text:
Consumer tablet interest is huge for the holidays, so who are the winners?
0. phoneArena 14 Dec 2012, 18:32 posted on
A new survey has come out trying to figure out what tablet people are intending to buy this holiday season, and while some of the information is pretty easy to guess (the Apple iPad is the most popular tablet on the list), there were some surprises when it came to the Microsoft Surface and Google Nexus 7. The biggest surprise was that consumer interest in the Microsoft Surface dropped 53% after the price announcement, but Microsoft's tablet still had more interest than the Nexus 7...
This is a discussion for a news. To read the whole news, click here
1. wendygarett (unregistered)
Too bad kindle fire and surface are only in US, only nexus 7 and iPad left :/
12. JonBjSig (Posts: 176; Member since: 17 Nov 2011)
All 4 are available here in Iceland.
13. Nadr1212 (Posts: 741; Member since: 22 Sep 2012)
I'm totally getting an Xbox 360 WITH Kinect
20. linneti15 (Posts: 49; Member since: 26 Sep 2012)
Well in Australia, they're all available... but yes the ipad is available in a lot more countries
23. -box- (Posts: 3991; Member since: 04 Jan 2012)
I'd buy a Surface if it were cheaper. Great product, just not as competitively priced, even if it is the benchmark for the system
33. wendygarett (unregistered)
Same with me...
28. nando2do (Posts: 53; Member since: 10 Nov 2011)
actually not even nexus 7.. only the ipad and others.. like samsung, asus (other tan nexus) etc
34. Peter98 (Posts: 119; Member since: 01 Aug 2012)
Where r u from Wendy?
43. sarb009 (Posts: 309; Member since: 15 Jun 2011)
He is from Trolland
51. .MISTER.H. (banned) (Posts: 11; Member since: 14 Dec 2012)
Lmfao that was funny and true!
37. jstahl (Posts: 79; Member since: 03 Sep 2012)
are you chinese?
47. networkdood (Posts: 6330; Member since: 31 Mar 2010)
dude, you asked that before...are you? Good..who cares.
52. .MISTER.H. (banned) (Posts: 11; Member since: 14 Dec 2012)
No he's, she's a she€p....
2. roscuthiii (Posts: 2217; Member since: 18 Jul 2010)
Don't you hate when you make a stupid household resolution like, "No gifts over $50. Presents this year have to be thoughtful and from the heart."
BAH!!! What a stupid sentiment. I needs my tech fix man! :-\
3. snail3 (Posts: 2; Member since: 12 Dec 2012)
I dont see ipad3, 4 and mini on the chart?
6. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
Yeah, that graph label was odd, but it seems that both the iPad 2 & 4 are part of that same listing.
10. wendygarett (unregistered)
The survey is came from CNN? Their survey looks very messy and confused to me...
22. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
The survey is from Parks Associates, CNN was just the first major media entity to report on it.
49. nak1017 (Posts: 328; Member since: 08 Jan 2010)
Is there any info behind the survey (where it was conducted, time-frame and sample size)?
I gotta agree with wendy, this thing is a hot mess...
50. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
The full info behind the survey costs $5,000, so we certainly don't have it.
9. cripton805 (Posts: 1440; Member since: 18 Mar 2012)
You just stepped into.... the Twilight Zone
4. parkwaydr (Posts: 572; Member since: 07 Sep 2011)
IPad and nexus 7/10 will probably sell the most. Kindle fire will get some decent sales. Im sure win8 tabs will sell, just not the surface.
5. imkyle (Posts: 1073; Member since: 18 Nov 2010)
Funny most people still want the iPad 2.
7. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
See comment #6
8. MeoCao (unregistered)
I read too many times that MS winning the rumor war.
But they alway lose the sales war.
11. wendygarett (unregistered)
I don't understand why you hate ms so much :(
14. MeoCao (unregistered)
is what I say true, if yes then it doesn't matter I hate some1 or not.
But frankly I hate monopolies: MS, Apple, Intel you name it.
16. wendygarett (unregistered)
The android is already the monopoly now, what's your point?
These are all business dude...
18. MeoCao (unregistered)
Android is not monopoly b-c it's open source. Any1 can make something else from Android, but can they do the same with Windows or iOS? I guess u r young and don't understand the bad things that monopoly brings.
It's business, you bet. but do you know it's bad when some big players come together and agree on prices? That's business too, right?
It's in fact called price fixing and if caught those companies can be fined heavily.
If you a a monopoly you can raise price almost at will w/o any punishment at all.
27. pongkie (Posts: 538; Member since: 20 Aug 2011)
android is a monopoly. they don't make money on their services but they make money on adds. having a free platform and services is just a strategy to spread their adds everywhere.
29. MeoCao (unregistered)
You mean Google advertising business? Google is very strong but I don't think they are monopoly. You have FaceBook, Twitter, Yahoo, MS and many others all are doing pretty well.
Google is using Android as a means to deliver their service does not mean Android is monopoly.
I guess you should think again what monopoly is.
25. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
Actually, none of those are monopolies.
Microsoft had monopoly power in the PC world, but that was killed by splitting Windows from the rest of Microsoft.
Apple may technically have a monopoly in MP3 players, but that's like saying Sony has a monopoly in Laserdiscs. MP3 players have been replaced.
Intel had a monopoly in the PC market, then AMD broke that up a bit, and now with the surge in mobile tech, Intel is actually quite far behind.
Android is not a monopoly, because it only has about half of the install base in the US.
26. MeoCao (unregistered)
Windows split from MS, hell no. where do you get it from?
32. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
Sorry, mixed up my history. There was a threat to split Microsoft into Windows and non-Windows development, but the ruling was overturned. But, that still lead to Microsoft unofficially having to split things up, so Office couldn't be baked-in to Windows and it has to have the web browser choice option in Europe and things like that.
35. MeoCao (unregistered)
I see, so MS stays monopoly. I remember Word Perfect, Lotus 123, very good software but they just couldn't compete with MS b-c MS controled the OS and we were left with Office w/o competition until open source movement, but it was too late. And do you remember Netscape and many other great ideas were killed or robbed by MS?
And IDK if you are aware of MS punitve pricing practice to fend off Linux? I think too much relying on monopolistic position has corrupted MS. The same can be said about Intel with lesser extend as Intel still has to compete with AMD.
Both MS and Intel are a convicted offenders of abusing their monopolistic power.
I know MS and Intel is far from monopoly in mobile and I wanted MS to be viable option to Apple and Android but MS ability and tactics just put me off.
I agree with you that Apple is not monopoly now but they tried to be and there's not much love for Apple in this forum I guess.
38. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
Microsoft is not a monopoly. It was a monopoly, but isn't anymore. Simple as that. There are plenty of competitors to Office, like OpenOffice, iWork, Google Docs, Libre Office, etc. Netscape became Mozilla, which made Firefox, which is now beating IE.
And, as I said, with the traditional PC market going down, so is Intel. Nowadays, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Samsung, hold more power in processors than Intel.
Anyway, I still think that Windows will becoming the third option, and may even overtake Apple at some point in mobile.
39. MeoCao (unregistered)
I want to ask you 2 questions:
1. What is Windows competing with?
2. What is Office competing with?
40. MeoCao (unregistered)
You said Office has to compete with Open Office and the likes but the truth is b-c MS controls the whole ecosystem those alternatives never have a chance, you have some product does not mean you can sell, that's the hard truth.
It was regrettable that Office was not forced to be an independent company, then there is may be some level playing field for all players.
Now about Netscape, It was the pioneer in web browser but MS killed it easily by using the power of Windows, that should never have happened. Then we have IE and all people now how terrible it was but it dominated the market until Google's Chrome with different business model.
44. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
Yes Microsoft used its power to crush competition in the past, and yes that still has effects on the market today, but that doesn't mean that Microsoft is still a monopoly and is still actively trying to crush companies. There are Office competitors.
Netscape didn't go under, it was bought by AOL and the owners cashed out to create Mozilla, which is doing just fine against IE.
What about Google using its power? Google uses its ad revenue to subsidise other projects, which it can then give away for free. You think no companies went under when Google started giving away Google Maps? Sure, Google's disruptions end up being good for us, so we don't complain, but its still hurting other companies.
45. MeoCao (unregistered)
I think we first have to agree about definition of monopoly. According to most dictionaries - monopoly is CONTROL by 1 company of the market,
Monopoly does not mean LACK of competition.
I would like to know how you define monopoly?
48. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2703; Member since: 26 May 2011)
Control is different than success.
Monopoly is EXCLUSIVE CONTROL of a product or service, which is very different from having the most popular product.
Google may have 90% of the search market, and Microsoft has 90% of the desktop OS and Office suite markets, that doesn't mean the companies have total control of the markets.
It's extremely easy for consumers to use alternative search engines, desktop OSes, or Office suites, but they continue to go to Google and Microsoft. They aren't being forced to. The competition isn't being destroyed (in fact both have been losing market share).
One could argue that Microsoft is really competing against itself at this point, because people may have bought MS products before, but they don't upgrade often at all. Windows 7 just overtook Windows XP in August, and MS isn't making money on XP anymore. XP still holds about 40% of the market, and no one is buying new XP licenses. That's not control of a market. That's barely success.
54. MeoCao (unregistered)
May I ask:
What is "EXCLUSIVE CONTROL"?
why MS Office does not have EXCLUSIVE CONTROL?
why MS Windows does not have EXCLUSIVE CONTROL?
55. MeoCao (unregistered)
As I understand by EXCLUSIVE CONTROL you mean total lack of competition, and that a unreal situation.
Standard Oil, or AT&T did they have EXCLUSIVE CONTROL? I don't think so.
CONTROL means ability of setting prices and MS can. MS used that power to punish those OEM who use Linux.
Google does not have ability to determine prices, may be later but not now. As far as I know the cost per click of online advertising is going down b-c of fierce competition. Such thing never happens in the PC empire of MS.
30. roscuthiii (Posts: 2217; Member since: 18 Jul 2010)
There is no monopoly, only Zuul!
53. .MISTER.H. (banned) (Posts: 11; Member since: 14 Dec 2012)
Count me in to, hate WP7, 8 .....™
17. nyamo (Posts: 274; Member since: 19 Mar 2011)
i wonder if enough consumers are holding out for w8 pro tabs to hit the market before they jump ship
42. 7thspaceman (Posts: 1544; Member since: 14 Feb 2011)
it appears to be that you may be right about the Microsoft Surface Pro being a hit when it comes out because it can run thousands upon thousands of full
Windows PC Desktop/Laptop Business, Games, Educational and Internet based sites for information, commerce, entertainment, and shows Flash
video which are banned from being seen in the Ipads. plus it has the New
Windows 8 apps store with it's unique tile apps.. it will not be for everyone
because to use old Windows 7, Vista, XP, windows 2000 and other windows programs that were not designed to be used on a touch screen
a person has to use a mouse and keyboard to more easily use them.
People who are used to using tablets like a Ipad or Android tablets with their touch screen only apps might not be comfortable with switching back and forth from touch screen apps to mouse and key board programs
41. 7thspaceman (Posts: 1544; Member since: 14 Feb 2011)
Folks the Microsoft surface RT's price will drop in the future because new things are coming from Microsoft but for now if Microsoft dropped the price of it 100 dollars it would be a hit. they have just given it update to improves it's performance and WIFI issue so Folks Microsoft is keeping their word about supporting this Product
46. networkdood (Posts: 6330; Member since: 31 Mar 2010)
Android and Amazon will be the winners in the long term as households typically have 2-3 kids and at least 1 parent and maybe another relative/friend living with them - they all want tablets....so, doi you spend 400.00 or more on ipads (each)? Or do you spend 200 for the Amazon/Android tablets per person? Money talks....


text:
Kemple and Lindner Almost Free El Nino
In mid-October Tim Kemple and Chris Lindner almost made the sixth ascent of El Niño (VI 5.13c A0), the Huber brothers 1998 free variation to the North America Wall on Yosemite's El Capitan. Thirteen of the route's 30 pitches are rated 5.12 or harder, with six pitches checking in at 5.13. Kemple and Lindner freed everything but the mandatory 25-foot rappel on pitch 13 and a short, wet section of 5.12 at the top of the route. More impressive than their climbing, however, was the fact that this was Lindner's first wall.
"Chris was so psyched. He was jugging up with this big video camera, filming himself, while I was trying to figure out ways to lighten our load," says Kemple.
The duo swung leads, but Kemple says Lindner carried them up the bottom half of the route. "I was worried about the difficulty. Chris was like, '5.13c? Yeah, no big deal. I will do that second try.'" But once they got up high on the wall, the bad, runout rock brought Lindner's confidence down a notch, and it was Kemple who carried the team to the top, including a lead of the notorious Black Roof.
"The pro was good to sucky," says Kemple. "Honestly, there is a lot of debauchery on that route. Lots of glue to hold that crappy diorite together, and typical crap where you must have draws pre-clipped to some of the bolts or you will never clip them. That said, it was definitely one of the coolest climbing experiences of my life."
Reader's Commentary:
Don't want to use Facebook, but still want to comment? We have you covered:Add Your Comments to this article:
How To ClimbLearn from the pros
How-to-BoulderStart Learning>>
How-to-trad-climbLearn More >>
How-to-Sport-ClimbStart Learning >>
How-To-Rock-ClimbStart Learning >>

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fair and adequate reimbursement for infectious diseases physicians is a key IDSA policy priority. The Society also advocates for access to appropriate treatments for patients with serious infections and for medical liability reform. IDSA's positions on specific reimbursement and access issues that impact the practice of infectious diseases and Advocacy Alerts to key policy priorities are provided below.
Contact Congress to support fair and adequate reimbursement for infectious diseases physicians.
1 of 4
1300 Wilson Boulevard Suite 300 Arlington, VA 22209 | Phone: (703) 299-0200 | Fax: (703) 299-0204
© Copyright IDSA 2016 | Sitemap | Terms of Use | Privacy
| HIVMA | Contact Us
© Copyright IDSA 2016 Infectious Diseases Society of America


text:
on September 13, 2012 - 12:01 AM
Baseball. America's sport. Every summer, millions of teens with a passion for the game play ball. They compete against each other with hope of winning and being the best.
But there is another baseball league – one built on friendship and the desire to just hit a few balls around. In this league, you can be as competitive or as laid back as you want.
Hamburg's Challenger Baseball League is for players with special needs. They may not be able to play on a school team or be super competitive, so this program helps people of all abilities play ball.
The league began in 2000, and has grown from about 40 players to almost 90. Every Wednesday in June and July, three games are played. The teams are divided depending on the players' ages. The league is designed for kids ages 6 to 18, but often the veterans will continue playing into their 20s because they love playing so much.
In every game, each team gets the opportunity to bat and to play in the outfield. Each player gets to hit four balls in his or her two times at bat, and they never strike out. They always get as many chances as it takes to hit the four balls, and a tee may be used.
The player always moves around the bases. Some kids are in wheelchairs, including one athlete whose assistance dog escorts him around the bases.
All of the players are filled with pride when they hit the ball or get a home run.
Sometimes there might be four players at a base, chatting with each other, the intent of getting around the bases forgotten as they talk with their friends.
Whenever someone is having trouble hitting, everyone starts cheering and shouting out encouragement, and Liz Brown, 25, is always one of the loudest.
Brown has been participating in the program since its inception.
"I've made a whole lot of friends around here," she said. "I like watching people run around the bases. Having fun is what counts."
Kelsey Clark, 20, only began playing a couple of years ago, but she has come to love the league.
"It's fun. I've made lots of new friends, and I like playing with everyone," Clark said.
Ken Makelke, 23, started playing when he was about 10 with his friend, Bobby Sauer, 21. They liked attending Buffalo Bisons games together and had played the game with each other, so this was a great opportunity for them.
Joe Faulring, 24, tries to hit balls farther than anyone else, and espcially tries to beat his sister, Morgan, 17.
Faulring, who has been playing for eight years, had played on his high school team and got into the habit of performing front flips over home plate.
Morgan also started at a young age.
"[The league] is good for special-ed kids who can't play regular sports," she said.
Andrew Waite, 21, also has been playing for many years. He is known on his team for being the "clean-up batter" and hitting balls far to earn himself the last home run of the game.
After each game, the players celebrate with pizza and pop.
The fun for the players doesn't end with the medal ceremony at the final game. There are several parties scheduled throughout the year, along with some winter clinics.
The league has many volunteers, many of whom stay with the program for years because they enjoy it as much as the players.
For more information about the program or for opportunities to help the younger athletes, visit http://hjbsl.com/#/challenger/4541707789.


text:
on January 25, 2013 - 7:39 PM
, updated January 26, 2013 at 1:06 AM
By May 31, going through the inspection lanes at Buffalo Niagara International Airport will no longer prove such a "revealing" experience.
The Transportation Security Administration has begun a national replacement of airport X-ray machines that passengers complain are a tad too specific in displaying every conceivable body part. Though no dates are yet available, the TSA this week assured the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, operator of the airport, that new technology with only "stick figure" images will replace the old machines by summer.
"The new ones will perform a similar function, but just show a stick figure," said William R. Vanecek, NFTA director of aviation. "They will still show a suspicious item, but nobody will now see any portion of a body image."
After a terrorist smuggled a bomb hidden in his underwear onto a trans-Atlantic flight on Christmas 2009, the TSA ordered new inspection technology that left nothing to the imagination. TSA personnel in a separate booth away from the inspection lane viewed naked images of boarding passengers and then phoned their front-line counterparts to report anything suspicious.
Passengers around the nation complained about the invasion of privacy, but eventually seemed to accept the practice in the name of improved security.
"At Buffalo we had a very, very, very little amount of complaints," said Brett O'Neil, TSA spokesman. "In a week, maybe two or three."
Anyone strenuously objecting to the explicit images could refuse, he added, but were subjected to a full body pat-down.
O'Neil said the almost three million passengers who stream through the local inspection lines every year should be enthused about the new technology not only for privacy reasons, but for expediency, too. Inspectors will no longer view body images off site, but directly at the inspection lane, where the stick figures will also be visible to boarding passengers. Inspectors at the machines can then handle problems without direction from an off-site colleague.
"This relieves people's fears about privacy and speeds up the process too," O'Neil said.
Travelers concerned about exposure even to low dose X-rays also should feel better about the new process, he added, because the new machines are based on microwave technology. Five lanes will be converted for the new machines at Buffalo Niagara, part of 174 around the country.
Vanecek said the conversion will not affect Niagara Falls International Airport since X-ray machines were never introduced at the smaller facility. But he said he also is looking forward to the new process at Buffalo Niagara, especially as thousands of travelers each day attempt to wind their way through only five inspection lanes.
"You have this new layer of privacy and it will speed up the screening," he said, "which will be great for us."
email: email@example.com


text:
on June 20, 2013 - 8:50 PM
, updated June 21, 2013 at 2:06 AM
It may not qualify him for the Nobel Peace Prize, but it should put him in the running for Clarence's Citizen of the Year.
Venturing where others feared to tread, my pal Drew "Wing King" Cerza last week helped the warring factions in the town's school tax debate find common ground. A battle that pitted neighbor against neighbor cooled down after Cerza – whose people skills are rivaled only by his chicken wing-promoting powers – opened antagonists' eyes to their common ground: preserving school quality.
Cerza's diplomacy eased the path to Tuesday's thumbs-up on a 3.79 percent school tax hike, which predictably was more digestible than last month's attempted 9.8 percent force-feed.
"This was a bridge to moving forward, and we can look for long-term solutions later," Cerza told me. "A lot of the issues weren't on the radar before, so in that way, the 9.8 percent was almost a positive."
I agree. I think the fracas served a larger purpose – not just in Clarence, but in every suburban school district. Virtually all of them are beset by the same problem: how to keep quality-of-school programs, in the face of rising costs and shrinking enrollments in a high-tax, economically stagnant region.
Until recently, the primary solution to inflating school costs was to raise taxes. That changed last year, with the Gov. Andrew Cuomo-inspired property tax cap (minimally 2 percent, but usually higher). It put a lid on school spending. It gave voters added muscle. It forced districts to stop regarding taxpayers' wallets as the primary method of balancing budgets.
By so doing, the cap changed the terms of the discussion. It finally pushed to the center of the table the largest expense of any district – teacher/administrator salaries and benefits.
It was eye-opening for many to learn that more than 100 Clarence teachers or administrators make upward of $90,000 and that they pay relatively little for health care.
At the same time, music, sports and the jobs of newer teachers were on the chopping block. To a lot of people, it didn't seem right. But I think it is a mistake to focus too much on Clarence, which was just this year's flash point. The school salaries/benefits scenario is similar in every suburban district.
Against that backdrop, I don't think it is unreasonable, un-American, unfair or irrational to ask teachers and administrators to be a bigger part of the school tax solution. Everything from pay freezes, to retirement incentives for veteran teachers, to administrators/teachers paying more for health care should be on the negotiating table in every district.
That is particularly true, given our larger-picture reality.
The mantra to taxpayers of Just Pay More got old a while ago. Western New Yorkers shoulder one of the highest cumulative property/school/income/sales tax loads in the country. A recent Tax Foundation study said Erie County residents pay the 11th-highest property taxes (based on housing value) in the country.
A national survey of CEOs last month ranked New York's business climate the second-worst in the country – a jobs-hostile land of high taxes, fees and regulations. It's not news to anybody in Erie County, from which more than 30,000 people fled over the last decade. That's the bigger picture that frames every school tax debate.
"We're at the breaking point with taxes, and the school tax is part of that," said Roger Showalter, an incoming Clarence School Board member. "We are reaching the point where people are not willing to pay more."
Details such as spending-per-pupil and tax rates may change from district to district. But the bigger picture is the same: rising school costs, shrinking population, smaller tax base.
Unless that changes, and the last I heard no Fortune 500 companies are headed our way, the continuing reality is ever-fewer people paying more to get less. It's not a formula for success.
Western New Yorkers have been banging their heads against the tax ceiling for years.
When it comes to school costs, something else clearly has to give.
Cuomo's tax cap force-feeds fiscal accountability to districts and puts pressure on teachers/administrators to be part of the solution.
It seems to be working. Teachers in Amherst and Cheektowaga-Sloan last year agreed to pay freezes. In West Seneca, 132 teachers and staff recently took retirement incentives. In Clarence, teacher salaries and benefits were a big part of the debate.
It was nice to see folks in Clarence find common ground Tuesday and move on. But the bigger issues and larger problems are not going away – not in Clarence, or in any other district.
email: email@example.com


text:
Public Discussion
FSFE provides some infrastructure to foster public discussion on Free Software topics. Everybody is encouraged to freely state their opinions on these platforms. Please keep the netiquette guidelines in mind. Opinions voiced in the public discussion are not official positions of FSFE. For official statements see our press release lists or contact us on European or local level.
Language Specific
- Discussion in Catalan
- Discussion in Danish
- Discussion in Dutch
- Discussion in English
- Discussion in Finnish
- Discussion in French
- Discussion in German
- Discussion in Italian
- Discussion in Polish
- Discussion in Romanian
- Discussion in Spanish
- Discussion in Swedish
Region Specific
- Discussion in the Benelux countries
- Discussion in Ireland
- Discussion in Nordic countries
- Discussion in Northern Ireland
- Austria - Fellowship Group
- BCG - Fellowship Group
- Slovenia - Fellowship Group
- UK - Fellowship Group
Local Groups Mailing Lists
- Aarhus Denmark
- Athens Greece
- Barcelona Spain
- Bari Italy
- Berlin - Fellowship Group Berlin (Germany)
- Bremen - Fellowship Group Bremen (Germany)
- Cantabrico Basque country (Spain)
- Gothenburg - Fellowship Group Gothenburg (Sweden)
- Hamburg - Fellowship Group Hamburg (Germany)
- Leipzig - Fellowship Group Leipzig (Germany)
- Manchester England
- Paris France
- Rheinland - Fellowship Groups Rheinland (Germany)
- Rhein-Main - Fellowship Group Rhein-Main (Germany)
- Styria - Fellowship Group Graz (Austria)
- Süddeutschland - Fellowship Groups South Germany
- Vienna - Fellowship Group Vienna (Austria)
- weisswurst (Munich, ca. 100km)
- Zurich - Fellowship Group Zurich (Switzerland)
Internet Relay Chat and XMPP Rooms
We have XMPP-Chat-Rooms where we can meet:
- Server: conference.jabber.fsfe.org
- Channels: fellowship, rheinland, uk, de
You can also join other Free Software supporters on IRC:
- Channel: #fsfe
- Server: irc.freenode.net
Many of us have started using the Free Software microblogging service Identi.ca to send status updates and interesting links.
We encourage you to use the #freesoftware, #fellowship, #pdfreaders, #dfd, etc. tags in your messages. You can also include user @fsfe.
Contributor lists
Those are mailing lists for the coordination of our volunteer groups.


text:
Editor's note: This is the second installment of a three-part series on highly educated Latino workers in the work force in the South Lake Tahoe community.
Catalina Goralski and Laura Alvarez grew up on opposite ends of Latin America, but moved to South Lake Tahoe just a year apart to start new lives with their husbands. Both worked at Stateline for about a year at minimum wage after leaving lucrative careers in Chile and Mexico. And then their stories diverge.
Goralski came to the basin with a degree in political science from the Universidad Gabriela Mistral in Santiago, Chile. She'd left a government job in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture to live with her husband, Ryan, in California. She'd met him while guiding a group of Catholic-school tourists through Patagonia - she was the female guide, he was the male guide - and it wasn't long before they fell in love, Goralski said.
She wasn't sure she was ready to leave her country immediately, but after he proposed, she decided it was time for a change and in 2007 they moved to the South Shore, where Ryan taught snowboarding at Heavenly Mountain Resort.
Goralski started work as a cashier at Heavenly, bringing home about $8.50 an hour. It was a whole new life in a brand new country, she said, and she was prepared to work her way up the ladder of opportunity once again.
"I'm a graduate of political science. It was a big change for me, starting from the bottom again. But I worked there for a couple seasons, and from there I came to Lake Tahoe Community College with my resume, saying that I have my degree," Goralski said.
She also had her language skills. When Goralski arrived in Tahoe, she already spoke both Spanish and English fluently. When she knocked on Sue O'Conner and Maxine Alper's door at the Intensive Spanish Summer Institute, the directors of the program knew they'd found a gem. The two women were looking for instructors to lead the program's conversation groups, and Goralski was an obvious choice.
"When she told us her education background and what she'd done in Chile, we thought it was a really good fit as a conversation group leader. At every step she showed the quality she had," O'Conner said.
O'Conner and Alper accepted Goralski's degree without requiring her to establish U.S. equivalency through an outside education evaluation service. She left her job at Heavenly and started working part-time with ISSI and as an assistant with a state preschool. She also ran her own tutoring business from her home.
In 2010, she started substitute teaching the conversational classes at the community college. Goralski said she'd take any hours she could collect to build her resume and maintain connections with the school. She also began working with Student Services as the bilingual office assistant.
All the work paid off and a year later, LTCC offered Goralski her own class - Conversational Spanish 141, 142.
"I have a great group of co-workers and I enjoy teaching my language. I love to share my culture inside the classroom and I consider myself very lucky. I am very thankful for all the opportunities that this country gave to me," Goralski said.
Laura Alvarez arrived in South Lake Tahoe in 2006 with a degree in chemistry from Conalep in Guadalajara, a college that focuses on professional and technical education in Mexico. Her husband, Juan, had moved to the area two years before to take a job in Meyers and Alvarez said it was time to join him in California.
She had been working in production at a carton factory called Boxmart before starting her studies in chemistry. After three years, she secured her science degree and started government work as a technical lab assistant for the Servicio de Informacion Agroalimentaria y Pesquera, or the information system for the agriculture, food and fishery departments in Mexico.
When she moved to Tahoe she started work as a maid in the Stateline casinos. But the work was difficult, and she had a son at home who needed her care. Alvarez quit the job after about six months and though she looked in Tahoe for opportunities to continue her work in chemistry, she didn't find any openings.
"They won't give me the opportunity to work here. There weren't any opportunities even for an internship," Alvarez said in Spanish.
Part of that is the small-town nature of the basin, she said. The other is that English skills are key to building a successful career in the U.S., and when Alvarez arrived she only spoke Spanish.
Now, Alvarez stays at home caring for her three children - Brandon, 9, Brenda, 4, and Chris, 3. She said she hopes one day the family can return to Guadalajara. Brandon, who was born in the Mexican city, remembers the energy and bustle of his hometown and he wants to go back someday and be a policeman according to his mother.
"If you study, you can work an easier job and earn more. I think there are opportunities to study, to prepare yourself here in the U.S. The GED is free and there are scholarships here," Alvarez said.
One day, she'd like to move to a larger city where she can once again work with the government in a water-quality department or industrial chemistry, she said, but at the moment the family doesn't have plans to leave Tahoe.
There's chemistry work in Tahoe according to Alvarez, but she said she needs to transfer her credits first. And that will take time and money.
For now, Alvarez is focusing on getting a GED and improving her English skills. A job that incorporates her degree will come later. She might have a chemistry license in Mexico, but without the language skills she can't utilize that portion of her education, she said.
"I want to transfer my credits to study here. I'm looking for scholarships now so I can study and learn English. I can understand English, but it would be easier if I understood more. It's very hard to find work otherwise," Alvarez said in Spanish.
Alvarez has also started looking into an education equivalency group based in Sacramento called the Educational Records and Evaluation Service. She said she knows she'll have to go through an outside agency like ERES before she can continue with her studies or start a new career.
For Goralski, she credits ISSI with giving her the first chance to prove herself and develop a career in the U.S., but she admits the story might have been different if she didn't speak English when she arrived.
According to Alper, they wouldn't have hired Goralski even as an ISSI conversational leader if she hadn't mastered both languages.
"She did things and we saw more and more of her educational abilities. But the English-level is very important to us. We really do want them to by fairly bilingual," Alper said.
Her story might also have been different if she was applying for the same job today. LTCC Director of Human Resources Susan Walter said that in the past four years the state has cracked down on the minimum qualifications a community college instructor needs in order to teach, and in most cases that would be a master's degree from a U.S. university or an established equivalent degree.
Now, someone like Goralski looking to teach at a California community college who doesn't have a master's degree would need to submit their resume to an equivalency committee that would determine whether they were suitable for hire.
"We have to meet certain standards and the state is getting really rigorous with those standards. Our processes have changed, but they're fair. The review is more stringent," Walter said.
Goralski said she's aiming to start her master's studies in Spanish this January at the University of Nevada, Reno. For the first time she will have to transfer the credits she received in Chile, a service that UNR offers. She said she's waiting to hear back from the university, but thinks she has enough credits to go straight to graduate school.
It's taken a lot of luck to get where she is now, Gorlaski said, but it's also taken a lot of work. Mostly, she just feels fortunate to be able to continue the work she loves in a beautiful place.
"I think in life you've got to put the work in, no matter where you're from. If you have the will power to do something, you will do it. I'm very thankful for the world language department, for the administrators here. I'm the other side of the story. Lake Tahoe, it welcomed me," she said.
"But I think if I didn't know the language, the story could be different," Goralski said.


text:
on December 7, 2012 - 9:36 AM
, updated December 7, 2012 at 3:49 PM
NIAGARA FALLS – Police are looking for a man who tried to rob a pharmacy last month in the LaSalle area of Niagara Falls.
The man entered Niagara Apothecary, 8745 Niagara Falls Blvd., about 1:10 p.m. Nov. 24 and handed the technician a note that demanded all of the store's pain patches and said "do not do anything dumb." The man fled when he realized a security guard was present.
The suspect is described as a man in his 20s, thin build, light brown or strawberry facial hair, wearing a dark green hoodie, dark knit hat and black pants.
Anyone with information can contact Niagara Falls Police detectives at 286-4553.


text:
September 30, 2011 Leave a comment
Gotta love that fresh sent of ARAB SPRING in the morning..smells similar to the rise of Germany in the 1930's! Think i am Joking huh? Well, let's watch some Egyptian TV News shall we?? CLICK THE LINK BELOW!
Yea, NAZI,NAZI,NAZI! Arab Spings equal ARAB NAZI'S! Not that we didn't expect this…. Spring forward that Chris Matthews!


text:
Remember that Walden's Title IV Code is 025042.
Call us now toll-free on1-866-492-5336 or
Do you live outside the US?
Call us now using these toll-free numbers or visit our International Students area.
Why Inclusion-Based Programs Work
I teach kids in a high school setting. It's an inclusion-based program, so they're out and about in the regular school community. But my students have a lot of behavioral and social challenges where they don't fit in, they don't know how to make friends, whether it's due to having high-functioning autism, or they lack social skills. Some of them have real severe ADD. Some of them have behavior disorders. So they don't quite fit in the mold of the typical high school student, and a lot of my students were very isolated—and were pretty sad, because they weren't fitting in. They want to be high school kids and belong, just like anybody else.
We used to teach kids social skills in isolation, then release them into a school community—[with] their peers in the hallway, in the cafeteria, on the bus, where students either wouldn't engage them at all or they would bully and pick on them. I started to develop the idea of educating peers about students with special needs, why they behave the way that they do; then developed a peer mentor program called "Circle of Friends," where we educate a small group of students on how to specifically interact with kids who have odd or challenging [behaviors]—different from the normal run-of-the-mill behaviors.
We had a whole lot of success; our kids almost immediately were engaging in conversations. They would have a table to sit at at lunch, with other kids who'd be inviting them over. They'd be having conversations in the hallways and they were pretty excited. It was really great for the students who did not have the disabilities [too], because they realized, "Oh, we have a lot in common and they're really not that different than us." So they benefited just as much.
Another part of my job is to do collaboration with teachers in lead-out and professional development, to teach teachers how to interact appropriately with these kids, too. I wear a lot of different hats during the day in my current job.
© 2016 Walden University


text:
Late last year, when there was blood in the streets, a well known discount broker (Company A) was said to be on the verge of bankruptcy and the stock tanked 50% in one day. Not only did it tank 50% but the prognosis on the street, at least perpetuated by mainstream media, was that company was hosed and that they were going under. They didn't have a rich history of being able to fight off adversity, they were relatively new in the financial business and lots of people figured they'd collapse. SIPC insurance would have to be initiated to save accounts and it was going to be yet another one of the casualties of the sub-prime mess. Would you have sensed that the market had panicked and bought shares? Or would you have joined the bandwagon and watched the shares fall into oblivion?
Now consider this scenario. Several months later, an 85 year old investment firm (Company B), well known throughout the world, looked to be royally screwed as traders were concerned that the firm wouldn't be able to fund future transactions. Their lifeblood, capital, appeared to be bleeding out as investors were pulling out their funds in the firm. Until their last quarter, they had never posted a loss. That's 85 years worth of straight profits. On a Friday, their shares fell 10% to a five year low of around $57. By Monday, they closed at $30 on those same credit concerns. Did you see this as the market offering a huge discount on a valuable commodity? Or did you see it as the end of pretty good eight-five year old run?
Well, if you guessed, based on the setup, that Company A recovered and that Company B didn't… you'd be quite astute. You'd be more astute if you made those determinations as the events were unfolding, rather than right now. Company A was E*Trade, which was the impetus for a topic focused on what would happen if your brokerage went bankrupt [3]. Company B was Bear Stearns. JP Morgan Chase recently announced that they'd buy the firm for $2.30 a share, with funding from the Federal Reserve. While the ink isn't dry yet on that deal, it was announced this past weekend in conjunction with a weekend 25 basis point cut by the Federal Reserve (an event almost as rare as Halley's Comet, the last weekend rate cut announcement was October 6th, 1979 [4]).
The moral of this story is that you shouldn't even buy individual stocks based on (emotionally-charged) news. The broader corollary to that moral is that you shouldn't buy individual stocks without careful inspection of its fundamentals, but avoiding emotionally-charged news is always a great first step.
For the record, I thought E*Trade was going under and Bear Stearns would be fine. I didn't buy shares of either because I've been burned (and rewarded) in the past about ignorantly buying on bad news (now I stick to index funds like a good boy!). In the past, I bought Enron because I thought people were over-reacting but one can never underestimate the pervasiveness and severity of outright fraud. I was rewarded when I bought shares of Xerox in 2000 when it was in single digits because I figured a firm with that storied a history probably was going to make it (or at least be acquired). Though it's like they say, tell your kid that the stove is hot won't sear in the message quite like actually touching it.


text:
One in Three Americans Has Debt in Collections; So What?
About one in three Americans has some debt in collections, according to a new report prepared by Washington think tank the Urban Institute. That's a number that sounds really worrying, but how big a deal is it?
While a large debt burden is never good news, it also isn't exactly an indicator that we're on the precipice of another financial crisis. The report, prepared in conjunction with the Consumer Credit Research Institute based on data from credit reporting company TransUnion, says that 35% of people with credit have some debt in collections. But that number hasn't really changed much in a decade. The report notes that a 2004 analysis of credit bureau data by the Federal Reserve showed that 36.5% had debt in collection. That's pretty stable over a decade that also happened to include the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression.
A separate report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York also shows that the share of consumers with debt in collections hasn't risen considerably in recent years. The New York Fed looks at a smaller sample of the percent of people with debt held by third-party collections. That means it includes unpaid bills that are sold to collections agencies, but doesn't count debt that is in the collections department of a big company. So an unpaid medical bill sold to a collections company is counted, while a utility bill that went to the company's internal collections department isn't. The Urban Institute study includes both. But the New York Fed numbers offer some sense of how the level has changed over the years.
The percent of people with debt held by collection agencies increased during the recession but has held pretty steady around 14% since 2010. Americans built up a lot of debt before the recession, and were hit hard by the downturn.
But over the past few years, things have improved markedly for debtors in the U.S. Most loan types still have more people behind on their bills than before the recession, but delinquencies are returning to normal (with the exception of student loans which still have a large share of payments past due).
A report this week by ratings firm Standard & Poor's noted that indebtedness in the U.S. has fallen substantially since its peak in 2007. "After the run-up of debt and the ensuing Great Recession, the household sector has gone through a long–and necessary–process of deleveraging. However, signs are now indicating that this drawn-out deleveraging might be coming to an end," S&P wrote, noting that Americans reduced their debt by a combination of borrowing less, paying down balances and defaulting on loans.
So, if Americans are making progress on their debt levels why hasn't there been improvement in the percent in collections? A combination of issues is at work. For one, debt in collections stays on consumers' credit reports for at least three years. So a debt that was in default in 2007 is just coming off credit reports this year. Delinquencies built up during the dog days of the recession will only start to disappear in the next few years. Meanwhile, some people might not even know they have unpaid balances.
"Consumers themselves may not realize they have debt in collections. Some consumers report becoming aware of this debt only when they review their credit report," according to the Urban Institute report.
Meanwhile, debt collectors have significantly grown their businesses and gotten better at finding people who owe money. "Technological innovations over the past thirty years have increased exponentially creditors' and debt collectors' ability to obtain, store, and transfer data about consumers and their debts," according to a 2009 Federal Trade Commission report. "In response to this new capability, many industry members use more efficient means of transferring data and store more data for longer periods of time than their predecessors."
Debt is a burden to large numbers of Americans who took on more credit than they can handle. And as long as unemployment remains high and wages are stagnant, it will be difficult for consumers to pay their bills. But the large share of Americans with debt in collections has nearly as much to do with how debt is collected as how much is owed.


text:
Waterline work to disrupt Wailuku traffic
A waterline replacement project will disrupt traffic on Nani, Loke, Wailani and Kaniela streets in Wailuku beginning Monday morning, the Department of Water Supply announced.
The project should be completed by October, the water department said.
Motorists are advised to expect delays, to use caution and to follow all traffic-control signs, devices and flag personnel while driving through work zones. Work is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding holidays.
During construction, traffic in the affected area may be limited to one lane only.
The project involves the replacement of about 410 feet of waterline on Nani Street from Central Avenue to Kaniela Street; about 66 feet of waterline on Loke Street from Central Avenue to Wailani Street; about 650 feet of waterline on Wailani Street from Nani Street to Vineyard Street; and about 935 feet of waterline on Kaniela Street from Vineyard Street to Main Street.
The lines are undersized to provide sufficient fire protection for surrounding residents. The contractor is Maui Kupono Builders.
The contractor will notify customers when water service will be affected. Customers are asked to call the 24-hour service line, 270-7633, only if a water problem occurs.
Condo council to host first 2013 seminar
The Condominium Council of Maui will hold its first seminar this year, titled "Insurance Claims - the Good, the Bad, the Ugly," beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the King Kamehameha Golf Club.
Doors are to open at 8:30 a.m. for registration. The event costs $50 for council members, $60 for nonmembers. The cost is $10 more if paid at the door. A lunch buffet is included.
To register, go online to www.mauicondocouncil.com/cal2/CalendarGet.asp?cal_id=10378.
Diver found to be OK after crews respond
After people aboard a whale-watching vessel located a diver's float Saturday afternoon off McGregor Point, firefighters and U.S. Coast Guard personnel launched a search for what was believed to be a missing diver, said Maui Fire Department Capt. Paul Haake.
Firefighters received an alarm at 1:25 p.m., he said. The department's Air One helicopter went airborne, and rescue firefighters from the Kahului station used watercraft to search the ocean off McGregor Point.
Later, a diver approached a firefighter onshore and asked if officials had found his lost diving flag. Haake said rescuers learned that the flag belonged to the man safely onshore, and the search was called off at 3:15 p.m.


text:
The Billion Dollar Nose
How much is your nose worth?Read more
...nights that become day, nights that become shared memories, nights that open you up to connect and live shared memories.
These are #AbsolutNights.
From the Swedish wheat farmer to the bartender. From our distillery in southern Sweden to the DJ and from one open mind to the other: we are all makers of #AbsolutNights.
Find out why using copper in a unique way is the luxurious key behind the making of Absolut Elyx.Read more
One year ago Absolut Elyx and Water For People joined forces – proving that having a drink can help save lives.Read more
The world's best cocktail festival took place. We lived to tell the tale.Read more
Jury and nominees have been picked. Get to know the 2017 Absolut Art Awards.Read more
Discover the story behind the revolutionary bottle that inspires countless #AbsolutNights across the world.Read more
Ever heard of a place called Åhus? Maybe not, but whether you're sipping in São Paulo, or out in Hong Kong, you'll probably want to raise your glass to the inhabitants of this small town in Sweden.
That's because every single drop of the Absolut Vodka you enjoy comes from the rich wheat harvested in this one area. It's where Absolut is produced, distilled, bottled and finally sent away by ship.
From Sweden to the world, your cocktail has come a long way.
Party like the Swedes on the night where the sun doesn't really set.Read more
Whatever your flavor, stir things up with your Mules and our new bottle this summer.Read more
Stir things up at your next house party with our new Spotify collaboration.Read more
Urban design meets nature in our dream-like suspended Absolut Art Bar.Read more
Discover some of our previous limited editions, from Brooklyn to Mexico.Read more
Our new limited edition bottles takes a pinch of old and new traditions for a bold makeover in ode of Korea.Read more


text:
VIENNA, 13 September 2012 - UNIDO today organized a round table discussion on the sustainable future of Asia which featured prominent development policymakers and practitioners from the region. The event took place at the Austria Center in Vienna.
The event titled, "Asia 2050: the sustainable route to prosperity", was co-hosted by the Asian Development Bank, the Austrian Research Foundation for International Development, and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.
As the most populous continent, Asia is in the middle of a historical transformation. On one hand, Asian countries have begun to move away from decades of low per capita income by consistently achieving high GDP growth rates based on large scale industrialization. The continent now exhibits several high- and many middle-income countries with large internal markets. On the other hand, growth in Asia has not been equitable and inclusive, with the region still accounting for a large share of the world's extreme poor.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has undertaken an important analysis of the future prospects for Asian growth in its recent report entitled "Asia 2050, realizing the Asian century". However, the achievement of this scenario could be threatened by the so-called "middle-income trap", whereby middle-income economies find themselves unable to compete with either low-wage economies or highly skilled advanced ones, arresting the pace of sustainable growth in the long-run.
The report has identified both the risks and the possible solutions to achieve the former and avoid the latter, i.e. through national action agendas, regional cooperation and a global agenda, and various specific measures to be undertaken under each of these headings.
To overcome these challenges and pave the way to improving living standards to current developed country levels by 2050, Asian countries must ensure that their industrial development becomes sustainable and inclusive. This can be done by deepening their industrialization processes, expanding the range of higher-productivity value-adding activities, striving for resource efficiency across all production processes, ensuring the development of a highly-skilled middle class, and by promoting technology innovation and innovative-economy-oriented education systems.
In cooperation with the ADB, the UNIDO round table discussion provided a unique platform to address these issues and to map out a route for sustained development for Asia.
The event brought together regional experts and policymakers from Asian countries, as well as international practitioners in the field, representatives of industry, regional and international organizations and civil society organizations working in the fields of sustainable development, trade and commerce.
For more information, please go here: http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1003114


text:
Customer Reviews
6 Item(s)
per page
- Good upgrade Review by Guest
- Great lenses. Upgraded to these from the Biomedics 1 Day Toric. I was told by my optician they were designed for extended comfort and wear and I can tell the difference, I can comfortably wear these all day, and certainly experience less eye irritation than with the standard biomedics lenses. (Posted on 11/9/14)
- by pass with a soaking solution Review by Charms
- the most comfortable lens I have ever had. I wore Acuvue Advance for about four years and I later tried Oasys and had serious pain problems with the hydrogel lens. I actually wear the 1-Day extra toric lens for 3-5 days with a soaking solution. (Posted on 9/1/14)
- Really Good Toric Review by Guest
Really good toric lenses for hard to fit eyes
Ten eyes after LASIK surgery I develop a little astigmatism. I was never a regular contact lenses wearer because my experience with that was mostly painful. Giving another chance to contact lenses Ive tried several brands (Acuvue 1 Day Moist for Astigmatism, Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism, Biofinity Toric) and the Biomedics Toric is the most comfortable and give a clear vision by far, mainly because I have hard to fit eyes. The lenses are little bit dry after 10 hours but some re-wetting drops solve the problem. Very satisfied! (Posted on 4/2/14)
- the best I found from all Review by Guest
- I do not really feel I have lens in my eye (Posted on 12/7/13)
- It was hard to find this product in google Review by MikeM
- This product is very good but it was hard to find it in google, i found it on 19 spot. You should add some social bookmarks and your website will hit google top10 very soon, then your traffic and sales will double or even triple. Search in google for - Insane google ranking boost - it helped my sites to rank (Posted on 11/13/13)
- I am almost happy Review by GarryI
- cheapest price that I ever found (Posted on 9/24/13)
6 Item(s)
per page


text:
Motorola DROID 4 Review
0. phoneArena 10 Feb 2012, 08:09 posted on
Taking care of business, the Motorola DROID 4 rightfully eases the concern from last time, while employing some of the necessary iterative improvements on the hardware side to keep it in good light with the company. Some have argued that the DROID line has been on a steady decline in terms of allure and reputation, but as always, we're hopeful that the latest member of the family will bring back the spotlight to it...
This is a discussion for a review. To read the whole review, click here
1. RORYREVOLUTION (Posts: 3108; Member since: 12 Jan 2010)
Such a small battery for non removable and the screen display is horrible. Wait until the Droid 5 :(
26. Droid_X_Doug (Posts: 5993; Member since: 22 Dec 2010)
I think the 2 greatest failures of the D4 are the limited battery capacity and the junk (LCD - come on, WTF) display. Camera could be better too.
Maybe the D5 fixes these fails.
53. ZombiesAlso (Posts: 8; Member since: 04 Mar 2012)
the greatest failure is denying customers custom kernel capabilities
57. Mark_Washington (Posts: 8; Member since: 05 Sep 2011)
Pros: Awesome keyboard - If you're a keyboard fan, this can't be beat.
Size - For me, it's the perfect size. I like that it's not as big as other Verizon phones, yet still has a very impressive display.
Battery life - I don't live in a 4G environment, but I have everything else constantly running - GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. Today was a fairly normal usage day for me (a little web-surfing, some texts and phone calls, streaming radio to and from work, even downloaded a couple of apps). Right now I'm sitting at 40% charge after 15h 38m 53s (per the phone) on battery power. I can't think of many reasons why I would need more.
Smart Actions App - Great app! Makes it very easy to seamlessly move from my home (wifi network) to my car (bluetooth on, Pandora opens automatically, wifi off) to the office (silent phone) without ever having to touch the phone.
Cons: Plastic construction already has some scratches from putting it into and out of my zippered pocket. They're very small (I only noticed them because I was looking very closely for "cons") and only on the plastic around the screen. The screen itself is Gorilla Glass and is not scratching at all. Not a big deal to me, but some people really want their phones to remain in pristine condition.
Bottom line, this is a great 4G LTE phone by any standard. The fact that it has that great keyboard literally puts it in a class by itself.
*Note: for best deal of the Droid 4 if you're will buy it, I suggest you have to check before you decide at -> http://androidphonesdeals.word
Hope this review helpful
2. Firedrops (Posts: 249; Member since: 06 Sep 2011)
Seems they really messed up on the screen, huh? D:
3. c.hack (Posts: 609; Member since: 09 Dec 2009)
Moto's best screens were the OG Droid and DX. Its interesting that Motorola hit a peak with their original Razr and stopped innovating. Now their Razr/Maxx/D4 marks another halt in innovation.
Bigger and heavier does not make a better phone.
4. Bigbluetundra (Posts: 45; Member since: 03 Nov 2011)
D.R.O.I.D.- Dwindling Relaunch Of Innsignificant Device
6. Allday28 (Posts: 283; Member since: 19 Nov 2010)
You realise that android wouldnt be what it is today without the Droid line right? So before you say something stupid like you just did know what you're talking about first idiot!!
8. Bigbluetundra (Posts: 45; Member since: 03 Nov 2011)
I love you
13. cthunder (Posts: 106; Member since: 02 Nov 2010)
Insignificant devices? Like the above poster stated, the OG Droid startered it all. Sure the display may or may not be bad. But it's an above average device with a QWERTY KYBD and LTE. Something a lot of physical kybd users (myself included) had been waiting for.
18. Bigbluetundra (Posts: 45; Member since: 03 Nov 2011)
This incarnation of the device is hardly improved. I'm just having a little fun on a Friday with my first post, didn't realize it'd be taken so personally. Sure, the original was great. So was the first flip phone, carphone, bagphone, telegraph... Now it's just milking the franchise every few quarters and the sales are diminishing every time a new version hits. You can't honestly say this newest generation phone is still a significant device in the oversaturated VZ market. I'd think VZ would agree by way of thier instant price drop.
5. kshell1 (Posts: 1143; Member since: 05 Oct 2011)
Epic Fail. im all for android but this is just sad
7. snowgator (Posts: 3586; Member since: 19 Jan 2011)
Okay, not a worthy successor. But, if taken on it's own, the D4 is a still a better QWERTY device than anything else out there right now. Certainly a better option than Blackberries, way more powerful with a top notch keyboard than any other phone on Big Red, and what are you going to do: drop down to the Captivate Slide on AT&T and it's slower network?
I am very, very disappointed that Moto did not view the Droid line as an elite device. It deserves better. But, if you want a real keyboard, there still is no better option.
32. GeekMovement (Posts: 2156; Member since: 09 Sep 2011)
Kind of how I felt when HTC relased the HTC EVO Shift (which btw does not have a decent keyboard imo) which was kind of disappointing. Wish they viewed the EVO line as an elite device as well.
9. RORYREVOLUTION (Posts: 3108; Member since: 12 Jan 2010)
I might even go as far as to say to buy the droid 3 over this unless you must have LTE.
17. cthunder (Posts: 106; Member since: 02 Nov 2010)
Let's Droid 3 1Ghz, 512 mb vs 1.2, 1GB, a backlit keys and better overall kybd. and LTE. Yeah, those numbers make we want to get the 3 instead.
21. aztaxia12295 (Posts: 272; Member since: 22 Nov 2009)
numbers always dont mean everything
22. RORYREVOLUTION (Posts: 3108; Member since: 12 Jan 2010)
Having used the D3 the keyboard is also really good and you wont notice any difference between the two devices as far as performance. I cant get over how poor the screen quality is on this one.
24. KingKurogiii (Posts: 5711; Member since: 23 Oct 2011)
the Droid 4 is actually going to be a good bit faster than the Droid 3 if the difference between the Droid Bionic and the Droid Razr is any indication. i think it has to do with tweaking Motorola may have done with the drivers for the OMAP4 in 2.3.5+ as even the benchmarks behave differently.
55. ZombiesAlso (Posts: 8; Member since: 04 Mar 2012)
And longer battery after removing all the google connectivity crap
android calendar/contacts are easily powered by a hotmail account... since microsoft licenses activesync to google
10. squeeb (Posts: 99; Member since: 02 Dec 2011)
Glad I pulled the trigger on a D3 back in December.
11. Sniggly (Posts: 7305; Member since: 05 Dec 2009)
Well, at least it's a lot better than the DROID 3.
30. The_Miz (Posts: 1496; Member since: 06 Apr 2011)
Which isn't saying much. ZING!
12. doubleD (Posts: 78; Member since: 13 Dec 2010)
Is the screen worse than the Droid 3? Everyone on here complained about the Droid 3's display even though I didn't have a problem with it. Just trying to figure out if the complaints have merit.
14. cthunder (Posts: 106; Member since: 02 Nov 2010)
I didn't think the Droid 3's display was all that bad. It just seems everyone wants super amoled or they aren't happy with the phone.
28. blazee (Posts: 407; Member since: 02 Jan 2012)
no the screen is exactly the same as on droid 3 lol both have 4.00 inch lcd display with a resolution of 540x960 and pixel density of 275 ppi
15. KingKurogiii (Posts: 5711; Member since: 23 Oct 2011)
I checked one out today and it doesn't feel as bad as you guys make it sound. it's about like the Droid 3 with a textured back. I am however disappointed about the lack of a removable battery. now really the only trade offs for the Droid 4 over the Razr are it's fantastic Keyboard and it's compact size along with a higher pixel density display.
16. nnaatthhaannx2 (Posts: 820; Member since: 19 Oct 2011)
Did anyone notice that the Droid 3 is .51" and 12.9mm but the Droid 4 is .5" and 13mm
that makes no sence and needs correction phonearena
20. aztaxia12295 (Posts: 272; Member since: 22 Nov 2009)
yep, screen sucked, i saw it in the store today activating my nexus. it was very dull and dark and didnt have any pop. such another disappointment, 2, maybe 3 in a row for the droid line
23. KingKurogiii (Posts: 5711; Member since: 23 Oct 2011)
maybe the brightness was turned down. bet you didn't think about that. :P
27. jellmoo (Posts: 1595; Member since: 31 Oct 2011)
Doesn't an 8.5 seem awfully high a score for this device? It has a terrible screen, relatively weak battery life without a removable battery, lacklustre design,poor camera quality, poor video quality, only offers the user half of the advertised storage, and runs outdated firmware.
Does having a good keyboard as the only real plus warrant such a high score?
37. EarnYourLeather (Posts: 87; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
Not at all.
Super Amoled is not a smartphone industry standard and I would hardly call the screen terrible even in comparison to that. Lackluster, sure, but there's nothing terrible about it. The battery life is average for a modern Motorola device, certainly not a Maxx (could you imagine the size of such a phone?) but not subpar. As for design, lets leave our own aesthetic opinions out of the equation when it comes to criticism- fans of the Droid series may love the design direction it's taking so who are you to call it lackluster? As for the camera, again, have you ever heard of a Verizon Motorola phone with a camera worth bragging about? The camera is on par with the contemporary market. If nothing else, it's better because the shutter is instant and the camera autofocuses, unlike previous Droid models which would focus before each shot causing a long delay. Audio is great on the videos and the videos themselves are decent.
The only valid claims you really have are no stock ICS and non removable battery, which by now are old news. The half of the advertised storage is a BIG minus though. That being said, there's nothing subpar about this phone. The specs are not spectacular but it is a very respectable and modern phone in that regard.
When it comes down to it, this phone is for a niche market. And this is the single best, and thinnest, 4G QWERTY slider in that market. Period.
So is 8.5 merited? Yeah, I think so.
38. jellmoo (Posts: 1595; Member since: 31 Oct 2011)
The thing is, I'm not talking about what the device actually merits. Whether your points are true or not isn't quite what I'm getting at. I am simplt basing my assessment on the content of the review itself.
In the words of the review:
Screen: "...but we're saddened to find this DROID outfitted with such an inferior display... FT LCD display that's tremendously dulled by its washed out appearance, low-contrast, and poor viewing angles."
Battery: "Rather, we're brought back to the chilling reality of yet another 4G LTE smartphone with poor battery life. In fact, we're able to get close to the 10 hour mark of normal usage before being warned about low battery. So yes, we'll continue to dream on about battery life, but in the meantime, it's something that requires constant charging whenever and wherever possible."
Design: "...this new model obviously features a tweaked design – though, as a whole, it's doesn't come off as captivating."
Camera: "Yet, its overall quality still pales in comparison to the stellar photo-centric devices on the market, but at least it's tolerable enough to accept."
Video: "Ehh…they're not stellar in quality, but its 1080p video recording is nonetheless better than its predecessor."
Storage: "Advertised as offering 16GB of memory, the DROID 4 instead boasts 8GB out of the box for media purposes, with another 2.36GB reserved strictly for apps – meaning, you'll probably want to invest in adding a microSD card of some size to supplement its capacity."
Firmware: "Unfortunately, there's nothing new whatsoever with the experience on the DROID 4, as it retains the same one as its predecessor, but even more revolting, is that it's running on top of Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. Yeah, we know that's a downer considering we're expecting nothing less than Ice Cream Sandwich at this point, but nevertheless, Motorola assures us that it'll be upgraded sometime in Q2 2012."
Whether these points are accurate or I agree with them is not my point. My issue is based on these criteria, they rate the device at 8.5. To me it simply doesn't add up. Maybe the device does warrant an 8.5. But based off of this review, I wouldn't think so.
40. firelightx (Posts: 71; Member since: 13 Oct 2011)
Funny, I didn't even look at the number score. The paragraphs felt pretty scathing to me.
It seemed to me like the reviewer WANTED to like the phone, out of some misplaced respect for the original Droid.
Thing is... it's not the original. Motorola has consitently dropped the ball on their droid line for the past two years. Between bad launches, delayed launches, awkward phones, software glitches and bugs galore, a lack of support for a 2 month old device, and planned obsolescence within only 6 months... I honestly don't understand why anyone takes that company seriously anymore.
44. EarnYourLeather (Posts: 87; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
jellmoo posted on 11 Feb 2012, 09:49
"Doesn't an 8.5 seem awfully high a score for this device?"
jellmoo posted on 14 Feb 2012, 09:13
"The thing is, I'm not talking about what the device actually merits."
45. jellmoo (Posts: 1595; Member since: 31 Oct 2011)
Read the rest of my comments. The review makes negative point after negative point. Going by the guts of the review, the device has an awesome keyboard while everything else is mediocre. This device is given an 8.5. That, to me, makes no sense.
I'm not sure what isn't clear about this. The score does not reflect the comments.
The Bold 9900 falls into a similar category. A slew of mediocre points followed up by a great keyboard. It got a 7.
47. cthunder (Posts: 106; Member since: 02 Nov 2010)
Your problem is your taking his review out of context. For example, he states "we" are saddened with the display. Like all smartphone reviewers if the phone isn't super amoled it's below standards.
He next states the battery life is poor, but yeah he is able to get 10 hrs of normal usage. Well, this is from PC World - "We're still awaiting the results of our official PCWorld labs battery test, but in my informal hands-on use, I got a full day of activity out of the Droid 4 while checking my email, browsing the Web, playing a level or two on Dead Space, and fielding calls". I have read other site, blogs etc saying the same thing. The biggest complaint about the battery has been the fact it's non removeable.
Next he clearly states while the camera isn't stellar like some of the phones on the market. It's still adequate. Again he clearly states with the video, not stellar but adequate.
Next with firmware he again clearly states they were bummed because they were expecting ICS instead of 2.3.6 Gingerbread. And this is a problem with all smartphone reviewers. They expect every new phone to come out with ICS even though only the Nexus has ICS. And even though it's been said a "million times" newer and some older phones are schedule to get ICS sometime this year.
So truly his only real complaint is the non battery removal and the misleading storage. Nothing he said above about was poor, it just wasn't what he preferred. It's the reason the phone recieved 8.5 rating instead of something lower.
49. jellmoo (Posts: 1595; Member since: 31 Oct 2011)
If your interpretation of what was reviewed is true though, the best that can be said for all of those points is that they are "adequate".
If that is the case, how does a phone that is labelled as adequate with a great keyboard warrant an 8.5? Compare this to the review done for the RAZR MAXX, which also got an 8.5. Yet that phone is praised for it's design, gets mild praise for its screen, and big points for the battery. Does having a good keyboard make up for the difference?
An 8.5 should, and has been a great score for a device to have. Comments should reflect that though. There should be several elements on a phone that are above "adequate" for it to warrant that score.
29. ajoshi06 (Posts: 20; Member since: 08 Dec 2010)
I was expecting a better... heck a TFT or LCD screen... but they gave us a WTF screen??
31. cthunder (Posts: 106; Member since: 02 Nov 2010)
FYI, It is a LCD Screen.
33. sferris33 (Posts: 1; Member since: 13 Feb 2012)
Ok. This article seems to cover all the bases on it except what the phone quality is like on droid 4. Can someone tell me if the phone quality is like. I like the idea that it has both touch and a qwerty, but this is feature one of the most important since it is still a phone and must function like one before I buy
34. KingKurogiii (Posts: 5711; Member since: 23 Oct 2011)
when it comes to calling quality Motorola sets the bar and if it's not them it's HTC.
35. airstream25 (Posts: 28; Member since: 18 Jun 2011)
Is this a world phone or not? Did not see GSM listed in the info.
36. KingKurogiii (Posts: 5711; Member since: 23 Oct 2011)
it has a GSM radio so it can be a world phone like the Spectrum but for whatever reason or the other Verizon hasn't enabled them.
39. firelightx (Posts: 71; Member since: 13 Oct 2011)
See, the part I can't get over is this... in the past 2 years, Verizon and Motorola have launched 8 phones:
Droid 2
Droid Pro
Droid X
Droid X 2
Droid 3
Moto Citrus
Droid Bionic
Droid RAZR
8 of them. Massive number of phones. Number one contributor to the customer's typical "things are moving too fast, everything is obsolete within two months!' complaint. But here's the worst part.
Of those 8 phones, 7 of them have had widespread bugs and software glitches. Always software. I realize this is anecdotal, but I know at Verizon I fix far more motorola droids than any HTC, LG, and Samsung androids combined. Talking it over with my co-workers suggests the same thing.
What I'm getting at is... 87.5% of moto's launches on Verizon have had terrible, crippling software issues on a relatively large percentage of costumer's phones. Why do we keep treating them like they're a good, solid company?
43. doubleD (Posts: 78; Member since: 13 Dec 2010)
@firelightx. Don't know which of those 8 you are saying wasn't plagued by problems, but the Droid 3 was/is a great phone. Biggest complaint was that it didn't have 4G. Since it seems like all 4G phones released around that time had connectivity problems, it was actually a good thing it was left out. Only other complaint was camera quality, which is hardly a major problem, and was fixed by update anyway.
54. ZombiesAlso (Posts: 8; Member since: 04 Mar 2012)
because no one will pay for firmware maintenance
And I would not tolerate the drm bs that they would require to sell it
public beta testing is an abominable practice all the same... worse not allowing for informed consent
Rooting is joy on these phones. Verizon unofficially endorses rooting for those who are not intellectually stunted.
MORE OFFENSIVE is the flood of the ADWARE flavor of MALWARE in the google android market claiming to be free. The COST of ads is FAR TOO HIGH: privacy.
However I remain a moto fan
41. ellarsee (Posts: 3; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
This might seem like a funny question to ask on a review of a cell phone, but you folks didn't seem to mention how it works as a phone.
Am I the only person who uses my droid to make phone calls now and then?
42. doubleD (Posts: 78; Member since: 13 Dec 2010)
It talks about call quality at the top of the last page under Performance, same place it always is. I know the review is negatively biased, but try reading the whole article..
46. ellarsee (Posts: 3; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
Thanks. I looked through the whole article, I remember looking at performance, I also looked several times for a header that said something about call quality.
Also note comment 33, someone else who could not find any mention of call quality.
I also remember looking at the pros and cons, and call quality wasn't mentioned there.
I wonder if they edited the article after the fact to mention call quality.
48. cthunder (Posts: 106; Member since: 02 Nov 2010)
So far, from other views of the droid 4, android central, phonescoop, pcmags, cnet, etc. All rave about the call quality. Unfortunately, this reviewer left it out I am not sure why. To me it seems like he was too busy wrting about why he didn't like or felt the phone was stellar than writing about what made the phone worthy of a 8.5 rating.
50. downphoenix (Posts: 3165; Member since: 19 Jun 2010)
Anyone notice a pattern with Phone Arena and OSs of phones?
Froyo comes out, a phone that comes out shortly after "how dare they not have froyo", then Gingerbread comes out "how dare they not have gingerbread", then of course ice cream sandwich "how dare they not have ics" and so on. We'll see the same when Jelly Bean comes out.
Fact of the matter is, ICS is still new and a large portion of apps dont support it yet. It makes more sense to support the currently most popular format that runs the most apps and then update to ICS when app developers more heavily support it.
51. glennman (Posts: 1; Member since: 01 Dec 2011)
The Droid 4's keyboard while great for a landscape one, has the same issues of other landscape ones. Basically, the result is I can type so much faster on a portrait keyboard than on a landscape one. Now I'm sure that the larger keyboard IS good for people with arthritis like my dad but how big is that market? (He doesn't push data, just pulls it anyway and therefore loves his iPhone.)
So why can't MOTO and other manufacturers produce an Android phone with a PHYSICAL PORTRAIT keyboard like those on Blackberry's, old Palms, etc??? With so many landscape Android offerings, one would think that there would be a good differentiated portrait model -- NOT.
Please Reply if you'd also like a good physical portrait keyboard.
56. snowgator (Posts: 3586; Member since: 19 Jan 2011)
Portrait keyboards are my favorite form factor as well. But we are in the vast minority,glennman.
52. ellarsee (Posts: 3; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
The big draw for me of the droid is the landscape keyboard. *That* is the selling feature, everything else is a case of making sure it has the performance I need in other areas.
58. KandM (Posts: 1; Member since: 02 Dec 2012)
This is the biggest and most expensive piece of s**t I ever owned. This mother f**king device froze 4 times just today alone. I had to force close it each time. The internet gets disconnected everyday. This is just not worth having it. I feel extremely stupid buying it. I want my money back.


text:
Family Self-Sufficiency - FSS (10 weeks) 9:00 am - 3:00pm daily
February 16th, May 2nd, July 18th, October 11th, December 26th
This 10-week training session is focused on removing employment barriers and providing the tools needed for long-term sustainable self-sufficiency. This session also includes the 3 week Job Readiness Training.
The commitment includes:
- Completing an action plan
- Attending daily self-sufficiency sessions facilitated by trained and qualified staff
- Working on self-identified goals with staff and peers
- Increasing knowledge of life skills
- Developing work experience through internships and volunteer services
- Alison.com certificates
- HSE (High School Equivalency) tutorial and post-secondary support
Job Readiness Training – JRT (3 weeks) 1st Monday of each Month 9 am - 12 pm daily
Jan. 4th, Feb. 1st, March 7th, April 4th, May 2nd, June 6th, July 5th, August 1st, September 6th, October 3rd, November 7th, December 5th.
This 3-week training session assists participants with preparing a resume, cover letter, job search techniques and other employment skills.
This is an on-going service designed to prepare participants to achieve the ORT score that qualifies you to set for the Test Accessing Secondary Completion. (TASC). 10:15 am -12:30 pm daily
Coaching is designed to assist participants with issues of career exploration, career change, and personal career development and provide referrals for employment.
VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)
Saturdays January 30th – April 2nd (9:00am – 2:00pm)
C.A.S.H. [Creating Assets, Savings and Hope] operates free, high quality tax preparation sites throughout Monroe County. IRS Certified Volunteers prepare and electronically file federal and NYS tax returns for free for income eligible persons.
To schedule an intake appointment with a specialist
Call 325-5116, x3400
Location: 49 Stone Street, Rochester, NY 14604


text:
One of the originals, and one of the best.
The Maxxis Ignitor 29-inch Tire first rolled onto the scene about 10 years ago, making it one of the first 29er tires available. It's stuck around this long for a number of reasons, including its ready-for-anything tread pattern, and the fact that the Ignitor continues to roll fast with two casing options.
Both Ignitors use Maxxis' Aramid folding bead, all-round proficient 70a durometer rubber, and ramped pentagonal knobs. But, the F60 SC uses a 60 tpi nylon casing and the F120 SC eXC/EXO has a 120 tpi nylon casing. The latter adds 100 grams to the tire's mass, but gives a more supple ride over varied terrain. Usually, higher tpi counts result in a lighter tire, however, in this instance, Maxxis' EXO protection adds an extremely cut-resistant and abrasion-resistant material to the sidewalls. While this increases weight, the added puncture protection is much appreciated and the EXO is highly flexible to ensure performance remains unaffected. As stated above, the Ignitor continues to use ramped pentagonal knobs, earning it ample traction in almost any riding conditions.
The Maxxis Ignitor Mountain Bike Tire - 29in has a clincher bead and comes in an XC-friendly 2.1in width.
- 70a durometer rubber
- Aramid folding bead
- Directional ramped pentagon knob design provides excellent traction
- Well-spaced tread ensures a low rolling resistance
- Offered in two casing options