text:
Welcome to the Asia Markets live blog, a running account of what the region's stock markets are doing, along with other news. Today, China's rush of economic data —all of them — print below expectations , while New Zealand becomes the first developed economy to hike rates this cycle.
6:19 am | Shanghai markets rally on preferred shares report | by Laura He
Shanghai markets seemed to have shrugged off soft Chinese data and got a boost from reports that the country may allow companies to issue first preferred shares in the second half of the year, without adding pressure on stock investors. The Shanghai Composite Index stood out in Asian markets with a 1.1% gain, with bank shares among the biggest winners.
4:07 am | Markets check -- 4:07 p.m. in Hong Kong | by Laura He
Japan (Nikkei Average) down 0.1% (closed)
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) down 0.7% (closed)
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 1.1% (closed)
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) up 0.5% (closed)
Seoul (Kospi) up 0.1% (closed)
Taipei (Taiex) up 0.7% (closed)
2:21 am | Markets check -- 2:21 p.m. in Hong Kong
Japan (Nikkei Average) down 0.1% (closed)
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) down 0.6%
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 0.6%
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) up 0.5% (closed)
Seoul (Kospi) up 0.1% (closed)
Mumbai (Sensex) up 0.3%
Taipei (Taiex) up 0.7% (closed)
2:18 am | China's factory output, retail sales data disappoint | by Laura He
China's industrial production slowed to 8.6% in the January-February period, compared to 9.7% in December, while retail-sales growth also eased to 11.8% from 13.6% in December, the National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday.
Both data failed to meet the forecasts, as markets expected the industrial output to grow 9.5% and retail sales to expand 13.5% in the period, according to a Dow Jones Newswires poll of economists.
In a Thursday note ahead of the data release, ananlysts from Société Générale said Chinese retail sales may be "depressed by the anti-corruption drive and disinflation," while rising inventories have weighed on industrial production.
The markets took a hit after the data, as Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index turned down to a loss of 0.5% from a gain of 0.2%, while the Shanghai Composite trimmed its 1% gain to trade 0.6% higher.
Japanese stocks also saw their gains vanish, with the Nikkei Average ending 0.1% lower, while the Australian dollar — often sensitive to economic news out of China — eased to 90.48 U.S. cents from 90.62 U.S. cents.
1:42 am | China's premier feels confident | by Laura He
Markets gave a thumbs-up to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's strong faith in Chinese economy as he spoke at a news conference marking the end of China's annual legislative session: The Shanghai Composite went from a 0.5% gain to a 1.3% rally, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index also extended its gainto rise 0.5%.
Specifically, Li stood by the government's 7.5% economic growth target for this year, even as some economists doubt this will be achieveable absent significant stimulus.
"The Chinese economy has great potential and resilience. We are capable of, and have the conditions to make sure the economy runs within a reasonable range," he said. "Without addional short-term stimulus measures, we achieved the growth target last year. Why can't we do it this year?"
He also said Chinese officials are paying great attention to debt risks and have set a timetable for regulatory measures on the nation's informal "shadow-banking" sector.
Li said that although some defaults of financing vehicles may be unavoidable, China would closely monitor the situation and make sure there are no "regional and systemic financial risks."
"The situation this year is more complicated, " Li admitted.
1:18 am | Markets check -- 1:18 p.m. in Hong Kong
Japan (Nikkei Average) up 0.6%
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) up 0.3%
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 1.2%
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) up 0.5% (closed)
Seoul (Kospi) up 0.6%
Mumbai (Sensex) up 0.5%
Taipei (Taiex) up 0.7%
11:24 pm | Markets check -- 11:24 a.m. in Hong Kong
Japan (Nikkei Average) up 0.5% (at break)
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) up 0.5%
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 1.1%
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) up 0.6%
Seoul (Kospi) up 0.7%
Taipei (Taiex) up 0.8%
11:14 pm | China data preview: Double unhappiness? | by Mike Kitchen
The last of the big monthly Chinese data releases is due today at 1:30 p.m. Beijing time (1:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern time). And this set of numbers will be all the more interesting in that it covers both January and February, so as to cancel out seasonal distortions from the Lunar New Year. A double whammy, so to speak.
The data set will offer:
Retail sales — The Dow Jones Newswires survey is tipping a gain of 13.5% from a year earlier; December saw a rise of 13.6%.
Industrial output — Dow Jones reports a forecast rise of 9.5% from a year earlier; December's output was up 9.7%.
Urban fixed-asset investment — Basically a measure of contruction spending; Dow Jones projects a 19.3% gain; the measure is only reported on a year-to-date basis, and 2013 had a rise of 19.6%.
December's release of industrial and retail data (which also included quarterly GDP) elicited only brief reaction in Asian markets, but some analysts see potential for a more bearish take on the statistics this time around.
"The markets are already fearful of a Chinese slowdown, and today's data will do little to calm those fears, with most of them displaying further weakness," writes Société Générale in a note out today.
"Retail sales are being depressed by the anti-corruption drive and disinflation, while rising inventories will weigh on industrial production. … The figures are likely to add to doubts over the achievability of the official 2014 gross domestic product [growth] target of 7.5%," SocGen says.
Crédit Agricole is also looking for weaker numbers, and like SocGen, they see some negative market reaction as possible: "While such softer outcomes [in the data] should be close to consensus, they nevertheless will add to the concerns over the growth outlook."
10:18 pm | Hope for China stocks as slowdown fears loom? | by Laura He
Would a raft of upcoming Chinese data help put markets in reverse gear after last week's trade data stoked slowdown fears?
It appears investors are a bit dubious of any big surprises, as Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index seesaws in early trading (it's now 0.3% higher).
China is scheduled to release industrial production and retail sales numbers later in the day. Last week, it reported an unexpectedly sharp fall of 18.1% in its exports for February, swinging the country's trade balance into a deficit and sending jitters across global markets.
Meanwhile, most mainland Chinese banks are recovering some of their losses after sharp declines in the prior session: China Construction Bank has advanced 0.8%, and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China is up 0.7%.
China Citic Bank Corp. is extending gains by another 1.4%, as buyers appear bullish on the bank's reported move to team up with online majors Tencent and Alibaba, respectively, and offer virtual credit cards for China's online shopping fans.
However, shares of Tencent are a bit soft, down 0.3% at 600 Hong Kong dollars ($77).
On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose back above the 2,000 mark, up 1.2% at 2,004.09.
10:02 pm | Markets check -- 10:02 a.m. in Hong Kong
Japan (Nikkei Average) up 0.2%
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index) up 0.1%
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index) up 0.3%
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) up 0.7%
Seoul (Kospi) up 0.3%
Taipei (Taiex) up 0.8%
9:11 pm | Aussie jobs jump (but unemployment abides) | by Mike Kitchen
It's payback time for Australia's labor market, as January's surprise drop in employment gives way to February's surprise jump in employment.
Specifically, the Lucky Country added 47,300 new jobs last month, well above a market-consensus forecast for a gain of 15,000, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
The paricipation rate also beat analysts' estimates, hitting 64.8% vs. a projected 64.5%. The unemployment rate remained at 6%. (More details here.)
Last month, the unexpected 3,700 drop in jobs had shaved about half a U.S. cent off the Aussie dollar (see previous Asia blog), and today's data boosted the currency by a slightly larger margin — the Australian dollar is currently at 90.59 U.S. cents from 89.90 cents just ahead of the release.
Likewise, stocks are cheering the news, with the ASX 200 up 0.7%, after sitting about 0.2% higher in early trade.
Among the early reaction to the data, AMP Capital senior economist Shane Oliver tweeted that the steady level for the jobless rate is a better indicator than the up-and-down moves in employment numbers.
Oliver said last month's data seemed too weak, and this month's seem too strong, while the "truth is [in] between."
Some great Feb Aust job numbers: +47K (full time +80K) & prev mth revised up. So $A up...but looks too good to be true..
— Shane Oliver (@ShaneOliverAMP) March 13, 2014
..unemp is often a good guide to trend in jobs mkt & it was stuck at 6% with rising trend.Prev mths 2 weak, Feb 2 strong..truth is between..
— Shane Oliver (@ShaneOliverAMP) March 13, 2014
..but does tell us jobs mkt not collapsing. And worth noting that ANZ job ads, skilled vacancies, Manpower, NAB emp survey have all bottomed
— Shane Oliver (@ShaneOliverAMP) March 13, 2014
8:49 pm | Markets check -- 9:49 a.m. in Tokyo
Japan (Nikkei Average) up 0.2%
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200) up 0.6%
Seoul (Kospi) up 0.1%
8:32 pm | Japan shares crawling out of their hole | by Mike Kitchen
Japan's benchmark Nikkei Average is up 0.4% in the early minutes, recovering from a 2.6% body slam for the index yesterday. Then again, the broader Topix is flat, so it's the blue chips leading the gains, a phenomenon that sometimes (but not always) indicates particularly active foreign buying.
The yen isn't providing much support -- with the dollar changing hands at ¥102.82, not too much changed from the day before -- but on the upside, core machinery orders data surprised well to the upside. Core orders (which exclude volatile power-utility and shipbuilding orders) soared more than 13% in January, almost double the 7.5% gain tipped in a Wall Street Journal/Nikkei survey of economists.
The data haven't shaken the market, but some industrials are seeing mild gains, with Fanuc up 0.4%, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries rising 1.1%.
A more solid advance is found in the tech space, where Renesas Electronics is sporting a 3.5% jump, and Tokyo Electron has improved by 2.5%, while TDK is up 1.1%, and Fujitsu is ahead by 1.3%.
Heavily weighted telecom Softbank is up 0.9% as Chairman Masayoshi Son continues his push in Washington for approval of Softbank's Sprint unit to buy rival T-Mobile US.
Meanwhile, the Nikkei Asian Review is reporting that convenience-store name FamilyMart should see a record pretax profit of ¥47 billion ($452 billion) for the fiscal year that ended in February. That would be great, except that FamilyMart had previously forecast ¥47.8 billion, and Kim Eng Securities says the market consensus is for ¥47.6 billion. Ergo, FamilyMart shares are down 1.8%.
7:43 pm | Australia stocks: Eureka! | by Mike Kitchen
Australia's trading a little higher this morning (S&P/ASX 200 up 0.2%), and it's all about the miners.
The big iron-ore names have struck it rich, it seems, after spot iron-ore prices at last halted their plunge and bounced a bit. Whether that bounce is of the "dead cat" variety is beside the point for now, as Fortescue Metals is up 4% and Atlas Iron is 3/8% higher, not to mention a 3.1% gain for Oz Minerals and a 2% advance for Rio Tinto. (BHP Billiton is up a milder 0.8%, in case you were wondering.)
"There will certainly be a few sighs of relief today that the carnage associated with the iron-ore price paused last night, as the spot price lifted a couple of percent to close at $107.40 [per metric ton], a small but welcome bounce from the previous session," Rivkin Securities CEO Scott Schuberg wrote in a note out this morning.
And gold, let's not forget gold. The Comex futures for the yellow metal hit their highest settlement in six months in New York, and so of course, Newcrest is up 1.8%, Evolution is up 2.1%, and Kingsgate is up 3.2%.
That said, there are plenty of event risks lurking in today's schedule. For one thing, Australia's employment data for February is due out at 11:30 a.m. Sydney time (8:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern time).
And more importantly, China's February numbers for retail sales, industrial output and fixed-asset investment are slated for 1:30 a.m. Eastern time — the Sydney bourse will be closed by then, but any surprises will get baked in at tomorrow's open.
On a final note, shares of Leighton Holdings remain untraded after top shareholder Hochtief AG sweetened its bid to buy additional stock in the contractor. The move has prompted Chief Executive Officer Hamish Tyrwhitt to leave, along with the chief financial officer, all at the request of Hochtief, Dow Jones Newswires reports.
7:19 pm | Kiwi rising | by Mike Kitchen
New Zealand today became the first developed country to raise interest rates in the easy-money, post-crisis Western world.
After three years with the policy cash rate at a record-low 2.5%, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand added a quarter-point in an effort to keep inflation at bay.
On the one hand, the move was long expected (MarketWatch and others have been writing about this for some time). But then, comments from RBNZ Gov. Graeme Wheeler & Co. that rates would likely continue rising by another couple points to keep inflation around the 2% target was enough to kick the Kiwi dollar up to 85.18 U.S. cents currently from around 84.74 cents just prior to the hike. (Read more here.)
Meanwhile, stocks weren't so keen on the move, with the NZX 50 currently down 0.2%, as compared with a higher open for the Australian market.
Now in terms of the currency, the RBNZ isn't very keen on a rising New Zealand dollar. But BK Asset Management managing director Kathy Lien says this won't stop the Kiwi from gaining, or the RBNZ from hiking:
"The central bank warned that current levels of the exchange rate not sustainable, but these were the exact same words used at the last meeting and clearly the exchange rate has not prevented the RBNZ from tightening," Lien wrote following the policy decision.
And with the statement signaling tighter policy yet to come, Lien said "we expect the New Zealand dollar to extend its gains, climbing to fresh one-year highs versus the greenback in the near term."


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In addition to the WSDL 2.0 SOAP binding extension described above, WSDL 2.0
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The HTTP binding extension provides many features to control:
• Which HTTP operation will be used. (GET, PUT, POST, DELETE, and other HTTP
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text:
I considered replacing "stuff" with "sh--" for this post's title, but I like to keep things pretty G-Rated here. Anyway...
Great ride yesterday. Wheel was still in the shop, but my friend Pete offered to loan me an extra wheel he had so we could ride on some trails through Portland. The only caveat was his disc brake rotor was smaller than mine... which meant no front brakes.
So that made a few downhills quite interesting, but it was going relatively well. However, at one point I ate it pretty hard. Actually, a few times I ate it pretty hard. But one of those times I snapped the shifter off my bike. Pete and I braved swarming mosquitoes until we figured out that tying it to my handlebar with a spare inner tube would be best.
It still shifted, but I could not do so without holding the broken shifter in my hand to keep it stable, meaning it was next to impossible to shift on the trails, so I would be forced to ride single speed for the most part.
Pete talked me into continuing on despite this, and hesitantly I agreed. However, it went alright. I was just a bit slower is all.
The trails themselves were great. I had no idea such great trails existed within Portland city limits. Much of the time, you would have thought you were someplace else much more rural (like in my my town). It was great. Will definitely ride these trails again!
Good news about the bike is that replacing the shifter will be cheaper than I thought. Should have the bike back by the weekend.
Mountain biked 14.0 miles @ 7.1 mph/avg (19.5 mph/max)
Trails, some paved roads (1-1.5 miles worth).
Moderately hilly.
Mid 60s, sunny.
Shorts, short sleeved shirt.


text:
You are here: Home ‹ Board index ‹ General Discussion ‹ Site / Forum Discussion
about this site!
We are always interested in hearing what you think of JCO or come with suggestions for new site features.
14 posts • Page 1 of 1
about this site!
How come it take this site (JCO) so long to update their news on upcoming Jim movies.

I usually hear about Jim's movies way in advance, way before its on this site. You would think, this site wold be right up to date??

I usually send in the news as soon as I hear it, but it doesn't get put up here until days later... I'm just wondering why? And if there's anything us fans can do, to help keep the updates updated!?

Love the site, by the way,

FavaBeans.

Re: I'm wondering that too.
I agree and I'm wondering the same thing that everyday I check this site and the news section's not update. What happend?

jmcarreyschick.

Re: I'm wondering that too.
I totally agree!! I also think it is very PURE, and none updates the last 20 days!

Jim Carrey Online was the best site, but the last year I will say it has been very slow! I have mailed a lot news to the webmaster-team, but I don't understand why JCO only want old news!!

I can find many pages on Jim Carrey Online, which not have been updated for years!! Other information are not correct, I have mailed them, but get none respons!

If they haven't time, I think other people would love to help, but we don't hear anything?!?
// TNPihl

Visit The Jim Carrey Net or My New Message Board

Edited by: TNPihl  at: 9/19/03 9:30 pm

Re: I'm wondering that too.
I posted something like this a few weeks ago. They won't answer you unless you email them.

Re: I'm wondering that too.
Off course I have mailed them with my news and updates. But I still not think I get much respons!!

If they not have any time, then I think they should close the site or find new webmasters! That is what I think. It have been one of the most great Carrey-summers, but I can only find 10 news on Jim Carrey Online. On my site in the sam period I have 60 stories.

The site must be updated if people are going to come back on the site again.

I hope Jim Carrey Online will be as good as it was before.
// TNPihl

Visit The Jim Carrey Net or My New Message Board

Re: I'm wondering that too.
What I mean't was they won't answer Favabeans question unless she emails them. At least thats what they told me anyway.

oh well
Its really too bad because I like this site, I wish they would update it more often.

Like today was the release of the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind trailer!! And they don't have anything posted about it.

(By the way, you can find the trailer @ Yahoo)

Oh well. I guess we'll have to get updated on Jim's movies some place else. Like we're doing now, anyways.

I used to come here everyday to see "what's new" but I found other movie sites more reliable than JCO. Could this be the end of an era??!

Oh, and Cotton, I'm a guy.

FavaBeans.

No one has Emailed me any news that I can post. Some news I get I can't post because it has to do with Jim's personal life, and we try to stay out of it because we think he deserves some modicum of privacy. JCO made an agreement with Jim's people that we would do this.

As for the trailer news, this is the FIRST I've heard of it. Apparently, "nobody tells me anything!" applies to me again.

I can't do everything alone. I am not God. I am sorry JCO hasn't been up to snuff, but nobody's been offering me a branch. My job is to edit and post OTHER folk's articles, arrange interviews, talk to Jim's people, etc. It is NOT primarily to act as a reporter. Instead of complaining, how about offering some help?

BCDavis

sorry favabeans

Re: Oh! And...
Hm, it's difficult. I think everyone can help, okay. It's too much work for one person. But I also think it's not our job to keep the site up-to-date. It's JCO's job, the owners and operators of this site. They can't push away the responsibility. Or they actually have to ask people for help and officially distribute special jobs.
"Whatever makes you feel good when you sit down and do it,
is what you should be chasing in your life." - Jim Carrey

Re: Oh! And...
Okay. Now we're talkin'.
I would like the correspondents AND anybody else who wants to join in to send me ARTICLES. If you find some news somewhere, whip up a story. Be sure to sight your sources. Don't worry too much about layout and format - that's my job.

About what's newsworthy:
1. Production information about upcoming Carrey films.
2. Upcoming appearances on television.
3. Box office results.
4. Charity events.
Basically, anything that has to do with Jim's work.

What we don't want:
Personal, privy information that if you were Jim, you wouldn't want people to pry into. I know you're asking why. Simple reason: Jim's personal safety and sanity. There's a lot of people out there who want to get to Jim. Yes, most are harmless fans who just want an autograph, or want to say hi, or just want to bask in his God-like presence. But there are some who want more. This is why he has body guards, and why he doesn't give out his Email address, and why he doesn't go to everybody's birthday party. Y'see, Jim's not God, either. He just played Him in a movie.

Let me let you in on a little secret about how I think as I work on this site. I pretend Jim is my boss and he's seeing everything that comes across my desktop. This may sound crazy, but it's a great way to CYA. Does it add stress? Sometimes. But it's a heckuva payoff when we land interviews, go to press screenings, and keep a good working relationship with Jim's people.

And yes. They keep an eye on us. But, have I ever met Jim personally? NO. Do I work directly for him? NO. Can I put you in contact with him directly? NO. Does he know about me or anybody else on JCO? He could have heard something from his people. You never know. I keep that in mind as I work on this site, too. *shrugs* Because if I DO meet him one day, I want Jim to have good feelings concerning JCO. I like to think everybody else does, too.

Now, I'm gonna roll up my sleeves and get ready for next month's start of the film production "Lemony Snicket" and the now-starting pre-release activities of "ESOTSM." Of course, other news of interest is always welcome.

BCDavis
"You need to grab life by the horns, wrestle it to the ground, and live it!" (Mighty Mouse, from "MMLegends" novel by BCDavis)

don't get me wrong
Hey BcDavis, I totally understand the stress and time it takes to run a site, believe me, I know.

The very first post, when I started this topic, I mentioned that I'm willing to help out in any way! And that I submit news all the time. I always use the "Scoop O Matic" or whatever its called, should we be emailing you directly?

And don't get me wrong, I think your doing a wonderful job, and I didn't realize you were doing all this on your own.

You will defintely be hearing from me as news of Jim's upcoming movies gets pumped through the internet!

(BTW, a week or so, I sent in a news piece about Meryl Streep and Jude Law joining the cast of "Lemony", did you get that?)

FavaBeans.

Am I the only person who can't get the Scoop-o-matic to work ? Whenever I try to use it, I get a malformed email address error (and, yes, I'm typing in my email address correctly). That's one of the reasons I never send in any scoops, just post them here.

14 posts • Page 1 of 1
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text:
Techdirt covers a recent talk given by professor Michael D. Smith at Google which summarizes with great examples that you can in fact compete with free.
From Evidence Shows You Can, In Fact, 'Compete' With 'Free':
Some of the key points:
· Contrary to the claim that free viewability of movies decreases demand, research shows that when a movie airs on TV for free, it increases demand for the movie both in DVD sales and via file sharing. And, on top of that, the greater demand for the content in file sharing does not appear to hurt the sales of DVDs.
· One bit of research involved the natural experiment that happened when NBC Universal, due to a contract dispute with Apple, removed its TV shows from iTunes for almost a year before putting them back. So, what happened when the content got pulled? Well, first, piracy rates increased -- and not just in absolute numbers. The research compared piracy rates against the other major TV networks, and found that the rates tracked almost exactly prior to the content getting pulled from iTunes... but the second it got pulled, NBC piracy rates were noticeably higher than the other networks. In other words, not offering consumers a way to buy your content legitimately increase unauthorized access. No shock there, but nice to see the data to support that. Specifically, the data found that the "demand" for unauthorized versions increased by 11%.
· Separately, the research showed a smaller, but still significant increase in demand for unauthorized content from those other networks. The theory here is that once NBC pulled its authorized content from iTunes, people who started getting it via BitTorrent suddenly realized they might as well do the same for non-NBC content. So, NBC's decision not to offer authorized content may have actually increased demand for file sharing on other networks as well
· Here's where it gets interesting: what impact did this have on DVD sales on Amazon? Again comparing NBC data to other networks, there is no noticeable impact after the content is removed from iTunes as compared to other networks. In other words, while the action did increase "piracy," there's no indication that increased piracy decreased DVD demand.
· Next experiment involved a move in the opposite direction. Looking at the "demand" for unauthorized BitTorrents of shows from ABC right before and after ABC added its shows to Hulu, again, as compared to the other networks. And here, there was a massive decrease in "demand" for the unauthorized works on BitTorrent.
· Again, however, when the content went "free" on Hulu it did not harm DVD sales. Actually, DVD sales went slightly up (not enough to be statistically significant).
· The final study looked at what happened to demand for movies that went on HBO, which created an interesting situation, because before HBO will air a movie, it requires the studios to remove that movie from video on demand or other digital distribution channels like iTunes. So, the content disappears from those other channels for a few weeks before it shows up on HBO. The research looked at where former iTunes and video on demand customers went for content in the window between the content being pulled from those channels and when it aired on HBO.
· What the research showed was actually no statistically significant change in demand when the content got pulled from the digital distribution channels... but a big increase in demand after the movie aired on HBO.
The key conclusions:
· You absolutely can compete with free.
· If you offer a convenient and reasonable offering, eve people who were getting content in an unauthorized manner, will often buy (i.e., it's possible to turn "pirates" into buyers). That is, it's not the "free" part that's the driving aspect of much of their behavior, but the convenience factor.


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Changing City Charter Conundrum
Changing the Charter of Sioux Falls is one of those elements of civic duty that is rare. Thus when it needs to be done both the elected leaders and the citizens have to agree to adjust.
Three tweaks to the City Charter will be rendered to the citizens. Two of them look to better define the terms of City Council members and the other to dispense responsibility to both the Mayor and City Council in regard to the employment status of the City Attorney.
Amendment A & B reflect the change in meeting night for the Council according to City Clerk Lorie Hogstad. "A & B are very similar. The Charter the way it reads now says that the terms of newly elected Council Members or Mayor will be for a four-year term beginning on the third Monday following the canvass. The City Council changed the day (of the week) they meet in 2012 from Monday to Tuesday. So it didn't seem to make a lot of sense to state that elected officials begin on a Monday. These Amendments now state that the terms begin in the third week in May to allow for future Councils to change their meeting day."
Jim David Operations Manager for the City Council dives into the murkier issue of Amendment C which involves the City Attorney. "The Mayor appoints the City Attorney, but the Council approves (of the hire)." Both entities, in turn utilize the services of the City Attorney. However under the current rules of the Charter the Mayor can act alone in the removal of the City Attorney. "Under Charter Amendment C, the Council would have to concur if the Mayor decides that he or she wants to remove the City Attorney during his term. If a Mayor is re-elected, there is the ability to appoint someone else brand new, but that would be the only time the Mayor could make that change without Council approval."
For more study on these issues, please sample the following audio cuts.
Segment 1: Streamlining the opening service date for elected officials.
Segment 2: Dividing power over the City Attorney between Mayor and Council.


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Biologic drugmaker Amgen said Tuesday that it will lay off 12 to 15 percent of its worldwide workforce and close four sites, even as it reported very strong second-quarter results that trounced Wall Street expectations.
The maker of Prolia for osteoporosis and anemia treatment Aranesp said it's restructuring to free up money needed for investments in the business, particularly marketing costs for launching new drugs.
The layoffs will happen this year and next, eliminating 2,400 to 2,900 jobs, mostly in the U.S. Amgen also plans to close two sites in Colorado, primarily manufacturing plants, and two in Washington state that focus on research and development.
Amgen said it will streamline the company, reduce management layers and reduce its real estate footprint by 23 percent.
The company, based in Thousand Oaks anticipates charges of $775 million to $950 million, mostly in 2014 and 2015. It expects modest savings in 2015, but expense reductions in 2016 of about $700 million, versus 2013 spending. Most savings will be reinvested, including expanding operations in the biotech hubs of South San Francisco and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, Amgen posted a 23 percent jump in second-quarter profit as revenue jumped 11 percent on strong performances by all but two of its drugs.
Net income was $1.55 billion, or $2.01 per share, up from $1.26 billion, or $1.65 per share, in 2013′s second quarter.
Excluding one-time charges, adjusted income was $1.82 billion, or $2.37 per share. That surpassed the expectations of analysts surveyed by FactSet by a whopping 30 cents per share.
Revenue totaled $5.18 billion, up from $4.68 billion a year earlier. Analysts were expecting $4.92 billion.
Amgen also raised its forecasts for its 2014 profit and revenue. It now expects adjusted earnings per share of $8.20 to $8.40 per share, up from its January forecast of $7.90 to $8.20. And it's anticipating revenue of $19.5 billion to $19.7 billion, up from $19.2 billion to $19.6 billion.
In after-hours trading, shares of the drugmaker added more than 4 percent, or $5.44, to $128.75.
Amgen is the world's biggest maker of biologic drugs, which are produced in living cells, rather than by mixing chemicals, as traditional pills are made.
Article source: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_26238933/south-san-francisco-biotech-drugmaker-amgen-laying-off


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What is Smarter Computing?
Imagine an IT infrastructure that:
- Leverages the cloud to speed time to market and improve efficiency
- Unlocks the power of big data to deliver more actionable insight
- Provides security to protect critical information and reduce risk
You don't have to imagine this.
It can be your reality with Smarter Computing.
Why Smarter Computing?
The majority of IT
budget is devoted to
operations and maintenance
Digital content will
nearly quadruple
by 2015
But with the right infrastructure, IT leaders can meet
these challenges while keeping their data secure.
Are you ready to compete?
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How to get started.
As a CIO, you must identify how to:
- Speed time to market and improve efficiency
- Deliver more actionable insight
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To be competitive, you must meet all three requirements―and
integrate those individual solutions into a cohesive whole.
Learn more about IBM Smarter Computing capabilities
Cloud computing »
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The IT infrastructure you choose for cloud, big data and analytics matters.
Your IT infrastructure needs to be flexible, scalable and secure to enable shared access to trustworthy data and build analytics intelligence into your transactions.
IBM is announcing new and enhanced systems, storage and networking solutions to help you consistently deliver real-time information and insights.
Innovation to put data to work.
Announcing Power Systems for bigger data demands in the cloud
IBM introduces first-gen systems built on POWER8 for scale-out infrastructures, improved cloud economics, and the world's first server ecosystem using Linux and open standards. Standardise data centers on a single virtualisation technology - and build a better cloud.
Posted by Doug Brown
In this increasingly complex environment, core business systems and consumer systems are both vital to businesses and cannot run on independent paths. CIOs and IT Architects need to evaluate their IT infrastructure in light of the need for integration of these two types of business systems and based on the growing criticality of customer-facing systems.Continue reading
Posted by Colin Parris
Through the collaborative efforts of our clients, Business Partners and ISVs, IBM i has helped to create a new wave on innovation that continues today. Businesses invested in a system that—through integration— promised it would be easy-to-use and offer low cost of operations. A system that promised investment protection for applications whatever new technologies might emerge.Continue reading
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Graphic Novel Book Club at Central
Date of Event:
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Join us every Tuesday at 7 pm on the Children's floor for stories, crafts and a lot of imagination. 7-15 year old Graphic novel fans enjoy meeting up with each other to talk about books as well as get first hand illustrative instruction on how to create, design and illustrate your own comics. Parking is Free!


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A new version of the classic board game Monopoly salutes the beloved film, The Wizard of Oz. Produced by USAopoly, under license from Hasbro Inc. and in conjunction with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Monopoly: The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition features a game board that unfolds to reveal a spectacular 3-D pop-up center showcasing movie plot points.
There are also new Monopoly rules created just for this game, the houses and hotels from the traditional game have been transformed into custom farmhouses and Emerald Cities, respectively, and classic movie icons such as the Wicked Witch of the West's hat, the ruby slippers, and Toto replace the familiar Monopoly movers.


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|Kates Playground
Short review: This romper room opened up 2 years ago and you won't find any swing-sets or teeter-totters, you'll distinctly find something worth riding here.
Content Amount: The introduction page to Kates Playground with the subject at hand distinctly sweetening the pot.There are a lot of promises here comprising of, thousands of pictures in hundreds of sets, web camera photos, outtake images, candid photos, 166 films that hold 88 regular movies, 63 web camera vids and 15 outtake films, 2 image set updates a week, every week live cam-shows, magazine and message board, all exclusive


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Comment #1 Monday, January 6, 2014 7:40 PM
First comment WHOO HOO! Honestly been waiting for this since you posted the WB. Thank you friend.
Comment #2 Monday, January 6, 2014 8:10 PM
Comment #3 Wednesday, January 8, 2014 10:05 PM
great design... you should consider providing walls in 2560x1600 & 2560x1440 as well so they don't lose so much definition on larger monitors...
Comment #4 Wednesday, January 8, 2014 10:50 PM
Lol -Thanks Syd
Comment #5 Thursday, January 9, 2014 1:12 AM
more and more people have larger monitors these days.... and will naturaly wish to use the perfectly matching walls with your themes.. I notice in many wall sites... these resolutions are now being offered... just something to think about for the future...
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Mark Thompson
Greta Scacchi as Queen Elizabeth in Mary Stuart
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Read label text
Internationally renowned star of stage and screen, Greta Scacchi is best known for her many film roles. However, the Italian-born Australian actor has also won acclaim on the Australian and British stage.
Last year, she received a Sydney Theatre Award Best Actress nomination for her memorable portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in the Ensemble Theatre production of Schiller's classic play Mary Stuart. Mark Thompson painted her in costume after a performance.
A theatre designer, Thompson met Scacchi in the early 1990s on a production of The Doll's House in Perth. Having got on well then, he plucked up courage nearly 20 years later to ask if she'd sit for a portrait.
"She was a gorgeous young slip of a girl back then and gaining notoriety as one of the most frequently undressed film actors," says Thompson. "It's quite ironic because although she's earthy, there's also a lovely primness about her, particularly now that she's a mother.
"As Elizabeth, Greta totally denied her own looks. She really wanted to be the Queen in full white face with that skinny-eyed stare and lips painted to look like two pieces of string or laser beams. She also loved the wonderful red fright wig and the fact that from a distance the high forehead worked. After two hours of performing, however, you could see the cracks in the greasepaint. I wanted to catch her like that, after two hours of work, in that hour after the show when an actor is coming out of character. It's a lovely transformation. Unlike some women, Greta didn't want to be portrayed as younger and more glamorous than she now is, but as the character."
Thompson did a couple of life-sized head studies and having "cracked it" moved onto the painting, which flowed easily.
Born in Darwin in 1949, Thompson studied at the South Australian School of Art and East Sydney Tech. He is currently working on a series of paintings to be exhibited in September of Australian theatre artists among them Nancye Hayes, Judi Connelli, Joelene Anderson, Paul Capsis, Garry McDonald and Jonathan Biggins.


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Bonoite no Kalan kmanek. Ohin kalan ita mai atu hasoru malu no rekonyese esforsu ida bot katak hau nia maluk ida, Sara Niner, realiza ona atu hakerek historia ida importante tebetebes kona ba ita nia rai no ita nia ema nia historia. Historia kona ba ema ida, mane ida, nebe ita hotu konyese no ita hotu hanoin ita konyese: ohin loron, ita nia Primeiru Ministru, Sr. Xanana Gusmao.
Tanba Sara ema ida husi rai seluk, no ema ida ne'ebe koalia liafuan ingles, hau husu ita bot sira nia permisaun atu koalia iha liafuan ingles.
Good evening, and welcome.
Permit me all the indulgence to recount my own little short story. Growing up in suburban Melbourne in the 1980s and 90s was about as far removed as you could get from the realities of life in Timor between the period of 1975 and 1999: far removed from hiding up in Mount Ramelau, holed up in a cave in Bauro or conducting clandestine meetings in Dili.
But the solidarity always existed. Whether you were a Timor oan or a malae. From East Timor solidarity groups in Melbourne to New York, Lisbon and many other cities around the globe, we were one in our shared commitment and determination for the realization of self-determination of the Timorese people.
It was in this context that Sara Niner and I first crossed paths in 1993. In working together on a project to learn from the experiences of one of the leaders of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front to organizing fund-raising Aussie Rules Football matches for the cause, an incredibly strong friendship was being formed as a by-product of our mutual activism, deep respect for the figures of the liberation and for Xanana Gusmao. We demonstrated when Xanana was captured and we cried together when he gave an impassioned speech over a loudspeaker transmitted at the top of Bourke Street at the steps of Parliament house in Melbourne in 1999. Little belief and sense did I have at the time whilst demonstrating up and down the main streets in Melbourne, that Timor would be where it is today, and that we would be standing here Sara.
Timor, its people and Xanana existed in another dimension: on banners, photographs, t-shirts and postcards. I first met Xanana on the front of a tshirt, Sara met him in Salemba, Jakarta, under house arrest in 1998. He was then, as is the case now, the voice and aspirations of our people.
Xanana once said, "it was not Xanana, it was the people", and it is on the pages of this biography that those stories are also revealed.
The product of 12 years of scholarly study interspersed with having a child, working and finally completing a thesis have resulted in a work of great depth, understanding and clarity. The commitment and vision to distil 100,000 words of a thesis into a coherent, engaging and insightful account of 'Xanana, Leader of the Struggle for Independent Timor-Leste' is nothing short of a remarkable effort.
It is the journey not only of a remarkable man, but also of a remarkable people and land and the events that have shaped all of our lives.
Sara Niner has dedicated the biography to "all the veterans and those who suffered during the struggle for independent Timor-Leste: women and men; young and old".
Her gift is to us all, and especially to Timorese, of all ages, for the ages: I grew up getting to know my people and my homeland a little better by reading the stories written by close family friends and authors in Melbourne, Cliff Morris, Michelle Turner and others,
So let me take this (public) opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and sincerest admiration to Sara Niner for this enduring and invaluable gift of documenting and retelling such a large and important part of Timorese history through the story of Xanana.
And in closing, for her enduring friendship.
Parabens e Obrigado wa'in Sara.


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As Randy Moss embarks on his latest run at the one thing that would make his career complete, he's not talking much to the media about his seventh career trip to the postseason.
He's talking plenty to his teammates about it.
Via Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group, Moss has been sharing information about his playoff experiences to his teammates, particularly the younger ones.
"Randy talks to us all the time," receiver Michael Crabtree said. "I'm in the room with Randy all day, every day. So it's a lot of things we talk about."
Coach Jim Harbaugh, who graded the veteran wideout's first regular season with the team as an A-plus, said that input from Moss is helpful to the "[f]irst- and second-year players," because they "wonder what it's like."
Despite the fact that the 49ers are one of the league's elite teams, there isn't much postseason experience in the locker room, given the perennial struggles predating the unexpected 13-3 season in 2011.
And there still isn't much Moss is saying publicly about anything. Per Inman, Moss provides an "occassional postgame sound bite" and he has conducted only three group interviews all year — a clear violation of the league's media policy about which the writers covering the team have had neither the inclination nor the nerve to complain.


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{ click on images to advance the story }posted Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 leave a comment or trackback
Great to see you back! Did you see Anthony Bourdain in NOLA the other night? Good stuff.
Yeah, I remember that feeling…
I am interested in how you contrast the nightmares of loss and survival of the characters—Denise's (almost) loss of life with Leo's loss of stuff. Each is believably shaken to the core by their losses. Shows another permutation of the class divide in American society—even our ideas/nightmares of loss and recovery… Looking forward to more on this theme.
That's a very astute reading. The thing is that our losses were not so different. My brother went to Jesuit High School, crossing the class divide. That picture of Jesuit under water is just as much a loss to me as the rest of what we experienced. I guess that's what it means to lose a whole city. And remember, thousands of people actually lost their lives.
Even so, the class distinctions are more apparent in the recovery than right after the storm. You gave me something to think about. Thanks.
It's hard sometimes to find things to say that don't sound trite. I've never experienced anything like this, but the combination of A.D. and reading Douglas Brinkley's great book "The Great Deluge" makes me sad, angry, and proud. Sad at the losses people suffered, angry at … oh too much. Proud of the people that survived, helped others, and are continuing to tell their story.
Please keep making sure everyone knows what people went through, and how they survived. Only by learning from stories like these can we stop them from having to be told again.
is a site, which contain information about recovery operation in Dallas.
Excellent work!


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6.35 - Çarpıcı Altın Kahve
10 shades, and 5 good reasons to choose Garnier Color Intense :1. A rich and intense colour: for shiny hair and a stunning result.2. 100 % grey hair coverage. 3. Very long lasting hold: your colour stays shiny and vibrant weeks after weeks without fading.4. Grape seed oil: naturally high in vitamins and well-know for its anti-oxidant properties , it protects hair and makes colour shinier , for even longer results. 5. An affordable price: quality hair colour for all, now!
IMPORTANT: HAIR COLOURANTS CAN CAUSE AN ALLERGIC REACTIONA SKIN ALLERGY TEST MUST BE DONE 48 HOURS BEFORE EACH TIME YOU WISH TO USE THIS PRODUCT (see the instruction leaflet). DO NOT USE:- if you have already had a reaction to a hair colourant.BLACK HENNA TATTOO: IF YOU HAVE EVER HAD A BLACK HENNA TATTOO, even a long time ago, you are very likely to have become allergic without realising it. Take no risk. Never use this product unless you have done the skin allergy test, 48 hours before use.
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The Garnier Color Intense formula is enriched with vitamins and grape seed oil, well-known for its antioxidant properties and caring characteristics.Nature preserves the color of its fruits, vegetables or plants thanks to polyphenols that they contain and in particular, flavonoids. Flavonoids, protective pigments, are contained in grape seed oil and they protect color. With Garnier Color Intense enriched in anti-oxidant grape seed oil, your haircolour is shiny and intense for up to 6 weeks!Herbashine's fortifying properties reinforce the core structure of each hair fibre, protecting it against outside aggression. At the same time, it provides a protective sheath for the hair's surface, leaving it soft and supple. Its formula contains mother-of-pearl that reflects the light, for a long-lasting radiance and ultra-shiny hair. Renforcing on the inside and protecting on the outside, your hair will be strong, soft and shiny, with a radiant colour.


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Nob Hill Real Estate
Nob Hill is an affluent neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Mostly upper-class families and young professionals populate this neighborhood. Nob Hill is rather compact, but locals love that there are still several green spaces and parks among the homes and commercial properties. A popular spot is Huntington Park where local art shows are often displayed. At the peak of its hills, Nob Hill is famous for having some of the best views of San Francisco. Residents of Nob Hill love the luxurious cuisine found along their streets. A local favorite is Tacorea known for their burritos and totchos (tater tot nachos). There is never a dull moment in Nob Hill!
Nob Hill Homes For Sale
Search for properties in Nob Hill


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By Laila Kearney
SARATOGA, Calif., March 7 (Reuters) - Teenagers who share
sexually explicit images of others on the Internet to harass
them could soon face tougher punishment under California
legislation proposed on Friday, spurred by the suicide of a teen
after images of her sexual assault were circulated to other
The new bill, dubbed Audrie's Law after 15-year-old Audrie
Pott, who killed herself in Los Altos in September 2012, is the
latest effort by lawmakers in California and other states to
curb online cruelty that has been blamed for a number of teen
"I believe that this bill will bring justice for victims and
really update the law to make it relevant in our 21st century,
connected society," Democratic state Senator Jim Beall told
reporters as he presented the bill.
The law would make it a crime for juveniles, those under age
18, to take or distribute images of a sexual nature of a minor
with the intent to harass, shame or intimidate the person, said
Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen, who helped draft the
Under current law, minors are charged with distributing
child pornography for similar crimes, but that does not address
the bullying aspect of sharing the images, Rosen said.
The proposed law would also allow juveniles to be tried as
adults if they are accused of sexually assaulting an
intoxicated, developmentally disabled or otherwise incapacitated
The bill's backers said it would discourage sexual assaults
at alcohol-fueled parties by teens, and any ensuing online
taunting of victims.
The law applies only to minors because it amends existing
legislation aimed at juvenile offenders.
Audrie Pott's parents filed a wrongful death suit against
three 16-year-old boys, accusing them of sexually assaulting
their daughter and scribbling vulgar markings on her body while
she was passed out from drinking during a party at a friend's
home, eight days before she hanged herself.
The three boys were arrested on criminal charges of sexual
assault by digital penetration and of distributing a photo of a
minor in sexual positions - both felonies. Rosen declined to
comment on the status of the case because it involved juveniles.
The San Jose Mercury News, citing anonymous sources,
reported the boys admitted to penetrating Audrie while she was
passed out and possessing cellphone photos of her partially
naked body. It said one was sentenced to 45 days in juvenile
hall and the other two were sentenced to 30 days.
California lawmakers have taken other steps to protect
people from having sexually explicit images of themselves
circulate online against their will.
Last year, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a
first-in-the-nation law criminalizing "revenge porn," the
distribution of private, explicit photos of other people on the
Internet, usually by former lovers or spouses, to humiliate
Cyber-bullying is illegal in California, and last year a law
made it easier for schools to discipline perpetrators even if
they act outside of campus.
(Additional reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Alex
Dobuzinskis and Mohammad Zargham)


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UK PC sales dropped a recessionary 20 percent in the final quarter of 2011 with only one branded vendor, Apple, increasing sales, according to Gartner's latest figures.
Across the whole of 2011, UK PC sales – laptops and desktop computers – dropped 15.9 percent, or 2 million units as buyers decided they were more interested in devices such as smartphones and tablets, which also tend to be cheaper to buy.
The unit decline is so serious across consumer and business alike that Apple now sells nearly one in ten of all PCs in the UK, partly a reflection of the platform's popularity but also the shrinking size of the market itself.
For most other brands, the figures were grim. Acer lost 46 percent year on year, HP nearly 16 percent, and Dell 9 percent, with only Lenovo rising 14 percent.
Gartner's explanation for the drop is a mixture of recession – public sector business sales saw a noticeable fall – and the arrival of PC alternatives such as tablets and smartphones.
Clearly falling sales are not ideal but are things really as bad as they appear?
One clue to the answer is that netbooks are in freefall, losing 50 percent of sales in Q4. It was this segment that has held up unit sales since 2009 and its decline is mostly a result of vendors consciously cutting development and abandoning the segment.
Given that these devices had thin margins and appeared to be taking sales away from more profitable higher-specced laptops, this drop could actually be a harbinger of better times ahead.
Unit sales are down, then, but with Intel's pricier ultrabook portables not far off and Windows 8 coming, profitability could return in the next year.
"The UK market has been a prime illustration of the underlying weakness in PC demand across Western Europe," said Gartner research director, Ranjit Atwal.
"PC vendors face a long, uphill struggle to regain the interest of consumers. The introduction of Ultrabooks in late 2011 is desperately needed."
In January, Gartner released figures showing just how weak PC sales have become across the whole of EMEA.
It should be pointed out that historically PC sales have seen several peaks and troughs, driven in the main by changes in technology and the arrival of new versions of Windows. The PC is not dead yet - the arrival of Windows 8 on Ultrabooks would yet see sales spike once again. Wintel to the rescue.


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By Sekou Smith, NBA.com
VIDEO: Carmelo Anthony's top 10 plays … are they his last in a Knicks uniform?
HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Mike Woodson will be fine. The New York Knicks firing him and his entire staff Monday morning wasn't even about those proud men who tried, in vain, to cajole the Knicks into the playoffs.
It's about Phil Jackson, Woodson's boss, for about a month and the man charged with playing the Knicks' savior. It's about clearing the way for something new, something bigger and better and more appropriate for a man swimming in championship rings.
It's about the Knicks' next chapter.
It's about Carmelo Anthony and his future.
It's about Steve Kerr, Kurt Rambis, Derek Fisher or whoever the poor soul is Phil taps to lead this team from the bench going forward. (The man who gets this job is not going to have 11 rings to show off when the haters crank up the rhetoric at the first sign of adversity.)
It's about the fortification of the franchise for years to come and not just now, when the public appetite for a head roll was at a fever pitch and had to be satisfied.
Jackson had no choice but to part ways with the Woodson and his crew. He can't change the culture without making significant changes. He cannot put his stamp on things with a coach that was not of his choosing. Jackson could have made this decision at any time since he took over, but he wanted to see if Woodson could guide the Knicks to the playoffs (something that never came to fruition).
Clearly, the Knicks need more than just a new coach. If this wasn't a playoff team, it's certainly not a championship-caliber team. And it doesn't matter who coaches them (sorry Amar'e Stoudemire and owner James Dolan). They need a roster shakeup as well. That is a much tougher task than selecting a new coach, given all of the salary-cap and luxury-tax hurdles the Knicks must overcome.
The supporting cast needs to be upgraded and tweaked to fit the style that Jackson can live with, because wherever the Knicks go in the immediate future, it's on him. This is, unequivocally, his and only his team. Sure, the coach and biggest star will share some of the spotlight but not necessarily the burden that Phil must.
That's the beauty and curse of the job he has. If things go well, he can sit back and take credit for the good times. But if things go awry, he's on the hook now. It's his coach, his star and, ultimately, his team.
While some folks are clamoring for him to return to the sideline and do the job he's always done best, I agree with those who know him well. That crowd that insists Jackson will never coach again and that he's in full Zen/team-builder mode. It's the wisest approach to this job for a man whose accomplished as much as he has during his Hall of Fame career.
Jackson needs a coach he can mold and mentor, someone who shares his philosophies about the game and isn't afraid to have the game's all-time greatest coach hovering over the entire operation. He's already made it clear that he won't be catering to his stars and their wishes ('Melo voiced public support for Woodson, leaving the needed wiggle room to flip or flop if necessary).
And Woodson doesn't need anyone's pity. He knows the game. He knew what was coming the moment Phil took over. He's a good coach. He's shown as much everywhere he's been and he'll be gainfully employed again, soon. But as mentioned before, this is not about him. This is about Phil and the decisions that come after his clipping of Woodson.
Whatever moves are made, Knicks fans should feel good about the fact that Phil knows exactly what needs to be done, how it gets done. The only lingering question is how long it takes for him to author this next chapter … because the one thing Phil doesn't have is time.


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Dr. Joel (Jody) Martin, Curator of Crustacea & Division Chief DIS
Adam Wall, Collections Manager
The Natural History Museum, with its mission to inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility, recognizes that evolutionary biology is fundamental to understanding biological diversity and is critical for both scientific research and museums. The Museum welcomes people of all beliefs and backgrounds to join us as we explore, through science, the wonders of the natural world.
To see our Evolution Statement in full, click here
The Museum's collections of Crustacea are the second largest in the United States and the fourth largest in the world. We house an estimated 140,000 "lots" of crustaceans (a "lot" is a single container, which could be a small vial or a large jar, and each lot may contain one to several hundred, or even several thousand, individual specimens). We estimate that our Crustacea Collections currently contain four to five million individual specimens. Historically, the geographical emphasis and strength of this collection has been the Eastern Pacific, and the collection is the largest in the world for that region.
Our collections are also worldwide in scope with broad representation from the Indian, Pacific, and Antarctic oceans, as well as the Caribbean Sea. Included are marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species. Ongoing exchange programs with other natural history museums around the world help us build the depth and breadth of the collection. The Crustacea Department maintains these priceless collections, continues to add to them as part of our ongoing research programs, and conducts basic research that benefits the Museum's educational and exhibit programs as well as the public.


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Favorite Merle Haggard Song – Readers Poll
Merle Haggard is 75-years-old today! On what should be a national holiday — at least for fans of country music — we encourage you to pull out your old Haggard vinyls, or discover this legend for the first time by downloading a few of his greatest hits. His career is an important cornerstone at the base of the tall building that is country music.
What is your all time favorite song from the poet of the common man? To date, Haggard has released almost 40 No. 1 hits, but a number of his biggest hits — like the 1982 ACM Song of the Year 'Are the Good Times Really Over' — never reached the top. Share your opinion on the Hag's all-time greatest hit in this Taste of Country readers poll. There are surely some songs not listed that will rank atop some people's favorites. Be sure to name the ones we left out in the comments section below.


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Last year on this blog I related my Thunderbird experience I had while working at
You can find the entry here. I am still not sure what I did observe that hot summer day, but the bird was huge.
After relating my experience I hinted at other high strangeness that I experienced there, and shared some of those with in the form of some of the ghost stories which were related to me by fellow employees. They are bizarre and unnerving stories and thank goodness I never experienced them for myself.
One of the oddest things I did experience there was the appearance of a small little animal near the edge of the wood for which no one has a clue as to what exactly it is.
It was mid summer in 2003, and I was on my way to the graveyard dump with a load of dirt that was just taken from a freshly opened grave. The funeral was to take place early the next day and we opened the grave a day early to get a jump start on the next morning, so the time was around in the afternoon. Like most summer days near lake Erie it was a hot and humid one, and the skies were clear.
I turned onto the dirt road that led to the dump when I noticed a small bird to the right side of the road edge. I slowed down to let the bird get out of the way, but instead it just stood there and looked at me. So I eased the dump truck to the left side of the road and passed the bird very slowly. It never got out of the way, and as I passed it, it started to follow me down the dirt trail.
It was brown and the feathers had the same sheen as a pigeons. It was about double the size of a pigeon though, and had a bright orange beak. I also noticed that it had no tail feathers whatsoever.
After quickly depositing the dirt I went back up the road, and the bird was still there, this time it was on the grass to the east of the road. It walked slowly into the neighboring woods, and as it walked I noticed that it did not have the same bobbing action that pigeons have when they walk.
Here is a composite picture of what I saw.
No one that I talked to at the graveyard had ever seen a bid like this, so curiously I called the Pennsylvania Game Commission and described the fowl to them. They had no idea what it could have been, no indigenous creature of the area matched the description.
So what was it?
Last year I submitted the composite picture to Loren Coleman who also had no idea of what exactly I had seen that summer day 6 years ago.
So, anyone have a clue?
If so write me and let me know.
Until Next Time,
Pastor Swope


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Story highlights
- Obama nominates Penny Pritzker and Michael Froman for Cabinet posts
- The announcement comes ahead of a trip to Mexico and Costa Rica
- Pritzker, an investment firm chief, has an estimated net worth of $1.85 billion
- Froman is Obama's deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs
President Barack Obama filled out his Cabinet nominations on Thursday when he tapped Penny Pritzker as commerce secretary and Michael Froman as U.S. trade representative.
At an event in the White House Rose Garden, Obama heralded his two nominees as leaders with "extraordinary experience" who are about "growing opportunity" for the American middle class.
"One of the reasons I'm proud to nominate them is they don't forget what matters," Obama said standing between the two nominees. "They know this is not about just growing balance sheets, it's about growing opportunity for people, it's about growing a sense of security for the middle class. And most of all, they operate with integrity and they understand that that public service is a privilege and you've got to do it right when you get involved on behalf of the American people."
If confirmed by the Senate, Pritzker and Froman would both step into economic posts although they have noticeably different backgrounds.
Pritzker, one of the wealthiest women in America, is an heiress to the Hyatt hotel fortune. She heads the investment firm PSP Capital Partners and an associated property firm, Pritzker Realty Group.
Forbes Magazine pegged her net worth at $1.85 billion as of March.
Pritzker is a longtime Obama donor who was national finance chairwoman of his 2008 presidential campaign and national co-chairwoman of the 2012 re-election effort.
Along with donations she solicited from other elite contributors as a "bundler," Pritzker personally gave the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee $63,500 in 2008 and $117,400 in 2012, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Froman is deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. In that role, he has served as a liaison to global economic summits and advised the president on international finance.
Before working for the White House, Froman was an executive at Citigroup and was chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin in the 1990s.
Froman also attended Harvard Law School with Obama and was the editor of the school's prestigious law review.
The president described Pritzker as "one of our countries most distinguished business leaders" and said Froman "has established himself as one of the world's foremost experts on our global economy."
"We went to law school together," Obama said of Froman. "He was much smarter than me then; he continues to be smarter than me now."
The announcements come ahead of the president's trip to Mexico and Costa Rica, where Obama said Thursday he hopes to "deepen our economic and trade relationships across Latin America" and "offer our businesses growing markets where they can sell more American-made goods and services abroad. "
It's unclear when the Senate will take up the nominations but they must first be addressed by relevant committees.
Pritzker is likely to face questions about her finances.
Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican and a taxpayer watchdog, called for a Senate examination of her taxes in light of reports his office pointed to that suggested her family's finances benefited from off-shore havens over the years.
"If the Commerce Committee doesn't explore these questions with the nominee, I plan to do so, but I hope the committee will give the tax history a serious look," he said in a statement.
If confirmed, Pritzker and Froman would replace acting secretaries.
Rebecca Blank has served as acting secretary of the Commerce Department since June 2012, She stepped into the role after John Bryson resigned less than two weeks after an episode involving a seizure and two traffic accidents.
Bryson had been on a medical leave of absence since his involvement in the auto accidents in California that his office said were linked to the seizure. In his resignation letter, he said his seizure was a "distraction from my performance as secretary" and that the country "would be better served by a change of leadership of the department."
Ambassador Demetrios Marantis has served as acting U.S. trade representative since March 15 of this year, after Ron Kirk, a close confidant and regular golf partner to Obama, stepped down.
With Thursday's announcements, Obama will have nominated people to all vacant Cabinet posts for his second term.
Four of Obama's second-term nominations -- Secretary of State John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell -- have already been confirmed by the Senate.
A number of Obama's nominations have yet to be voted on by the Senate. These include labor secretary nominee Thomas Perez, transportation secretary nominee Anthony Foxx and energy secretary nominee Ernest Moniz.


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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Returning two female All-Peach Belt Conference (PBC) honorees and one more on the men's side, the Georgia College & State University cross country teams are expecting quick finishes and low numbers in 2008 as they battle for conference supremacy. The Bobcats host this season's Pre-Conference Meet at the West Campus Cross Country Course, beginning tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.
The women's team is coming off its highest conference finish in 2007, taking third in the team race, led by Bonnie Ueltzen (Blairsville, Ga.) and Dani Destiche (Snellville, Ga.).
"We lost a lot of talent from the 2007 team," said head coach Joe Samprone, the PBC Men's Coach of the Year, of the five-member senior class. "Through this season's recruiting class however, we were thankfully able to replace not only good runners but also wonderful kids."
Rookie Sarah Balkcom (Fayetteville, Ga.), is no stranger to Bobcat cross country, as her sister Virginia Balkcom (Fayetteville, Ga.) is now a junior on the squad.
"Ginny was one of our top runners in her freshman season, and we expect her to return to that form after battling some injuries last year," Samprone said. "Sarah is an excellent runner we hope to have that same impact."
Freshman Karissa Ekstrom (Alpharetta, Ga.) was second at the first meet of the season in New Hampshire last week, and according to Samprone that was no fluke.
Alexa Maring (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and Erin Oshurst are both highly recruited runners that Samprone looks forward to see working into the mix over the next four years.
In another family dynamic, freshman Victoria Dobson (Cambridge, Ontario) is the sister of one of the best male runners in program history, now-student assistant coach Rich Dobson, a two-time All-PBC runner. Victoria Dobson is working into form, and Samprone expects good things as the year progresses.
Sarah Hakala (Jacksonville, Fla.) is the team's lone senior, providing much-needed experience and leadership. Joining Ueltzen in the junior class are Virginia Balkcom, Heather Raines (Loganville, Ga.) and Caroline Rentz (Columbus, Ga.). Each junior provided excellent times in 2007, and will continue to do so this season. Rentz in particular has much improved during the summer thanks to her hard work, getting into the starting lineup for last week's meet.
Destiche headlines a five-member sophomore class. The all-conference runner "had a great season last year, and is running even stronger this season" according to Samprone. Other sophomores pushing for the starting lineup are Alex Taylor (Marietta, Ga.), Andrea Sisson (Evans, Ga.), Jessica Forbes (Cumming, Ga.) and Margy Coleman (Alpharetta, Ga.).
All returning members have contributed in the past, and will work with the freshmen this season as no one is firmly set in the top five or six.
The men's squad went through some changes of their own, displacing six seniors, including the aforementioned Rich Dobson. Hoping to bridge that gap is an impressive recruiting class, consisting of five talented harriers.
The men's squad finished third at the 2007 PBC Championships as well, led in large part by Josh Hollar (Canton, Ga.). The now-junior was an All-PBC selection, placing eighth, and led Georgia College at four of the seven meets in 2007.
Seniors Derek Hossbach (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Alex Pate (Byron, Ga.) will provide leadership this season, even though Pate will have to do so from the sideline as an injury redshirt. Joining Hollar in the junior class is John Hubert (Savannah, Ga.), an excellent student and solid runner.
The sophomore class is now three-deep, as Tim Cary (Monroe, Ga.) and Erik Ottoson (Suwanee, Ga.) will battle for spots in the top six. Ottoson is a much-improved runner, according to Samprone, as last season he battled back from a summer injury. He had a full summer of solid training and is posed for a breakthrough season. Classmate Steven Jackson (Lilburn, Ga.) will also redshirt with injury.
The five-member freshman class will have an immediate impact, led by Colin Conroy (Dacula, Ga.) a state top-10 finisher in high school.
"He's an excellent runner that led us last week (in New Hampshire)," said Samprone. "He has high potential to be a team-carrying runner for us over the next four years."
Rob Manning (Lawrenceville, Ga.) is a "great kid and a good runner" who will help cover the gap left by the seniors.
"Our goal with recruiting was to replace the guys we lost last year," said Samprone. "Colin and Rob go a long way to help us do just that."
Both Travis Knight (Oxford, Ga.) and Daniel Horseman (Cohotta, G a.) were also "highly recruited" runners, and Samprone is "very happy with the work their doing in training".
"We need to get up to this freshman class's potential," said Samprone. "If we get that, combined with hard work from our veterans, we're in for a great season."
Catch the Bobcats on Georgia College's West Campus tomorrow, Sept. 6 at 8:30 a.m. in the Pre-Conference Meet.
Visit www.GCSU.edu/Athletics to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame. The GCSU Department of Athletics sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement.


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Music Maker artists a la American Splendor
inUncategorizedon April 29, 2013
My brother Dan brought home each American Splendor comic book as Harvey Pekar published them when I was growing up. Harvey Pekar was a jazz critic, an original bebop fan, who wrote an annual comic about daily life in the Veterans Administration hospital in Cleveland where he served as file clerk. His old record-picking friend, the great Robert Crumb of Zap Comics, helped Harvey launch his American Splendor series.
In 1999 I was touring with Taj Mahal and the Music Maker Blues Revue and we had a date in Cleveland. Harvey reviewed a CD and wrote about our show in the local paper. The next day Dan and I spent time with Harvey at the VA, at the art museum and at his home. I asked Harvey if he would help me develop a comic strip series about the Music Maker artists. Harvey wrote the first few of the series with his artist Gary Dumm illustrating. This team that I grew up so greatly enjoying, who already had given me a real education, gave Music Maker a hand up. Soon after Harvey's big movie came out he did not have time to continue writing but Gary Dumm took on the writing as well and created this huge collection.
Check out the comics below:
[nggallery id=3]


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Many researchers of my Henry Williams have indicated that he was a Colonel in the Revolutionary War, citing page 71 of William S. Powell's book When the Past Refused to Die: A History of Caswell County, North Carolina 1777-1977 (Durham, NC: Moore Publishing Company, 1977) as their source. This is the only source I can find indicating that Henry Williams was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. I did not find a pension application for him or his widow or heirs in Heritage Quest's Revolutionary War database.
Maybe Henry Williams was in the Caswell County militia and maybe he was active in that militia during the Regulator Movement (of which William S. Powell also wrote a book about – The regulators in North Carolina: a documentary history, 1759-1776). However, I do not believe he saw duty during the Revolutionary War. His brother, Colonel James Williams, was instrumental in the War. He was living in the 96th District of South Carolina at the time. In 1780, James Williams travelled to Caswell County, NC to visit his brother. It was there he wrote his will and transferred much of his property and possibly his slaves to his brother's house for safe-keeping from the Tories. That Henry Williams was at home with his family, instead of away at war also indicates to me that he did not participate in the War.
After James' death during the Battle of King's Mountain in October 1780, Henry Williams, his brother and executor of his estate, reported an accounting of $25,000 that had been given to his brother, James Williams from the State of North Carolina to use to raise militia in Caswell County and surrounding counties to fight against the Tories. James' son John Williams testified that this money was used to rally troops who were taken to King's Mountain with him. There is no mention of Henry Williams' active participation in the rallying or marching of said troops. [Source: Graves, William T., James Williams: An American Patriot in the Carolina Backcountry, San Jose: Writers Club Press, 2002, p. 56]
The Author, William S. Powell, did not provide any sources or a bibliography to his book aforementioned. He did, however, note that all notes, chapter materials, and source material was given to the Gunn Memorial Library in Yanceyville, NC. I therefore intend to visit this library and review his notes to see what source he used for his list of Caswell men who saw action in the Revolutionary War.
Filed under: Caswell Co., NC, North Carolina, Williams | Tagged: CaswellCoNC, Henry Williams, James Williams, North Carolina, Williams |


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The Home of Fashion Film and Live Fashion Broadcasting
Report by Kiki Georgiou on 28 September 2012.
The latest Carven offering we saw at the Grand Palais this morning (the sun came out for it too) was unmistakably Carven. But Henry moved things along too, all the way to India!
Perfect tailoring and dip hem skirts, pretty lace panel dresses with classic Carven cutouts, and loved the red! #Carven #pfw
Fab blocky heels at carven #pfw http://t.co/7L8L7FIT
Toile de Jouy-print dress at #Carven #PFW http://t.co/DREBN5yh
1st look #carven All grown up http://t.co/avI3hgCx
Already obsessed with #carven simply for the ragtimey music playing pre-show at the Grand Palais #pfw
Défilé Carven dans 5 minutes. http://t.co/bxi1vU4o
Arriving @carven at The Grand Palais #pfw http://t.co/hrDmwCZX
#pfw #fashion Ines de la fressange @carven http://t.co/lpK05kFv
Its always exciting to work with new clients, this morning its my first time doing #carven show! Love their clothes :) #pfw


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Science, math, and reading education in much of the US face daunting challenges. Teachers in public schools sometimes have to make do with very inadequate funding and often end up paying for supplies out of their own pockets. One thing that we here at Ars Technica are passionately committed to is education, and where better to start helping out than with the children who will lead our country into the next generation of technology evolution.
DonorsChoose.org began as a small, geographically-limited nonprofit organization that encourages individual teachers to submit proposals for specific projects that are direly needed in their classrooms. Last year, a substantial donation from Silicon Valley execs allowed the program to expand nationwide and offer up its aid to every school across the country. Since its launch, DonorsChoose.org has raised $24 million, which has helped 1.4 million students in every state.
As a part of its ongoing mission to help out students, DonorsChoose.org has launched a program today that lasts through the month of October, called Blogger's Challenge, where the top blogs and their audiences can "compete" against each other. Currently in the Tech Bloggers category are All Things D, MacLife, Engadget, TechCrunch, and Fred Wilson (a venture capitalist).
We think we can beat those guys. To that end, we've gone through many of the proposals and selected over 40 programs for our "Giving Page." Most of these proposals focus on helping teachers get technology into their classrooms, help teach students about science and math, or encourage reading.
A high school biology teacher needs supplies for a Biology and AP Biology class
A small 9th grade teacher in a low-income area of Los Angeles needs telescopes to teach students about space.
An english teacher in a small charter school needs funds to purchase books for her voracious readers
A first grade teacher needs supplies to help teach her students mathematics
A student newspaper would like to purchase a flatbed scanner to incorporate artwork into their publication.
There are many more proposals just like these. Check out all of our selections on the Ars Technica 2008 Challenge page.
Do you want to make a difference in these students' lives? The whole concept of DonorsChoose.org is that you, the donor, can choose exactly which proposal you'd like to help fund. Find a local school or a cause you support and give as little or as much as you can afford or feel is appropriate. Every little bit counts, and it will add up fast.
We have some of the most generous, dedicated, and philanthropic users of any site out there—as evidenced by readers of our gaming journal, Opposable Thumbs giving well over $10,000 to the Child's Play charity this past January. We're confident that we can take a commanding lead in the Blogger's Challenge this year and raise a lot of money for students in need.
You have until October 31, 2008 to make your donations. Donate at the Ars Technica Giving Page and keep tabs on us and the other guys at the Tech Bloggers leader board.
CC licensed photo courtesy of Michael Surran.


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Cigarettes and chocolate milkIt's a song about addiction, and I got addicted to the song. Over the course of the semester, I became strangely bonded to the entire album. Strangely, because I hadn't gotten attached to a new artist or a sequence of songs in many years. Funnily, one song on the album is "Grey Gardens," based on the movie, "Grey Gardens," which has always been on the short list of favorite movies in my profile and which I often rewatch for inspiration.
These are just a couple of my cravings
Everything it seems I likes a little bit stronger
A little bit thicker, a little bit harmful for me
I felt very close to Rufus Wainwright from January to August in Madison, Wisconsin.
Yesterday, my sister and I were traipsing through the Village and Soho. She wanted earrings and mementos. I balked at going into one store that had big sales signs in the window and -- I took one step up toward the doorway -- looked completely chaotic inside. I'd linger in the place next door until she was done with the chaos. The place that suited me was called Theory. I prefer Theory to chaos. She rummaged through the chaotic sale store and bought nothing. Not meaning to buy anything, I found two ideal black sweaters at Theory. I resist chaos but am a pushover for a rational pullover and a Cartesian cardigan.
It's a warm day in SoHo, and I'm weighed down by a bag with two heavy sweaters that will make so much sense back in Madison in January. A few stores later, I'm hitting the wall, and I need respite, so let's find our way back to that restaurant, Provence, that looked so pretty with the tables sticking halfway out the wall of doorways. A perfect choice for someone who almost loves the idea of a sidewalk café.
But now, the restaurant has crowded up, so we can't sit in one of the doorways. But I'm happy to get a seat by a pillar, even with another table -- a big table -- crammed right up to the other side of the pillar, and, of course, I let my sister, my guest, have the seat that looks out toward the doors. I'm recomposing myself with the beautiful French press coffee, and they seat six men and one woman at the big table at my elbow.
Diagonally across from me is a man who looks like Rufus Wainwright or is Rufus Wainwright. I glance at him now and then and try to eavesdrop over the restaurant din. I hear him refer to his mother and to Lorna Luft. I could imagine Rufus Wainwright talking about his mother -- is the woman at the table his mother? -- and Lorna Luft. He talks about a party where people talk about rehab, and then seems Rufus-y. Then someone calls him Rufus. So, it's Rufus, then.
I keep trying to eavesdrop -- it's nearly impossible -- there's some talk of religion -- and to converse with my sister. Dell is looking over to the big table more than I am. It's not that she's interested in Rufus Wainwright. As I suspect, and I learn for sure later, she's never heard of him. She's interested in what they are eating. What are those powdered sugar things with the little turd-like berries? Beignets. What's that metal stand? They're getting oysters.
I think about whether I'm excited to sit for so long so near a person whose music I have so much feeling for. But no, I feel normal, as usual. I remember the time, more than 30 years ago, when I sat in a restaurant at a table next to John Lennon. The feeling was overwhelming. I am so much older now, but is it that I fell in love with Rufus's music as an older person or that I'm sitting near him as an older person? I could find out if some day I'm sitting in a restaurant and, at the next table, it's Ray Davies. Maybe Bob Dylan. But no. I think it's a theory that can only be tested on Ray Davies.