is that bad overall?
- If the earth is warming, we're causing it, and that's bad, would any of the proposed "solutions" (e.g., the Kyoto Protocol, legislative restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions) make any difference?
It's important for us to think carefully about how best to achieve the goals set out by the Bible. And that means undertaking a close study of how the world works and how best to affect change for the good.


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MPAA head Chris Dodd backtracked on the association's stance on piracy in comments made to Variety over the weekend:
"We're in a transformative period with an explosion of technology that's going to need content… We're going to have to be more subtle and consumer-oriented… We're on the wrong track if we describe it as thievery."
While he didn't say it's not a crime, Dodd's words are quite the reversal from the organization's official policy. The MPAA has been pretty hell-bent on making piracy synonymous with theft for many years. Just look at its "you wouldn't steal a car" campaign.
We can only hope that Dodd's words signals a shift in the way piracy is treated in the eyes of the law. There should be nuances—someone who is downloading a movie to watch on their own shouldn't be pursued in the same way as a person that is ripping a movie and turning around and selling it for a profit. At this point, Dodd's statements are a definite change in rhetoric for an agency that will hang people out to dry for illegal downloading. [Variety via TechDirt via Geekosystem]


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The Poodles Set To Release 'No Quarter' CD and 'In The Flesh' DVD On November 5th
The Poodles Set To Release 'No Quarter' CD and 'In The Flesh' DVD On November 5th
September 24, 2010
Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of THE POODLES live package including the "No Quarter" CD and "In The Flesh" DVD on November 5th 2010.
Having carved in stone their reputation as prime time entertainers with the release of three acclaimed studio albums and over 350 shows in the entire Europe in the past few years, not counting Gold and Platinum record awards in their home country, THE POODLES close the first chapter of their musical adventure and set their sails for the next step.
As a tribute to the first years on the road, THE POODLES offer the fans a live package including a CD and a DVD recorded during the "Clash of the Elements" tour in 2009, which portrays the band in the most natural environment: the live show. "The high points for us as a band is anytime we go on stage", says guitar player Henrik Bergqvist. "This may sound like somewhat of a cliche but it is no less true. It doesn't matter if we play a crowd of 10.000 people at Graspop or in front of a handful on a rainy November Monday in Copenhagen, those are the moments we relish and live for. We've had so many special moments on stage over the past couple of years that it seems impossible to single even a few of them out. Having said this, some special moments can certainly be seen on the live DVD and heard on the live CD".
"We are very proud of how the live CD and live DVD turned out and we feel that they really shows what the band is like on stage" continues Bergqvist, "being able to watch a DVD of your favourite band is great and there are a few really nice ones out there, but the connection that takes place between the band and the crowd during live shows cannot be formatted to the screen. You can catch a glimpse of it, but to experience a band live will always be different from listening to or viewing a recording of that band. Have a look and see for yourselves, though!"
Aptly titled "In The Flesh" the DVD is a real in deep look at the Poodles style of life with in-deep interviews, that present each band member, behind-the stage instant footage and a collection of the promo videoclips shot for the "Clash of the Elements" promotion. In addition, a selection of the band's classic cuts performed live shows that the Poodles are delivering the goods when the play live. The live cd, soundtrack of the DVD, plus the song "Lullaby For Jimmy" as cd exclusive, shows that behind the look and the words there is a solid band playing great music!
Henrik concludes: "The future plans for The Poodles is closely connected to the band's cooperation with Frontiers Records. The band expects to play for an ever expanding audience as a result of it and take the mission of Heavy Metal to virgin lands. We want to see our beloved fans again on the road and make new friends too. The future is bright for us, and that's good because we already wear shades!"
The live CD "No Quarter" tracklisting includes:
Too Much Of Everything; Caroline; Seven Seas; Metal Will Stand Tall; Like No Tomorrow; One Out Of Ten; Lullaby For Jimmy; Drum Solo; Echoes From The Past; Thunderball; I Rule The Night; Night Of Passion; Flesh & Blood; Line Of Fire.
The Live DVD "In The Flesh" table of contents include:
Movie: Introduction; Stockholm, Party & Fun; About The Poodles; Metal Standing Tall; The Director & Crew; Being On Top; Jakob; Henrik; Pontus; Kicken; The First Five Rows; Tribute To The Fans; End Credits.Concert: Too Much Of Everything; Caroline; Seven Seas; Metal Will Stand Tall; Like No Tomorrow; One Out Of Ten; Echoes From The Past; Thunderball; I Rule The Night; Night Of Passion; Flesh & Blood; Line Of Fire.Extras: Like No Tomorrow (Video); I Rule The Night (Video); In The Flesh (Video); Warrior (The Movie Trailer); Majestic Film And Metal Warriors
The DVD will be released in NTSC Region Free format with Screen 16:9 and Mix in 2.0.
There will also be a limited release of a luxury packaging including the live CD "No Quarter" and the DVD "In The Flesh" is a luxury digipak edition.
"In The Flesh" trailer can be enjoyed below:
The songs "One Out Of Ten" and "Caroline" can exclusively be listened in full in streaming on the Frontiers Web radio. Tune in at: www.frontiers.it/webradio
Jakob Samuel – vocals
Pontus Egberg – bass
Christian Lundqvist – drums
Henrik Bergqvist – guitars
Weblinks: www.myspace.com/thepoodles / www.poodles.se / www.frontiers.it / www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords
Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com and www.frontiers.it


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Flavour – More Soul Food
Download Flavour – More Soul Food
Flavour – More Soul Food MP3 Download : Nigeria popular traditional Igbo singer & respected songwriter Flavour debut a track which was titled Flavour – More Soul Food.
Chinedu Okoli, better known by his stage name Flavour N'abania or simply Flavour, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He began his musical career as a drummer for a local church. Flavour is popularly known across Africa and the world for his hit song "Nwa Baby".
The song is now available for free download on NaijaHighlife.
Download Flavour – More Soul Food
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text: The efficient organizational model and facilitate high production capacity: The flexibility of ink from one meter up to 30,000 feet once. Quick response to the needs of our customers. The reactivity of changes in the Production Plan to meet the deadlines demanded by our customers. Ribbon · Cordolería · Lingerie · Corchetería Buttons on Lingerie Garments made · Fabrics · Jeans They are some examples of the products that we work assiduously.


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On Friday afternoon a federal district court judge ruled that National Security Letters (NSLs) are unconstitutional under not only the First Amendment but under the "separation of powers" principle as well. As Alex Johnson, a staff writer for NBC News put it, those NSLs are "the supersecret mechanism[s] by which the FBI can get your private information without a warrant in the name of counterterrorism."
The suit was brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit digital rights group that supports personal privacy over the internet, on behalf of an internet provider which received an NSL from the FBI. The suit claimed the FBI's letter was unconstitutional under the First Amendment's right to free speech as well as under the principle of separation of powers in that information was demanded without a court order or a probable cause search warrant issued by a judge. When the ruling was announced, the senior staff attorney for the EFF, Matt Zimmerman exulted:
We are very pleased that the court recognized the fatal constitutional shortcomings of the NSL statute. The government's [demands and gag orders] have truncated the public debate on these controversial surveillance tools. Our client looks forward to the day when it can publicly discuss its experience.
Part of the NSL statute demands that any company which provides communications services, such as phone companies, internet service providers (ISPs) and banks, must not only release private information about its customers upon demand, but it is also refrained from informing its customer about the demand. The judge said that since the gag order is unconstitutional, so is the rule allowing the demand without a court order. U.S. District Judge Susan Illson said that the secrecy provision couldn't be separated from the main body of the law and that consequently that entire section of the law was unconstitutional.
In her ruling, Illson wrote:
Petitioner contends that the NSL provisions lack the necessary procedural safeguards required under the First Amendment because the government does not bear the burden to seek judicial review of the nondisclosure order [the gag order] and the government does not bear the burden of demonstrating that the nondisclosure order is necessary to protect specific, identified interests…
Petitioner also argues that the judicial review provisions violate separation of powers principles…
The Court finds that the NSL nondisclosure and judicial review provisions suffer from significant constitutional infirmities…
As such, the Court finds [the relevant sections of the NSL law to be] unconstitutional…
The Government is therefore enjoined from issuing NSLs … or from enforcing the nondisclosure provision in this or any other case…. (emphasis added)
When the first NSL statutes were first developed in the late 1970s they were limited to foreign powers or to persons who the FBI had reasonable cause to believe were agents of a foreign power. They were little used because at the time compliance was voluntary and states' consumer privacy laws often allowed financial institutions to ignore any requests from the FBI for information.
In 1986, however, the NSL statutes were broadened and made mandatory, overriding states' provisions. In 1993, the law was broadened much more dramatically, expanding its targets from foreign powers or their agents to anyone the FBI suspected of breaking the law even if they weren't under direct investigation.
Following 9/11 the Patriot Act broadened the NSL law still further, permitting courts to override NSLs only in the event they were issued in "bad faith." And those allowed to issue NSLs were expanded from the FBI to include the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon and the CIA.
In 1994 the FBI issued an NSL to a library in Windsor, Connecticut, demanding that information that a certain "John Doe" was using on a library computer be submitted to the FBI's New Haven office and further, that Mr. Doe was not to be informed about the NSL. When Mr. Doe (later revealed to be Nicholas Merrill) learned of the NSL, he filed suit in a case that gained national attention, Doe v. Gonzales.
Merrill, represented by the ACLU as John Doe, argued that the NSL law as modified by the Patriot Act was unconstitutional for the same reasons as Judge Illson's present case: it violated the separation of powers principle as well as the First Amendment. The judge in that case, Victor Marrero, (a Clinton appointee), concluded that the law "offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers."
So, once again, federal congressional overreach, giving authority to the FBI and other agencies to use National Security Letters to obtain private information from American citizens without prior judicial review, has been tempered by a federal judge.
This is not the end of the matter nor even the beginning of the end. Judge Illson has given the government 90 days to respond to her ruling before it becomes effective. But such a ruling gives encouragement to citizens increasingly concerned about the government's continuing abrogation of precious rights coveted by Americans and guaranteed to them by the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution.


text:
Story highlights
Proposal would let townships impose fees on reality TV productions
The legislation is named for "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi
Law would make sure taxpayers "don't get 'Snook'-ered," assemblyman says
Shows could be made to pay for extra police patrolling when shows are taped
New Jersey towns could soon get help paying the extra costs of having drunken reality show stars wandering their streets.
The proposed "Snookiville Law" would let townships license reality show productions and levy fees on them to pay for additional police to control the cast members and the crowds drawn by the shows' cameras, New Jersey Assemblyman Ronald Dancer said.
The legislation is named for Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, star of MTV's "Jersey Shore," who was arrested for disorderly conduct in Seaside, New Jersey, two years ago, Dancer said.
While "Jersey Shore" is in its last season of taping, Snooki and co-star JWoww (Jennifer Farley) have been producing a spinoff show in Manchester, which is near Dancer's central New Jersey district.
"This bill will permit local officials to make sure taxpayers don't get 'Snook'-ered or public safety is compromised when reality stars such as Snooki or JWoww come to town," Dancer said.
The law would not prevent drunken reality stars from stumbling down the streets, Dancer said. "I can't go as far as to say that would not happen."
Dancer, a Republican, said he is not trying to discourage reality TV shows from taping in New Jersey, because production can bring money to a community. But it also "may cost taxpayers money by requiring additional services when cameras are rolling in town," he said.
Political campaigns' 'Snooki factor'
CNN's Jack Hannah contributed to this report.


text:
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However, that may also have something to do with our coach drivers; individuals that uphold our reputation and strive to offer faultless Coach Hire solutions.
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text:
I just stumbled on Joan Rivers' Diss tweet.
See tweet below.
Well here's what led to that tweet:
R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Monday to misdemeanor assault after a fight that broke a man's nose on Sunday outside a Washington hotel, the latest legal run-in for the Grammy-winner.
After spending the night in jail, Brown left the courthouse in a crush of security and press as fans crying "Chris, Chris" tried to rush the artist. He faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.
Brown, 24, was arrested early on Sunday outside the upscale W Hotel, a few hundred yards from the White House. Brown's bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, 35, was also arrested, charged with assault and released after pleading not guilty.
Brown won a Grammy for best R&B album for F.A.M.E. in 2011 and is known for hits including "Deuces" and "Look at Me Now." He appeared handcuffed in District of Columbia Superior Court, where a defense lawyer entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
After the not guilty plea, the judge ordered Brown released, touching off a smattering of applause from fans in the courtroom. The judge also set a preliminary hearing for November 25 for both defendants.
"Christopher Brown committed no crime," his lawyer, Danny Onorato, said in a statement. "We understand that his security acted to protect Mr. Brown and Mr. Brown's property as he is authorized to do under District of Columbia law. We are confident that Mr. Brown will be exonerated of any wrongdoing."
The episode began when two women asked Brown to be in a photo with them outside the hotel, a Metropolitan Police Department incident report said. Brown objected when Parker Adams, 20, of Beltsville, Maryland, tried to get in the picture.
"I'm not down with that gay sh*t," Brown said, according to the report. "I feel like boxing."
Brown, in Washington for a nightclub appearance on Saturday, punched Adams in the face, and Hollosy did the same, according to the report. Hollosy then pulled Brown by the arm to the singer's tour bus, the report said.
Brown denied punching Adams, and Hollosy said he intervened when Adams tried to get on Brown's bus, according to a court charging document.
Adams was taken to the hospital and treated for a broken nose, the charging document said.
Brown has been on probation since 2009 after assaulting pop singer Rihanna, his then-girlfriend. Brown's probation was revoked over the summer after he was charged in a hit-and-run traffic accident in Los Angeles, but reinstated after he agreed to another 1,000 hours of community labor.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office has accused Brown of cutting corners on his community labor sentence, which he was allowed to complete in his home state of Virginia.
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Originally named the Homestead Chamber of Commerce, the chamber was reorganized in 1917 and was renamed the South Dade Chamber of Commerce. Officers and directors were elected from Silver Palm, Modello and Redland, as well as the two cities, giving it a more regional view.
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