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A week in reviews: June 3 - 7Pocket-lint
June is the month when the summer sun should come out in the UK. It's also the month when we've brought you a variety of product reviews - some ideal for soaking up the rays outdoors such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, others such as Naughty Dog's PS3 epic The Last Of Us for those overcast days in.
As Computex 2013 showered Taiwan with all the latest forthcoming laptops and computing goodies, we focused on some recent-to-market models: from the HP Chromebook to the Asus VivoBook and our pick of the bunch - the outstanding Windows 8 Dell XPS 12.
Plus with the rays finally breaking through the cloud what better week to go and shoot some pictures? The Olympus XZ-10 and Fujifilm F900EXR are the two snappers to grace the Lint offices this week.
Fujifilm FinePix F900EXR
The travel zoom to finally put some oomph into Fujifilm's F-series, this 20x optical zoom snapper has a full feature set for its £279 asking price.
Price: £279
Quick verdict: The F900EXR isn't quite the champion of its category, but through the series' progressive ironing-out of bugs and shortcomings we feel it's a step ahead of its F800EXR predecessor. In short this is a decent travel compact with plenty of quirks - some good, some bad - that amounts to a genuinely solid slice of photographic pie.
Full review: Fujifilm FinePix F900EXR review
Olympus Stylus XZ-10
We were excited when we first saw the XZ-10 back at the beginning of this year. It's smaller than Olympus' other high-spec compacts and looks a charm.
Price: £299
Quick verdict: It's got the style but it's not quite got all the features - although, arguably, that's where this sub-£300 advanced compact is supposed to exist. The XZ-10 is like the "XZ-2 mini" and although it packs slightly less of a punch due to lack of lens-based stabilisation and a standard size 1/2.3-inch sensor, we're otherwise impressed with what this stylish little number can do.
Full review: Olympus Stylus XZ-10 review
Asus VivoBook S500
Amid the stacks of Windows 8 machines it's hard to find one with the right balance of power, design and price. Asus's all-rounder isn't bad by any means, but it lacks the power that can see off its rivals.
Price: £570
Quick verdict: A solid family PC here, with touch control that works brilliantly with Windows 8 and all the power you need for most day-to-day tasks. Gamers, or those who want to do high-power video editing, however, should look elsewhere.
Full review: Asus VivoBook S500 review
The Last Of Us
Games don't come any bigger and this PS3 exclusive - released just ahead of the PS4's release this Christmas - has set tongues wagging from the off. It's like a real-life survival movie. Great acting, great gameplay - a modern masterpiece.
Price: £40
Quick verdict: As the PS3 prepares to be replaced by the PS4, it's pleasing to see that games like The Last of Us are pushing the envelope and making our jaws drop. It's not perfect due to some repetitious gameplay, but it still is a must-have game that shows the PS3 at its very best.
Full review: The Last Of Us review
HP Pavilion Chromebook 14
We've seen each and every Chromebook since the devices were launched mid-2012. None has really got us all that excited, and while the HP Pavilion - the largest Chromebook on the market with a 14-inch screen - gets plenty right for the price, it still falls into that same restricted and average place. If it's right for you it's great, it just won't be for all.
Price: £249
Quick verdict: The HP Chromebook has glimmers - and we don't mean the sparkly plastic exterior - of best-in-class. But when that renders an ultimately average experience it's not too much to shout about. For us Chromebook still lacks the excitement factor and the HP has familiar problems with limited storage space, a poor viewing angle and limited screen resolution.
Full review: HP Pavilion Chromebook 14 review
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
Hench. That's the first word that springs to mind. This 6.4-litre, V8 Jeep, which we drove Stateside, is a fattened-up American muscle car. It's big, it's brash, and it's quite brilliant.
Price: £59,000 (predicted)
Quick verdict: As American as Apple pie, the Grand Cherokee SRT is updated as a 2014 model with styling changes, an upgraded interior and an 8-speed gearbox. For an SUV it's fun to drive and is unnervingly fast. "Hemi" engine makes a great noise, though likes a drink. Rest of the package appeals overall and usefully undercuts the German opposition although it doesn't feel as premium. Allow yourself to be won over by its character though, and none of this matters.
Full review: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT review
Dell XPS 12
Bend me, shape me, any way you want me. An apt lyrical intro to a laptop equally lyrical in its excellent delivery: the Dell XPS 12 is a powerful laptop with a varible 1080p screen that not only looks great it's practical in any number of situations - on the go, at home, or wherever you need to compute. It just works.
Price: £1300
Quick verdict: The 1080p screen makes the XPS 12 the ideal multimedia laptop, with a screen flexibility ideal for use in a load of different situations. There's more than enough power here, even for the demanding user, and the screen resolution and quality is staggering. This is a fantastic laptop that has a party trick. It will suit those who want to use that screen in all manner of positions, and those who want to use it as a straight laptop.
Full review: Dell XPS 12 review
New MacBook Pro with OLED touch panel revealed in massive leak
How to watch Microsoft's Surface launch event, and what to expect
Leica competition: Win a place on an exclusive Leica SL photography workshop
Xiaomi Mi MIX is a bezel-free concept phone that you can actually buy
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- Best of CES 2016: The 10 best gadgets and concepts
- New Pocket-lint Deals Store, and 10% off Storewide Coupon
- Judges for the O2 Pocket-lint Gadget Awards announced
- A week in reviews 22 - 26 September: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact successes, BlackBerry Passport failings and more
- Sony Xperia XZ review: Falling short of flagship
- Best smartphones 2016: The best phones available to buy today
- New MacBook Pro with OLED touch panel revealed in massive leak
- How to show battery percentage on your Android 7 Nougat device
- Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro: Release date, specs and everything we know so far
- BlackBerry DTEK60 vs BlackBerry DTEK50: What's the difference?
- Battlefield 1 review: Military first-person shooter sets new standards
- Google Jamboard: What is it and is it cheaper than Microsoft Surface Hub?
- Samsung Galaxy S8 to launch in March and come with 5.5in 4K display?
- Samsung says the Note 7 is safe at 60 per cent battery, issues software update


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Babo Botanicals
Babo Botanicals Cucumber Aloe Vera Shampoo & Wash
- Overview
- Features
- Replenishes, hydrates and purifies hair, scalp and skin after pool, playground or beach
- Corn-derived formula removes chlorine, salt, pollution and grime
- Soothing organic aloe vera and cucumber moisturize and comfort scalp and skin
- Plant-based conditioners leave hair soft, smooth and shiny
- Certified organic nutri-soothe blend, rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants, combines chamomile, watercress, kudzu and calendula
- About the brand
Babo Botanicals Cucumber Aloe Vera Shampoo & Wash is a gentle organic shampoo that removes chlorine and is designed for active kids who swim and play sports.
Wash hair and body thoroughly after pool, beach or active play (gently enough for babies). Or, dispense directly in bath for a cleansing bubble bath.
Babo Botanicals was founded in 2010 as a premium, professional hair, scalp and skincare for babies & kids. All products are pure and organic, made on an organic farm in the USA.

subset: commoncrawl


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|This package installs the software (MultiTouch driver) to enable the following device.
- MultiTouch device
Supported ThinkPad systems:
- X60 Tablet
- X61 Tablet
- X200 Tablet
Supported Operating System:
- Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
- If this package has been installed, updating (overwrite-installing) this package will fix problems, add new functions, or expand functions as noted below.
- This program is language independent and can be used with any language system.
|Additional information
Version 220.127.116.11


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Marquita Franklin spent much of the last decade caring for her parents.
Franklin missed so many days from Blount High School caring for her mother that despite being an A and B student, she said, she dropped out at the end of her sophomore year.
"I missed my prom. The girls were so pretty, dressed up," Franklin said of her seeing her classmates get ready for the annual high school formal. "When I get married, I want my wedding to be pretty like that."
Franklin, now 29, was employed at Wal-Mart, but taking care of her ill parents caused her to miss work. Store managers offered her a part-time schedule, but she said she was afraid family emergencies eventually would test her boss's patience.
Franklin's parents died within five months of each other in 2004.
"I just did what I had to do," she said in a recent interview. "I did what I could for both of them."
Franklin and her family are part of the Press-Register's Neediest Families Campaign this holiday season. The campaign is in its 12th year aiding people during the holidays and throughout the year. The Salvation Army administers the program, which assists dozens of families with their greatest needs, from medical costs to housing, transportation and other essentials.
The fundraising effort collected donations of more than $175,000 last year, and continues through the holidays.
Franklin still lives in the apartment she shared with her mother, a modest two-bedroom decorated with a small Christmas tree, medium blue walls and a cheerful border of country-style valentine hearts. It's here that she is rearing two nieces, 9-year-old Arquette Franklin and 8-year-old Brianna Franklin. The two girls lived with Franklin and their grandmother in the Thomas James public housing development off Michigan Avenue, north of Interstate 10.
Although the girls' father -- one of Franklin's brothers -- resides in west Mobile, they prefer to remain with her, Franklin said.
"I can understand that. You don't push a child," she said. "They are good children. They don't whine about things. You know how some children are always asking for stuff. They don't do that. They know I'm doing the best I can."
She needs help with Christmas presents. One girl wants an acoustic guitar and the other has an affinity for Bratz dolls. Franklin said she also needs a dinette set and a pair of twin beds, along with bedding, for the girls.
Her diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and other health problems have made it difficult to find employment, she said. She lost more than 50 pounds, she said, taking walks to relieve anxiety following her mother's death. But stress from mounting financial issues has caused her to regain the weight, she said.
Franklin, a woman with a warm smile who is quick to give a hug, said she is enrolled in GED classes at the Clinton L. Johnson Economic Development Center.
"That's why I tell them (her nieces) to get their education if they want to make it in life," Franklin said.


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MUSKEGON, MI – Twin World War I-era field guns rolled out of Muskegon's Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, May 31.
The heavy and rusting weapons – only a few of their type are left in the world – are being transported for cosmetic restoration. An earlier attempt at moving the weapons failed when the tractor pulling them wasn't powerful enough.
Jackson-Merkey Contractors, Inc. volunteered manpower and equipment to move the cannons across a narrow bridge off the island in the center of the park.
"These cannons have been here for 77 years," said Muskegon County Commissioner Bob Scolnik, mentioning the thousands of additional dollars it would have cost if not for the donated services.
Scolnik led a fundraising campaign to fund a restoration supposed to cost $12,000. He raised $16,500 and said the extra money will go to pay for things that have come up since the project began. For instance, on Saturday, the solid-rubber wheel exteriors appeared to be coming off.
The principals of the Jackson-Merkey – Steve Jackson and Gary Merkey – got involved themselves in the effort Saturday.
Steve Jackson said it wasn't an easy task to figure out how to move the cannons.
"It took a lot of head scratching to come up with that," he said. One twist was that he had to find a trailer narrow enough to roll across the bridge and a way of securing the cannons. Asphalt Paving Inc. in Muskegon donated the use of its trailer. Tie-down straps and thick rubberized mats were loaned by other companies, he said.
The first cannon rolled off the island in about an hour's time Saturday. Erickson's trucking and equipment service would take the cannon from the parking lot to the restoration site, Scolnik said.
The twin World War I-era field guns in their day would have been drawn by horses in some cases and could have been used for hitting targets up to 4 miles away. Only a few of the guns worldwide are still kept or exhibited.
The gun restoration is just one part of a wider effort to clean up and restore Veterans Memorial Park.
Scolnik said he hopes to have a re-dedication service for the canons sometime this fall.
In recent years -- prior to a park cleanup effort last spring -- the cannons couldn't even be seen from the road, with scrub trees and weeds growing up around the island in the park where they stand.
The plan is to have the cannons sandblasted, and replace some of the rusting steel work. They would then be coated with epoxy and painted to their original olive-drab green.


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Staff Predictions Week 6: Ravens vs. Patriots
thepurplechaos | Oct 16, 2010 |
Offensive MVP:
|Picks By
|Player Pick
|Stat Prediction
|Gene Winner
|Anquan Boldin
|8 catches, 107 yds receiving, 1 TD
|Who on the Patriots can cover Boldin?
|Conoon Kim
|Derrick Mason
|6 catches, 82 yds receiving, 1 TD
|With so much attention on stopping Ray Rice and Anquan Boldin, the Pats will learn why they should have shown Mason a little more respect.
Defensive MVP:
|Picks By
|Player Pick
|Stat Prediction
|Gene Winner
|Terrell Suggs
|5 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble
|T-Sizzle has had success in New England.
|Conoon Kim
|Haloti Ngata
|6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception
|Yeah that's right, I said it: Ngata will have an interception.
Final Game Score:
|Picks By
|Who wins?
|Game Score
|Gene Winner
|Baltimore Ravens
|34 – 27
|The Ravens are road-tested and has plenty of familiarity with New England. The Patriots secondary will be tested with the Ravens receivers.
|Conoon Kim
|Baltimore Ravens
|31 – 20
|Tom Brady will most likely get some touchdowns, but that some won't cut it. With a weak Patriots defense, the Ravens will exploit them and ultimately outscore them to win the game.
This week's staff prediction contributors are Gene Winner and Conoon Kim.


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Norfolk Admirals goalie Dustin Tokarski is tied for the AHL wins lead (25).
Boyd Kane's power-play goal, which tied the game 1-1 at 12:56 of the third period, was the lone score allowed by Janus (12-8-2), who improved to 4-0-1 against Hershey.
Ondrej Palat's goal at 14:39 of the third was the game-winner, lifting Norfolk, which was outshot 30-20, to its 10th straight win. Cory Conacher scored a second-period, power-play goal for the Ads.
First-place Norfolk opened a 10-point lead on third-place Hershey and a six-point lead on second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the East Division. Since it was the final regular-season meeting between Hershey and Norfolk, the Bears won't have any head-to-head matchups to help make up ground.
Hershey lost its fourth straight in regulation, tying a season high. Its five-game winless streak (0-4-0-1) is the longest of the season.
Bears goalie Braden Holtby (19-14-2) made 18 saves.
The Bears recalled Maxime Lacroix from South Carolina (ECHL). The forward played his first Hershey game since Dec. 16.
It was Hershey's first Feb. 29 game since a 4-2 win over Binghamton at Giant Center on Feb. 29, 2004. It was Hershey's first Feb. 29 road game since a 4-2 win at Syracuse on Feb. 29, 1980.
Keith Aucoin's wife, Maureen, gave birth to a son. Brayden Michael Aucoin is the couple's first child.
Hershey went 5-4-1-0 against Norfolk in the season series.
Hershey leads the AHL with 72 power-play goals.
The Bears went 4-7-0-2 in February.
Norfolk (37-18-1-2, 77 points) leads the AHL in wins and points.


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PAW PAW, MI – Van Buren County officials say they've changed purchasing policies and will hire a chief financial officer to tighten controls on budgets following accusations by county commissioners that Sheriff Dale Gribler misused public funds.
A Michigan State Police report obtained by the Kalamazoo Gazette under the Freedom of Information Act, meanwhile, provides more details about an investigation of Gribler's use of a county credit card to buy clothing, including a suit he gave to his son, and to purchase electronics from another son at an ABC Warehouse store.
The prosecutor from a neighboring county determined the allegations did not merit criminal charges against Gribler, whose term as sheriff runs through 2016.
County officials asked police in October to investigate Gribler for possible fraud, spurred by the findings of a board-directed attorney who concluded the sheriff's use of the county credit card and handling of his department's budget may have violated county policies and state law.
"There appears to be good documentation and evidence that the sheriff used a county credit card to purchase a suit for someone other than himself and then falsely claimed that the suit was a size 46 suit for him," Portage attorney Kevin McCarthy said in an Oct. 16 memo to county Board of Commissioners Chairman Richard Godfrey.
"This is a misuse of public funds," McCarthy's memo said.
In February, the county board blasted Gribler in a letter that accused him of misusing public money and called him unfit for office. It also was critical of Cass County Prosecutor Victor A. Fitz, who reviewed the state police investigation of Gribler and said he declined to authorize charges because it did "not contain facts meriting criminal prosecution."
The board's criticisms of Gribler, who was first elected in 1996, stemmed from his handling of the sheriff's office budget and the purchases he made last year using a credit card issued to him by the county.
Among the board's major concerns were:
- $1,123.60 Gribler spent Aug. 3 on three size 46 suits and one size 41 suit at Jos. A. Bank in Portage, as well as $248.31 Aug. 17 for two neck ties and two dress shirts at that store. Gribler submitted the purchases for reimbursement despite having a $600 per-year clothing allowance that, as of July 11, was $173.95 over budget.
- $1,332.95 Gribler spent between April 3 and June 13 at ABC Warehouse on a flat screen TV and wall mounting unit ($728.95), a digital camera ($417) and a microwave oven ($187) for use by the sheriff's department. The salesperson for the three separate purchases was Gribler's son, Gregory Gribler, according to receipts.
In the Feb. 11 letter, the county board said Gribler lied to Commissioners Mike Toth and Mike Henry when they questioned him specifically about the size 41 suit. Toth and Henry told MSP Detective Sgt. John Forner that Gribler "made light of" the discrepancy and joked, "How would I look in a 41?" They said Gribler told them the smaller suit could be attributed to "a mistake on Jos. A. Bank's part," and that the suit was for him.
The letter was adopted by a 6-1 vote by commissioners in February, with Vice Chairman Don Hanson dissenting.
In a memo he emailed to the board on Feb. 11, Hanson said he agreed with "the facts stated in the letter" but noted that it was only three commissioners who decided to ask Fitz to investigate "and now they disagree with the results."
"Victor Fitz was selected to review and we should accept his opinion," Hanson wrote. "The voters of Van Buren County will decide the fate of our present sheriff. Only the governor and the voters can replace the sheriff. We should present the facts and let the voters form their opinion and act."
Gribler's attorney, Michael Bingen, of Kalamazoo, has taken the county board to task for attacking the sheriff, and has accused it of trying to be "judge, jury and executioner," despite Fitz's decision. More recently, Bingen said Gribler followed county policy "with respect to all expenses" that were probed as part of the state police investigation. Bingen also said that Gribler was honest with Toth and Henry when they asked him about the size 41 suit.
"That was a very brief meeting and my client said to them, 'Hey, if you think I did something irregular after an audit and review, you let me know' ... But he did not believe he had done anything irregular," Bingen said. "The suits were something that the department had approved and paid for every time he submitted it ... There is nothing surreptitious about it."
Bingen also said that Gribler's purchases at ABC Warehouse had nothing to do with Gregory Gribler working there.
"In general ... the sheriff's office does purchase from ABC Warehouse and we continue to do that," Bingen said. "My understanding is his son is no longer even there, but the purchases from ABC are done not because of the son being there or not, but because it is the cheapest and they get the cheap price guarantee."
Reached by the Kalamazoo Gazette, Gregory Gribler said he received no commission for the TV, camera and microwave his father bought at ABC Warehouse. "Those purchases would not have met a threshold for a commission," he said. He also confirmed that he no longer works at the store.
The investigation
County officials first went to state police about Gribler in August, meeting with Detective 1st Lt. Chuck Christensen and Detective Sgt. Mike Spring from MSP's Fifth District headquarters in Paw Paw.
The county officials decided to handle the matter internally, according to Toth. But after receiving McCarthy's findings, which the attorney wrote were based on "information provided by County administration" and not "a factual investigation of my own," in October they requested a formal police investigation.
The case was assigned to Forner, who is assigned to MSP's Sixth District, because of the close working relationship between Gribler's office and state police in Paw Paw.
According to the 67-page report from state police, Van Buren County Clerk Tina Leary questioned Gribler's secretary, Ruth Small, on Aug. 19 after noticing the discrepancy in the suit sizes on a Jos. A. Bank receipt included with a voucher from the sheriff's office totaling $1,353.42. Additionally, Leary wanted to know why the suits were vouchered under a jail fund and equipment account.
"When Tina questioned this being an office equipment account, Ruth told her they run a lot of things through that account," Forner wrote in his report.
Asked by Forner if the county had any written policy or employment agreement stipulating how Gribler's clothing purchases were to be made, Leary said "she was not aware of any specific written agreement." However, Leary, Godfrey and Toth all told Forner they never gave Gribler permission to make clothing purchases with his county credit card.
Small told Forner that Gribler's use of his county credit card for clothing was a routine practice and "when Dale makes a purchase on his county credit card he gives the receipts to her, she codes them for the account number and sends them through for payment," the report said.
Small told Forner the sheriff's office has "different revenue accounts that build up throughout the year" and in the past Gribler had directed her "to bill clothes to one of these accounts instead of his uniform budget."
"Ruth said that in this particular case, Dale directed her to take his suits out of the inmate reimbursement account and his shirts out of his uniform account ... Ruth explained that they have been doing this for 30 plus years; she had no suspicions and stated they were just 'doing business as usual,'" Forner's report said.
Gribler, who was interviewed Nov. 21, told Forner he went to Jos. A. Bank on Aug. 3 because the store was offering a "buy one get a couple three free" sale. The sheriff said he picked out three suits and a salesman informed him he could get one more at no charge.
Gribler asked the salesman to set aside a suit while he found out from his wife whether their son needed a suit. Gribler said he went home from the store, spoke to his wife and then went back to the store with his son. Gribler told Forner his son was fitted for the suit and Gribler paid for alterations with a personal check for $64.60.
Gribler was "shocked," after being confronted by Toth and Henry, to find that the suit for his son was on the Jos. A. Bank receipt with the other three suits because the salesman had told him there was "no charge" for the size 41 suit, according to the report.
"Dale said that he would apologize and tell (Toth and Henry) that he 'panicked,' that he was shocked the fourth suit was on the receipt," Forner said. "Dale said there was absolutely no intent on his part to use any County money to pay for anything outside of him."
A receipt for the suits shows Gribler paid $895 for one suit, nothing for the remaining three, $135 for alterations and $10 each for three items listed on the receipt as "Traveler Crease." Also in Forner's report was a copy of the $64.60 check that Jos. A. Bank management told him was used to pay for alterations on the size 41 suit.
Gribler, according to Forner's report, said that when Toth talked to him about the receipt for the purchase of the suits, "I said yeah, these are mine." When Toth asked him specifically about the size 41 suit, Gribler said he told Toth and Henry, "... That's not mine, no," but never told them specifically who the smaller suit was for.
"I explained that, according to Toth and Henry, he had said all the suits were his," Forner wrote in his report. "Dale said that was not correct. Dale said he told them that three suits were his, but the one was not.
As for having Small log his clothing purchases under different line items in his agency's budget, Forner said Gribler told him, 'He is just concerned with the overall budget."
"Dale guaranteed there was nothing malicious with this; that it was simply that they use this account, that it was a general fund account they couldn't spend general fund dollars on," the detective wrote.
Changes prompted
In his Oct. 16 memo to Godfrey, McCarthy said the police investigation pointed to several violations of the county's credit card and purchasing policies, as well as potential violations of state law:
- Failures to submit proper documentation for "multiple" purchases made on Gribler's county credit card, including those at Jos. A. Bank and ABC Warehouse.
- The purchase of a potential gift – the size 41 suit – on Gribler's card, which represents a "direct violation of the (county's credit card) policy."
- The purchase of the size 41 suit was a misuse of public funds that may amount to a misdemeanor or even a felony for violating a state law that prohibits "a person holding a public office to knowingly and unlawfully appropriate to his own use, or to the use of any other person, money or property received by him in his official capacity where the money or property exceeds $50 in value."
- Buying the size 41 suit may violate a state law that mandates the sheriff's credit cards be used only for the purchase of "goods or services for the official business of the local unit."
- If Gribler told commissioners all four Jos. A. Bank suits were for his use, which is in conflict with documentation, the statement would constitute "a deliberate misrepresentation by the Sheriff about this purchase."
- Gribler's purchases from his son at ABC Warehouse violated a requirement in the county's purchasing policy that administrators have no interest or connection with any contract or bid.
- The line items in the sheriff's budget that show overspending violate the county's purchasing policy, which mandates that any money transfers within a county agency's budget may only be made by the county board.
"A law enforcement agency outside of Van Buren County could be asked to investigate these possible criminal acts," McCarthy wrote. "It should be noted again that the existence of a past practice known to the County of paying for clothing for the Sheriff would make it more likely that the criminal charges would not pass muster. The use of public funds for the purchase of the size 41 suit for someone else, however, could stand on its own as a possible criminal charge."
McCarthy noted that reimbursements for clothing purchases "have been a longstanding practice," according to Gribler, although there are no written policies or agreements in place that stipulate to such reimbursements for Gribler or other sheriff's office administrators.
"In the absence of applicable clothing allowance or reimbursement policies or contract provisions, these payments should not have been made," McCarthy wrote. " ... If there has in fact been a longstanding practice of providing clothing payments or reimbursements to persons in these positions, the County may inform them that this practice is to cease immediately."
McCarthy also said the board may want to consider requiring Gribler and other officials who want to buy clothing for work to do so with an approved purchase order and establish a threshold dollar amount. Doing so, McCarthy said, would exempt the employee and the county from having to pay sales tax on the purchases, as mandated by Michigan law. McCarthy also advised the county board to confine the use of county credit cards "to limited circumstances."
Toth said McCarthy's recommended changes have been implemented by the board and officials are now requiring approval of a purchasing order for clothing purchases, as well as purchases like those Gribler made at ABC Warehouse. He said the county also is in the process of hiring a chief financial officer as part of implementing tighter controls on budgets, including in the sheriff's office.
"If there's going to be a purchase made, we should make sure we're approving the purchase and that it's done on the best terms for the taxpayers, not just, 'We need something, let's go to ABC Warehouse and buy whatever we need from Gregory Gribler," Toth said. "If we're spending money, we want to be fiscally conservative."
Rex Hall Jr. is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. You can reach him at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter.


text:
|Terry Conboy <email@example.com>
|Re: [TowerTalk] Omnidirectional Antenna Installations(Specifically) and Lightning
|Ben Thorson <firstname.lastname@example.com>
|Mon, 03 Jul 2006 20:34:36 -0400
Terry Conboy wrote: > At 10:41 AM 2006-07-03, firstname.lastname@example.com wrote: >> My recommendation would be to use four DC-grounded folded >> vertical dipoles spaced around the perimeter of the water tank, and >> fed with the appropriate phasing harness. Check out Cushcraft's >> commercial antennas such as 4504P at http://www.cushcraft.com/ (click >> on land mobile/paging and follow through to their VHF and UHF >> arrays.) You might be able to get some technical assistance from >> their engineers on phasing harness design for your specific app. > > As Ben indicated, multiple antennas with any significant spacing will > generate a multi-lobed pattern with lots of nulls. This will be the > case with or without reflections from the water tank. > > Even though the individual Cushcraft units should perform > satisfactorily, when phased together, the pattern will be a mess. > > 73, Terry N6RY > > > Yes, I sort of figured that the 'around the catwalk' idea was a problem and didn't consider it too much because I figured you'd need a lot of antennas to get good coverage without significant nulls. I'd love to hear different, however. Going back to the top of the tank, I figured that a good lightning rod that is significantly taller than the antenna would provide protection, provided the antenna system was properly grounded and protected, of course. But I can only go about three feet from the antenna, so I worry somewhat about affecting the radiation pattern. This may be a bit silly, since antennas are mounted near big metallic things all the time (like side mounts on towers). I can stand 3db loss in any given direction, but if I got too much downtilt, that might create a problem. The other option that I mentioned looking at was the Folded Dipole with a lightning rod on the top of the mast. I worry about the currents from the strikes in this instance since the wiring harness is a good path for the current in addition to the mast. So I looked at the Folded Dipoles with internal harness'. I figured that with the harness internal to the mast, the currents would predominately want to go through the mast (skin effect). But even with this, there would still be large currents going through the harness, and being internal, it would be hard to replace if it got damaged (assuming the rest of the antenna survived.) I've noticed on some towers, a system of three dipoles side mounted. If a single dipole with a lightning arrestor were a problem, I was thinking that I could try something like this on top. Basically use three dipoles spaced around a lightning arrestor to get omni coverage. The dipoles would be close enough to minimize the nodal structure. The lightning arrestor would be something like the tower and provide enough height to protect the dipoles. This is somewhat similar to what Gene suggested except on top of the tank. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ TowerTalk mailing list firstname.lastname@example.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
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FLINT, MI – A church on Flint's north side wants the community to know its mission for Holy Saturday.
Charity United Methodist Church and the Dort-Oak Park Neighborhood will be giving away a tractor-trailer full of food on March 30.
"Our goal is to be Christ-like, to serve the community and to bring about awareness about the good things happening in Flint," said the Rev. David Leineke. "We need to celebrate the goodness that's taking place in this community."
The church is at 4601 Clio Road, between Pierson Road and Stewart Avenue. Volunteers will distribute free boxes of food starting at noon. The boxes will include ham, pasta, vegetables, drinks, cereal, bread, produce and other meats.
Charity United Methodists purchased the food from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. Vehicles typically begin arriving at 4 or 5 a.m., Leineke said.
The church expects to supply at least 225 families with food.
"We believe people are hungry all year, but we certainly want to help people who are hungry during the holidays," Leineke said. "We do our best to put a nourishing meal together."
There also will an Easter egg hunt around the church for children beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The congregation of about 50 people gives away a trailer full of food per month.
"For a congregation with this small of numbers, it's a pretty great feat to put on," Leineke said.
Anyone with questions can call the church at 789-2961.
Dominic Adams is a reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact him at email@example.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.


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Top Ten of 2013: No. 2; Downriggers destroyed by fire
A towering blaze lit up the Friday Harbor waterfront in the early morning hours of Aug. 17, as a swift moving fire tore through the top level of the Port of Friday Harbor's Spring Street Landing Building and left the interior of Downriggers Restaurant smoldering in a skeleton of ruins.
Dispatched to the scene at about 2:30 a.m., firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to the building's ground floor but were unable to keep it from gutting the top story, home to Downriggers for more than 20 years and several iconic waterfront eateries earlier as well, like The Mariner. Although structurally in tact, the ground floor proved uninhabitable because of smoke and water damage, leaving another three businesses without a home, and a restaurant crew of about 50 summertime workers temporarily without a job.
Battling the blaze proved problematic in part because the restaurant, whose construction pre-dates today's building standards, lacked overhead sprinklers and its ceiling had been randomly reconfigured and remodeled over the years. The building was purchased by the Port in 1994 for just under $1 million.
The cause? According to investigators, rodents are largely to blame. The fire started behind a wall in the kitchen when an electrical wire — gnawed on and its integrity impaired — sparked and ignited a cluster of droppings and debris.
After months of negotiations with its insurer, the Port approved demolition of the fire-scarred building in early December. But what will replace that landmark building remains to be seen.
— Scott Rasmussen
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6 years ago
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
You Can Never Go Wrong with Hermes
Posted by Anais at 5:11 AM
3 comments:
- David Toms said...
This is the perfect collection. That mustard sweater is to die for!
- February 15, 2011 at 9:47 AM
- LuLu Kellogg said...
I am loving the mustard colored sweater!
Popping by to see how you are doing. I hope your closing goes well! We have our house on the market now (an old Victorian we have restored) so now we are playng the waiting game!
- April 9, 2011 at 7:51 AM
- Jeweller said...
Amazing collection, so strong and colourful, nice to see a bit of colour this year again. From Engagement Rings
- January 20, 2012 at 3:44 PM
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The ProTeam brand appeared on the market in 1987 and has built a name for itself under the slogan "Cleaning for Health" ever since. Trying to bring their own contribution and their own innovations to the market, the ProTeam designers and engineers have launched a number of collection which prove their professionalism and vision of the vacuuming industry. The collection of ProTeam vacuums is only one of the initiatives taken by this manufacturer.
ProTeam Vacuums Offer Innovation and Durability
According to the statistics, the time savings that can be achieved by using the ProTeam backpack vacuums instead of the upright or canister models reach an incredible threshold of 69% whereas the financial ones reach 29,500 dollars. The studies were conducted on an average cleaning surface of 180,000 square feet. According to the National Franchised Cleaning Companies, the vacuum cleaners made by ProTeam allow one to save ten to fifteen minutes per cleaning task. Apart from these time and financial savings, the use of backpack vacuum cleaners made by ProTeam is also associated with repair costs 90% lower than with other similar products.
Another study conducted on the ProTeam backpack vacuums shows that the overall efficiency ratio of these appliances is 79% higher than usual thanks to the better suction and higher airflow. The filtration systems mounted on a vacuum cleaner appear to have a great impact on the user's health, lowering the risk of developing allergies or asthma. ProTeam found a source of inspiration in this scientific fact and chose to manufacture their products under the "Cleaning for Health" slogan. They also introduced the four-level filtration system which eradicates more than 99.9% of the particles larger than 0.3 microns in the air, thus making daily dusting unnecessary. The cleaning performance is improved even further by the detail tools supplied with these already highly convenient appliances.
All the backpack vacuums in the ProTeam collection have a set of very appealing features. They all share a high level of versatility, being able to clean hard floors and carpets alike and provide excellent results in stair cleaning and dusting as well. They also share their high power and great performance, removing larger quantities of dust and dirt than other vacuum cleaners. The ProTeam backpack collection is divided into two categories, some of the appliances having a dusting capacity of 6 quarts while others can collect up to 10 quarts of dirt. The ergonomic and lightweight design of these vacuum cleaners is another major benefit which is bound to satisfy users from all categories. Finally, all these vacuum cleaners are warranted for three years when it comes to their parts, motors and labor and for life when it comes to the actual vacuum bodies.
All certified by relevant authorities, the ProTeam backpack vacuums are designed to maximize the productivity and satisfaction levels. They are designed to exceed the performance of other backpack vacuum cleaners and provide the healthiest cleaning vacuum cleaners can provide. All in all, they are a perfect match for all kinds of environments and users.


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Abraham Flexner published his landmark report on undergraduate and medical school preparation of physicians in 1910. Within a few decades and continuing throughout the remainder of the 20th century, there have been admonitions to enhance, overhaul, or abolish the "traditional" pre-med requirements that he established.
The reasons for this dissatisfaction are self-evident:
- The pace of scientific discovery and its clinical application has far outstripped the current century-old requirements.
- The age of information technology has made memorizing vast amounts of content unnecessary.
- The current requirements lack clinical, scientific, and social relevance.
- The traditional requirements are used to 'cull the herd' of talented aspiring physicians.
- The requirements disproportionately disadvantage minority and female students who are desperately needed to maintain diversity in our healthcare workforce.
- The requirements consume so much time and effort that few students end up being grounded in bioethics, social justice, and health policy.
- A rigid and highly structured pre-medical curriculum, followed by a rigid and highly structured medical school curriculum, deprives students of the ability to develop the critically important skill of lifelong self-directed learning.
Perhaps most important, the current model has perpetuated "pre-med syndrome," an undergraduate culture of aggressive competition for grades that runs counter to what we value most in medicine: academic and intellectual rigor, creative thinking, teamwork and collaboration, and social conscience.


text:
After each Red Sox game at Fenway Park, manager Bobby Valentine addresses the media, after which we are left with a choice.
We can either hang in the interview room and hear from the starting pitcher, or head to the locker room to talk with the other players.
After Monday's 11-6 win over Oakland, the choice was either to hear the hitters accept their accolades for a job well done, or hear from Clay Buchholz, who pitched six pretty strong innings, only to squander a good stat line - and half of his team's 10-run lead - with a five-run seventh.
I stayed with Buchholz, who described his outing as the best he has had yet, "other than the stat line.''
Oh, that. Buchholz allowed six runs, seven hits and five walks in 6 2/3 innings. His 99th and final pitch was, in his words, a good curveball.
Josh Reddick certainly found it appealing. The resulting three-run homer made it 11-6, and drove Buchholz from the game.
What looked like a kick-back-and-relax rout wound up requiring five relief pitchers to finish. The A's are the worst-hitting team in baseball, with a .209 team average that is lower even than those of the 16 National League teams that don't use the DH.
Yet they pushed the tying run to the on-deck circle with nobody out in the eighth. Outwardly (and perhaps inwardly) satisfied with the win, Valentine described it as another step forward for Buchholz in his quest to recapture the magic that produced a 2.33 ERA in 2010.
Visibly upset when he left the game, Buchholz was more circumspect in describing it. His changeup, a crucial pitch in his makeup, had not been better all year.
The seventh inning was frustrating, because he thought he could escape without much damage. He alluded to a close pitch that wasn't called his way, the good pitch that Reddick hit and so on.
But he gave up six runs.
"I guess we didn't see what we just saw,'' another member of the media said later, after we had absorbed this happy-face version of an outing that lowered Buchholz' ERA only barely, from 8.87 to 8.69 after five starts.
At some point, and now would be a good time, Buchholz cannot fall back on either his deceptively good record (3-1) or an attitude that looks at a start like this and calls it a good one, "other than the stat line.''
Statistics can be deceptive; we all know that. Had Buchholz been lifted after six, he would have left with one run and four hits allowed - and even that run would not have scored had the Red Sox defense not handled a rundown with extreme inefficiency.
Buchholz was at a tidy 76 pitches after six. There was no reason to lift him when a complete game was possible, and a night to rest the bullpen seemed assured.
Except for one thing. He gave up six runs. That gosh-darned stat line again, getting in the way.
Valentine's emphasis on the positives of the night is understandable, even defensible. One of the radio talking heads said it's time for the manager to take the gloves off, stop being Mr. Nice Guy and call out Buchholz in the famous Bobby V way.
Unless he thinks Buchholz is not trying hard, of which there is no indication, I see no point in that. Valentine is trying to show the world that contrary to reputation, his first instinct is no longer to rebuke his guys in public.
Besides, every time he opens his mouth about a guy, a new poll is taken to see when he'll be fired.
It gets wearisome, though, to hear pitchers and managers describe six runs in 6 2/3 innings as acceptable - or worse, encouraging. Buchholz did not dismiss the damage of the seventh inning, but it should really bother him - a lot.
He said the walks didn't bother him, because he was not going to give in and throw fat pitches down the middle. Apparently, Buchholz forgot these were the A's, who have played this season as if they were swinging Wiffle Bats, and not the New York Yankees.
Walks bother Valentine, though. When he does find negatives in a pitcher's outing, he often cites free passes, as he did Monday night.
Buchholz went so far as to say it did not bother him if a couple of those walks wound up resulting in runs. Nobody expects a shutout every time out, but conceding a couple of runs at the outset does not conjure images of a fighting, tenacious pitcher of All-Star caliber, of which Buchholz is supposed to be.
Would Bob Gibson or Luis Tiant been willing to concede a couple of runs based on walks? For that matter, would Jon Lester?
In spring training this year, Lester came out of an outing with a less than stellar line. He then said results do matter, even in the Grapefruit League, and he was not satisfied that his were not good.
I was ready to hug the big guy, but that is considered unprofessional. I did appreciate that finally, here was a pitcher who did not justify giving up runs, just because it wasn't the end of the world.
Early in his career, Buchholz made a comment I found odd and never forgot. He said it was good to pitch for a team like the Red Sox, where you have a chance to win some of those 8-6 games.
That was several years ago. He's older, better and much more mature now.
He knows, as Lester and Josh Beckett know, that winning 8-6 or 11-6 is not the point. Not if you are Clay Buchholz, who has shown he is good enough to carry his team to victory, not have his offense do it for him.
Valentine has used last year's back injury as a reason Buchholz has yet to come around. In another example of contradicting his manager, or perhaps in a commendable effort to avoid excuses, Buchholz says he is 100 percent healthy.
If so, six runs in 6 2/3 innings is not cause for encouragement. It's unacceptable, unless Buchholz is becoming a five or six-inning pitcher, the type a manager yanks prematurely for fear the roof might cave in.
Is that the pitcher Buchholz is now? Let's hope not.
Messing with his rotation spot should not even be considered. It's early, and his upside is too high.
When a 10-run lead isn't safe, though, it's time to stop rationalizing. When a pitcher like Buchholz is being judged, results and the final stat line do matter.
"We're scoring more runs that I'm giving up,'' Buchholz said plaintively.
That's good, but not good enough.
Objective observers know that. I suspect that so does his manager. So should he.


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Ski resort caters to skiers of all experience levels
Martha Blum
, Field Editor
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 8:10 AM
GALENA, Ill. — Chestnut Mountain Resort offers a variety of skiing opportunities for all experience levels.
"We cater to all skiers whether it's their first time on snow or they've been on snow for years," said Stewart Stoffregen, marketing director at Chestnut Mountain Resort. "We have a nice variety for everybody to experience."
The resort plans to be open each year from the day after Thanksgiving until St. Patrick's Day.
"Opening day all depends on Mother Nature. It has to be 28 degrees for us to make snow, and right now we're not seeing that," Stoffregen said.
"Maybe we can open during the last week of November," he said. "We have great snowmaking here. We only need three days to get ready to open once it is cold enough."
The resort was first opened in 1959, and it features 122 acres with 59 of those acres available for skiing.
"Our resort is a little backwards. Our lodge is located at the top of the hill and looks over the Mississippi River," the marketing director said. "We have 19 trails, ranging from beginner to expert, that are serviced by nine lifts."
In addition, skiers and snowboarders also can enjoy Farside, a seven-acre terrain park.
"It is full of rails and different features. It's a pretty popular area," Stoffregen said.
Group and private ski lessons are available at Chestnut Resort for all ability levels.
"We have lessons for all levels, from beginners to experts," the resort spokesman noted.
From opening day through Dec. 14, all lift tickets are only $15, compared to regular adult lift ticket at $47 for weekends.
"In January and February, we have Fantastic Friday with discounted rates after 4 p.m.," Stoffregen reported. "We are open until midnight, and the lift ticket is $25, and for a lift ticket and ski or board rental, it is $40."
Kids from grade school through college can take advantage of the Thrasher Thursday specials. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., kids can purchase a lift ticket for $27 or a lift ticket, ski lesson and rental equipment for $45.
If they only want to ski from 4 to 9 p.m., lift tickets cost $25, and the lift ticket, ski lesson and rental equipment package is $35.
From 100,000 to 120,000 people are expected to visit Chestnut Mountain Resort this season.
"This is a full-service resort. We have 120-rooms on site in our lodge," the marketing director said. "We also have three restaurants — a cafeteria, bar and grill and a fine-dining restaurant, the Sunset Grille."
The fun doesn't end at Chestnut Mountain when winter is over. Summer activities include the Alpine Slide.
"That's a cement track that weaves its way down the slopes," Stoffregen explained. "And we have a miniature golf course and a nine-hole disc golf course."
The hiking and biking trails are open for visitors to enjoy. Mountain Bikes also are available for rental, from 8 a.m. until dusk every day. The full day rate is $25 or $10 per hour.
"We also have the Mississippi Explorer boat that does Eco tours on the weekends," the resort spokesman said. "It is a 1 1/2-hour tour that includes the backwaters of the Mississippi River, and visitors learn about river lore and have the opportunity to do bird watching."
Cruises depart at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Chestnut Mountain is a popular spot for outdoor weddings. Wedding parties can select from several locations, including the Vista, Sunset Ridge, Grandview Pointe or the outdoor tent site at Sunset Gardens.
For more information about Chestnut Mountain Resort, visit www.chestnutmtn.com.
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Happy New Year! It's been a great 2008 for Erlang, which we'll cover in our 2008 Retrospective in another post later this week. For today, it's a new, simple web framework for Erlang called BeepBeep . Written by Dave Bryson, it uses MochiWeb , which most Erlang Web developers are familiar with Read more »
It goes without saying that 2008 was a difficult year for many, with 2009 looking to be more of the same. But for the Erlang community, it was probably the best year since Joe Armstrong released Programming Erlang . OK, that was 2007… still, it's a great time to use Erlang. Here are the top ten… Read more »
Neal over at nealabq.com has a long tutorial on Erlang Tic-Tac-Toe, which is incidentally the first program I wrote when learning Erlang. Programmers may want to take a look at the tutorial, but perhaps the most interesting aspect of the tutorial is the way he takes the problem space and shrinks it… Read more »
Hacker News's author was complaining yesterday about a spike in traffic due to a 'fluff piece' on a woman building a blog to get hired by Twitter. His solution – asking the faithful readership to post only Erlang stories to drive away 'mainstream' readers. It worked to drive away less hacky-readers Read more »
Writing Ruby code for a living, building a company in a foreign country, learning a human foreign language (Spanish) and a computer foreign language (Erlang) on the side hasn't left a lot of time for blogging about Erlang. But in the past month, we were able to spend a few minutes with Joe… Read more »


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Ethan C. Balsbaugh, 18, of Millerstown died Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010 as the result of an accident.
He was born April 7, 1992.
He attended New Harvest Community Church, Millerstown, and enjoyed playing games, fishing, hunting, hacky sacking, billiards, music and skydiving.
Surviving are his parents, Barry and Tamera Balsbaugh of Millerstown; paternal grandparents, Robert and Verna Balsbaugh of Carlisle; a brother, Tharon D. and wife Nikki and their children Christian, Braden and Liam of Etters; two sisters, Ashlyn Nikolaus and husband Danield of Columbia and Devan S. Balsbaugh of Columbia; an aunt, Bobbie Selan of Etters; and an uncle, Steven Morris of Chambers Hill.
A service was held Oct. 30 in New Harvest Community Church.
David Myers Funeral Home, Newport, handled arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to National Wildlife Fund, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, Va. 20190, or any charity.
Gloria Joyce McAllister, 80, of Grier's Point Road, Marysville, died Monday, Oct. 25, 2010 in Spring Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Home.
She was born April 15, 1930 in Rye Twp. to the late Oscar and Miriam (Fenicle) Hummel.
She owned and operated Gloria's Ceramic Shop; was a member of Shermans Dale United Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir, was assistant organist and a member of the ladies aid, St. John's Commandery 8, Knights Templar Ladies Auxiliary, Old Bellaire 375 Order of Eastern Star, Shermans Dale Senior Citizens and AARP 377, Carlisle; and loved to cook and was famous for her homemade soups, pies and cakes, and enjoyed bus trips and traveling.
She was the widow of John W. McAllister, who died in 1992.
Surviving are four sons, Kevin of Drexel Hills and Gary, Timothy and Jeremy, all of Marysville; three daughters, Sonja Sheaffer of Shermans Dale, Tammy Daniels of Dover and Dawn Shillenn of Downingtown; a brother, Leo Hummel of Shermans Dale; four sisters, Janet Schmohl, Nancy Jumper, Geraldine McKinny and Donna Geesaman; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Terry Hummel, and a sister, Wilma Owen.
Services were held Oct. 30 in her church with the Rev. Gary Daugherty officiating. Burial was in Westminster Memorial Gardens, Carlisle.
Boyer Funeral Home, New Bloomfield, handled arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to Shermans Dale Fire Company, 5450 Spring Road, Shermans Dale 17090, Shermans Dale Ambulance Association, RR 1, Shermans Dale, or her church, 40 Windy Hill Road, Shermans Dale.
Janita L. Brown, 47, of Oliver Twp., Newport, died Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010 at home.
She was born Feb. 11, 1963 to Gerald and Mary (Hartzel) Kitner of New Bloomfield.
She was a nurse for Greenwood School District, Millerstown; a graduate of West Perry High School, University of Charleston and St. Francis School of Nursing; a member of New Harvest Community Church, Millerstown; and enjoyed scrapbooking.
In addition to her parents, surviving are her husband, Charles Brown; a daughter, Devin R. Brown, at home; and a brother, Alan Kitner of Newport.
Services were held Oct. 31 in her church with the Rev. Warren Peachey officiating.
David Myers Funeral Home, Newport, handled arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to her church, P.O. Box 614, Millerstown 17062.
Eugene Augustus Moyer, 80, of Shermans Dale died Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010 in Community General Osteopathic Hospital, Harrisburg.
He was born April 12, 1930 in Mechanicsburg to the late Lawrence Martin and Ruth Evinger Moyer.
He was a building contractor and finishing woodworker for most of his adult life and most recently a security technician for Moyer's Lock and Security, Shermans Dale; a 1948 graduate of Mechanicsburg High School; an Army veteran of the Korean conflict; a member of the American Legion, a member and elder of Shermans Dale Seventh-day Adventist Church, and a member of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association and owned a military Jeep, which he restored and exhibited; had a passion for volunteer work and built schools, churches and clinics in Mexico, Nicaragua and Romania for Seventh-day Adventists organizations; a former volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician; and an avid hunter and Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
Surviving are his wife of 60 years, Helen Pugh Moyer; three sons, Leslie Eugene Moyer of Key West, Fla., David Scott of Camp Hill and Daniel Lee of Fairview Twp.; a daughter, Carolyn Moyer Malin of Max Meadows, Va.; two brothers, William of Carlisle and Richard of Shermans Dale; a sister, Genevieve Toomey Moyer of Mechanicsburg; seven grandchildren, Julia Ann Malin, Levi Donald Malin, Joseph Malin, Sunni Moyer, Cali Moyer Blair and James Moyer; four stepgrandchildren, Daniel Longwell, Jamie Longwell, Matthew Longwell and Sara Butler; a great-grandchild; and four stepgreat-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Stanley Ralph Moyer, and a niece, Kelly Murphy.
Services were held Oct. 26 in First Seventh-day Adventist Church, Harrisburg, with the Rev. David Clevinger officiating. Burial was in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville.
Boyer Funeral Home, New Bloomfield, handled arrangements.
Allen C. Tenney, 52, of Omaha, Neb., formerly of Liverpool, died Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 at Josie Harper Residence in Omaha,
He was born Nov. 13, 1957 in Harrisburg to Geneva (Linn) Tenney of Liverpool and the late Neil L. Tenney.
He was employed with Millard Refrigeration Co. in Nebraska; a 1975 graduate of Greenwood High School, Millerstown; an Air Force veteran; and enjoyed hunting, crossword puzzles, helping his son with Boy Scouts and soccer, and an avid Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
In addition to his mother, surviving are his wife of 21 years, Kathryn "Kathy" (Christenson) Tenney; a son, Jon of Virginia; two sisters, Virginia "Ginger" Tenney and Sandra Alleman, both of Liverpool; a nephew, Cody Alleman; two stepnieces, Casi-Jo and Elissa Alleman; his father- and mother-in-law, Jon and Alice Christenson of Georgia; a sister, Amy Malejko of Virginia; and four uncles.
He was preceded in death by three aunts.
Visitation will be from 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 6, until the service at 2 in George P. Garman Funeral Home, 606 N. Front St., Liverpool, with pastor Robert Gray Jr. officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 3211 N. Front St., Suite 101, Harrisburg 17110, or Josie Harper Residence 7415 Cedar St., Omaha, Neb. 68124.
Joseph C. "Butch" Sebacius Jr., 66, of New Bloomfield died Monday, Oct. 25, 2010.
He was born Nov. 16, 1943 in Ashland to the late Joseph C. Sr. and Stella (Keninitz) Sebacius.
He was a retired policeman for Centralia, Steelton and Lykens and chief of police of Duncannon and Newport, and a former CDL teacher; a graduate of Mount Carmel High School; an Army veteran; and a member of Duncannon American Legion and Perry County Recreation Association, where he enjoyed camping and playing cards.
Surviving are his wife Kathryn R. (Steigerwalt) Sebacius; a daughter, Stephanie S. Hofer; three grandchildren, Alaina G. Hofer, Meagan M. Hofer and Makenzie T. Hofer; two sisters, Helen Markel and Dorothy Kranzel; and two brothers, Ronald and Stephen.
Memorial Mass was held Oct. 29 in St. Bernard Catholic Church, New Bloomfield, with the Rev. Father Robert F. Sharman officiating.
Ronald C.L. Smith Funeral Home, Duncannon, handled arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Bernard Catholic Church P.O. Box 25, New Bloomfield 17068.
Gerald A. "Jerry" Brougher II, 67, of Newport died Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010 in Holy Spirit Hospital, Camp Hill.
He was born Feb. 3, 1943 in Mechanicsburg to the late Gerald A. and Florence K. (Hammaker) Brougher.
He was employed at Tri-County HDC, Ltd., Harrisburg; a graduate of Susquenita High School, Duncannon; a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, Marysville; past governor of Millerstown Loyal Order of the Moose; and enjoyed gardening, collecting antiques, especially Mickey Mouse memorabilia.
Surviving are his wife, Barbara A. (Laird) Brougher; two daughters, Keitha Mae Pavolko of Slatington and Bobbi Jo Crow of Millerstown; a son, Gerald A. III of Newport; and seven grandchildren.
Services were held Oct. 31 in his church with pastor James O. Parker officiating. Burial was in Chestnut Grove Cemetery, Marysville.
Michael J. Shalonis Funeral Home, Marysville, handled arrangements.
Helen E. Smith, 96, formerly of Enola, died Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010 in Kinkora Pythian Home, Duncannon.
She was born May 7, 1914 in Harrisburg to Blake E. and Ethel S. (Graybill) Winter.
She was a graduate of Enola High School; and a member of Enola Alumni Association and Enola Emmanuel United Methodist Church, having served as the church secretary and a charter member of United Methodist Women of her church.
She was the widow of James John Monroe Smith.
Surviving are a daughter, Joyce M. Yocum of Upper Marlboro, Md.; a stepson, Julian DeWitt Smith of Galloway, Ohio; a sister, Sara R. Watts of Duncannon; three grandchildren, Lois Neff of Galloway, Michael E. Yocum of Chesapeake Beach, Md., and Marcus A. Yocum of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; five great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandson.
She was preceded in death by a stepson, James M. Smith, and a stepgrandson, Ronald E. Smith.
Services were held Oct. 30 in Ronald C.L. Smith Funeral Home, Duncannon. Burial was in Duncannon Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to her church, 22 Salt Road, Enola 17025.
James J. Jefferies, 85, of Lake Forest, Calif., died Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010.
He was born Sept. 29, 1924 in Newport.
He owned and operated a furniture business in Orange County for most of his professional career; was an FBI agent from 1950 to 1955; a veteran of World War II and the Korean War; and a lay leader in the church, serving as a Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder and in other positions; a member of Gideons International; and after retirement authored two books.
Surviving are his wife of 65 years, Gerry; two children, Don of Aliso Viejo and Mary Ellen Brown of Sonora, Calif.; five grandchildren; a brother, Robert of Tucson, Ariz.; and a sister, Joyce Hefflefinger of Decatur, Ill.
He was preceded in death by a sister, Vivian Henly of Lancaster County.
A service was held Oct. 2 in Mission Hills Church, Mission Viejo, Calif.
O'Connor Mortuary handled arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to Gideon's International.
Mary E. Auxt, 79, of Duncannon, died Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010 in Kinkora Pythian Home, Duncannon.
She was born Nov. 20, 1930 in Mill Creek to the late Bert L. Sr. and Margaret (Huggins) Moore.
She was a retired secretary from Susquenita Elementary School; a graduate of the former Duncannon High School; a member of Otterbein United Methodist Church, Duncannon, and the ladies auxiliary of Duncannon American Legion; and enjoyed shopping and gardening.
Surviving are a daughter, Judy L. Auxt of Duncannon; a son, Ronald L. Auxt of Marysville; a sister, Ethel A. Smith of Duncannon; two brothers, Bert L. Moore Jr. of Marysville and Dana M. Moore of Dillsburg; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Donna M. Auxt Mullen, and a sister, Betty J. Wolfe.
Services were held Oct. 31 in Ronald C.L. Smith Funeral Home, Duncannon, with the Rev. Candace Arnold officiating. Burial was in Union Cemetery, Duncannon.
Memorial contributions may be made to her church, 327 Newport Road, Duncannon 17020, or Wesley United Methodist Church, 450 Sylvan St., Marysville 17053.
Ralph C. Howell, 62, of Miller Twp., Duncannon, died Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010 at home.
He was born Aug. 19, 1948 to the late Melvin and Sara (Fultz) Howell.
Along with his brother Mike, he owned Howell's Plants and Landscaping, and had worked as a mechanic and auto body technician for Rudy's Garage and as a backhoe operator at Colonial Nursery; a canteen member of Duncannon VFW Post 255; former lead guitarist for We Are the Ones band; and enjoyed hunting, music, training beagles for rabbit hunting and playing the guitar.
Surviving are his wife, Linda (Huss) Howell; two daughters, Pamela Tomsa of Shermans Dale and Christina Howell of Newport; two brothers, Donald of Duncannon and Elmer Howell of Newport; two sisters, Geraldine Holley of Newport and Helen Dorman of West Virginia; and two grandchildren, Angela and James Tomsa.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Mike, and two sisters, Betty Rudy and Beatrice Rudy.
Services were held Oct. 27 in David Myers Funeral Home, Newport, with pastor Tony Hill officiating. Burial was in Newport Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the funeral home.
Grace E. Coller, 97, of Newport died Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010 at home.
She was born March 16, 1913 in Shermans Dale to Samuel and Jessie (White) Stone.
She was retired from the former Smarrs Dress Factory in Newport; a charter member of Newport Assembly of God Church and attended Hilltop Christian Church, a former member of the Civic Club and 32-year member of Newport Senior Citizen Kitchen Band; and enjoyed flowers, writing poetry and painting.
She was the widow of Walter J. Coller, who died in 1996 and to whom she was married 60 years.
Surviving are children, Dale W. Coller of Carlisle, James R. Coller of Florida, Bonnie C. Black of Carlisle, Dorothy A. Wertz of Millerstown and Mary J. Good of Newport; a sister, Jessie Wax of Mount Joy; 12 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by two sisters, Erma Wimer and Esther Stone.
Services were held Oct. 29 in David Myers Funeral Home, Newport, with chaplain Keith Searfoss officiating. Burial was in Newport Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Odyssey Health Care, 4660 Trindle Road, Suite 204, Camp Hill 17011.
Brian Keith Friday Sr., 43, of Newport died Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010 at home.
He was born June 27, 1967.
He was employed by Harrisburg Academy School, and a 1985 graduate of DuBois Area High School and a graduate of Harrisburg Area Community College.
Surviving are his mother, Edna (Beck) Friday-Armagost and stepfather, Lennie Armagost; four brothers and a sister, Anthony "Tony," Russell, Scott and Keith, and Katie Armagost; three children, Thomas Friday, Tina Friday and Brian Friday Jr.; and a grandson, Ezra Morrow.
He was preceded in death by his father, Francis E. Friday.
Services were held in Penfield.


text:
Jack Thompson
I'm sure that many people in the gaming community don't disagree with most your views on selling violent games to minors. Given this, don't you think you would get more support for your cause by being less overtly threatening towards what remains a popular past time?
I'm not out to make friends. I have enough of those. I'm out to accomplish something to protect children and the innocent victims who are sometimes harmed by kids made more aggressive and more violent by the murder simulators on which they practice that violence.
The world has enough folks who identify a problem, speak out, wring their hands and move on. In fact, it was your country's Winston Churchill who said: "Most people when they stumble across the truth, pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and move on as if nothing had happened." I have sat in rooms with families whose loved ones are gone because some kid trained on a game to kill them. Gamers can scoff at that, they can say it didn't happen, but all the science coming out of Harvard and from the American Psychological Association, and now out of the US Supreme Court in the Roper vs. Simmons case draws the causal link between these games, the violent ones, and teen violence.
Cocaine is a popular "past time," too. That doesn't make its consumption, certainly by kids, something we ought to look away from. I don't gauge what I do based upon polls, and certainly not polls of gamers. I couldn't care less what some 14-year-old thinks is good or not good for him. I listen to scientists, health care providers, public safety officials, and I base what I do based upon their findings, not what some readers of Game Informer magazine wish was true because of how they waste their time.
Previously you've campaigned against obscenity in rap music and broadcast media (the constant stream of 'real-life' violence from news programmes, especially the ongoing conflict in Iraq seems pertinent here). Do you believe videogames to be more or less of a threat than these other 'influencing' mediums?
Well, first off, war is not a "medium." It is a real Hell. There is, however, no question that war brutalizes both the people maimed and those who do the maiming. One of the leading experts on that is Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a former Army Ranger whose book, On Killing, was nominated for a Pulitzer. Dave, who has become a dear friend and who is one of our experts in the Alabama wrongful death case against Take-Two, which will financially destroy Take-Two, has written extensively about the scientific proof that violent video games are murder simulators that train soldiers and civilians to kill. Grossman writes of the devastating psychological cost of getting a human being into that mindset. It is a matter of training, conditioning, and desensitization. That is why British and American military establishments use violent virtual reality simulators to get new recruits to kill.
Beyond that, video games are the most dangerous of all violent media, because they are interactive. You actually enter into doing the violence. Psychologists explain that interactive violence is a far more effective and quick means of behavior modification. But video games are a neutral technology. You can electrify or incinerate a city with nuclear fission. The fission is not the problem. The problem is what you do with it. Likewise, video games are tremendous teaching tools, because of their powerful nature, but what we do with them is what is problematic. Evil can find its way into any technology, because evil is in every heart. Certainly mine. But the difference is that I know that. I think most teen gamers have no freaking idea what evil is, and thus they are more easily preyed upon by it. I'm a Christian. The Bible explains all this. Kids would do well to read it as well as their cheat code manuals.
Are you aware of the free online game entitled 'America's Army'? It is a free online 'shooter' game that pits two teams against each other to fight to the death. The game was developed and is continually subsidised by the United States Army with the open intent to recruit young people into the armed forces. The guns are realistic, the sounds are excellent, and the tactical attention to detail is superb - this is all because it has been developed by actual soldiers. Upon being shot, the player will simply disappear without any suggestion of bodily trauma. Is this perhaps not significantly more obscene than representing any amount of fictitious gore, by misrepresenting the results of actual violence?
It is not, obscene, in the legal sense of the term, but it is outrageous. Gamers need to do their homework on me. I was on ABC's World News Tonight three years ago explaining how outrageous it is that taxpayers are subsidizing a violent video game distributed free to teens when this same government found the link between violent video games (Doom) and what happened at Columbine. The creation of the America's Army game is a scandal. By the way, there is classified information in the game, which is an illegal act, and our government's contracting with a Japanese company, Sony, to create the game violates a treaty the US entered into after WWII not to use Japanese companies to create military products of any kind, including training simulators. So our government has broken the law in a number of ways to make this game. I wrote the arrogant Don Rumsfeld ten times telling him that America's Army was a big mistake. I said that on ABC News at the time. Probably why I was profiled for a ten-minute piece last month on ABC's Nightline.
As you can see, by God's grace, I've been on this issue quite some time. I'm not as dumb and ineffectual as I look. The industry fears me because they know I don't quit.
Is it fair that certain games should be banned from the whole gaming populace, despite the argument that only a tiny minority of gamers are easily influenced?
No, of course not. In a free society, adults can pretty much get what they want and should. You gamers need to get off the "Jack Thompson wants to ban video games" nonsense. I had a kid in New York call me the other day screaming at me because of that. I said please, listen to my real position. He listened. He was a nice and polite guy. When I was done, he said "Hey, I agree with everything you have to say on this. This was very cool." I asked him what prompted him to call. He said, "Our eighth grade social studies class was talking about you, and I though I would call you." I said, "Tell your teacher I will be happy to address the entire class by speaker phone so they can hear what my real views are as the industry's chief critic," and he said that was very cool. Facts are very, very cool. Caricatures of critics are stupid.
In the past you have directed criticism towards games such as The Sims 2 for alluding to areas of inappropriateness. The instance of Sims 2 it was in the blur that covered the characters nudity, which could only be removed using a user created and unlicensed alteration of the game. Your qualm was that the blur itself suggested nudity. This is, in effect, the suggestion of nudity, in a visual medium (the game), which is itself a suggestion, this is reality twice removed, such as a painting of a photogragh of an apple. Do you worry that there might be some overspill from more zealous censorship groups that will outlaw even allusions to suggestions of inappropriateness?
Once again, you have totally mischaracterized my position. I think it would be nice if people would actually ask me what I think or at least read what I have actually written. The problem was not that the blur suggested nudity. The problem was and is that the brilliant but reckless person who created the Sims (I forget his name) has openly and actively encouraged mods of his figures. That has led to all sorts of porn available on the web to kids. This is not surmise. Go Google the sites. To underscore the legitimacy of my concern, the ESRB's Patricia Vance, picking up on my lead, shortly after the Sims flap informed the entire industry that developers' failures to protect their own copyrighted images and codes and so force was unacceptable and would lead to a gutting of the whole copyright concept. She noted that a failure of companies to go after modders who modded a teen product into adult product was a huge problem for which the developers were responsible by virtue of their laxity.
When she did that, I felt like Jeff Goldblum's character in Jurassic Park, when the t-rex comes through the de-electrified fence. He mutters, "Damn, I hate being right all the time." I'm not right all the time, but Vance got it, and I was right, and to the extent that the Sims folks or anyone else allow copyright infringers to modify their figures into porn, then they too are responsible for the consequences, to their copyright's dilution and the harm to kids that flows from it.
You once described 'The Sims' as a paedophiles paradise. Can you explain why?
For the same reason that MySpace has been called by law enforcement here "a buffet for paedophiles." The Sims folks (see above) are allowing their product to be used by paedophiles on the web. Again, Google the sites.
How do you suggest videogames actually 'train to kill'? In the instance of the murder of two Fayette, Alabama officers, you suggested that the murderer was trained to shoot quickly and expertly by the console game Grand Theft Auto. Whilst it is arguable that the emotional state to kill could, in theory, have been encouraged by watching violent representations, how is it possible to train a person in the expert use of lethal firearms in a 'simulation' that uses only ones thumbs?
Killing is, of course, a two-part phenomenon. You need to be willing to kill and you need to know how to kill. Google "can a video game lead to murder" and you will see the CBS 60 Minutes piece, and the full transcript which explains it all. The GTA games broke down Devin Moore's inhibition to kill and it gave him killing scenarios on how to kill the cops. He replicated the bizarre scenario right in the game. Ed Bradley proved it. I convinced an entire news organization. That's why Bradley had me back for the second piece I did on video games and their murder simulation, 6 years after I did it the first time on 60 Minutes re: Columbine. We gave the court four experts, all of whom testified before the US Congress on this copycat phenomenon re video games, and they all said, in sworn affidavits, that Moore would not have killed if he had not had the video game training, as to both appetite to kill and means to kill.
I'm happy to see an affidavit from someone that says the opposite. Until then, the position is unrefuted, gamers' biases notwithstanding.
Are there any games you have personally enjoyed playing?
No. I have so little time on this earth that I choose not to waste it in what amounts to mental masturbation. I have played the violent games I have targeted to know what I am talking about. The stomping of women in GTA, in light of my representation of women who have been battered and raped made me nauseous. Anyone who "enjoys" a game like that is off his rocker.
Do you believe that a parent or guardian should ultimately be held responsible for censoring games, clearly marked for adults, from children and the easily influenced?
Parents are part of the plan, but the retailers who sell games to kids with no parent in sight are not exactly including parents in the equation, now are they? See, this is the great lie of the industry and its retailer lapdogs. They put a warning label on the game, admitting thereby that GTA, for example, is harmful to a 12-year-old, and yet they market the crap out of these games to kids. Our Federal Trade Commission has found that 40% of the time (and this was recently) the major retailers will sell Mature-rated games to kids of any age, no questions asked and no parents in sight. All I am trying to do is get the US to the UK (and elsewhere) system that stops the sale of adult games to kids. Very simple. If some idiot parent wants to buy a 9-year-old GTA and give it to him, then that's okay, but if the kid then goes next door and batters some neighbour's kid, then I would love the lawsuit against the moron parent who ignored the warning and gave his kid a violence simulator that the American Psychological Association has proven results in those types of events. But any policy to stop the sale of adult games to adults? No way.
With the continued failure of what has been labelled the 'Video Games made me Do it' defence to convince any judges of a mitigated or lesser sentence, is your continued stance on the harm games can have on young minds perhaps diminishing the value of that defence? The Insanity plea has been significantly narrowed in scope, with its requirements for Mens Rea and Actus Reus continually made more stringent, meaning that today many individuals mentally unfit are not properly processed in the legal system. If video games are indeed 'scapegoated' by lawyers less scrupulous than yourself, is the danger of abuse not significant?
Once again, your facts are wrong. A kid used a video game defence in Dallas in the late 1990s. Shot his friend twice. He was acquitted of murder because of the video game influence. People in the states have been fully acquitted of murder - adults - who have successfully invoked the "Matrix defence." They proved to the jury that they were put into a mental state in which they did not know what they were fully doing. I'm a law and order guy, a conservative - not the liberal the gamers like to paint me out to be - and that is a legitimate defence, as murder is a "state of mind" crime. That's the law. So, far from your characterization, what I am talking about as a defence is increasing, not decreasing. In fact, one of the most important Supreme Court cases in years, decided nearly two years ago in Roper v. Simmons, struck down the juvenile death penalty across the country. Justice Kennedy, writing the majority opinion, cited the same brain scan studies on which we are relying in Alabama and now in our New Mexico case to prove that juveniles process violent material differently - in a different sector of the brain - and this neurobiological difference and deficit, the court said, must take first-degree murder and its punishment off the table. As a result of Roper vs. Simmons, you are going to see brain scans of teen defendants and video game defence explode into a hugely significant development in criminal law. NBC's Law and Order SVU actually did a show on it called "Game." I was portrayed as the defence attorney in the case. They put my client in an MRI tube. Art imitating life imitating art. Very cool.
If people don't like the fact that this is going to be a defence increasingly in criminal cases, then stop selling adult and violent games to kids. Very simple.
You once said: "We intend to hurt Hollywood. We intend to hurt the video game industry. We intend to hurt the sex porn sites." Do you think rhetoric of this kind is provocative, and could dissuade potential supporters of your views?
Of course it is provocative and is intended to be. People who do evil things need to be identified, called out, and what they do destroyed. Your Winston Churchill was very provocative when it came to Hitler. Thank God he was. When Churchill was made an honorary citizen of the US by President Kennedy in a joint session of Congress, JFK said, "When the entire world, save Britons, feared for the survival of Britain, Winston Churchill mobilized the English language and sent it into battle." Words have meaning. Language is powerful. Gee, maybe Aragorn should not have "incited" or "provoked" his troops so in the LoTR trilogy. Most mean of him. I intend to destroy the evil that certain men do. I have a son. They have targeted him and his peers. I intend to stop them, by God's grace, if that be His will.
You're now infamous video game concept based around the revenge killing of the CEO of a video game company caused a lot of fuss due in part to the fact that it appeared to be aimed squarely at Take Two CEO Paul Eibeler. While no doubt aimed to prove your point that if games, as the industry claim, are merely fantasy and fiction and do no harm then what harm could come from such a game, do you feel that by making that point in such an overtly personal way, thereby removing the fictional element, you over-stepped the mark?
Oh, it's very personal. I wish it were more personal. I wish Mr. Eibeler had the stones to come out of his office and meet his critics as I do, like right here. I am going to be on college campuses this winter doing just that. You won't see Eibeler do that. I promised to pay the $10,000, and still will, if Eibeler has the testicular fortitude to name the charity. That is the condition that the morons at Penny Arcade and elsewhere chose to ignore.
Listen, I have sat with families, as I say above, whose loved ones are dead because of Paul Eibeler. They take it VERY personally. I do, too. The Golden Rule is this: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This sociopath uses his games to target cops, women, innocent people, and he counts his money, maybe backdates his stock options (the SEC is investigating that), and knowingly sells Hot Coffee material to other peoples' kids. That is a crime. I wish he had the courage to meet me in a public forum. Then he would see just how personal it is. But he won't, because he is a coward. Other than that, I like him.
Would the US age rating system on games work in principle if all retailers could be relied upon to perform their side of the bargain? If not how could it be improved and does the film industry and its retailers have it right or do your arguments apply to them as well?
Yes, it would work great, but that's the point. It is a charade. Law must be used to enforce what they have admitted is right and just but will not do. Only naive anarchists/libertarians think that laws are unnecessary. Your Edmund Burke, the father of modern political thought said it quite well: "Government is there to point people to the good." As a last resort. The video game industry's scofflaws like Paul Eibeler have brought us to this point, not I.
At what point does personal responsibility kick in? As much as we may be subjected to negative role models and ideas from a variety of media surely at some point we have to let individuals take responsibility for their actions and not look to blame them on third parties.
All people are responsible for their actions, including Paul Eibeler. Are kids somehow responsible and he is not?
Which do you regard yourself as first and foremost, a lawyer or a politician?
I am not a politician. Too honest. I am first a Christian, then a husband and father, and last a lawyer. I try to keep it in that order.
We appreciate your time.
I appreciate your time. Let's do this often. You are one of the few folks who have let me speak for myself.
I want to say one more thing, and this is very serious. I have been saying this now before large and small assemblages for seven years now, and it is this:
I am the guy who is trying to maximize freedom here, not diminish it, and here is why. There is coming a massacre at the hands of a gamer or gamers that makes Columbine and Erfurt, Germany, look like skirmishes in a pub. When that happens, or if the number of gamer-authored incidents like the one at Dawon College in Montreal or Red Lake, Minnesota, etc. continue to mount, then what you are going to see is a call for a total BAN on these violent games, even for adult consumption, because the industry has been saying, in our country, that it cannot keep these games out of the hands of kids, despite the neurobiological processing differential, and that it WILL not abide laws to do that.
When the public pressure explodes all over the video game industry because of the mounting body count, which may occur on one morning in a school in the heartland of America, then parents will put their desire for "freedom" second to the safety of their children, and the pressure on our Congress to ban the games altogether will be enormous and irresistible. You are seeing this in Germany right now with the latest school shooting. It is coming to America.
So I am the pro-liberty voice here. Anarchy leads to a contraction of liberty, not an expansion of it. Talk to the folks, the ones still alive, who suffered through 75 years of totalitarianism because of the anarchy that descended upon Russia in 1917. As long as the video game industry in our country markets and sells to kids games that are adult-rated, that feature gun play as a fun thing to do in a country that has more guns than people, then this industry is putting a match to gasoline.
I am trying to get this industry to stop the sale and marketing of adult games to kids. That is my ONLY issue. Are you with me, now that you know what I really stand for, which explains why the industry and uninformed gamers demonize me? I knew you would be, just like the eighth-grader in New York.
I am sane. Paul Eibeler is a sociopath. Choose which one cares about you more? The corporate predator who is giving the entire industry a bad name and who will take the money of a 12-year-old, or Jack Thompson, a flawed individual who is just trying to do right given the light that God has given him and offers all of us. Thank you again. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ.
I particularly appreciate the fact that you have let me speak for myself and address what may be my critics directly. By contrast, the US video game enthusiast site GamePolitics has denied me posting privileges and has even gone so far as to prevent me, technologically, from even viewing this site at which I am nearly daily attacked.
How's that for consistency by a gaming site that proclaims the joys of freedom of expression? A game critic can't speak, all in defence of that site's view of the First Amendment.
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