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Now that the chatter about Marissa Mayer has started to grow cold, let me admit that the whole conversation has pissed me off.
In case you've spent the past few days under a rock or — same thing — totally unplugged, Marissa Mayer is the former Google superstar who was annointed CEO of Yahoo on Monday. Her story went viral when she casually announced that she was preggers, telling Fortune Magazine: "My maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I'll work throughout it." Those 14 words ignited a shitstorm.
What made me incredibly cranky is how retro the conversation quickly became: It wasn't about Marissa Mayer, 37-year-old brainiac tapped to become one of only 20 women at the helm of a Fortune 500 company. But Marissa Mayer, new mom: How on earth will she manage? When will she bond with her newborn? How in the hell will she ever run Yahoo (which, it should be noted, is in desperate need of turnaround.)
All the backchat and the judging that came with it? Sheer lunacy. And, yeah, more than a little bit retro: Would we be talking about any of this if a soon-to-be-a-father had gotten the top job at a major U.S. company? You know the answer. No effing way.
What makes me crazy is what we're not talking about: the real reason the conversation caught fire in the first place. And that's the fact that the U.S. remains one of the least family-friendly countries in the industrialized world when it comes to public policy and workplace structures. And that, when it comes to managing the almighty juggle between home and work, the problem is seen as purely a woman's to solve.
We never seem to question that. Or ask why, when we talk about ambitious women like Mayer, we make what should be the political intensely personal: What will she do?
Who cares? What really matters is what we – men and women alike – need to do to make work work for all of us. Let's start with public policy. Ours sucks. To demonstrate just how much, look at Sweden. As we reported in Undecided, Sweden subsidizes preschool and elder care—and provides thirteen months of paid parental leave that can be taken in any increments until the child turns eight—reserving at least two months of that leave for fathers. As a result, 85 percent of fathers take parental leave. And those who don't often face the stink-eye from family, friends, and coworkers.
By contrast, here in the U.S., the Family Medical Leave Act entitles eligible employees unpaid, job-protected leave for twelve workweeks after the birth of a child. Period. As for valuing work-life balance? In spring of 2010, Congress failed to pass the Work–Life Balance Award Act, a thoroughly benign bill that would have established an award for businesses that develop and implement work–life balance policies. And child care? Legislation to establish early childhood education and day care programs, with tuition on a sliding scale, was passed by both houses back in 1971. Then-president Richard Nixon vetoed it. Some forty years later, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies reports that only one out of six children eligible for child care assistance receives it.
Then there's the workplace itself, which is still more reflective of the days of Don Draper, where there was always a Betty at home to take care of business, and Don could come home (or not) whenever it suited him. But how many families live like that anymore? In this economy, how many could? And so Betty, like Don, puts in the expected 52-hour workweek, and then comes home to do the laundry. And sure, while many forward-thinking companies now allow employees to be flexible, what that often means is that, whether you're at the office or at home, more than likely, you're at work. At two jobs.
And finally, let's look at our social culture, by which I mean: where are the men? Despite the fact that most working women put in the same long hours as their husbands, when they come home, they still own the second shift. To this day, we largely define work-outside-of-work in traditional gender terms: men do the yardwork and take care of the car, women do the dishes and take care of the kids. This is not to put down the male gender: I'm sure there are any number of guys out there who are more than willing to pick up the kids or fold the clothes, as a 2011 Boston College Center for Work & Family report on "The New Dad" found. But where the conflict arises, Brad Harrington, executive director of the Center for Work & Family told Diversity Executive Magazine is within the cultural context:
Many working dads are stymied in their desire to spend more time at home because of age-old perceptions of men's roles, both at home and at work. But it's also partly because men want to have the best of both worlds. While many men in the Boston College study expressed an increased interest in being at home with their children, a large percentage also said they wanted to have greater responsibilities at work.
So trust me. I am delighted that Marissa Mayer was hired as CEO of Yahoo while being, you know, openly pregnant. She's a great example of the fact that a woman can use her brain and her uterus at the same time. And as such, she is sure to start chipping away at the maternal wall that holds many of us back when it comes to positions of power. But let's go beyond the obvious. Rather than opining on whether Mayer will be a good mommy, what we really ought to be talking about is why the workplace remains so incompatible with motherhood in the first place – and why we assume that fixing that incompatibility is women's work.


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During the opening of his TV show Monday, the start of his last week on Fox News, Glenn Beck ended a speech that touched on everything from youth violence to European socialism to the meaning of democracy by sticking his face in the camera and yelling as loud as we've ever heard him: "America! Hello! When are you going to wake up?"
His tone was unusually harsh, even for a semi-demagogue whose endless anger over evil "elites," "leftists" and other Democratic bogeymen manifests itself in everything from sarcasm to preacher-like hellfire-and-brimstone warnings to tears.
It was almost as if he were afraid no one was listening.
Which might soon be the case – at least when it comes to his TV career.
Beck leaves Fox News Thursday following a 2 ½-year run in which he may have exerted the greatest impact of any figure, on the left or right, in solidifying the cable news talk game as one big partisan shouting match. His next gig – his own pay Internet TV channel – could increase the segmentation of the talk business by providing a viable model for his peculiar brand of entertainment. But it's unclear whether a large audience will pay up to $10 a month to be on the receiving end of a megaphone that basically reinforces their worldview.
If Beck succeeds, perhaps it won't be about his politics as much as his abilities as a medicine-man-style showman. While he endures on radio, Rush Limbaugh's shtick never quite translated to TV like Beck's gimmickry with the blackboard that gave chalky voice to conspiracy theories and his knack for summoning waterworks on command. Even if his antics seem laughable to many of us, Beck is as responsible as anyone for the rise of the Tea Party, whose true influence may be best gaged in the 2012 elections.
Beck's initial huge ratings eventually dwindled, though he leaves TV still trouncing his late afternoon cable news competition. The loss of advertisers amid constant controversy and Beck's unpredictability apparently became too much even for Fox News, which nonetheless benefitted from the exposure the host generated – he even succeeded in making his colleague Bill O'Reilly look like a moderate by comparison.
Even if there is still bickering over the attendance estimates, Beck's Restoring Honor rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial last summer drew at least enough people to fill a football stadium. It also inspired an unprecedented parody rally – and exposed some of his often-fact challenged, alarmist rhetoric to a larger audience, perhaps to his detriment.
This summer, instead of gearing up for a rally, Beck will be prepping for the start of his subscriber-based GBTV (network motto: The Truth Lives Here), with his new show set to hit the Web on Sept. 12, just as the endless presidential campaign season kicks into a new gear.
We're assuming that America certainly won't have woken up by then, at least in Beck's estimation. But whether America will be listening to his shouting is anybody's guess.
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.

subset: commoncrawl


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Peanut butter chocolate shortbread bars
toppings from smittenkitchen.com
shortbread crust
1 c rice flour mix
1/2 t xanthan gum
1/4 c sugar
2 T powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
1 stick cold butter, cubed
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 baking pan with a piece parchment paper, so that it overhangs a bit over the edges. Pulse flour, xanthan gum, salt and sugars together in food processor, then add in butter and pulse for about a minute until crumbly. Add egg, and pulse about a minute until the dough comes together in the processor.
Press the dough into the pan, and bake for about 20 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool.
Peanut butter layer
1 1/4 c crunchy peanut butter
1/2 c chocolate chips
Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a bowl (I microwaved, but feel free to do it over simmering water) and pour over slightly cooled crust. Spread evenly, and let cool (I stuck it in the fridge for an hour or so)
Chocolate layer
1/3 c chocolate chips
4 T butter
Melt the chocolate and butter together, stir until smooth, and pour over the top of the chilled peanut butter layer. Let cool completely, and cut into small bars. Keep in the fridge.


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Million Dollar Quest (iPad)
Published by
Developed by
Also For
DescriptionWhile enjoying her vacation, Sandra reads a newspaper ad promoting a new game show competition with a prize of one million dollars. She sends an e-mail to the address provided on the page, and promptly receives a confirmation letter with an enclosed airplane ticket for Beijing. Still a bit suspicious, she gingerly embarks on the world tour, encountering a series of bizarre situations, and cryptic clues to puzzles that must be solved to continue the voyage and win the money.
Million Dollar Quest is a hidden object game by NevoSoft that employs the same engine used on their previous seek-and-find titles. The overall design is also recycled from their earlier efforts, where the player has to perform a series of tasks on locations usually presented as one static screen filled with assorted items.
The location objectives appear at the top of the screen besides the inventory, listing a series of objects that have to be found and clicked on the scenery or describing some action that has to be accomplished on the location. Some objects have to be pushed aside to reveal a hidden item, while others have to be dragged and dropped on top of each other to perform an action. For example, a key can be dragged and used on a lock to open a compartment. In some scenes, the goal is to place back missing objects by dragging them from a box to their shadow silhouettes on the scene. The hint button is a light bulb that highlights the position of one of the required items when activated, but takes some time to recharge after use.
Mini-games appear on certain places, with most being implementations of old concepts and classic games like hangman, jigsaw puzzles, a spot-the-differences game with two similar photos, the familiar "three cups and a marble" visual challenge where the player must select the correct cup after they stop moving, a simplified version of Battleship with infantry pieces, and other similar challenges.
There are no iPad user screenshots for this game.
There are 51 other screenshots from other versions of this game or official promotional screenshots.
Promo Images
There are no promo images for this game
Alternate Titles
- "Million Dollar Quest: hidden object adventure HD" -- iPad title
Part of the Following Group
User Reviews
There are no reviews for this game.
Critic Reviews
There are no critic reviews for this game.
There are currently no topics for this game.
There is no trivia on file for this game.
Sciere (646721) added Million Dollar Quest (iPad) on Dec 10, 2011
Other platforms contributed by Sciere (646721) and Macs Black (80145)
There are no game credits on file for this release of the game. Everything in MobyGames is contributable by users.


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SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - California regulators on Thursday approved final regulations for a carbon market that is one of the biggest U.S. responses to climate change.
The state believes the market for greenhouse gases, which starts in 2013, will let it address global warming in a low-cost way and become the center of alternative energy industries, like solar, although some businesses fear higher energy prices.
The most populous U.S. state is moving ahead with the plan years after federal regulators rejected a similar idea for the nation, partly on concerns of the effect on businesses.
The California Air Resources Board voted 8-0 to adopt the market regulations, which officials said are critical to the state's goal of cutting carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 — about a 22 percent reduction from forecasted business-as-usual output.
Power companies and factories will be able to trade a gradually decreasing number of permits to emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the so-called cap-and-trade plan, which counts on market forces leading companies to find the cheapest way to cut emissions.
About 350 companies representing 600 California factories and oil refineries must begin complying with the program in 2013.
By 2015, when transportation fuels are brought under the cap, the system will cover 85 percent of the California economy, the eighth largest in the world.
There is still a possibility, though, that citizens groups, who fear the plan will intensify pollution in poor communities, or trade groups could file suit, Peter Hsiao, a lawyer at Morrison & Foerster said by email.
Brenda Coleman, an official with the California Chamber of Commerce, told the climate regulators on Thursday that elements of the plan amounted to an illegal tax on the refining industry.
Tupper Hull, a spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association, declined to comment on whether the trade association would file a suit.
A spokesman for the Air Resources Board said that he was confident any legal challenges would be able to be resolved swiftly.
Reporting by Rory Carroll of Point Carbon, editing by Peter Henderson, Gary Hill and Carol Bishopric at Reuters.


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Elegant Monogram Floating Unity Candle Set
$ 59.95
A modern twist on an old tradition, our Floating Unity Candle Set is more than just a candle. This unique addition to the wedding ceremony comes complete with personalized vase, floating candle and two 6" tapers and may be personalized with single initial, your first names and wedding date in your choice of ink color.
It's also a pretty personalized vase that can be used again and again, the perfect way to remember your special day for years to come.
Please note the candle stand shown is not included.
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Wheat-based pie crusts are very finicky. They have to be rolled out correctly the first time or the gluten is developed and the crust becomes tough. GF crusts don't have this issue.
What makes gluten-free crusts tricky is that they tend to crumble and break apart. However, you can try rolling them out as many times as you like. If mine doesn't roll out correctly on the first go I just fold it over onto itself and roll it out again. You can do this many times for a really flaky, layered pastry. Or, if all else fails, you can just press it into the pan.
The hardest part of making pie crusts for me is the timing and the temperature of the ingredients. You have to keep the bowl, the ingredients, and the blade cold if you don't want to have your dough turn out like this disaster:
There is a lot of waiting and refrigerating to do so be sure to plan ahead. I adapted this recipe from the Joy of Cooking, a very good resource for pastry making.
Gluten-free Pie Crust Recipemix time: 20 min
rest time: 30 min
cook time:
30-50 minutes filled (like apple pie) or
20 minutes pre-cooked for a custard filling
First, put your bowl, your blade or pastry cutter, and all 2 1/2 sticks of butter in the freezer for at least ten minutes. In a large bowl or a food processor, mix:
2 1/2 (315 g) cups gluten-free Deluxe Pastry Flour
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or in the food processor until the pieces of butter are pea-sized. It should look like this:
1/2 stick very cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces or 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
Continue to cut the fat into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Add:
1/3 cup ice-cold water
Gently cut the liquid into the flour and butter until it looks evenly distributed and small balls begin to form. Press the balls of dough together gently. If they stick together, you have added enough water.
If they don't, add 1-2 more tablespoons ice-cold water and repeat as necessary. Divide the dough in half, make two big patties with it, tightly wrap it and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to several days. Half of the recipe will be the bottom of the pie crust. If you don't need a top crust you can freeze the other half.
Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to warm up enough to be pliable like play-dough. Lightly flour the surface and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper.
If you are going to use the crust for a liquid filling you will need to cook it first. Carefully place it in the pie pan and press the edges into something decorative or remotely pie-like. Patch any gaps with extra dough.


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April 13
St. Paul's Episcopal Church and First Methodist Church in Mancos, Bauer Avenue and Oak Street, will hold a joint Blessings of the Palms at 9 a.m. Each congregation will have separate services afterward.
St. Barnabas Church, Cortez, (at North and Elm). Palm Sunday services, 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Call 970-565-7865.
April 14
The Tree of Life In Jesus Messianic Community (Etz-Chayim B'Yeshua) hosts Passover Seder 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Shiloh's Restaurant, at Main and Sligo. Adults $25, children $15. Call 562-4217.
April 17
St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Mancos): Maundy Thursday, Celebration of the Institution of The Lord's Supper and the Solemn Stripping of the Altar at 6 p.m. 970-533-9104.
St. Barnabas Church, Cortez, (at North and Elm). Maundy Thursday service at 6:30 p.m., with foot washing and stripping of the altar. Call 565-7865.
April 18
First United Methodist Church of Cortez services: Good Friday, April 18 at 6 p.m.; Easter morning services: 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., and 11 a.m.
St. Barnabas Church, Cortez, (at North and Elm). Good Friday service at noon; Tennebrae (with the Church of the Nazarene) at 6:30 p.m. Call 970-565-7865.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Mancos): Good Friday Service at noon with Meditations and Communion from the Reserved Sacrament. 533-9104.
April 19
St. Barnabas Church, Cortez, (at North and Elm). Confessions at noon. Call 565-7865.
April 20
St. Barnabas Church, Cortez, (at North and Elm). Sunrise Service at 6 a.m.; breakfast pot luck with Easter egg hunt for kids at 8 a.m.; Sunday Eucharist at 9 a.m.
Mancos United Methodist Church, Easter Service at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 20. Childcare provided. Potluck and Easter egg hunt after service. 970 533-9104.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Mancos): Easter Sunday celebration at 9 a.m. with the Striking and Blessing of the Easter Fire, the Blessing and Lighting of the Pascal Candle and special music. 533-9104.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' Easter Cantata, 6 p.m. at the Chapel, 26525 County Road M (about 1/2 mile west of the Dolores Highway. Refreshments provided.


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Part I: Michigan's Catholic Displaced Persons from Poland
Walking on the park like historic campus of St. Mary's of Orchard Lake, Michigan, you're more likely to think of having a picnic than of World War II. But here you will find The Polish Mission's unique museums commemorating the struggle and celebrating the survival of the Catholic Polish spirit during World War II. Tomorrow, we welcome Rita Cosby to campus, author of Quiet Hero: Secrets from my Father's Past. Her visit and story about her father's survival as a Catholic World War II resistance fighter is a timely lecture during the month of September. It is a somber time of remembrance for Catholic Poles throughout the world: the anniversary of the Invasion of Poland by the Nazis (1 September) and Russians (17 September). Each year we will honor the brave men and woman who fought for freedom.
The museums were created by the Polish veterans who came to Michigan as Displaced Persons, living their adult lives in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. The museums, each with a small archive and library, document the Home Army, the Polish Army 2nd Corp, Polish Air Force, the First Polish Armored Division, Polish Army Veterans in America, and the Association of Former Political Prisoners of German and Soviet Concentration Camps. These museums hold survivor oral histories, art work, diaries, documents, photos, maps, uniforms and related ephemera.
The Michigan Humanities Council granted funding to The Polish Mission to develop a catalog for the general public and online lesson plans for middle and high School teachers. These exhibits, publications, and online tools serve to document the war experiences of the Catholic Polish soldiers, families, and survivors and help dispel the growing body of Holocaust revisionist literature which includes denying it happened or refusing to call the camps by the proper term "Nazi Concentration Camps in occupied Poland". The grant work allows the museums to be shared with a wider community who, because of the Cold War and Iron Curtain, may be unaware of the deaths of 3 million Polish Christians at the hands of the Nazi and Russian armies. The museum collections transcend religion and speak of struggle and suffering as well as the hope for freedom and liberation. On a research trip to Poland with the Polish Mission Director Marcin Chumiecki, we met with museum curators and archivists who are maintaining similar collections of camp art, survivor art, and autobiographies and they await The Polish Mission's online collections. <http://polishmission.com>.
As we prepare the catalog and exhibitions for digital display, the ancestry.com databases have helped document and help is tell a more complete history about these survivors.
What have we found? Here is a sample story that illustrates what we've located so far. On display in our Association of Former Political Prisoners of German and Soviet Concentration Camps (AFPPGSCC) museum hangs twelve paintings and drawings by Jan Komski. A trained artist from Krakow, he was captured by the Nazis as he crossed the border to join the Polish Free Army. His art kept him alive, drawing greeting cards and painting bourgeois landscapes for the Nazis' and their girlfriends. Komski was assigned work duty the print shop, which gave him access to drawing materials. He and a few fellow inmates fooled the Nazis by painting credentials, staging a phony work detail, and walked out of the gates! Unfortunately, he was later recapture, and I was able to find him in two of the five camps he was an inmate. He was one was one of the 750 Polish prisoners who arrived at Auschwitz on June 14, 1940, the first day that the camp was opened. His card was obtained from the Archives of Auschwitz where he was listed with an alias (Baras) not uncommon for Polish underground soldiers. Note he gave the correct birth date.
Family Name: Baras
Given name: Johann
Born: 3.2.15 in Holyby
Religion: Roman Catholic
Staatsang / Nationality: Polish
Place of residence of family members: Stanislawa Pientek, Krakow, Pierackiego 5/2
Sent in: 14.6.40
Concentration Camp: Auschwitz; Bemerkung / Remarks: escaped 29.12.42
Document from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum – Archives
Germany: Flossenbürg Concentration Camp Records, 1938-1945 Jan Komski
Germany: Dachau Concentration Camp Records, 1945 Jan Komski
The Auschwitz Museum holds 106 of Komski's paintings. After coming to America, he became an illustrator for the Washington Post and he gave an interview for the 1973 the employees' newsletter "Shop Talk" and said:
The reason I am doing these paintings is because I always thought it only destiny or providence that allowed me to live when I knew there were tens of thousands of people who died there. . . . I wanted to do something to show the misery.
NOTE: If you are looking for relatives in the Auschwitz Muzeum database,
<http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/> be sure to search try the name in German and Polish and use Polish diacriticals.
Additional reading:Discovering Displaced Persons
Part II will cover more case studies.


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Artwork description:
Acrylic abstract painting art on the canvas. This home decor painting presents a unique pattern, layer and textured. Signed on the back. Artwork is unique, original painting and not prints, signed and dated by the artist.
This artwork is sold unframed but ready to hang. Artwork is shipped from United Kingdom, Grimsby in Lincolnshire about 5 days of ordering. Please allow another couple of days for delivery to the UK, about 14 days to the USA, and more than 14 days to Australia and about 10 days to Europe.
If you need an estimated delivery time for a different country, just ask.
Size of Image: 30 x 40 x 1.8 cm
If you have any questions, or would like a custom painting like this but in different colours or another size, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Materials used:
acrylic paints , canvas , varnish
#cheap shipping #abstract lovers #unique pattern #new design #contemporary #abstract art #modern #modern art #contemporary art #pop art #acrylic #home decor #gift #acrylic on canvas #painting on canvas
White Fantasy (2016)
Acrylic painting by Misty Lady - M. Nierobisz
$89.30 Sold
- Acrylic painting on Canvas
- One of a kind artwork
- Size: 11.81 x 15.75 x 0.71 in (unframed) / 11.81 x 15.75 in (actual image size)
- Ready to hang
- Signed on the back
- Style: Abstract
- Subject: Abstract and non-figurative
This artwork is sold by Misty Lady from United Kingdom


text: This post is part of our weekly series: showing some really cute and funny animal pictures around the world, so you can have a good mood after a week of hard work. If you want to share your cute animal pictures with our readers, just register and upload them to our site. Sit back, relax and enjoy the post.


text:
Venezuelan Leader "Hugo Chaves" Claims USA Caused The Earthquake In Haiti!
"Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez has once again accused the United States of playing God. But this time it's Haiti's disastrous earthquake that he thinks the U.S. was behind. Spanish newspaper ABC quotes Chavez as saying that the U.S. navy launched a weapon capable of inducing a powerful earthquake off the shore of Haiti. He adds that this time it was only a drill and the final target is ... destroying and taking over Iran. " - Russia Today
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I have been asked to write a blog entry about my personal family history research experience (now in its ninth year) for about a year now. My life circumstances have not allowed the free time to make this happen… until now, ironically the week that the 1940 Census went "live" online.
What an exciting time in Genealogy! Today at our fingertips (literally, from the comfort of our homes) we are connected through library databases, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, the "Cloud", genealogy blogs and so many other resources besides sites like the National Archives, Ancestry, Family Search, My Heritage and whatever other partner in the 1940 Census release that I may have overlooked!
I'm far from claiming to be a technology whiz but I do have to say that you have to be comfortable enough with perusing online sources in order to fully benefit from the overwhelming amount of information that is now available to us. Anyway, I thought I would detail here how I managed to keep up through Facebook as the 1940 Census came online – all while I was across the country in Washington DC at a national medical facility (where I had frustratingly inconsistent Internet access) and far away from my genealogy records and my home base.
I've been on Facebook for several years now (to keep up with my teenage daughters, my family members spread across the country and the small community of families dealing with the same medical condition my daughter has). It was not until recently that I decided to utilize this social network for genealogical purposes – but boy was I glad I did!
The Facebook community of genealogy buffs has grown exponentially in the last year and I've learned and kept up on genealogy news right along with them. Some examples of active FB groups I "friended" are: Ancestry, Family Search, Family Tree Magazine, Mocavo, Find My Past US, GenLookups and a variety of local or ethnic historical and genealogical societies (or those in the localities you may be researching).
A mother-lode of information has come from individual state or country research communities sponsored by Family Search (but independently administered). For instance, if you friend the group "Ohio Genealogy Research Community", individuals post on their page what surnames or locations in Ohio they are researching, what luck they have had and perhaps a valuable resource they've used that you might not have known about. The administrators also have times they will offer their free services to try and help with your brick walls, vital records or cemetery searches or any number of different ways to assist you.
Many of the genealogy societies and sites like Ancestry or Mocavo post links to their very helpful blogs that once again, provide up-to-the-minute genealogy news and research hints or even contests (if you are inclined towards those kinds of things). And, of course, there's always your library's Local History department's blog or posts that can inform, instruct, encourage and entertain as you grow your family tree, so don't forget to friend your local library page! While I've only tried twice so far to contact distant cousins on Facebook (one successfully and one who unfortunately never responded), there are endless possibilities available for connecting with the younger generations of your family – it just depends on how much online searching you are willing to conduct (and how you feel about cyber-stalking J).
So back to the 1940 Census: since I had limited access to the Internet early this week (okay, my daughter wouldn't share her laptop with me and the Business Center where I was staying had limited hours), I surfed all the previously mentioned sites and groups on Facebook on my phone to see which states were coming online first (as you probably experienced, the National Archives site had all the states' census records online Monday, April 2 but had many technical issues, so very few folks were able to access them consistently until Tuesday or after) and on which partner sites: Ancestry, Family Search, or My Heritage.com.
Since most of my and my husband's relatives are from the Chicago area and Illinois was not one of the first states rolled out, I went for Indiana where many of my dad's relatives lived back then and where they still are. (At this time, I jumped on the available computer for my 2 hour time slot and cruised on over to Ancestry!) I then went to Steve Morse's Unified 1940 Census ED Finder at www.stevemorse.org/census/unified.html to find out which Enumeration District they were in, then plugged that into Ancestry's 1940 Census search. Twenty pages into the 35 pages of that Enumeration District – BOOM! My first family find in the 1940 Census! Yeah! I downloaded the record on my thumb drive and was off and running, apparently like thousands – millions? – of other genealogy researchers.
Upon my return home, I've spent (almost) every waking hour till I posted this blog, searching for my family in Chicago and Buffalo, New York – now that these two states are available fully available online. Found my mother with her parents and my great-grandfather (and not in the place I expected); my great grandparents in Buffalo; my paternal great-grandfather in Chicago but NOT my dad and his parents, at least not yet. Whew! Staying connected, plugged in, up to date, whatever we call it, on all that is new in genealogy research today really is a time-intensive task – but I love every second of it! So, who will you find today – and how??
Happy Searching!


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Let the transitive closure graph of a set X be the graph G(X) with V(G)= TC({X}) and (x,y) ∈ E(G) iff x ∈ y. Let H(X) be the reverse graph of G(X) with (x,y) ∈ E(H) iff y ∈ x.
I assume that the following holds:
For every hereditarily finite set X there is a unique set Y such that G(X) is isomorphic to H(Y).
Is this assumption correct? [Edit: If the answer is no: for which X?] Has this set Y been given a name (as a function of X)? Something like the reverse set of X? And has it attracted some interest? Can someone give a reference?
Some simple facts:
The finite von Neumann ordinals $\emptyset = 0, 1, 2, ...$ are reverse sets of themselves (self-reverse for short)
The finite Zermelo ordinals $\emptyset = 0', 1', 2', ...$, i.e. $\lbrace\rbrace, \lbrace\lbrace\rbrace\rbrace, \lbrace\lbrace\lbrace\rbrace\rbrace\rbrace,...$, are self-reverse.
The smallest pairs of not self-reverse sets are $\lbrace 2\rbrace$ vs. $\lbrace 1, 2'\rbrace$ and $\lbrace 0, 2\rbrace$ vs. $\lbrace 0, 1, 2'\rbrace$.
Further question:
- Is there a general correlation between the cardinalities of X, its reverse set Y and TC({X}) (= TC({Y}))?


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RICHARDSON, Texas (KTVT/CNN) - A Texas mother let two teenage robbery suspects take her phone when they grabbed her 2-year-old daughter and threatened to kidnap her.
Mother Susana Posada and her three young children went for a walk Monday evening at Cottonwood Park in Richardson, Texas. The mother was recording a Facebook Live video and pushing her 2-year-old daughter in a stroller, while her older children walked ahead.
Richardson Police say one teenage suspect can be seen in the Facebook video. As Posada passed that suspect, he allegedly grabbed for her phone.
A second teenage suspect picked up Posada's daughter and reportedly threatened to take her unless the mother gave up her phone.
Posada says she immediately let go of her phone. She didn't even think twice.
The suspects dropped the toddler and ran off, as Posada comforted her scared daughter. Neither mother nor daughter were hurt during the incident.
Posada says in the future, she will avoid being on her device in public, and she won't go back to that park.
Police are looking for the suspects. They hope the public will help them identify and arrest the teens.
Copyright 2019 KTVT, Richardson Police Department via CNN. All rights reserved.


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LONDON — Veteran British broadcaster David Frost set a milestone in TV history when he drew extraordinary admissions from disgraced former President Richard Nixon in 1977. Armed with ambition, talent and a remarkable contacts book, Frost sat down with many other world leaders and the biggest names in show business over half a century. Here are some highlights from some of his most prominent interviews.
Over almost 30 hours of interviews with Nixon, who resigned three years earlier in disgrace over the Watergate scandal, Frost pressed the ex-president to acknowledge and apologize for his wrongdoing in office. Frost managed to get the following remarkable responses.
Frost: "I think people need to hear it, and I think unless you say it, you're going to be haunted for the rest of your life."
Nixon: "I let down my friends. I let down the country. I let down our system of government and the dreams of all those young people that ought to get into government but will think it is all too corrupt and the rest. …. And I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life."
Frost: "So what you are saying is that there are certain situations … where the president can decide that it's in the best interest of the nation or something, and do something illegal?"
Nixon: "Well when the president does it that means that it is not illegal."
Frost: "By definition?"
Nixon: "Exactly."
Frost interviewed the legendary heavyweight boxer, then 32, inside a boxing ring, ahead of his landmark fight with George Foreman, when most people wrongly thought Ali would lose. But Ali was animated and brimming with confidence in the interview.
Ali: "I think it is befitting that I go out of boxing just like I came in, defeating a big, bad monster that nobody could destroy… Listen David, when I meet this man, if you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, wait till I whip Foreman's behind."
The boxer continued, partly talking directly to the camera, then standing up to caricature Foreman: "Listen, George Foreman, people are afraid of George Foreman. They talk about how hard he hits. The world has been deceived. You listen to me. You listen to me now, I never told you wrong. The man don't hit hard."
In 1985 Frost grilled the prime minister about the sinking of the Argentine ship Belgrano by a British submarine that killed 323 sailors during the Falklands conflict.
As Frost pressed on with questions about what had happened, a visibly ruffled Thatcher sternly defended her decision to attack the ship. After being confronted with a barrage of questions, Thatcher finally said in frustration: "Do you think, Mr. Frost, that I spend my days prowling round the pigeon holes of the Ministry of Defense to look at the chart of each and every ship? If you do you must be bonkers."
In an interview with the former Soviet Union leader, Frost asked about communism, his legacy, and his relationship with, and views of, Thatcher.
Gorbachev: "It was not too easy to begin with … but I felt from the start I could deal with her. I regarded her as an outstanding woman and a major political force. I was far from sharing all her opinions. … Many sharp words were exchanged. I could never agree to the way she felt about nuclear weapons. She was too attracted to nuclear weapons."
Frost: "Were you alike in character, do you think?"
Gorbachev, after a pause and a shrug: "That's difficult to answer. I think it's up to you to try to answer that. But she was an interesting human being."
Frost seemed to catch the British prime minister off-guard when he asked an unexpected question about his relationship with President George W. Bush in an interview.
Frost: "Do you pray together?"
Blair: "Pray together? How do you mean?"
Frost: "Do you say prayers together for peace, you and the president."
Blair: "Well we don't say prayers together, no, but I'm sure he in his way hopes for peace. I hope for peace too."
In an undated clip shown by the BBC Sunday, Frost was seen interviewing the former U.S. president about his relationship with Monica Lewinski.
Frost: "Did you love her?"
Clinton responded: "No. I don't think that's what that was about. On either side. But I liked her very much."


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It all started back in the early 1990s when founder Deborah Koenigsberger started 'adopting' some local shelters in her area to try and figure out what families needed most, be it love and support, a friendly face or a birthday party for a child. Since her work with the shelters began, Koenigsberger has grown her non-profit into a massive organization, complete with a board of directors.
Coming from a fashion background over the past 15 to 20 years as a stylist and closet organizer, her networking and connections led her to gain outstanding support from celebrities such as Ivana Trump, Vanessa Williams, Marcia Gay Harden and fashion designer Beth Bowley. Her efforts to push these homeless mothers and children to self-sufficiency has blossomed into a booming collaborative effort, a network of donations, celebrity support and continued emotional support thats brings into the lives of each mother and child a sense of importance and value.
Koenigsberger has made a substantial mark on one of the toughest ongoing social issues in New York City by raising over 1 million dollars for single mothers and their children in the shelter systems. The mothers and kids she works with come from each borough, with a large majority hailing from Brooklyn and Queens.
"These women are given a helping hand to get on their feet and stay on their feet," said Koenigsberger, as her charitable work is what gives these women hope to make it from day to day. These mothers are victims of domestic violence, poverty and lack of education. She encourages each of them to help themselves as well as help others by joining the alumni group of Hearts of Gold. Alumni can assist other mothers going through similar issues.
The Hooray For Hollywood event started with a cocktail party and silent auction, followed by a lavish sit-down dinner and fashion show. The runway show featured a mix of designers including Transit, Beth Bowley, Kyle Westphal and Judith & Charles. The finale showcased merchandise from The Thrifty Hog, the fabulous designer resale boutique located at 11 West 25th Street in Manhattan. Merchandise for the store is given to Koenigsberger by generous donors from all over the tri-state area. All proceeds after operational costs are donated to Hearts of Gold.
The night continued with Chuck Chillout ripping up the turntables spinning tunes as the tables were kicked aside and a dance floor took shape. Please visit to find out more about Hearts of Gold or The Thrifty Hog.
Calling all local designers! Are you an emerging local designer? Please visit www.bqedesignexpo.com to register and participate in the best annual pre-holiday local designer event and showcase your designs to the holiday crowd!
For more bargaining tips, fashion inspiration and style education, please visit www.thedressrecycler.com.
"Your bargain fashion superhero!"


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A month ago we were delighted to counterpoint Charlie Munger's prior remarks about the level of "civilization" of a given consumer based on their sentiment vis-a-vis gold, by demonstrating that Chinese purchases of gold from Hong Kong rose to a record. To wit: "Imports from Hong Kong were 135,529 kilograms (135.53 metric tons) between January and March, from 19,729 kilograms in the year-earlier period, according to data from the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong government. Shipments in March rose 59 percent from February, yesterday's data showed." We have just gotten the April update, and, lo and behold, the country which is now the biggest buyer of gold, having surpassed India, just set a new record: "Gold imports by mainland China from Hong Kong climbed 65 percent to a record in April, advancing for a third straight month as investors sought a hedge against financial-market turmoil and an economic slowdown. Shipments totaled 103,644.5 kilograms (103.6 metric tons) in the month from 62,913 kilograms in March, according to export data from the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong government today. In the first four months, imports were 239,174 kilograms from 27,114 kilograms a year earlier, according to Bloomberg calculations. China doesn't publish such figures." In other words: in the first four months of 2012 Chinese purchases have increased by an unprecedented 782% over 2011.
And this is only from Hong Kong! Said otherwise: "Is the PBOC, which officially has just 1,054 tons of the yellow metal, quietly and relentlessly stockpiling gold?" Oh yes.
Expect a formal announcement from the Chinese central bank in the months ahead, indicating the country's gold hoard has increased by at least 100%. What happens then to the price of gold is rather self-explanatory.
Increased imports by the second-largest consumer after India may help extend a rebound in the precious metal that's been driven by speculation the U.S. Federal Reserve may add to stimulus this month to safeguard the recovery. Spot gold rallied 4.1 percent on June 1 after U.S. jobs data missed expectations.
China's central bank may also be boosting holdings, according to Wang Xinyou, a senior analyst at Agricultural Bank of China Ltd.
"The fundamentals are intact for a bull market in gold,"
Liang Ruian, head of commodities at Pinpoint Investment Advisory Co. "With so much economic uncertainty out there, the money-printing practice won't stop. Central-bank buying is another bullish factor that shouldn't be discounted."
Immediate-delivery gold, which traded at $1,617.80 an ounce at 8:50 p.m. in Beijing, is 3.6 percent higher this year as investors and central banks bought the metal as a store of value.
Holdings in the SPDR Gold Trust, the biggest bullion-backed exchange-traded fund, rose 1.5 percent in 2012, and central banks from Turkey to Kazakhstan added gold to their reserves.
And the kicker:
"We can't rule out the possibility that the central bank is buying gold," said Wang at Agricultural Bank of China, referring to the People's Bank of China. The PBOC last made known its gold reserves more than two years ago, announcing that it held 33.89 million ounces, or 1,054 tons, as of June 30, 2009.
Rule out? You can bet on it. And when the press release is finally issued hold on to your gold hats folks...


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"There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from." – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
During one of many aimless and seemingly endless web searches (you know, click on this link which leads you to this link where you discover another link…) I came across a genealogy site called CousinConnect where you can submit queries in hopes of connecting with others researching the same surname. I took all of two seconds to type up and submit a couple of queries, knowing from previous experience not to expect a response any time soon, if at all. The query contained everything I know about the Colomb line of my mother's family, which as you see below, is not much at all.
"My great-grandfather Louis Joseph Colomb/Columb left St. Lucia and immigrated to Panama in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Unfortunately I do not have any other information about him at this time."
That was it. I sent my message off into cyberspace and resumed feeling unsuccessful in my search for new information about my predecessors.
Connecting the Dots
Now let's fast forward a few months to March 27, 2010 when (drumroll, please) a response arrives in my inbox! It read as follows:
"My last name at birth was Colombette. I was born in St. Lucia and my father lived in Colombette, Soufriere. My aunt told me a relative of ours is from Panama or went to Panama or is in Panama. The last names sound similar. I wonder if there is a connection."
Hmmm. While this did not sound like enough information to get overly excited about, it was definitely worthy of further investigation. Talking to my mother's cousin Carol was already at the top of my genealogy to-do list, but now it was an urgent matter. I could never quite remember how we were related to Carol but I knew that her branch of the family had remained in contact with relatives in St. Lucia. Maybe she knew something about these Colombettes?
Cousin Carol
Yesterday I finally picked up the phone and gave Carol a ring. For me, the first order of business was asking her to refresh my memory as to how we are related (I mean, my mother's only explained it to me about five times). She explained that her grandmother and my mother's maternal grandmother were sisters. That may sound simple, but when you have an enormous extended family like my mother's, it can be hard to keep things straight. I've just grown to accept that the new people I meet at any major family gathering are "cousins" because the explanation of how we're related will inevitably entail us being connected through someone else I might have met a long time ago at another random family gathering ("Don't you remember so-and-so? He was at your first birthday party!"). This sort of description rarely does anything to illuminate my understanding of who they are. The more seasoned genealogists I've met manage to keep a dizzying amount of relationship details, locations, and dates in their minds – I'm definitely not there yet!
Anyhow, once I got it through my thick skull that my great-grandmother and Carol's grandmother were sisters from St. Lucia, I realized that Carol was not on the Colomb side of things. Rather, this great-grandmother, Edelanive, also known as "Catalina/Catarina," was a Mondesi who went on to marry into the Colomb family. I could not expect Carol to tell me anything that could shed light on the Colombs and Colombettes, but at least I could finally get a few questions answered about the Mondesis.
Carol asked me how much I knew about our family history. I laughed and told her, "Nothing!" I explained that all I knew was that Louis and Edelanive were from St. Lucia, but I did not even have a clue as to what part of the island they were from, how they met, if they knew each other in St. Lucia, when they left, and so on. Carol couldn't provide me with the more substantive details of their story, but she answered the first question very easily, saying in reference to the Mondesis, "Oh, they're form Soufriere."
There are no coincidences
Yes, that's right. Soufriere. The same place my Colombette contact is from. One of my most burning questions about all of my great-grandparents, all of whom married people from their home islands, is if they emigrated from the Caribbean with their respective partners or if they did not meet until they reached Panama. If my Colombs are in fact connected to the Colombettes that would mean Louis and Edelanive were both from Soufriere. This in turn could mean that they did know each other before they left for Panama.
Of course, one must wonder how Carol knows the Mondesis are from Soufriere. How could she be so sure? According to the family story, her grandmother and my great-grandmother left St. Lucia for Panama together, but her grandmother never quite warmed up to life in the isthmus and eventually returned to St. Lucia. As a result, Carol's father grew up in St. Lucia while his cousins, including my Nana Tere, were born and raised in Panama. However, Carol's father ended up migrating to Panama at the age of 18 and remained in contact with family in St. Lucia, whom Carol has visited as recently as three years ago. As a matter of fact, Carol told me she would call her 90+ year old aunt that still resides in St. Lucia to find out what she remembers about the previous generations. This aunt was born in Panama and returned to St. Lucia with her mother as a child, so she may even remember something about the Panamanian Mondesis, whether it be from experience or hearsay.
While I wait to hear back from Carol I can keep myself busy by learning as much as I can about Soufriere, but before I sign off there's one more "coincidence" in all of this worth mentioning. The woman who responded to my query about the Colombs on CousinConnect – her name is Carol too.


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Are you ready? Top Ten signs you may be ready to tie the knot
10) Your membership to after-hours dance spot Club 216 has just expired, and you're too tired to renew it.
9) Your left hand keeps flying up over your headperhaps five carats-worth of ballast will do the trick.
8) The thought of another first date is enough to send you voluntarily packing for UVA Hospital's psych ward.
7) You've been living together for 10 years you're tired of separate bedrooms when you go stay with the folks.
6) The annulment from your Las Vegas "quickie" just came through.
5) Your significant other just got sprung from the Big House.
4) You need a few fondue sets and crockpots.
3) Your pre-nup is air tight.
2) You've caught 12 bouquets it's time to throw one.
And the number one sign you may be ready for marriage (drumroll, please)
1) You hear AARP has a rockin' discount for married couples!


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Romney's joke about airplane windows goes viral
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has had a turbulent past few weeks, and this one isn't going very well either.
Romney appeared at a campaign event in California, and spoke about the concern he had after his wife's plane had to make an emergency landing last week.
"I appreciated the fact that she is on the ground, safe and sound," he said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "And I don't think she knows just how worried some of us were. When you have a fire in an aircraft, there's no place to go, exactly, there's no — and you can't find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don't open. I don't know why they don't do that. It's a real problem. So it's very dangerous. And she was choking and rubbing her eyes. Fortunately, there was enough oxygen for the pilot and copilot to make a safe landing in Denver. But she's safe and sound."
The comment was later clarified by reporters as a joke, but it was too late as it set off a firestorm over the Internet.
Washington Post ComPost author Alexandra Petro said she's reserving judgment until she hears more from Romney about safety, but she obviously added a bit of sarcasm to the column.
"Forget airplanes," she wrote. "Why can't you open the windows on a space shuttle? This is America?"
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow tore into Romney with her own flippant rant.
"It's a real problem that the windows don't roll down on airplanes?" she questioned. "Is it also a problem that guns don't shoot backwards through the barrel this way? Or that diving boards are only really ever mounted over very deep water? Why don't the windows roll down?"
It also spawned a twitter hash tag, #Romneyplanefeatures.


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Last November I had the opportunity to go back to the Bahamas to freedive with my old man - something I have come to cherish particularly since overcoming his third cancer. While we do not always talk that much (snorkel in mouth) - we definitely know what is going on in our minds.
The visibility and conditions were not always perfect -but the time we were able to spend in the water was just that - perfect. I hope to have captured some of those moments in the video below. By no means is this a short film / documentary - just memories that run over and over in our heads.
All video shot with GoPro while freediving. Photo credit Wolf with Caribbean Reef Shark: Michel Lonfat


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CaseNerd Adhesive "Black Cement 3" Patch
Product Description
- This patch is 1.5in in diameter.
- Pictures show patch(s) on an iPhone 7/8. Use these pictures to judge scale.
- Tablet shown is an iPad Mini.
Our CaseNerd patches is a peel-and-stick patch that you can apply to your phone case, tablet, laptop, and virtually any other surface!
How do I use it?
Just peel and stick your patch onto a clean smooth surface, pressing firmly for a couple of seconds. If you are placing on fabric we recommend using some sort of heat application to ensure it sticks on a bit better. Anything more permanent, we recommend sewing.
Product DetailsProduct Type: Phone CaseBrand: CaseNerd


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I have two teenagers at home, so I can safely call myself the world's foremost EXPERT ON TEENAGERS!!! Actually, as a parent of teenagers, I have absolutely no clue what's going on. But that's a whole different blog. What I have noticed in 2013 is that my two teenagers aren't using Facebook at all. A sample of two: my 16-year-old has only 5 posts this year and my 15-year-old has 7 posts. I know 40 year-olds that have that many posts in a day, posting anything from photos of cute cats rolling on the grass to a hilarious video of an old lady dancing to 28 photos of their 3-year-old at the zoo pointing to a Lion or commenting on "what's a color without the letter E in it".
And we can't figure out for the life of me why teenagers would want to leave this cool and fun party? Actually, the answer is pretty easy: "YOU GUYS ARE SUCH LOSERS". I hear that one every day. Keep in mind, we drop them off where we can't be seen. This is the same thing that goes for social media. Don't embarrass me!
Facebook was originally developed by College Students for College students and then quickly followed by High School students. It became the place to be around 2007. Then 20 somethings got on, then Moms then snuck on in 2010 and now….Grandmas are on there. The biggest growing demographic is 55+. And they are commenting on photos. OMG!!! WTF!!! IKR!!! GTFO!!! We had to tell my mom not to comment on my daughter's Facebook page anymore for fear she would be unfriended and blocked. We are already blocked so we know what that feels like. It stings.
This is pure comedy, an example of the horror teens are facing. It's a mother trying to defend her son, on his girlfriend's Facebook page. My guess is they are no longer dating.
Are we starting to get a picture of why the teens are leaving Facebook? Just keep repeating this and it will help you understand teens: "YOU GUYS ARE SUCH LOSERS". And then maybe go slam your door.
Let's Look at the Facts
- The active number of Facebook users in the US is down 7.4% in 2013. The average age continues to climb every year, with 65% of Facebook users are now over 35 years old. The biggest complaint people have is that it's boring. As my friend says "how come people will watch videos of cats falling off a sidewalk on-line, but if we said that's a TV show, no one would watch it". The answer is likely novelty.
- Moms have gone on Facebook in droves: 72% of Moms are now on Facebook. Half of them said they are really just going on to keep tabs on their kids. And 74% of Moms say they check their kids Facebook several times a week.
- On the flip side, one in three teens are embarrassed by their parents' Facebook comments. The problem is that your teenagers know you're spying. And they don't appreciate it. Over 30% of teens say they have unfriended their parents. Teens complain they don't get enough privacy on Facebook.
- Teens continue to turn to smartphones as their primary source and as a result prefer App based programs such as SnapChat, Twitter, KIK Messenger, Ask FM and Instagram. Adults can't even find these and when they do, they can't even work them. And when you figure it out, teens will just move on to something else.
- Recent study found 33% of teens called Facebook the most important social network, closely followed by Twitter with 30%. Twitter is significantly gaining. Just 6 months ago, the scores were 42% to 27%.
So now what happens?
A few things come to mind.
- Kids want something that is uniquely their own. It reminds me of what happened to the Gap Clothing store. Back in the 1990s, it was the cool brand for teenagers. Then Baby Gap and Maternity Gap meant teens would now be wearing the same clothes as their cute little nephew or their hugely pregnant Aunt. Total Horror. So the teens stopped going and then the pregnant aunt didn't want to dress like someone uncool. So sales tumbled. This could be a metaphor for Facebook. Once you are everything to everyone, you end up nothing and to no one.
- One less chance for Control Freak Moms: If a lot of moms are on Facebook only to spy on their kids, maybe they'll now move on and stop using Facebook so much. How many pictures of Cats can we really "Like" while waiting for your little precious to post something you can tell her is totally inappropriate? And other moms are likely only on Facebook because it's the cool thing that teens do. Once they find out it's no longer cool, we could have our new version of the tipping point that Gap went through.
- Advertisers are confused by Social Media yet again. Just as they were finally able to start putting numbers to social media, the whole world has changed yet again. Advertisers want to know reliable sources for where to invest their advertising dollars. They need payback and if the audience keeps moving, then it's hard for them to have a steady reliable place to invest in.
The same problem continues: How do we Monetize Social Media Platforms?
Most social media platforms follow the same pattern. They launch with a unique way of communicating that is a dramatic improvement over prior methods. There is minimal advertising because they are focused more on gaining a large following that might take a year or two. Plus, they are so unproven, making it very hard to get advertisers to buy into it. They end up with a large audience but no proven method of making money from that large audience. And then they take it public with a promise that "we'll now use advertising to our huge audience to drive future revenues". The claim is that the value of Social Media platforms should not be based on current revenue streams but on future revenue sources. They say "trust us, this will be huge". Right? You've heard this story before. But as they said in Jerry McGuire: "Show me the money!!!"
We have to be able to see how a social media platform can make money. With some of these sites, I'm not seeing it yet. But now, as Facebook is still trying to figure out how to monetize their huge user base, that user base is starting to leave. Down 7.4% is pretty significant for something that is free. The new mediums they are leaving for look like a total fad. How do these new vehicles make money? There are no ads on Instagram or Snap Chat. Yes, Facebook now owns Instagram for a tidy $1 Billion. But how do you now make money on it? By the time they figure out how to monetize, the teenagers are likely already moving on to what's next. And the cycle continues.
Facebook had quickly become the wonder-drug of Social Media, the one powerhouse that everyone was engaged in and Advertisers were starting to understand. Will there be a new version of the mega social media platform or will the future just be fragmented into unique platforms for unique groups? Does that make it harder or easier on Advertisers? Yes, there will be better segmentation but confusion over how to go about reaching. Too many executional options for too many media choices.
Is Facebook at a Tipping Point? Will they just become the social media site for the over 30?
What's Your Next Move Facebook?
Follow me on Twitter at @grayrobertson1
Here's a presentation that can help Brand Leaders to get better Media Plans.
Other Stories You Might Like
- How to Write a Creative Brief. The creative brief really comes out of two sources, the brand positioning statement and the advertising strategy that should come from the brand plan. To read how to write a Creative Brief, click on this hyperlink: How to Write a Creative Brief
- How to Write a Brand Plan: The positioning statement helps frame what the brand is all about. However, the brand plan starts to make choices on how you're going to make the most of that promise. Follow this hyperlink to read more on writing a Brand Plan: How to Write a Brand Plan
- Turning Brand Love into Power and Profits: The positioning statement sets up the promise that kick starts the connection between the brand and consumer. There are four other factors that connect: brand strategy, communication, innovation and experience. The connectivity is a source of power that can be leveraged into deeper profitability. To read more click on the hyper link: Love = Power = Profits
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About Graham Robertson: The reason why I started Beloved Brands Inc. is to help brands realize their full potential value by generating more love for the brand. I only do two things: 1) Make Brands Better or 2) Make Brand Leaders Better. I have a reputation as someone who can find growth where others can't, whether that's on a turnaround, re-positioning, new launch or a sustaining high growth. And I love to make Brand Leaders better by sharing my knowledge. I'm a marketer at heart, who loves everything about brands. My background includes 20 years of CPG marketing at companies such as Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer Consumer, General Mills and Coke. My promise to you is that I will get your brand and your team in a better position for future growth. Add me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamrobertson1 so we can stay connected.


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Art advocates have tried to move the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts high school to its new home on Van Ness street since 1987. Last night the dream moved one step closer, the only barrier is cost.
At a packed San Francisco Board of Education meeting, planners revealed the move's sticker price, and it's a big one: $240 million. Board of Education President Rachel Norton's face sunk into one hand as she heard the news.
"There's a big challenge going forward," said David Goldin, chief facilities officer of the San Francisco Unified School District. "I don't want to minimize that challenge for one minute. But for the first time in a long time, we're close to having an architectural reality."
The school is named for one of its founders, artist Ruth Asawa, with deep roots in San Francisco history as an arts and education activist. It has a unique education model: students attend academic classes in the morning, but spend two hours every afternoon learning a specific art discipline.
SotA is currently housed at the old McAteer campus on Twin Peaks, with its sister school, the Academy of Arts and Sciences (disclosure: I taught students video editing at SotA as a contractor until last summer). Collectively they have 1,000 students enrolled.
The cost of moving the school to the site on Van Ness is steep for a number of reasons, SFUSD spokesperson Gentle Blythe told us. SotA's new home was formerly the High School of Commerce, and was granted historic landmark status — meaning the facade, at the very least, must be preserved. The building needs a seismic retrofit as well.
A student, an SFUSD arts advocate, the school's principal and Ruth Asawa's son talk about the need for a new SotA site.
Most importantly, though, the cost is so high because the new site would be crafted with the arts in mind.
"It's a high school for the performing arts with non-standard design considerations, including height of ceiling, and sophisticated electronics," Blythe said. The building will be crafted for dance studios, orchestra rooms, multimedia facilities and more. It's also not just a school: the district would also build an on-site auditorium that could seat 47,000 attendees.
For comparison, the new Willie Brown Middle School comes is budgeted at $55 million, Blythe told us. But the chief facilities officer said the price to move SotA was comparable to the cost of newer public arts schools in the US.
San Francisco artists came out in force to advocate for the move. First up to the podium to speak was the music director of the San Francisco Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas.
"I'm 10,000 percent behind this idea," he told the board. "My dream is to do a Big Brothers Big Sisters program with all the grades, to share that vision with younger people."
Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas to the SFUSD board of ed: "I'm 10,000% behind this" on new school of the arts bldg pic.twitter.com/HlNGsMvH6y
— Joe Fitz Rodriguez (@FitzTheReporter) January 8, 2014
Outside the meeting he told the Guardian that he said it was a "strong possibility" there'd be a formal program for students to work directly with the orchestra were SotA to move to Civic Center.
Many more artists and politicians came up to the podium: from the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Ballet, an artist from the Mission, Susan Brown (Willie's daughter), HOPE Director Bevan Dufty, former City Attorney Louise Renne, and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu.
Former students spoke as well.
"I've had some time the past couple minutes to reflect on my time in high school, given the amount of teachers and former mentors in this room," said Alexander Jones, a class of 2011 graduate of SotA. "It was an experience that shaped who I am today, and shaped who I am in the world. I can't wait for a future when SotA is a shining beacon of hope."
He now studies dance at The Juilliard School, in New York.
SFUSD Superintendent Richard Carranza made a promise that history would not repeat itself — if the move is approved, the school will be built quickly. "It's our intent that this will not languish for 20 years," he said. "It's our intent that this will be a reality in a very short time frame."
Still, despite the love for SotA on display, $240 million is a steep bill. The school has $25 million total on hand for the project, Chief Facilities Officer David Goldin said. San Francisco voters approved a bond for $15 million to build the school in 2003, but it's sat there unused ever since.
At the meeting, the commissioners answered a question staring everyone in the face: Why did moving the school take so long?
"The price tag was so high, and we got scared, and we put it in the drawer. It was in a time when money was scarce. It wasn't the time," Commissioner Hydra Mendoza McDonald said to the crowd.
The commissioners also said the remaining costs would likely not come from the school district.
"It's probably going to take a ton of private money," Commissioner Sandra Lee Fewer told the Guardian in a phone interview. "I don't know what the fund raising plan is yet. I think we're figuring that out now."
The Board of Education will vote next Tuesday whether or not to build a new home for the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts.


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Tomb Raider
Year: 2018
Duration: 118 min
IMDb: 7.1
Actors: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas, Derek Jacobi, Alexandre Willaume, Tamer Burjaq, Adrian Collins, Keenan Arrison, Andrian Mazive, Milton Schorr, Hannah John-Kamen, Peter Waison, Samuel Mak
Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen. Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent, and takes college courses, rarely making it to class. Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father's global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he's truly gone. Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without him, even Lara can't understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death. Going explicitly against his final wishes, she leaves everything she knows behind in search of her dad's last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. But her mission will not be an easy one; just reaching the island will be extremely treacherous. Suddenly, the stakes couldn't ...


text:
On his ass is Doc Rivers, of the 1986 Atlanta Hawks. Putting him there is his son, first-round draft pick Austin Rivers (25) of the New Orleans Hornets. And at the sticks for this wonderful family get together is Austin's little brother, Spencer.
"My little bro just crossed my dad in 2K13 with me," said Austin. "Haha Yeah pops I'm up 1."
Austin's Bees face pops' C's in
Orlando New Orleans—what am I a goddamn imbecile?—on Nov. 25.


text:
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text:
Laughter Yoga For School & Colleges
Researchers tell us that children laugh more than 400 times a day during play with their friends, but what is happening to childhood in our modern world? Children traditionally spent their childhood in play, when they learned about life and also developed emotional skills that we now call Emotional Intelligence.
But today's children, in our fast-changing world, are increasingly faced with different childhood realities. There is an increasing need for Laughter and Playfulness in children of all ages as they strive to meet the demands of school, college and parents. Laughter can help children to cope with Stress and also replace some of the play and laughter time that they are losing to formalized educational systems and changes in lifestyle.
Laughter Yoga is the best technique which inducts more laughter into children's lives. It promotes group laughter without the needs for humour or jokes. It has proved very effective when incorporated in the education system, as it helps to eliminate the factors that cause stress levels among students and hinder healthy relationships.
Major stress factors in children
Low Concentration: Studies show a huge leap in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children with this disorder are extremely hyperactive and find it difficult to concentrate for even short periods. In the US, one in 18 school children now suffer from ADHD and half of those are being treated with the psycho-stimulant drug Ritalin. The number of children with this disorder rose by a huge 600% from 1990 to 1998 and the US has five times more cases than the rest of the world put together.
In the UK the same actions have resulted in the same problems, with Ritalin prescriptions shooting up from 2,000 to more than 90,000 in six years. Children with the disorder are extremely hyperactive and find it difficult to concentrate for even short periods. They act on impulse and often appear to have no sense of danger.
An extended hearty laughter improves blood circulation and flushes the lungs of stale residual air. This helps in better concentration power, increases the learning ability and helps to enhance academic performance.
Academic Pressure: Children faced with a competitive academic environment from early age are being pressured by their parents and teachers to attain excellent grades. Schoolwork results in many symptoms of stress and high social anxiety.
As they learn to laugh unconditionally, they become adept at handling pressure as laughter builds self confidence and the ability to handle stress by boosting the immune system and releasing endorphins in the brain which 'kick start' good feelings and reduce stress.
Parental Pressure: Children are constantly pressurized by parents to perform better. The expectations many times lead the children to strive for unrealistic goals, which if unfulfilled can bring on serious stress and prove to be detrimental to their mental and physical health. A general decrease in parenting skills leaves children deprived of strong moral and emotional guidance and role models.
Lack of Emotional Bonding: The increase in broken homes and the consequent lack of emotional bonding and long-term relationships with parents or responsible adults combine to cause a host of emotional problems.
- In UK alone parents are spending more than one hundred pounds a month on treats for their children to compensate for lack of quality time with them.
- Britain's 11-14 year olds:
- 75% have TV in their bedroom
- Two-thirds have DVD or Video player
- 25% have computer
- 80% have their own mobile phone
- For every 80 acres of golf courses there is 1 acre of play space for children. Playing fields are being lost at the rate of 1 per day.
- Thirty percent of U&K children never play outside without an adult watching over them.
- In 2005 359,000 children were prescribed Ritalin and 130,000 were prescribed SSRI antidepressants
- On in ever homes does not have a table everyone can sit around for meals.
- Adult Brits put in 36 million hours of free overtime each year, and one in three refuse to take all their holidays, fearing a backlog of work then they return. (The Ecologist UK – Nov 2007)
Laughter Promotes Positive Emotions and Coping Skills: Group dynamics establishes a caring-sharing network of relationships and emotional bonding. Children, particularly teenagers learn to indulge in healthy group play which alleviates feelings of deprivation and loneliness.
Lack of Exercise: Children whose natural energy is traditionally expressed in movement, laughter and play are being forced to sit still and concentrate for extended periods from an early age.
Laughter Yoga is a unique workout regime that oxygenates the blood and other organs, leaving them full of energy and physically fit.


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English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Entry 3 Reading
Ref: C3677361
We will use a wide range of real life examples to practice different reading techniques, including descriptions, instructions, explanations and stories. This will help you to improve your dictionary skills and broaden your vocabulary. We will look at the layout and different features of longer texts, and how these can help us to understand the purpose of the text and find information in it.
Additional information about this course
This course is only open to those who have been assessed and invited to attend.
Course aim
This course will build on the reading skills you learned at Entry 2. This course leads to a City & Guilds Entry 3 Reading qualification.
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- You will need to talk to a member of staff and do a short activity to make sure the course is right for you. For more information and to book an appointment please call 0300 303 3464
- You must be able to read and follow written instructions, identify the main points of a text and use a dictionary confidently.
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- Identify the purpose and main points in a range of texts, e.g. a description or instructions.
- Use skim-reading techniques to decide if a text is interesting/useful.
- Identify and use features of different types of texts to help find information.
- Read a text to find specific / detailed information.
- Use 1st and 2nd place letters to organise a list of words alphabetically, and find words in a dictionary.
How will I be taught?
- The WEA tutor will use a range of different teaching and learning methods and encourage you and the group to be actively involved in your learning
- You may be asked to undertake additional work in your own time to support your learning
What kind of feedback can I expect?
- A range of informal activities will be used by the tutor to see what you are learning which may include quizzes, question and answer, small projects and discussion
- You will have opportunities to discuss your progress with your tutor
- You will be encouraged to share your work with the group and discuss your learning
- You will be encouraged to consider other students work and give your opinions and suggestions
- There will be a number of tasks appropriate to your course such as written work, creating art or craft, video, photography or small projects. Some of these may be marked to help you progress
What else do I need to know?
- A selection of materials and basic equipment will be provided but you are welcome to bring additional materials with you
- Official document(s) showing your name, address, date of birth Certificates for English / English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) qualifications you have. Paper, pen/pencil to every lesson, folder to put your work in, small notebook.
Pre-course work, reading and information sources
- No pre reading or pre course work is required
- It is useful if you are already trying to use your English in everyday situations.
What can I do next?
- Progress to another WEA course
- Progress to a course with another provider
- This course could lead to a range of job opportunities. Follow link to National Careers Service for more details https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/
- Access the WEA What Next? booklet here http://www.wea.org.uk/learn-wea/what-can-i-do-next
Download full course information sheet
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Entry 3 Reading
This course has completed.


text:
Ethan: I have to say, I think the Democrats' move to tie Gov. Paul LePage's hospital payment plan with a demand that he agree to expand health care coverage is brilliant. Win-win for both sides.
Phil: We were definitely politically separated at birth. Tell me how this is a win-win.
Ethan: You get the hospitals paid immediately, and Democrats get 70,000 people covered for health care. Hospitals win. The uninsured win. Who loses?
Phil: Ethan, we have delinquent hospital bills going back to your man Gov. John Baldacci's days, and you suggest that if we are going to pay that bill we must also expand welfare to 70,000 people with the free money out of Washington? The loser is Maine taxpayer Low Lee who has to foot the bill for all these new folks on welfare.
Ethan: Low Lee pays almost nothing. The federal government has agreed to foot 100 percent of the bill for three years and slowly drop down to a 90 percent reimbursement rate thereafter. Compared with the 62.57 percent rate we receive today, you don't need an MBA to figure out this is a good deal.
Phil: When you make these pronouncements, do you forget that Washington borrows 40 cents on every dollar it spends, and the other 60 cents comes from people who actually pay an income tax?
Ethan: Even the right-wing Heritage Foundation says Maine would save $690 million over the next 10 years. Now I am thinking this is win-win-win — for hospitals, the uninsured and all Maine taxpayers!
Phil: Really? Do I need to remind you that all of the jobs, savings and milk and honey projected by think tanks and other political gurus most always turns out to be reductions in the rate of increase? Or wrong.
Ethan: Look at this thing politically from your side. LePage gets his big prize: paying the hospitals. He has said getting this money into the economy was his top priority. (Who knew he was such a supporter of government sponsored stimulus?) Plus, now he will get to slam Democrats for expanding government to all these undeserving, lazy, low-income people who should simply accept their lot in life and live unhealthy lives. Dude, this is a four-win scenario! Win-win-win-win!
Phil: You can't help yourself, can you? Not paying our bills and expanding welfare is what created this $500-million problem, and you want the Democrats to force the governor to do it all over again?
Ethan: I want 70,000 people to receive health insurance, although I am ecstatic to see the Democrats playing hardball. Too often it feels like the governor sets the agenda, and we simply fold or lock horns. This time, Dems said, "You want yours? We want ours." That is how politics should be.
Phil: And that's what is so concerning in America today. The politicians get into the "let's make a deal" mindset, driven by emotion and quest for power.
Ethan: Offering a compromise that covers 70,000 people with health care is a quest for power?
Phil: Making 70,000 more dependent on government isn't what made America a shining example of freedom in the history of humankind. Instead, creating an environment where choice and quality come first will empower people to find the health care they want.
Ethan: Having the highest percentage of uninsured in the industrialized world does not make America a shining example in the history of humankind.
Phil: Paying our bills is something we expect of the private sector. Why isn't that acceptable in the government sector?
Ethan: No one says it is acceptable to not pay our bills. The issue is whether we borrow money to do it or pay it over time.
Phil: So far it's three years and counting. What would you consider an acceptable period of time for you to collect the money government owes your nonprofit?
Ethan: The money owed the hospitals is about 1 percent of what they have been paid over the past 10 years. If the government had paid me 99 percent and needed a few years to pay the rest, I think I could handle it. On the other hand, 10-15 percent of our population has been uninsured for much longer than three years. How long is it acceptable to you that people remain without health insurance?
Phil: Isn't that their choice? When did you decide your oath of office empowered you to decide what another citizen's health insurance, or the lack thereof, was your right as a legislator to purchase?
Ethan: Their choice to not be able to afford health insurance? Wow. Look, clearly Democrats think providing health care is a top priority. Clearly Republicans think paying hospitals is a top priority. I am willing to vote to pay the hospitals, as long as you vote to cover the uninsured. Can you do the same? Is providing health care that antithetical to Republican values?
Phil: I think Albert Einstein said it best, "Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Ethan: So, how about we try something different for the first time since the governor took office: Give a little to get a little. How refreshing would that be?


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A Sandwich a Day: Soft Shell Crab Sandwich at The Publican
Reviews of Chicago sandwiches.
'Tis the season of soft shell crab, which explains why you've probably seen it around this site. Of course, it helps that when you properly fry a fresh soft shell crab, the exterior gets as crispy as a potato chip, while the inside remains juicy and fantastically sweet. In other words: the ideal sandwich filling. Few places get as fresh of seafood as The Publican, which partly explains why the soft shell crab sandwich ($17) on the brunch menu is one of the best examples I've found yet.
It all starts with an impeccably fried soft shell crab, as sweet and crisp as I've ever encountered. The crunch of the crab is accentuated by the toasted roll, which also manages to be light. The sweet pickles add more texture, along with a shot of acidity. The lettuce leaf is a bit unnecessary, but the smear of aioli helps bring it all together. At $17, it's certainly not cheap. But I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a sandwich as much as this one.
The Publican
837 West Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607 (map)
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
Rescue Utility System
3 Part Number(s)
The Rescue Utility System is primarily used for raising and lowering people or equipment in rescue and industrial work access and ideal for confined space applications. A 4:1 rescue pulley system Pulleys are equipped with a built-in anti-reversing lock. Offers rapid deployment, is virtually maintenance free, and is rated for two-person load.
Gallet F1 XF and Accessories
12 Part Number(s)
Developed with firefighters from around the globe, the Gallet F1 XF sets the new standard for structural firefighting helmets. It enters a new dimension of protection, functionalities integration, comfort of use and modularity. The configurable design makes the Gallet F1 XF fire helmet the perfect fit for various interventions such as structural and outdoor fires, technical rescue operations and road traffic accidents.
F2 X-TREM Accessories
8 Part Number(s)
To enhance the modularity of the F2 X-TREM helmet, MSA developed a wide range of accessories perfectly suited for all applications. From helmet mounted lighting solutions to secure operations at night, to tight eye protection for wildland fire-fighting, MSA thoroughly engineered each accessory to optimize safety in a wide variety of technical rescue and wildland firefighting missions.
Responder goggle, anti-fog/anti-scratch
Aluminized neck curtain (rear coverage)
Wool neck curtain for (wide coverage)
Passive attentuation ear muff, 31 dB
Visor carrier
Fixation for visor carrier (pair)
Clear polycarbonate visor, 20 cm, anti-fog/anti-scratch
Nylon mesh visor for Forest Work (does not provide fire protection)
Responder Goggles
1 Part Number(s)
These durable, medium-impact goggles are specially designed to meet the unique needs of emergency services personnel. Features a low-profile design, clear twin lens, and fire-retardant materials. The outer polycarbonate lens is anti-scratch while the inner acetate lens provides ultimate anti-fog protection. Face-fitting design and adjustable head band provide a secure, comfortable fit.
S-CAP Hood
3 Part Number(s)
This highly visible, one-size-fits-all yellow hood offers protection against smoke and gas from fires, especially carbon monoxide. The easy-to-use unit dons quickly and features a nose cup for a wide variety of head and face sizes, while the cotton neck seal ensures a tight fit. The high-performance filter offers thorough protection, while the wide lens provides an increased field of vision and the low breathing resistance reduces claustrophobia.
1 Part Number(s)
With almost 30 years of leadership in technical rescue and wildland fire helmets, MSA offers F2 X-TREM, a multifunctional advanced protection helmet. Its comfort, modularity and wide range of accessories makes it the perfect head protection solution for various activities, such as wildland firefighting, technical rescue, Urban Search and Rescue, Road traffic accident.
Helmet Mounted Lighting Solutions
1 Part Number(s)
When working in fire & rescue environment, it is essential to have a good view of any potential hazards and risks. Short, medium and long range, MSA helmet mounted flashlights cover all firefighter needs.


text:
From The Hip
Plus +
Most bases covered
Minus -
Except the steering
One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five Mississ... and that's how quickly a 5,159-pound SUV can zip from standstill to 60 mph. About 4.7 seconds, providing it's the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG (or one of its rivals).
The hardware responsible for this particular affront to physics is a 5.5-liter V8 with two turbochargers helping to develop 518 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. And like every other AMG engine, this one is hand-assembled in Affalterbach, Germany. The seven-speed transmission is built in Stuttgart. Both items are then shipped over to Alabama, from where all M-Class vehicles originate.
This model (the only AMG vehicle made in the United States) is based on the new generation of M-Class, whose regular versions debuted in late 2011. It bears the usual AMG additions such as beefier brakes, aerodynamic body kit, adaptive air suspension and plenty of gadgets. In recent times, Benz's performance division has also taken to fitting flat-bottomed steering wheels to its cars, which feel pleasantly chunky; a sensation enhanced by Alcantara covering at the quarter-to-three positions and leather elsewhere.
Mercedes-Benz claims it invented the performance SUV niche, now joined by vehicles like the BMW X5 M and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. None of them are cheap but they cover so many bases so well. The ML63 AMG, with the optional Performance Package that boosts horsepower to 550 and torque to 560 lb-ft, has the added distinction of being the most powerful production SUV in the world.
Its permanent all-wheel-drive system sends 40 percent of engine output to the front axle, 60 percent to the rear. The result is a slightly more sporty, rear-driven feel to the chassis (the regular M-Class has a 50:50 split). But there's not even the suggestion of a wayward tail, especially when there are non-defeatable traction and stability controls. The ML63 goes into, through and out of corners with absolute composure; this chassis was tuned on the Nürburgring. And the spacing of the gear ratios seems perfect, the transmission never feels like it's in too high or too low a gear.
Meanwhile, an air of absolute luxury pervades the cabin. The dash is covered in leather; there are options of wood, piano black or brushed aluminum trim pieces; a Harmon Kardon audio system is standard, offering satellite radio, Bluetooth and iPod connection. Navigation with real-time traffic and weather is also standard, along with Attention Assist and 10-way power-adjustable front seats.
Reviews of machines with more than 500 hp don't tend to mention storage space all that much, but having the ability to fill 71 cubic feet with luggage or groceries or antique wardrobes, close the power liftgate on them and then travel at speeds of up to 174 mph is a particular kind of crazy wonderful.
It's the kind that comes at a price, however. Including destination and delivery charges, the MSRP starts at $95,865. That buys a lot of standard equipment, including active roll bars. These have the ability to disconnect themselves should the ML63 venture off the road and require some axle articulation. And then they snap back into place once the tarmac is under the tires.
All ML models also have Active Curve Control, which is an anti-rollover system. It orchestrates the traction and stability controls, and brakes an outside rear wheel if it senses a catastrophe in the offing.
There are still some options that might be worth having though, even if they do hike up the price. Night vision, for example. Perhaps the rear-seat DVD system. And the Bang & Olufsen surround-sound audio is just fantastic.
The Performance Package costs another $6,050. By raising turbo pressure from 14.5 to 18.8 psi, it shortens the zero-to-60 mph sprint by a tenth of a second. These numbers may seem rather meaningless in cold black and white, but the extra torque can be felt and appreciated. The only exterior sign that someone has opted for this pack is the red paint on the brake calipers.
Here's the one major gripe: the steering feels artificial. The culprit, of course, is the electro-mechanical assistance. As soon as the steering wheel comes a few degrees from straight ahead, the system kicks in too aggressively and there's no real feel to what the front tires are doing. With the optional Active Lane Keeping system, it's the same story: too much, too soon. Because this can be a family car, the reasoning behind having electric assistance instead of hydraulic (which wouldn't be compatible with Active Lane Keeping) is understandable. It looks like we'll just have to wait for such systems to evolve and improve. In the meantime, there's still the rest of the car to enjoy.
2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
Longitudinal front engine, all-wheel drive
5.5-liter V8, dohc, 32-valve. Direct-injected, twin-turbocharged and intercooled
Seven-speed automatic
Double wishbone (f); four-arm, multi-link (r)
Four-piston, 15.4-inch ventilated and perforated rotors (f); single-piston, 13.6-inch ventilated and perforated rotors (r)
Wheels & Tires
11x20, 265/45
Peak Power: 550 hp @ 5750 rpm
Peak Torque: 560 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
0-60 mph: 4.6 sec.
Top Speed: 174 mph (limited electronically)
*w/ Performance Package


text:
Ex-cop in Puerto Rico police pleads guilty in child porn case
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A former police commissioner for Puerto Rico's capital has pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography in a plea agreement with U.S. authorities.
Hilton Cordero Rosario is expected to serve 10 years in prison as a result of Friday's plea. His sentencing is scheduled for June 10.
Cordero was accused of convincing his teenage daughter's friend to expose her genitals and of taking pictures of her. Authorities also said they had seized a computer belonging to him with graphic images of other minors.
Defense attorney Melanie Carrillo told reporters that the case had been tried in the media and Cordero wasn't given a chance to share his version of events.
Cordero was arrested in April 2011.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press


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text:
Jennifer Lawrence has parlayed her critical success in "Winter's Bone" into a pretty sweet role in the upcoming "X-Men" prequel, while Kevin Bacon is on board as an undisclosed villain.
Lawrence proved she has the chops for most any role with her turn in "Winter's Bone," the big winner at this year's Sundance, and anyone who enjoys the gift of sight can see she's got the looks to take on a part once played by Rebecca Romijn, Mystique.
For the six of you who missed "X-Men 2," Mystique is a blue-skinned, yellow-eyed shape-shifter with a mean streak a mile wide. She's also said to be the mother of NIghtcrawler and raised Rogue as her own for a few years, and founded the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Do evil people really consider themselves evil? Did Hitler strut around boasting, "I'm the very embodiment of 20th Century evil!"?)
U.S. & World
Lawrence makes a fine addition to a cast that already includes James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Aaron Johnson (maybe), Nicholas Hoult, Alice Eve and Caleb Landry Jones.
Oh, and Kevin Bacon, who also joined the cast as an as yet unidentified bad guy. When rumors of his involvement first cropped up, the nerds folks over at MTV put together a nice rundown of possible villains for him to play -- our money's on Graydon Creed.
WIth the cast that director Matthew Vaughn and producer Bryan Singer are compiling, we're starting to think this once moribund franchise might get some of its glory back.