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Heidi Roizen is a managing director for Mobius Venture Capital. She joined the fund in April 1999. Ms. Roizen serves as a director of AuctionDrop, Ecast, InStoreCard, MessageCast, Perpetual Entertainment, Planitax, and
Reactrix. She is also a board member of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). Her notable prior board service includes Great Plains Software, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2001. Prior to joining Mobius Venture Capital, Ms.
Roizen was a consultant to numerous technology companies, including Microsoft, Intel and Compaq. From 1996 to 1997, she was vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations for Apple Computer. Before joining Apple Computer, Ms. Roizen
served for 13 years as CEO of T/Maker Company, a successful software developer and publisher. She is a past president of the Software Publishers Association and has served as a public governor of the Pacific Exchange. Ms. Roizen has been
recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the microcomputer industry by MicroTimes, Personal Computing Magazine and Upside Magazine. Ms. Roizen has a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Vinod grew up dreaming of being an entrepreneur. He was raised in an Indian Army household with no business or technology connections. When, at age 16, he first heard about Intel, he dreamt of starting his own technology
company. Upon graduating with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, he tried to start a soy milk company to service the many people in India who did not have refrigerators. He then came to
the US and got his Masters in Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon University. His startup dreams attracted him to Silicon Valley where he got an MBA at Stanford University in 1980. In 1982, Khosla started Sun Microsystems to build
workstations for software developers. At Sun he pioneered "open systems" and RISC processors. Sun was funded by long time friend and board member John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. In 1986 he switched sides and joined
Kleiner Perkins where he was a general partner. There, he worked with Nexgen/AMD, Juniper, Excite, and many other ventures. In 2004, Khosla formed Khosla Ventures. Khosla Ventures offers venture assistance, strategic advice and capital to
entrepreneurs. The firm helps entrepreneurs extend the potential of their ideas in both traditional venture areas like the Internet, computing, mobile, and silicon technology arenas but also supports breakthrough scientific work in clean
technology areas such as bio-refineries for energy and bioplastics, solar, battery and other environmentally friendly technologies.
Kim Smith is co-founder and CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund, which she established in 1998 to transform public education by supporting education entrepreneurs. In NewSchools, Kim created a new "hybrid" approach to
investing in social entrepreneurs. NewSchools uses grants, loans and equity investments to support a portfolio that includes nonprofit and for-profit entrepreneurs who are building sustainable, scalable education ventures. Kim began her
career as a consultant specializing in business-education partnerships. In 1989, she became a founding team member of Teach For America (TFA). She then put her TFA experience to work in the post of founding director of BAYAC AmeriCorps, a
consortium of nonprofits in the San Francisco Bay Area working to develop young leaders in education. Kim's background includes marketing experience with Silicon Graphics' Education Industry Group, where she focused on the online learning
industry, and her role as the founding director of a trade show venture. Kim holds a bachelor's degree in political science and psychology from Columbia College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2001, Kim was
featured in Newsweek's report on the "Women of the 21st Century" as "the kind of woman who will shape America's new century." She is a member of the 2002 Class of Henry Crown Fellows of the Aspen Institute. Kim has also served on many
education venture and advisory boards; these currently include EdVoice, the National Council on Teacher Quality, and the Stanford University School of Education.
Steve Jurvetson is a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. He was the founding VC investor in Hotmail, Interwoven, and Kana. He also led the firm's investments in Tradex and Cyras (acquired by Ariba and Ciena for
$8 billion), and most recently, in pioneering companies in nanotechnology and molecular electronics. Previously, Jurvetson was an R&D Engineer at Hewlett-Packard, where seven of his communications chip designs were fabricated. His
prior technical experience also includes programming, materials science research (TEM atomic imaging of GaAs), and computer design at HP's PC Division, the Center for Materials Research, and Mostek. He has also worked in product marketing
at Apple and NeXT Software. As a consultant with Bain & Company, Jurvetson developed executive marketing, sales, engineering and business strategies for a wide range of companies in the software, networking, and semiconductor
industries. At Stanford University, he finished his BSEE in 2.5 years and graduated #1 in his class as the Henry Ford Scholar. Jurvetson also holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. He received his MBA from the Stanford
Business School, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. Jurvetson also serves on the Merrill Lynch and STVP Advisory Boards and is Co-Chair of the NanoBusiness Alliance. He was honored as "The Valley's Sharpest VC" on the cover of
Business 2.0 and chosen by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Examiner as one of, "The ten people expected to have the greatest impact on the Bay Area in the early part of the 21st
Century." He was profiled in the New York Times Magazine and also featured on the cover of Worth and Fortune magazines. Jurvetson was chosen by Forbes as one of
"Tech's Best Venture Investors"; by the VC Journal as one of the "Ten Most Influential VCs"; and by Fortune as part of their "Brain Tr
As Senior Vice President of Hardware, Matt Hershenson brings a wealth of experience to Danger. He is responsible for Danger's hardware engineering, development and design efforts. Before co-founding Danger, Matt managed
the hardware group at Mainbrace Corporation, a Windows CE systems integrator. Prior to Mainbrace Corporation, Matt served in various roles at Philips Electronics. During his tenure with the Philips Mobile Computing Group, he was
responsible for the hardware of the Velo-1 handheld PC, one of the first Windows CE devices. While at Philips Semiconductors, Matt served as a systems architect, where he played an integral role in the design of numerous consumer handheld
devices, including the Sharp Mobilon, Philips Nino, and the Compaq C-series. Before Philips, Matt was a hardware engineer with Catapult Entertainment, since acquired by Hearme. He was part of the team that turned the vision of multi-player
gaming over the Internet into a reality. He handled all aspects of product development and design for the XBAND Video Game Modem. Matt also played a key role in the product development and design of the Apple Powerbook 150, then Apple's
most affordable PowerBook computer. Matt also co-founded MOTO Development Group, a product design consultancy firm specializing in product development. MOTO aided in the design of many technical products, such as remote controls for Apple
Interactive TV.
Ann Winblad is the co-founding Partner of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. She is a well-known and respected software industry entrepreneur and technology leader. Her background and experience have been chronicled in
many national business and trade publications. Ann has over 25 years of experience in the software industry. She began her career as a systems programmer at the Federal Reserve Bank. In 1976 Ann co-founded Open Systems, Inc., a top selling
accounting software company, with a $500 investment. She operated Open Systems profitably for six years and then sold it for over $15 million. Prior to co-founding Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Ann served as a strategy consultant for
prestigious clients such as IBM, Microsoft, Price Waterhouse, and numerous start-ups. In addition, Ann has co-authored the book Object-Oriented Software and has written articles for numerous publications. Ann received a BA in mathematics
and in business administration, as well as an MA in education and international economics from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. Ann also has an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of St. Thomas. Ann has served
as a Director of start-up and public companies and currently serves as a director of Intacct, The Knot, Voltage Security, Krillion and Mulesource. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of St. Thomas and is an
advisor to numerous entrepreneur groups.
Before co-founding Fluidigm, as Mycometrix, Mr. Worthington held a variety of engineering, operations and marketing positions at Actel Corporation, which designs, develops and markets field programmable gate arrays
(FPGAs) and associated design and development software and programming hardware. Mr. Worthington served in several departments during his tenure at Actel, including product engineering, R&D engineering management, program management,
product planning, and strategic marketing. His last position at Actel was Director, Strategic Marketing and Product Planning. Mr. Worthington received his undergraduate degree in Physics and a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from
Stanford University.
Fern Mandelbaum, is a Partner at Monitor Venture Partners. Ms. Mandelbaum is an entrepreneur and CEO who specializes in creating and growing technology focused businesses. Since 1998, Ms. Mandelbaum has worked with CEO's
helping them develop and refine their business concepts, recruit management teams, key advisors and board members, implement fund raising strategies and establish strategic alliances. Her portfolio includes: New Vine Logistics,
CaseCentral, Informative, NapaStyle, WetFeet, Care2, and LiveAdvice (merged with Keen). She has worked with, and secured funding for her companies from many of the leading venture capital firms, including: Mohr Davidow; ATV;
Kleiner-Perkins; Draper Fisher Jurvetson; ThomVest; and Carlyle Ventures. Between 1991 and 1998, Ms. Mandelbaum was co-founder and CEO of Skyline Products, one of the premier toy invention firms that was sold to IDEO Product Development,
the largest design firm in the U.S., in 1998. Skyline achieved annual growth in excess of 200%, becoming one of the top toy invention firms in the U.S. She was responsible for all marketing, business development, financial, legal, and
strategic planning aspects of the company, and licensed over 80 products to 50 companies during her tenure. Between 1988 and 1991, Ms. Mandelbaum was a General Manager at Metcal. She created and managed a division to develop and
commercialize foodservice equipment incorporating Metcal's proprietary heating technology. Prior to, and while, attending business school, Ms. Mandelbaum worked at Bain and Company, SRI International as a research analyst in the financial
industries center, Hewlett Packard, creating the used equipment vendor program, and the Kyoto Shinyo Kinko, managing the initial stages of a new product introduction. Ms. Mandelbaum received her M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of
Business in 1988 and her B.A. in Economics from Brown University in 19
Guy Kawasaki is a founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures. Prior to this position, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. and sits on the board of BitPass Inc. A noted speaker and the founder
of various personal computer companies, Guy was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer. He is also the author of eight books including Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy,
Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. Guy holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a M.B.A. from UCLA, as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.
Randy Adams conceived the idea for AuctionDrop in 2002. He took his idea to Silicon Valley veterans Bill Rollinson and Andy Jeffrey, founding the business together later that year. Best described as a 'serial
entrepreneur', Randy Adams has more than 25 years of experience in consumer technology. He has successfully founded and sold numerous companies including Emerald City Software, acquired by Adobe Systems; the Internet Shopping Network,
acquired by the Home Shopping Network; Navitel Communications, acquired by Spyglass, Inc.; and Newsnet Technologies, Inc., currently under contract with Microsoft to develop specialized renditions of popular magazines for the Tablet PC.
Through the years he has assisted many other entrepreneurs in their efforts to secure funding and build their companies. Most notably, he facilitated the initial funding of Yahoo by Sequoia Capital and served on the Board of Directors of
Yahoo during its first year of operation. Randy received his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Electrical Engineering.
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Yes, We Should Keep Talking about Our Gun Laws
When an event like the mass shooting in Colorado happens, it's a fair bet that people on every side will take the opportunity to say, "See? This just reinforces what we've been telling you all along." But that's easier for some than others. I looked around some conservative web sites today to see what their reaction was, and much of it ran to this: Awful liberals are going to use this to push their anti-gun agenda, and they should be ashamed of themselves (see here or here). But is there really anything wrong with taking the events that occur in our country, even horrible ones, and making the connections to our policy and political choices? Isn't that what people who write about politics are supposed to do?
Obviously, making those connections can be done in ways that are crass and inappropriate. But so can a discussion about anything. You can say we should talk about something else out of respect for the victims and their families, but the idea that the families' grief might be lessened one iota if we refrained from discussing gun laws for a week or two is beyond ridiculous.
So here goes. This horrifying event demonstrates, as though we needed any demonstration, how removed from reality so many gun advocates are. When they push laws to allow gun owners to take their weapons anywhere and everywhere, they often paint a picture of a nation of skilled crime-stoppers, ready at a moment's notice to cut down that psychopath before he has a chance to draw his weapon. But this is an absurd fantasy. Colorado is a state with lots and lots of gun owners, and it has a concealed-carry law that allows you to get a permit without too much trouble. We don't know if anyone else in the theater had a gun on them, but even if they had, it probably wouldn't have mattered. Lots of gun owners imagine themselves to be some kind of Jack Bauer figure, who will see an event play out in slow motion while he calmly draws his weapon and delivers one perfectly aimed shot to save all the civilians. But that's not how things work in real life. A mass shooting like this one is chaos. Things don't happen in slow motion, and a few hours at the shooting range don't turn you into Jack Bauer.
I wish I could say "This would never have happened if we had passed Law X." But extremist Republicans and cowardly Democrats have guaranteed that our nation is and will continue for the foreseeable future to be awash in guns, about one for every man, woman, and child in the country. They're easy to get and easy to amass. And if you're angry or mentally ill or plenty of both, you won't have much trouble putting together the arsenal that will enable you to vent your rage in the most spectacular and destructive way imaginable.
Around 30,000 Americans are killed with guns every year (the figure includes murders, suicides, and accidental deaths). Our political system has, in its wisdom, decided that that's an acceptable price to pay for the "freedom" that isn't enjoyed by people in England or France or Japan, where this kind of mass shooting is unknown. When it happens here—as it did last year and the year before that, and as it will next year and the year after that—nobody should act surprised.
Fri, 2012-07-20 20:07
I find your imagery of mentally ill people amassing weapons to "vent...rage in the most spectacular and destructive way imaginable" to be disturbing perhaps beyond your intent to make it so. I assure you painting a picture of a nation filled with crazy people that we need to keep to guns away from is not going to help your case with gun advocates. Crazy people account for very little violent crime compared to the general population. If the only argument you have for keeping guns off the streets is that a crazy person might get them the gun advocates are going to have a field day with you. And possibly with my rights as well, being a mentally ill individual. And mind you. one who has never shot anybody. Never even came close!
Sun, 2012-07-22 23:25
Unfortunately as a society we don't have a politically correct term for generalizing who may become a threat to society if they are freely allowed access to weapons of any kind. Instead we call people we are attempting to identify either criminals or mentally ill. Technically, based on the numerous psychology courses that I took many long years ago people who are career criminals and people with manageable conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and others are all categorized as mentally ill.
I don't think that is what the other party really intends to indicate, I'm inclined to think they just don't have the words to more carefully identify people whose mental status makes them a much greater risk than everyday neurotics. I suspect the other commenter might agree that people with psychoses are more readily able to be safely categorized as someone undesirable to have possession of weapons just as we do people who are convicted of felonies.
If someone has been convicted of a felony there are varying degrees of refusal for them to even be considered for purchasing any weapon. Like someone who's "mentally ill" there are categories of felonies that aren't life-threatening but still all felons are at least for spans of time up to life are automatically disqualified from ownership or even use of guns for any purpose.
Would you agree that there may be reasonable cause to create a database of people who have been treated for major mental illness such as schizophrenia or pyschosis the same as we do for felons that automatically disqualify anyone on such lists from ownership or operation of guns, knives other than butter and paring knives or any other controlled device useful for mass murder?
Sat, 2012-07-21 09:13
So you admit that you think the appropriate reason for owning guns is armed insurrection against the government? And you think that an appropriate reason for armed insurrection is that Fox News doesn't like the guy who won the last election, and keeps pumping out misinformation about how he's a Communist instead of the moderate centrist that he obviously is? Thanks for sharing.
Sun, 2012-07-22 23:24
The exact reasons for owning guns were twofold at the time of the American Revolution.
The first was that Americans, unlike in European society did already freely own guns, used them in everyday life and knew from the experience of other nations that disarming the people made it far easier for kings, queens and other not-so-nicely titled people to control large groups of people and prevent popular uprisings.
The second was exactly as you say: to empower the people to remove unpopular or oppressive government by armed insurrection if necessary. Read the documents published by the founders, they did clearly provide for the right of the people to throw off such governments at will. Typically we do it by election anymore in this country and a few others but all of them make a tiny subset of nations.
The people weren't willing to risk trusting any government to respect them. There were no such governments at the time our founders wrote down the guidelines for the united States of America.
Sat, 2012-07-21 14:29
Lessee, you think that the reason to stop law abiding citizens from having guns is because they wouldn't have helped in this situation. Nothing in what you've said indicates that it would have hurt. In most states that have what you consider to have loose guns laws, it's illegal even for those with concealed carry pemits to carry guns in a movie theater. That's why nut cases like this choose places like movie theaters and schools. I don't know Colorado law but, it's quite likely the gunman was in violation of the law before he fired a shot. How would more laws have stopped him?
You can speculate that in the confusion a law abiding citizen with a gun wouldn't have helped but, you don't know that. It's certainly possible they might have. Besides not helping is a pretty thin argument for taking the gun away from that law abiding citizen. You might as well be saying someone wearing red didn't help so we need to stop people from wearing red.
Law enforecement is not omnicient. It cannot stop people that want something from getting it. It can only make it illegal. The years and billions that have been spent on drug law enforcement demonstrate that clearly. No law is ever going to be able to stop a determined person from getting a gun. What it can do is render those that obey the law helpless against those that are willing to disobey it.
If I was in that theatre, a gun might not have helped but, it would have been a lot more likely to help than anything else I might have had.
Sun, 2012-07-22 13:08
Once again, without the typos:
Those poor people in that stadium type seating were like the Ducks in a shooting gallery game. But standing there with a full size rifle in front of them all, the loon was obviously just as clear a target from their point of view, had any of them been armed.
Do you really think "it probably wouldn't have mattered" if an armed citizen had fought back? Really?!?! By your logic, there's no reason to arm police. After all, "it probably wouldn't matter" if a policeman had a gun and was attacked by an armed felon, right?
Consider this: What if there had been, say, 10 armed citizens sitting in that stadium seating style theater - each with a clear view of the loon? Do you STILL think "it probably wouldn't have mattered?"
Facts: If I or someone like me had been sitting there, yes, we would have had to contend with panicked people around us. But while the loon was shooting at anybody and everybody, WE would be focused on shooting him and only him. Having taken the time to train and knowing what Federal Air Marshals train to do in similar situations, I personally would have hopped up onto the armrests to get myself above the innocents and I would have aimed my laser site at his face. And I would not have stopped shooting until he was down and dead. Can I guarantee that I or we'd prevail? No, of course not. But can I guarantee the odds of survival for the 12 dead and the odds of not getting wounded for those 70 others would have been significantly better?. Yes, of course I can.
There have been many cases of mass shooters stopped by armed citizens - they just don't get as much publicity. Check out one of them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_School_of_Law_shooting
Too bad the theater change chose to have rules that left everyone defenseless. I hope they get sued into oblivion.
I wonder why there haven't been any mass shootings at police stations or NRA conventions?
Sun, 2012-07-22 14:00
The two most dangerous cities in the United States also have the most restrictive gun ownership laws. Coincidence?
Every municipality that has made gun ownership easier and allowed either concealed or open carrying of hand guns has experienced lower violent crime rates, especially those involving guns. Coincidence?
Every mass shooting has taken place in an area designated as 'gun free' and that includes Fort Hood. Concidence?
Sun, 2012-07-22 17:44
Paul --
Here is the thing. The number for gun deaths is daunting ... but the number for alcohol related deaths is 5-10 times that.
You are not talking about making alcohol illegal -- cause you KNOW how that will end up.
And alcohol is not even remotely covered under the constitution.
The second part of this is the most important. If you want gun control, support only candidates who promise to pass gun control legislation no matter WHAT their constituents think.
When your list of candidates who get elected reach 55 ( out of 535 Congress+ Senate ) let me know.
Seriously. You talk about Cowardly Democrats. They aren't cowards. They know -- KNOW -- they will be summarily fired. And replaced with people who will reverse their legislation.
Mon, 2012-07-23 01:18
You are right this is a good time to discuss gun laws. The simple truth is, no law of any type could have prevented the mass killing in Colorado. Criminals or those with criminal intent will always obtain a weapon or killing devise, and the rest of us, if guns are banned, will be defenseless. In the countries you mentioned the preferred choices for mass killings are bombs, incendiary weapons, or chemical weapons. Had an attendee at the movie had a conceal carry on them they knew better then to return fire and run the risk of they themselves killing other innocent people in the chaos. The flip side of the coin is how many lives did the 71 year old man save by firing at armed robbers in the Florida restaurant? How many have saved their own life by being able to shoot at or kill someone who broke into their home or place of business. Not too many years ago I was shot five times for no reason by some underage punk who had an illegal gun. I guess you could say I am still alive because I can write this opinion. In retrospect my only regret was I didn't have a gun to shoot back with. I corrected that problem. When there is law passed making my gun illegal; it will be the first time in my life I will knowingly and willfully break the law.
Mon, 2012-07-23 20:21
Mr. Waldman, as you no doubt noticed, the majority of replies here don't seem to share your views. Which is why I wouldn't say that Democrats are "cowardly" at all. You see, the gun control issue is to Democrats what the abortion issue is to conservatives; whenever each respective party tries to make serious political hay of either issue…they lose. They know this, and in fact we all know this. You calling Democrats "cowardly", is little different from religious nutjobs suggesting that their favorite politicians are "cowardly" when those politicians aren't willing to further impede a women's right to choose. This is something for you to think about.
That aside, I wanted to write to take you to task on what you called "an absurd fantasy"; the notion that guns might actually be used to prevent deranged people from killing others. It's as if you're completely unaware that, according to the FBI, guns are actually used to PREVENT crime tens of thousands of times per year. And those are just reported numbers, of course. The likelihood is that the real number is much higher, since many defensive uses of guns are not reported.
When people like you discuss the evils of guns, you never address this fact. How come? I might suggest it's because if you acknowledge it, it takes the debate to a place you don't want the debate to go: the admission that gun use likely saves thousands of lives every year. Your failure to acknowledge this, almost makes it seem as if you are – to use your own phrase - "removed from reality".
Yes, there is room for debate on the gun control issue. I, for one, agree that there needs to be more stringent review of a person's mental health before a gun may be purchased (although that opens a large can of worms for anyone who cares about civil liberties). But until you and others with similar views are willing to approach the debate with a degree of intellectual honesty that might cause a moderate like myself to take you seriously, well…there will continue to be no real debate.
Mon, 2012-07-23 21:07
There's no real point in continuing this debate. The pro-gun folks have won and nobody's going to make a dent in the issue barring a literal revolution and government regime change, complete with new Constitution, an event that is far too unlikely in the near term to even bother discussing.
In any event, some halfway decent risk analysis will tell you that while events like the Aurora shootings, Columbine, Virginia Tech, etc., are ugly and horrendous, they're also exceedingly rare on a statistical basis. Over a period of twenty years, how many of these events have there been and how many people have died? Not that many on a percentage basis.
It's the same analysis that should be applied to terrorism. You're more likely to win the lottery than you are to be blown to smithereens, crashed into a building, or otherwise killed in a terrorist attack.
More people die of cancer every day than died in Aurora and nobody's shorts get twisted over that, besides those directly involved.
Relax. Climb down from the ceiling. Buy a lottery ticket. It really doesn't matter that much.
Fri, 2012-07-27 20:05
I think of carrying a gun like wearing a seatbelt. I have never been in an accedent where a seatbelt might have helped me but I still wear one just in case. I know that in some circumstances it won't matter if I have a seatbelt on or not. I think that movie theatre may have been the equivalent of a 16 wheeler. I don't think I could have done much, impared by tear gas, caught in a stampeeding crowd. But of course that is not the norm. The people of Colorado and America have had this gun discussion for years. We have passed some laws to restrict guns, some to ease gun ownership. For example, in my state firing a gun within 1/4 mile of a home or store is against the law. If this guy had fired his gun into a bucket of sand in his appartment he could have been arrested. I believe Colorado's laws even more restrictive. To say its time to start discussing guns is to ignore the fact that we have been doing just that for more than a generation.
Tue, 2012-08-21 10:32
You assume that a person needs "Jack Bauer" skills to effectively use a gun to stop a threat and mention that "a few hours at the shooting range" aren't enough to acquire these types of skills. Are you aware of how little most police officers are required to practice? In most jurisdictions cops only need to qualify with their weapons once or twice per year, practice is usually not required. Many of these qualifications are extremely easy and anyone with basic firearms experience could pass.
So I really am puzzled as to why I always hear "only cops should carry guns" and this nonsense about needing superhuman ninja skills only found in hollywood simply to be able to carry a defensive firearm.
Despite what you want people to think most gun owners are not trigger-happy, Rambo wannabe's. We just seem to have a better grip on what the real world is like and the possibility that we could come under attack at anytime, however unlikely. It's not paranoia, it's called being prepared.
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Lastly, you will want to protect your rug from your lovable pets. That's right, cats and dogs can cause serious damage to rugs. Often times, dogs will use them as chew toys and cats will use them as claw-sharpening devices. Employ proper obedience methods in order to protect your rug from pet antics.
Process & Materials
The quality of a rug is often determined by two factors: process and materials. It can be said that handmade, natural material rugs may be more expensive than machine-made synthetic ones since hand weaving is such a time-intensive process. You should expect to pay more for a handmade rug from Iran than you would for a European machine-made rug.
You can also think of handmade rugs as unique investments for your home. They can serve as conversation pieces, while adding a unique flair and making your house a home.
While a hand-woven rug is considered quite luxurious, the machine-made rug process has been diligently perfected over the years. This is a good option to get the handmade look without the handmade price!
Materials used in rugs can also make a big impact on cost and quality. Wool is used in many countries, as it is a durable substance and seen as the most traditional material. Although this is the component of choice, less expensive synthetic materials are also common in the man-made marketplace today. The type of material used often varies by the country of origin. For example, Persian rugs usually incorporate soft wool, while silk is the material of choice for Chinese rugs.
Rug Producers
Asia is at the forefront of the rug industry. China, Turkey, India and Pakistan are all major exporters. It is difficult to say when rug-making began in these countries, but it can be traced back as far as the 13th Century. China produces rugs mainly for the purpose of exportation, which is why they are one of the largest handmade exporters in the industry. India and Pakistan began producing rugs in the 16th Century and still hold an important place in the market today. Iran, however, accounts for nearly 75% of all handmade rugs today. This country is known for producing very diverse pieces and Iranians are themselves passionate purchasers of the rugs made in their country.
How to Choose a Style of Rug
Asia is at the forefront of the rug industry. China, Turkey, India and Pakistan are all major exporters. It is difficult to say when rug-making began in these countries, but it can be traced back as far as the 13th Century. China produces rugs mainly for the purpose of exportation, which is why they are one of the largest handmade exporters in the industry. India and Pakistan began producing rugs in the 16th Century and still hold an important place in the market today. Iran, however, accounts for nearly 75% of all handmade rugs today. This country is known for producing very diverse pieces and Iranians are themselves passionate purchasers of the rugs made in their country.


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A radiant drop that is designed to keep you in a festive spirit whatever the occasion! Designed with polished platinum over sterling silver, each earring displays one oval cut 5 x 4mm and one pear cut 5 x 3mm chrome diopsides that also glistens with five round cut 0.9mm white zircons. All of the gemstones are in prong settings.
The total chrome diopside weight is 1.04ct and the total zircon weight is 0.04ct (both approximate). Each earring measures 1-4/16"L x 7/16"W and is secured by a butterfly backing.
From the NYC II® Collection. Made in India. Keep away from bleaching agents. Gemstones will vary in color or patterns. Please allow for these natural variations. All weights pertaining to diamond weights are minimum weights. Additionally, please note that many gemstones are treated to enhance their beauty. Click here for important information about gemstone enhancements and special care requirements.
Earring Back Types
Butterfly Back: A double looped piece resembling a butterfly that fits over a post. Variations on this design are called push back clasps. The basic post and butterfly back are usually used for stud earrings and lighter weight drop earrings.
Hinged Snap Backs: This clasp features a hinged post that snaps into a groove on the back of the earring. It is commonly found on hoops. Sometimes the hinged post is curved to provide more room to fit around the ear, sometimes called a saddleback.
Hook Backs: This earring backing is simply a long, bent post that fits through the piercing. Hooks have several variations, most notably the shepherd's hook and the French hook. While thin wire hooks reduce the weight of long earrings, making them more comfortable, they aren't as secure as other clasp styles.
Lever Back: A hinged lever snaps shut against the curved post to form a closed loop around the ear lobe. This clasp is very secure and good for large or medium sized styles that drop just below the ear.
Omega: Also called French clips, this clasp has a straight post and a looped lever. The hinged lever closes around the post and is held against the ear with pressure. The omega clasp is the most secure clasp, especially for the larger, heavier earrings.
Screw back: This backing is a slight variation of the standard post and butterfly nut back. Instead of pushing on the back, the nut twists onto the threaded post. A screw back post design is often preferred for expensive diamond stud earrings that require increased security.
Platinum Plating:
Platinum can be used as a finish coating over sterling silver or copper alloys. Its bright, pure luster enhances the brilliance of gemstones and does not discolor or oxidize. Platinum plating is also characterized by its good resistance to surface abrasion, making jewelry pieces more durable against everyday and long-term wear. Over time, platinum plating will wear off and therefore will require re-plating.
To care for your plated jewelry items:
Zircon often suffers for its name's similarity to "cubic zirconia," the simulated diamond. The stone zircon, however, is actually a beautiful natural gemstone. It is named from the Persian word "zargun," meaning "gold-colored." This is despite the fact that it comes in a wide range of rainbow colors. The majority of zircons are brown or yellow-brown, while pure red and green are the most valuable colors. The yellow-red to reddish-brown variety is called "hyacinth."
For many years, the most popular type of zircon was the colorless variety. More than any other natural stone, colorless zircons produce a brilliant sparkle similar to diamonds. The most popular color today tends to be the bright pastel blue variety. Sometimes called "starlite," blue zircon has recently become considered an alternative birthstone for December.
Zircon is one of the heaviest gemstones, meaning that it will look smaller than other varieties of the same weight. It ranks a hardness between 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs Scale and is mined in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar and Australia.
Travelers during the 11th century wore zircon amulets for protection and to encourage welcome greetings on their journeys. In the Middle Ages, the stone was said to bring wisdom and prosperity to its owner. Hindu mythology even mentions the gem when referencing the Kalpa Tree, which was a glowing tree covered with gemstone fruit and leaves of zircon.
Chrome Diopside:
Chrome diopside, also called Russian diopside, offers an intense forest green color. Because it is the most affordable gemstone with a pure, rich green color, many jewelry designers predict chrome diopside will be the world's leading emerald substitute by the end of the decade. It is mostly available in smaller sizes, with the rare larger sizes becoming much more expensive and too dark. A 26.17ct oval cut chrome diopside may be the largest known example of the faceted stone, but there is also a 25.33ct stone that is brighter and more intense in color.
Chrome diopside is relatively soft, with a hardness of 5.5 on the Mohs Scale. Mostly mined in Yakutia and Siberia, the liberalization of the economy of the former Soviet Union has made chrome diopside more available, and more popular, than ever before.


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January is such an exciting time of year for us! It's the time of year when when wedding planning really starts to ramp up! That means that we have couples {just like you!} and our retailers sharing endless numbers of new "wedding visions" with us – the vision that each unique couple is dreaming up for their own wedding day.
We're a visual group and love how inspiration boards can really help couples develop the overall look and feel for their big day. Inspiration boards have to be the number one wedding planning tool these days! Our designers also use inspiration boards to create new designs. For every one of our designs, we had a particular wedding vision in mind when the design was created. This is what our Suite Spotlight posts are all about! We share with you the inspiration board behind one of our favorite custom wedding invitations. We think it's exciting to see the full process so we want to share! Plus, if you're a bride or groom just getting started on your inspiration boards and planning, maybe this peek into our process will help you start pulling your vision together.
Typically, the viewers of our inspiration boards initially react to the color palette featured. When it comes to our Ivy invitation suite, we feel that with the inclusion of the hydrangea blue, it shows a modern take on a traditional wedding color palette. With olive green chosen as the neutral and used for the wedding invitation wording, the pale blue backer card adds pop of color. You wouldn't normally think of pale blue acting as a pop of color, but our team pulled it off in a stunning way!
Take a peek at the inspiration behind our Ivy letterpress wedding invitation:
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Our Ivy letterpress wedding invitation is a true classic! It is a design that is very versatile and gives an overall romantic vibe as well as touches of whimsy with the spiraling tendrils that fall behind the wording. Your choice of font used on this invitation can take this design from traditional to casual – one perfect for anything from an outdoor event to classic church nuptials. The fine details in the ivy motif used on the invitation and note card, along with the vintage engraving design used on the response card, really show off the deep impression of the letterpress printing!
So, what do you think? Are you ready to start pulling together your own wedding color palette and inspiration board? We can't wait to hear from you and "see" what makes your wedding design uniquely you! Visit your local Dauphine Press retailer to get started on turning your vision into the perfect letterpress wedding invitation!


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I keep getting some weird CSS error I've used it all day no issues and I've been refreshing for a good 5 minutes any ideas?
EDIT: I added another picture this is what it looks like from YouTube I can't load the actual site
Best Answer +MikeChipshop , 10 November 2013 - 14:51
I'd bet their server isn't kicking the CSS out quick enough. Let them have a while to fix it and it should be good. Go to the full post


text: What's going on with Tina? January is usually a dark month, but it's even darker if you've spent most of it with your head in a flight case…As you will see, there is no competition this month – yet. I thought that I might try something different. Visit Tina's Pages Share : Tweet ‹ The 100 Greatest Pop Videos Peter on Martyn Bennett ›


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It takes a lot to be a legend. And when the subject turns to legendary Corvettes, we're really talking about "legends within the legend." For many years America's Only Sports Car, Corvette still reigns as America's Favorite Sports Car; the marque is a cultural icon with a storied past, the car little boys and girls (and more than a few adults) have dreamed of owning for years. To gain exalted status within the Corvette legend is no small feat. There are the fuelies of '57 and '63, the split-window, the big-block mid-years, to name a few; and, of course, the '90-95 ZR-1.
The new, sleek, and aerodynamic C4 Corvette had barely hit the pavement before talk of the need for a new, powerful, world-beating engine started deep within General Motors. The new Vette was an immediate success, but the Cross-Fire powerplant did leave something to be desired. The 1985 upgrade to the 230hp L98 brought some degree of respectability, but the car's success in Showroom Stock racing made it obvious that the new platform could handle much more power. Corvette Chief Engineer Dave McLellan definitely wanted more power.
GM was also concerned with maintaining its leadership in the American sports car market. The Japanese had taken over the economy car market, and had their sights set higher. GM like such as Vice President Lloyd Reuss saw this as a serious threat, and was among those at GM who were determined to keep Corvette on top.
Anyone's who interested already knows that the development of Chevrolet's first new small-block V-8 since the '50s ended up in the capable hands of Lotus Engineering (See the accompanying article by Richard F. Newton, "ZR-1: The Ultimate C4," page 46). This process in itself is the type of story that lends itself to legend. Although Lotus had been discussing possibilities with Chevrolet starting in mid-1984 (one of these being the adaptation of four-valve, double-overhead cam heads to the small-block Chevy), the agreement to build an entirely new engine, one that would make 400hp and still be completely civilized, was not struck until May 1985, and Lotus did not get started until August of that year. The first engine had to run in May of '86-it had to make it into a car by August. It would be understatement, to say the least, that this was an incredibly short amount of time in which to design and build an engine from scratch. But those involved got it done.
The development process was another story. Lotus began the arduous detective work inherent in ferreting out the flaws in a new engine-problems such as oil control and breaking cam chains. While work progressed across the pond, it shifted into high gear here in the States. The MerCruiser Division of Mercury Marine was chosen to build the LT5, and had the unenviable task of setting up an assembly line before the final specs of the engine were even finalized. Changes came on a daily, if not hourly basis, but the commitment was there, and it was strong. Chevrolet had preproduction LT5s to show off in early 1988, and introduced the ZR-1 to the press at the now-defunct Riverside Raceway in the middle of that year.
At this point, Chevrolet decided to wait and introduce the "King of the Hill," as it had come to be known, as a '90 model with all the changes planned for that year. But the buzz was there, and this was the car that American enthusiasts were talking about and dying to get their hands on.
Most of us in the Corvette hobby know what happened at this point: The 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was introduced to the press in France, where the members of the third estate were quickly convinced of the new super-Vette's capabilities, and then it was time. The public could finally get a shot at the Corvette of Corvettes.


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FreedomFest 2010
Posted on July 8, 2010 by onemansthoughts
"Crisis In America" At This Year's Freedom Fest in Las Vegas, Nevada. July 8th, 9th, and 10th. Top experts from around the world will gather together July 8-10 at Bally's Events Center in Las Vegas: Steve Forbes (author of "How … Continue reading →
Posted in Current Events, Firearms, News, Personal Freedom, Politics, Surivial, Taxes, Tyranny | Tagged 10th Amendment, 2nd Amendment, Adrian Day, Alexander Green, Alexander Landia, Andrew Redleaf, Bert Dohmen, Big Government, Bill of Rights, Burt Malkiel, Charles Gasparino, Constitution, Dan Mangru, Democrats, Dennis Slothower, Donald Smith, Doug Bandow, Doug Casey, Eric Roseman, Erika Nolan, FEE, Firearms, Frank Trotter, Fraser, Freedom, FreedomFest, Gun Control, Harry Reid, Heritage, High Taxes, Jerry Jordan, John Dessauer, John Mackey, Keith Fitz-Gerald, Leadership Institute, Martin Truax, Mexico, Mises Institute, Nancy Pelosi, Obama, Obamacare, Peter Schiff, Reason, Richard Rahn, Richard Viguerie, Rick Rule, Robert Bauman, Robert Bernhoft, Ron Paul, Second Amendment, socialism, socialized medicine, Sovereign Society, Steve Forbes, Steve Moore, Steven Landsburg, Stimulus Bill, Taxes, Thomas Fischer, Totalitarian Government, Ty Andros, Vernon K. Jacobs, Washington, White House | 1 Comment


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With his lower back pain relieved, Bob says "I
will never be without RTPR." Bob H, Alpharetta, GA
"Mom is down from 90 Percocet a month down
"My $220 Rx Lidoderm patches don't do half as much!" Leo U, Burnham, IL
"Worked on my sinus headache better than any other product." Darlene Minter, Snellville, GA
Take 30 seconds to hear why Linda T. of Cheney,


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Has anyone seen it? If you haven't see it! Now!
If you have, what did you think of it?
I cried at the beginning...
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