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July 19, 2011
Nomads No More
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's three editors, as they hit the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
Now that Joe, Melinda and Andy's Excellent Adventure is over and our lives as nomads are returning to normal, I feel it's time to reflect upon some of the highlights from the trip. Since we can't print it all, here's the top 10 list:
10. Awesome People. I can't say more about the suppliers and distributors who hosted us. They were gracious, kind, nice and incredibly cool. They opened businesses for us on the weekend, gave us tours, answered our questions and fed us. Boy did they feed us. Without them this road trip would not have been nearly as awesome as it was.
9. Lost And Found. In the span of five minutes at the Hertz drop off in Dallas Andy lost, found, then lost and found again the charger for is cell phone. It was like he was having short term memory problems. And there was a bit of panic in his voice when he lost it the second time just standing there.
8. Price's Fried Chicken in Charlotte. We took a chance when we got food at a fried chicken joint we saw in a book Carole Seymour leant us. Best move we made because that chicken was crunchy on the outside and moist in the middle and not greasy at all. Although we did get crumbles all over the SUV.
7. Dinner In VA. Towards the end of our first day we were hungry and ate at a steakhouse at some random exit. Food was good but the place was a little odd. They had these three huge and weird portraits, we're guessing the owners kids, hanging up just as you came inside the place. Then they locked us in at the end of the night.
6. The Winker. Though this guy saved my hide in the great hunt for gas, he either had a tick or he was coming on to Melinda. As he gave us directions to a gas station he kept smiling and winking at her.
5. Turkey Bowling. You can't imagine how much fun it is to roll a frozen turkey at liter soda bottles half filled with water. This was the college creation of Stephen Tate and they now play it in the warehouse at Signet.
4. Welcome Signs. For every state except two (Arkansas, it was in the middle of a bridge, and California, we flew in) we stopped and took pictures at the welcome signs. My favorite was Tennessee. We happened upon Virginia's cruising down the highway and I had to hang out the sunroof to get it. North Caroline was in the middle of the night and we slowed to a crawl to snap the pics.
3. Party Rock. He's in the house tonight people. I think I've heard this song more than any other song my whole entire life. But it grew on me and will be in my iPod soon.
2. Hello! It seemed that every time I was driving and our Bossy Pants GPS was about to give me directions, a certain someone riding shot gun would either make or receive a phone call. Seriously, what do I have to do next? The music is loud and I can't hear the GPS's poor pronunciation. The funniest words she garbled Charlottestontown, Linda Vista, boulevard and Gillespie.
1. Sour Patch Kid Incident. When Andy dropped a bag of sour patch kids into his lap and the sugar poured out by his reaction you would have thought that he just dropped a beaker of angry fire ants into his lap. Oh the humanity
And that's that. We get to spend more than eight hours in one place. It's going to feel weird going back to the same hotel for three nights but it's going to be good too. On a sad note, I just realized that I forgot to pop our antenna ball off the car when we dropped it off in Las Vegas. Little guy made the entire trip with us and we will miss him.
July 18, 2011
Showgirl Or Supplier Sales Rep?
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's Melinda Ligos, as she hits the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
Big Surprise Greets The Road Tour Crew
We spent yesterday driving through the Mojave Desert, braving 100+ degree heat made worse when we unwisely stopped at "The Tallest Thermometer in the World," which was unimpressive and caused Andy and Joe to sport matching, instantaneous sunburns. So when we headed to the lobby of the Palazzo Hotel on the Vegas strip this morning to meet Lisa Surber, a sales rep for Seaena, a supplier who specializes in awards, we surely wouldn't be blamed if we spotted a mirage.
Indeed, as we rounded the lobby corner that led us to the lobby fountain, there stood in front of us a Vegas showgirl in full regalia, blue-feather headdress and all. This was no mirage, however, nor was it an ordinary showgirl. It was Surber, who immediately thrust a bag at us containing a bejeweled Elvis costume and said, "Are you guys ready to have some fun?"
Despite the fact that it was 9 a.m., we said yes, and Surber hopped into full gear. First, Joe put on his Elvis costume (Andy was very deft in volunteering Joe, which of course meant that he didn't have to take his britches off and don the polyester spectacle), and we headed for the Palazzo's garage, which held Surber's Mini Cooper. We were loaded down with bags at this point (after meeting with Surber, we had to get to the airport), but Surber, despite the fact that she was in little more than a sequined bikini, happily put the car's top down, buckled us all in, and then handed all of our luggage to us, bag by bag, while regaling us with fun facts about the small Las Vegas-based company.
Seaena is like a family environment, Surber tells us. Indeed, the company's two owners, Chris Robbins and Allison Fruetel, are engaged, and Surber's brother also works there as a graphic designer. As she navigates her mini out of the garage and into the blazing Nevada sun, Surber tells us about the antics that she and her co-workers participate in to blow off steam and keep their creative juices flowing. One example: The company's employees often collect gnomes and then proceed to steal them from each other, photographing their whereabouts. (One recently attended a Minnesota Vikings game.) But all of this shoptalk, while interesting, is hard to focus on as Surber expertly navigates down the strip, sparkling like a blue disco ball and waving at passersby and repeatedly yelling out to all of us, "Are y'all ready for some fun?"
We are, despite the fact that Andy and Elvis are quickly wilting in the backseat as they huddle underneath the bags, loaded down with 70 pounds of dirty clothes from our cross-country trip. So Surber pulls off at one of the top tourist attractions in town—the famed Las Vegas sign—where we prepare to take photos of one another and Big Bird, who has inexplicitly stationed himself at the front of the attraction as well.
Surber's a great sport—she even poses with tourists who mistake her for a real showgirl—and it becomes crystal clear that this is a gal her loves her job. We're sorry to say good-bye as she rolls the Cooper toward the airport, while telling us about an upcoming "cannonball run" style race she's about to participate in, which will take her from Vegas to Boulder, CO.
In Vegas, with a showgirl and Elvis, the car-riding portion of our trip has come to an appropriate end. Now onto The ASI Show Chicago, along with one more stop on the Best Places to Work Road Tour in the Chicago area tomorrow.
July 18, 2011
Sunday Visit To An Innovative Supplier
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's Andy Cohen, as he hits the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
Relaxed Atmosphere Leads To Success For Tri-Mountain
Even on a Sunday afternoon, you can feel the vibe in the Irwindale, CA, office of Top 40 supplier Tri-Mountain. While no machines are humming and employees aren't milling about, Glenn Oyoung, chief operating officer of the 100-employee company, is his ever-energetic self describing the culture of his family-run company. "We strive for a Trader Joe's culture. We're laid back, but everybody works hard and knows what's expected of them," Oyoung says. "It's an entrepreneurial culture where everybody just does whatever it takes to get the job done."
And while everybody's getting the job done at this rapidly growing and expanding company, they also know how to have fun and joke around with each other. "It's a casual, real environment," Oyoung says. "You should have a good sense of humor if you're going to work here."
And once you work at this company, you're like family to the owners. Daniel Tsai and his wife Rosy started the business in 1993. It now also consists of their kids, Jennifer and Danny (vice president of merchandising), and Jennifer's husband, Glenn. "The family business nature of our company definitely helps to create a good, positive culture," says Danny, who grew up in the business, packing boxes at an early age and then coming back after a stint with Cintas following college at University of Southern California. "We treat all of our employees like family, and I think they can feel that. It creates a loyal culture that you don't find everywhere."
Tri-Mountain also takes care of the little things to celebrate employee successes and make sure everybody feels comfortable. In addition to regular company parties, speeches by management to keep everybody updated, and multiple occasions to get staffers together outside of work, Tri-Mountain also has a special bell in its customer service department that gets a lot of attention at this company. While on this Sunday visit we're allowed to ring the rather loud bell, it's the top customer service employees that get to ring the bell every Friday. "Two people get noticed every week and they can ring the bell as loud as they like," Oyoung says. "It's a little thing, but the whole company gets into it, and the people who get the honor of ringing the bell every week, get a special recognition they feel proud about."
It's that kind of fun atmosphere that also recognizes hard-working employees that has lead Tri-Mountain to big success recently. The company increased its sales by 20% in 2010, and is on pace to duplicate and even surpass that result this year. Plus, management is investing in the business by practically doubling the size of its product line this year by adding more than 200 new products. "We're in an aggressive growth mode right now," Oyoung says. "And I think our employees really enjoy being a big part of that success and that growth."
July 18, 2011
Agency Atmosphere Rules Laid Back Company
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's Melinda Ligos, as she hits the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
Fun In The Sun In So Cal
It's Saturday morning in Costa Mesa, CA, and we've broken in to Clean Fun Promotional Marketing, a 50-employee distributorship owned by Greg Washer that caters almost strictly to the entertainment industry. While we've already heard much about the culture of the company, which Washer launched 24 years ago, nothing has prepared us for what we're about to see.
Inside the walls of the ultra-modern cavernous steel building designed by Washer himself, we find an open–floor-plan office space that resembles a set for the coolest workplace movie on earth. The two-floor space (second floor is a loft) is painted in bright red, yellow and green, with concrete flooring, a red, winding metal staircase, hip cubicles with fun, movable partitions and a conference room with floor-to-ceiling steel sliding doors that showcases every movie and record label promotional product imaginable. There's 'Something About Mary' hair gel, 'X-Men' t-shirts, penguins of the 'Mr. Poppers' variety, Glee gift bags, and a host of LMFAO party rock paraphernalia, including an "Every Day I'm Funnelin' beer bong, which is a play on words to a line in the hit song "Party Rock Anthem."
If one has any doubts that the environment in this ultra-cool, creative workplace is conductive to fun, one only needs to take a peek in Washer's office, which we gladly did. It's fashioned to look like a bar (stools included), has a refrigerator stocked with Patron and beers, and – wait for it – a steel garage door that opens to the California sunshine with the click of a remote control. We're told that the door is open more often than not, and the area outside serves as a great spot for Gil the taco guy, who sets up shop outside whenever Washer feels like treating his employees. A Jane Fonda sweatshirt (the first promotional product Washer ever sold) hangs proudly on the wall, as do a few dozen unopened sweepstakes envelopes that proclaim Washer a winner of hundreds and thousands of dollars.
It's clear he doesn't need to pin his hopes on some one-in-a-million sweepstakes entry, though. Clean Fun is a winner, and we'll be back someday when the doors are open for business. Note to Washer: Keep the Patron chilled for us.
July 18, 2011
Happy Hour For The Crew In Dallas
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's Melinda Ligos, as she hits the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
Happy Hour At A Dallas Distributorship
The clock is edging toward 4 p.m on a Friday as we roll into Bob Lilly Promotions, and it's obvious that the employees there are ready to call it a day. No, they're not powering down their computers or hopping to their cars. They're setting up a happy hour in one of the spaces of their sleek headquarters, which resembles a chic ad agency more than a promo products distributorship. The walls are lined with rows of promotional products—many sporting the logos of big brands like Hennessy—encased in glass, and flat screen TVs seem to be in every room.
Vice President of Sales Tommy Lewis' elevator pitch is further evidence that this isn't a typical promotional product company: "We sell measurable programs to help big companies grow bigger," Lewis says, ticking off a list of clients in the adult beverage and oil and gas industries. More than 50% of the firm's business comes from what Lewis calls "agency-style pitches."
While Bob Lilly, a former middle linebacker for Texas Christian University (dad Bob senior played tight end for the Dallas Cowboys) who owns the company along with his wife Julie, is happy to sit down and talk to us, employees, vendors and clients are ducking in to find out where the drinks are being served. A Gemline rep tiptoes by and looks at Lilly expectantly, while Lilly points to the adjacent space with a smile. "It's over there," he says, motioning to an area where a growing cluster of people is knocking down ice cold Shiner Bocks and Blue Moons while the sun bakes the Dallas freeway just outside.
If there's any workplace in which the old "work hard, play hard" cliché fits, it's here at Bob Lilly, where it's clear that Bob and co. take their business, and their partying, equally seriously.
While some distributorships stuck their heads in the sand during the recession, Lilly says his company "hit the gas peddle," hiring new employees and offering incentives like Rolexes to salespeople who had $100,000+ months.
All of the company's salespeople, including Lilly and Lewis, make it a point to go on a minimum of 15 in-person sales calls per week, and all of these efforts seem to be paying off. After business dipped 40% in 2009, Lilly saw 55% growth last year, and is on pace for another 50% year over year gain in 2011.
Which today, at least, is as good an excuse as any for Lilly and his employees to pop a few cold ones. As we head out, he even hands us a few road sodas and eagerly joins his crew. It's clear that today's party is about to get into full swing.
July 18, 2011
Sunday In Brea, CA
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's Andy Cohen, as he hits the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
Little Things Reap Big Rewards For Pacific Western Sales
Ask Lyndsey Tidwell what makes his company tick, and he has a ready answer – even for visitors who popped into his office on a Sunday morning. "The little things add up to a lot here," says Tidwell, who is the co-owner of supplier firm Pacific Western Sales, along with his father-in-law Tom Clements. "We really value our employees and recognize that without them, we can't go anywhere. That's why we make sure to do the little things that they notice."
Like the simple gesture of moving a time clock. Tidwell had heard complaints from his customer service employees that they had to punch into a time clock downstairs in the warehouse. A very simple thing had caused angst among his work force, so Tidwell bought an additional digital time clock last year and placed it in the customer service department where it was easily accessible. "It seems small, but it's big to them," Tidwell told us while touring around his company that includes an 80,000 square foot warehouse in Brea, CA. "I want them to feel wanted, so you have to make sure they don't have anything that makes them upset."
Tidwell and Kaili Yang, the company's west coast sales manager, have opened the doors of Pacific Western Sales for us on a Sunday, and it's clear that they have a great workplace – even if nobody's currently present on this Sunday morning. The 100-person company throws birthday parties once a month and hosts quarterly luncheons where employees are acknowledged for great work and management can provide updates. "It's vital for us to find time to talk about where we are as a company and where we're headed," Tidwell says. "I think you have to keep people informed if you want them to feel a part of something bigger than just their day-to-day jobs."
And employees here definitely have that feeling. "We really focus on the little things to make sure we bring people together and create a community in the office," says Yang. "There's a good feeling of togetherness, and it's exciting that we all know we're a part of a growing company."
Indeed, Pacific Western has so far in 2011 experienced a 40% growth rate over 2010, and Tidwell says the company is investing in new products and an office expansion that will allow it to accommodate new hires for the remainder of 2011. The reason for the success? Tidwell attributes it to his employees. "It's the positive attitude of our people," he says. "Our culture shows that people will do anything to get the job done. When you have a happy workplace, it all works well."
July 16, 2011
Games People Play
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
So, what does one, well in our case, three, do while gallavanting all over the country in a rented car with a pushy GPS system to pass the time? Well, we played games. No, not things like road side bingo, or the alphabet game – you know, the one where you have to find a word that begins with every letter of the alphabet in order? Rather, we play games made up by our very own Quiz Master – Melinda.
Our first game was trivia in nature. There were three categories and Andy and I were asked questions in each: TV trivia, ASI trivia and celebrity trivia. This game was quickly cancelled. Not because the questions were too tough, but because our Quiz Master didn't know the answers to the questions she was asking. When giving a hint to a Disney Channel program she said, "this person has her own Internet TV show." Naturally the answer was iCarly. The problem, though, is that show is on Nickelodeon. When we challenged the answer she stood firm until Andy Googled it and found out that it was in fact on Nick, as were three other "Disney" shows she gave us.
Game number two in this slightly demented version of Cash Cab was Are You Smarter Than A 6th Grader. While there were no smarmy and smug 11-year olds to challenge us, we played nonetheless. Melinda crafted questions based on the homework she had helped her oldest daughter with this past school year. And ya know what, Andy is not smarter than a 6th grader. He answered one measly question about the Mayans building the pyramids in South America but that was about it. My winning question was to name the three ships that sailed to the new world. (The next day while talking about our game, Melinda mentioned that she thought it was great that I knew the names of the ships that accompanied the Mayflower. Huh, what?)
We also played a straight up celebrity trivia game, which I again won. Andy struggled with naming at least six Julia Roberts movies. He kept confusing her with Geena Davis. No she was not in Thelma and Louise. No she was not in League Of Their Own. Come on man. I knew just enough celebrity trivia – it's from watching E! News with my wife – to cruise to victory.
Our final game consisted of dumb luck. Kinda like that card game where you draw one card and hold it to your forehead for everyone to see and then you gauge their reaction and make a wager. Growing up we called it "A**hole." Any idiot could win, which is precisely what Andy did in the song game. We each picked a popular song that had been playing continuously for the last three days. I had that Party Rock number. Every time your song came on the radio, the others paid you a dollar. After round one I was in the lead. Sweet! But we switched songs on Friday and Andy went with an Adele (no clue!) ditty, even though he hates her more than he hates our Bossy Pants GPS. I had Chris Brown and our Quiz Master went with that Lady Gaga song that sounds like those other Lady Gaga songs. Anyway, Melinda and I owe Andy a few bucks. I'm happy for him, as he won the equivalent of a participation medal for T-ball.
However, in the end I am winning the majority of the games we play. I'm a veritable Ken Jennings. Can't wait to see what's in store for the next leg of our journey.
PS. I wrote this on the plane to San Diego. I think we're a little punch drunk from all the driving, as Andy and I twice during the flight went to the cockpit to ask the pilots if they wanted us to take over and fly next. Melinda needed a potty stop.
July 16, 2011
Day Four: Welcome Sight On A Hot Day
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's Andy Cohen, as he hits the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
Let The Frozen Margaritas Flow
As we near the Metropak offices in Richardson, TX, we pass a sign on the road that smacks us in the face as soon as we get out of the car: 105 degrees. Yes, it's a hot Texas day, but the Metropak folks sure know how to beat the heat. They do it with frozen margaritas, of course. We're greeted with three of them, made fresh just then in the company's margarita machine, as we walk in the door. Also practically in the doorway are the company's employees, sitting at a long table all eating the fajitas, beans, nachos, guacamole and queso that the company whipped up this morning. Beyond the staffers sit a pool table and foosball table that people can partake in during breaks and at random times during the day. And, these special touches are in addition to the workout room on site that employees can feel free to use. "We like to provide a relaxed atmosphere around here," says Eric Grossman, the owner and president of the 45-person company, which manufactures and prints millions and millions of bags in its 65,000 square foot facility. "I'm a relaxed guy and I think people appreciate working in an environment that doesn't take itself too seriously."
But Grossman and Edward Hanson, the executive vice president of the company who has known Grossman since they were in the third grade together, also work hard at recognizing the efforts of their employees. Grossman, who's dressed in a bright Hawaiian shirt and often brings his yellow lab Cody to work and Edward, who quickly throws on a Roud Tour tee the moment we walk in the door, thank their employees on this day and honor the winner of the highly coveted employee of the quarter award – who receives $500, a prime parking space, and a trophy. "Thank you," Hanson says to all his employees. "You all make this a great place to work. It's fun and energetic and you make it that way."
Indeed, Metropak wants to put all of its employees on a level playing field, going so far as beginning a renovation to the offices this year that will result in every person in the company working in cubicles – including Grossman and Hanson. "You miss things when you're in an office," Grossman says. "I want to be a part of the action like everybody else."
And that's exactly the way Grossman and Hanson want it. "We treat our people well because they deserve it," Grossman says. "They know as long as they do as their supposed to do, then we take care of them."
But Grossman also makes a point to thank his employees throughout the year, throwing a legendary Christmas part at his house every December. Amid a big party, every employee leaves the event with a gift. Not just any small gift, these end-of-year prizes range from flat screen TVs and Blu-Ray players to household appliances of every shape and size. "It's a really fun event," says one employee, who's just finishing her fajita-and-margarita lunch. "The Christmas party here shows how much Metropak treats us like a family."
July 16, 2011
Road Tour Visits Unique Memphis Distributor
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's Andy Cohen, as he hits the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
Memphis BBQ, Turkey Bowling, Oh My
Walking into the Signet offices in Memphis, TN, it may seem like a traditional distributor company. The front of the office is lined with pictures and awards, which lead you into a showroom that features apparel, pens, mugs, desk accessories and an item from just about every product category in the ad specialty market. But don't let those common touches fool you. This is definitely a different distributor operation – all the way down to its 50,000 square foot warehouse that contains pallets of inventory that the company uses to fulfill company store programs that it runs for its many Fortune 500 clients.
David and Elizabeth Tate, the husband-and-wife team that head the 49-person company, greet us at the door with true Memphis hospitality, even immediately putting on the Road Trip t-shirts we hand them. "We're so glad you could come today," says David, who began the company with Elizabeth's mother and stepfather in 1976. "You just have to try some authentic Memphis BBQ. Doesn't matter what other barbecue you've ever eaten before. This is better."
He's not wrong. The Tates, along with their son Stephen, who is a marketing specialist and head of video production for the company, lead us into a conference room where a spread of pulled pork, smoked sausages, barbecue nachos, and two different types of ribs (dry-rubbed and wet-rubbed) are laid out for us to try. The spread of barbecue is incredible and us Northerners dig in with Memphis gusto along with our hosts. While Stephen hands out wet-naps for us to use at the end of our meal, David and Elizabeth discuss what makes their company tick. "It's very simple," Elizabeth says. "We treat our employees the way we treat our customers."
Indeed, an all-company monthly meeting gives the owners a chance to reinforce the company's missions, discuss goals, provide data on how the business is doing (very well by the way, as it has recovered from the downturn and has begun to return to the growth it has been accustomed to over the past four decades), and celebrate individual employee successes. "We work hard on these meetings, preparing for a good week to 10 days beforehand," David says. "We know it's important to celebrate, recognize people and the good work they do, and inform our people on where we've been and where we're going. We know that if you involve your people every step of the way, then you'll be creating a great corporate culture."
And for Signet that culture is also based in fun. The company – and its executives – sure know how to let loose. On this 100-degree Memphis day, they've broken out a favorite company event for us to take part in – frozen turkey bowling. Two lanes have been set up in the warehouse, complete with water-filled two-liter soda bottles acting as pins. We're handed frozen turkey breasts and told to knock down as many pins as we could. While only one of us – hello, Melinda! – could actually compete with our Signet counterparts, the game provided a good glimpse into a corporate culture that's based in serious work and serious fun. "We work hard, but it's still work," David Tate says. "You have to be able to have some fun, recognize your people, and get out of the way sometimes so they can do their thing. That's what we do."
July 14, 2011
Day Three: Arkansas Supplier Shines For Employees
Filed under: Best Places to Work Road Trip 2011
From Counselor's Andy Cohen, as he hits the road for the 2011 Best Places to Work Summer Road Tour …
An Arkansas Gem At The End Of The Day
The sun is going down in Bentonville, AR, when we head into supplier firm Outdoor Cap, which is just a stone's throw away from Wal-Mart's headquarters. Thankfully, Chris McConnell, executive vice president of sales and marketing, and Janet Franklin, marketing director, have kept the lights on for us for a quick tour. The nearly 250-employee company serves many markets—promotional products, team sports, retailers, and outdoor sports company's like Bass Pro Shops—but its employees all seem to share two core values.
#1: "Everyone is empowered to do whatever it takes to make the customer happy," says McConnell, as he briskly walks through the company's customer service area, a maze of cubicles where, on a busy week, staffers answer an average of 5,000 calls per week, 97% within three rings. "I'm always telling them, 'It's very unlikely that you can do something to bankrupt the company.'" McConnell says. Reps are coached to listen to a customer, he says, and when they mention important events, like a child's wedding, the rep sends a card or otherwise commemorate the event. "They can do that on their own," he says. "They don't need us to tell them what to do.
#2: While Outdoor Cap has to compete with Fortune 500 companies (many of the biggies are here, thanks to Wal-Mart) for employees, one selling point, according to Franklin, is its strong commitment to volunteerism. The company has a number of committees and groups that employees can join (all voluntary), including a Corporate Citizenship Committee, which decides on worthy volunteer and fundraising projects to get involved in. An example: When one of Outdoor Cap's former graphic designers lost both of his legs in the Iraq War, the committee went into overdrive, raising more than $7,000 (all from employee donations) to give to the man's family to help cover medical costs – plus, the company matched the donation to double the effort.
This spirit of caring is evident throughout the company. In a warehouse, a heart-shaped sign encourages employees to volunteer; in another part of the building, a poster showcases the company's recent Habitat for Humanity efforts, in which more than 20 employees helped build a house in a nearby town.
And McConnell is happy to get in on the act. He recently donned a dress and cooked up hamburgers for employees after losing a bet with a fellow employee centered around the amount of Outdoor Cap staffers each could get to donate blood in a local drive. "Fun perks, money and benefits only go so far," he says. "We try to let people here know we care. I think that's why people stay."


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Outside Donors Bankroll Kentucky Senate Race
Kentucky, a state desperate to lure outside investment, has found at least one way to attract big money from New York and Los Angeles: politics.
Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes announced this week that she had outraised Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in the first three months of 2014, as the two combine to make Kentucky the most expensive Senate race in the country.
If the earlier trends hold, the bulk of both candidates' money came from donors outside Kentucky.
As of December 31, Mr. McConnell drew 80% of his largest registered campaign contributions – or more than $9.3 million – from donors outside the commonwealth, according to a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics. And that total didn't count the $4.5 million the Kentucky senator raised from outside advocacy groups and other political action committees.
Ms. Grimes wasn't far behind, raising roughly 70% of her donations over $200 from benefactors beyond the borders of Kentucky, according to the same data. In fact, by the end of 2013, she had raised three times more money from donors in greater Los Angeles than she had from supporters in either Lexington or Louisville, Ky. And she raised more money from two ZIP Codes in Beverly Hills, Calif., than any other ZIP Codes in the country.
While it's hardly a revelation that high-profile congressional candidates prospect for campaign contributions in Hollywood, Wall Street and other wealthy enclaves of the United States, the high proportion of out-of-state money begs fairly obvious political attacks, as well as more serious questions about why well-heeled donors who probably don't spend much time in Kentucky would care deeply enough about a Senate race there to write a big check. (The most obvious answer is that Mr. McConnell has become the face of the GOP in Washington, and his seat represents critical terrain in the battle for control of the Senate.)
Since Ms. Grimes entered the race, Republicans have painted her as a tool of her outside supporters. That includes other politicians and bold-faced Democratic donors who have passed the hat on her behalf. On Thursday, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley headlines a fundraiser for Ms. Grimes in Louisville, opening the Democrat to questions about whether she, too, supports gun restrictions or tax increases like those signed by the Maryland governor.
Other events either headlined or hosted by former President Bill Clinton, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Dreamworks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, among others, provoked similar jeers from Republicans that Ms. Grimes is more beholden to outside interests than she is to the voters in Kentucky — a critical plank in Mr. McConnell's argument against her.
"The very same ultra-rich liberal elite who bankrolled Barack Obama into the White House are pulling out all the stops for Alison Lundergan Grimes," McConnell spokeswoman Allison Moore said Tuesday after the Grimes campaign announced its latest fundraising haul. "Kentuckians know darn well her entire campaign is funded by those who seek to destroy Kentucky values and our way of life."
Of course, that's just a variation on the argument Democrats make against Mr. McConnell – that he's in Congress to do the bidding of special interests on Wall Street and in Washington who, in turn, bankroll his campaign. And just like Ms. Grimes, the numbers bolster their case: The Kentucky Republican raised more money from donors in New York and Washington than he did in Louisville, his home base.
That's a sharp contrast from Mr. McConnell's last race in 2008 when he raised twice as much from donors in Louisville than he did from his benefactors in Washington and nearly three times more than his supporters in New York, according to an earlier tally by the Center for Responsive Politics.
"Despite being this cycle's no. 1 recipient of Washington lobbyist's cash, Mitch McConnell is quickly learning that the more Washington spends the more Kentuckians turn away," said Jonathan Hurst, a senior adviser to the Grimes campaign.
Follow @wsjwashington on Twitter.

subset: commoncrawl


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Intel Q9300
2 GRam
XP Sp3
PC to D-link gigabit router (wired)
PS3 to Router through panasonic 200Mbit homeplug (wired)
720p movie has no problem on playback but
1080p with DTS sound tract and transcode with subtitle , lag playback occur, by pressing display of PS3 remote show it's bitrate is 50-60 Mbps, and the transcoding buffer never full.
I found that when I press pause on PS3 playback (1080p DTS movie) and let the buffer become full (in my case 500M byte buffer need 1 to 2 min to fill up ) and press play again, the movie then play very smooth and never lag. The buffer status also keeps full. and the PS3 display the bitrate is constantly 30 Mbps which is what exactly I set in the PS3 MS.
I think Transcode a 1080p movie with dts sound tract and with subtitle is very CPU demanding, and the CPU transcoding speed cannot come up with the movie playback speed. And it is not related to the network speed, it is CPU depending. the faster the CPU, the lesser time needed to fill up the buffer. May be the author of the software add a function to let the user to delay the 1080p playback ( for 1-2 min) so that the buffer has enough time to fill up and lag will not occur!


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Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich
Choreographer: Alexei Ratmansky
Scenic Designer: George Tsypin
Costume Designer: Keso Dekker
Lighting Designer: Jennifer Tipton
Polina Semionova and Marcelo Gomes in Ratmansky's Symphony #9 (© Gene Schiavone) Courtesy American Ballet Theatre
Music: "Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major, Opus. 70"
World Premiere: October 18, 2012—American Ballet Theatre, New York City Center,
New York, New York
San Francisco Ballet Premiere: April 2, 2014—War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California
Music: "Chamber Symphony Op. 110a in C minor"
Arranged by: Rudolph Barshai
World Premiere: May 31, 2013—American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera
House, New York, New York
San Francisco Ballet Premiere: April 2, 2014—War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California
Music: "Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings, Op. 35"
World Premiere: May 31, 2013—American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera
House, New York, New York
San Francisco Ballet Premiere: April 2, 2014—War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California
Think of ballet music and you're not likely to think of Dmitri Shostakovich. Often not particularly melodic, with rapid-fire shifts in tone and tempo, his music seems more suited for the concert halls and film scores its often heard in. But in the hands of choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, this music is danceable indeed. Shostakovich Trilogy, a co-production of San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre (ABT), consists of three discrete ballets conceived as a full-evening work. Like George Balanchine's Jewels, the three ballets complement one another, gaining their full impact when seen together. Yet each multifaceted dance sparkles on its own.
The Bessie Award–nominated trilogy of ballets—Symphony #9, Chamber Symphony, and Piano Concerto #1— premiered in spring 2013 in a full-evening performance at ABT, where Ratmansky is resident choreographer. (Symphony #9 premiered the previous autumn.) The original plan was to create one portion of the trilogy at SF Ballet, but Ratmansky's travel schedule precluded that. "But we were involved in it from the very beginning," says Helgi Tomasson, SF Ballet's artistic director and principal choreographer.
Tomasson's first reaction to the concept for the co-production was admiration "for going with the same composer for the whole evening," he says. "Shostakovich is maybe not nearly as familiar to most audiences as other composers. And to use a little bit of his life story—I was very taken by that. If anybody could do it, it would be Alexei." Certainly no other choreographer has shown as much dedication to Shostakovich as Ratmansky, who has set at least 11 ballets to the composer's music.
To appreciate any music, it's best to grasp the context of the times in which the composer worked. That's particularly true of Shostakovich. Coming of age in Stalinist Russia, he was under scrutiny, as were all artists. He gained celebrity at an early age, and political expectations followed, in the form of requests for compositions that exalted the Soviet state. Often he rebelled, and several times he was denounced by the state; he walked a tightrope between survival and artistic choice. "Stalin was interested in music that celebrated everything that was great about Russia, and Shostakovich was at odds with that," says Martin West, SF Ballet's music director and principal conductor. "He was trying to create music for all time, not just for Russia."
Ratmansky, though, had Russia in mind when he created Shostakovich Trilogy, according to ABT Ballet Master Nancy Raffa, who set the trilogy on SF Ballet. "This evening is an homage to Shostakovich, because of Alexei's enormous admiration for his talent and for what he symbolizes for Russian people," she says. "But it's also a homage to [Ratmansky's] heritage. He grew up listening to and loving Shostakovich, so this was like a gift [to the composer]. And a gift to Russia."
Raffa, who has worked closely with Ratmansky during his five years at ABT, says she has "enormous admiration and respect for Alexei; I believe he's a genius." (As does the MacArthur Foundation; it bestowed a "genius" award on Ratmansky last September.) Raffa was at the choreographer's side during the birth of Shostakovich Trilogy, which was, she says, a process that evolved slowly. "When we started, I said, 'Alexei, do you have any idea what you're going to do?' and he said, 'I know I'm using three pieces for a Shostakovich evening, and I know this is an ambitious project. Period.'"
As always with Ratmansky's work, the movement is inherently classical— that's the default, even when a step is unquestionably contemporary. "Wherever you can use your classical training, put it there," Raffa tells one dancer. She asks for a tight fifth position "so you have something solid to work against when your arms are going crazy."
For Raffa, that melding of classical and contemporary is what's "special about [Ratmansky's] work," she says. "He uses the classical vocabulary with a style that's specific to him. There's a freedom of the upper body, in his movement and phrasing and musicality, that is expressive. Alexei is always saying something. You can say a million things with the same movement, [through] the energy and how you utilize the line and shape of your body. That's the key to Alexei's work. The vocabulary is the vocabulary; it's how he uses it that's so extraordinary."
When choreographing, Ratmansky tends to avoid giving the dancers specifics about intent and emotion, but in setting his works Raffa is more forthcoming. She knows exactly what he wants and conveys his intent through imagery and approaches to movement. "The arm movement has to be a result of something moving inside you; it has to mean something," she tells one dancer. To another: "Tension has to be there. You're torn. Don't make a pretty pose at the end." A pas de deux couple needs to "be softer. She should look like lace, a ribbon wrapping around him." To another couple: "Be really close; he wants to see you like two dolphins."
Permeating these ballets are the most fundamental human emotions: love and euphoria, grief and despair, and deeply, pervasively, fear—of being watched or followed, or (we assume) disappeared, as so often happened to those in political disfavor during Shostakovich's lifetime. The color red is prominent; backdrops offer hints of Stalin-era Russia. Yet all three ballets are markedly different.
In creating Symphony #9, Raffa says, Ratmansky considered "the time the piece was written and the emotions behind what was happening in Shostakovich's life." The first principal couple represents Shostakovich and his wife, supporting each other in a time of great danger; the other couple represents "the regime, the communist party, the whole Stalin mentality," Raffa says. "He wanted them to be almost a caricature, expressing the sarcasm in parts of the score. But everything is abstract. He kept saying, 'There's no story, but there's a lot of meaning.' "
Soloist Simone Messmer, formerly with ABT, has worked with Ratmansky often; at SF Ballet she dances the same role she created in Symphony #9. "I love Alexei's process; I like the way he makes me dance," she says. "Everything he does has a story whether it's abstract or not. His steps, the way he shows them, the way he speaks—I find it very precise. I feel like I know exactly what he wants. I don't know if I can produce it right away, but I know what the goal is."
Echoing the importance of understanding a choreographer's intent is Soloist Shane Wuerthner. "You can always utilize the music to help you with [the steps], but if you have an emotion you can call on, you can almost bring the audience into that emotion," he says. But first, he needs to figure out how to make Ratmansky's steps work in his body, Wuerthner says. "I feel that he wants you to move as if you're in honey, so the movement doesn't ever finish. And you have to syncopate a lot of movements. Getting that syncopation the way he wants it is a challenge."
West says Shostakovich's ninth symphony was one of his childhood favorites, before he knew anything about the composer. "It's so much fun," he says. "It goes by like the wind." Fun and flashy it is, but it was also was one of the composer's acts of rebellion. West explains: "When the war was finished, it was agreed that he would write a Beethoven's Ninth type of thing, to celebrate the beating of the Nazis. He started writing it and scrapped it." What he wrote instead—this funny, acerbic symphony—was interpreted as thumbing his nose at Stalin. "He was in big trouble," West says. "They were expecting something triumphal and this is just a bit of fun. [In places] it's like he's mocking Stalin. I don't know if he was, but that's the feeling you get."
In Ratmansky's hands, tension underlies the fun, giving the ballet an edge of fear. The subtext is clear: no one is safe. Yet the ballet is buoyed by hope, manifested by a solo principal man Ratmansky calls the Angel. "He's symbolic of something beyond our tangible, physical world," Raffa says. "He's a guide. Despite the turmoil that somebody could live [through], there's always a way through it. That dancer is symbolic of this."
There is always, Raffa says, the "guidance of your own integrity, your value system. Of hope, where there's perhaps no hope; light where there's only darkness."
San Francisco Ballet rehearses Ratmansky's Chamber Symphony (© Erik Tomasson)
Chamber Symphony is as close to a narrative ballet as the trilogy gets. The lead man is Shostakovich and the three principal women are his loves—the girl he was infatuated with but never made time for, the wife (and mother of his children) whose death undid him, and the young wife who shared his later years. The ballet takes the form of a retrospective, again with the constancy of fear, this time referencing the persecution of the Jews. (Note the Jewish theme in the music, and the fragments of folk dancing.) Loss weighs heavily in this ballet—of loved ones and what Shostakovich risked to be the artist he wanted to be.
In making this ballet, Ratmansky was responding to the well-documented fact that Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony, an orchestration of his Quartet No. 8, was intensely personal to the composer. He quotes his own music here more than anywhere else, and each movement bears an insistent theme—his signature, "DSHC (D.Sch.)," letters in his name (written in German) that can be played as musical notes. The piece, which includes part of an old Russian prison song, was Shostakovich's personal protest (the dedication reads, "In Memory of Victims of Fascism and War"), he said. According to various sources, he said this music could serve as his epitaph.
The way Principal Dancer Mathilde Froustey sees it, "we are what Shostakovich wanted to create. There is a kind of double sense—we are the instruments of Alexei and Shostakovich. There is the choreography, and there is the music. There is the context of the creation of this music."
There's a moment in this ballet when the Shostakovich character raises a finger in a moment of recognition. Raffa says it's as if he's thinking, "Everything I've lived through had a purpose, a meaning. I can pass peacefully now because I've left something." And then, she says, in the final tableau Ratmansky builds an image that pulls the viewers' eyes up, to a single girl held high, as if to say "what he left is monumental. The scene is like a monument to Shostakovich's thoughts and ideas, his humanness."
Of the trilogy ballets, Piano Concerto #1 is the most abstract. Ratmansky is "using the dancers as instruments, creating the music with their movement," Raffa says. Yet there's visible emotion. "Shostakovich is extremely emotional," Raffa says. "You can't work with his music and not have that quality in your choreography."
The music, Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings, is mercurial, whipping from one mood to another. West describes the piece as "a very good example of classic proportions where Shostakovich was able to take off on tangents that only a great comedy genius could do. Especially the last movement—it goes nuts. Suddenly he slams on a chord out of nowhere, or he'll make it sound like he's going to trill into a little Mozart cadenza [embellishment] and then doesn't."
That frantic quality in the last movement may have roots in Shostakovich's job, as a very young man, of playing piano accompaniment for silent movies. "He was able to make stuff up," West says. "That's almost how the Piano Concerto is—it's a ridiculous play on everything." Yet it has "all styles of music, very deep and serious," he says, "and the slow movements are beautiful."
For Principal Dancer Vitor Luiz, the contrast in the music during his solo is something he loves. "The music shifts to this very energetic movement—it's like showing off—and then it goes back to quiet. It's theatrical. The image Nancy gave us was of looking out a window to see your future, but you don't see any future there. That already gives you the idea why you do that solo—because you have nowhere to go," he says. "If you do this solo right, it will touch people's souls. That's one of the best parts for me."
What's remarkable about dancing Ratmansky's ballets, Luiz says, is how "they make you feel good." He noticed it with Russian Seasons, then again with From Foreign Lands. "I thought, 'That's interesting.' Then I worked with him, and he shared his knowledge and his deep attention to details. He said, 'It's like a nice, fine cuisine. You have to put in all these ingredients, and they are all measured by grams. You have to use all that.'
"So when Nancy put together Piano Concerto," Luiz continues, "the image she said he wanted is a prisoner in a country— the artists who couldn't get out. She said, 'Imagine that you cannot go back to Brazil, and your whole family is there—your daughter, everyone—and you can't ever talk to them again.' And so in this moment that's what you think. You're trying to find a solution or a way out, and you can't. Every movement has a meaning. Maybe that's why you feel good afterwards—because you feel like you accomplished something technically but also artistically."
Program notes by Cheryl A. Ossola


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You know when a bunch of couples go out for a birthday or other celebration and don't invite their one single friend? Anne Kenney hates that.
"I get excluded socially, and the only way to get together is if we do a girls night," says Kenney, 49, of San Mateo.
Oh yeah? Well, Kashina Lee, who has been in a relationship for four years, gets annoyed when her single friends constantly complain about being single.
"Their whole focus seems to be on finding a partner," says Lee, 37, of Santa Clara.
Can singles and marrieds be friends? Sure, we maintain rewarding friendships with people of the opposite status, but not without the occasional wince of irritation: Can a single friend at least try to take an interest in your child? Can your coupled friend talk about anything besides how great her boyfriend is?
It's harder than you think. It may appear that Sam has totally changed since he settled down, but a Stanford University study published earlier this year helps to explain why singles perceive marrieds as smug and marrieds pity singles. We actually tend to idealize our current relational status as a way to feel good about what is permanent in our lives (much like we idealize our religion). In other words, if you don't see your relationship changing, you're more likely to glorify it.
But, if we acknowledge that envy is at the root of most complaints and even misconceptions that we harbor -- that singles are selfish, for instance, or that people in relationships lack individuality -- we can reap the obvious benefits of spending time with people of the opposite status, says marriage and family therapist Bonnie L. Faber.
"It's not that singles don't like couples; it's that when you're alone and it's not your choice, it can be hard to see a couple have what you want," explains Faber, of San Jose. "You can also have envy the other way. Someone who feels stuck in a relationship sees the fun and freedom in singlehood. That's what's underneath the button-pushing."
Lee, of Santa Clara, is aware of that. Even though she is happy in her relationship, she says there are things that she misses about being single, such as cooking for one or making spontaneous plans without having to run them by someone.
Still, she understands why her single friends seek companionship. "When I was single, I saw my friends in relationships, and I also wanted to talk about plans for the future with someone, or have an automatic date to bring to events," she says. "It all comes down to the old saying, 'The grass is always greener on the other side.' "
In the Stanford study, a team of psychological scientists in the university's Graduate School of Business found that, regardless of satisfaction, people tend to evangelize their own relational status, especially if they don't see their circumstances changing. It's the same with work, explains lead researcher Kristin Laurin.
"If you're in a job that you don't like or can't get out of, you're going to be motivated to idealize it and say it's a good job and I'm lucky to have it," she says.
Gabe Vasquez doesn't glorify his marriage or role as a parent, but he'd sure like his single buddies to take an interest in his son. Vasquez, 29, of Concord, has been a father for more than a year but says that his single friends rarely make an effort to play with his 17-month-old.
When they go out for beers, it's much of the same. Work and partying dominate the conversation. There's seldom any inquiry about little Andre.
"I don't expect them to know every stage (of development), but it would be nice if they asked how he's doing or if he's, like, walking or talking," he says.
San Francisco singleton Jennifer Roberts has three friends who are married with children and another who is expecting. When the conversation gets baby-centric, Roberts, 35, sometimes grows quiet, but it's not because she doesn't know what to say or can't relate.
"I want a baby, so it brings up issues for me," she says.
But as Faber says, if you accept the envy and move past it, you are able to try on different roles -- in Roberts' case, being an auntie for a day or watching modern couples parent -- and even find inspiration for your own life.
"It's a beautiful process to watch someone go from being single to growing up with a partner and getting married," Roberts says. "It gives me hope for myself."
This past summer, something happened to Anne Kenney, the San Mateo singleton, that gave her hope for her friendships with couples.
Kenney's neighbors, a married couple, invited her to a barbecue. Of the 17 guests, Kenney was the only single person. There she was, mingling confidently with eight couples.
"I had a great time and profusely thanked them, like, 10 times for inviting me," she says. "They looked at me like I was crazy, but it just meant so much to me to be invited."


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Home > Open Movie Editor, Video > Open Movie Editor – New Release Feb 3rd
Open Movie Editor – New Release Feb 3rd
February 3, 2008 Leave a comment Go to comments
The Open Movie Editor project has just released a new version of this Linux based non-linear video editing tool.
Amongst the highlights of this new version are the following items:
- Addition of Gnome menu item, so that the application doesn't always need to be started from the command line.
- Split clips now retain effect information
- Glitches removed from Timeline cursor for an enhanced editing experience
- Improved clip zooming
- Bug fixed where OME would crash if a clip was resized during playback of the timeline.
- Other critical clip modifications now disabled during playback, for improved stability.
Full release notes are available on Sourceforge.
Download the new version of Open Movie Editor.
Categories: Open Movie Editor, Video NLE, Open Movie Editor, video editing


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2013 1st Quarter Meeting--February 19, 2013
Friendly Reminders
CD and DVD cleaning available at CKLS--Send your dirty and scratched discs to Missy in Techincal Services. Make sure your library's name is somewhere on the disc.
When placing holds, mark Next Available Copy, unless a specific copy is needed. If you mark a specific copy please put a short explanation in the notes field when placing the hold.
Check for updates on bugs and developments on Pathfinder Central Online Forum: http://pathfindercentral.freeforums.org
Please protect DVDs and CDs that you put on the courier! Wrap them with bubble wrap! Remember to treat the lending library's materials with as much respect as you want other to treat your materials.
With all the little tasks, plus changes in the Koha system, it is nice to have a designated helpline. With a Pathfinder Central mentor, a fellow Pathfinder librarian will be paired with you for support, commiseration, insider tricks and more.
Resoure Sharing Timeline--a list of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks for PILL and ILL.
Koha version 3.10 Update Webinar
Here's a link to a Koha 3.10 demo you can play with.
u: koha310
p: koha310
The above user has most permissions, but not all of them since you will all be playing on the same demo and I don't want things turned on/off and breaking. We will not be refreshing this demo, so please be considerate of your fellow ByWater partners while they learn (no changing the log in info for your users please).
If you want to log in to the OPAC you can do that too:
u: demo
p: demo
Maribeth's Notes (PDF)
Official Koha v3.10 Release Notes
Ideas from Pathfinder Central Trail Blazers Committee Members
Mentors for librarians who need support and additional training (DONE)
Customizing a favorites list of Reports for easy navigation to the reports each library uses the most (In Development)
Making reports searchable by number (In Development)
Using a pre-printed card to note damages on items as the arrive at a borrowing library on PILL (Coming Soon)
Nominations for Committee Member
Jan Williams has completed her first term as a Trail Blazers Committee Member. She is eligable for a 2nd 3 year term.
Jan Williams at Russell is nominated for a 2nd term
To nominate, click here. Nominations end Friday, March 8, 2013.
This is a new Pathfinder User Agreement form for all participating libraries to consult and sign. This new form presents aspects that each individual library is responsible for in keeping with the spirit of Pathfinder Central. Please have the library directory and library board chair sign this form and return to CKLS by Monday, April 1, 2013.
The Trail Blazers committee created a plan for remedial action to help libraries struggling with PILL get the training and support they need to be an efficient and active member on PILL lending and borrowing.
Dates for Next meetings:
2nd Quarter Meeting: Session During Spring Forward May 14 or 15
3rd Quarter Meeting: Thursday, August 22, 2013 10 a.m.
4th Quarter Meeting: Wednesday, November 6, 2013 10 a.m.


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- Jan 11:
- Wolverton: Your home could soon be like the Jetsons'
- Jan 10:
- Magid: '4K' TV not quite ready for prime time
- CES 2014: iPhone case gives you 'Predator' vision
- CES 2014: Former Apple engineer introduces a smart desk
- 5 things you missed at CES: Connect your devices on the go
- Jan 9:
- CES 2014: Cars powered by solar, hydrogen roll into Las Vegas
- Netflix adds 4K streaming for new, ultra high-definition TVs
- CES 2014: Driverless cars need legal framework, automakers say
- CES 2014: Toothbrush tracks use, uses bluetooth to share with phone
- Jan 8:
- CES 2014: Troy's picks for best of show
- CES 2014: Few 'wearables' balance fashion and function
- CES 2014: Cisco CEO pegs 'Internet of Things' as $19 trillion opportunity
- Jan 7:
- CES 2014: Will your next TV be Ultra HD?
- CES 2014: Yahoo's Marissa Mayer brings out stars to tout firm's media business
- CES 2014: Sony launches PlayStation Now streaming game service
- PlayStation 4 easily outselling Xbox One so far, Sony says
- CES 2014: Michael Bay says 'I guess live shows aren't my thing'
- Intel says its processors are now 'conflict-free'
- Jan 6:
- CES 2014: Intel CEO says company will play a key role in computing revolution
- CES 2014: TV industry puts its hope in curves and pretty screens
- CES 2014: Panasonic to help make smart-TV Firefox software
- CES 2014: Dish's new Hopper can record 8 shows at once
- CES 2014: AT&T to sell toll-free service for wireless data
- CES 2014: Sharp unveils TV positioned between HD and 4K
- CES 2014: LG jumps into wearable fitness gadget market
- CES 2014: Roku TV will stream video without set-top box
- CES 2014: Dolby unveils technology to improve TV brightness
- CES 2014: LG to use Palm's mobile software for smart TVs
- CES 2014: GM to outfit Chevy vehicles with 4G from AT&T
- Nvidia admits Monterey County crop circle was a publicity stunt
- Jan 5:
- CES preview: Tech sales expected to fall in 2014, industry group says
- Jan 3:
- Wolverton: Excited for CES 2014, for a change
- Jan 2:
- Ford to unveil solar hybrid concept car at CES
LAS VEGAS -- T-Mobile's CEO John Legere is taking his "bad boy" image and feud with AT&T to the next level: he crashed a party thrown by AT&T at the International CES gadget show in Las Vegas, and was thrown out after being discovered.
The incident late Monday night occurred amid a recent escalation of the intense rivalry between the two companies. It was reported by CNET and confirmed by Legere on his Twitter feed. AT&T's party followed its conference for software developers the same day, and featured rap act Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Legere claims to be a fan.
Ran into @JohnLegere at the AT&T party. Yep, he crashed it. And still wearing the pink t-mo shirt. #CES2014 pic.twitter.com/gy9vGTJUEW— Roger Cheng (@RogerWCheng) January 7, 2014
Legere took the job as CEO of T-Mobile, the country's fourth-largest wireless carrier, in Sept. 2012, and has made a point of breaking with the status quo of the wireless industry, both in terms of personal style and business models. Legere dresses flashily and swears at company presentations. He has branded T-Mobile the "Un-carrier" and eliminated traditional two-year service contracts.
Since T-Mobile and AT&T use similar network technologies, Legere has launched initiatives aimed at luring iPhone users from AT&T to T-Mobile. In an apparent response, AT&T last week offered $200 to T-Mobile subscribers for switching to AT&T.
AT&T representatives had no immediate comment on the incident.


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Spurned Husband Fills Hot Tub With Manure
Posted August 19th, 2013 @ 9:52am by Rob Quinn, Newser Staff
(NEWSER) – An ex-cop in Quebec is facing several charges after being caught brown-handed dumping manure at his estranged wife's house—and filling her hot tub with it, cops say. The 64-year-old, who was apparently enraged at having been served divorce papers, tried to make a getaway on a tractor after officers confronted him, the Toronto Sun reports. After a low-speed chase (theMontreal Gazette clocks it at about 12.5mph), police stopped the tractor and pepper-sprayed the suspect as he allegedly resisted arrest.


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Judge mulls sabotage of cost cutting Keene schools warrant articles
Voters who showed up for the deliberative session amended all seven articles by a wide margin at the school district�s deliberative session Feb. 8. State law says that amendments cannot eliminate the subject matter of the original article.
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Kathleen Sanford performs neurological cognitive tests during an appointment Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. Sanford is an Alzheimer's patient that has a deep brain stimulation implant as part of a study at Ohio State University. In small experiments, scientists are implanting pacemaker-like devices deep in the brains of some people with early-stage Alzheimer's in hopes of slowing the disease's damage. The tiny wires send mild jolts of electricity to stimulate the brain. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)


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The Creston, IA. K-school has been removed and needs to be removed from the course listing. We have installed an 18 hole course at SWCC in Creston. You will recieve the information on that course this week.
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Sounds like a POS to me
Printable View
Sounds like a POS to me
it has bluetuth or some other protocol that turns off the jet when you are too far (fall off the thing). you can also press the button on the wrist control to turn it off.Quote:
HAHA, Good question, maybe they have a "kill switch" like a jet ski
yes, easier to duckdive too because of the weight it goes deeper and harder for the wave to blow it away.
sofa king gay
I'm a rare bodyboarder.
It just seems so silly.
For injured surfers, they should be stoked and rightfully so, but that is if they could afford it.
I can imagine a wealthy adult beginner will have trouble getting his wavejet longboard out on big days, when he's got 4 feet of whitewater flying into his face as he "jets" with 20 lbs of thrust straight into it. It seems scarier that way. Maybe I don't understand the physics, but still.
^^^^^Two valid points, great for injured folks or those who wouldn't be able to experience riding a wave otherwise and, big wake up call for wealthy people who get in over their heads into conditions beyond their abilities. For us regular folks and rare bodyboarders, isn't actually catching the wave part of the fun?


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POSITION: Goaltender
CATCHES: Left
BIRTHPLACE: Woonsocket, RI, USA
DRAFTED: PHI: 1995-22 overall
|WHL West Second All-Star Team (1996) WJC-A All-Star Team (1997) WHL West First All-Star Team (1997) WHL Goaltender of the Year (1997) NHL All-Rookie Team (2000) Traded to Phoenix by Philadelphia with Nashville's 3rd round pick (previously acquired, Phoenix selected Joe Callahan) in 2002 NHL Draft for Michal Handzus and Robert Esche, June 12, 2002. Signed as a free agent by Jonkoping (Sweden), October 20, 2004. Traded to Calgary by Phoenix with Mike Leclerc for Steve Reinprecht and Philippe Sauve, February 2, 2006. Signed as a free agent by Chicago, September 24, 2006. Claimed on waivers by Columbus from Chicago, February 27, 2007. Signed as a free agent by Philadelphia (AHL), July 23, 2007. Signed as a free agent by San Jose, February 26, 2008. Signed as a free agent by Philadelphia, July 1, 2009. Signed as a free agent by Carolina, July 1, 2011. Traded to Philadelphia by Carolina with Mark Alt for Luke Pither, January 13, 2013. Signed as a free agent by Zug (Swiss), July 17, 2013. Released by Zug (Swiss), October 18, 2013. Officially announced his retirement, March 13, 2014.
Brian and his wife, Melissa, have a son, Tyler (9), and a daughter, Brianna (8)… They spend their summers in Rhode Island… Brian was involved with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia during his time there… He started playing hockey at 6, and tried goalie when his Mite team in Woonsocket, R.I., needed one… His first job was as a caddie… His favorite television show is Modern Family and favorite movie is Goodfellas… His biggest talent outside of hockey is "impersonations"… His favorite athlete is David Ortiz, and favorite former teammate is Jody Shelley… Brian's most memorable moments were his five shutout streak in 2003-04, and his shootout victory against the Rangers on 4/11/10, clinching a playoff spot for the Flyers.
Completed his 12th NHL season and first with the Hurricanes… Played just 10 games, the second-fewest of his NHL career… Made his Hurricanes debut, stopping 32 of 36 shots in overtime loss at WSH (10/8)… Stopped 29 of 34 shots faced in a 5-1 loss at PHI (10/29)… Made 19 saves on 20 shots in a 1-0 loss vs. BUF (11/18), his first home start as a Hurricane… Stopped 37 of 40 shots faced in a 3-2 loss vs. PIT (12/3)… Placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, 12/11… Activated from injured reserve, 3/2… Earned his first Hurricanes win with 23 saves in a 5-3 win at MIN (3/17)… Stopped 22 of 25 shots in a 4-1 loss at FLA (4/7)… Served as backup for 36 games… Missed 36 games due to injury (lower body: 12/6-3/1).
Is in his 13th NHL season and second with the Hurricanes… Signed a two-year contract with the Hurricanes on July 1, 2011… 1994-95: Went 17-11-2 with a 3.29 goals-against average with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL)… Ranked sixth in the WHL in goals-against average… Was 6-5 with a 3.77 goals-against average in the playoffs, as the Americans topped Spokane before falling to Kamloops in the division finals… 1995-96: Ranked fifth in the WHL in goals-against average (3.41), earning 33 regular-season wins… Was named to the WHL West Second All-Star Team… Was 6-5 with a 3.40 goals-against average in the playoffs as Tri-City beat Kelowna before falling to Kamloops for the second consecutive year.
1996-97: Was named WHL Goaltender of the Year after going 10-24-6 with a 3.64 goals-against average in his final season of junior hockey… Was also selected to the WHL West First All-Star Team.
1997-98: Played his first professional season with Philadelphia of the American Hockey League (AHL)… Was a member of the Planet USA Team for 1998 AHL All-Star Classic… Was 16-12-3 with a 3.19 goals-against average in the regular season… Played in two playoff games, earning a 1.95 goals-against average, as the Phantoms captured the Calder Cup championship.
1998-99: Was 20-8-5 with a 2.59 goals-against average in 36 AHL games with the Philadelphia Phantoms… Played in all 16 of the Phantoms' Calder Cup Playoff games, going 9-7 with a 2.85 goals-against average as Philadelphia advanced to the conference final before falling to Rochester.
1999-00: Completed his first NHL season with the Flyers, earning NHL All-Rookie Team honors after going 20-10-3 with a 1.91 goals-against average… Led the NHL in goals-against average (1.91)… Became the first rookie goalie since 1950-51 to play at least 25 games and have a goals-against average of less than 2.00… Ranked fourth in NHL and led all rookies with .918 save percentage… Led the Flyers in shutouts (4)… Made his NHL debut vs. MTL (10/14)… Earned his first NHL win with a 5-3 victory vs. NJ (10/30)… Registered his first NHL shutout with a 4-0 win vs. TB (12/18)… Made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, going 11-7 with a 2.03 goals-against average in 18 playoff games as the Flyers advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to New Jersey in seven games… Won first career NHL playoff game with a 3-2 win vs. BUF (4/13)… Earned his first playoff shutout in 2-0 win at BUF (4/16)… Played 151:48 and did not allow a goal in 149:26, stopping 57 of 58 shots in a 2-1, 5 OT win at PIT (5/4).
2000-01: Split time in net with Roman Cechmanek, playing 27 regular-season games with a record of 8-12-5… Appeared in one playoff game, as the Flyers fell to Buffalo in the first round.
2001-02: Went 18-16-4 with a 2.41 goals-against average… Recorded consecutive shutouts for the first time in his career and became the first Flyers goalie to record shutouts on consecutive days at WSH (10/30) and vs. PIT (10/31)… Appeared in two of the Flyers' five playoff games as they fell to Ottawa in the first round.
2002-03: Traded to Phoenix in June, and set career highs in games (45) and minutes (2544) during his first season with the Coyotes.
2003-04: Was 10-19-10 for the Coyotes with a 2.74 goals-against average and a career-high five shutouts… From 12/22-1/11, set two new modern-day NHL records with five consecutive shutouts and a shutout sequence of 332:01, breaking the 55-year-old records of Montreal's Bill Durnan (four, 309:21 sequence in 1948-49)… The shutouts came at LA (12/31: 4-0, 21 saves), at DAL (1/2: 6-0, 35 saves), at CAR (1/4: 3-0, 26 saves), at WSH (1/7: 3-0, 27 saves) and at MIN (1/9: 2-0, 21 saves)… Played 332:01 without allowing a goal from 19:15 of the second period at NSH (12/22) through 6:16 of the first period vs. ATL (1/11)… Recorded the first shutout at the new Glendale Arena with a 4-0 win vs. LA (12/31).
2004-05: Played for HV 71 in Sweden during the NHL work stoppage.
2005-06: Split the season between Calgary and Phoenix in the NHL and San Antonio in the AHL, skating in 14 total NHL games with a record of 4-8-0.
2006-07: Split season with Columbus and Chicago, going 2-11-3 with one shutout.
2007-08: Spent the majority of the season in the AHL with the Philadelphia Phantoms before signing as a free agent with San Jose on 2/26… Went 3-1-1 with a 1.76 goals-against average for San Jose… With a shutout at STL (3/1), became the first goalie in San Jose franchise history to record a shutout win in his Sharks debut (Nabokov earned a shutout tie in his first appearance)… Appeared in 42 AHL games with Philadelphia, going 23-16-1 with a 2.47 goals-against average… Played just two minutes during the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Sharks.
2008-09: Went 12-6-3 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.18 goals against average for San Jose, his best save percentage and goals-against average since his rookie season in 1999-00… Started the season with back-to-back shutouts and became the only goaltender since 1989-90 to begin his tenure with a franchise with three shutouts in his first five starts… Posted shutout in his season-debut at LA (10/12), the second consecutive season in which he debuted without allowing a goal.
2009-10: Was 9-18-3 with a 2.76 goals-against average in 33 games with the Flyers… Stopped 24 of 25 shots and 2 of 3 players in a shootout to record a 2-1 win vs. NY Rangers in the final game of the regular season to clinch playoff berth… Recorded his 100th NHL victory on 4/6 at Toronto, a 2-0 shutout… Played 12 of Philadelphia's 23 playoff games, as the Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to Chicago… Had a 1.59 goals-against average and .940 save percentage in the conference quarterfinals vs. NJ, leading all NHL goalies in the first round… Stopped all 28 shots to post a 3-0 win in Game 5 vs. NJ, marking his first playoff shutout since April 16, 2000 vs. Buffalo… It was the longest stretch between NHL playoff shutouts (10 years, 6 days) since Jim Henry (3/24/42 – 4/3/52: 10 years, 10 days).
2010-11: Posted an 18-10-4 record, a 2.42 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in 34 games with the Flyers… Recipient of the Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award as the Flyer who best illustrated character, dignity, and respect for the sport, both on and off the ice, as voted on by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association… Finished the season with team bests in save percentage (.916) and goals-against average (2.42)… Went unbeaten in six consecutive games (5-0-1) from 11/20-12/18 with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage… Played in his 300th game in the NHL vs. NJ (1/22)… Backstopped the Flyers in nine of the team's 11 playoff games, earning a 4-4 record, 3.13 goals-against average and .904 save percentage… Recorded all four wins, a 2.10 GAA and a .917 save percentage in the Flyers' series victory against Buffalo in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.


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Description: Drive Eplorer that works on USB storage devices formatted by the Xbox 360
Port of my old multiplatform fatx driver, now it has a gui.
It works!
http://halo.gruntmod...elease_Gui_.rar : has built in updater, will update upon launch ( thanks to gruntmods for server )
Linux/OSX(currently broken due to obfuscation, will fix later)
You need to install mono to use this on those systems( i will not provide help on installing mono)
To run: Open a terminal, type "mono /path/to/xtaf.exe" without the quotes
Currently, user v33 with linux/OSX, as for now linux/windows version are merged
THIS IS BETA SOFTWARE: Expect bugs
For support, and to post bugs, visit http://darkjump.co.cc/forums
V33: Fixed many issues, it now should handle cache partitions correctly, pulled out of beta for now.
Update, v35, fixes hdd support
Update, v36, I made the mistake of posting on se7ensins, got flamed, new option for one of their idiots.
V42: hdd support should be stable along with large usb devices, if your hdd does not load then try unchecking the load method option in options
Full changelog available through link inside application.
Edited by slasherking823, 20 December 2010 - 08:39 AM.


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Good evening.
I've been putting DVD covers in jpg format in my folder with my video files. I noticed that on my PS3 the generation of the pictures takes a little amount of time. I also noticed that when you scroll down a page and then back up they regenerated.
Anyway of speeding the process up?


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Summertime Cocktails You Have To Try
The arrival of Megans French-Canadian parents meant wine was going to be drunk Chez Draper! The label had a chateau on it, making it pretty safe to guess that it was French which is basically all they drink anyway. And since it was white and the bottle had sloping shoulders, we could also probably guess it was a white Burgundy (Chardonnay) yum! These three easily knocked off a bottle together at dinner.
Megan's prone to making spaghetti, but in one episode last season she was cooking up some delicious Boeuf Bourgignon which calls for three cups of red wine to go into the pot. And like any good cook, Megan had the rest of the wine poured out in a glass for herself while cooking. The classic Julia Child recipe calls for a "full-bodied young red (like Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône or Burgundy)" Let's go with a Côtes du Rhône, which is made from Syrah and really the only full-bodied one of the bunch (sorry, Jules, but it's true).
4 Easy Latin Grilling Recipes


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via Personal Recipe 1765125:
What's with the lunchbox?
you are a real artist,TRE? I mean only with the drums in your hands;););)
Ha! Thats sooooooo cool!
Dear Trè, that you are the king of the drums, we already know ... But now you might as well become an artist of contemporary art! :-D It's very amusing!!!
Ummm... Do you know what I'm thinking now? You should do a book with all your paintings. It would be awesome!!


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Front Row Beauty at Fashion Week
Sure, the looks coming down the runways are amazing. But what really gets us psyched is the hair and makeup we spot on the fashionistas in the front row. These are the looks that made us forget what was happening on the runway
SEE NEXT PAGE: Elettra Wiedemann
Older comments
I was at Fashion Week. Wish I took some pics, as I saw some that were phenomenal. Unfortunately, nothing too monumental featured in this article.
by robyne00 Friday, March 15, 2013 at 05:41PM Report as inappropriate
Nice pics
by EricaF123 Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 06:11PM Report as inappropriate
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TEDA head dismissed early
Published: Monday, October 28, 2013 at 9:16 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, October 28, 2013 at 9:16 p.m.
The CEO of the Terrebonne Parish Economic Authority is being forced out by the agency's board.
Steve Vassallo, who has headed TEDA since 2011, had already submitted his resignation in September. It was set to take effect Christmas Eve, but the board voted Monday to remove Vassallo effective 10 days after the vote.
The organization is embroiled in a fight to survive in its current form. Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet has proposed TEDA be largely defunded and economic development efforts be rolled into the parish administration. His recommendation is included in his budget proposal the Parish Council is to discuss next week.
Vassallo submitted his resignation shortly after Claudet's proposal became public. He claims Claudet has a personal vendetta against him. Claudet has remained silent on his reasons.
The board discussed Vassallo's future shortly after his resignation was tendered. Some members felt his resignation should be effective immediately, though the board chose to take no action until a special Monday meeting called by Chairman Clarence Williams.
Williams did not give specifics as to what prompted the meeting other than saying the move would show the board is flexible in its efforts to exist.
"We had to do more assessment," Williams said of the board's reluctance to remove Vassallo earlier.
Williams added that removing Vassallo isn't throwing in the towel on the board's efforts to keep the organization funded.
Board member Mike Lewis called the motion to remove Vassallo "silly" and added "at the end of the day, I don't agree. But to elaborate further would divide us more."
Lewis and board members Douglas Graham and Katie Simms opposed the move. Multiple board members declined to discuss their vote in any detail, but Simms was blunt.
"Have you ever heard the term 'throwing someone under the bus?' That is what just happened here," Simms said.
After the meeting, Simms claimed TEDA's task force on negotiating its survival had met with Claudet and he informed the members he'd not deal with them until Vassallo was gone.
"We've voted to throw him under the bus so Michel will talk to us," Simms said.
On Friday, Claudet declined to specify whether he'd reconsider his proposal to the Parish Council.
The dismissal will also mean Vassallo will be paid a little longer. Had his resignation taken hold, his pay would have ended Dec. 24. Since the board is removing him "without cause" the organization will now pay him 90 days severance beginning Nov. 6.
Donna Washington, TEDA's vice president of operations, will take over Vassallo's duties in the interim.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Officers found 34-year-old Steven Harley beaten to death in his Jenkins County home in late April.
Harley's wife Tracey Harley was arrested May 16. She and Rico Orlando Walker are now in jail, charged with murder.
Harley's death is taking its toll on dozens of children.
Steven Harley coached T-ball and football with the Burke County Recreation Department.
People there tell News 12 he really made a difference in the lives of children and was always willing to go the extra mile for his team.
"We were very shocked. It's been very disappointing for our department...and it's been very hurtful," says recreation director Rolene Rowell. She says Harley always tried to have a positive impact in the kids' lives.
"Steven was a funny guy, he was great with the kids, he was just such a nice person," says athletic manager Cory Dent. "He tried his best to make each kid have a good experience out here."
Dent says explaining the death to the team was tough.
And one of those kids Harley coached was his son.
"They'd go fishing and hunting and stuff like that. To me they had a real good bond," says Dent. "He's going to miss his dad."
Another group of kids also lost their teacher. Murder suspect Tracey Harley taught third graders at Blakeney Elementary and was in good standing with the school according to board representative Molly Banks. She spent Wednesday morning telling the children their teacher won't be back this year.
"This is a really surprising thing to happen to everyone," Banks says.
The death is also surprising for the rec department, where people knew both husband and wife.
"It was some bad news, and it was hard on everyone," says Dent.
"Our main concern here are the kids...his children were precious," Rowell says.
A death touching lots of young lives...now without a teacher, a coach, and a father.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the murder investigation. They arrested Rico Orlando Walker last Thursday, May 11, and Tracey Harley yesterday evening.
Officers have alluded to the possibility the two were involved, but the GBI won't release any more information because it is an ongoing investigation.


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Five red jackets and one yellow jacket greeted Frisco Elementary students as they walked into their school gymnasium Wednesday. The students jumped up and down and pointed excitedly, especially toward the group's shortest member - Annie, an avalanche rescue dog, wearing her official vest and accompanied by her handler, Mike Daly.
"I bet you've seen these coats before," said Frisco Elementary principal Renea Hill at the beginning of her introduction.
The group, from Keystone Ski Patrol and Mountain Safety, came with a presentation about safety on the slopes as a part of Skier Safety Week. Frisco Elementary was the first school to watch the presentation, with Summit Cove Elementary next on the list. The group hopes to arrange similar performances for the rest of the county schools as well.
Community outreach and getting kids to learn about safety at an early age is "super important," said Patricia Reynolds, ski patrol supervisor at Keystone Resort.
"Skiing and riding are part of our community culture," she said. "Our grade school children are the next 'locals' on the hill. ... Whether we want to or not, those of us who live here and play here are leading by example."
Starting early is also helpful, Reynolds said. "K-5 is a great age to think of acting responsibly," especially since many of the children are already out on the slopes, whether with lessons through the ski school or just with family and friends.
After the team introduced themselves, they showed the students a short video, produced by the ski patrol and a group of 10 young skiers in the Keystone Avengers program, which includes kids from various schools throughout the county from ages 5-12.
The children in the video follow the antics of "Dangerous Dan," a skier who breaks the rules and acts in an unsafe manner. By interviewing Keystone personnel and skiing safely around the mountain, the children catch up to "Dangerous Dan" and convince him to change his ways. Throughout the video, the students watching clapped and cheered.
After the video presentation, the ski patrollers tested the kids' knowledge by having them help properly dress one of the ski patrollers. The good example ended up with a warm jacket, gloves, helmet and goggles, while the bad example stood before the crowd decked out in a chef's jacket, catcher's mitt, cheesehead hat and swim goggles. The kids laughed throughout and raised their hands to tell personal stories of playing on the slopes.
In the end, each student was given a sticker to prove that they, too, were a member of the Keystone Avengers team and pledged to practice safety when skiing and snowboarding.
"For a first go, I feel the kids were very enthusiastic and all wanted to participate," Reynolds stated in an email. "If our presentations can keep one child from being hurt while skiing or riding, it makes it all worthwhile for me."


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The Earned Income Tax Credit can help some low income workers put up to $4,100 back into their pockets.
According to tax experts, people who earn $11,000 or less and have no kids can get money back from the federal government.
People who earn $29,000 or less and have one kid or people who earn $34,000 with at least two kids can also qualify to receive the credit.
Experts say low-income workers should consult the EIC chart in the IRS tax booklet to determine how much money they should get back from the government.
For more information about the tax credit, log on to www.irs.gov.
wilx.com: Extended Web Coverage
Tips for Last-Minute Filers
Source: http://www.sctax.org/pressrel/1998/04109801.html (South Carolina Department of Revenue).


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No, there isn't a Santa Claus
By Jsavit-Oracle on Jun 15, 2008
I really don't like to use this blog for refuting competitor exaggerations and FUD. I'd really rather spend the infrequent time I spend on this blog talking about Sun technology. THere's so much great new stuff in Solaris, in our servers and storage products, and software stack, that it's just a nuisance to have to refute silly attacks on us.
But, once again into the fray. Read on to see the latest fuzzy math[Read More]


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Ghana's Boateng, Muntari Sent Home From World Cup
Recife, Brazil — The driving rain here on Brazil's northeast coast won't give the U.S. any breaks on Thursday but Ghana already has.
Ghana sent home two of its top veteran players for disciplinary reasons ahead of their must-win game against Portugal. Midfielders Sulley Muntari, who was suspended for the game already for receiving two yellow cards, and Kevin Prince Boateng were thrown out of camp for fighting with team authorities.
Boateng didn't start in Ghana's defeat to the U.S., a move that had him clearly miffed after the 2-1 loss. Muntari has been a key player for Ghana.
The moves follow a one-day strike by the team, which refused to train earlier this week and threatened not to play unless their country's soccer federation guaranteed payments.
If the U.S. loses to Germany by multiple goals and Ghana wins by multiple goals, the U.S. will be eliminated. The U.S. advances with a tie against Germany.


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Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains, PA Indoor Water Park Resort
Swim, Splash, Slide
Family fun is waiting for you in Pennsylvania.
Our 84-degree indoor water park offers the best in weatherproof family vacations. There are so many fun things to do in the water park from jaw-dropping thrill slides like the Howlin' Tornado and Hydro Plunge water coaster to activity pools and zero-depth-playgrounds including Cub Paw Pool. And while you're here, experience Slideboarding, available exclusively in the Pocono Mountains at Great Wolf Lodge.
There's More Than Just a Water Park!
Step onto dry land and your family adventure is just beginning.
Featured DealCheck out the huge savings on this limited time offer.
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Save up to 50% when you book early. You must reserve at least 60 days in advance to take advantage of this special offer. Start your family vacation planning now.
Book at least 60 days in advance
Take a look at some of Great Wolf Lodge's most exciting rides and attractions.


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When you work at Wendys, on your lunch break do they give you free food?
kgb answers » Food & Drink » When you work at Wendys, on your lunch break do they give you free food?
Wednesday, February 01 2012
Source: http://kgb.com
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Lights, Camera, Leaks! Watch Edward Snowden: The Movie
While Hong Kong residents spent two weeks obsessing over the whereabouts of Edward Snowden as he remained holed up in the city, a group of young filmmakers saw opportunity.
Working at lightning speed, four friends produced a short movie based on the National Security Agency leaker's time in the city and the scramble to locate him.
The result is "Verax," a five-minute film that imagines what might have happened as the CIA, China's Ministry of State Security, and a Hong Kong reporter tried to track down Mr. Snowden, who declared on June 9 that he was the source of leaked documents disclosing sensitive details about the NSA's surveillance programs.
The film, which gets its title from the codename Mr. Snowden used for himself, has gotten more than 5,000 views since it was posted on YouTube on Tuesday — two days after he departed Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow.
"We shot it very bare bones, with a guerrilla mentality," says Edwin Lee, who spearheaded the project with the help of Jeff Floro, Shawn Tse and Marcus Tsui. All but Mr. Lee, who works as a cinematographer and editor, have day jobs outside the movie industry. (The four men are all expats living in Hong Kong, hailing from Ireland, the U.S., Canada and Australia.)
They called on assorted friends for the movie's cast — with varying degrees of thespian abilities — but they struck gold with the actor they found to play the lead role: Andrew Cromeek, an American school teacher in Hong Kong and a dead ringer for Mr. Snowden.
"I went down my list of Caucasian friends," says Mr. Tse, before stopping at Mr. Cromeek. All he needed was the right haircut and a wardrobe change.
The film is not quite a "Saturday Night Live"-style spoof, but neither is it a slick thriller given its cast of non-actors and micro budget.
"It was foot-on-the-gas filmmaking," Mr. Lee says.
In some ways it resembles a modern Hong Kong crime drama, with its technical dialogue in sterile conference rooms, time-lapse photography, and sweeping aerial shots of the city's famous skyline. (All photography is original except for two quick shots they bought from stock-footage Website Pond5.com.)
"It's a docu-drama recreation," Mr. Lee says.
But it also makes subtle observations about Hong Kong's sometimes tense relationship with mainland China and the "one country, two systems" policy — underscored in a scene where a security official from China's central government barks orders to Hong Kong police officers.
"Don't we have a rendition treaty with the United States?" one officer asks. The terse response: "Let us handle that matter."
Mr. Snowden may have been within Hong Kong's borders, but it's clear — in the film, at least — that China is pulling the strings.
Mr. Tse says they toyed with the idea of making their film a Jason Bourne-type thriller, a spoof, or an outright comedy. But ultimately they decided to make what they suppose might have happened as U.S. and Chinese intelligence officers try to zero in on Mr. Snowden. "We are trying to not be on anyone's side," he says.
Mr. Tsui describes it as "a snapshot in time," as Hong Kongers speculated — at the workplace, bars and dinner tables — on Mr. Snowden's fate.
The four film enthusiasts haven't yet had time to add up all the costs, but they figure the budget came to roughly 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$641), a third of which went for a night's stay at the Mira, the hotel where Mr. Snowden stayed for part of his time in Hong Kong and where the filmmakers shot some scenes.
They say their movie was mainly a labor of love and don't expect to recoup their investment, a quaint notion in a city where making money is an obsession.
In fact, says Mr. Floro, "I'm losing money."
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