text:
100 E Main
Kenton, OK 73946
Small, native rock home built in 1902 for a lady doctor, Dr. Lane. It was later used as a residence, and is one of the ... read more...
Beavers Bend & Hochatown State Park
Hwy 259A
Broken Bow, OK 74728
Beavers Bend State Park is located in the mountainous region of southeast Oklahoma along the shores of Broken Bow Lake ... read more...
196 Marina Ln
Broken Bow, OK 74728
Located on beautiful Broken Bow Lake, Beavers Bend Marina features everything you need to have fun on the lake. Open 365 ... read more...
Little River National Wildlife Refuge
635 S Park Dr
Broken Bow, OK 74728
Established in 1987, the Little River National Wildlife Refuge is one of more than 530 refuges throughout the United ... read more...
Broken Bow Lake
Broken Bow, OK 74728
Broken Bow Lake is located in one of the state's most beautiful settings. The 22-mile long lake lies in the Ouachita ... read more...
Broken Bow Lake
Broken Bow, OK 74728
With more than 30 years experience fishing the lake and over 13 years as a full time guide, Broken Bow Lake Guide ... read more...
Black Mesa State Park & Nature Preserve
County Road 325
Kenton, OK 73946
Black Mesa is located in Oklahoma's panhandle along the tri-state border with Colorado and New Mexico. ... read more...
Hwy 259A
Broken Bow, OK 74728
In Hochatown near Beavers Bend State Park, Janet's Treasure Chest sits as a must see shopping destination. This ... read more...
Lakeview Lodge at Beavers Bend State Park
800-435-5514, 580-494-6179
Hwy 259 N, Steven's Gap Rd
Broken Bow, OK 74728
Lakeview Lodge is a part of Beavers Bend State Park and is located in the mountainous region of southeast Oklahoma, ... read more...
County Rd 325
Kenton, OK 73946
For a rewarding hiking or mountain biking experience, look no further than the Black Mesa Summit Trail. This trail ... read more...
Email: email@example.com


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Posts filed under 'Atheism and religion'
Chinese Government to Tell Christians How to be Christians
It is interesting to consider the fact that in a country like China where atheism is rampant and encouraged, even there, people cannot be stopped from looking to Christ for salvation. Persecution can certainly take its physical toll, but history has proven time and time again, that Christianity cannot be stomped out.
Jesus' Death, Burial, and Resurrection Denied by Islam
The main pillar of Christianity is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This is indisputable. Those who reject this truth reject Jesus, plain and simple. In spite of how they say they may "respect," "revere," or "follow" Him, if the fact of His sinless life, His atoning death, and His life-giving resurrection is disallowed or denied, then those people have neither respect or reverence and they are certainly not following the Jesus of the Bible. One cannot change the truth about someone and still say they follow that person.
Christmas: God Clothed Himself with Humanity and Lived Among Us to Save Us from Sin and Death
As we learn in Philippians 2, God took on the form of humanity, lived among us, and through Jesus, we see the Father. In other words, Jesus is the exact representation of God in human form (Hebrews 1:3). In another place we read that in Jesus, the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). This is something atheists simply deny. They are entitled to their belief system, but in essence, when they try to eradicate Jesus from the public sphere, they are guilty of imposing their "religion" on the rest of us. Of course, they don't see it that way at all.
Minority Bolshevism is Killing America
Let me start by saying that the book is not tremendously in-depth. Redwood doesn't spend a good deal of time breaking everything down so that the reader gets bored before he reaches the conclusion. No, Redwood is more concerned about concise, useful explanations that allow people to understand that piece of the puzzle, then that other piece of the puzzle, and then the next. Soon, the entire puzzle is starting to take shape. Rather than focusing solely on one or two pieces of the puzzle, Redwood uses the various pieces to help build the completed picture.

subset: commoncrawl


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Book your room at Hotel Il Porto
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4-star hotel near the beach
Offering direct access to the beach, this Mattinata hotel is located by the sea and within walking distance of Port of Mattinata. Area attractions also include Baia dei Mergoli.
Hotel Features
Spend the day relaxing on Hotel Il Porto's private beach or at a marina before returning for a meal at one of the hotel's 2 restaurants.
Room Amenities
In addition to digital television, guestrooms include complimentary wireless Internet access and bathrooms with rainfall showerheads and bidets.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
At your hotel
At your hotel
Unwind on the hotel's private beach. You'll be playing in the surf in no time with a free ride on the hotel's complimentary beach shuttle. Spend the day at the beach and work on your tan with sun loungers (chaise longues) or relax in the shade with umbrellas. After a day at the beach, enjoy amenities at Hotel Il Porto like a marina and an outdoor pool.
Dining is available at one of the hotel's 2 restaurants and guests can grab coffee at the coffee shop/café. The property also has a snack bar/deli. Guests can unwind with a drink at one of the hotel's bars, which include a beach bar and a poolside bar. High-speed wireless Internet access is complimentary. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
- Terrace
- Porter/bellhop
- Marina on site
- Elevator/lift
- Supervised childcare/activities
- Television in lobby
- 24-hour front desk
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Total number of rooms - 39
- Number of floors - 1
- Babysitting or childcare
- Coffee shop or café
- Conference space
- Beach shuttle (complimentary)
- Number of outdoor pools -
- Beach/pool umbrellas
- Airport transportation
- Free Wi-Fi
- Beach bar
- Poolside bar
- Restaurant
- Free self parking
- Snack bar/deli
- Year Built 2010
- Number of restaurants - 2
- 24-hour business center
- Number of meeting rooms -
- Private beach nearby
- Direct access to private beach
- Beach umbrellas
- Beach sun loungers
- Pool sun loungers
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Outdoor pool
Stay connected
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi
Park your car
Free self parking
In your room
- Balcony or patio
- Climate control
- Access via exterior corridors
- Air conditioning
- Phone
- Minibar
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Complimentary toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Bidet
- Shower only
- Rainfall showerhead
- Desk
- In-room safe
- Digital TV service
- Free Wi-Fi
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Room service (limited hours)
- Yard
Eat and drink
Grotta delle Orchidee - Overlooking the pool and garden, this restaurant specializes in seafood and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests can order drinks at the bar and enjoy alfresco dining (weather permitting). A children's menu is available. Reservations are required.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Boat tours nearby
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible bathroom
- Accessible path of travel
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
The fine print for Hotel Il Porto
When you arrive
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-in time ends at 10:30 PM
When you leave
Check-out time is 10 AM
How you can pay
Your pets
Pets allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 1.50 per person, per stay. This tax does not apply to children under 11 years of age.
- Crib (infant bed) fee: EUR 20 per day
- Rollaway bed fee: EUR 30 per day
We should mention
Cash transactions at this property cannot exceed EUR 999.99, due to national regulations. For further details, please contact the property using information in the booking confirmation.


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Reviewed By Michael J (Marshall, MI) Reviewed for a 2013 Ford F-150 —12/12/2014 6:52 AM
the guard itself is very solid and well built. It looks great on my truck. The installation was not difficult. It took longer to remove the air dam from the vehicle than it did to do the actual installation of the grill guard. The photos in the installation manual would be more helpful if they were a little clearer. Overall ,I am very satisfied with my purchase and I think it is well worth the investment.


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Songs from Hummingbird logged in KDHX's playlists:
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We can now say that the Microsoft-Nokia partnership isn't working for either company. Nokia's woes are well documented: more job cuts, more losses, more deterioration in the core business. Lumia sales are weak on a global basis, especially in North America where Nokia was plotting its comeback. The company is in an accelerating state of decline, much like RIM now.
For Microsoft, which gave Nokia preferential treatment and established a special relationship, Nokia's fall has to be particularly disconcerting. Redmond is already providing billions to Nokia in support and marketing help. Just like the struggling economies of Europe, Nokia needs a bailout. The company is now a takeover target.
That raises the question: Will Microsoft be forced to buy Nokia, defensively? Most of the Asian handset makers have favored Android over Windows Phones. Indeed, Nokia should consider adding Android phones to its lineup -- unless precluded by its agreement with Microsoft. And that's probably the case.
Right now Nokia has about $12 billion in cash in the bank. Absent a takeover, that cash will prevent the company from disappearing any time soon. But it can't continue to operate in the current manner. Its exclusive relationship with Windows/Microsoft simply hasn't worked. Enough time has passed to make that statement.
There's almost no chance, given the current state of things, that Windows Phones will become the number two smartphone OS, as predicted by Gartner and IDC. Those forecasts were largely based on the reach and perceived brand strength of Nokia. That brand strength doesn't exist in North American and it's declining in other markets.
The chances are growing that someone will bid for Nokia. Rumors are circulating that it could be Samsung (denied by the company) or China's ZTE. However Microsoft will probably be forced to buy Nokia if it comes to that. By default the company would then be following the advice of several tech bloggers who suggested the same to compete with Apple with a more holistically integrated device.
Microsoft's Bing Maps also rely increasingly on Nokia's data and backend, another reason Microsoft may want to acquire the company. Nokia also holds valuable patents that enhance the takeover value of the Finnish company (and Android licensing value for Microsoft).
There will likely be some radical change to Nokia (sale or replacement of CEO Elop) by Q4 of this year if sales don't dramatically improve -- and they're not likely to with the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III coming.
With today's keynote announcements coming out of the Apple developer conference the company has expanded Siri's range of capabilities, including into navigation and local search. The latter accompanies the introduction of new Apple Maps, which entirely replace Google's mapping product as the default provider on iOS devices.
When Apple bought Siri it did a wider range of things than what Apple introduced a year ago with the iPhone 4S. Siri's original plan was to integrate numerous third party APIs and allow Siri to be a front end for task completion across a range of categories. As of today that earlier vision is partially restored.
There now more datasets available to Siri (sports, movies, app search, local search). Users can also, once again, make OpenTable restaurant reservations. In addition users will be able to find/launch apps using Siri.
With Apple Maps the company now enters the local search market in a big way. Without having the benefit of having used the product, I can only speak in the abstract. However it appears very competitive. There are a wide range of data providers that Apple appears to be working with across a broad array of international markets, including TomTom, Yelp, Localeze, Acxiom, Urban Mapping and Waze.
Assuming a relatively good product, Apple would quickly become the number two player in local-mobile search. And having Siri as the front-end to this experience will potentially reinforce Siri usage and introduce people to the broader concept of Siri as a search tool or potential Google substitute in many instances. While Siri already could already offer directions and find nearby businesses it didn't provide a very good local search experience overall.
To see how widely seen and used Siri was as a search tool, we recently conducted a survey (n=503, 6/12) of iPhone users and asked them:
Which of the following do you use MOST OFTEN to search the web on your phone?
According to these results more people use Siri to search than use Bing or Yahoo. Siri could inch up that ladder if people begin to understand how the tool can be used beyond the relatively narrow range of functions it has been used for to date -- and if Apple rewards people with good results.
Last week Nielsen released data comparing US smartphone users' app adoption and usage vs. last year. Nielsen says that the average US smartphone owner in 2012 has 41 apps on his/her phone vs. 32 apps in 2011:
In just a year, the average number of apps per smartphone has jumped 28 percent, from 32 apps to 41. Not only is the 2012 smartphone owner downloading more apps, they are increasingly spending more time using them vs. using the mobile web — about 10 percent more than last year.
Nielsen also says that smartphone owners spend roughly 39 minutes a day using apps (vs. 37 last year). However this finding is much lower than Flurry's earlier declaration that smartphone owners spent 94 minutes per day in apps. It's not clear why these numbers should be so far apart. It may be that Flurry's data are behavioral (analytics based) and Nielsen's figures are based on self-reported survey data -- in which case the former would be more accurate. However, this is speculation.
Earlier this month comScore released data that asserted "4 in every 5 mobile media minutes" are spent in apps vs. the mobile browser.
According to Nielsen the top five mobile apps across smartphone platforms are Facebook, YouTube, Android Market, Google Search and Gmail. Finally, the measurement firm added that its surveys show users continue to be concerned about mobile privacy and location sharing:
[P]rivacy continues to be a concern with the vast majority (70% in 2011 and 73% in 2012) expressing concern over personal data collection and 55 percent wary of sharing information about their location via smartphone apps.
Ahead of Apple's quarterly earnings call next week, Fortune has rounded up analysts estimates regarding Q1 2012 iPhone sales. The consensus range is 30 to 35 million units:
The average among the Wall Street analysts is 30.5 million . . . To hedge our bets, we've singled out the six analysts who have turned in the most accurate estimates over the past five quarters. Their consensus: nearly 35.1 million units, an increase of 88.5% year over year.
Apple was the insurgent and Nokia the market leader. Now the roles have been reversed.
Nokia will report a loss later this week and expects a similar result in Q2. The bottom has fallen out of Symbian phone sales. However the company said it had sold 2 million Lumia handsets (globally) to date:
In the first quarter 2012, Nokia sold more than 2 million Lumia devices at an average selling price of approximately EUR 220 (reported within the Smart Devices business unit). Furthermore, Nokia has seen sequential growth in Lumia device activations every month since starting sales of Lumia devices in November 2011. Lumia has gained market share with both distribution partners and consumers. The Windows Phone ecosystem is also attracting developers and has expanded rapidly with more than 80,000 applications available.
Dpending on whether you think "it's still very early" or whether the company should have sold more units to date, you either conclude that the device is off to a good start or failing to take off. My view is in-between. I think it will sell moderately well to people interested in an inexpensive handset and not loyal to either Apple or Google.
The phone is apparently selling well on Amazon with overwhelmingly positive reviews, leading one person to question whether the reviews had been faked. I do believe that some of the reviews are fake; though many if not most are probably genuine. Nokia, AT&T and Microsoft have a great deal riding on the success of the handset, creating incentives for people to generate positive reviews.
I have used Windows Phones and found them to be good but not great. The chief problem is a lack of apps. I also don't favor the homescreen UI.
If Lumia is as great as the reviews suggest then sales should pick up considerably in the next quarter. This is the make or break year for both Windows Phone and Nokia as a company.
Beyond its February US smartphone marketshare data, released earlier today, comScore also exposed some additional, interesting data about WiFi usage among Android and iPhone owners in the US and UK. In general iPhone owners are apparently much heavier users of WiFi than Android owners. And UK residents are also generally bigger consumers of WiFi than their US counterparts.
In the US the percentage of Android WiFi users is half as large (32% vs. 71%) as iPhone WiFi users. But why?
As someone who owns both devices I can speculate about why this may be.
More Android handsets operate on 4G networks, whereas the iPhone is limited to slower 3G networks. The move to WiFi alleviates some of the frustration of being on slower networks for iPhone owners. Beyond this, on Sprint and Verizon in the US, iPhone owners can't access voice and data at the same time. Where WiFi is available they can.
In addition, whenever a new WiFi network becomes available iPhone owners get a prominent, even disruptive, notification that takes over the screen. iPhone owners are thus much more likely to be aware of the presence of WiFi than Android owners. The process of connecting to WiFi is also faster and easier on my iPhone than it is on my HTC Android phone.
There are two contradictory memes in the market about Android. One is that the platform is surging toward world domination; the competing narrative is that Android is losing adherents and is faltering.
ComScore boosted the first narrative today with a release (based on survey data) that shows Android crossing the 50% threshold in February. In other words, 50% of US smartphones now are Android handsets.
Interestingly comScore's data show only 44% US smartphone penetration, while Nielsen shows 50%.
In addition, Nielsen and financial analysts from Canaccord Genuity claim that the iPhone is "clawing its way back" among recent purchasers and closing the gap with Android. The Q1 2012 Appcelerator also appears to show mobile app developers losing some interest in Android.
These indicators suggest Android is losing some momentum, although the comScore data directly contradict that assertion. Regardless, it's clear that Android is on its way to replacing Nokia as the leading smartphone platform globally.
The comScore report also confirms the accelerating decline of RIM and shows that US consumers are not buying Windows Phones. We'll see what happens after the massive marketing campaign that's about to be unleashed by AT&T, Nokia and Microsoft.
Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published what amounts to a round-up of recent Google tablet rumors. None of the information was really new.
Previously Eric Schmidt confirmed that Google would be putting out a "highest quality" tablet at some point later this year. A Google-branded tablet (expected to be 7-inches) is intended to compete directly with the Kindle Fire. It's also a direct response to the failure of other Android tablets to date.
Here's are the quasi-factual nuggets extracted from the WSJ piece:
Earlier rumors suggested that the price might be $149. Either at $149 or $199 a decent 7-inch Google tablet is likely to be highly successful.
The Kindle Fire is actually quite a mediocre tablet compared to the iPad. It's well integrated with Amazon content but that's about it. Email and web surfing are quite painful on the device. Google almost certainly would make a more functional tablet for general purposes. It would also have the benefit of Google's voice actions.
Google also has nearly the content ecosystem that Amazon does (i.e., Google Play). It can also afford to subsidize the device because it will make money on search and mobile display advertising.
A $149 Google tablet would undermine Kindle Fire, compelling Amazon to lower its prices. Pricing here is a key variable. Regardless of whether it comes in at $199 or less, a cheap 7-inch Google tablet will be successful. The outlook for a larger tablet and direct iPad competitior would be more murky.
However I would predict that Google will sell millions of these smaller, highly subsidized devices.
Although the Pew Internet Project was the first to report that at least 50% of US mobile phone owners had smartphones, Nielsen waited until today to make the same statement: "Almost half (49.7%) of U.S. mobile subscribers now own smartphones, as of February 2012." This compares with 36% a year ago.
However if smartphone ownership is segmented by age and income, the numbers are much higher than 50% for some categories.
Nielsen says that Android's share of smartphones in February was 48% while Apple's was 32%. However among 90-day recent buyers, the numbers are much closer (48% vs. 43%), reflecting the popularity of the iPhone 4S and its availability from mulitple carriers.
All others, including RIM and Microsoft are under 20% collectively. However the trend is away from these platforms among recent buyers. Microsoft is hoping to reverse that with the expensive and high-profile launch of the Lumia 800 at AT&T next month.
Some US-based survey findings were released yesterday that show iPhone 4S owners use Siri regularly but only in limited ways. The survey of 482 iPhone 4S owners by Parks Associates reflected that people used Siri almost daily in many instances to send email, initiate calls and send texts. Other types of "more advanced" activities were not performed as often (e.g. setting up appointments or playing music).
Here's a very high-level overview of the findings:
Previously a ChangeWave survey in December found that Siri was the most "liked" feature of the new iPhone 4S.
Siri is clearly a work in progress; Apple has a "beta" label on it. Apple's chief mobile rival Google is working on its own "assistant" to compete with Siri. The rumor is that will include APIs for third party developers. So Google may out-Siri Siri if Apple doesn't keep moving.
The question now for Apple is how much to develop Siri into a broader utility and search or content discovery tool.
Apple removed Siri's earlier "transactional" capabilities, present in the app before Apple bought the company. Those earlier capabilities hint at what's possible. In other words, tapping directly into third party APIs to deliver content results and transactional pages without the interim step of a "search result." This was Siri's ambition when Apple bought the company. But will Apple press on?
In an ideal world Siri would develop into a kind of universal interface for finding and downloading apps, generating queries within apps on the handset ("Find me a flight from NY to Boston on Kayak on April 18") and perhaps initiating payments.
Clearly there are flaws in Siri's performance and it's imperfect, but it has enormous potential to be more than it is. I'm hopeful that Apple continues to invest in and develop Siri -- to help it realize its pre-Apple vision.
No more "early days" excuses will be possible if the Nokia (Windows Phone) Lumia 900 fails to deliver. The flagship Windows Phone will go on sale on April 8 from AT&T in the US for an aggressively discounted $99 (with a two-year contract). It will be the least expensive high-end smartphone on the market.
The price will help but it could still flop.
AT&T promises to support the launch with considerable marketing muscle. It's far from clear, however, that consumers will bite. Some no doubt will buy because of the $99 price. Aggressive pricing is key to Nokia's US market strategy.
The Lumia 710 has apparently done relatively well at T-Mobile (at either $49 or free). However, developer interest in Windows Phones remains muted. And without sufficient apps, Windows Phones simply won't be competitive.
Earlier this year I had predicted that Nokia-Windows Phone handsets would see modest but not spectacular uptake in the US market. If this launch is fumbled and fails to generate real momentum for Windows Phones it could be a serious blow to the outlook for the platform -- at least in the US market.
As a promotion Microsoft has mounted a Pepsi-Challenge like contest, inviting iPhone and Android users to take the $1,000 Windows Phone challenge and supposedly discover that Windows Phones are faster. But the PR value of the effort has already been compromised by a blogger named Sahas Katta.
Katta used his Galaxy Nexus and beat the challenge in a Microsoft store but was denied the $1,000 prize by store officials. He blogged about it and that post has now seen widespread attention.
Today the iPad pre-orders arrive and the iPad becomes available in stores. Yesterday reviews of "The New iPad" come out and overall they're very positive. Based on the success of iPad pre-orders, financial analysts have boosted their estimates of iPad sales for 2012. Some are now saying that Apple may sell a combined total of 65 million iPads or more this year.
One question is whether this lead will be so overwhelming that rivals will be shut out. So far the only successful Android tablet is the Kindle Fire and that success is largely based on its price. It's an inferior product, whose sales could be affected by the reduced price iPad2 ($399).
Yet IDC has projected that the iPad will be overtaken by Android tablets in 2016. IDC estimated that Amazon sold 4.7 million tablets in Q4 of last year.
The chart above reflects "shipments" and not actual sales. The logic behind this forecast showing Android overtaking the iPad is based on a simplistic analogy to the iPhone, and Android's growth over a period of years to a dominant market-share position. However, as several others have pointed out, the better analogy might be the iPod, which established a dominant market share and was never challenged.
In the US, Apple maintained an exclusive iPhone relationship with AT&T for three years after launch. That allowed Android to develop huge momentum. People were more inclined to buy an altenative smartphone than change carriers. The iPad has no such carrier constraints.
There have so far been well over 100 Android tablets and all but the Kindle and Nook have fallen flat. It's unlikely there are any new tablets on the horizon that will have great success -- Google's rumored 7" inexpensive tablet could be an exception. As I've written before, Android tablet OEMs are "boxed in" on pricing by Kindle on the one end and the iPad on the other. The lower-priced iPad2 makes their lives even harder.
The next test for the iPad will be the arrival of Windows 8 tablets, the first of which will probably show up for holiday shopping at the end of the year. But for at least three quarters the iPad will have little or no competition. That could enable Apple to sell 45 or 50 million more tablets.
Next Wednesday Apple will reveal the iPad3 (and potentially a new Apple TV), with an improved display and Siri among other features. Mobile ad network InMobi released consumer survey data last week finding that 29% of respondents were intent on buying the new iPad, with half of those reporting they don't currently own a tablet. Many people (44% of those intending to buy one) also said they wouldn't consider another brand.
Whether or not these survey findings turn out to be accurate they reflect the momentum and mindshare of the Apple tablet, which has sold nearly 60 million units on a global basis. However, when the first iPad was introduced in Q1 2010 it was met with considerable skepticism and predictions of failure. It was seen as an "unnecessary" product, delivering a "watered-down" Internet experience; it was also "too expensive" and "wouldn't fit in your pocket."
A year later Dell also predicted that the iPad wouldn't succeed in the enterprise. However in Q3 2011 Apple reported that 93% of the Fortune 500 were testing or deploying the iPad. By comparison Dell recently announced that it's exiting the consumer PC business. This juxtaposition is essentially a metaphor for state the PC industry as a whole.
Increasingly, instead of buying a second computer or laptop, US (and non-US) households will choose tablets. While there's still growth in the enterprise PC market the consumer PC market is flat-to-declining. Many analysts expect Apple to sell 50-60 million iPads this year. When iPads are considered "PCs" (which they are not), Apple becomes the largest "PC" vendor surpassing HP.
Mobile display advertising outperforms PC display according to considerable research from InsightExpress and Dynamic Logic. Beyond this, ads on the iPad and other tablets further outperform conventional mobile dislay advertising. Engagement with tablets is higher than PCs and consumers have shown a willingness to buy things through tablets in far greater numbers than they have on smartphones. There's also mounting evidence that people are spending more time with mobile devices and tablets than on the PC Internet and even with TV (in some geographies), according to recent data from Flurry and InMobi.
The totality of all this data leads to the inevitable conclusion that PCs will be outnumbered by smartphones and tablets within a year or two. PCs and the PC-Internet experience will merely be one form of Internet access and not the primary way people access the Internet (except at work). We truly are in a "post-PC" era. (That was a Steve Jobs marketing slogan that is becoming factually true.) Microsoft hopes to change the trend with the introduction of Windows 8 of course. But Windows 8 will also work on tablets. Moreover its consumer success, however, is far from certain.
Publishers and advertisers that fail to recognize these trends and act on them in the near term will be at a significant disadvantage. (Flash should be abandoned right now, for example.) Indeed, publishers and advertisers should shift the bulk of their attention and development resources away from the "PC Internet" and toward smartphones and tablet-optimized sites. Mobile and tablet site design should guide PC website design (as recently happened with the redesign of Kayak.) This is especially true for certain categories such as retail and travel.
The notion that mobile is just an extension of the PC-centric Web, which still prevails in many companies, is completely misguided.
According to new data out this morning from Pew, the US mobile market has reached an important milestone: 50% smartphone owners. In fact Pew's survey data, which the polling firm says is representative of the US population, indicates 53% smartphone ownership.
By comparison, Nielsen says the number is 48% and comScore says it's 42%. Among select segments, however both Pew and Nielsen say smartphone penetration is considerably higher than 50%. According to Pew, for college graduates, 18-35 year olds and $75,000+ earners, smartphone ownership has crossed 60%. Nielsen says for some of those groups it's even higher (75%).
The graphic below is Nielsen's US smartphone ownership chart by age and income segment. For example, if those over age 55 are excluded from the sample, US smartphone penetration rises to roughly 75%. For people between the ages of 25 and 44 and making $100,000 or more per year, Nielsen says 77.5% own smartphones.
The Pew findings are qualified and explained, given potential consumer confusion over what qualifies as a smartphone:
--45% of cell owners say that their phone is a smartphone, up from 33% in May 2011
--49% of cell owners say that their phone operates on a smartphone platform common to the US market, up from 39% in May 2011
Taken together, just over half of cell owners (53%) said yes to one or both of these questions and are classified as smartphone owners.
Tracking smartphone adoption and penetration was/is really a surrogate for other things: mobile Internet access -- people with smartphones behave differently than feature phone owners -- and the mobile ad opportunity. We should now collectively shift our focus to mobile operating system share (which people are obviously tracking) and mobile Internet adoption and frequency.
Last week I moderated an evening workshop about mobile ad exchanges and mobile advertising more broadly. The event was sponsored by DataXu and intended to introduce agencies to the concept and mechanics of mobile ad exchanges. It featured a mini-ecosystem of company representatives:
There were lots of interesting questions and issues discussed. It was a great event.
However I was struck by a comment made by Groupon's Iryna Newman during the session. I'm paraphrasing but she essentially said that she would pay a premium for as many lat-long mobile impressions as she could get her hands on -- but there simply aren't enough of them.
This seems a strange comment given the much-touted location targeting capabilities of mobile apps and ad networks, and the frenzy around LBS and "hyper-local" advertising.
There are still numerous barriers to delivering lat-long information to advertisers. Privacy is one, especially on iOS. But many mobile ad networks are offering location only at the country, state or DMA level, without any precision beyond that.
Some networks and publishers represent they can offer a lat-long but may in fact be "faking" it.
On the mobile Web you're typically only getting IP-based targeting; and that faces the same accuracy challenges in mobile that it does on the PC. There's also a perceived lack of demand from advertisers for "hyper local impressions." However, the Groupon remark contradicts that very clearly.
I was told by someone in a position to know that only about 5% to 10% of mobile ad impressions currently carry a lat-long. If accurate, and I assume it is, it's somewhat shocking given the rhetoric of mobile advertising and its targeting capabilities.
There are various ad forecasts now in the market that argue that a substantial minority or a majority of mobile ads will be geo-targeted in the very near future. The analyst firms that developed these forecasts may be largely unaware of these fundamental "plumbing" and infrastructure challenges (mostly on the display side). In search it's a completely different situation and the same is true for individual apps.
Google, with the advent of Chrome for mobile, is seeking to remedy this for Android-based handsets. It will follow users from PC to mobile and also have much more data about them when they're mobile.
As a general matter, there are display workarounds involving landing pages that can generate more location precision. But the industry currently faces a gap regarding what it says it can do and what it can actually deliver at scale.
Eventually there will be alignment. But I was quite surprised to learn about all these limitations.
Is RIM in a "death spiral" or not? It's being widely reported today that global energy concern/evil-doer Halliburton is dropping BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone on a global basis. While this means 70,000 fewer users it's more significant symbolically: a global corp. is shunning RIM.
As recently as a year ago corporations were still a stronghold for the company, but as more companies adopt "bring your own device" policies RIM is seeing increasing losses in the enterprise.
On the other side, RIM's Developer VP Alec Saunders told a RIM-friendly developer conference in Europe that not only are BlackBerry owners using apps, but that there are 6 million daily app downloads. In his effort at "myth-busting," he added that RIM's app world sees more paid downloads than the Android Market and that developers are making more money than with Android.
Regardless, there's a growing stigma associated with BlackBerry usage -- in much the same way that an AOL email address went from being a symbol of tech savvy to tech laggard status. That stigma now exists in the US for BlackBerry users and to a much lesser degree in Europe where the brand and usage still relatively strong.
Source: StatCounter
Recent IDC Q4 2011 data are not quite as grim as the StatCounter data above, but directionally consistent.
New company CEO Thorsten Heins said that not much needs to be changed strategically at RIM. He's thus declined to do what Stephen Elop did upon taking over at Nokia: assert radical action was necessary to save the company. As a consequence, unless RIM's next handset is a blockbuster, we're going to see more erosion and a continuing downward spiral.
Confirming what we've seen from a number of data sources in the past several weeks, Flurry Analytics shows how Kindle Fire has become the leading Android tablet in the space of about a month or so. Samsung has vowed to fight back with new devices, but Kindle's Success is about low pricing, content and the strength of the Amazon brand.
Samsung is outmatched when it comes to content and brand strength (at least with US consumers). It also probably can't match Amazon's loss-leader pricing.
Flurry had this to say about the chart below:
On the left, in November, we see that Samsung Galaxy Tab dominated application session usage on Android, with the Kindle Fire only having recently launched. At that time, the Samsung Galaxy Time was widely considered the only viable competition to the iPad, though a distant second. In January, after the holiday boom in devices and in apps, we see that strong adoption of Kindle Fire, combined with significant downloads driven from the Amazon App Store, resulted in a massive surge in session usage that just edges out the Galaxy Tab.
In some ways the Kindle Fire is less an Android tablet than it is an enhanced Kindle eReading device.
Sales estimates of the Kindle Fire, for Q4, now range from under 4 million to 6 million.
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This morning both AT&T and Nokia reported quarterly earnings. AT&T sold 9.4 million smartphones, including 7.6 million iPhones last quarter, but generally missed expectations and posted a loss (partly because of the blocked T-Mobile deal). The company ended the year with 103.2 million mobile subscribers in the US. Verizon earlier this week said that it had 108.7 million subscribers.
Nokia beat the market's low expectations despite announcing a $1.4 billion (€1.07 billion) loss. More importantly the company announced that it had sold more than 1 million Lumia Windows Phones during the quarter in Europe. That was consistent with analysts' projections and has boosted Nokia despite the accelerating decline of its Symbian platform.
Yet data from forecaster Kantar, discussed by Reuters yesterday, reflected that sales of Lumia handsets in all nine markets where the phones are available were "less than 2 percent." Accordingly there's a long climb up the mountain for Nokia to reclaim its former position as a market leader on the back of Microsoft's OS:
Kantar said Microsoft's Windows Phone share in all of the nine key markets it measures remained at less than 2 percent despite the high-profile launch of the Lumia range from Nokia.
Nokia's flagship Lumia 800 model failed to break into top 10 smartphones sold in Britain by the end of the fourth quarter, the researcher said.
Nokia said in November the model was off to an excellent start in Britain, and had seen the best ever first week of Nokia smartphone sales in the UK in recent history.
Microsoft and Nokia have an arrangement where licensing and royalty payments change hands. But basically Microsoft is paying Nokia billions over a period of years to use the Windows Phone OS.
Finally, in the battle over marketshare numbers, Strategy Analytics put out an attention-getting release this morning arguing, "Android Captures Record 39 Percent Share of Global Tablet Shipments in Q4 2011." This conveys the impression that Android tablets have captured substantial marketshare, which is inaccurate.
The chart below suggests that Android tablets sold 10.4 million units -- in part because Apple actually sold 15.4 million iPads.
Kindle Fire, a quasi-Android tablet (quasi because it marginalizes Google and the Android Market), sold perhaps 4 to 4.5 million units. If correct that would constitute nearly half the "shipments" in the chart above. Beyond this Nook, another low-end Android tablet, may have sold quite well in Q4 also. These are the bestselling Android tablets. All others have had negligible sales.
Previously the HP TouchPad was the bestselling non-Apple tablet because it was reduced to $99 by HP to move units.
Let's end talk of "shipments" as a market share metric. Devices "shipped" does not mean devices purchased by consumers. Nor do "shipments" stand as a proxy for purchases, although they do typically in the unique case of Apple devices.
The "shipments vs. sales gap" was most starkly revealed last year specifically in the case of Android tablets (and RIM Playbooks). Millions of units "shipped" but almost none actually "sold" to consumers. Instead they sat on shelves. Effectively then "shipments" is a discredited and invalid metric to measure market share.
Statistically valid consumer survey data would be more reliable as a measure of market penetration.
I've now had my Kindle Fire for about a month. It's the most successful Android tablet on the market (probably to the tune of about 4 million in sales) but much less of an Android tablet than others. As most people know, Amazon operates its own Appstore and users don't have access (w/o an awkward hack) to the Android Market proper.
My grade for device is "B." It's awkward as a web-browsing device. It's really awkward for email; the keyboard is sloppy and there aren't the customary Android alternatives (Swype, FlexT9, Swiftkey). It's good for reading eBooks and watching movies. In general, apps are what redeem its shortcomings as a web-browsing device.
The problem, however, is that not all Android apps are available. Surprise of surprises: Netflix, which competes with Amazon's own video service, is available. But the main New York Times app is not -- presumably because Amazon is selling subscriptions to the Times. I would expect that more Android apps will eventually become available, however.
The following chart was produced by SAI from survey data collected by RBC Capital Markets. It reflects that most people use Kindle Fire as they used the original Kindle: for reading eBooks.
Kindle Fire is an aggressive example of something that was always hypothetically always envisioned for Android: extreme customization by device makers and carriers. To that end, BusinessWeek has an article this morning about Kindle Fire and Chinese versions of Android on mobile handsets, which leave out many of the otherwise pre-installed Google apps:
Amazon.com Inc. and Chinese Internet giants Baidu Inc. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. are using Android as a building block for their devices, skipping preloaded applications such as Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube that generate ad revenue for Google, as well as its app store. Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet, which is gaining ground on Apple Inc.'s iPad, comes with none of those apps.
The article makes the case that if more OEMs follow suit Google will lose revenue, citing a recent Cowen & Company report which estimates that Google makes roughly $7 per Android device sold. However that's not entirely true.
Most of Google's mobile ad revenue is from search -- although mobile display is growing -- and most of Google's query volume is via the browser. It's really only if there's a different "default" search engine on devices that Google will truly suffer. Accordingly, browser-based search is where Google is most vulnerable. However, third party apps that feature ads from Google/AdMob will also continue to money for the company regardless of whether Google-branded apps are on the phone.
Nonetheless, it's a provocative article and interesting to contemplate how many more hardware companies may emulate Amazon. For example, RIM or Nokia could take Android and build UIs that are very customized on top of the software. That's probably something RIM should start doing -- immediately. It would be potentially unique and provide access to the trove of apps that Android Market offers. RIM could even build its own Android appstore like Amazon. Without apps BlackBerry will fail.
Google, for its part, doesn't want to lose control of the Android ecosystem. It has responded to Kindle Fire's challenge by promising an aggressively priced, "highest quality" 7-inch tablet later this year.
Apple reports quarterly earnings today after the US market's close. Speculation about device sales and revenues is feverish. I'm less interested in whether Apple beats expectations than I am in getting a concrete sense of how many iPhones and iPads are in the market. Since earnings are a cat and mouse game in which the financial analysts try to predict sales and revenues and the company tries to surprise it's hard to say what will happen.
Revenues are expected to exceed $40 billion; consensus estimates are about $39 billion. Roughly 30 million iPhones have been sold according to the various estimates. One question mark is iPads. Were sales hurt by the cheaper Kindle Fire? The expectation is somewhere between 13 and 14+ million were sold last quarter. We'll know later today.
Meanwhile over in Windows Phone-land, early sales estimates for the Nokia Lumia line in Europe appear to be promising, with analysts estimating that the company sold more than 1 million phones since launch. Bloomberg averaged the numbers and determined the consensus is that 1.3 million units "shipped":
The Lumia handsets, which went on sale in Europe in November, probably sold 1.3 million units globally to operators and retailers by the end of last year, according to the average estimate of 22 analysts compiled by Bloomberg. The projections range from 800,000 to 2 million and only one analyst predicted sales of fewer than 1 million handsets.
Separately, another source shows that Nokia handsets already dominate Windows Phones that have actually been sold to consumers (vs. shipped). According to data compiled by WMPowerUser, Nokia-made Windows Phones now constitute nearly 50% of the active market.
Finally, as I had predicted early this month, RIM's co-CEOs were ousted or sacrificed to appease investors, who have punished the stock over the past year because of the company's performance and perceived complacency in the face of rapidly declining share. Remarkably, RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins, a company insider, said that no new strategy is required to right the ship:
Mr. Heins has worked at RIM since 2007, most recently as the senior of two chief operating officers. On a conference call Monday, he immediately emphasized that he will mostly follow the path set by his predecessors, co-Chairmen and co-Chief Executives Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis.
He told analysts not to expect "seismic changes" and ruled out splitting up the company. Mr. Heins (pronounced like Heinz ketchup) said he was focused on getting out the company's newest line of phones, to be run off its latest operating system, BlackBerry 10.
RIM and Nokia may turn out to be case studies with opposite outcomes. Nokia, having taken radical action, may turn around and regain momentum (though it's not clear yet). RIM, if Heins merely stays on course, may crash and burn.
RIM's OS and devices aren't competitive with the iPhone and Android at this point. It can no longer rely on the enterprise market and its product line is confused. Developers are also not writing for RIM. It thus needs to embrace the Android ecosystem in one form or another -- probably sooner rather than later.
Indeed, the company doesn't have that much longer to take some dramatic action. But by picking a loyal and apparently complacent insider in Heins RIM may have all but precluded that from happening.
PC sales are slowly eroding -- and mobile seems to blame. One could argue that the economy has taken a toll on PC sales, and that would probably be accurate. But mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) are gaining mindshare and sales at the expense of PCs.
Hardware watchers Gartner and IDC both said that Q4 PC sales fell -- somewhere around 1%. Macroeconomic conditions and component shortages are factors. But the big news is tablets and smartphones. Tablets (iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook) were among the most widely requested and given holiday gifts, to the tunes of millions in sales.
EMarketer rounded up third party data and estimates on iPad and Kindle Fire sales. Hardware tear-down firm iSuppli estimated that Amazon sold 3.9 million Kindle Fire tablets in Q4. Barclay's Capital estimated the number to be 4.5 million. The reality is probably in-between.
Meanwhile iSuppli argues that Apple "shipped" 18.6 million iPads in Q4. Shipped is a bogus metric, but with Apple products sales and shipments are closer than with other OEMs. The iSuppli estimate is probably high, but we'll find out when Apple releases its quarterly revenues on January 24.
Overall, iSuppli argues that global tablet shipments were 65 million units in 2011. Not only are tablets "sexier" but they're typically cheaper than PCs, notwithstanding price erosion in the Wintel PC market. Take a look at charts from Horace Dediu (the first one above via GigaOM), showing the decline of traditional PCs over the past couple of years.
Separately the Yankee Group conducted a US consumer survey (n=15,000), released earlier this year, which features some striking findings:
What that means as a practical matter is that only a small minority are considering another platform. While survey data shouldn't be taken as definitive, they indicate how people are thinking and, by implication, the challenge Microsoft and Nokia's joint marketing efforts face. Windows Phones are nice but struggling to grab mainstream consumer attention and interest.
In terms of tablets, Windows 8-powered tablets won't be out until later this year. Rumor has it that they could be more expensive than some Windows 8 laptops (to be determined). Windows Tablets face the same "outsider" problem that Microsoft confronts in the smartphone market. By offering laptop-tablet hybrids (like the image above), Microsoft might be able to justify a higher price and grab consumer interest.
However the totality of evidence suggests Microsoft is under intensifying pressure with Windows Phones and Windows 8. Indeed, can Windows 8 "bring sexy back" to the PC market?


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First revealed at E3 2010, this trailer for the upcoming Wii-remake of GoldenEye 007 was met with unanimous cheers and applause. High time you took a look at it as well, no?
We detailed the game last week during the big show, but seeing it in action further reveals how developer Eurocom is taking cues from, but not overly relying on the N64 classic. Just from that clip you'll recognize key scenes from Rare's FPS masterpiece (dam jump ftw!) but you'll also notice a gruffer, rougher take on Bond - who's now played by Daniel Craig instead of Brosnan. Activision is keen on avoiding the term "remake," so for the time being think of it as more of a "re-imagining."
Fun fact: developer Eurocom (Hydro Thunder, Sphinx, Dead Space Extraction) has visited the Bond franchise before. And you won't believe why.
Yep, Eurocom developed the NES and SNES game adaptation of James Bond, Jr. Obviously we expect the new game to be much better.
GoldenEye 007 is due this fall, and we'll undoubtedly have more as it becomes available.
ARCHANGEL999 - July 13, 2010 2:43 p.m.
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FearlessRaven - June 24, 2010 1:50 p.m.
Darkwun - June 24, 2010 12:35 p.m.
The_Tingler - June 24, 2010 5:58 a.m.
mcdangles26 - June 24, 2010 2:15 a.m.
initialreactionshow - June 24, 2010 1:53 a.m.
NathanXplosion - June 24, 2010 1:01 a.m.
Cyberninja - June 23, 2010 11:43 p.m.
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Unleash your inner artist at this BYOB painting class, where an instructor will walk you step-by-step through the basics of painting. You'll leave with your own creation to take home. Attendees are welcome to bring their own wine, snacks or beverage of choice to enjoy during the class.
DETAILS >> 6 p.m. Thursday, June 6. Party with Paint, 4805 E. Falcon Dr., Mesa. $24-$35. (480) 309-0007 or PartyWithPaint.com.


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Inside front cover. Promo for All-Adventure #1.
This story was originally printed after the story reprinted in Terry & the Pirates #3, so it's out of order.
Bottom half of last page is blank.
Inside back cover. Ad for The Jack Kirby Collector #20 and Comic Book Artist #1. Also includes mail-in coupon for ordering back issues of The Jack Kirby Collector #13-19.


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Malloy delivers $226M in state bonding to Stamford so far
Home city getting generous treatment from governor
|Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy
HARTFORD -- Gov. Dannel P. Malloy appears to be on pace to outstrip his most generous predecessor in sending bonding bucks back home.
Through April, the former mayor of Stamford has channeled nearly $226 million through the State Bond Commission to Stamford, the Fairfield County city he led for 14 years. This includes $118.2 million for state and city public works projects; $91.6 million for business assistance deals; $15.9 million for housing; and $69,500 for a fire sprinkler system for a nonprofit home for troubled boys.
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Sandy Socks wrote on May 12, 2013 12:59 AM:
For example: Could Rowland have used that $46 million interest free loan in 2001 to lure USB to Waterbury instead of Stamford?
I mean the overwhelming amount of regular bloggers here appear to be very down on Waterbury. "
GAS wrote on May 12, 2013 8:41 AM:
Rob M wrote on May 12, 2013 10:37 AM:
Sandy Socks wrote on May 12, 2013 11:18 AM:
Bonding is borrowing whether its done in 2010, 2000 or 1980.
The government doesn't have the money to do what it wants so it finances it through borrowing (bonding) just like an individual will when buying a car.
Questions should be, "Does the money go to the most likely to be successful or the area that needs it most?"
"Will the money stay in the area or benefit out of state interests?
And of course, "Is the money going to be used to reward political supporters or benefit the general public?"
For example: Bonding to build a state vocational High School helps in the short run (Jobs) and long run ( an improved educated specialized work force)
Bonding for a bus way is certainly questionable. "
Sandy Socks wrote on May 12, 2013 11:22 AM:
"GOVERNORS CONTROL the bond commission. They determine what funding requests get considered. An item's inclusion on a commission agenda is tantamount to approval."
It shows the power of the state's governor and how one could use bonding to influence votes on non-related issues.
I never knew that. "
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There's a lot of excitement surrounding Google's next adventure - Android Wear. An Android operating system designed specifically for smartwatches looks set to revolutionise the wearable technology world, and for good reason too. Here are ten features we can expect on the Android Wear smartwatches, the first of which being the LG G Watch and the Motorola Moto 360.
Much like the Nexus 5 on Android 4.4 KitKat, Android Wear will offer the Google Now hands-free capability. Simply say "Ok Google" and the browser will open to start your search. Questions like "where is the nearest petrol station?" or "How tall is Mount Everest" will be responded to with a handy information card or Google map with all the info you need to know on it.
If you get a text through to your Android Wear-powered smartphone, you'll be able to talk to reply to it. If talking is not convenient, pre-set answers will be available to send off at a quick click.
In Google's promo video, we see a cyclist opening her garage door by asking her Android Wear smartwatch to do so. Google acquired Nest Labs this year, which makes hardware for the home, so the possibilities could soon be endless.
Of course, with Google Now, all your search and travel history is used to pre-emptively provide you with the right information you need when you need it. Getting close to the time you need to leave for work? Google Now will remind you, and tell you what the traffic is like.
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What does SCD mean in Geology?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand SCD in the Academic & Science field in general and in the Geology terminology in particular.
Silver Creek Division
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- Doctor of Science, DS, ScD(noun)
- an honorary degree in science
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SCD also stands for:
- Microsoft Schedule+ 7.x Contacts
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- SCODL Scan Conversion Object Description Language
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text: Fresh off spending an evening at the Oscars with family and long-distance friends (thanks to the wonders of television and Facebook), I just happened to notice where your favorite film producers' (ahem, that's me, in case you've forgotten) fund-raising kitty for the film All That Remains is sitting. It being Lent, the season for almsgiving mind you, a kind soul has taken the opportunity to show the project some mercy in the form of a $2,000 donation. Anonymously. [Read more...]


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Search Tags: Telework Improvements Act of 2009
House to vote on telework bill Thursday
Lawmakers are expected to consider a bill to expand teleworking in the federal government. Maryland Congressman John Sarbanes tells Federal News Radio his legislation enjoys wide bipartisan support, and is expected to pass easily in the House later today.
Tags: management , Pay&benefits , telework , John Sarbanes , Gerry Connolly , Frank Wolf , House of Representatives , Max Cacas
Round two for telework bill
Having failed to gain passage in late May, Maryland Congressman John Sarbanes is predicting success this time for his bill to expand teleworking in the federal government. Sarbanes' bill could be considered by the full House as early as Wednesday.
Tags: Max Cacas , management , pay and benefits , telework , John Sarbanes , House of Representatives
House rejects telework bill
The House on Thursday voted down HR 1722, the Telework Improvements Act. It would have greatly expand the ability of federal workers to telework. The bill failed because the measure failed to win a two-thirds majority of the lawmakers voting.
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Websites that stream licensed anime that do not hold the distribution rights here in North America are a violation of US and International Copyright law. Since Animeonline's servers are located in the US and as such, are bound by US Law, it is Animeonline's policy that we do not talk about or link to these kinds of sites.
Sites like those are why companies like ADV go out of business because of lost profit and sales.


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|King James Version (KJV)
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|71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
|71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us--
|The King James Version is in the public domain. (The King James Bible Version Online)
|Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online)


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Editor's Note: Our colleagues upstairs at Nieman Reports are out with their Summer 2012 issue, "Truth in the Age of Social Media," which focuses on issues like verification, crowdsourcing, and citizen journalism. Over the past few days, we've been giving you a glimpse at some of their stories — but make sure to read the issue in full. In this piece, Craig Silverman explores the complexity of verifying content in real time, and across multiple platforms.
In a handbook for aspiring journalists published in 1894, Edwin L. Shuman shared what he called one of the "most valuable secrets of the profession at its present stage of development."
He revealed that it was standard practice for reporters to invent a few details, provided the made-up facts were nonessential to the overall story. "Truth in essentials, imagination in nonessentials, is considered a legitimate rule of action in every office," he wrote. "The paramount object is to make an interesting story."
It was easy for a reporter of the time to get away with a few, or even a bushel of, inventions. Information was scarce and could take days or weeks to make its way to the public sphere. The telephone was not yet widely in use, and the first transatlantic wireless transmission was years away. The early mass-market Kodak Brownie camera was close to a decade from release. The machinery of publishing and distribution was in the hands of a few.
If a reporter wanted to fudge a few details to make his story a little more colorful, well, chances are no one would notice or call him on it. Shuman's advice is objectionable, but something about it — and the information and reporting environment in which it was offered — seems quaint and charming by today's standards.
It also highlights how much things have changed when it comes to accuracy and verification.
Image of fail whale by Brent Payne used under a Creative Commons license.
|Here's some remarkable new data on the power of chat apps like WhatsApp for sharing news stories
At least in certain contexts, WhatsApp is a truly major traffic driver — bigger even than Facebook. Should there be a WhatsApp button on your news site?
|What's the right news experience on a phone? Stacy-Marie Ishmael and BuzzFeed are trying to figure it out
"Nobody has to read you. You have to earn that. You have to respect people's attention."
|Come work for Nieman Lab
We have an opening for a staff writer in our Cambridge newsroom.


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New! Platypus Big Zip SL 2.0-Liter Reservoir
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Blaze Cues BLGFSW Model VR-5 Pool Cue
Product Description
Model VR-5 Pool Cue
- Forearm is a gray-stained Birdseye maple
- Four ebony points inlaid with ivory-colored swords and rams head scrolls
- Wraps on this cue and the ivory colored butt cap are set off by five-layer rings
- Outer two layers are thick and white, the center layer is thin white, and the alternating layers are thin black
- Wraps are a double-pressed and waxed Irish linen, giving them a leather-like look and feel
- Ebony butt sleeve is inlaid with the same swords and scrolls as the points on the forearm
- Stainless steel joint is bracketed by silver rings
- Utilizes a 5/16 x 14 joint pin
- Shaft is a white, high-grade hard rock maple with a pro taper
- Ferrule is a linen fibre one
- Fitted with a Le Pro tip
- Includes joint protectors
|1.13 - 1.31 Pounds
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ICT and business process outsourcing in the UK public sector, 2010-2015
- Language: English
- 62 Pages
- Published: February 2013
- Region: Great Britain, United Kingdom
It is six months since we last revised our forecasts for the UK criminal justice software and IT services market. This report reviews those forecasts and the assumptions on which they are based, reflecting any changes to our forecasts from 2009 onwards.
Executive summary
In a nutshell
Ovum view
Key messages
Market size and forecasts
Our forecasts
Review of 2008
Growth as forecast for 2008
Delay to signing of PND contract
Existing suppliers benefit from MoJ spend
Little 'new money' from Metropolitan Police frameworks
Very few local police contracts
Some success in regional policing
Recent contract signings
Forecast analysis for 2009 onwards
Market worth £756 million by 2013
Barriers to growth
Budgetary pressures to hit criminal justice organisations
Contract renegotiations expected at renewal
Few major programmes/projects on the horizon
Continued uncertainty regarding direction of police ICT
Nervousness over sensitive data and the impact of IT
Drivers of growth
New revenue from PND contract and HOLMES 2020
Joined-up justice agenda continues, albeit more quietly
Implementation of pan-MoJ IT strategy
Metropolitan Police Service spend likely to grow
Regional units present some opportunities
Push to shared services is likely as budgetary pressures increase
Uncertainty for police IT will diminish in the medium term
Criminal justice sector market by activity
Market by activity in 2008
Forecasts by S/ITS activity
Business processing market
Infrastructure services
Application-led outsourcing
Project services
Market definitions
Defining the market
Public sector S/ITS
List of Tables
Table 1: Criminal justice S/ITS market size and growth data
Table 2: Selected ICT contracts let within UK criminal justice sector (April 2008-April 2009)
Table 3: Criminal justice resource department expenditure limit (RDEL) 2008/2009
Table 4: Ministry of Justice 'value for money' savings CSR07
Table 5: CJS proposals, pilots and projects for 2009/10
Table 6: Criminal Justice S/ITS market size and forecasts by activity
Table 7: Criminal justice S/ITS market growth by activity
List of Figures
Figure 1: Criminal justice sector S/ITS market size and growth
Figure 2: Criminal justice S/ITS market by activity (2008)
Figure 3: Criminal justice S/ITS market growth by activity


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Introducing Poland
Chic medieval hot spots like Kraków and Gdańsk vie with energetic Warsaw for your urban attention. Outside the cities, woods, rivers, lakes and hills beckon for some fresh-air fun.
A Thousand Years
Poland's roots go back to the turn of the first millennium, leaving a thousand years of twists and turns and kings and castles to explore. History buffs of the WWII vintage are well served. Tragically, Poland found itself in the middle of that epic fight, and monuments and museums dedicated to its battles – and to Poland's remarkable survival – can be seen everywhere. There's a growing appreciation, too, of the country's rich Jewish heritage. Beyond the deeply affecting Holocaust memorials, synagogues are being sensitively restored, and former Jewish centres such as Łódź and Lublin have set up heritage trails so you can trace this history at your own pace.
Castles to Log Cabins
The former royal capital of Kraków is a living lab of architecture over the ages. Its nearly perfectly preserved Gothic core proudly wears overlays of Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau, a record of tastes that evolved over the centuries. Fabulous medieval castles and evocative ruins dot hilltops elsewhere in the country, and the fantastic red-brick fortresses of the Teutonic Knights stand proudly in the north along the Vistula. At the other extreme, simple but finely crafted wooden churches hide amid the Carpathian hills, and the ample skills of the country's highlanders are on display at the region's many skansens (open-air ethnographic museums).
Heart-Warming Food
If you're partial to good home cooking, the way your grandmother used to make it, you've come to the right place. Polish food is based largely on local ingredients like pork, cabbage, mushroom, beetroot and onion, combined simply and honed to perfection. Regional specialities like duck, goose, herring and even bison keep things from getting dull. As for sweets, it's hard to imagine a more accommodating destination. Cream cakes, apple strudel, pancakes, fruit-filled dumplings and a special national mania for lody (ice cream) may have you skipping the main course and jumping straight to the main event.
Fresh-Air Pursuits
Away from the big cities, much of Poland feels remote and unspoiled. While large swathes of the country are flat, the southern border is lined with a chain of low-lying but lovely mountains that invite days if not weeks of splendid solitude. Well-marked hiking paths criss-cross the country, taking you through dense forest, along broad rivers and through mountain passes. Much of the northeast is covered by interlinked lakes and waterways that are ideal for kayaking and canoeing – no experience necessary. Local outfitters are happy to set you up for a couple of hours or weeks.
Lajkonik Festival: guide to celebrating folklore in Krakow, Poland
'Kościół Mariacki w Krakowie' by Klearchos Kapoutsis. Creative Commons Attribution Location: Rynek Glówny, Krakow, Poland Date: Thursday after Corpus Christi. 6 June 2013; 26 June 2014; 11 June 2015...
Forget the Med: five stunning stretches of coast in northern Europe
Travellers flock to the Mediterranean shores of Italy, France and Spain, but for deliciously different places to dip your toes, look a little further north on your map of Europe...


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With the Razors Cult Fabio Enes Pro Aggressive Skates, Fabio Enes represents his native home of Brazil. The basis of many bestsellers such as the Shima 1 and 2, the Cult series of skates were the choice of many pros because of its slim shape, light weight and tight fit which gives you perfect control over the skate. Features a re-designed liner with excellent heel support, replaceable soulframes and a perfectly positioned groove in the backslide plate, these skates are ready to go right out-of-the-box. The Fabio Pro comes with Ground Control Featherlite 2 frames, BHC Fabio Enes Pro 56mm 88A wheels, ABEC 5 bearings, and alternating green and yellow anti-rockers.
- Model Year: 2013
- Model Number: 10-CLTF
- Type: Aggressive Skates for Street, Park or Vert
- Level: Designed for Beginner - Intermediate
- Fit Guidelines: Average Width
- Sizing Guidelines: Razor skates run about 1/2 size small. Shell sizes run in size ranges (6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13) so it easy to size up or down if staying in same shell range.
- Boots:
- Razors Cult
- With Fabio Enes Pro Cuff and Boot decals
- Liners:
- Comfortable Padded Cult Street Liners
- Green and yellow Fabio Enes Pro colors
- Articulated Ankle Area
- Frames / Grind Areas:
- Ground Control Featherlite 2 Frames
- Perfectly Grooved Backslide Plates
- Replaceable Soulframes
- Wheels and Bearings:
- ABEC5 Bearings
- BHC Fabio Enes Pro 57mm 88A wheels
- Misprint on the wheels can be misleading (they read 57mm 98mm)
- 42mm Anti-Rocker Wheels with Aluminum Spacers
- One green and one yellow per frame
- Weight:
- Approximately 4lbs per skate w/frames, wheels and bearings (US size 7.0)
Razors Complete Skate Packages
Razors takes it to another level with the new version of the tried-and-true SL boots, released as Razors Yuri Bothello Pro 2 SL Aggressive Skates.
Razors takes it back to the beginning with Razors Genesys G10 LE Aggressive Skates, featuring the same quality skate that has been Razors most popular skate model, and one of the industry's top selling skate models.
Still the only boot to offer a baseless design, the Razors SL2 Aggressive Skates have been enjoyed since the initial inception of the SL boot back in 2008. The baseless design adds more contact when grinding, improves the skater's center of gravity, and reduces the weight considerably.
Sizes Available: 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 10.5, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0
The Razors SL model design has been a Pro skate design since it was released in 2008 as the Aragon2, and here we have the same SL skates in a non-Pro, all black skate, appropriately named the Razors SL1 Skates. The Razors SuperLight (SL) base is matched with a shell made from a special compound to provide the right balance between support and durability over long periods of time. This boot comes stuffed with the streamlined Razors liners that provide a great fit, removable tongue insert for adjustable support and JUG Heel Pads add excellent comfort and shock reduction. Ground Control Featherlite 2 frames with Razors 57mm/90A wheels complete this skate.
Sizes Available: 8.0, 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0
The Razors Cult Street Skates Blue are the latest model of Razors' most popular skate design, which has been enjoying a renewed popularity among aggressive skaters.
Sizes Available: 6.0
Made for up and coming roll-groms, the Razor Genesys Junior Adjustable Aggressive Kid's Skates feature Ground Control anti-rockered frames, replaceable backslide plate and adjustable to four sizes. Improvements on the liner, heel support and buckles are new for this 2014 release and help beginner skaters adjust to the rigorous demands of aggressive skating. Perfect for your junior steez-monster.
Sizes Available: Adjustable Kids Skates


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Currently viewing the tag: "interior decorating"
The Three Best Options For Stylish Lighting In Your Home
By Admin On July 29, 2010 · In Home Improvement
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Whenever you want to get stylish lighting for your house, no matter what your goals, you need advice, tips and hints, and pointers to assist you. Once you understand the "do's" and also the "don't's", it assists enormously in reaching your goals. You will find three significant guidelines to help you, presented on this page. Try this advice and you'll make certain of getting enhanced outcomes.
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National Jersey Queen Program
Applications for the 2014 National Jersey Queen Contest, held in conjunction with The All American Jersey Show & Sale, must be received in the AJCA office on or before Wednesday, October 15.
Form: Word document
Participants must be no younger than 16 years of age, and not older than 22, as of January 1, 2014. Membership in the American Jersey Cattle Association, junior or lifetime, is required.
In addition to the above, you must meet one of the following requirements: (1) be the Queen, Princess or member of the state association court for the current year in your state of residence; (2) be a regional Jersey queen for the current year; (4) have been a former state or regional Jersey queen; (4) are currently or have been an alternate in the National Jersey Queen Court; or (5) be an exhibitor in the 2014 All American Junior Jersey Show or Western National Junior Jersey Show. Previous National Jersey Queens are not eligible.
National Jersey Queen and the alternates are expected to demonstrate
current knowledge of the Jersey breed and the American dairy industry. All
participants must complete the enclosed application to enter the contest,
which must be received in the
AJCA office on or before October 15. On this application, you
must clearly indicate your involvement in the Jersey breed through your
personal activities and participation in state and national organizations
(such as the state Jersey association, 4-H, FFA and so forth). If you are
involved in more than one breed, you must show clearly that Jerseys are
your top priority.
All participants
are required to attend and assist with these functions:
If selected
as National Jersey Queen or as one of the two alternates, you must attend
The National Jersey Queen is encouraged to attend other events throughout the year, including the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings, the Western National, and/or World Dairy Expo. Funding for approved activities is provided by the Charlene Nardone National Jersey Queen Fund.
Attendance at other local or state events throughout the year is optional, and must be coordinated by the Queen in advance with event organizers. However, financial support is not provided by the AJCA.
Contest Procedures
are four elements in the judging.
The conclusion of the National Jersey Queen Contest will be incorporated into the Junior Banquet program. You will sit together for dinner at reserved tables in the front of the banquet hall.
Immediately following dinner, you will be escorted to the stage in order to briefly (no more than 30 seconds) introduce yourself (state your name, where you are from, and tell about your involvement with Jerseys, etc.). The judges may consider this introduction in their deliberations leading to selection of the top five participants. Finalists will return to the stage to answer an impromptu question selected by the judging panel. The judges will then retire to make their decision.
national Jersey youth awards and scholarships will then be presented,
followed by the concluding announcement of the Queen and court.
Immediately following the banquet, a reception will be held recognizing
all junior winners.
dress is appropriate during the banquet. Full-length formal dresses are
not required and will be neither rewarded nor penalized in the judging.
will assist with handing out the awards during Saturday's All American
Junior Show. For the Jersey Jug Futurity, you will distribute the programs
before the show begins, and distribute and collect entry forms in the
Railbird Judging Contest. Members of the Jersey Jug Committee will provide
instructions on Sunday morning.
If you have any questions about the contest, contact Dr. Cherie L. Bayer, Director of Development, at 614/322-4456.
Headquarters Hotel
Interviews will be conducted at the AJCA's headquarters hotel for The All American Jersey Shows & Sales, the Hilton Garden Inn Louisville Airport, adjacent to fairgrounds at Gate 4. Mention the Jersey association (reservation code AJC) when making room reservations: 502/637-2424. Make reservations early.


text:
Long season ahead for spring allergy sufferers
AccuWeather.com reports after a winter of heavy snow and below-normal cold for the East, the seasonal end of icy chills and piles of snow may be a welcomed break to some. For seasonal allergy sufferers, however, the warmer weather of spring will bring some serious discomfort along with it.
Because of their climates, the Northeast and the Southeast are hit the hardest by spring allergies. Allergist Neil Kao, M.D., explained that spring allergies are primarily triggered by tree pollens and mold, and conditions in the eastern half of the country allow for these particles to be especially prolific.
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- Officials: Bus corridor on schedule


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Rookie wide receiver Mike Evans missed a good portion of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offseason program due to a hamstring injury. While Evans has made a solid impression during training camp, wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker said the first-year receiver out of Texas A&M is still catching up.
"Any time that you lose, you don't get it back," Hayes-Stoker said on ESPN.com. "But he is progressing."
Evans has taken reps with the first team, but Hayes-Stoker said he is bringing the first-round draft pick along slowly.
"We're trying to be smart," Hayes-Stoker said. "Obviously, he had the hamstring and we don't want to be foolish there. But you see the strength, you see the play-making ability. And he's still got things to do as a pro.
"You got to approach the game in your off time the same way," he added. "Every guy has a different struggle, whether it's physical, whether it's mental, whether it's discipline, whether it's focus — everybody in this game has something they have to overcome."
The Bucs plan to take advantage of Evans' outstanding height and length. At 6'5" and 231 pounds, Evans, who has reliable hands and is strong after the catch, figures to be a big part of the offense.
"His physical gifts are there a lot of times," Hayes-Stoker said. "He's 20 years old. He's young; (He's) been in college, from a college spread-type offense. To learn to be a pro from a guy like (veteran receiver) Vincent Jackson is invaluable. I think he's in the right environment. I think it's the perfect team for him to foster and really grow. To stick his roots deep in the ground I really think it's the perfect place for him."
Seeing your team play in the SuperBowl is priceless. Watching the SuperBowl live in the stands for $1 per week is beyond priceless. Find out how at TicketScore.com, the future of Championship Tickets.
Tags: Andrew Hayes-Stoker, Football, Mike Evans, NFL, Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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- Buccaneers Showcase Offense in Night Practice at Raymond James Stadium
- Start of Training Camp 'An Exciting Time,' Says Buccaneers Head Coach Lovie Smith
Short URL: http://sport-ne.ws/1e9u


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Lady Gaga Fans at US Airways Center
By Melissa Fossum
The Evolution of the Metal Stage Show and the End of...
By Lauren Wise
By New Times
The Story of Kalliope, Phoenix's Extraordinary Party Car
By Amanda Savage
By Jason P. Woodbury
How a Single Tweet Launched A Cloud for Climbing
By Troy Farah
By New Times
With a revived Camper Van Beethoven in the works, you'd think that Cracker is getting the short end of the microphone stand. But Lowery doesn't seem concerned.
"Since [1996's] The Golden Age, Cracker has really drifted back into the same territory that Camper was in," he explains. "We started trying to be even more eclectic. I feel like Cracker has developed its own mélange-of-music approach now, like Camper had.
"I automatically go into a different role with Camper because there are so many long, instrumental sections," he says a few moments later. "Because there's a lot of call and response, I try to stay on the side of the stage, so we're flat across the front in Camper, whereas in Cracker I'm in the middle. Maybe that's part of the method acting: I feel like I have a different personality onstage." He uses another metaphor to drive home his point: "One band's alcohol and one's pot."
Maybe the unexpected success in the past couple of pointed volleys like Bowling for Columbine is a renewed sign that we need to go back in order to go forward. If people in the 1980s could resist the overwhelming popularity of Ronald Reagan enough to make the Iran-contra hearings happen, and if they could turn the synthesized atrocities of Van Halen into inspiration for a musical subculture with attitude and hope, perhaps this generation can do the same. But we'd be a lot better off listening to bands like Camper Van Beethoven than going to '80s night at the strip-mall dance club in channeling the era's rebel glory.
Yup, irony truly is a dangerous business.
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In a strike against multiculturalism, David Cameron, in his first address on terrorism as prime minister, has derided the "passive tolerance" toward certain Muslim groups and demanded a return to a more "muscular liberalism" and a stronger national identity.
Of course such a position assumes that multiculturalism actually promotes tolerance of different groups, which is certainly a questionable claim due to the high levels of racism and xenophobia during the "state multiculturalism" of the past. —JCL
The BBC:
David Cameron has criticised "state multiculturalism" in his first speech as prime minister on radicalisation and the causes of terrorism.
At a security conference in Munich, he argued the UK needed a stronger national identity to prevent people turning to all kinds of extremism.
He also signalled a tougher stance on groups promoting Islamist extremism.
The speech angered some Muslim groups, while others queried its timing amid an English Defence League rally in the UK.
Prime Minister David Cameron, shown here with a certain degree of artistic license, wants to reinforce a strong national identity in the U.K.
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A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion Zuade Kaufman, Publisher Robert Scheer, Editor-in-Chief
© 2014 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.


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CCFA Support Group: Tampa, FL
Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library
(813) 258.3027
Meets: 2nd Wednesday of the month, Monthly, 6:30pm - 8:00 pm
Support group for IBD patients in the Tampa area. Starting in July 2014, meetings will be held monthly on second Wednesday of every month from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm.
Facebook page: Tampa Support Group
Group Facilitators:
Eugene Lisansky (Phone: 727-576-7242; Email: email@example.com)
David Schumacher (Phone: 813-258-3027; Email: firstname.lastname@example.com)