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To control your money, you have to ask yourself a simple question: Where is my money going? Once you begin to understand where the money goes, it's easy to track and manage it.
Where is my money going?
The first step is to figure out where your money is going. All of your money goes to one of two places: fixed expenses or variable expenses. Your fixed expenses are going to be things like rent, utilities, student loans, insurance and car payments. These expenses are the same amount every month and ongoing.
Variable expenses are everything else like groceries, restaurants, clothing and entertainment. All of these things can be planned and controlled.
One of the best things you can do to control your money is to create a Bills Calendar. Since I use Google Calendar, I made a new calendar called "Bills" and added all of the fixed expenses for the month. (Don't forget any yearly expenses like Amazon Prime or XBOX Live, for example.)
How do I control my money?
Now that you know where your money is going, you can control your money with a budget. Yes — budget is a scary word. It was for me too.
Start with looking over your bank statement and listing all of your expenses for a month. Similarly, if you use Mint, this becomes even easier. Make a note of the categories you're spending money and how much you're spending each month. It's good to look back at least 3 months, but the longer you look back the better idea you'll have of what you're really spending each month.
Next, find one of the many budget templates available online and fill it out. You won't use every category, so just you what applies to you.
The biggest misconception I had about budgeting was that once I set it up, I had to live by it to the cent. A budget is a living document. It is meant to be updated and corrected until it is a true representation of what you're spending. I review my budget every other month and make corrections as needed.
Automate your money
When you're living paycheck to paycheck, the idea of Billpay is scary because you never know if you'll have the money for the payment when it's due. Now that you control your money, Billpay can save you money and stress.
Many bill payees (such as auto insurance and student loans) will give a small discount if you sign up for their auto payment system. In addition, if you know your fixed expenses are taken care of, you will never pay another late fee again.
Now that your bills are under control it's time to pay yourself. When you're 21, the idea of retirement is a lifetime away. You don't see a need for savings or a 401k or anything your parents worry about. But it's never too early to start saving.
Pay yourself
I look at my savings account as paying myself. Sure, I get a paycheck from my job, and I "give" a lot of it away. But I need to keep some of that money for my "future self". I need to have money for car repairs, medical bills, or even a new computer or vacation.
I cannot emphasize how much less stressed you'll feel when you start paying yourself and helping out your "future self". Take a percentage of your paycheck and put it into savings automatically. You can set up a recurring transfer with your bank to move money into savings every paycheck, or you can set it up through direct deposit with your employer if you use a different bank with a higher-interest savings account.
(Photo credit: A Calculator and Statistics via Shutterstock)


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FAO acts over H1N1 human crisis
Governments urged to step up disease surveillance in swine
April 27 2009, Rome - The FAO-OIE Crisis Management Centre – Animal Health is mobilizing a team of experts to assist government efforts to protect the pig sector from the novel H1N1 virus by confirming there is no direct link to pigs, increasing animal disease surveillance and maintaining response readiness should the new virus become introduced into the pig population.
The UN agency has also requested its technical staff around the world be on full alert, immediately report any influenza-like illness in swine stocks and forward specimens to FAO/OIE reference laboratories.
At present, transmission seems to be occurring solely from humans to humans; so far evidence that the new strain of influenza A virus has entered the human population directly from pigs has not been established. Further analysis is planned to gain better insight into the situation.
No food chain threat
"There is no evidence of a threat to the food chain; at this stage it is a human crisis and not an animal crisis, but we have to be alerted and prepared," said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech.
"The first actions FAO and others must take are to ascertain if the new strain is circulating in pigs, establish if there are any direct linkages between the illness in the human population and animals and explain how this new virus has obtained genetic materials from human, bird and pig influenza strains," he said.
Governments urged to step up surveillance
FAO is working in close coordination with the World Health Organisation and OIE and other national and international actors involved at all stages of the organization's operations to ensure maximum efficiency in this worrying turn of events.
FAO urges Governments and the international community to step up disease surveillance in swine.

subset: commoncrawl


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Green eSolutions is a premier internet marketing company that can assist you with achieving better visibility online and converting internet surfers through creative writing and design. With over 20+ years of combined HOSPITALITY experience under one roof, our team looks forward to bringing you results! How do we do it? We utilize creative and powerful search engine marketing strategies aligned with high impact responsive designed websites!
If your hotel or hospitality website is not mobile you are losing reservations!
Green eSolutions also has the following other domains available:


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If you've ever tried to sleep in your car on a long trip without planning ahead, you may have run into the law at some point. Each U.S. city has a different policy and tolerance for car-sleeping and it's hard to find a legit spot if you don't know where exactly you'll be stopping.
What you can count on is one of Walmart's over 3,000 stores being nearby. The company's policy of allowing overnight stays in their parking lots is intended to boost sales, but has the tangential effect of creating a subculture around its locations (though they're still at the mercy of local laws).
The two separate Walmart parking lots in Flagstaff, Arizona are specifically known for their long-term residents, and this past summer photographer Nolan Conway spent several days making a series of portraits of both the overnighters and the people who call these asphalt grids a temporary home.
"Flagstaff is the one place in Arizona where it's not too hot in the summer and a lot of people who live in their cars or RVs stay there," he says.
Conway's portraits capture a broad and varied slice of America. He photographed people like Leroy Morris, who parks his RV in one of the Walmart parking lots every summer. Morris is a retiree who lives off Social Security with his dog Maggie as his only companion, but he says his years on the road have been the best of his life.
Then there's Sheldon and Jackie Britton from Phoenix who were on their way to Milwakee for Harley-Davidson's 110th Anniversary. Their tricked-out and enormous fifth wheel had almost every amenity of a normal house, including a full-size walk-in closet and a set of china.
The younger people Conway photographed were usually on long road trips. Caleb Goodaker-Craig from Austin, who is pictured sleeping under a tarp on the asphalt, was on an 11,000-mile solo bike trip. Dave Gooding, Liz Deno, and their dog Shaggy were on their way from Georgia to Montana.
"It was definitely a diverse crowd," says Conway.
Sometimes managers will say no to campers because space is limited. Conway says he's unsure what the exact rules were for the Flagstaff Walmart parking lots but there were stories of the police coming and telling all the long-term campers to leave.
Conway says he first tried to make the Walmart portraits in another city during the winter but was routinely turned down. In Flagstaff people seemed more amenable, partly because it was summer and they were outside and more approachable, but also because these parking lots had so many long-term residents that they developed relationships and interacted on a regular basis. Their dogs would play together and residents shared meals and holidays.
"There was definitely a sense of community," he says.


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Now that Manfrotto has released a new and slightly different MVH500AH Video Fluid Head, there's been a few questions about compatibility - especially for those who want to pick up or upgrade to this new video head and have invested in a bunch of QR plates. For a bit more information on the actual video head, check out this earlier article on the MVH500AH (here).
First, Does the Manfrotto quick release plate from the 577 QR Adapter or common 501PL plate fit on the new Manfrotto MVH500AH video fluid head? Secondly, Does the new Manfrotto MVH500AH quick release plate fit on the older 701HDV, 501, 502HD Video Fluid heads? Hopefully the video below answers some of those questions.
So the new MVH500AH seems to accept the 501PL plates or the quick release plates from the 577 adapter (with 501PL) pretty easily, but it will not be compatible with the 504 plates. Also, the MVH500AH quick release plate will not work with the older Manfrotto Video fluid heads such as the 701HDV or the 502HD.
Manfrotto MVH500AH Video Fluid Head, Tripod, Monopod - Amazon
Manfrotto MVH500AH Video Fluid Head, Tripod, Monopod - B&HPhotoVideo
The Manfrotto MVH500AH will also be available as the MVH500A which will be a 60mm half bowl fluid head (found here).
Manfrotto MVH500A 60mm Half Ball Fluid Head


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- Description
DetailsImagine riding on backcountry trails, dodging tree branches and feeling the sun shining down on your back-all from the comfort and safety of your favorite fitness facility. The Star Trac E-UBe Upright Bike riders now have the option to watch content from their own video iPod®s on a revolutionary embedded 15" HD touchscreen while working out. Intuitively placed channel and volume controls provide a personalized viewing experience. The E-UBe boasts iPod® connectivity and a USB port that allows users to charge most personal media devices, including cell phones, MP3 players, iPods® and BlackBerry® devices. Add these new features to the user-focused elements you've come to expect from Star Trac - adjustable personal fans, easy-up seat adjust, intuitive pedal straps, and personal programs developed especially for bike riders, and you have the best upright bike on the market designed with your members in mind.
- 15" embedded HD touch screen aligns each user's workout with their entry goals and intuitive programs
- Integrated iPod® connectivity with music, video and USB charging station allows users to display personal content while charging media devices
- Dual platform pedals with inline skate-style straps provide user with option for secure hold or strap-free platform workout
- Dynamic Heart Rate Control® adjusts intensity level based on the user's heart rate for interval training
- Easy-up seat adjust for simple seat position changes
- Star Trac's popular adjustable personal fans create a more rewarding workout
- 3 piece patent pending bottom bracket and pedal system
- Aluminum frame for maxium corrosion protection
- User weight capacity 350 lbs (159 kg)
- FRAME: Custom aluminum frame
- PEDALS/CRANK: 3 piece crank with sealed bearings, dual-sided pedal, extra long 14" pedal straps
- ELECTRICAL: 110 volt NEMA 5-15 cord; 220 volt NEMA 6-15 cord (optional)
- CERTIFICATION: UL/CSA, CE, FCC, or CISPR
- COLORS: Frame: Star Trac Silver, Shrouds: Slate Gray, Accents: Black
- RESISTANCE: 20 levels of intensity
- HR MONITORING: Polar® Telemetry and Contact Heart Rate System
- DISPLAY: 15" embedded touch screen with high definition TV and four workout views, including Progress View, Track View, Heart Rate View, and Simple View
- READOUTS: Dedicated: Time, RPM, heart rate, calories, calories/hour, watts, distance, speed, course profile, 1/4-mile motivational track
- PROGRAMS: Programs: 15 workouts including Dynamic Heart Rate Control® and constant heart rate control, Auto Pilot, Warm Up, two watts control programs, Fitness Test (Modified Astrand-Rhyming Test), and three custom workouts
- 25" W x 51" L x 58" H
- Unit Weight: 152 lbs (68.9 kg)
- Additional Information:
Additional Information
Name Star Trac E-UBe Upright Bike - New condition new Brand startrac Warranty WARRANTY: 2-year warranty on parts, 1-year warranty on labor; Wear items–1- year parts and labor; Headphone jack, iPod connector, and USB port – 90 day parts, no labor (USA and Canada only) (Light Commercial warranty for all non dues paying facilities 3 years parts/labor)
- Reviews


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Money matters approved
Saving and collecting money were key topics of discussion at Monday's Chenoa City Council meeting. The three commissioners in attendance and mayor approved one taxing option and a change in city insurance in what was the last officially scheduled meeting of 2012.
The taxing option will actually be a matter decided by registered voters living in Chenoa. The city, on a 4-0 vote, approved an ordinance that called for a raise of 0.75 percent in sales tax.
This option was arrived at after looking at asking for a full 1 percent or keeping it lower, at 0.5 percent. The three-quarter's of a percent was a compromise suggested by Mayor Donald Corrie.
Part of the discussion included comments from the mayor and commissioners Karen White and Michael Cleary regarding speaking with people who were not in favor of a sales tax increase of any amount.
It was discussed at a pervious meeting the need to raise money in order to allow for improvements within the city. The other option bandied about was to raise property taxes.
It was decided at that Nov. 26 meeting to ask for a sales tax increase in order to not put the burden solely on Chenoa residents.
City Attorney Al Freehill pointed out that this request has to be at the McLean County Clerk's office by Jan. 22 in order to get on the April 9 ballot. If passed, it will take effect on Jan. 1, 2014.
The money is likely to be used for improvements and development of utilities south of U.S. 24, east of Route 66 and west of the Union Pacific railroad tracks. The land is currently being used as for farming but the city wants to be able to develop it, which is a difficult proposition without utilities available.
Saving money was another issue brought up in an unrelated matter. Keith Dobrolinsky of Assurance Agency in Schaumburg spoke to the council regarding insurance for the city.
He gave the commissioners a breakdown of what hi company has come up with regarding various coverages designed to protect the city.
The city is currently paying $54,000 a year for coverage. The Assurance deal, which was approved by a 4-0 vote, will trim the payment to $48,800 annually with comparable coverage.
In another insurance matter, Rachel Johnson has made it known that she is interested in pursuing a business arrangement with the city, but no longer at this time.
According to White, Johnson decided that she would be interested in coming up with a proposal for 2014 for the city to consider regarding health insurance.
The city currently works with Bill Hennings of the Humbert Insurance Agency in Elmhurst. Johnson is a Chenoan. Hennings' deal with the city uses Humana as the insurer.
In other business, the council approved bonuses for city employees. Full-time employees with get $100 while the part-time employees will get $25.
Cleary was given permission by the council to accept a bid for work on cleaning a ditch on the north side of town.
The work, which will be done south and east of Route 66 near the swimming pool and Letcher Street, is estimated to cost nearly $7,000. Cleary said it should be done before spring.


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Boniface bŏn´əfās [key], d. 432, Roman general. He defended (413) Marseilles against the Visigoths under Ataulf. Having supported Galla Placidia in her struggle with her brother, Emperor Honorius, Boniface fled to Africa in 422. There, as semi-independent governor, he supported (424) Valentinian III against the usurper John and was rewarded with the title count of Africa. Recalled in 427, he rebelled; a civil war between Africa and the imperial government began. This struggle prepared the way for the invasion (429) of Africa by the Vandals under Gaiseric. A truce was arranged between Africa and Rome, and Boniface attacked the Vandals. He was defeated and besieged (430) at Hippo; during the siege his good friend St. Augustine died. Beaten again in 431, Boniface was recalled to Italy by Placidia to assist her against the general Aetius. He defeated (432) Aetius but died of a wound received in the battle. The historian Procopius, without convincing evidence, held Boniface responsible for inviting the Vandals into Africa.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Ancient History, Late Roman and Byzantine: Biographies


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Austria has many qualities as a destination country for visitors. Its excellent security situation, the clean environment and a broad range of cultural activities attract people from all over the world. A high quality of life thanks to good infrastructure and the proverbial congeniality are elements that make the country interesting for international customers.
In the area of incoming tourism, holidaymakers have a wide choice of activities and opportunities for relaxation. In the summer, Austria's mountains and cities lend themselves as destinations; in the winter there is the attraction of winter sports.
In the area of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Events), Austrian companies in the sector are the right contact persons for major events such as congresses, conferences and company events. The providers master the logistical challenge of organising events with up to 3,000 participants.
The services offered by the sector also include special services such as health tourism and thematic tourism, e.g.architecture, wine and art trips.
Austrian specialities
Austria has the world's best skiers because the Austrian mountains and lift facilities are world-class. Guests from many parts of the world who are enthusiastic about snow and winter sports have long profited from this because Austria is a pioneer when it comes to winter tourism. Today, classical ski sport is supplemented by additional services such as fun parks for snowboards, spa for après-ski and regional link-up systems of ski resorts.
The range of cultural services offered by Austrian cities is substantial. Particularly classical music is cultivated in Austria. For instance, Vienna, a city with just 1.8 million inhabitants manages to attract 100,000 visitors every year to its Summer Night Concert with classical music. Other trends in tourism to Austria are ship river cruises and wine tourism.
The industry is heavily dependent on external parameters such as currency fluctuations or political developments. A multicultural mix of services compensates for this and the intercultural expertise of the Austrian tourism industry is substantial. They create custom-fit offers for visitors from various cultural circles.
Tourism in person
The personnel in tourism in Austria is superbly qualified and conveys the "Austria feeling" appreciated by the guests. These employees also enjoy an excellent reputation abroad. Their training is done at all levels:
- Apprenticeship
- Vocational colleges
- University of applied sciences
- Modul University
- Tourism schools Salzburg
One of the most important reasons for travellers to select Austria as a destination is the country's unspoilt nature. That is why it is important for the tourism companies to propagate and implement sustainable activities. For instance, waste avoidance and separation, or energy-saving concepts in food service and hotels are important aspects of marketing tourist services.
Successful together
The competition situation in tourism is resulting in a high quality of the services offered. Many institutions and companies interact for the well-being of the guests. From the municipalities who look after the infrastructure and the regions who pool their marketing to the food service trade and the event organisers; they all work hand in hand for the international visitors.


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This question has been posted on the board 4 years ago, without any response... and times have changed...
I am running iTunes in full-screen mode and i want to see Growl notifications over the top of this. Is there anyway to do this?
Growl notifications whilst in fullscreen itunes
The Growl forums have moved to Google Groups, this forum is read only.
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
Re: Growl notifications whilst in fullscreen itunes
Exact duplicate of this other topic. Locking this one.
2 posts • Page 1 of 1


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Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) is in trouble. National media yesterday reported that Sen. Dodd admitted "that he had been involved in key legislative changes that helped pave the way for AIG to pay controversial bonuses to its employees."
His hometown newspaper, Hartford Courant, reported "In a retreat from earlier statements, Dodd said Wednesday that U.S. Treasury Department officials had approached him last month, urging him to modify an amendment to the federal stimulus bill that capped bonuses for executives at companies receiving aid. On Tuesday, Dodd said that he was not a member of the conference committee that crafted the final compromise bill and said that the exception had not been in the bill as he drafted it. But late Wednesday, Dodd admitted in an interview with CNN that he had been involved in the change."
Dodd said he "agreed reluctantly" to the changes because Obama administration officials "were insistent." He refused to disclose which administration "officials" asked him to make the changes that benefited executives at AIG who were awarded massive bonuses at taxpayer expense.
We could speculate who it was that convinced Sen. Dodd to make these changes. Was it Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner? After all he worked for two Republican administrations and for Henry Kissinger's private consulting firm. Geithner orchestrated the recent bailouts of Citigroup and AIG.
Maybe it was President Obama himself who asked Sen. Dodd to change the legislation so it would benefit AIG. We know that during the recent presidential campaign Obama raised the most money in US history. Obama got nearly $7 million in campaign donations from Wall Street investment firms.
Just to illustrate the point here are the top 10 recipients of AIG campaign donations for 2008:
1) Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) $103,100
Notice how many Democrats are in the top 10. It goes to show that Washington corruption is an equal opportunity business.
Keep your eyes on the ball. This story is likely not over.
In Monday's Washington Post the Obama administration signals their opposition to the legislation passed in the House last week that would tax 90% of the bonuses paid to AIG.
"I think the president would be concerned that this bill may have some problems in going too far -- the House bill may go too far in terms of some -- some legal issues, constitutional validity, using the tax code to surgically punish a small group," Jared Bernstein, the top economic adviser to Vice President Biden, said on ABC's This Week. "That may be a dangerous way to go."
Excuse me - talk about going to far! These corporate fat cat bonuses are about as far as you can go. What is Obama drinking over there at the White House? Is he not hearing (or caring about) the cacophony of voices across the country expressing utter outrage at these bonuses?
Obama says he was angry about the AIG bonuses but now he is backing off doing anything about them.....this ain't going to go over well with the public. Obama is leaving himself open to right-wing populism on this one......watch out, the hope and change express is coming off the tracks.
His left hand and right hand are not in sync.


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New Study: No Difference Between Gay & Straight Adoptive Parents
A recently released study by the Williams Institute confirms there is no difference in the behavioral outcomes of adopted children raised in same-sex households when compared to those raised by heterosexual couples.
"Parents' sexual orientation is not related to children's emotional and behavioral outcomes," confirms Williams Visiting Scholar Abbie Goldberg, who co-authored the study with JuliAnna Z. Smith of the University of Massachusetts. A national think tank at University of California, Los Angeles Law, the Williams Institute conducts independent research relating to sexual orientation, gender identity law, and public policy.
"More important are processes within the family, such as how well parents get along, and how prepared parents were for the adoption," Goldberg continues. "This is important news for policymakers and practitioners who work to place adopted children in permanent homes. Parents' sexual orientation should not be a relevant consideration; rather, emphasis should be placed on preparing parents for adopting a child, and enhancing or maintaining positive relationships within the family."
The study, "Predictors of Psychological Adjustment in Early Placed Adopted Children With Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parents," analyzed 120 two-parent adoptive families, comprising of 40 same-sex female couples, 35 same-sex male, and 45 different-sex couples, looking at aspects of the pre- and post-adoptive developments of the children.
For all couples, the child was under 1.5 years of age, and was the first and only child adopted. The findings are consistent with an emerging body of research showing that parents' sexual orientation are not related to children's emotional and behavioral outcomes, and the Williams Institute study is unique in that it is longitudinal - i.e. follows couples over time - and includes adopted children, as well as includes three types of parents: gay, lesbian, and heterosexual (Goldberg explains how past same-sex parent studies tended to focus on lesbian parents).
Aside from finding that the sexual orientation of the parents was unrelated to the children's adjustment, the study also found that:
� Child age at placement - or the duration of time in the pre-adoptive context - did not emerge as a significant predictor of child adjustment (Goldberg and her co-authors believe this because all children in the sample were very young, under 18 months).
� Parents' level of preparation for the adoption was related to both externalizing and internalizing symptoms, such that parents who were less prepared reported more symptoms in their children.
� Parents' depressive symptoms were also related to externalizing and internalizing symptoms in adopted children, such that more depressed parents reported more symptoms in their children. Depressive symptoms may compromise parents' emotional availability and ability to parent effectively, which can contribute to child adjustment problems.
� Parents who reported more relationship conflict during the early transition phase reported that their children had more internalizing behaviors two years later.
An estimated 16,000 same-sex couples are raising more than 22,000 adopted children in the U.S., and the Williams Institute estimates that two million gay, lesbian, and bisexual people have expressed an interest in parenting, a number dwarfing the 400,000 children currently in the American foster care system.
The results are long-sought vindication for LGBT adoption advocates such as Rich Valenza, founder and CEO of Raise A Child, Inc., a non-profit organization working to educate and encourage the LGBT community to build families through fostering and adoption.
"This study confirms the results of numerous previous studies to date," Valenza tells EDGE. "Simply, science shows that gay, lesbian, and straight parents do equally well in raising happy well-adjusted children. LGBT people make such terrific parents for children of the foster care system because many of us gay adults have relatable life experiences to the challenges that these children face"
By the 1990s it became well-known among adoption agencies that gay men in particular will adopt children other sectors of the population will not touch and thus stay in foster care the longest: HIV-positive and other health-afflicted children, those born as a result of incest, and those from abusive or drug-influenced backgrounds. While Caucasian children are usually adopted within minutes of being born, African-American youth, who make up the vast majority of children in foster care, can languish for years without ever experiencing a stable household, and often "age out" of the system without ever learning even the most basic skills of adulthood, such as balancing a checkbook.
Goldberg concedes that prospective LGBT parents, particularly gay men, still face an uphill battle. "For example," she says, "some gay men face more stigma than lesbians, since gays encounter stigma related to their sexual orientation and their gender. Some agency personnel may think they cannot parent effectively because they are gay, and some believe that they will not be effective parents because they are men. So, stereotypes about gender and sexuality may prevent some agency personnel from placing children with gay men."
"The children in foster care deserve better," declares Valenza. "Given the numbers, we believe the solution to the foster care crisis is within reach and the answer is right here within the LGBT community. What great history our community could write!"
Related Story


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Krista sent me these too close to Christmas to post (and besides, no one was reading any blogs that week anyway), so here they are on the New Year, now that we've all put away our decorations, celebrated, vacuumed and have actually resumed some sense of order in our lives. Or at least pretend we have.
We are in the (I can never get this right) the Plus and X Friendship Swap. Or the X and Plus Swap. I just call it the Cross-X swap, as noted in the title, and all our blocks — thus far swapped — are on my pinwall, above. Cool, huh?
As of this post, she is all caught up, but I'm now 4 blocks behind for January. I can just hear her saying "Neener, neener, neener!" I'll catch up, Krista, I promise. I notice that usually we try to make the background all the same, but in her blocks sent for January, she's varied the backgrounds. I'm trying to decide if I like her new twist, but she's very creative and a really wonderful swap partner, so I need to be open to new ideas. We try to blog the last Fridays of each month and hey–it's only the 10th, and I need to get out several blocks promised for a cooperative group quilt, two bee blocks, and I'm working really hard on my Amish With A Twist-2 quilt, too.
Quilt Frolic has a new home. During Christmastime, all our children and grandchildren came home, and my youngest, Peter, and his wife, Megan, stayed with us the entire week while waves of family moved in and out of the two other available rooms.
I had this quilt on their bed, and one morning Megan was relating a conversation she had with Peter about how much she like this quilt. "I mean, I really like it," she said. And she asked my son if she thought she could, like, borrow it, or even have it.
Megan, that is music to a quilter's ears! I gave it to her on the spot. I was thrilled that she liked it well enough to want it, and I think she was thrilled to take it home. Megan really liked the fabrics in it–a combo of Amy Butler and some Anna Maria Horner–a kind of fabric that suits Megan well. She did get it into her teensy little carryon for the trip across the United States, to their home on the East Coast.
I am glad that this quilt has gone to someone who loves it!


text: Sparkle Musical drama. Starring Jordin Sparks, Carmen Ejogo and Whitney Houston. Directed by Salim Akil. (PG-13. 116 minutes.) "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks makes her movie debut in "Sparkle," and just that much - that half sentence - will probably keep a number of people from reading what follows. But "Sparkle" was made by smart people who built on their star's strengths, accounted for her weaknesses and didn't lean on her to carry the whole picture. Sparks' strengths include not just a powerful voice but also a radiant niceness, and that becomes part of the story. "Sparkle" also has the advantage of the late Whitney Houston, who plays Sparks' mother. Inevitably, there are moments sprinkled throughout that will remind you of Houston's life and ultimate fate, as when Mom - a woman who almost made it as a singer - says that the music business almost killed her. But mostly it's just a pleasure to receive this unexpected gift, to hear Houston tear into a gospel number and to witness the maturity and the gravity that she brings to the role of a single mother raising three daughters. Yet when all is said and done, I suspect that very few people will walk out of "Sparkle" talking about either Sparks or Houston, at least not at first. Instead they will be saying, "Who was that?" And they'll be referring to Carmen Ejogo, who plays Sparks' older sister. If there is any justice, Ejogo will become very famous very soon. As in, maybe today. It's rare to see someone become a movie star right before your eyes, but that's what happens with Ejogo in "Sparkle." She has apparently been making feature films for 15 years, but always in small or smallish parts. Here she has what is nominally the supporting role, except that she sings a half dozen songs to Sparks' two, and her role is the focus of the drama. For an actress, this was the opportunity of a lifetime, and Ejogo plays it that way. She leaves nothing out, holds nothing back. "Sparkle" takes place in mid-'60s Detroit, where three daughters live in a house with their mother (Houston), a former wild woman who amended her ways to become a devout Christian. Sparkle (Sparks) is a natural songwriter but shy as a performer. Her older sister, known as Sister (Ejogo), back home following a divorce, is magnetic and sensuous onstage, and she has a voice, too. But she has never really gotten anywhere professionally. Meanwhile, the middle sister, Dolores (Tika Sumpter), is planning to go to medical school. An enterprising young man (Derek Luke), hoping to become the next Berry Gordy, gets the idea that the three sisters should form a girl group, and most of "Sparkle" tells the usual showbiz tale of trial and triumph. But mainly, "Sparkle" is the story of Sister - her hunger for security, her resentment of her mother, and her mix of brave and greedy impulses. With every other character in the film, you know who they are just by looking at them. Sister is the one to watch and wonder about. Make no mistake: "Sparkle" is heavy on the melodrama and hits every nasty landing on its way to the ground floor - the bad marriage, the drug problem, the violence and despair. But what distinguishes "Sparkle" and engages the emotions, even if we feel we've seen it all before, is director Salim Akil's investment in truth. When Sister, for example, leads a rehearsal while strung out on cocaine, Ejogo looks strung out - enough so that it's a disturbing sight. Nothing in "Sparkle" stands in for something else. Everything is inhabited, so that grief looks like grief, a weary mother looks like a weary mother, and a bad husband is played - convincingly by Mike Epps - as a truly evil man. "Sparkle" was never going to be a masterpiece or anything close to it, but when a director gets everything out of a script, and more, that's notable. It's even better when he leads a previously unappreciated performer to a supporting actress Oscar, and that might be what we're talking about here. Because when it comes down to it, Sparks makes "Sparkle" pleasant, and Houston makes it interesting. But it's only Carmen Ejogo who makes "Sparkle" genuinely worth seeing. Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicle's movie critic. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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I have been asked to design a mod_security rule to protect sites from the recent PHPBB worm. Now, I don't have access to PHPBB (vulnerable or not) but looking at the worm log entries I have found online it should be simple:
SecFilterSelective ARG_highlight %27
This should prevent someone from trying to sneak an URL-encoded apostrophe in through the vulnerable variable "highlight". As I said, don't take my word for it. If you have a vulnerable installation use the exploit after installing the rule to see if it works. Please let me know whether the rule works or not. And don't forget to fix the real problem by upgrading your version of PHPBB. Update: As Ralph Germershausen points out, while you are fixing PHPBB also make sure you are using the latest PHP version (4.3.10 if you are still with the 4.x branch or 5.0.3 if you are with the 5.x branch). This is to take care of the recently announced vulnerabilities.


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Imagine your 16-year-old son riding his bike on Palo Alto streets and, like too many bicyclists, cruising through a stop sign without stopping.
This time, your son is unlucky enough to have police witness the infraction. But instead of stopping, your son makes his second mistake: He attempts to get away. Moments later, a police officer makes a bad decision of his own: to use his Taser gun in an attempt to apprehend your son while he is still riding his bike.
Unsuccessful in shocking him with the Taser, another officer cuts your son off using his patrol car. After colliding with the car, your son winds up at the hospital with minor scrapes and bruises, is cited and released to your custody.
Details of this incident were among several reported in the most recent biannual report from Palo Alto's independent police auditors, outside consultants who review and investigate citizen complaints and how they were handled and resolved by the department. Because of this process, information on police conduct and citizen complaints are more transparent than ever before, and vastly better than in most other communities where police have strongly resisted any type of civilian review or accountability.
The result is a department that is more open to admitting its mistakes, reevaluating its policies and sharing with the public how it resolves complaints against its officers. That openness ultimately leads to both better police conduct and a greater understanding by the public of the pressures under which the police often operate.
In reviewing the bicycle Taser case summarized above, the report points out that the bike turned out to have been stolen, but that fact wasn't known to officers pursuing the boy. The report does not disclose the race of the boy, a fact that should be made public, especially in light of the past concerns about racial profiling and treatment of minority crime suspects. If the boy is white, it would at least remove one element of possible controversy.
In responding to this particular incident, according to the auditor Palo Alto police conducted a thorough internal investigation, determined that the officer (a training officer no less) who used his Taser did not follow department procedures because it was more force than appropriate under the circumstances of the crime, it was unsafe to use a Taser against a person riding a bike, and the required warning was not given.
As a result of the investigation, the department is reviewing how to improve its written policies and its training, and unspecified discipline was administered against the officer.
Most parents would be accepting, if not delighted, with the idea that their child would have the learning experience of facing a consequence for riding through a stop sign, especially at a busy or dangerous intersection. And worse, for not obeying a police officer's order to stop.
But no one, juvenile or adult, should be put at risk of serious injury by being tased while riding a bike. It is exactly this type of incident, which could have had a far worse ending, that leads to public skepticism about Tasers and their availability to police caught in situations requiring instant judgment.
If a training officer made the judgment to use his Taser in this instance, would he or other officers had made a similar decision in pursuing a teenager who had been drinking with friends in a neighborhood park and who chose to run when confronted by police? What about a juvenile running from officers breaking up "egg wars" among high school students?
The conduct described by the auditors in this case isn't up to our community's values and expectations of how police work should be done. But it also clearly demonstrates the dangers and risks associated with Tasers having become standard-issue police gear.
Tasers have been touted as providing a non-deadly force alternative available to help subdue an aggressive or violent suspect, and in those limited cases can equip police with a way to avoid using a gun and risk seriously injuring or killing a suspect.
But the fact that use of a Taser was even considered by this officer warrants the thorough reexamination of department policies that the report assures us is taking place. We urge Police Chief Dennis Burns to share with the public the changes he implements on Taser use and the lessons learned from this unfortunate incident.
Tasers have only been used in a few instances since being issued to officers in Palo Alto, but this case illustrates their risk and underscores the need for vigilance in monitoring the rules for their deployment.


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The 488-unit University Cabana Apartment complex at 2059 Vollintine Ave. in North Memphis has sold for $2.1 million.
University Gardens Manor LLC, which lists a Northridge, Calif., address, bought the 379,976-square-foot multifamily property in a May 20 special warranty deed from LBUBS 2002-C4 Cabana Circle LLC.
The seller is an affiliate of Miami-based loan servicer LNR Partners LLC, which acquired the complex last year for $2.9 million after the previous owner went into default.
University Cabana, a Class C complex built in 1965, sits on 26 acres at 2059 Vollintine Ave., north of Vollintine Avenue and east of University Street in Vollentine Park subdivision. It uses the address 2059 N. Cabana Circle. The Shelby County Assessor of Property's 2013 appraisal is $3.7 million.
In conjunction with the purchase, University Gardens Manor filed a $1 million loan through Archetype Credit Opportunities Funding I LP. Michael Chung signed the trust deed as president of the buying entity.
The property's financial woes began after the previous owner, University Apartment Associates LLC, defaulted on 2002 loan for $7 million through UBS Warburg Real Estate Investments Inc., according to the notice.
That loan was transferred three times, most recently in December 2011 to LNR's LBUBS affiliate, which owned the property for about a year before this sale.
Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports
– Daily News staff
Three new clothing stores are opening simultaneously in the Cooper-Young neighborhood: Addison, Wish and Langford Market.
A grand opening ceremony was scheduled for Saturday, June 1.
Langford Market, at 2155 Central Ave., offers "carefully chosen, classically feminine clothing, accessories and gifts." Wish, at 2157 Central Ave., describes itself as providing "whimsical and eclectic looks" for "style-savvy, price-conscious shoppers." And Addison, at 2153 Central Ave., provides a wide range of clothing and artisan handmade jewelry to "mature and sophisticated" shoppers.
– Andy Meek
Thomas "Silky" Sullivan, whose bars in Overton Square and on Beale Street were a part of Memphis nightlife for 40 years, died Friday, May 31, after a sudden illness.
Sullivan was proprietor and front man of Silky Sullivan's in Overton Square during the 1970s and into the 1980s. It was there that Sullivan prominently displayed his Irish heritage as well as his gift for blarney and a potent drink served in a plastic pale called the "Diver."
Sullivan was among the founders of Midtown's annual pub crawl, a tradition he kept alive in later years on St. Patrick's Day with what he called an "Irish armada" or car caravan that escorted passengers from bar to bar after picking up dignitaries from Irish towns and cities at Memphis International Airport.
At the height of the pub crawl in the 1980s, when it drew large crowds, Sullivan courted controversy when he vowed to release a small pig in Midtown and award a prize to the person who caught it. The plan was quickly dropped when city officials intervened.
With a place in the ruins of the old Gallina Building at Beale and Third streets, Sullivan opened a Pat O'Brien's-styled piano bar in the entertainment district. To distinguish it from the original Overton Square bar, which remained open for a time, he called the Beale Street location Silky O'Sullivans. He also departed from the confines of New Orleans atmosphere with a courtyard that featured several goats. From time to time, he used the goats to "predict" the outcome of Memphis Grizzlies basketball games. The goats, in every case, predicted a Grizzlies victory.
– Bill Dries
Wild Abundance Publishing, the publishing division of ArtsMemphis, was awarded a silver medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards for its most recent book, "A Million Wings."
The collection of essays and photographs features a dozen private duck clubs along the Mississippi Flyway in a coffee table-sized book format.
The award was presented Wednesday, May 29, during the Independent Publisher Book Awards banquet in New York. More than 5,200 publications were nominated for national IPPY Awards.
"A Million Wings" author Susan Schadt, who also is president and CEO of ArtsMemphis, says the publishing arm of the nonprofit organization helps fund "our city's wonderful and ever-growing arts community."
– Jennifer Johnson Backer
Evolve Bank & Trust has added a new product to its list of offerings for customers – coffee.
The bank has partnered with J. Brooks Coffee Roasters, a local company with a top-notch roast master. "We started this partnership," the bank tells shareholders in its latest update letter, "because everything about Evolve – our people, our products, our branches – is about the experience. We will be serving the coffee in our local branches and making it available to our offices nationwide."
The idea has been brewing, no pun intended, for a few years. The bank explains more on a dedicated website for the initiative, www.getevolved.com/coffee, saying that if there's one thing bankers know besides finances, it's coffee.
"For most of us, we've spent our entire careers drinking cups of mediocre office coffee while we knew something better was out there," the bank writes on the website. "Then it hit us, why couldn't that 'better' be brought inside?"
In other Evolve news, the bank's first quarter income before taxes was nearly $1.3 million, up 163.8 percent from the same period in 2012. The bank also increased loan loss reserve by 86.2 percent.
A measure of U.S. consumer confidence jumped to its highest level in almost six years in May, lifted by rising home prices and record stock market gains. Greater confidence could help revive spending in coming months.
The University of Michigan said Friday, May 31, that its consumer sentiment index rose to 84.5 in May, up from 76.4 in April and the highest since July 2007.
A better job market contributed to the rise in consumer optimism. And for the first time in five years, more consumers said their finances had improved rather than worsened.
Households with income above $80,000 reported the biggest gain in confidence. That's likely due to the disproportionate benefit upper-income households receive from stock price gains. But confidence improved for all groups.
Consumers cut back on spending in April for the first time in nearly a year, the Commerce Department said Friday. Some of the decline reflected lower gas prices. Adjusting for inflation, spending ticked up 0.1 percent, the smallest gain in six months.
Flat income in April also likely restrained spending.
Still, rising consumer confidence could signal more spending in the months ahead. And the surge in home prices and stock values may make consumers feel wealthier and encourage more spending.
– The Associated Press
The government said Friday that Medicare's giant hospital trust will not be exhausted until 2026, two years later than projected last year, while the date that Social Security will exhaust its trust fund remained unchanged at 2033.
The latest projections were included in the annual report of trustees of the trust funds. The new report warned that despite the small improvement in Medicare, both it and Social Security face significant funding challenges as the giant baby boom generation continues to retire. Currently, 58 million Americans are receiving Social Security benefits.
The reasons given for the improved financial outlook for Medicare were an overall slowdown in health care spending, particularly on skilled nursing care, as well as lower projected costs for popular insurance plans available within the Medicare program.
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, the chairman of the trustees, said President Barack Obama is committed to working with Congress to put both programs on a stronger footing.
Copyright 1995 -
by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


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Family Free Night
February 17, 2018 | 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
MHCM is open late and admission is FREE from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on the THIRD Saturday of every month. Please note: this event is intended for families with children ages 0-6.
Parent supervision is required at all times.
Family Free Nights are sponsored by M&T Bank. Come play!!


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Aaron Hernandez kept away from other inmates, Bristol County Sheriff says
Prosecutors renew call for public's help in finding mirror
Aaron Hernandez, who has been accused of an execution-style killing, has been moved into 7-by-10-foot single cell at the Bristol County House of Corrections.
Concern over Hernandez safety was a factor in moving the ex-Patriots star into a cell where he will not be allowed to mix with the general jail population, Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said Monday.
"The reason for this move is simply to protect him. We wouldn't want some inmate trying to get any notoriety by attempting to harm Aaron Hernandez," Hodgson said, adding that contrary to reports, Hernandez is not in solitary confinement.
Photo timeline: Case against Aaron Hernandez
Hodgson told NewsCenter 5 inmates are always looking to raise their own status by taking on a high-profile inmate.
Prosecutors said Hernandez orchestrated Odin Lloyd's execution-style shooting near Hernandez's North Attleborough home on June 17. They say it happened after the two went to a nightclub a few days earlier and Lloyd, 27, spoke to people Hernandez didn't want him talking to.
In jail, Hodgson said Hernandez, who can be out of his cell for three hours a day, has been polite and adjusting well.
"For a man who has gone from 7,000-square-feet to a small cell, he is doing very well and seems to be taking the situation great. He is very respectful and calm," Hodgson said.
Hernandez has had no visitors, according to Hodgson.
Prosecutors are still trying to gather evidence against Hernandez and his alleged associates Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz.
They renewed a call Monday night for the public's help in finding a broken driver's-side rear view mirror from a silver or gray 2013 Nissan Altima.
Without offering explanation as to its importance, they said it might be found along the route from Odin Lloyd's Dorchester home to Hernandez's North Attleborough home.
Wallace, who was arrested in Florida, agreed Monday to return to Massachusetts to face a charge in the murder case;
Wallace, 41, faces a charge of accessory after the fact of murder. Wallace turned himself in at a Miramar, Fla., police station last week.
In a statement, prosecutors in Bristol County, Mass., said they have 10 days to pick him up. They gave no indication when they would do so.


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Hospital waiting rooms are filled with nervous tension, somehow heightened with spaces often lit with the dull glare of fluorescent lights.
A collaboration celebrated Thursday between the Tulalip Tribes and Everett's hospital has transformed a long-established Colby Campus waiting room into a more welcoming place.
The Tulalip Community Room, filled with art donated by the Tulalip Tribes, is thought to be the first of its kind in the state, and perhaps in the Pacific Northwest.
What makes it unusual is providing a designated spot for family and friends of a hospitalized tribal member to gather, show their support, and pray. It also serves as a waiting room for the general community, a place to see tribal art and learn about the Tulalips' history and culture.
The room's walls are decorated with 10 pieces of Coast Salish art, almost all of which were created by Tulalip artists James Madison and Joe Gobin.
The works include Madison's 10-foot-long print of migrating salmon. A life-size woven glass sculpture in purple-and-gold hues, representing a dancing shawl, pays homage not only to the Salish culture but Madison's collegiate alma mater, the University of Washington.
Gobin's works include a print with a moon, deer and geese, and three decorative paddles with traditional Salish red-and-black designs.
"I just wanted to make something peaceful, not just for our people, but whoever comes in here," Gobin said.
A timeline documenting tribal history and photographs is displayed in the room's entryway.
The room was dedicated Thursday afternoon at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett with a ceremony that included prayers, blessings and a tribal thank you song and drumming by Ray Fryberg.
"Seeing it here really brings a big smile to my face," said Mel Sheldon, tribal chairman.
"It really makes the tribal community proud. It's a place of belonging and being a part of Providence and being able to show our culture, who we are in a very serene setting."
Having such a place on a hospital campus is an unusual blending of Western medical practices and American Indian holistic medicine, said Melissa Johnson, cultural program adviser for the Cross Cultural Center at the University of California Davis.
"I think that's a wonderful idea," she said. "I'm really glad the hospital was open to it."
Providence first recognized the need to provide a gathering place for tribal members about a decade ago. But then, the hospital was overflowing with patients. Its emergency room was so jammed that patients sometimes waited for treatment lying on gurneys in hallways. There simply wasn't room.
"What we saw with the Tulalip Tribes, especially with someone very ill and in critical care, they consider themselves all one family," said Michelle James, the hospital's acute care nursing director.
"At any given time, you could have 40 to 50 people in a waiting room … and we didn't have enough space to accommodate them."
That changed following the opening of the hospital's new $460 million medical tower in June of last year. A group that included Sheldon and Dave Brooks, the hospital's chief executive, began planning how to convert the old building's waiting room into the Tulalip Community Room. The new medical tower has multiple waiting rooms, as well as the emergency room.
"It's hard when we have our people over there," said Gobin. "We all gather there to support each other. We need a roof big enough for everybody."
Gobin said he remembers when his parents, both active in tribal affairs, were hospitalized. Tribal members often gathered in the same waiting room that is now the home of the Tulalip Community Room.
"We had a lot of tribal members there," he said. "A lot of people wanted to sing songs and it was hard for the hospital to deal with.
"I think it's big step forward for our people, for all people," Gobin said of the new community room. "It's for everybody. Not just Tulalips."
Gobin's and James' works are on display throughout the region. They collaborated on a driftwood log sculpture and other artwork installed this year at Mukilteo's Waterfront Park. Their larger-than-life sculptures greet visitors to the main gallery of the Tulalips' Hibulb Cultural Center.
James' tall, red metal sculpture is installed on Colby Avenue in downtown Everett. Gobin's bronze sculpture is displayed at Richmond Beach Park in north King County.
Gobin, 57, carved a canoe in the 1980s that is still in use. "I've carved my whole life," he said.
Yet both artists said they were unusually challenged by deciding what pieces they should create for a hospital setting.
Gobin said he wanted to create artwork visitors would find as calming and steadying. "I wanted to make something that represents our people, the Salish style of art," Gobin said.
The only other hospital in Washington that has a place for tribal members to gather is in Toppenish. In 1995, the community hospital dedicated a bare 500-square-foot building for use by the Yakama Indian Nation.
"They needed a place where they can pray or do their rituals," said Derrick Yu, the Toppenish hospital's administrator.
Madison, 38, said he spent about five months considering how to execute just one of his pieces, the woven glass shawl.
"Joe and I have a lot of responsibility to make something for a room that will mean a lot when people are in pain and hurt — the discomfort of not knowing," he said.
"These opportunities don't come very often," Madison said. "Joe and I are very grateful to have the opportunity. Everybody is learning about who the Tulalip people are. It's our culture we're putting into this artwork."
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Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders and yet it's one that isn't as often diagnosed since most people don't even know that they have it. When someone has sleep apnea the airways collapse multiple times throughout the night. As a result, this causes interrupted breathing. Since not enough oxygen is getting to the brain you can imagine the many health issues this problem could cause if left untreated.
So, what are some telltale signs that you have sleep apnea?
One of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea is loud snoring. While not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, most sleep apnea sufferers are also frequent snorers. Along with snoring, your partner may also notice that you might gasp for air in the middle of the night or that your breathing is paused.
The sleep apnea sufferer will complain of extreme fatigue throughout the day. Even if you get enough sleep you may still find it difficult to get out of bed (or you may experience headaches in the morning). While most people feel tired at some point during the day, a true sleep apnea sufferer has intense exhaustion that doesn't seem to let up.
Sleep apnea can make it more difficult for you to concentrate. You may find that you aren't able to complete work as efficiently as you should. You may nod off at your desk or while driving home from work. Sleep apnea can be dangerous because it can increase your risk of injury.
How is sleep apnea treated?
It's important to seek treatment as soon as possible to prevent health complications and other issues from happening. The most common treatment for sleep apnea is CPAP therapy. By placing this facemask over your nose and mouth as you sleep, it provides enough air pressure to keep the airways open and to prevent them from collapsing. This is the number one treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea.
Of course, sometimes an oral appliance device is all that you need if you only have minor or moderate sleep apnea. This device is custom-made to fit your mouth and can be used on its own or along with CPAP therapy to help you enjoy a better night's sleep.
If you think you might have sleep apnea it's important that you get this evaluated as soon as possible. Talk to our ENT doctor about how we can help you.


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PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook
Nancy loved pottering about with Mum. Today they were planting flowers. Or they would once Mum found her garden tools.
"It's as if they crawl off on their own." she muttered to herself digging through piles of junk in their garden shed.
"Maybe the gnomes came to borrow them." mused Nancy.
Mum mumbled something about gnomes and arses.
Cinnamon sticks poked out off one shelf, catching Nancy's eye.
"See! The gnomes replace what they borrow with cinnamon sticks."
"Flip! so this is where I stuffed these bloody cinnamon sticks. Maybe I should check the spice cupboard for my garden tools."
100 words
My very first instinct was to write some grisly murder / thriller. Images of leaves, dried twigs and wintry scenes has this effect on me. I pushed myself to find something different, stretch my creative muscles a bit. Get the rusty cogwheels turning. There's a bundle of twigs on the makeshift shelving that look like cinnamon sticks. (Left on image). And I went with that!
Hope you enjoy the break from my dark side. Anyone who is a busy parent juggling work (housework or career or both), fitness habits, hobbies, child-rearing will know that feeling of confusion upon discovering misplaced items. And I doubt that Mum will find her tools in the spice cupboard. That would be too easy.
Write a story in 100 words or less, and join Friday Fictioneers. Hosted by our friend Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Click the icon to read more flash fiction in different genres.


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Mike Feldman points out that folks don't care about validation because
lack of it doesn't cost them anything. The same could be said about
software quality.
And lack of quality doesn't cost anything (not much anyway) because
several vendors (with Microsoft way out in the lead) have brainwashed
the masses into EXPECTING garbage off the shelf.
Wes Groleau


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Detention of asylum seekers' children inhuman
Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:59:00 GMT
Huddersfield researcher presents case against child detention and family separation
A UNIVERSITY of Huddersfield researcher attended an important event at the United Nations, Switzerland, to make the case for global policy changes so that children subject to immigration processes are never locked up by immigration officials.
Kate Smith (pictured) has worked on the frontline of asylum support services and is now a researcher in the University's Centre for Applied Childhood Studies. In tandem with the Centre's head, Professor Adele Jones, Kate prepared an eight-page submission for the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child focusing on the rights of the child in respect of immigration detention in the United Kingdom – a copy of which can be found online.
pictured below is the infamous Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre (top) and Cedar's UK Borders Agency Detention Centre (bottom) where refugee families with children await deportation
It was a packed day with hundreds of delegates looking at the rights of all children in the context of international migration. The Huddersfield representative joined a working party that examined national level measures to implement the rights of children in international migration situations in countries of origin, transit and destination. A series of recommendations from the day are expected in February 2013.
Kate Smith herself is in no doubt that asylum seekers and their children should never be detained. "It is a huge violation of a human right to imprison children and take away their liberty," she says.
In her submission to the UN and at the day of discussion she described a policy shift introduced shortly after the 2010 General Election, by the new Coalition Government. It was agreed that children and their families should no longer be detained.
"The reason for that policy reversal was a growing body of research which shows that it was physically and psychologically harmful for children to be detained. The detention of children is unnecessary and represents a violation of many rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNHCR)," said Kate.
In its submission to the UN, the Centre for Applied Childhood Studies argued that detention was a harmful practice: "We reject accommodating children and families seeking asylum, in ways and locations that result in their isolation from the wider community. We feel there are both short and long-term benefits to the integration of children and families within the UK population from the very start of their asylum process."
In the two videos below Kate Smith talks about her research and how she prepared an eight-page submission for the UN's Committee focusing on the rights of the child in respect of immigration detention in the United Kingdom.
However, there is a concern that although the UK government has announced a policy change, children and families are still being detained in significant numbers – possibly as many as 2,000 a year.
"There have been improvements but there are massive gaps in the practice of the policy and flaws in the system," says Kate.
"There are various loopholes – for example some age-disputed children are being treated as if they are adults and they can be detained. There are also large numbers of children continuing to be detained when child asylum seekers by wrongly classified as adults meaning the safety of asylum seeking children is often overlooked."
"Also the detention of parents can mean the separation of children from parents and potentially separation between siblings if children are placed in different fostering arrangements," added Kate, who is completing a PhD that looks at with narratives of women seeking asylum.
She found the UN Day of Discussion a stimulating experience.
"There were child representatives who spoke from the platform, chaired sessions and we had a very moving theatrical presentation from children who had been detained on their migratory journeys. There were about 150 people in our working party who came together from many different backgrounds to discuss these complex issues in the context of the convention on the rights of the child. It was incredibly powerful."


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Hi Jess,
Your self-esteem program is amazing and I hope you can send some words of wisdom my way. I'm 17 and really interested in acting. My school has a drama program and I want to get involved, but I'm really shy and don't have a lot of confidence. How can I become a successful actress when I'm scared and insecure? What should I do?
Dear Marjha,
More From Seventeen
Fearlessness is a muscle. The more you practice it, the better you will become! I know chasing your dream can be intimidating at first, but if you really want something, you have to be willing to overcome all fears and obstacles that pop up along the way. Getting involved in your school drama department is a great first step. If you're not ready to stand at center stage, get involved back stage! Any little bit helps. Don't be afraid to take chances because they can lead to great places. I can't wait to see your name in lights!


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The real story…archived here: Algae Blooms Threaten Lake Erie – NYTimes
Spring Rain, Then Foul Algae in Ailing Lake Erie
By MICHAEL WINES
TOLEDO, Ohio — For those who live and play on the shores of Lake Erie, the spring rains that will begin falling here soon are less a blessing than a portent. They could threaten the very future of the lake itself.
Lake Erie is sick. A thick and growing coat of toxic algae appears each summer, so vast that in 2011 it covered a sixth of its waters, contributing to an expanding dead zone on its bottom, reducing fish populations, fouling beaches and crippling a tourism industry that generates more than $10 billion in revenue annually.
The spring rains reliably predict how serious the summer algae bloom will be: the more frequent and heavy the downpours, the worse the outbreak. And this year the National Weather Service says there is a higher probability than elsewhere of above-normal spring rains along the lake's west end, where the algae first appear. The private forecaster Accuweather predicts a wetter than usual March and April throughout the region.
It is perhaps the greatest peril the lake has faced since the 1960s, when relentless and unregulated dumping of sewage and industrial pollutants spawned similar algae blooms and earned it the nickname "North America's Dead Sea." Erie recovered then, thanks to a multibillion-dollar cleanup by the United States and Canada that became a legendary environmental success story.
But while the sewage and pollutants are vastly reduced, the blooms have returned, bigger than ever.
Once, fisheries and sports anglers pulled five million walleye from the rejuvenated lake every year. Today the catch is roughly one-fifth that, the Environmental Protection Agency says. Commercial fisheries' smelt catch is three-fifths of past levels. The number of charter fishing companies has dropped 40 percent. Sport fish like walleye and yellow perch are deserting the lake's center and moving shoreward in search of oxygen and food.
"We've seen this lake go from the poster child for pollution problems to the best example in the world of ecosystem recovery. Now it's headed back again," said Jeffrey M. Reutter, who directs the Sea Grant College Program at Ohio State University.
The algae problem is hardly isolated. Similar blooms are strangling other lakes in North America and elsewhere, including Lake Winnipeg, one of Canada's largest, and some bays in Lake Huron.
The algae are fed by phosphorus, the same chemical that American and Canadian authorities spent billions to reduce — for good, they believed — in the 1970s and '80s. This time, new farming techniques, climate change and even a change in Lake Erie's ecosystem make phosphorus pollution more intractable.
Like plants, algae thrive on a phosphorus diet. Decades ago, some 64 million pounds of phosphorus flowed into Lake Erie each year from industrial and sewer outfalls, leaky septic tanks and runoff from fertilized lawns and farms.
The United States and Canadian governments responded by capping household detergent phosphates, reining in factory pollutants and spending $8 billion to upgrade lakeside sewage plants. Phosphorus levels plunged by two thirds, and the algae subsided. But in the mid-1990s, it began creeping back.
"2002 was the last year that we didn't have much of a bloom," said Thomas Bridgeman, a professor at the Lake Erie Center at the University of Toledo. "2008, '09 and '10 were really bad years for algal blooms.
"And then we got 2011."
2011 was the wettest spring on record. That summer's algae bloom, mostly poisonous blue-green algae called Microcystis, sprawled nearly 120 miles, from Toledo to past Cleveland. It produced lake-water concentrations of microcystin, a liver toxin, that were 1,200 times World Health Organization limits, tainting the drinking water for 2.8 million consumers.
Dead algae sink to the lake bed, where bacteria that decompose the algae consume most of the oxygen. In central Lake Erie, a dead zone now covers up to a third of the entire lake bottom in bad years.
"The fact that it's bigger and longer in duration is a bad thing," said Peter Richards, a senior research scientist at the National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University in Ohio. "Fish that like to live in cold bottom waters have to move up in the thermocline, where it's too warm for them. They get eaten, and that tends to decrease the growth rates of a lot of the fish."
Last spring, the rains arrived amid a record drought, and the algae retreated to waters near Toledo. "We had two extremes in two years," Mr. Bridgeman said. "The lake responded exactly the way we thought it would."
But no one hopes for a drought. To cut phosphorus levels this time, scientists say, the habits — and the expensive equipment — of 70,000 farmers along the Erie shore must change. Most of the phosphorus that feeds algae these days comes from farmland.
Much of the phosphorus originates near Toledo, where the Maumee River completes a 137-mile journey and empties into the lake's shallow western basin.
The Maumee watershed is Ohio's breadbasket, two-thirds farmland, mostly corn and soybeans. Farming there is changing radically, said Steve Davis, a watershed specialist with the United States Agriculture Department's Natural Resource Conservation Service.
Plowing is declining; 55 percent of farmland is planted using anti-erosion methods promoted by the Resource Conservation Service, like no-till farming, in which seeds are inserted into small holes in unplowed ground. Fertilizing is now contracted to companies that cast pellets onto the bare ground from trucks, or to "factory farms" that spray liquefied animal waste on their cropland.
Mr. Davis has analyzed his watershed almost to the last cornstalk. Animal waste makes up 14 percent of all fertilizer. The rest is fertilizer pellets, 48 pounds per acre. In past days, most pellets sank into plowed soil and stayed there. Now, rain and snowmelt wash an average 1.1 of those 48 pounds off unplowed soil. Much winds up in the Maumee, then in Lake Erie.
The Maumee supplies only about 5 percent of Erie's water, but half its phosphorus. And while algae struggle to digest ordinary phosphorus — only about 30 percent gets taken up — fertilizer phosphorus is designed for plants to use instantly.
Two other recent changes make matters still worse.
One is the zebra mussel, a foreign invader that has dominated Erie since its discovery in 1988. Millions of mussels feast on nontoxic green algae, removing competitors to the toxic Microcystis algae and decimating the base of the food chain that supports Erie's fish. Then in a vicious cycle, mussels excrete the algae's phosphorus, providing the Microcystis a ready-made meal.
The other is climate change. Only heavy rains wash fertilizer off farmland, and since 1940, Mr. Richards said, heavy spring rainstorms have increased by 13 percent.
The Maumee's phosphorus can be limited, Mr. Davis says, but only if farmers change their approach. More soil testing and new G.P.S.-guided machinery can ensure that crops receive the minimum fertilizer they need. Other new equipment can put fertilizer in the ground during planting instead of pellets being broadcast in the winter. Leaving land fallow beside streams reduces runoff.
The catch is that fertilizing is already efficient: that wasted 1.1 pounds is but 2 percent of all pellets spread on Maumee-area farms. "When you're only losing a pound per acre," Mr. Davis said, "how do you cut it to a half?"


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Westcoast Sightseeing offer some amazing tours that will directly pick you up at the hotel and will guide you to your destination such as Victoria on Vancouver Island, Whistler and the North shore area of the North Vancouver city district including Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. Westcoast Sightseeing work in conjunction with Big Bus City tours who we feel are one of the best in the sightseeing business.
Explore Vancouver's downtown landmarks including Canada Place, the Olympic Cauldron, and bustling Robson Street on your way to the 40-hectare wonderland of Stanley Park. The journey continues through panoramic English Bay, vibrant Granville Island, historic Chinatown and Gastown. Then, board a glass elevator and whisk skyward to a 360-degree observation deck atop the Vancouver Lookout for another perspective on the city's attractions, history and fascinating facts.
8:30am (May 1 – Sept 30) – 10:00am (Year Round, Daily) 1:30pm (May 1 – Sept 30)
Tour Length: 4 hours
Price Starting at $74 per adult $45 per child (3-11)
If the combination of city sights and a forest escape is your idea of an ideal day-trip, this is the tour for you. Relax and learn with our unique, guided commentary through Vancouver's vibrant downtown. See spectacular waterfront landmarks including the sails of Canada Place and the bustling Robson Street shopping strip. Then soak in the view over Lions Gate Bridge as we venture to the adrenaline-pumping Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Next up are the sandy shores of English Bay on the west side of Stanley Park, then Granville Island, and a cruise though Chinatown and Gastown.
11:30am (Apr 1 – Oct 31)
Tour Length: 5 to 5.5 hours
Prices starting at $99 per adult $54 per child (3-11)
It starts with 90 cruising minutes aboard BC Ferries, and just gets better. With scenery so jaw-dropping you won't want to blink, relax and enjoy the voyage through Juan de Fuca Straight and the Gulf Islands. From exploring the inner harbour of BC's capital city Victoria–named after British monarch Queen Victoria–to Butchart Gardens 22 breathtaking hectares of meticulously manicured beauty, this tour delivers a royally spectacular day-trip experience.
7:00am (May 1 – Sep 30) – 8:00am (May 17 – Sep 15) – 9:00am (Apr 1– May 16, Sep 16 – Nov 3, Dec 6 – Dec 29)
Tour Length: 12 to 14 hours
Price Starting at $195 per adult and $99 per child (3-11)
Home to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and award winning for a reason, Whistler is an internationally renowned, year-round resort nestled in the Central Mountain range. The journey up the Sea-to-Sky Highway is just like it sounds–a winding spectacle of ocean and mountain scenery including the roaring Shannon Falls and cultural Squamish Adventure Centre. As the majestic backdrop of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountain unveils before your very eyes, the adventure at Whistler Village is yours to create.
8:00am (Year Round, Daily)
Tour length: 10 hours
Price Starting at $135 per adult – $75 per child (3-11)
There are more tours to look at and of you go to their website you can find more information on the details of each and every tour that they offer.
Westcoast Sightseeing Website: http://www.vancouversightseeing.com/
Big Bus Hop on Hop off City Tours Website: http://bigbus.ca/home/


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World Bulletin/News Desk
Pope Francis sent an unprecedented message of good will to China on Thursday before touching down in Seoul, but the first papal trip to Asia in 15 years got off to a shaky start with the news some Chinese had been barred from joining a youth celebration.
About half of more than 100 Chinese who had planned to attend an Asian Youth Day event during the pope's visit are unable to attend due to "a complicated situation inside China", Heo Young-yeop, spokesman for the Committee for the Papal Visit to Korea, told reporters.
He declined to give further details, citing their safety. Another organiser, who declined to be identified, said some of the would-be attendees had been arrested by Chinese authorities.
Beijing rejects Vatican authority over its Catholics.
China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comments either on the Pope's good will message or the Chinese who were barred from attending the youth event.
As the pope's plane approached South Korean airspace off the west of the peninsula, North Korea test fired three short-range rockets into the sea off its east coast, according to South Korea's defence ministry.
The test site was hundreds of kilometres away from the pope's plane. North Korea fired two more projectiles from the same location early on Thursday afternoon.
The North has tested an unprecedented number of rockets and missiles this year and has in recent weeks said the launches were in retaliation to U.S.-South Korean military exercises scheduled to start on Monday.
Pyongyang often stages such tests when rival South Korea is in the global spotlight, in what is seen as a means to grab a share of the attention.
The Argentine pope will spend five days in South Korea, meeting some of the country's five million Catholics on the first trip by a pontiff to Asia since 1999, but much of the attention will be on the Vatican's relations with China.
"Upon entering Chinese air space, I extend best wishes to your Excellency and your fellow citizens and I invoke the divine blessing of peace and well-being upon the nation," he said in a radio message to President Xi Jinping.
It was the first time a pope had been allowed to fly over China on Asian tours. His predecessor John Paul II had to avoid Chinese airspace because of the fraught relations between Beijing and the Vatican.
The Vatican has had no formal relations with China since shortly after the Communist Party took power in 1949. The Catholic Church in China is divided into two communities: an "official" Church known as the "Patriotic Association" answerable to the Party, and an underground Church that swears allegiance only to the pope in Rome.
Ren Dahai, director of Jinde Charities, a Catholic charity in China, said he had heard that some Chinese Catholics had been restricted from traveling to South Korea and some had been allowed to go, and that the matter had been a hot topic of discussion among Chinese Catholics in the last two days.
Some of the travelers had been stopped at airports and prevented from passing through customs, Ren said he had heard.
"This seems to me like it's dependent on the local government and the ideas and practices of local officials," Ren told Reuters by telephone from northern Hebei province, a Catholic stronghold.
"Some places will be stricter, while some will be looser."
Anthony Lam, a senior researcher at the Holy Spirit Study Centre in Hong Kong, an organ of the Diocese of Hong Kong, said Chinese authorities had warned more than 100 Chinese Catholics not to go to Seoul but said he was not aware of any arrests.
"Local officials will tell them: 'You should cooperate with us and not go to Seoul this time. Otherwise, you would know the costs'," Lam said in a phone interview. He said he had the information from "different channels" but declined to specify further.
"At least 10 days ago, or two weeks, the government started lobbying them not to go and later on gave them warnings."
North Korea had turned down an invitation from the South Korean Catholic church for members of its state-run Korean Catholic Association to attend a papal mass on Monday in Seoul, citing the start of the joint U.S.-South Korean military drills.
The two Koreas have been divided since the 1950-53 Korean war, which left millions of families separated.
Missionaries and aid groups have described a crackdown by Chinese authorities on Christian charity groups near its border with North Korea in recent months. The sweep along the frontier is believed to be aimed at closing off support to North Koreans who flee persecution and poverty in their homeland and illegally enter China before going on to other nations, usually ending up in South Korea.
China is North Korea's main ally.Güncelleme Tarihi: 14 Ağustos 2014, 10:10


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Difference between revisions of "Humor/Wanda"
(Wanda the fish, about programming,computers and lazyness)
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> I'm an idiot.. At least this [bug] took about 5 minutes to find..
> I'm an idiot.. At least this [bug] took about 5 minutes to find..
Surely, Linus is talking about the kind of idiocy that others aspire to :-).
Surely, Linus is talking about the kind of idiocy that others aspire to :-).
-- Bruce Perens in response to Linus Torvalds'
-- Bruce Perens in response to Linus Torvalds'
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remember, if you don't follow your dreams,
remember, if you don't follow your dreams,
you'll never know what's on the other side of the rainbow...
you'll never know what's on the other side of the rainbow...
-- , "the other side of the rainbow"
Latest revision as of 09:02, 13 March 2016
Brontosaurus Principle: Organizations can grow faster than their brains can manage them in relation to their environment and to their own physiology: when this occurs, they are an endangered species. -- Thomas K. Connellan
Pascal is not a high-level language. -- Steven Feiner
Creativity is no substitute for knowing what you are doing.
QOTD: The forest may be quiet, but that doesn't mean the snakes have gone away.
He who minds his own business is never unemployed.
At the heart of science is an essential tension between two seemingly contradictory attitudes -- an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive they may be, and the most ruthless skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense. Of course, scientists make mistakes in trying to understand the world, but there is a built-in error-correcting mechanism: The collective enterprise of creative thinking and skeptical thinking together keeps the field on track. -- Carl Sagan, "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection," Parade, February 1, 1987
There are two kinds of fool. One says, "This is old, and therefore good." And one says, "This is new, and therefore better" -- John Brunner, "The Shockwave Rider"
Truly great madness can not be achieved without significant intelligence. -- Henrik Tikkanen
Best Mistakes In Films In his "Filmgoer's Companion", Mr. Leslie Halliwell helpfully lists four of the cinema's greatest moments which you should get to see if at all possible. In "Carmen Jones", the camera tracks with Dorothy Dandridge down a street; and the entire film crew is reflected in the shop window. In "The Wrong Box", the roofs of Victorian London are emblazoned with television aerials. In "Decameron Nights", Louis Jourdain stands on the deck of his fourteenth century pirate ship; and a white lorry trundles down the hill in the background. In "Viking Queen", set in the times of Boadicea, a wrist watch is clearly visible on one of the leading characters. -- Stephen Pile, "The Book of Heroic Failures"
Suppose for a moment that the automobile industry had developed at the same rate as computers and over the same period: how much cheaper and more efficient would the current models be? If you have not already heard the analogy, the answer is shattering. Today you would be able to buy a Rolls-Royce for $2.75, it would do three million miles to the gallon, and it would deliver enough power to drive the Queen Elizabeth II. And if you were interested in miniaturization, you could place half a dozen of them on a pinhead. -- Christopher Evans
- Special AI Seminar (abstract)
It has been widely recognized that AI programs require expert knowledge in order to perform well in complex domains. But knowledge alone is not sufficient for some applications; wisdom is needed as well. Accordingly, we have developed a new approach to artificial intelligence which we call "wisdom engineering". As a test of our ideas, we have written IMMANUEL, a wisdom based system for the task domain of western philosophical thought. IMMANUEL was supplied initially with 200 wisdom units which contained wisdom about such elementary concepts as mind, matter, being, nothingness, and so forth. IMMANUEL was then allowed to run freely, guided by the heuristic rules contained in its heterarchically organized meta wisdom base. IMMANUEL succeeded in rediscovering most of the important philosophical ideas developed in western culture over the course of the last 25 centuries, including those underlying Plato's theory of government, Kant's metaphysics, Nietzsche's theory of value, and Husserl's phenomenology. In this seminar, we will describe IMMANUEL's achievements and internal architecture. We will also briefly discuss our recent efforts to apply wisdom engineering to oil exploration.
If the future navigation system [for interactive networked services on the NII] looks like something from Microsoft, it will never work. -- Chairman of Walt Disney Television & Telecommunications
The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its credibility. And vice versa.
Time sharing: The use of many people by the computer.
Linux, the way to get rid of boot viruses -- MaDsen Wikholm, email@example.com
I'm sorry, but my karma just ran over your dogma.
The error of youth is to believe that intelligence is a substitute for experience, while the error of age is to believe experience is a substitute for intelligence. -- Lyman Bryson
Windows found - Remove? (Y)es (S)ure (F)ine (O)K (M)ake it so
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.
My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.
Practice is the best of all instructors. -- Publilius
Good government never depends upon laws, but upon the personal qualities of those who govern. The machinery of government is always subordinate to the will of those who administer that machinery. The most important element of government, therefore, is the method of choosing leaders. -- Frank Herbert, "Children of Dune"
George Bernard Shaw once sent two tickets to the opening night of one of his plays to Winston Churchill with the following note: "Bring a friend, if you have one."
Churchill wrote back, returning the two tickets and excused himself as he had a previous engagement. He also attached the following: "Please send me two tickets for the next night, if there is one."
> I'm an idiot.. At least this [bug] took about 5 minutes to find.. Surely, Linus is talking about the kind of idiocy that others aspire to :-). -- Bruce Perens in response to Linus Torvalds' mailing about a kernel bug.
The honeymoon is over when he phones to say he'll be late for supper and she's already left a note that it's in the refrigerator. -- Bill Lawrence
"If a camel flies, no one laughs if it doesn't get very far." -- Paul White
Boys are beyond the range of anybody's sure understanding, at least when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90 years. -- James Thurber
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.
Life is like a tin of sardines. We're, all of us, looking for the key. -- Beyond the Fringe
Utility is when you have one telephone, luxury is when you have two, opulence is when you have three -- and paradise is when you have none. -- Doug Larson
I've spent almost all of my life with highly intelligent men. They're not like other men. Their spirit is great and stimulating. They hate strife; indeed they reject it. Their inventive gifts are boundless. They demand devotion and obedience. And a sense of humor. I happily gave all of this. I was lucky to be chosen and clever enough to understand them. -- Marlene Dietrich, on her friendship with Ernest Hemingway
drug, n: A substance that, injected into a rat, produces a scientific paper.
The only people for me are the mad ones -- the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow Roman candles. -- Jack Kerouac, "On the Road"
Don't let nobody tell you what you cannot do; don't let nobody tell you what's impossible for you; don't let nobody tell you what you got to do, or you'll never know ... what's on the other side of the rainbow... remember, if you don't follow your dreams, you'll never know what's on the other side of the rainbow... -- Melba Moore, "the other side of the rainbow"
"You can't teach people to be lazy - either they have it, or they don't." -- Dagwood Bumstead
If Microsoft built cars, you would have to press the "Start" button to turn them off.
You are scrupulously honest, frank, and straightforward. Therefore you have few friends.
There is is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home. -- Ken Olsen (President of Digital Equipment Corporation), Convention of the World Future Society, in Boston, 1977


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Well, the rumors are true. Google wants its Android operating system in your car, and the company is partnering with several carmakers and one chip maker to make it happen. Google, Audi, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, and NVIDIA have joined forces to create the Open Automotive Alliance, a consortium that will work to get Google's Android platform into vehicles, according a press release from the group.
The first cars to feature Android will launch sometime in 2014. And according to the OAA website, the group has been in touch with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ensure the system will be safe to use.
The move is hardly a surprise. Our cars and phones are becoming increasingly integrated, and Google's Android, along with Apple's iOS, dominates the mobile landscape. Apple has already made moves to infiltrate the infotainment space with its Siri Eyes Free integration and iOS in the Car. And don't forget that Windows Embedded is behind several systems, most notably Ford's Sync.
More From Popular Mechanics
"The expansion of the Android platform into automotive will allow our industry partners to more easily integrate mobile technology into cars and offer drivers a familiar, seamless experience so they can focus on the road," senior vice president of Android, Chrome & Apps at Google, Sundar Pichai, said in the statement.
So why is this such a big deal? One of the biggest problems with car infotainment systems is that they are all proprietary, meaning developers have to modify their apps for each carmaker they work with. This is costly and inconvenient. Sharing a common platform will alleviate this issue.