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Violence in Syria Continues; Gingrich Tears Up on Campaign Trail
Aired December 30, 2011 - 22:00 ET
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. It is 10:00 here on the East Coast. We begin tonight "Keeping Them Honest" with thousands of people whose names we'll never know and one fallen man whose name we do. They are the tens of thousands of ordinary Syrians who stood up today, as they have for months now, against the regime that has arrested, tortured and killed many of them, the regime that has tortured children, terrorized survivors and is now lying to the world about it all. The fallen man whose name we do know is Basil al-Sayed. Before the demonstrations, before the bloodshed he was a carpenter. But for months now he's had a second job, bearing witness, camcorder in hand, he's documented the demonstrations and the deaths. He was just 24 years old when he died, shot we're told apparently by a sniper. As it was so many other times, his camera was taping at the moment of his death, his own death this time. We're going to show it to you now. It's not particularly dramatic. You see no blood, no fight for life. This is how people die. If you've not been warned of what you know from death from movies, you might think it's more dramatic than it often is. In Syria people die every day. Shot in their homes. Shot on the street. Kill in detention. People die and the world does not stop. Some may mourn but the world keeps spinning. Basil al-Sayed died as he lived with the camera in his hand. And like so many of his other videos, this too was posted on you tube. That's him in the body bag, family and friends mourning him. In a country where the truth is as ugly as these pictures and silence is enforced under penalty of death, the only answer, dangerous as it can obviously be is showing the pictures and breaking the silence and trying to tell the truth. Basil al-Sayed lived and died trying to do that. He was murdered in a city that the Assad regime promised to pull troops out of but instead has put snipers on rooftops and kept tanks in the streets. Here's what it looked like today as seen by one of thousand fellows that is in journalism and posted on you tube. Opposition members say at least 35 people lost their lives today in demonstrations across Syria. The rallies are being called a crawl to freedom square because of all the sniper fire. That was Homs. This is what happened to protesters in a town farther to the east. This is all taking place with 75 Arab league observers on the ground. Sometimes as it did today in the city of -- it lived. Shooting breaks out moments after they leave. Sometimes the shooting takes place right in front of the observers. One of them, by the way, has come to focus on the protest today. He is the former head of Sudan's military service and is accused of atrocities back home. The observers still recall were sent in to monitor promises by the Assad regime to pull forces out of populated areas, release political prisoners. Instead as we all saw the delegation arrived and the military stepped up its assault on places like Baba Amr. And now opposition members tell "The New York Times" that the regime has started dressing troops as policemen to give the appearance of keeping its word while continuing to target ordinary Syrians for extraordinary brutality. This is new video of security forces roughing up a woman in the town of Daraa, Syria apparently taking a page from Egypt where even women are targeted. Children are targeted as well. We've known that, we've seen that for months, taken and tortured. That's how this all started in that city of Daraa 10 months ago. People from all walks of life can be rounded up for any reason at any moment and simply made to vanish whether it's in the trunk of a car or the back of the van. It doesn't matter to the regime. They do it and then they lie about it. But thanks to people like the late Basil al-Sayed, their lives don't always go unanswered. As always, the you tube videos come with the disclaimer we can't independently verify the stories they tell, mainly because the regime won't let us in for ourselves. That said we obtained exclusive video from a foreign journalist and filmmaker who did manage to get into Homs. He snuck in and spent days there. For his protection, we're keeping his identity a secret. What he's capturing is how brutality actually works day to day as the regime tries to make life impossible in homes right down to getting a carton of cigarettes or a loaf of bread. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And almost like a sport challenge to get the cigarette bags out from the sniper range. And they have been happy when they could. And they started to throw it from one side to the other. They started to throw the bags because they were not able to cross. So everything they needed on the other side, they throw it over the streets. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We need to cross the street to buy bread and other food, but the snipers have surrounded this area. It's a huge danger. (END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: That's a portion that did spot on Wednesday. Yesterday, he looked at the armed resistance at Homs including defectors from the army. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They smuggle fighters in and out of the neighborhood they control, evading government checkpoints. At night they search everyone entering and leaving the area to stop government death squads, from getting in. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The Street you see over there is controlled by the Shabiha. They are known to kidnap our women and children. We try to prevent this. When strangers come here, we stop and search them. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The people of this part of Homs are not afraid to take to the streets. They are regular knight type brothers. But after months of casualties, they have long lost their faith in nonviolent protests. In Baba Amr, many believe that real change in Syria will only come from the barrel of a gun. (END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: The battle for the future of Homs remains overwhelmingly one-sided. And as you'll see in this latest report treatment for the wounded often comes down to two choices, none or slim. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amid the destruction in this neighborhood, there is a little medical care for the victims of snipers or indiscriminate shelling. People who could be saved with the right treatment are dying of their injuries. This is a makeshift hospital in a secret location. When I arrived, the doctor, who did not want to be recognized, was treating two casualties. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We can only treat the wounded in our homes and we can just do basic first aid here. The government hospitals are infiltrated by Assad militias who would harm and even kill the patients. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: While this makeshift clinic is fairly well-stocked, the setup is rudimentary, no X-ray machine, no life support machines. And the blood banks, it's in the refrigerator next to the groceries. (END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Primitive conditions. The wounded either up able because of snipers are terrified of going to city hospitals which are infiltrated by members of the secret police. This goes against every principle obviously of medicine, but it's not doctors who are in charge except for one doctor in this country. The man who is starting to become an eye doctor. Bashar Al-Assad, the dictator whose medically trained hands are strangling cities like Homs. I spoke early today with an opposition member Abo Fares who's there. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Abo Fares, despite the violence, many, many people still came out in Syria today. Why are people so determined to have their voices heard today? ABO FARES, POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVE, REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL OF HOMS: Well, we don't have other choice. We have already passed the un-return point. We gave a lot of blood. We sacrificed and we can't -- these our brothers and friends who were killed from the beginning of the revolution. COOPER: At this point do you feel that there is no going back? FARES: We don't have other choice. The first phase of the revolution, we were able to accept a kind of settlement with this regime with real reforms. But by continuing on killing people, innocent civilians, grabbing women, killing kids and the brutal torturing of the activists, so the regime drop the way for us for going bad. We have to continue, we sacrificed a lot. We are not sure that all of us will see freedom, but we are sure that our kids have the right to live in a free country. COOPER: Do you have any confidence in these Arab league monitors? FARES: Well, we don't have other choice. We can't -- we can't be so optimistic. We can't expect that much from them because we know that by the end, the Arab league cannot impose anything on the ground, and to allow international media to enter the Syrian territory. But nothing, nothing has happened. Why CNN is not now inside Syria. We want CNN to come and enter Homs city to see the catastrophe here. COOPER: And I hope you know we want to be there too. As you know the Syrian regime continues to refuse to allow us to be there. What do you want the world to know right now? FARES: I want the world to know that we are just innocent people fighting for their basic human rights. We want freedom and we want peace for us and for all the people around us. We want to live in dignity. Now, we don't have food, electricity is cut off from most of our areas. We just want the ability to take our wounded civilians to the hospitals. We can't take them to the public hospitals because security forces are there. They kidnap them and torture them. COOPER: Abo Fares, you're taking great risk in talking to us, thank you very much. We will continue to talk with you in the days ahead. (END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: As I mentioned, Abo Fares would like nothing more than a chance to see what's happening in Syria. Sadly though, our repeated requests have been denied. Joining us now, another window's the world one of the best in fact, Professor Fouad Ajami, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. We've seen some of the biggest turnout today of protests. Obviously it's Friday, a day of prayer where people traditionally gather and protest afterward. What does it say that -- I mean, are they trying to make the most of the fact that this delegation is on the ground and get their voices heard? FOUAD AJAMI, SENIOR FELLOW, STANFORD UNIVERSITY HOOVER INSTITUTION: Just as I said, for the Syrian people there is really no return. They have broken with the past and I think the interview with Abo Fares tells it for what it is. Look at it this way, Anderson. Bashar as his name, his father's name was Hafez. Bashar al-Assad himself has a son named Hafez. So, there is a dynastic ambition there. There's a tyranny that's 40 years old and the people have broken with it but tragically for them, they can't yet overthrow it. But here, you have 250,000 people turn out in the city, 70,000 people turn out on the outskirts of a Damascus in the town of Duma. They don't have much faith in the monitors but are still giving it a try. COOPER: In terms of what -- there was a report that the U.S. is at least starting to look at options for dealing with the Syrian opposition. What are the options out there? It doesn't seem like there's any good options. AJAMI: I don't think there are any good options and I think the Syrian people know this. Because again, the Syrian people keep thinking of Libya, they have Libya in mind. Just as the Libyan people were rescued, they hope they too may be rescued but the geography is different. The issues are different and the resources of the Assad tyranny of this Damascus regime are much, much better. But still, we can't accept the spectacle, the slaughter. There are things that can be done. The French are talking about humanitarian corridors, supplying the cities that Taliban cannot, giving them a lifeline, if you will. There's a possibility of setting up maybe even a no-fly zone. The no fly zone would make a tremendous amount of difference. It would encourage army defections. It would tell the defectors that they are not alone. There are all kinds of things. We may even begin to think about recognizing the Syrian National Council, this umbrella opposition. COOPER: There's also, obviously, you know, given what people are now seeing in Egypt of all the troubles going on in Egypt, the rise of the Muslim brotherhood and other as Salafist groups and the Muslim brotherhood, there's a lot of skepticism about what lies ahead for Syria even if the regime is overthrown. AJAMI: Absolutely, because in fact Bashar has succeed in doing one thing. He has made the argument either this tyranny or possibly Syria's stand that in fact what he ends up saying is the opposition to this is all Muslim brotherhood. But the opposition to him is much wider than that. But there is this argument out there that it's either the Assad dictatorship or the deluge after Assad. And it is the argument that has to be defeated. It's the argument that has to be challenged. And there is something we have to admit. There are -- the minorities in Syria are still on the side of this regime. The Christians are on the side of this regime. The other community is on the side of this regime. So you're right the prospects for deliverance for the Syrian people from the outside don't look good. COOPER: And it's not like Libya. I mean, because with all the countries that surround this country, if there is a civil war, there's all these outside countries and groups which would be more than happy to spend money and arms to support their proxy groups inside Syria. AJAMI: Absolutely. In fact if you take a look at the geography, we did it yesterday, it's a tinder box. As one gulf diplomat said to me, he said, listen, you can't even throw a firecracker into that tinderbox. Look at the geography of Syria. I think these things work to the advantage of the regime. COOPER: Do you see it then just devolving into civil war? AJAMI: Well, I don't know about, you know, I don't what we name it. Sometimes the names really, you know the famous question of Shakespeare, what's in a name. There is already a civil war in Syria. COOPER: Right. AJAMI: There is a fight between the regime and the people. And there is also -- we can't really dodge this. There is the sectarian fault line between a principally Sunni opposition and a minoritarian Alawi regime. And I think for the Syrian people we can say one thing here as Americans. There is no taste in this country. There is no ground swell for intervention in Syria. President Obama, the biggest applause line he's going to get in Charlotte, North Carolina, when he's re-nominated, is that he ended the Iraq war. He is not going to go into another campaign. So in fact when you look at the Libyans, it was a solar lunar eclipse. They were lucky. That's really what work for them. Sarkozy worked for them and they were delivered. COOPER: All right, Fouad, Thanks for being on. Let us know what you think. We're on Facebook, Google+. Add us to your circles. Follow me on Twitter @AndersonCooper. I have been tweeting already tonight. Up next: why Newt Gingrich got misty-eyed on the campaign trail today. And we have new numbers on polling from Iowa. We'll talk to people on the ground there and our political panel with the caucuses now just days away. Later, this may a case of the -- well, it keeps me focus whenever I think about it. But we'll preview tomorrow night's show in Times Square, ringing in the New Year with Kathy Griffin. Kathy will be here. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: How worried should I be for tomorrow night? KATHY GRIFFIN, ACTRESS: You should be very worried. (END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: In "Raw Politics": With just four days now until the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul remain basically tied for the lead, according to the new NBC News/Marist poll, which echoes what our CNN/"TIME"/ORC poll showed two days ago. Romney and Paul are just two points apart at 21 and 23 percent, well with an oppose margin of error. Rick Santorum third at 15 percent, Rick Perry is fourth at 14 percent, Newt Gingrich now at 13, Michele Bachmann at six. Former house speaker Gingrich kind of teared up at a campaign event today, not over his poll numbers. He was talking about his mom who had bipolar disorder and depression. She died in 2003. Here's what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And my whole emphasis on brain science comes in directly from dealing -- see, I'm going to be emotional of dealing with, you know, the real problems of real people in my family. And so it's not a theory. It's, in fact, you know, my mother. (APPLAUSE) (END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Newt Gingrich today. When asked yesterday if he would stay in the race if he finished fourth on Tuesday, he said he would. Let's bring in our political panel, chief political correspondent Candy Crowley, political contributor and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen, and Republican strategist Cheri Jacobus. Candy, you're on the ground there. What did people -- were people surprised to see Newt Gingrich kind of getting emotional like that? CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think reporters were. But we do tend to see this sort of thing. It's a combination. Its holiday season, a tough campaign and really long hours. They tend to get tired. I don't know if you remember when Hillary Clinton sort of had to take a beat when she started to choke up in New Hampshire. It's just been tough. I mean, we have seen Newt Gingrich's fortunes rise. Now they're falling. Lots of long hours. And he's talking about his deceased mother to a roomful of moms. And it was just -- you know it all sort of, you know, came into that perfect storm where you see a candidate kind of show that human moment. COOPER: Cheri, you spent time with Newt Gingrich over the years. Were you surprised to see this? CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, I was. You don't see Newt Gingrich showing that kind of emotion very often. He can be very fiery and passionate and sometimes you'll see a flash of anger and he can be very jovial as well. But this was a very personal moment. While, yes, he is tired and they're at that point in the campaign, I think what's important about this is that he wasn't tearing up because he's losing or thinks he's losing, which was the case with Hilary. This had to do with his family, something everybody can empathize with and it was a genuine moment. But I think only even the most cynical among us can read this than anything other than genuine, this was until 11th hour had trigger anything like that. And it was good to see this in him even if he's a little embarrassed by it. COOPER: Hilary, those new NBC Marist numbers out today which I mentioned earlier, they are very similar to our poll earlier this week. It looks like a battle for first, another battle for third place. Both of those are basically neck-in-neck. Were you surprised to hear that Ron Paul was actually leaving this weekend and going back to Texas? HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know I think that Ron Paul probably has had the longest stay in Iowa with the most organized ground operation and almost never left since 2008. You know, he's got his diehards and whether they show or not is probably not going to matter much whether he's there or not. But, also, I think you have to take those polls and almost this can take Ron Paul out of it and say, wow, there really is a race for maybe it's first, maybe it's second, maybe it's third. Who are going to be the candidates who are still standing after Iowa. COOPER: Why do you say take Ron Paul out of it? ROSEN: Because I just don't think that outside of Iowa he's really a serious candidate anywhere else in the country. Nationally, his poll numbers are way below that number. You know, 2, 3, 4 percent he maxes out at. Iowa he does well because he's got such an organization there. But his views are so far out of even the Republican mainstream that I just don't think he's serious. So you look at people like Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, that's really the battle here. We know Mitt Romney is going to be in this for the next several states. We think -- I personally think he's going all the way, but who are going to be the people who challenge Romney for this nomination after Iowa. That's what everyone is really paying attention to. COOPER: Cheri, do you discount Ron Paul in that way too? JACOBUS: Yes. Actually, Hilary took the words right out of my mouth. And we agree on this. I would have to take him out of the mix. You have to look at this way. Aside from the one person who from Bachmann's campaign who went with Ron Paul, you don't see voters. You don't see supporters of other candidates with the second choice as Ron Paul. You don't see Ron Paul supporters with anybody else as their second choice. And literally, anybody else in any caucus in any primary, they're going to have a second choice. So he's like an appendage that the party doesn't know what to do with. Now, I would be surprised if Newt Gingrich didn't have a bit of a surge over the weekend. I think that he -- there's a good chance that he can move ahead of Perry. And again, you would have the Romney, Santorum, Gingrich as our three. And I think those could be our top three heading out of Iowa. COOPER: Candy, I think a Gingrich spokesman the other day said that they'd be fine with a fifth place showing in Iowa that they're really looking more to South Carolina and Florida. Is that true do you think? I think someone in this show -- CROWLEY: I don't think that would be fine. I don't think they'd really be fine with it but what are you going to do? I mean, he's running, you know, running in a fourth or fifth now. You know, it's not that you can't carry on if you want to. The problem is that donors look and now donors want to sign up with a winner. They don't want to just fuel a campaign that's going know where so Iowa begins to dry up money for people. And you know, Newt Gingrich had a great three or four weeks, but if he can't show, you know, some power here, that money is going to dry up. And sure, you can fly yourself somewhere but I think he would tell you right now that part of the reason he fell so quickly within a three-week span, 19 points, is that others had the money to put ads up against him. So it's very difficult to run, even if you say I'm going to go on and be happy with a fourth or a fifth. I don't think they will be. COOPER: And, Hilary, I guess, it's get better about half the ads were against Gingrich in this past month. He's clear low been targeted by a lot of other candidates. What about Romney, you know he didn't enter into Iowa in huge numbers with staff the way he could have earlier, but he always had a ground force there, didn't he? ROSEN: Well, you know, from the Democratic perspective, you look at Romney's campaign, it's the best organized, it's the best managed. They have the ability and the strategy to move resources in and out of different states. They move the candidate around much better and more efficiently than other campaigns have. So, he's clearly in this for the long haul. You know, I think we're likely to see a Santorum surge here. But this is consistently in this Republican primary since last summer been about who is going to be the alternative for Mitt Romney. The Republicans are still not satisfied with Mitt Romney as their nominee, and so you still see these other candidates getting a look-see, a kick the tires moment constantly. And I think we'll see that for the next couple of primaries. COOPER: Hilary, is there a candidate you think will do better than polls suggest in Iowa? ROSEN: My instinct that Rick Santorum could do better, that the evangelicals will, you know, fall away from Bachmann, will fall away from Rick Perry and line up behind Rick Santorum in the second or third balloting there. COOPER: We've got to leave it there. Candy Crowley, thank you. Hilary Rosen, Cheri Jacobus, as well, thank you so much. JACOBUS: Thank you. COOPER: Coming up: the Christmas Day house fire that left a woman's three kids and both of their parents dead -- firefighters shaken by the scope of the loss -- tonight, recordings from the firefighters' radio transmissions as they tried to save the familiar. Also ahead tonight: preparations under way here in New York City for the big New Year's Eve celebration at Times Square tomorrow. There is going to be heavy security, police officers on horses, bomb- sniffing dogs. Still nothing that can protect me from Kathy Griffin. I'm going to be co-hosting with her. We did a little interview right before airtime tonight. We'll play that in a few moments. Here's a quick look at some of what Kathy and I talked about. She's an avid HLN viewer. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: If you had to be stuck on a desert island choosing between Nancy Grace, Jane Velez-Mitchell, who would you pick? GRIFFIN: Wow. Easy, "Sophie's Choice." (END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: All right. Checking now into some of the other stories we're following tonight, Susan Hendricks is here with a "360 Bulletin" -- Susan. SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, newly-released dramatic radio transmissions from the Stamford, Connecticut, Fire Department paint a heart-breaking picture of that fire that killed three little girls, ages 10 and 7-year-old twins, and their grandparents on Christmas day. The firefighters struggled to reach the family inside that house, but had to back away because of the intense flames and heat. Take a listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got victims trapped on the second floor. We're going to rescue mode with the ladder. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a report from one of the victims. There's people in that window. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's heavy fire right above your head. Back out, back out. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All units on the interior, all units on the interior, back out. Back out. (END VIDEO CLIP) HENDRICKS: You can hear the panic and how hard they tried to reach that family. They did not. Two doctors are in jail and face murder charges, accused of performing abortions on late-term viable fetuses. Police say they found several fetuses in a freezer at the Maryland clinic where the doctors work and sent them to a medical examiner's office. In North Carolina also, we're following this. A turkey farm owned by Butterball is under investigation for alleged animal abuse. The animal rights organization called Mercy for Animals infiltrated the farm and released this video, seemingly showing employees kicking and throwing turkeys. Giant pandas are mostly vegetarians, but video from a nature reserve in China caught a wild panda on tape maybe eating meat. Some reports say the panda is eating a dead antelope. Others say it's a gnu or wildebeest. What is for sure is the snack is not bamboo, which according to experts, make up 99 percent of the panda diet. The secret is out: they may eat meat. COOPER: What if they're secretly eating meat without us knowing about it. They don't want us to know. HENDRICKS: Without us knowing about it. COOPER: It's a big secret among the pandas. HENDRICKS: Eating hamburger. COOPER: Time for tonight's "Shot." This video is just incredible with gorillas in the mist, basically. This video was on YouTube. It was shot by John, a wildlife photography near Burundi National Park in southwest Uganda. The mountain gorillas there have been socialized, so they're used to humans, just as they are in Rwanda and parts of the Congo. They don't normally do this, though. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No way, John. No way. He's preening me. He's preening me. (END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: That's basically -- the big gorilla to the right apparently is a Silverback which is -- runs -- the head of the pack. And the fact that all these gorillas were setting so close. At one point the gorilla kisses this guy or kind of pecks him on the cheek. It's unbelievable. I've done this in Rwanda and in the Congo about ten times over the years. HENDRICKS: Yes. COOPER: But it's -- it's just extraordinary pictures. HENDRICKS: Didn't you have a similar experience? I think you did, right? COOPER: Yes. Yes, we did. There's video of it actually a little bit. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have a gorilla behind you. COOPER: I can feel the gorilla behind me. Any advice on...? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just ignore her. COOPER: Ignore the gorilla? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just ignore her. COOPER: This is a gorilla named Idaberi (ph). She's three and a half. She was rescued from poachers about a year ago. They stole her from her family and hoped to sell her on the black market. She's now smelling my armpit. I have a very smelly armpit. (END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Actually, I also saw in Rwanda. We were doing a piece for "60 Minutes," and I had the gorillas charge, as well. But they don't actually attack. HENDRICKS: I love that you said, "Any advice?" "Oh, just ignore her." COOPER: Yes. But again, it's the most amazing animal experience you can have. HENDRICKS: Looks like it. COOPER: Susan, thanks very much. HENDRICKS: Coming up, once again getting ready to brave the cold in Times Square and take the heat from Kathy Griffin for our New Year's Eve show tomorrow night. We're going to talk to Kathy about what we can look forward to or maybe fear, next. Also ahead, our top ten "RidicuList" countdown. It's the finale tonight, the No. 1 "RidicuList" of the year. You voted for it. We'll show it to you tonight. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Sorry (END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: Preparations are under way here in New York City for tomorrow night's big party in Times Square. It's all getting ready to happen. They drop the Waterford crystal ball, the confetti, the crowds. And for the fifth time I'm getting ready to host CNN's New Year's Eve special live with Kathy Griffin. It is a prospect that fills me with kind of excitement, but also a kind of dread. It's a potent combination, really. Just a little while ago, Kathy and I -- Kathy was here. And we talked about the TV magic we're going to make tomorrow night and whether she's going to get me fired. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: OK. So... KATHY GRIFFIN: What do you have, Andy? COOPER: We've been doing this for five years. GRIFFIN: We're a drinking game. COOPER: What do you mean we're a drinking game? GRIFFIN: My tweeters have been saying that every time I call you Andy, they drink. COOPER: Which is how this first started, when you were first on the show. GRIFFIN: People apparently enjoy drinking on New Year's. COOPER: So I've heard. You're not a drinker. You don't drink at all. GRIFFIN: No, I don't want to loosen up, and I don't think you want me to either, any more. COOPER: Yes. I don't want you any looser than you already are. GRIFFIN: Yes. By the way, I was looking at your BlackBerry. And do you want to tell your viewers that you have old lady giant font? You and my 91-year-old mother have the same size font. COOPER: My eyes have completely gone. It's really sad. GRIFFIN: What is... COOPER: I know. GRIFFIN: I mean, it was like... COOPER: It's not really old lady font. GRIFFIN: It was like -- it was like flash cards for a first grader. COOPER: I do keep it from time to time thinking why don't they make these screens bigger? GRIFFIN: These kids today with their tiny print. The world's ending. COOPER: I do -- I am constantly -- I have, you know, notes from producers and stuff for research... GRIFFIN: Too tiny. COOPER: It's tiny. GRIFFIN: Of course it is, baby. You need big, giant letters for your pretty eyes. Now, do you want to tell the world about our dinner last night? Are you willing to admit it or not? COOPER: Yes, sure. Yes. We had dinner. We had a New Year's Eve hosts dinner... GRIFFIN: Right, with... COOPER: ... with Ryan Seacrest. GRIFFIN: The devil, yes. We love. Mr. Cypher. Lou Cypher, a.k.a. Ryan Seacrest. COOPER: Why do you think Ryan Seacrest is the devil? GRIFFIN: I know he's the devil. COOPER: It was Ryan Seacrest, Carson Daly, you and I. GRIFFIN: Carson Daly I have no problem with. COOPER: Yes. GRIFFIN: Because Carson Daly isn't systematically trying to kill me and ruin you. So wake up, honey. COOPER: Ryan Seacrest has been nothing but nice to me. GRIFFIN: Oh, that's how the devil is. Don't you get it? Of course he's going to be nice. Now, did I overhear this correctly? Did Ryan Seacrest say he's a member of al Qaeda? COOPER: No, Ryan Seacrest did not say that. GRIFFIN: Are you sure? I thought he did. COOPER: Why -- why would you sit next to him at dinner and go to this dinner if you feel... GRIFFIN: You've got to keep the enemy close. That's why. Not like you, blabbing to anybody who will say hi. Also, we went to a fancy restaurant. I won't say the name. But I showed up in a beautiful Gucci dress. COOPER: Yes. GRIFFIN: And also worn by... COOPER: Madonna. GRIFFIN: Thank you. You showed up in a... COOPER: T-shirt, a white T-shirt. GRIFFIN: OK. You looked like a hobo. Do people still say hobo? Or is that a politically incorrect term? COOPER: No, I think it's OK. GRIFFIN: You should have had, just, like an old coonhound and, like, food on a stick with a bandanna. What were you doing, showing up at a fancy restaurant? COOPER: I didn't know. Honestly, I didn't know it was a fancy restaurant. GRIFFIN: Seacrest had a suit on. COOPER: I wear every day. I wear the same thing, which is jeans and a T-shirt, a white T-shirt. And... GRIFFIN: Let me tell you something. Ryan Seacrest takes a shower in that suit. All right? He is ready to work at all times. He's watching you. COOPER: I could have gone live. I was ready to go live. GRIFFIN: Really? COOPER: Yes. GRIFFIN: By the way, you do know that Ryan Seacrest rehearses for New Year's? COOPER: Yes, I know. GRIFFIN: Today he was tweeting about how he was rehearsing. COOPER: I was surprised to hear that, because the way we do, clearly do not rehearse. GRIFFIN: No. COOPER: Yes. GRIFFIN: Because we don't have to. We have a gift. COOPER: How worried should I be for tomorrow night? GRIFFIN: You should be very worried. COOPER: Yes? GRIFFIN: Are you going to wear... COOPER: For those of you who have not been watching -- and yes, I'm addressing the public. GRIFFIN: Are you addressing the world? COOPER: Yes, I am. I've moved on from you. I'm addressing the world. If you've not watched previously -- and I can understand why you might not... GRIFFIN: Did you say if you've not? COOPER: Yes. GRIFFIN: If you... COOPER: If you've not. GRIFFIN: What happened to "if you haven't." Why don't you talk like the people sometimes. COOPER: If you've not. If you have not. If you haven't. Anyway... GRIFFIN: Is that what you taught you at Choate? COOPER: I'm talking to the people. Do you mind? GRIFFIN: Sorry. COOPER: If you haven't watched, I would understand why, but I would suggest giving it a try. But every year Kathy sort of ups the ante and does things which, in any other organization, might get her fired. But somehow we don't have a collective memory... GRIFFIN: Wait, I also could get fired every year. So just because I'm on the set, there are people that, when I walked into the CNN building went "How did you get back in?" So I mean, we're not trying to hide that. COOPER: I think we're all a little amazed. We were all surprised. GRIFFIN: I know, it's a showbiz shocker, as A.J. Hammer would say. If I could do the show tomorrow night with A.J. Hammer, I'd even know. I'd be so excited, I couldn't even stand it. What's Paul Begala doing? COOPER: I don't know what he does on New Year's Eve. Would you like him to maybe try to call in? GRIFFIN: Yes. COOPER: Are you a big -- you're a big -- you watch a lot of CNN and you watch the HLN. Do you... GRIFFIN: I truly watch your show every night, and also, I never miss Jane Velez-Mitchell's going deep with the story. "If Nancy Grace can't cover it, I will." I love JVM, and I love Nancy Grace. COOPER: Is that your Jane Velez-Mitchell? GRIFFIN: Jane Velez-Mitchell. She kind of talks like a morning DJ, but she's got a lot to say, and she's filled with outrage. She's often outraged about miscarriages of justice. Love it. COOPER: A little Nancy Grace in there. GRIFFIN: Hold on, hold on, hold on. I'll unleash the lawyers. COOPER: Have you met Nancy Grace? GRIFFIN: I finally met Nancy Grace in person, which was extremely exciting for her -- for me. Because I... COOPER: You do a whole thing on Nancy Grace in your last routine that I saw. GRIFFIN: Yes. And also if I can address my camera. COOPER: Yes, please. GRIFFIN: Anderson and I will be recreating Nancy Grace's infamous nip slip... COOPER: Really? GRIFFIN: ... tomorrow night, so Anderson will be showing his nipple. And I will be showing one full breast, because it's nature and it's beautiful. And that's our little hook, so don't tell, you know, the competition. COOPER: Uh-oh. GRIFFIN: Are you having one of your fits? COOPER: I'm starting to cough, yes. You're making me cough. GRIFFIN: Really? You can't just call in sick. So if you think you're laying the groundwork for, like, "Oh, I don't feel well today," it's not, you know... COOPER: Well, there's no way you would do -- that they would allow you to do it solo. GRIFFIN: You stuttered. COOPER: I stutter -- I have a stutter. GRIFFIN: But it's when you get nervous. COOPER: No. It's -- I think -- I tend to think of... GRIFFIN: It's charming. COOPER: Actually, as I put it on today... GRIFFIN: Does he just come to your house and dump off boxes of clothes? COOPER: No, I go and buy the clothes. GRIFFIN: You -- OK. I've seen on CNN those, like, jury professionals, you know. You looked down, which meant you were lying, when you said the word "buy." You have not purchased clothes since you were 6 months old. COOPER: What are you talking about? I buy all... GRIFFIN: You just did it again. You just did it again. You went like this. "I buy my own clothes." No. Designers line up outside your house, crying, saying, "Please wear my clothes, you handsome model." COOPER: You're not allowed to do that. You're not allowed to do that. In news you're not allowed to do that. I'm not one of those... GRIFFIN: You looked down when you said news. COOPER: I'm looking right at you. GRIFFIN: You know you're not doing news. COOPER: I'm looking right at you. I'm looking right at you. Right at you. GRIFFIN: This is for the daytime show, right? COOPER: No, this is the evening show. GRIFFIN: Why? That's the real show. It's exciting entertainment. COOPER: Yes, I... GRIFFIN: One thing is I want people to tweet a name for us. COOPER: Just for the record, I buy all my own clothes because you're not allowed to receive gifts as a reporter. GRIFFIN: Boy, keeping them honest. COOPER: I'm just explaining that. GRIFFIN: Easy, "Keeping Them Honest." OK, so I -- I love this part. This is the part where you try to look smart. I -- can you actually show me your degree, because I feel like it's a lot of this and not so much this. So if you have a copy, I'd love to see a formal... COOPER: I think they missed you on the camera, by the way. GRIFFIN: Sorry. It's a lot of this and not so much this. Are you going to be giving the blue steel tomorrow night? Because when in doubt, just pose. Who's doing your hair and makeup? COOPER: Oh, see, look, my phone is ringing. GRIFFIN: Is it one of a big giant tweet with big giant letters? COOPER: That's how I knew. GRIFFIN: I knew. COOPER: So if you had to be stuck on a desert island, choosing between Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell, who would you pick? GRIFFIN: Wow. Easy "Sophie's Choice." I mean, honestly, that's actually more difficult than "Sophie's Choice." I would probably -- it's tough, but I would pick Nancy. COOPER: Because? GRIFFIN: Because I could spend the rest of my life hearing, "Hi, friend." You know, I love JVM, don't get me wrong. COOPER: Then she wins. GRIFFIN: If you had to choice between -- OK, who's the dude with the wacky eyebrows that comes on? He's a middle -- Fouad? COOPER: Fouad Ajami. GRIFFIN: Yes. COOPER: He's on tonight. He's been on the program tonight. GRIFFIN: OK. When are you going to trim his eyebrows, though, seriously? COOPER: Come on. GRIFFIN: I know he... COOPER: Fouad Ajami is a very smart, very -- is a great speaker. I like hearing his -- his opinion on things. I like hearing his take on the changes going on in the Arab world. GRIFFIN: But what if you did one of those, like, Dr. Phil makeover shows with some of your political pundits? COOPER: Who else do you want a makeover on? GRIFFIN: I want -- I want David Gergen to get a more, like, a youthful look. James Carville, maybe a nice toupee. Like and maybe he should get one like that -- who's that Republican strategist, Frank Lutz [SIC] or whatever? He's got, like, Justin Bieber bangs? COOPER: That's on another network, yes. GRIFFIN: Oh, I'm sorry, no other network exists. COOPER: No, no. I'm just pointing that out. GRIFFIN: Really? So you actually think you can call in sick to your own show? COOPER: I don't know if I can make it. Have a little... GRIFFIN: OK. Well, I will call Poppy Harlow in two seconds. Because where I go, Poppy follows. COOPER: I knew you were going to pull Poppy Harlow out of the hat. GRIFFIN: I watch. I love Poppy. COOPER: Tomorrow night, I'm looking forward to it. GRIFFIN: Yes, the whole gang will be there. COOPER: Yes, they will be. Thanks, Kathy. GRIFFIN: Can't wait. (END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Be sure to join us tomorrow night. Ring in 2012 with the one and only Kathy Griffin live from Times Square. The party starts at 11 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. We'll be live all the way through 12:30. Still ahead tonight, Verizon's record fast flip-flop on a fee that enraged customers. Also, we'll tell you what investigators think is responsible for part of Hollywood erupting in fire tonight. And the No. 1 "RidicuList," coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) HENDRICKS: Anderson is back with the best "RidicuList" in 2011 in just a moment, but first a "360 News and Business Bulletin." Authorities in Maine now suspect foul play in the disappearance of this little girl, 20-month-old Ayla Reynolds. Her father said she disappeared December 16 after she put her to bed. Los Angeles investigators say an arsonist started 19 fires in vehicles that firefighters battled overnight in a Hollywood area. You see them doing it there. Six of the fires spread to nearby buildings, including a home where Doors front man Jim Morrison once lived. On the last trading day of 2011, here is how a very rocky year for stocks shook out. The Dow was up 5.5 percent over last year. The NASDAQ is down 1.8 percent, and the S&P 500 fell less than a point from last year's close. And a 24-hour 180, you could call it. Today, Verizon said it is getting rid of the controversial $2 fee. It just announced it yesterday. Irate customers vented online. It seems to have worked. The fee would have applied to one-time bill payments using debit or credit cards, either online or by phone. Anderson, back to you. COOPER: Counting down the top ten "RidicuLists" of the year, tonight is No. 1, based on your votes. I will tease this the way I teased it back in August. Gerard Depardieu takes a leak on a plane, and I don't mean the root vegetable. The top "RidicuList" of 2011 is coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: All right. Tonight is the night of the last installment in our countdown of the top ten "RidicuLists" of the year based on your votes. It's a story that, well, it trickled into our consciousness back in August amid the sweltering summer heat. There emerged a cool little story about an airplane, Gerard Depardieu, and his urgent need to pee. Appropriately, it is -- it's No. 1 on the list tonight. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Time now for "The RidicuList." And tonight we're adding Gerard Depardieu, noted French actor, Academy Award nominee, public urinator. That's right, I said urinator. Last night on a flight from Paris to Dublin, Depardieu reportedly peed on the floor. Apparently, the plane was on the tarmac and the flight attendant told him he'd have to wait to use the bathroom until takeoff. So Depardieu created his own little Jet Stream, or as the French would say, "oui-oui." When I first heard the story this morning, I thought there was no way it was real. But the airlines, CityJet, confirmed it beyond any shadow of skepticism. And by that, I mean, they vaguely tweeted about it. Quote, "As you may have seen on the news, we are busy mopping the floor of one of our planes this morning. We'd also like to remind all passengers that our planes are fully equipped with toilet facilities." Hmm, CityJet. I would have guessed he flies Incontinental. Incontinental. Anyway, while the airline was putting the "P" back in P.R., some of the passengers just couldn't hold it any more and started spilling their versions of the incident to the press. Can you blame them? They saw an actual thespian, actually thes-peeing. (LAUGHTER) Oh, it's full of puns. This probably won't come as a shock, but several passengers say Depardieu was -- you guessed it -- visibly drunk. But I think that there's another explanation. See, as a celebrity, he's not accustomed to being told he can't do things he wants to do when he wants to do them. Things like going to the bathroom. No, he's probably used to being, you know, pampered. I'd go as far to say he Depends on it. We'll put a graphic in case you didn't get the reference. Depends on it. But it's kind of sad when you think about it. This guy has been in hundreds of movies. Will he be remembered for "Cyrano de Bergerac"? Probably not. Will he be remembered for "Green Card"? Nope. This -- this incident is likely to go down as his No. 1 role. Although there is a bright side. Stop laughing, it's distracting. Now that we know he doesn't have any stage fright when it comes to public urination, maybe he can get together with his fellow cast mates from "Ma Vie En Rose" and they can all have a pissing contest, you know, like a pee-off. Pee-off because the movie was about Piaf. Pee-off. So after Gerard took his little solo flight to urination, the plane had to turn around and go back to the gate, and some unlucky crew had to deal with the Golden Globe-winning tinkle. Now, all I can say is they should thank their lucky stars it wasn't Depard-two. Sorry. That made be giggle every time I read it. He hasn't commented on this incident. (LAUGHTER) Depart-two. I know you got it. But -- all right. Sorry. (LAUGHTER) All right. (LAUGHING) Sorry, this has actually never happened to me. I always see this kind of thing on YouTube, and you don't actually think it will happen to you. All right. Sorry. All right. He hasn't commented on the incident, but if I know the European celebrity's spin machine, and I think I do, there will probably be some excuse like he was doing research for a movie role. As we speak, I bet somewhere in Paris a screen writer is furiously typing out a period piece about the potty-training misadventures of an overgrown drunk French 2-year-old. His entourage reportedly says that he wasn't drunk, and he just tried to discretely pee in a bottle. But I'm not sure that version holds water. In any case, Gerard, chin up. Yes, this incident was in all the papers, but it's nothing but yellow journalism, and soon it will be flushed from our memories. So just go with the flow on "The RidicuList." (END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: That was it, the No. 1 "RidicuList" of the year. Thank you for those, all of you, who voted for it. You can watch all top ten "RidicuList" on our blog and in the featured section of the CNN app for iPad. That does it for us. Thanks for watching. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.


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Exterior audio reduced while inside vehicle.
Ozrugbynut replied to Covalent's topic in Feedback & Suggestionsyep totally agree
Enhance the realism of radio communications.
Ozrugbynut replied to Royal8800's topic in Feedback & Suggestions+1. Simple change but a big win for immersion imo.
Ozrugbynut started following Enhance the realism of radio communications.
Please no raised weapon as default
Ozrugbynut replied to bumfluff's topic in General Discussion+1 too. Would add a lot of realism to the game, as would vibration in vehicles, higher billowing smoke from explosions, and filtering the audio for voice Comms so it sounds more like actual chatter.
Weapon Sway and general difficulty vs realism
Ozrugbynut replied to Psyda's topic in Feedback & SuggestionsMinor tweaks but for me they would really help with realism and immersiveness. add vibration animation in vehicles (ie a low level of general camera shake, plus more significant shake when going over bumps and crashing). high billowing smoke - all smouldering vehicles and destroyed items have smoke which stops at a very low altitude. I though BF series did this well with smoke billowing up hundreds of metres into the sky and added a lot of scale and drama to the battle. radio Comms - could every players voice come go through a filter so that it sounds more like actual chatter? At the moment some voices sound authentic, others sound like they're playing in a recording studio with crystal clarity. im after a simulation I guess, but for all the great features adding to the realism in this game, I haven't played in too many squads so far where they are committed to promoting realism although USA squads are very good and their knowledge is excellent. I wish people would refrain from using general gamer abbreviations and make an effort to be clearer in their Comms to make it easier for all players. This would help with squad cohesion and prevent lone wolfing.. anyway i I am very excited to see what's next. Squad is awesome!

subset: commoncrawl


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Daria's Dating Dilemma, Part Five
When we left Daria on October 26th, she was facing arrest and the loss of a potential husband…
Marcus made quick work of the charges pending against Keith and I. He also made sure someone took a look at Keith's injuries. Thankfully, he'd be sore but not permanently brain damaged. My old college buddy was a sight to behold. A few words like co-defendants, counter suits, and departmental inquiries scared the department into dropping all charges and washing their hands of us.
He also gave my cheeky ex a few words of caution. I probably wouldn't see Scott for a year at least. Keith's receptionist picked him up since Marcus had advised us not to leave together. Just in case someone got second thoughts about pressing charges, he'd said. I was surprised to see Keith's assistant was a sharply dressed man. I shrugged and started walking away after telling him to get better soon.
Shame, I really wanted to show him my full gratitude but all my cop shows told me it was best to follow the advice of your lawyer.
"Daria, wait." I paused as Marcus' words drifted over to me. "Would you like a ride?"
Funny how two people can have parallel trains of thought, but I knew he wasn't offering the kind of ride I really needed. Then again the thought of walking through town with blood stains on my shirt was embarrassing. I was also sure the handcuffs had given me a lovely rash.
I gripped my handbag and decided. "Sure, Marcus. A ride would be nice."
He walked with me to his car in the adjacent parking lot. It was a nice sedan, but nothing extravagantly special like I'd expected. I slid carefully into the passenger seat as he held the door open. I remembered my rule about not flashing panties and I also didn't want to transfer any of the blood on my shirt to the vehicle's interior.
I buckled up as he slid in beside me and began asking questions. "Are you hungry? Feeling okay? You've barely said anything at all."
I don't know what washed over me at that particular moment, but all my walls broke down and the dam burst free. That's right—in the middle of the police parking lot, smeared with blood and drool I, Daria, broke down into a tidal wave of tears. Sobbing, body shaking tears. I clutched my handbag so tightly, my nails scratched the leather.
Marcus' warm hand sat on my shoulder after he handed me a handkerchief. "Let it out and I'll take you back to my office. You can get cleaned up and we'll order some food and catch up."
"You'd really want me to stay?" I choked out the question between sobs.
"Daria, you are not sitting at home alone tonight. You need a friend now more than ever." He ignored my tears, my mascara stained cheeks, and all the ugliness that was me as he slid the car into drive and pulled out of the lot.
The car was a manual and he drove it elegantly. My tears subsided as I watched him maneuver the clutch, gas, and stickshift through downtown traffic. I couldn't see his feet, but I could watch his knees dance under the designer slacks.
"Feeling a little better?" He interrupted my thoughts without taking his eyes off the road.
"Yes," I answered and studied his profile. Marcus was an interesting mix of Scottish and Arabian. I'd always thought he looked like an awkward tanned Scot, but now that he'd grown into the look. Wow! A highlander with a permanent tan was a yummy to the tenth degree combo.
He turned his intense hazel gaze on me as we sped along the freeway. "What happened with you, Daria? Never saw much of you after college."
I chuckled weakly. "I didn't like the alumni things. Mostly old people trying to remember their youth, and it creeped me out a little. Then I got busy working on the career and well, here I am."
He nodded and shifted his attention back to the road. I noticed the smile on his profile, before his lips started moving. "And that's working out well for you?"
"Never a dull moment." The humor of the situation sank in and I chose to laugh. It was either laugh or cry and I'd already done the crying jag. Laughter always made a gal feel better even if she looked like a nutcase.
He laughed along with me. The deep baritone warmed up the interior of the car and made me feel a little better. Marcus seemed to sense the change as soon as I stopped laughing.
"I always loved your laugh. And don't worry, my office has a studio you can clean up in and my take out menus are there. I'll be a perfect gentleman."
So why did my head suddenly think Damn? I nodded and lowered the visor, using the mirror to clean up the majority of the makeup mess with a wet wipe from my bag. Marcus was right- I needed a friend most now. I could quell the lust and just have a relaxing take out dinner. Maybe.
We pulled off the freeway and I was startled to see us nearing my neck of the woods. Was his office out here and I just somehow missed it? The sedan stopped as I looked out at my doorstep, and then I spotted my car in front of the house.
"What, exactly, is going on?" Years of dealing with a stalker added ice to my words.
He held his hands up. "I peeked at your address in the file. A quick call and a tow company brought your car home while we were at the station. My office is about ten minutes from here and I thought you might like to change into your own clothes. I also thought it would give you a way to turn me down."
There was something in his voice as he uttered the last words. In his own way, Marcus had made the ultimate gesture for me. While I was busy thinking I was with super-stalker or getting dumped on the curb, he was busy thinking I would turn him down. Interesting.
Rule Number 7: Spend a little less time thinking about me and a little more watching the guy.
I took a deep breath. "I would love to join you, but I'm not inviting you in."
"Understandable. I can wait in the car, make a few calls. Do you still like sweet and sour chicken?" I nodded, surprised he remembered, and hopped out of the car.
This was going to be the fastest wardrobe change ever. And since we were just friends, no sense on going all out with the look. I threw on my old jeans, a t-shirt from our alma mater, and washed the remaining gunk off my face.
Rule Number 8: ALWAYS wear waterproof mascara or skip it.
I was comfortable and at ease when I settled back into the passenger seat. "So, will we beat the food to your office?"
He revved the engine and grinned, "I love a challenge."
"No, you're kidding. You were a racecar driver?" I laughed into my glass of wine and then dug another piece of pineapple from the cardboard container.
"For a little bit," he grinned and grabbed an eggroll. "I wasn't winning and winning made the money, so I gave it up and went back to finish law school."
"It does explain how easily you shifted gears on the way here."
He paused and his eyes darkened. "You still have a thing for cars I see."
I lowered my voice, looked around, and whispered dramatically, "It's our little secret."
He nodded and poured another glass of wine for each of us. I was laid out on the floor, sprawled on my side with the food on a blanket between us. Not sure how to lay out the room's furniture to the best eating arrangement, we'd agreed to try the picnic route. The plush of his carpet told me his business was doing well. Thank God the wine was white.
Dinner had mostly been a conversation about college memories, what we were each doing now, and the usual friendly banter. I'd barely noticed as the night crept in. Marcus had been right as usual, the friend route was much better than crying home alone.
"So, what was up with the protest arrest charge in your file?"
I almost snorted wine out my nose. Only by the grace of my manners did I manage to swallow before blurting a loud, "WHAT?"
He merely grinned and leaned against his large desk with one leg propped up. It was the same stance he'd used in baseball. Marcus laughed, "I didn't have time to read the specifics, but apparently you're used to inciting riots."
"It was not a riot. At least, not intentionally." I stood carefully and plopped into a chair. "You tried race car driving, I tried activism. As my record proves, I'm not good at it."
Marcus' rich laughter and the wave of his hand goaded me for more. I sighed and explained how I'd tried to save a forest site home to a bird I liked. The protest I'd arranged had spiraled out of control, mostly owing to the fact that all of the men were there hoping to get laid. When the fight broke out over who would get who, the spectators (IE the foresting companies) thought violence was in the works. I was handcuffed and hauled in before I could cry uncle.
Marcus slapped his hand over his heart in an urge to control his laughter. I snorted unladylike and waved him on. "Go ahead, everyone has a great laugh over it."
"Did your forest get saved?"
"What?" Odd, no one had ever asked me that after I told the story. They usually called me silly.
"Did your efforts work?"
I grinned and walked up to him, reaching around for the wine bottle before backing away to pour. "In their own way, they did. My efforts made the news and, after the news spread, a more organized and legitimate group took up the cause. The trees are still there."
He lifted his glass at me with a dangerous look in his eye, one that made my knees weak and my heart pound. His voice was deeper when he spoke, "Then I congratulate your successful protest."
I blinked at him and then eyed the wine bottle in my hand. How much had he drunk? I was merely buzzed by what I'd consumed. No one had ever congratulated me or called my attempt a success. In a round about way, it was. I stood taller.
"I always liked that about you." I stumbled toward him.
"What's that?" He asked, standing straight.
"Your undying supportiveness…" I promptly crashed into his massive chest.
I would like to say I stumbled over my own feet and maybe I did. The truth being the wine was stronger than I thought. The alcohol winked me out in my moment of glory without robbing me of the memory of my downfall. I winced as I shoved the blanket off me and sat up.
Hangovers, the sign that something either went right the night before or…. I looked down at my fully clothed self before I continued the thought. I raised an unsteady hand to my throbbing head. Or a sign that I overindulged and made a fool of myself.
I gathered my things, swiping a bottle of water from the mini fridge on my trip around the office. I paused long enough to take two aspirin and then quickly made my escape. He was my lawyer, I'd have to see him again. But that particular morning I couldn't face Marcus or how he must now view me.
I checked my phone after a few blocks of walking had me feeling better. No messages and it was almost afternoon. As if adding insult to injury, my brain chose that moment to remember poor Keith. The guy had gotten banged up rescuing me and there were no messages on my phone. None.
When I couldn't sink any lower, I walked into the street sign while staring at the blank screen on my phone. My phone sailed into the intersection and was promptly run over by the biggest delivery truck I'd ever seen in my neighborhood. Serendipity was a bitch.
I sank to my butt and held my head. Keith hated me, Marcus thought I was an idiot, and my only friend in the world would probably never invite me back to his house again. Hell, even my trusty stalker would probably avoid me for a while…
The first raindrop spattered on my nose and I looked skyward. "Really? Really!" I muttered at no one in particular. "The dating Gods hate me…"
Please return for the continuation of Daria's journey on December 27th, only here on Digital Digest. Want to make the right move with your reading addiction? Check out our ebooks available on the Kindle and Nook or sign up to have each piece delivered straight to your Kindle for hassle-free reading.
~Jennifer Feuerstein~
Copyright © 2011 Jennifer Feuerstein
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.


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She was now on her way to an upland farm in the centre of the county, to which she had been recommended by a wandering letter which had reached her from Marian. Marian had somehow heard that Tess was separated from her husband — probably through Izz Huett — and the good-natured and now tippling girl, deeming Tess in trouble, had hastened to notify to her former friend that she herself had gone to this upland spot after leaving the dairy, and would like to see her there, where there was room for other hands, if it was really true that she worked again as of old.
With the shortening of the days all hope of obtaining her husband's forgiveness began to leave her; and there was something of the habitude of the wild animal in the unreflecting instinct with which she rambled on — disconnecting herself by littles from her eventful past at every step, obliterating her identity, giving no thought to accidents or contingencies which might make a quick discovery of her whereabouts by others of importance to her own happiness, if not to theirs.
Among the difficulties of her lonely position not the least was the attention she excited by her appearance, a certain bearing of distinction, which she had caught from Clare, being superadded to her natural attractiveness. Whilst the clothes lasted which had been prepared for her marriage, these casual glances of interest caused her no inconvenience, but as soon as she was compelled to don the wrapper of a fieldwoman, rude words were addressed to her more than once; but nothing occurred to cause her bodily fear till a particular November afternoon.
She had preferred the country west of the River Brit to the upland farm for which she was now bound, because, for one thing, it was nearer to the home of her husband's father; and to hover about that region unrecognized, with the notion that she might decide to call at the Vicarage some day, gave her pleasure. But having once decided to try the higher and drier levels, she pressed back eastward, marching afoot towards the village of Chalk-Newton, where she meant to pass the night.
The lane was long and unvaried, and, owing to the rapid shortening of the days, dusk came upon her before she was aware. She had reached the top of a hill down which the lane stretched its serpentine length in glimpses, when she heard footsteps behind her back, and in a few moments she was overtaken by a man. He stepped up alongside Tess and said —
"Good night, my pretty maid": to which she civilly replied.
The light still remaining in the sky lit up her face, though the landscape was nearly dark. The man turned and stared hard at her.
"Why, surely, it is the young wench who was at Trantridge awhile — young Squire d'Urberville's friend? I was there at that time, though I don't live there now."
She recognized in him the well-to-do boor whom Angel had knocked down at the inn for addressing her coarsely. A spasm of anguish shot through her, and she returned him no answer.
"Be honest enough to own it, and that what I said in the town was true, though your fancy-man was so up about it — hey, my sly one? You ought to beg my pardon for that blow of his, considering."
Still no answer came from Tess. There seemed only one escape for her hunted soul. She suddenly took to her heels with the speed of the wind, and, without looking behind her, ran along the road till she came to a gate which opened directly into a plantation. Into this she plunged, and did not pause till she was deep enough in its shade to be safe against any possibility of discovery.
Under foot the leaves were dry, and the foliage of some holly bushes which grew among the deciduous trees was dense enough to keep off draughts. She scraped together the dead leaves till she had formed them into a large heap, making a sort of nest in the middle. Into this Tess crept.
Such sleep as she got was naturally fitful; she fancied she heard strange noises, but persuaded herself that they were caused by the breeze. She thought of her husband in some vague warm clime on the other side of the globe, while she was here in the cold. Was there another such a wretched being as she in the world? Tess asked herself; and, thinking of her wasted life, said, "All is vanity." She repeated the words mechanically, till she reflected that this was a most inadequate thought for modern days. Solomon had thought as far as that more than two thousand years ago; she herself, though not in the van of thinkers, had got much further. If all were only vanity, who would mind it? All was, alas, worse than vanity — injustice, punishment, exaction, death. The wife of Angel Clare put her hand to her brow, and felt its curve, and the edges of her eye-sockets perceptible under the soft skin, and thought as she did so that a time would come when that bone would be bare. "I wish it were now," she said.
In the midst of these whimsical fancies she heard a new strange sound among the leaves. It might be the wind; yet there was scarcely any wind. Sometimes it was a palpitation, sometimes a flutter; sometimes it was a sort of gasp or gurgle. Soon she was certain that the noises came from wild creatures of some kind, the more so when, originating in the boughs overhead, they were followed by the fall of a heavy body upon the ground. Had she been ensconced here under other and more pleasant conditions she would have become alarmed; but, outside humanity, she had at present no fear.
Day at length broke in the sky. When it had been day aloft for some little while it became day in the wood.
Directly the assuring and prosaic light of the world's active hours had grown strong, she crept from under her hillock of leaves, and looked around boldly. Then she perceived what had been going on to disturb her. The plantation wherein she had taken shelter ran down at this spot into a peak, which ended it hitherward, outside the hedge being arable ground. Under the trees several pheasants lay about, their rich plumage dabbled with blood; some were dead, some feebly twitching a wing, some staring up at the sky, some pulsating quickly, some contorted, some stretched out — all of them writhing in agony, except the fortunate ones whose tortures had ended during the night by the inability of nature to bear more.
Tess guessed at once the meaning of this. The birds had been driven down into this corner the day before by some shooting-party; and while those that had dropped dead under the shot, or had died before nightfall, had been searched for and carried off, many badly wounded birds had escaped and hidden themselves away, or risen among the thick boughs, where they had maintained their position till they grew weaker with loss of blood in the night-time, when they had fallen one by one as she had heard them.
She had occasionally caught glimpses of these men in girlhood, looking over hedges, or peeping through bushes, and pointing their guns, strangely accoutred, a bloodthirsty light in their eyes. She had been told that, rough and brutal as they seemed just then, they were not like this all the year round, but were, in fact, quite civil persons save during certain weeks of autumn and winter, when, like the inhabitants of the Malay Peninsula, they ran amuck, and made it their purpose to destroy life — in this case harmless feathered creatures, brought into being by artificial means solely to gratify these propensities — at once so unmannerly and so unchivalrous towards their weaker fellows in Nature's teeming family.
With the impulse of a soul who could feel for kindred sufferers as much as for herself, Tess's first thought was to put the still living birds out of their torture, and to this end with her own hands she broke the necks of as many as she could find, leaving them to lie where she had found them till the game-keepers should come — as they probably would come — to look for them a second time.
"Poor darlings — to suppose myself the most miserable being on earth in the sight o' such misery as yours!" she exclaimed, her tears running down as she killed the birds tenderly. "And not a twinge of bodily pain about me! I be not mangled, and I be not bleeding, and I have two hands to feed and clothe me." She was ashamed of herself for her gloom of the night, based on nothing more tangible than a sense of condemnation under an arbitrary law of society which had no foundation in Nature.
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XML vs Open
I heard Microsoft claiming that OOXML is open because it is in XML. In "open" they mean that anyone can use, process, manipulate, interpret OOXML documents. Is that really so? I say not!
A while ago my colleague Kelvin Lawrence had a blog entry titled "It uses XML so it is a standard right? wrong!," on a type of abuse regarding XML which consists of people claiming that because their format is in XML it is a standard. I had then commented to Kelvin's entry pointing out another fallacy regarding XML which is that because a format is in XML anybody can process it.
The claim from Microsoft regarding OOXML being open because it is an XML format hits that very point I was making. This is just plain wrong and people need to understand why. So I'm going to expand a bit on what I said in my comment to Kelvin's entry.
The best analogy I've found to get people to understand why this assertion is false is that saying that your format is in XML is about the same as saying that your language uses the roman alphabet. This alone clearly doesn't guarantee that anyone who knows the roman alphabet can understand your language.
At most, knowing the roman alphabet only guarantees that you can decipher the letters, one by one. This certainly doesn't guarantee that you will be able to understand the words, yet alone the sentences, the letters form.
The same is true about XML formats. Knowing that a format is in XML merely guarantees that you can parse the document. Parsing in computer science is the function that scans a document, typically a file, to extract the information it contains. XML makes it easy to do this operation and turn the content of an XML document into a structure in memory. But what that structure represents, what the pieces of that structure represent, you don't know. They are just bits and pieces in a hierarchical form.
Because XML is a text-based format in which data is tagged, as a human being, you might actually be able to guess a bit more by looking inside the document. If you see a tag called "table" for instance, it's probably safe to infer that this part of the document contains tabular data. But you're unlikely to go much further than that and a program certainly won't do any of that guessing.
If the document comes with a schema, such as an XML schema, the structure in memory may be a bit richer. Instead of only having character strings, you'll have typed data for one thing. So, for instance, instead of having the character string "123", you may have the number 123. You may also know that a set of pieces of data is referenced as some kind of record called "customer". But you still won't have much more than that.
Tim Berners-Lee intends to go one step further with a set of technologies the W3C has been developing under the umbrella of "Semantic Web". However, we have yet to see how far this will get us and in any case this doesn't apply to formats such as OOXML for which this technology isn't used.
So the only way to know more is to have a documentation that tells you what the format is really made of, what each tag corresponds to, and how they relate to each other. This is where the specification comes in to play.
The specification is the document that tells you that the "P" tag corresponds to a paragraph and that you can expect to find on the "P" tag the "align" attribute that specifies the paragraph alignment. The specification is what defines the semantic, the meaning of what's in the document, beyond the XML format.
Only by carefully reading the specification, and writing programming code that interprets the document content accordingly, you will be able to fully process the document as intended. Without the specification how are you supposed to know that "P" stands for a paragraph rather than, say, a person?
This is why the specification is so important, and this is one of the reasons so many people have been complaining about OOXML. OOXML is so poorly defined that there is no way two engineers in two different places in the world can sit down, implement the specification, and except the same behavior. The OOXML specification has way too many unspecified or incompletely specified features.
This isn't to say that there is no value in a format being XML based. Obviously I wouldn't have spent several years working on XML if I thought so. Having a format in XML allows you to use existing code to parse the document in memory rather than having to write a different parser for every document format. There is definitely value in that and it does contribute to making a format more open by lowering the cost of implementation but that's not enough to make it "open".
Interestingly enough, if Microsoft fully documented its existing binary format for Office and made that documentation freely available to all without any legal barrier, their binary format could be more open than OOXML is, even though it's not XML based.
Of course the fact that Microsoft keeps referring to its format as "Open XML" only makes the situation more confusing.
In any case, don't fall for it. Look beyond the claims.
2 Comments »
[Arnaud]: Having a format in XML allows you to use existing code to parse the document in memory rather than having to write a different parser for every document format.
I'm glad you wrote that. XML has both intrinsic and instrumental value for me as an archivist because it devolves directly to the simplest, most universal file format to date: text. A close, proprietary binary clearly does not, as it's beholden the whims of a corporation.
In the case of Microsoft, we find "open XML" an oxymoron!
Comment by Zaine Ridling | October 24, 2007 |
Thanks for that brief synopsis on an important topic. I haven't had time to dig into the Microsoft claims, but was wondered why the European governments haven't been responsive to them.
This is the value in blogging, to the reader. It took me a minute to read your post, and I learned something. (Unfortunately for you as an author, it took longer than a minute to write!) Although we work in the same company, I wouldn't have otherwise have gotten this knowledge from you.
Comment by David Ing | October 25, 2007 |


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Yesterday, Justin Fuente and multiple Hokies took the podium yesterday for their weekly press conference. Usually, most of the notable headlines come out of what we hear from Fuente but this week, starting guard Augie Conte had one of the
Month: October 2016
Hokies Football: Hurricane Matthew Could Affect #25 Virginia Tech at #17 North Carolina
Editor's Note: Before we start this report, we would like to say that our prayers with the people in Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, and all over the Caribbean who are being affected by Hurricane Matthew and we ask that not only
Hokies Football: Trio of Backup Defensive Linemen Giving Hokies' Strong Depth, Bright Future
Virginia Tech's defensive line may not have as many sacks as some Hokie defensive lines have had in the past but the front 4 for Virginia Tech has been a nightmare so far for opposing teams. The Hokies' defensive line
Hokies Football: Virginia Tech Returns to the Top 25 at #25
After the Hokies got to 30th in last week's edition of the AP Top 25, many fans believed that a win against North Carolina would be all it would take for Virginia Tech to make its return to the top
Hokies Football: Travon McMillian and Virginia Tech's Running Game Are Struggling
The Virginia Tech Hokies have been scoring plenty of points over the past few weeks as they have had back-to-back games of at least 49 points and are averaging an impressive 40.75 points per game so far which ranks in
Hokies Football: Tremaine Edmunds Gives Virginia Tech Playmaker at Linebacker
The Virginia Tech Hokies enter their bye week at 3-1 after back-to-back impressive wins over Boston College and East Carolina by an average margin of 43 points. Virginia Tech has been dominant in all phases of the game and made


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Store Description
Aritzia is an innovative women's fashion boutique which concieves, creates, develops, and retails fashion brands with a depth of design and a quality which no one can match at their competitive price point. Providing unparalleled customer service, Aritzia offers a shopping experience unrivaled anywhere in the world. Aritzia's current portfolio includes the following brands: TNA, Talula, Babaton, Wilfred, Wilfred Free, Community, Sunday Best, Paradise Mind, and The Castings.


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A Facebook spokesperson said that Ms Spayd's job would be to expand on moves it has taken on controversial issues, such as its attempts to prevent use by terrorists, minimising fake news, and privacy protections. Her charge is basically to move the company out of its comfort zone in disclosing how it works internally, according to Recode.
The company is providing more information about its practices following extensive pressure from publishers this year in light of fake news, inflated metrics and misleading ad data.
Online publication Buzzfeed has announced it will implement banner ads on its site, despite vocally rejecting them since its inception.
Programmatic ads will be bought and sold using third-party ad technology on a global basis. Advertisers can run their ads through the Facebook Audience Network and the Google DoubleClick Ad Exchange.
"Our aims are both tactical and strategic," BuzzFeed CEO and founder Jonah Peretti told Business Insider. "Tactically, programmatic has improved in terms of loading times, mobile experience and ad quality, and opens up another way for us to monetise our huge audience. The move also benefits our global strategy by allowing us to generate revenue in markets before we've built business teams to implement native monetisation."
The publisher is looking to diversify and grow its revenue streams, as the company is expected to go public in 2018.
Facebook will no longer provide advertisements to pages that repeatedly share fake news, as the company cracks down on the spread of misleading and incorrect news stories on the site.
The announcement is an extension of Facebook's current procedure, which blocks advertisers creating ads which link to stories that have been identified as fake by independent fact checkers.
"We've found instances of pages using Facebook ads to build their audiences in order to distribute false news more broadly. Now, if a page repeatedly shares stories that have been marked as false by third-party fact-checkers, they will no longer be able to buy ads on Facebook," the company said in an August 28 blog post.


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I was very excited to receive my copy of Functional JavaScript by Michael Fogus as I am interested in, and have views on, both Functional programming and JavaScript. My view of the functional programming community is that it is full of very clever people who are focused on creating software which is robust and malleable. This is probably because the concepts behind functional programming are hard to understand. It is also because it has a closer relationship to various branches of mathematics. My opinion of JavaScript is that it is the most ubiquitous programming language we have ever known. It is a language with some good features, but it has to be handled with care. The need for care is even greater when using it to program the DOM as this is a very complex API.
The use of functional programming in JavaScript is not a new idea, indeed it has many influences from Lisp and Scheme. But it is very good to see someone write a book exploring the topic. The style of the book is very conversational and each chapter moves up through the complex layers of functional programming.
At the beginning the focus is on higher order functions (functions taking in other functions as parameters) all the way to flow based programming and a brief overview of monadic programming. This structure demonstrates very well how functions can be composed together to create bigger programs. Functions written in each chapter re-appear in later ones to be part of a bigger whole.
I have read this book once and I am working my way through it again. It is rich with ideas for any JavaScript programmer. The concepts of functional programming certainly stretched my imperative programmers mind. Stretched as it was, I enjoyed seeing Michael Fogus take an imperative process and re-implement it as a series of functions composed together. Functional JavaScript is a very enjoyable read and I would recommend you pick up a copy.


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Opposition politicians have accused President Maduro of being the cause of the country's economic despair, and said he did not need further powers.
Venezuela has been hit hard by the fall in global oil prices, exacerbating the crisis.
Since first being granted the special powers in February, President Maduro has devalued the currency and raised petrol prices, previously the world's cheapest, by 6,000 per cent in a bid to make up for a steep decline in government revenues.
Small but widespread protests around Venezuela have been on-going since the start of the year.
More than 1000 demonstrations - nearly 17 per day - were recorded by the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict in January and February, according to Reuters.
Protesters have been expressing their anger not only at the water and electricity crises, but also labour disputes and rising food costs and scarcity.


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Rory McAllister outshone the second coming of Lee Miller as Peterhead knocked last year's Scottish Cup finalists out of the Petrofac Cup.
McAllister scored all five of his side's goals in a sensational rout that looked highly unlikely early on.
But the Blue Toon were clinical in their sensational show and delighted their nosy band of followers – just about the only spectators left in the Stadium come full-time.
Yet the Bairns had started brightly and were handed a penalty to start when Ally Glichrist punched the ball in the box.
But Graeme Smith was the Blue Toon hero by beating away the spot-kick. His opposite number, perennial Bairns sub Graham Bowman, had a completely different night.
The Bairns continued to plough forward after the miss and scored a lovely opener when Blair Alston's driving run fed in to David Smith. The ball sat up nicely for him after his first touch and he floated a high shot over Smith and into the net.
More was to follow from Falkirk as Watson headed in the second, though McHugh standing in the goalkeeper's path at the corner-kick also claimed a touch.
He could have certainly had his goal when Smith broke into the box and cut-back but the former Motherwell man blazed over.
It had been all Falkirk.
Then Peterhead scored. It was contested by the Bairns who not only felt it was offside - a claim proven to be true by Falkirk TV cameras at the interval - but also that McAllister had controlled the ball with his hand before lobbing Graham Bowman in goals.
The sub-turned starter had an awful first half and was rooted to his goal-line when Jordan Brown skimmed a pass across the six-yard line and McAllister tapped in a second.
The Bairns were rocked and failed to recover by the time McAllister had sealed his hat-trick.
The defence was in disarray as McAllister twisted and turned in the box. Shooting at Bowman but reclaiming the rebound and tucking it in through a cluster of bodies on the goal-line frantically trying to keep the scores level.
The Bairns ears must have been ringing from a half-time dressing down, as well as the chorus of boo's that met the half-time whistle, and emerged and immediately tested Graeme Smith with a drive from his namesake Davis which was pushed just outside of the upright.
Throughout all the defensive frailties Lee Miller looked a classy presence up front and just the frontman Falkirk have been seeking for several seasons.
The Bairns huffed and puffed and finally got level through Alex Cooper's header seconds after he'd come on as a substitute. On a night for goalkeeping howlers Graeme Smith let the ball slip through his arms and the Bairns were level.
The errors weren't over yet though and McAllister restored the Blue Toon's lead with a thunderbolt from around 35 yards after a punt from Smith. It was route one football at it's best and caught Bowman unsighted again.
There was no let-up for the young keeper as Will Vaulks was booked at a corner in injury time and McAllister stroked the spot-kick in for his fifth.


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Ok, so it hasn't been "no play," but not nearly enough play this last week. And this coming week isn't looking very happy either.
I had a big deadline on Friday. I made it, but just barely. My team really pulled through. The whole week was just insane though. I worked until late, through lunch and went in early all week and between that and my insane Zumba schedule I am just straight up beat.
And tomorrow starts 3 insane days back to back.
At about 4:30 tomorrow morning I need to head out the door to drive to Stokesdale for a Zumba license class - Sentao. Can we say OW!?!?! It's not going to be an easy day and then you add the 2.75 hour drive to the equation and SUPER FREAKING OW.
After the class is done I'm taking a hop skip and a jump drive over to Winston Salem and checking in to a hotel for 2 days of locked in a room fun of data jamming and testing. So Monday I'll be sitting in a chair and not moving. That's generally not helpful for all the soreness.
Then I get to come home and jump back on my normal Zumba schedule.
I'm really hoping that the two nights where I can't do Zumba will let my body get some much needed rest. I would like to not be sore all over. I also don't know what I'm going to do with 2 days without cardio. Maybe the place I'm staying will have a good onsite gym and I can get in a short run or something before heading in? I know I'm not running outside at early o'clock in a place I don't know.
Highlights of this past week:
1. Matt and I went running Wednesday evening and I did a full 8 minute run for just over a half a mile. Endurance is getting way better. I have high hopes for my 5k next month!
2. I had a Zumba instructor from Raleigh come to my class Wednesday night and taught an awesome belly dance routine that I'm almost ready to introduce in to the class myself. I love it.
3. Weigh in on Wednesday - down only .2 pounds but I was retaining water like crazy because I was dumb and ate McDonald's chicken nuggets on Tuesday night.
4. I got the nicest compliment from a lady at my YMCA class this morning - she told me I had beautiful hands when I danced and that I danced through to the very tips.
5. Choreographed a new Salsa and a cha-cha to Love Potion No. 9. The love potion routine is a Halloween song but I'm loving it for now.
Countdown to 30 - 7 more days! WOOHOO! Bring it on 30s! I'm coming for you!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
All work and no play...
Labels: crazy week, progress, running, weigh in, zumba
3 comments:
Well Monday doesn't sound like it'll be much fun, but the past week sounded pretty cool!ReplyDelete
it's mondayReplyDelete
which means it's almost tuesday
which means it's almost YOURE THIRTY DAY!! :)
It sounds like you are a busy lady. I kind of envy you with your busy schedule. I'm pretty much stuck at home of most of the week. The highlight of my day is taking a nice walk if the weather permits. The weather has been beautiful lately so they have been quit pleasant.ReplyDelete
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The growth of Indonesia in early 1990s has led to increase of export and import activities through Tanjung Priok port. The existing two container terminals were no longer able to handle the massive volume of containers.
In order to meet the steeply rising demand form container handling services, the state-own company, PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II (Persero) in cooperation with private company, PT Hutchison Ports Indonesia, jointly developed a completely new terminal, the Koja Container Terminal (Terminal Petikemas Koja – TPK KOJA).
These two companies have also formed a Joint Operation (JO) to handle the daily operations of terminal. By doing some optimalization programs, the capacity has been increased from 680 thousand become more than 1 million TEUs of containers per year, and is ready to serve large fourth generation of container ships.
Since the beginning of operation, Koja Container Terminal has focused its services with customers in mind. Accredited to ISO-9001:2008 quality standards which was certified by PT Lloyd's Register Indonesia (UKAS Quality Management), Koja Container Terminal strives to provide the best container handling services in Jakarta, 24 hours a day, all day round.
Becoming the world class container terminal.
Grow with customer satisfaction as well as a reliable resource supported.
TPK Koja container terminal always put customer satisfaction by producing and keeping the services of unloading and containers stacking always on quality , on time and on schedule to meet the statutory and regulatory requirements that applied.
The organization is also committed to implement and continuously improve effective quality management system and monitoring compliance with the set quality objectives.
January 27
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August 20


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Usually rivalry in the tech world is so strong that companies and their spokespeople wouldn't be caught dead saying nice things about something a competitor is up to. Bill Gates clearly doesn't follow that logic anymore, because he went on record to say how great he thinks Apple Pay is.
Gates was asked about the system in an interview with Bloomberg earlier this week, saying:
"Apple Pay is a great example of how a [mobile] phone that identifies its user in a pretty strong way lets you make a transaction that should be very, very inexpensive. So the fact that in any application I can buy something, that's fantastic.The fact I don't need a physical card anymore, I just do that transaction and you're going to be quite sure about who it is on the other end, that is a real contribution."
He did clarify that he's not just talking about Apple's system, and that any mobile payment features that utilise NFC have all played their part in getting the systems going. But he did point out that having Apple join the fray is going to help the technology expand more than it has done already. The fact that so many people buy iPhones means that simply including some tech on an iPhone is enough to get the ball rolling.
It is nice to see that the founder of one of Apple's biggest rivals is so willing to sing their praises when he thinks it's necessary. Sure as hell beats the relentless wave of product-mocking and lawsuits. [Bloomberg via CNET]


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Subscribe To EA, Microsoft, GameStop Named Best Places To Work By Human Rights Campaign Updates
I've already subscribed
Microsoft, EA and GameStop have their share of haters but the Human Rights Campaign isn't among them. The organization named those three companies as some of the Best Places To Work
EA or Microsoft inclusion on any list of best companies might confuse you. Both were named some of the Worst Companies in America by Consumerist. EA won the crown for absolute worst two years in a row. The criteria for that Worst Company "award" was completely different than HRC's honor, though. It's a poll that measures consumer anger toward the company. EA got the nod because everyone was pissed off about SimCity, the Mass Effect 3 ending and other missteps.
The Human Rights Campaign, meanwhile, is evaluating companies based on their support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Microsoft, EA and GameStop were among 304 companies to score a perfect 100 score on HRC's Corporate Equality Index. A company's score is determined by several criteria, such as whether they prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and provide benefits to partners of LGBT employees. Companies also receive points for internal programs that support LGBT employees as well as outreach to external communities.
In the case of EA, their outreach included the support of local Pride Parades across the world. They also hosted a "Full Spectrum" event in February in which industry leaders talked about how to include LGBT characters in games. The publisher was an official sponsor of the GaymerX convention in August as well. Their sale of Humble Origin Bundle, meanwhile, raised millions for charities like the HRC.
The HRC deducts points for any sort of policies or actions considered anti-LGBT. A Chick-Fil-A type situation will get 25 points removed from your score. Being named one of the Best Places To Work, then, is as much about not fucking up as it is about creating a positive environment for LGBT employees.
These companies' efforts in making LGBT employees and customers feel more welcome don't wipe out all the mistakes they've made. EA still deserves your criticism for Battlefield 4's sorry launch. You can still rag on Microsoft for Windows 8. GameStop should get crapped on for selling Xenoblade for $90.
However, they should get credit where it's due. EA, GameStop and Microsoft deserve credit for promoting LGBT equality, full stop. These companies might do things that cause us as gamers to pull our hair out but we're not surrendering anything by acknowledging their accomplishments as progressive employers.


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The agent of Brazil and Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano has played down speculation linking his client with a move to Manchester United or AC Milan.
Luis Fabiano's stock has risen after he hit three goals for Brazil on their run to the World Cup quarter-finals, where they were surprisingly defeated by Holland.
The 29-year-old is out of contract at Sevilla next summer but has a buy-out clause which would allow him to move for 30million euros.
That price tag could prove prohibitive with the player's contract so close to expiry, and Luis Fabiano's agent Jose Fuentes admitted no approaches had been made for the player aside from a new contract offer from his current employers.
"We have not received any offers from Manchester United or Milan," Fuentes told Italian website www.tuttomercatoweb.com.
"The only offer we have received is a contract extension from Sevilla.
"The rest are just rumours and speculation.
"We will analyse Sevilla's offer in the coming days but we are not in a hurry."
Luis Fabiano scored 15 goals in 22 Primera Liga appearances for Sevilla last term, and has averaged close to a goal every other game for the Spanish outfit since joining from Porto in 2005.
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved.


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The order process for ordering any of the vehicles via the MCR website is very simple and can be completed within minutes.
In order to finalize the booking for your car rental, all you have to do is to just follow these simple order process steps:
We accept Payments made with the following credit cards:
Note: In case you would like to pay with AMEX, then the currency of payment should be USD.
For the benefit of our clients, it is also possible to process the booking via our website paying via PayPal (and not directly with your credit card).
Payment via our website can be done in the following currencies:


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Receive Tax-Free Money to Make Energy-Related ImprovementsNovember 06, 2017
Learn about the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities' Clean Energy Program, and find out how to receive tax-free money to make energy-related improvements for NJ residents, business, and government.
Eliminate drafts during the winter. Lower utility bills or operating costs. Improve the comfort of your indoor space.
Call 866-NJSMART or email firstname.lastname@example.com for more information, or visit njcleanenergy.com/tips.