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Moy Park wins development accolade
Moy Park has been awarded for its best-in-class approach to people development, picking up the IGD John Sainsbury Learning and Development Award at the IGD Awards 2015 earlier this week.
It was recognised by the judges for its fundamental commitment to business improvement by nurturing and developing its people, and were also commended for their passion and enthusiasm for learning.
Mike Mullan, Moy Park HR director Europe, said: "We are truly delighted to have won this award as it is a celebration of the terrific recognition of the whole Moy Park team on our journey of continual learning and development. Tangible results of our learning and development programmes include significant improvements in company performance, safety performance and overall employee engagement levels."
Stuart Comer, head of learning & development at Sainsbury's, added: "Moy Park's Leadership Development Framework brought the business together across countries, categories and functions; made a continued commitment over a number of years; transformed the business culture; achieved and sustained real tangible results; and built the support of a large number of passionate and enthusiastic participants."
Moy Park recently appointed Michael O'Neill, to head up its Continuous Improvement programme. His role at Moy Park will be to drive innovation in an effort to maximise operational effectiveness and efficiencies, working closely with teams across the company. Moy Park said this appointment is further demonstration of its approach to continually developing its industry-leading operations.
Other award winners from the meat and poultry industry were; Eat 17 (creators of Bacon Jam) at Spar, who received the IGD Innovative Store of the Year, sponsored by McCurrach. Victoria Russell of Charlie Bingham's (producers of convenient meals for two) won the IGD Leading Edge Leading Light Award, sponsored by Premier Foods, and Greggs where the recipients of the IGD Health and Wellness Award, sponsored by Nestlé.
"We've had some great submissions, demonstrating the leadership, innovation and excellence that our industry has to offer," said IGB chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch.
She continued to commend the hard work and dedication of those in the industry. "There's no doubt that we are operating in challenging times, yet the resilience and originality that members of the industry demonstrate is truly exceptional, from small start-ups to medium-sized companies to large and international ones. My congratulations to all of our finalists and winners."
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text: I have a S&W 627pc w/ a 5 inch barrel and I have had the hammer bobbed and polished, the trigger polished, the action tuned (competition tune by BC armory) and a fiber optic front sight installed. I have a hogue extended cylinder release and a pair of hogue big butt rubber conversion grips on it. I was just wanting some opinions on this set up and if anyone knows of any competitions I can shoot with it besides ICORE i'm all ears. So, what do you guys think? The gun is super accurate and handles like a dream but I want to know what others thimk of my set up.

subset: commoncrawl


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The wit and wisdom of Bill Holcomb
We're starting a new feature here. When I first met my father-in-law, I referred to him as, "The Man of Few Words." But when he does offer his opinion, there's definitely no mistaking his intent. Often his words are punctuated by a well-timed puff on his cigar. From time to time we'll offer a few of his aphorisms.
About a wet patch on a property adjoining his property up north:
"They call it a nature pond. {A puff of the cigar.} It's a bog."


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Black and Nude, the essential staples in every mother's wardrobe. Mix and Match with this fabulous deal of buy one, get the 2nd 50% off. Simply add one bra to your cart and a pop up window will open and ask you to choose your second discounted item. Note that this discount is not in conjunction with any other discount codes. Happy shopping! xxx


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A USA Film Festival member wrote a letter accusing us of acting like spurned lovers because we took offense at the USAFF's recent snub of this very newspaper. Well, we'd like to clarify: We're really more like spurned, masochistic lovers. Slap us, and we'll give you more publicity--providing you put a hurtin' on us with terrific movies like director Michael Powell's Peeping Tom, presented as part of the fest's monthly Independent Showcase series.
With the possible exception of Tony Beckley in When a Stranger Calls, no psychotic killer in cinema has ever been so charmingly befuddled, so sweetly unsure of himself, as Carl Boehm's Mark Lewis, the cheesecake photographer who slays his female subjects for a project that kind of stretches the term "labor of love." Lewis, a lowly film-studio focus-puller, is obsessed with the look of terror on women's faces right before he kills them. It's a twisted preoccupation that stretches all the way back to his relationship with his father (the film's director Michael Powell, in an equally chilling cameo), another aspiring filmmaker. Let's just say the psycho never falls far from the psychopath.
Some insisted that Powell had shown flashes of cruelty and misogyny throughout his career, and Peeping Tom was merely a culmination. This movie basically ruined his career, which was strange, considering it was released the same year as Hitchcock's now-immortal Psycho (1960), another climax for a director accused of the same sins. Much as we adore Psycho, we have to say Powell and Boehm creeped us out much more with this deadpan study of image fetishization that is also, some have suggested, a subtle satire on auteurist vision and the film director's relationship with the actor. Hitchcock ambushed Anthony Perkins with technique; Powell seems to plant himself inside Boehm's head and peer at these horrible crimes through the actor's timid, helpless, addicted eyes.
Martin Scorsese has dusted off Peeping Tom for a national re-release, and the USA Film Festival has scored its only wide-screen Dallas presentation. If next year's USA Film Festival is even half as interesting as this one selection (and our trembling hearts will barely let us believe it, so often have they been broken before), then we'll do anything to score next April. And we mean anything.
--Jimmy Fowler
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The USA Film Festival screens Peeping Tom May 17, 7:30 p.m., at the AMC Glen Lakes Theatre, 9450 N. Central Expressway. Tickets are $7, $6 for USAFF members. Call (214) 821-


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" Publisher: Big Fish Games "
I enjoy playing a good game on my laptop every now and again, especially hidden object games. I am a member of Big Fish Games which means I get sent offers and deals some weeks. I can also earn punches to go towards free games. Most of the games on the Big Fish website are hidden object type games with mini puzzles in between the hidden object scenes. I actually got sent an e-mail a few weeks ago with new releases in and I like the look and sound of this game so decided I was going to purchase it and have a go at playing it.
About the Game
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You've been in an accident and are fighting your way out of a coma. Inside your mind, you must explore your deepest memories in order to right the past and set yourself free. First you'll go back to visit your mother, with whom you were estranged before she died. Now's your chance to uncover the mystery of your rift and show her what she meant to you. Explore nostalgic locations and meet other people from your past in this moving, dramatic hidden-object puzzle adventure game. There's also a guiding spirit whose true identity is yours to uncover. What happened all those years ago when your family was changed forever? The thing that really keeps you trapped might surprise you. This game is a special Collector's edition which means you get lots of extras that you won't find in the standard version of the game and you also get a strategy guide and beautiful concept art and wallpapers. I am a member of Big Fish games and I paid about £10.80 for this game and also got 2 punches on my stamp card which can be used as payment for other games.
(Please note the above information has been taken from the Big Fish games website)
Playing the Game
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When you first load the game you will see a number of different screens along with dialogues, this tells the first part of the story. You then need to type in your name to create a new player and this is when you start the game. You can choose whether to play an easier mode of the game where hints re-charge quicker and you also get a tutorial and you can choose the slightly harder version which is what I chose with no tutorial and hints take longer to re-charge. The game starts off with you outside a house which is locked at this point, so you need to go and explore the grounds to see if you can find anything that might help you unlock the door. There are various different objects which you pick up along the way which may help your further on into the game. There are also some things that you will need to find objects for later in the game and you will have to come back. If there is something in the scene that you can look at an eyeball picture will change as your cursor and if you click on this, it will zoom into the item such as a glass cabinet. When you enter a new scene in the game you will often see a ghostly figure appear and they will say something to you which is relevant to the actual game. Throughout the game you also learn more to do with the actual story of the game and what is happening. The items you collect such as wire, scissors, piano key, cloth and other items all appear at the bottom of the page. When you get to a scene when you think you could use one of the items you simply click on the item you want to use and them on the object where you want to use it. For example I could try to use the scissors to cut some rope. If this is wrong then it will tell you that you can't use the item for this and it will be returned to your inventory at the bottom of the screen. Just as I thought I was about to finish the game, I was surprised to see that there was still some other things to complete in totally new scenes that I hadn't yet seen in the game. This is good otherwise the game would have been very short.
Hidden Object Scenes
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Most of the time when you zoom in to scenes such as a cupboard this activates a hidden object game where you need to find all the items on the list. Some of the items on the list appear as yellow which means you need to do something in order to get that item. For example the item could say Grated carrot, how-ever you need to find the carrot and grate it to create this item shown on the list. The items in yellow are quite easy to find as if you happen to move the mouse across an objects in which you need to do something to such as the grater or the carrot a cog wheel sign will appear. If you get stuck and can't find something during a hidden object scene you can get a hint which is located in the bottom right hand corner. Using a hint will circle the area where the object it in the scene so you can find it. The hint takes some time to recharge so until this has re-charged you won't be able to use it again. I have only used the hint on a few occasions where I have been really stuck and haven't been able to find one or two of the objects because they appear quite small in the scene.
Mini/Puzzle Games
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In the game there are also various different puzzles which you have to solve, this can range from a number of different things such as turning all the fuse lights green. . This sounds easy how-ever some of the buttons turn the lights on, whilst others turn them off. For some of the mini puzzle games you may need to collect items or clues in order to learn how to play them or to actually play them. For example when I played the fuse puzzle I actually had to find the fuse and place it into the fuse box before actually being able to play the game. When you enter each mini game, it tells you at the bottom of the screen what you have to do to play the game. There are hints for this game so if you get really stuck then you can either use a hint or skip the puzzle which means the puzzle will be complete for you. I only had to do this on 2 occasions as I just couldn't work out how to complete the puzzle even though I knew what I had to do.
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I think the graphics are good in the game and things are very easy to make out and notice. I have played many hidden object games where the pictures/scenes haven't been very clear, how-ever in this game it's not the case. The graphics are sharp and good enough to see the objects in the hidden scenes and the mini puzzle games are very clear. I had to turn the volume up on my speakers quite hear to hear the scenes at the very beginning of the game, how-ever throughout the rest of the game it seems ok. There is some light music played throughout playing the game and other noises appear such as when you open and close doors you may hear a bang and other noises that go with the actions you are doing. This makes the game come to life a bit more.
Overall Opinion
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I enjoyed playing the game and completed it within a few hours. This is because I was off work one day sick and was bored at home so literally played it for a good few hours to pass the time and take my mind off felling so ill. The graphics in the game are really good and objects are clear to find in the hidden object scenes. Some of the objects are hard to find as they are small whilst others are easy as they are bigger items. I enjoy playing the mini puzzle games as some of these you really have to think about whilst trying to complete them. The story to the game is good and I like the way you see different ghostly characters during game-play to keep the story going. I have already recommended this game to my mum as she enjoys these types of games. I wouldn't have said the game was really hard but you do need to think about what you are doing and you need to try to remember things in other scenes in which you have to go back for. I haven't got anything bad to say about this game so I'm giving it the full 5 stars.
(review may also appear on ciao)


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wikiHow to Download Demos and Play Them on Xbox 360
Playing game demos are a great way to 'try before you buy!'
1Check if you're are on Xbox Live. If not then there are no demos available for offline users. (Unless you buy a magazine with a demo disk in it.) If you are online, read on.
2Go to 'Xbox 360 Dashboard' then go to the game marketplace.
3Go to the demos option on the marketplace, and find the game you want.
4Click download (on the game demo) and wait for the download to start.
5When the download is complete, press the Xbox button on your controller.
6Go to quick launch and press the right button on your d-pad.
7Select the demo you want and hit A. Your demo should load. Have fun!
Community Q&A
How can I get complete games on Xbox 360 free?wikiHow ContributorYou can login to your friends Xbox account, then download the game and log into your Xbox account. It works some of the time.
What if it says download again?wikiHow ContributorTry downloading it again. If it keeps up, try restarting or resetting your device.
How long do the Xbox 360 demos last?wikiHow ContributorYou can typically play them indefinitely, the demo version are just limited.
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Categories: Xbox 360
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Español: descargar demos y jugarlos en Xbox 360, Русский: скачать и запустить демо игру на Xbox 360, Italiano: Scaricare e Utilizzare le Demo su Xbox 360, Português: Baixar Demos e Jogar no Xbox 360
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For the last 12 months, the Reedy development team has been working behind the scenes utilizing a combination of new ideas and proven concepts to create the all-new Sonic 540-M3 Competition Brushless Motor.
On the outside, the 540-M3 appears very similar to the Mach 2, but look closely and you will realize that nothing has been carried over from the previous model. A 3-piece CNC machined can reduces weight while improving airflow, component fit, and bearing alignment. Heavy-duty silver-plated solder tabs are not only thicker to reduce resistance, but are also cupped to aid soldering, and well supported to prevent internal connections from fatiguing over time.
Inside, changes are less obvious but result in huge performance gains. Sonic 540-M3 Spec motors walk the edge of legality in exchange for maximum power output and RPM thanks to an all-new stator design, pure copper magnet wire, and low-resistance collector rings. Available short-stack 17.5 and 13.5 versions suit 1S-powered pan cars and under the right circumstances can create a power advantage in 2S-powered buggies, trucks, and touring cars.
Unlike Spec class racing, Modified is about controlling power. Sonic motors have always been known for their linear power delivery and the 540-M3 does not disappoint. A new stator design improves mid-range feel which both on- and off-road racers will appreciate.
A balanced, high-strength sintered rotor provides powerful, fade-free performance thanks to improved manufacturing processes. To fine-tune for specific applications and tracks, a variety of optional rotors are available. Lastly, larger precision stainless steel ball bearings have been fitted to accommodate high RPM loads with improved reliability.
Several versions are available and all meet ROAR, EFRA, and IFMAR specifications. Visit www.reedypower.com for a complete list of tuning rotors, replacement/option parts and detailed specifications.
Royal mail at £3.50, or Express at £6.95.
Full details at checkout.
Some items cannot be sent via Royal Mail due to their restrictions.
To see shipping costs simply add the item to your basket and choose your country from the drop down list on the view cart page.
Use this form to ask us a quick one sentence question about this specific product. For more in depth queries, please feel free to email or call us.
Our system will drop you an automated e-mail as soon as this product comes back into stock.


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Disney Cast Hidden Mickey Princess Quote 6 Pin Set pins
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You are bidding on a set of 6 Disney Hidden Mickey Princess pins from the Hidden Mickey Series. It is my understanding that this is a full set of pins from 2007. This 6 pin collection showcases the following Princesses:Princess Belle - her phrase is "men are such beasts!" Princess Cinderella - her phrase is "I did not marry for money!" Princess Snow White - her phrase is "My stepmother is all heart!" Princess Ariel - her phrase is "I am not fishing for a compliment!" Princess Jasmine - her phrase is "Diamond in the rough...I want a princess cut!" Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) - her phrase is "okay, okay, I get the point!"
This set was released at the Disneyland Resort and can only be obtained by trading for them with Disney Cast Members. The Back of each pin reads: Hidden Mickey pin, the number in the series, Disney China, the 2007 pin trading logo is also stamped on the back.The pins are in excellent condition, have mickey pin backs on them and will be in small plastic bags, I think you will really enjoy them. Shipping for U.S. buyers is $3.50 for First Class Mail , international buyers shipping is $5.00. Insurance is an optional $2 for U.S. buyers, it is unavailable for intenational buyers unless you want to pay $17 for shipping (I know it is horrible, this is the actual cost through the U.S. post ... read more


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Thanks to everyone in this group. I appreciate your compassion. :)
here I am speechless
I'm so sorry, Suzy. You will be in my prayers. I miss my mom, too, and especially during Christmas holidays.
I'm also sorry for your loss. My mother has been gone for over nine years and I still miss her.
So sorry for your loss suzy56. You will be in my prayers as well.
beautiful photo. may your mother rest in peace...
Blessings, Suzy...holidays, birthdays, special dates are always hard...especially the first time 'round. Take care and know that you are loved.
Suzy, thank you for sharing your precious mom with us. I understand what you are feeling. My mom died in '87, and I still miss her very much. I wish I could take away your sadness. I can pray for you, though. May the Lord comfort you and give your heart peace, especially during this holiday season.
Suzy, I hope your memories of her bring you some comfort.
Thank you so much. She was 18 years old in this photo. It was six weeks ago that she passed and I am so sad. Everyone in this group has been so kind and caring.
A beautiful lady Suzy. I'm sure she will be with you in spirit on Christmas Day.


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Experience of a seven hospital system in Oregon offers a template for understanding how and why infant falls occur in hospitals and how to address the issue.
The goal of this report is to describe our experience implementing consensus medical staff guidelines used for counseling pregnant women threatening extremely premature birth and to give an account of family preferences and the immediate outcome of their infants.
The goal of this report is to describe the collaborative formation of rational, practical, medical staff guidelines for the counseling and subsequent care of extremely early-gestation pregnancies and premature infants between 22 and 26 weeks.
Research on the patient's perspective on medical error is limited. Research efforts have focused on how best to disclose error and how patients desire to have medical errors disclosed. In this study, a mixed group of 30 community members share their stories of medical error.
Researchers surveyed hospitals to ask whether ongoing data completeness reports and monthly comparative quality reports were used to make changes in the acute care process. These self-reports were then confirmed by using the registry data to construct objective run-chart measures over 12 months. Results showed several programmatic characteristics that distinguished programs that used quality reports to make improvements.


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Offices and homes of executives connected to the Olympus accounting scandal have been raided by Japanese police. The move comes after a report commissioned by the company showed that losses of $1.7bn had been concealed for over a decade. However, the company did successfully file its amended accounts by the December 14th deadline imposed by the Japanese stock exchange to avoid being delisted. These restated accounts showed significantly reduced assets, and the company is now rumored to be planning to issue more shares in an attempt to raise money.
Dec 15, 2014
Dec 11, 2014
Dec 11, 2014
Dec 10, 2014
I love my Olympus C-8080, and it was made about the time these irregularities (to put it lightly) started. Maybe Olympus should have been sold off, like Pentax, to be able to start anew. Instead a culture of lying developed at Olympus. A sad end of a once brave company!
A company's board of directors that lies to its shareholders is not to be trusted at all. Calling them fools - highly paid at that - is just trying to whitewash it all.
Not surprising that the Japanese authorities suspected that organised crime was behind it all, as that is exactly what we can expect of orgainised crime: fiddle the figures, lie to the authorities, and hoodwink shareholders. And this has been going on for years and years - so not just one screen of smoke, rather a gigantic forest fire, in avoiding the truth.
When the new CEO wanted a serious, independent, internal audit he got the sack - smells criminal intent a long way.
" A sad end of a once brave company!"
Olympus hasn't died you know!
Company did not die, but this is a giant kick on their once sterling reputation. Does one really want to do any business in the future with such a disreputable outfit?
This link has a good article on the scandal at Olympus:
Some scary reading this one is, Stan, thanks for finding it. What a colossal bunch of crooks, OMG, this makes our Wall Street and pyramid scheme American crooks look like inept Kindergarten pupils in comparison.
A company this rotten at the very top has to be put out of its misery and out of business, ans quickly. They have no right to prevail and continue. The Olympus name will be forever tainted with this much filth.
Chuck, yes, it's fraud, it's crime. But at least THESE crooks have left us a legacy of beautiful cameras, lenses, and in my case, a brand loyalty that is not going to evaporate overnight, as I've been using Olympus cameras more or less exclusively since my OM-1 which I bought in 1976.
You can't say the same about Madoff, Leaman's, et al ... they're just a bunch of self-interested *ankers.
Marty: Sorry to intrude, but when management lies about the actual value of something, and people invest money based on those lies, that is fraud, pure and simple. And fraud is theft, and theft is a crime, so yes, they are indeed crooks.
Yep, just like our president with Solyndra! It's a shame really, as I always admired the Olympus line.
Chuck, there is no doubt that this was a crime.
Maybe I'm just splitting hairs, but I'd rather believe they were incompetent fools who were just covering up their blunders, rather than people stealing money for their own personal use.
Either way, the effect is the same for the shareholders, employees, dealers and customers. This criminal activity has harmed all, and Olympus desperately needs better and more ethical management.
And that will be achieved, one way or the other. Either by some other company buying Olympus, or by Olympus finding better managers going forward.
For me the first sign was when Woodford brought his questions to the BOD, and they told him "Don't worry about this. It's none of your concern." Then I knew these people had done something terribly wrong.
Dan Ortego, who is "your" president, I wonder? Does he own Olympus common or preferred stocks, too?
It now appears that the top tier of Olympus management weren't crooks at all. Just incredible fools. They made some very foolish investments, lost lots of money, then tried to hide it from their shareholders by deceptive financial reporting means.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Olympus that a change to better and more ethical management wont cure.
They have strong products and could have been very profitable if it wasn't for the foolish and risky financial ventures they made. And covering them up their mistakes to mislead shareholders was a very poor decision.
They have a 70% market share in endoscopes, and their M4/3 products have strong market potential going forward. This entire problem was caused by poor management practices. And that is precisely what needs to be changed.
It doesn't matter if this means being acquired by a new owner... or simply radically reforming the way they manage their finances. Either way, you still end up with a strong, competitive company.
Nobody bought "National" or "Technics" from anybody. They were trade names (as is Panasonic) used by the parent company, Matsushita. National was used mostly on appliances, outside North America. Technics was used to signify higher quality than Panasonic which, at the time was considered the poor man's Sony.
Sorry I was a bit off in my description of trade names. It seems strange now, what with Panasonic/Leica cameras but I can recall when the first Technics turntables appeared, marked "Technics by Panasonic". Word got back to Japan that Panasonic was not synonomous with the highest quality so the Panasonic name was removed entirely and it worked. Now, if I could just remember what LG actually stands for (it ain't Life's Good).
BTW, regarding poor Olympus; why would a company (Panasonic) that has the abilty to make cameras and lenses, buy another company that makes cameras and lenses? To learn the secrets to making cameras and lenses?
Abrasive... and that is exactly why you never see anything like "Lexus, by Toyota" or "Infiniti, by Nissan." In fact these companies require that their dealerships must be so many miles away from Toyota or Nissan dealers lots... even if the same person owns both.
The only possible reason I can imagine for Panasonic wanting to buy Olympus would be to obtain patents on things like IBIS, the dustbuster, or the jpeg engine. But those are easy enough to license. Or, perhaps just to eliminate a competitor.
Most of the Olympus cameras and lenses are duplications of Panasonic products.
Panasonic "bought" Sanyo, and is axing the entire company by March of next year. No more Sanyo, so sorry. If Panasonic "rescues" Olympus, there won't be any sign of Olympus left w/i six months. Facts of life in the business world. The BOD really did Oly in this time.
Time will tell if Pentax will remain for long, now that Ricoh has bought it!
Kodak bought up lots of camera makers and other companies over the years. There is nothing new about companies growing via buyouts. Leica microscopes merged with various companies before being bought out by Danaher. Danaher also took over B&L, Spencer, Cambridge and some other microscope companies and sell all of the products under the Leica name now.
I'm wondering what the police expected to find (or did find) in the homes of the Olympus officials.
On an aside, it seems that MF Global "borrowed" millions from its customer accounts to invest (risky speculation) in foreign bonds that were not properly rated. It turns out this might have been legal.
Re: LG
It wasn't two brands...the name of the Korean company was originally translated into English and the company name was Lucky Goldstar. They used the name Goldstar as their brand name on all their video products originally. I guess they thought the name sounded either "too Asian" or "too long" and shortened it to simply "LG", like many other companies before them. (Remember, JVC originally stood for Japanese Victor Company when they were the manufacturing subsidiary of RCA.)
Sooner or later...
The long arm of the law will catch up on crooks.
Not only for Olympus, but to all in the corporate world.
Sad that a few big wigs inside Olympus have done this to the trademark. There are so many great scientists, designers and inventors within the company who produce outstanding pieces of modern techno products only to be pulled down by these twisted board members.
Don't count on it, financial crime is the most easily skated on, with few every being prosecuted and even fewer of those which are results in any prison time. Not one banker or other crook on Wall Street which tanked the world's economy will ever be tried. They have the ability to lobby for special laws that exempt them for liability. Even in the cases of SEC fines, rare in itself, the fines are usually a small fraction of the unearned profits from the crime. Steal a billion and there is a 1/50 chance in a fine, and it will be 1 million. The changes of a poor person stealing a loaf of bread serving time is vastly greater than a financial crime resulting in 1,000,000 family bankruptcies ever being prosecuted or the responsible one even being fired.
The tragedy is that Olympus make beautiful cameras, wonderful optics, and are major innovators because of whom everyone benefits.
Who brought you the self-cleaning sensor? Olympus. Who brought you the 10m-submersible point-and-shoot? Olympus. Who brought you live view in an SLR? Olympus. The list goes on, certainly back to when I started photography (my OM-1 and 4 prime Zuiko lenses, bought new in 1976, still works perfectly); the Pen half-frame cameras (before my time) ...
... the idea that this whole pinnacle of excellence could be brought down by a bunch of crooks that should have been working for Leaman Bros - or sold off and diluted into a lesser brand - is very sad indeed.
According to wikipedia, The first live view DSLR was the 2004 Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro, not an Oly.
I read the Wiki S3 Pro page, doesn't even mention live view. But this page does http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_E330
It was Olympus's E330 the first DSLR with live view.
I don't see Fuji buying Olympus. They just purchased another medical image company for $995million last week. If Olympus medical imagery division stays profitable, I find it hard to believe they would sell off the camera division.
For those that are so appalled by these findings, you really need to take a good hard look out your door at all of the companies right in our own back yard that are run by crooks. Start with the banks.
Reading through the other comments, people seem to have quickly forgotten how many companies were bailed out here in our own country. If the numbers I have read are accurate Olympus employs 35,000 people. Many feel that the Japanese government will not let them fall due to how big of a corporation they are.
Here in the good ol U.S our companies are filled with crooks who mismanage their money and screwed the American people. But we saved em to prevent a bigger melt down didn't we? One way or another I think they will pull through this.
Hmmm. Touche!
I think the American people need to stage a revolution or you need a good effective socialist party to represent the poor, black and disenfranchised. Now back to cameras...
To be fair though, the bailout was only 7.7 trillion. And they did charge them a reasonable 0.001% interest. And it's not like 7 trillion of that was done without even consulting Congress. And then it's not like they then used most of that money to buy treasury bonds at 3%, so they literally got free money, and got paid for it.
The cameras remain a better investment, for camera users, than they are for the shareholders or creditors. Since the central management is tainted by collusion or it "I didn't know nuttin'" equivalent, the best thing for the Olympus camera brand would be for sale to a more responsible and solvent firm. Very likely, this could either lead to use of the Olympus name to peddle many budget cameras, or else curtailing the Olympus P&S models (which face heavy competition) and confine the branding to some higher end goods. Meanwhile, some Olympus goods are available at discounted prices. People should probably not be afraid of a "good value." Five years from now, most of those cameras will remain quite functional. Based on some people's claim that they buy and sell their equipment practically every other week, 5 years are a long time.
I previously owned an Olympus E-20P, an E-1 and an E-3. I still have the brilliant E-1 even though I shoot Nikon these days.
What's been going on at Olympus appalls me. Reading about the goings on in Japan is more like crime fiction than real life. I just hope they throw the wrong-doers in jail and lose the key, or maybe they'll do the honourable thing and fall on their swords leaving a fine company to carry on and salvage it's reputation.
(If a certain Olympus director has been hiding his personal wealth under other names though, It seems likely that these are not honourable men).
Would be nice to see tailored NEX-7 sensor in a mFT body. To be honest mFT sensor performance (DR in particular!) is the ONLY thing preventing me from getting into this system. I'm still sticking to Oly E-1, which I had got some 6 years ago, since there has been no camera so far from Olympus that would have significantly better DR performance then E-1. The E-450 I got for a handful of peanuts last year is just a shame with this regard and mFT are no much better :-(
I recently purchased a second Olympus E-1 for £150 with only 3756 shutter trips. Practically brand new! Together with the Olympus 14-54mm lens it is an excellent system. This particular lens is as good as my Canon 28-70mm f2.8 L that sits on my 1Ds. The E1 makes great A3 prints! I really don't need any more. Great kit from Olympus. The E-1 uses a Kodak sensor, so, yes, Olympus should source a decent sensor in their 3/4 and m3/4 cameras. I wish they would.
Olympus has almost 100 years of history. It would be very sad to see this august company end. I really hope it survives. I love all my olympus cameras, I have rather quite a number (mainly Pens, Pen FT, a number of Trips and M cameras and my E1, all of which I still use).
Most people are more concerned about their own camera systems and warranties instead of the more important issues. A degree of that is understandable. The difference between western and eastern thinking I suppose. Westerners are more concerned about the impact on the self. Whilst traditional thinking is more concerned about the dishonour these men have bought upon the whole Olympus family of users.
Years ago, these men would be asked to do the honourable thing, that's if they hadn't already done it by choice. Perhaps honour now means nothing in Japan as it is meaningless in the west.
I hope Olympus survives and continues to make excellent products, and with its honour restored.
According to news at yahoo Japan, Sony,Panasonic and Fuji Film are fiercely
fighting to take over Olympus. Olympus medical equipments are already well known in the industry and now Sony is seriously considering to enter medical equipments business. Whoever succeeds in taking over Olympus,they will be in good hand.
"Whoever succeeds in taking over Olympus,they will be in good hand."
The only company of those that you claim are queuing on their doorstep for a takeover that would keep the camera business alive would be Panasonic. Sony would bury it (eliminating internal competition against their NEX line) and FujiFilm has lost the plot a long time back... The DSLR line would anyways be dead with any of the three.
I'm a little surprised that Philips and GE aren't in the fray for the medical products...
Olympus may sell the camera side as this would be a quick way to gain entry for suiters and shed the negative revenue part of Olympus.. Read Rutgers or other news sources, this is very interesting and very complicated. This may be very serious for Japanese business forcing changes in the board room.
Oly will become sick and will be taken over by some company , maybe even chinese......Japanese products are becoming history very soon , the world is already dominated by Chinese and Korean Products.......8-((
Mostly procedural at this point. Imagine if police action had not been taking during the Enron scandal?
Olympus is most likely history, like Saab is. Question is, will there be a buyer coming forward for them, and fast? Investment-wise, it's best to stay away from Oly products until the dust settles one way... or the other. Sanyo projectors are closing down for good, Panasonic bought the company and is killing the brand early next year. It's happening all around us.
Still, I am sort of also hoping that Panasonic will be able to gobble up Olympus, or at least buy some of Oly's technology and recruit that company's brightest brains.
why is it Americans want to crucify Olympus?
The Saab comparison is weak. Olympus has the dominant share of the global endoscopy market, which is far more important to the company than their cameras. Saab was never a market leader outside Sweden and has been limping along for many years.
Olympus may yet fold, but I believe the scandal news is finally becoming more positive. They met the delisting deadline, they appear to be making credible financial statements for a change, and they're working on legitimate sources of funding. I have no hesitation about buying Olympus m43 products.
@M1963, if you think Olympus stands alone in this, YOU are plain foolish. It is most likely Olympus belongs to either Mitsubishi or Mitsui Keiretsu. If Kikukawa was embazzling Olympus funds, then he had to be doing it with some other people from that Keiretsu. In Japan, it is impossible for one company to take action without support from his brother companies within that Keiretsu structure. Some people in Japan are viewing this as an attack on the Keiretsu Olympus belongs to, possibly as a retaliation of some sort. As they been saying in Japan for the last hundred years, Business is War. By the way, there is a strong indication that Panasonic belongs to the Keiretsu Olympus is part of.
@M1963, so when you call someone foolish, it's okay because it's you, huh? That's no insult, I suppose. You did say, and I quote, "The Saab comparison is plain foolish. Saab had been bought by General Motors, Olympus never belonged to any group." Carefully research when you make such remarks, because Olympus DOES belong to a group. Since Panasonic belongs to Mitsui Keiretsu, and Panasonic has shared resources with Olympus, they are already linked through mutual financing provided by Mitsui. The whole thing is exactly like GM and SAAB, in that they are linked economically, but not really because the whole structure is lateral not vertical.
Really, 'deplorable'? What are you, a British?
You called that SAAB "comparison" is foolish, comparison made by a person. When you remark that a statement made by a person is foolish, you in turn imply that person to be foolish. I know, it's just too hard when you have to make all the connection, but it's true. When someone says I hate to eat Broccoli, and you say 'that's a foolish thing to say,' there, you just called that person foolish. See how it works? You're no man enough to own upto calling someone foolish, that's fine. Foolish, but fine. I call failure of educational system. It's really not your fault.
You're gonna tell me you draw, too, now? What kind of drawing you gonna send me? Something in crayon, I hope not.
Okay, okay, it was none other than ME who has made the wretched "Saab comparison" in the first place. Apologies to everyone. Tempest in a teapot, guys. Long live Olympus, too!
@ M1963: yes, I have an acerbic style, sorry. You need a healthy dose of sarcasm here with these cameras and optics, less we would have a fist fight over every little thing. But sometime, one has to scratch one's head as to what of these manufacturers were really thinking, and what were their bean counters thinking when the cooked up the crazy prices. It takes a lot of thinking and figuring to ascertain what is really a good deal and what is just overpriced hype.
The news media announced the raid a week in advance, so anything incriminating is most likely long gone.
As well all very well know, Olympus does have some very competitive cameras in the mirrorless market. Panasonic would be well served to buy up this company on the cheap so they can learn how to make decent in-camera JPEGs. (As a GF-1 owner, I know how JPEGs suck raw eggs. In-camera JPEG may not be important for pro users, but my wife hates to shoot RAW, so having stunning Olympus-style in-camera JPEGs would have the net effect of making some of the photos that exit my Panasonic cameras look better.) If Panasonic doesn't do something, in light of the amazing NEX-7, SONY will capture the mirrorless market before we know it. I have bought heavily into the GF-1 / µ4/3 world, but having been a Minolta SLR film camera user a decade ago, the NEX-7 compels me to put those old lenses to good use. If this news spells death for Olympus, it will be interesting to see how things in the compact mirrorless market pan out over the next year.
Pro shoot both jpegs and raws depending on what their needs are. I'm not surprised to hear that PJ are shooting jpegs and raws as a back up if something goes wrong.
Wedding photographers are showing jpegs quickly to their clients, but will work at least on some raws for bigger prints.
Speed and efficacy matters for pro and if jpegs can do the work, faster and good enough, they will go with jpegs. It depends what kind of photography they are doing.
"You all seem to know lots of pros. How lucky you are."
@ M1963: That is correct indeed, Mon Kapitan. She probably knows more pros first-hand than you have heard of, I venture a wild guess. Why -- just how many do you know? And just what does any of that has got to do with the Olympus scandal, anyhow?
I guess it is you who speaks for the world's pro-class photographers, and nobody else here, correct? Good to know, thanks for the heads-up on that, M1963.
Outcome of this event will all depend on who is the head of Zaibatsu/Keiretsu that controls/influence Olympus Corporation. You have to consider that, in Japanese corporate environment, you are dealing with several companies at once, rather than one single company. It's hard to remember for rest of the world that in Japan, there is no such thing as Anti-Trust law. So if Olympus is at fault, then you can bet that there are other companies which had dealings with event as well. And ultimately few top executives who gained the most from it, although they will NEVER be revealed to the public, willingly by the Japanese police. Japanese police usually do not dig too deep into Keiretsu scandal, because it tends to get too big and too damaging for everyone.
Wait a few months, and it will be back to business as usual. Sure some people, being presented to the public as upper management of Olympus, will be incarcerated, and probably be serve some time, but that would be it.
Sad to say, this is one reason why I bought a GH2 over the EP3. I love my E-P1 but I have no idea what kind of warranty or repair support I can expect a year from now. I hope like heck that Oly makes it through this (and with different management), because their optical division truly does make excellent and innovative products.
I just bought my second E-5 (hate switching those lenses) will buy the EP3 when I can. That 12mm F2 on the EP3 sounds like a dream street camera.
Let's just hope they punish the executives and not the hapless shareholders who can't do anything about management anyhow.
Let's try to think clearly for a few moments. Camera bodies are not investments; they're superseded by a new model (or someone else's new model) every 18 months or so. And every Olympus m4/3 lens also mounts on a Panasonic body. So buying an Olympus m4/3 body with a few lenses is pretty safe. The body will almost certainly last as long as you need it to last before you voluntarily replace it with something else, and the lenses will transfer to a Panasonic body without a hitch. The Pen cameras are delightful designs (though a little overpriced). If you really want one, buy it unafraid.
E-PM1 over-priced at $400 with the kit lens? What are people's expectations, that they will simply give them away for free? Oh yeah, they actually already did that with their promotional stunt a few months back ;) .
At these prices ($400 range) one can certainly take the risk should the company fail (unlikely IMOP). Well built cameras with great JPEG's, IBIS, etc.
|_MG_5100 by tim and jan
from Welcome to the Saloon!
|The Grimm 11 year old by Ryan Gardner
from Trick or Treat
|Heron with fish by APenza
from A Big Year - birds
Read the story behind this gorgeous wedding photo captured at Trolltunga in Norway by husband and wife duo Priscila Valentina Photography. The 14 hour hike in the rain that preceded this shot was TOTALLY worth it.
Go behind the scenes with filmmaker Nick Arcivos, who recently created a beautiful cinematic short film in Paris using only the iPhone X, a couple of gimbals, and a few lights. The results are very impressive.
A Bay Area startup offering a pay-by-the-photo camera service cleverly addresses the pain points photographers experience when they pick up their first DSLR. But can it survive the smartphone?
It's been a big year for software innovations, dual cameras and huge displays. Take a look at our picks for the top smartphone cameras and why we think they stand out.
We're counting down our top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017. At the #7 spot is the ready-for-any-weather Olympus Tough TG-5.
By combining his skills as a time-lapse filmmaker and an engineer, Julian Tryba created this out-of-this-world creative 'layer-lapse' of New York City that alternates between night and day in time with the music.
Canon Japan's new lineup of novelty camera-themed gifts was just revealed online, including a lens mug and lens thermos, two retro camera-themed USB drives, and a picnic mat.
The Profoto A1 most certainly isn't for everyone [...] But for those who are used to using the Profoto systems, and want something that pairs seamlessly with the strobes you already have, there is no better companion.
Fujifilm has asked a US district court to clear it of any wrongdoing, after allegedly being threatened with trademark litigation by Polaroid.
While a couple of our reviewers are out testing the Sony a7R III in Arizona, back in Seattle we slapped the camera in front of our studio scene to get a close look at its image quality. See how it stacks up against the competition.
We're counting down our top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017, and the #8 ranking belongs to the Nikon D7500.
B+W has announced a new aluminum filter holder that offers three slots so users can use multiple filters at the same time. The holder goes with the 2mm thick 100mm square filters it launched earlier this year.
8K video is coming a lot faster than you think, and Blackmagic is ready for it. Meet the DeckLink 8K Pro, a new high performance PCI-E capture and playback card built to handle 'real time high resolution 8K workflows.'
"Glass is everywhere in photography. From Eugène Atget's reflective vitrines to Lee Friedlander's sly self-portraiture, photographers have long been in thrall to the visual complications glass can inject into a composition."
Former Apple Aperture lead developer Nik Bhatt has designed an iOS app called RAW Power that lets you edit raw photos from your professional camera using your phone and tablet.... color us intrigued.
Advertising photographer Blair Bunting got his hands on the new Microsoft Surface Book 2, and it blew him away. Bye bye MacBook Pro...
The OnePlus 5T retains many of the 5's features and specs, but comes with an edge-to-edge display and a dual-camera that is optimized for low light.
Sony's recently announced IMX461 backside illuminated medium format sensor will bring 100MP resolution and almost 2x the speed to the next-gen Fuji GFX and Hasselblad X1D.
With the 'Rent a Hasselblad' camera equipment renting program, the camera makers is aiming to give enthusiast and professional photographers easier access to its medium-format photography products.
They say seeing is believing, and that's exactly what happened when one DPR staffer took the Google Pixel 2 out for an afternoon shooting under challenging conditions.
We're counting down our top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017. At the #9 spot we have the Fujifilm GFX 50S, a medium-format camera that took CP+ 2017 by storm.
Instagram is testing a new feature that lets you follow hashtags in addition to people, making it possible to keep track of your favorite #landscapes or #portraits without leaving your home feed.
Despite the gigantic volume of second hand film bodies in existence, it seems there is still a demand for new 35mm SLRs with a retro feel. The latest is a remake of the Ihagee Elbaflex from the 1960s, but with a Nikon F mount.
The Polaroid Insta-Share Moto Mod straps an instant printer directly to your Moto Z smartphone, so you can print your photos as soon as you've captured them.
The Mitakon Speedmaster 135mm F1.4 lens is being relaunched in 7 different mounts, including: Sony A, Sony E, Canon EF, Nikon F, Fujifilm G, Pentax K, and Leica L. Got an extra three grand lying around?
In January, Kodak announced it would bring back the beloved slide film Ektachrome. The timeline has been pushed back a bit, but Kodak says you can expect to purchase Ektachrome again in 2018.
Instagram popularity is threatening some of the most beautiful landscapes in the US, as hordes of 'nature lovers' trample over the same spots over and over again in search of the same exact shot.
You'd have to be pretty brave to immerse your $50K RED cinema camera underwater. But if you've got the guts, Gates just released a new housing you can be pretty sure won't wreck your unbelievably expensive toy.
Adobe has released a 'Lightroom Downloader' app for Windows 10 and macOS High Sierra that allows you to download all of your images from the Adobe Cloud, all at once.
After releasing a popular 4K action cam and an affordable mirrorless M43 camera, Chinese camera maker YI is diving into yet another market: 360° VR. Meet the YI 360 VR: a powerful little two-lens camera that can shoot and stream in 4K.


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Getting back into the dating game can be rough if you've been out of it for a few years (or decades). Maybe you once considered yourself a Romeo, but now you're out of practice and not sure how to proceed. Plus, you know the dating rules have changed since the last time you were on the market. So how do you make sure you score a second date with a nice woman, next time someone piques your interest? Here are four ways.
1. Don't Come on Too Strong
Many men who re-enter the dating scene again after a long break make the mistake of coming on too strong and scaring the woman away. She may be beautiful and amazing, but don't keep telling her so over and over again. This will put you in "potential creepy stalker" territory in her mind right away. In addition, avoid:
- telling her you could fall in love with her
- planning a date that is too extravagant or too romantic
- kissing her too deeply and too long when you say goodnight
- lavishing her with overly expensive gifts
Instead, be polite, alert, and give her a small gift at the beginning of the date, or even before. Consider having flowers delivered to her office the day of your date to show her that you're looking forward to the evening ahead.
2. Be a Good Listener
Another mistake men make on first dates is talking too much about themselves. While she does want to know certain things about you, she also wants you to know about her, and she wants to see if you're a good listener. Make sure the conversation is two-sided and ask plenty of questions about her childhood, family, job, and hobbies.
3. Keep the Conversation Light
There's an old saying that you should never talk about religion or politics in polite company. The same is true for a first date. Avoid discussing anything that could lead to potential arguments. Now is also not the time to talk about things that are too intimate, such as your most recent colonoscopy or your ex-wife's cheating ways. Keep the conversation topics light and positive to make way for enjoyable conversation.
4. Pay for the Date
It may sound old-fashioned, but most of today's women still expect the man to pay for the first date. Going Dutch on subsequent dates is perfectly okay, and if she really likes you, she may even offer to pay on future dates. However, you won't get any future dates with her if you don't pay for the first. Lack of paying shows a lack of consideration and general lack of manners on your part. Make her feel like a lady, and insist on treating her to a nice meal on your first date.


text: Hartmut Koptein <firstname.lastname@example.com> writes: You will 'dump' /dev/fb0 and look at the output?? cat /dev/fb0 > <file> is the easy part; for displaing Gimp can do this, what i've heard!? Oh really? I'll take a look. When will you check in bogl to the boot-floppies cvs? Hopefully tonight. Depends on how the mouse-detection code goes. Oh, it shouldn't make a difference between any framebuffers on any arch, if you use the kernel header files for this. BTW: Geert Uytterhoeven <email@example.com> will help, if you have any questions for framebuffers (say him a hallo from me :-) Right, I'm subscribed to the linux-fbdev list actually, I ask questions there occasionally. Thanks. -- "To the engineer, the world is a toy box full of sub-optimized and feature-poor toys." --Scott Adams


text:
The FBI says a man who barricaded himself inside his Whittier home was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Sheriff's deputies and an FBI SWAT team used a robot to enter the home at about 7:45 p.m. Thursday, hours after agents served a warrant as part of an investigation involving allegations of child pornography.
Based on evidence found during the search, agents returned later Thursday to make an arrest. Officials say the man was in his front yard when he saw agents approach and ran in the home barricading himself inside. Agents heard what sounded like a single gunshot.
Another man at the home was arrested on suspicion of making a false statement.


text:
Courtney Martin, left, is fouled from behind while driving to the basket in Tennessee's 86-72 win Tuesday.
Mark Lyons/AP KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Kara Lawson had 20 points, seven assists and seven rebounds and Gwen Jackson added 14 points as third-ranked Tennessee held off TCU 86-72 Tuesday night.
The Lady Frogs (10-12) never led, but had a late 7-0 run to cut the lead to 74-70 with 6:05 remaining. Tennessee (21-3) responded with a 10-2 run over the next four minutes to earn its 12th consecutive win since losing last month to Connecticut.
Tennessee, playing in its third home game in six days, beat Mississippi by 43 points last Thursday and Florida by 39 on Sunday. TCU was a different story.
Texas Christian has been hot and cold this season, beating then-No. 9 Vanderbilt by 17 points in a four-game winning streak and then losing four straight last month. They were not intimidated by Tennessee and played as if this was an NCAA tournament game.
The Lady Frogs pulled to within a point at the break by finishing the first half with an 8-2 run.
Tennessee started the second half with a 6-1 run on a basket by Jackson and two by Lawson.
The Lady Vols stretched their lead to 11 point on Jackson's inside basket with 7:43 left, but TCU had a 7-0. That was as close as the Lady Frogs got the rest of the way.
Tasha Butts added 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Courtney McDaniel had 11 points for Tennessee.
The Lady Frogs, who made nine 3-pointers, were led by Ebony Shaw's 16 points. Tiffany Evans added 15 points and Amy Pack 14.
Shaw and Evans came off the bench as TCU coach Jeff Mittie substituted like it was a hockey game. He replaced four and sometimes all five about every five minutes.
TCU's leading scorer and rebounder, Sandora Irvin, was held to four points and eight rebounds.
Evans hit a 3, and Shaw made another with 0.4 seconds left to cut the lead to 41-40 at halftime.
The Lady Vols started the game with an 11-0 run, but TCU battled back quickly and cut it to two four times and finally down to one point when Pack hit a 3 with 6:30 remaining before halftime.
Tennessee stretched its lead points to seven before the Lady Frogs' late rally before halftime.
No. 19 Villanova routs Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH - Trish Juhline scored 20 points, and Courtney Mix had 16 as Villanova beat Pittsburgh.
Katie Davis and Kelly Nash added 10 points apiece for Villanova (18-4, 8-3 Big East).
Pittsburgh (10-11, 2-8) lost its third straight game and its fifth in a row in the new Petersen Events Center. Laine Selwyn led Pittsburgh with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Panthers went nearly 14 minutes without a basket, from midway through the first half until 13:57 remained in the game, when Selwyn had a driving layup to make it 40-26.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, February 12, 2003.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Land Rover has confirmed a compact version of its venerable Discovery will be put into production as the first new model in the company's three-tier family structure.
The British brand revealed the Discovery Sport's production at a reveal in New York on Tuesday, confirming the model – which has been caught by Drive spies testing – would reach showrooms in 2015.
"I am proud to confirm the nameplate that will make Discovery a family of vehicles for the first time," Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern said.
"This will be the most versatile and capable SUV in its segment and is the first expression of the Discovery Vision Concept unveiled here in New York."
The Discovery Sport is set to be revealed later this year, potentially at the Paris motor show in September.
The Sport derivative will eschew the existing Freelander, forming the foundation for a new Land Rover family structured into three different pillars: the luxury-focused Range Rover series - including the conventional and long-wheelbase Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport and the Evoque - the family-friendly Discovery and the utilitarian Defender.
"All Land Rovers have a combination of luxury, versatility and capability," Land Rover global operations director Phil Popham said. "But we will dial up those attributes in different ways depending on what family you're buying into.
"Clearly Range Rover is all about luxury – they're still incredibly versatile and incredibly capable but luxury is a focus. The Discovery family will be focusing on versatility but they will still be luxury products and they'll have the capability you'd expect from a Land Rover but they will be the most versatile cars in the segments in which they compete."
Under the new arrangement, the Defender family "will take on the mantle of that absolute visual ruggedness," according to McGovern.
Popham said the five-seat Discovery Sport will be built on a platform based on the Range Rover Evoque. The new model may also inherit powertrains from Land Rover's upcoming family of Ingenium four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines.
"It won't be the alumiunium architecture that we've developed for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport – it will be smaller" he said.
There is some likelihood the Discovery Sport will be offered in 2WD and 4WD guises.
"One thing that we won't dilute is the DNA of the brand," Popham said. "I wouldn't discount [2WD] in the future, but the real focus is the breadth and capability of the brand – that's what stands us apart."


text:
Hi Kriesi,
I'm looking to buy the theme, but before I do so, I have a question,
On the top menu bar in the theme sample you'e place the plus icon. i would like to move all the menu to the left and replace the icon with a phone number, is this possible?
that icon, which I presume you mean is the green one doesn't come as part of the theme, it is there purely so that you can try different display settings, all of which are available inside the theme.
With CSS positioning you can place anything anywhere.
The topic 'can the plus (+) icon be replaced?' is closed to new replies.


text:
|Decision Information
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|Full Text of Decision
STB Finance Docket No. 34924
BLACK HILLS TRANSPORTATION, INC., d/b/a DEADWOOD, BLACK HILLS & WESTERN RAILROAD—MODIFIED RAIL CERTIFICATE
Decided: January 26, 2010
decision grants a petition filed on February 9, 2007, by several
landowners, seeking to revoke the modified rail certificate of public
convenience and necessity (modified certificate) acquired under 49 CFR
1150.21-23 in 2006, by Black Hills Transportation, Inc., d/b/a Deadwood, Black
Hills & Western Railroad (the Railroad), to operate approximately 9 miles
of rail line extending from milepost 0.0, at Whitewood, to milepost 9.01, at
Deadwood, in
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) authorized C&NW to abandon the line in Chicago & North Western Railway Co.—Abandonment—Lawrence County, SD, Finance Docket No. 26079 (ICC served May 20, 1970) (May 1970 Decision). C&NW removed all of the track in 1971. In 1972, C&NW transferred its interest in the ROW to the State by quitclaim deed. In 1985, the State transferred its rights to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GF&P) by quitclaim deed. In 2003, GF&P, by quitclaim deed, transferred its rights to the ROW to the Northern Hills Regional Railroad Authority (the Authority), a political subdivision of the State.
On August 30, 2006, the Railroad filed a notice with the Board under 49 CFR 1150.23(a), containing the information required by our regulations for a modified certificate to operate, pursuant to an agreement with the Authority, over the Deadwood–Whitewood line. The Railroad stated that, as operator of the line, it would provide both passenger and freight services, which it said would continue indefinitely. It further stated that the agreement with the Authority would be amended or supplanted prior to actual commencement of freight operations. The Railroad stated that it expected to interchange with Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad at milepost 0.0, at Whitewood. The Railroad indicated that the line would require reconstruction for the proposed operation. Notice of the modified certificate was published in the Federal Register on September 29, 2006 (71 FR 57600-01) (September 2006 Notice).
On February 9, 2007, Charles Brown (Brown) and several other landowners (collectively, Petitioners) filed a petition to revoke the modified certificate issued in the September 2006 Notice. Petitioners claim that the ROW was abandoned by C&NW in 1970 and that the Board therefore retained no authority to issue the modified certificate. Thus, they assert, the land in which they allegedly held a reversionary property interest has reverted back to them. Petitioners claim that: (1) the Railroad made false and/or misleading representations regarding the nature and status of its purported interest in the Whitewood-to-Deadwood ROW; and (2) the Railroad failed to acknowledge that the proposed usage of the rail line would be solely for an intrastate tourist passenger service, not for freight.
On March 5, 2007, the Railroad replied in opposition to the petition to revoke. It argued that: (1) the ROW was not fully abandoned and is owned by the Authority; (2) the Railroad intends to provide freight service; (3) the petition to revoke was not filed in a timely manner; and (4) the petition should be denied because it does not show new evidence, material error, or changed circumstances.
On May 21, 2007, Petitioners submitted a decision by the South Dakota Supreme Court (the Court),[1] on appeal from the State's Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, involving some of the landowners who are Petitioners here. In that decision, the Court addressed issues of early Federal law that had granted land patents both to FEMV and to adjacent landowners. The Court found that, when C&NW ceased using the ROW for railroad purposes, C&NW's property rights in the ROW were extinguished under Federal law.[2] The Court remanded the case to the lower court for a further determination of whether, under state law, the ROW at issue here had been abandoned and to determine the adjacent landowners' reversionary property interests in conformity with its decision.
The Board was informed that, in a related state court case involving the Petitioners here (brought by other landowners), the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, guided by the Brown decision, found that the railroad's property interest in the ROW had been terminated and quieted title in favor of Petitioners. Other property ownership issues were resolved in the Fourth Circuit Court's Default Judgment and Judgment on Stipulated Facts of January 15, 2008,[3] submitted to the Board on March 12, 2008.
On October 31, 2008, Petitioners filed a motion with the Board requesting clarification regarding the scope of the Board's authority to determine whether the State retained title and ownership in the ROW, notwithstanding the state court rulings, because the Authority had presented an argument before the Court and the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court that the Board has the exclusive and preemptive jurisdiction to determine these issues.
As previously noted, the Railroad argues that the petition to revoke was untimely and should be rejected. However, a petition to revoke may be filed at any time.[4] Therefore, Petitioners' request to revoke the Railroad's modified certificate was not late and will be accepted. Moreover, Petitioners are not required to show material error, changed circumstances or new evidence under 49 U.S.C. 722. Rather, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(d), to have an exemption revoked, they need only show that application of a statutory provision is necessary to carry out the transportation policy of section 10101 of the statute.[5] And, if the record before the Board shows that a notice of exemption contained false or misleading information, the Board treats the exemption as void ab initio. 49 CFR 1152.50(d)(3).
A modified certificate is a type of license crafted by the Board's predecessor, the ICC, in a decision entitled Common Carrier Status of States, State Agencies, 363 I.C.C. 132 (1980), aff'd sub nom. Simmons v. ICC, 697 F.2d 326 (D.C. Cir. 1982). In that decision, the ICC used its exemption authority at 49 U.S.C. 10505 (now 49 U.S.C. 10502) to authorize states and state agencies to acquire, for the purpose of preserving the opportunity for rail service, rail lines that had been approved for abandonment or had been fully abandoned. The ICC believed that states would be more likely to acquire such lines if the acquisition, and any future termination of service, could be accomplished without the need to comply with traditional regulatory requirements. As part of this process, the ICC established "modified certificates," under which operators over such state-owned lines could obtain and relinquish operating authority merely by providing notice to the agency pursuant to 49 CFR 1150.21-23. To come to the Board for a modified certificate, however, the state must have acquired the property through purchase or lease. 49 CFR 1150.21.
In its notice, the Railroad asserted that it held a property interest in the ROW appropriate for a modified certificate.[6] The Board issued a modified certificate to the Railroad based on this assertion. Petitioners contend that the failure to include information about pending property interest disputes under the circumstances presented here renders the Railroad's request for a modified certificate false and misleading. The Railroad responds that it provided the information required by section 1150.23 of the Board's modified certificate regulations and was not obligated to provide additional information.
Although the Railroad is correct that it was not specifically required by the regulations to provide information regarding the pending property interest disputes, the issue of whether the State ever actually obtained a property interest in the ROW was key to our authority to grant the modified certificate. See 49 CFR 1150.21. Failure to disclose potential issues regarding ownership of the issue line in a notice could be found to be materially misleading by omission. See, e.g., US Rail Corporation—Lease and Operation Exemption—Shannon G., a New Jersey Limited Liability Company, STB Finance Docket No. 35042, at 3-4 (STB served Oct. 8, 2008). If the State did not have the necessary interest in the ROW, the Railroad would not have been eligible to apply for the modified certificate, and in such circumstances the notice of exemption would have contained false information and would be void ab initio.
When an abandonment has been consummated, the agency loses jurisdiction over the property.[7] At that point, the property is no longer part of the national rail transportation system and whatever reversionary interests in the property adjoining landowners may have vest under state law.[8] Accordingly, the Board's authority to issue the modified certificate depends on the Authority having acquired property rights to the ROW.
We find that Petitioners have met their burden of showing that the line was fully abandoned by C&NW and that, thus, the Authority has no property rights to the ROW. Therefore, the Board did not have authority to issue the modified certificate.
At the time C&NW sought abandonment authority, the Board would have determined whether an abandonment had been consummated by making a case-by-case evaluation of all the facts and circumstances to determine the line owner's intent.[9] Given the totality of circumstances here, we conclude that C&NW fully abandoned the line. The May 1970 Decision, which authorized C&NW to abandon the line, was the first step needed for a full abandonment. Following that authorization, C&NW took further actions showing an intent to consummate the authority to abandon the rail line. C&NW removed all the railroad tracks and facilities. No service has been provided on the line since 1970. The passage of so much time between that date and the request for a modified certificate (more than 30 years) shows a lack of intent to maintain the ROW for potential future rail purposes. Our records also show that C&NW submitted a letter, dated December 31, 1970, to the ICC, attaching its journal entries which indicate the railroad's intent to retire the line and salvage the assets.[10] This is the approach followed at that time to inform the agency when an abandonment had been consummated. We therefore view the journal entries as conclusive evidence that C&NW, in fact, exercised its abandonment authority before it purported to transfer its interest in the property by quitclaim deed to the State in 1972.
In short, we find that Petitioners have met their burden of proof to justify revoking the modified certificate and vacating the September 2006 Notice. Petitioners' contention that the abandonment of the ROW was consummated in or around 1971 is supported by the evidence presented to us following issuance of the modified certificate and by the agency's records in the C&NW abandonment proceeding.[11] The Board issued the modified certificate based on an agreement between the Railroad and the Authority, and based on the representation in the Railroad's notice that the Authority had a property interest in the ROW appropriate for a modified certificate. That representation has been shown to be false. The property interest in the ROW had already reverted back to Petitioners here prior to the purported transfer to the State in 1972. Accordingly, the petition to revoke will be granted, and the September 2006 Notice granting a modified certificate is vacated as void ab initio.[12] Given that conclusion, there is no need to address any other issues raised in the petition to revoke or in the motion for clarification. Petitioners' motion for clarification is denied as moot.
This action will not significantly affect either the quality of the human environment or the conservation of energy resources.
It is ordered:
1. Petitioners' request to revoke the modified certificate is granted.
2. The September 2006 Notice granting a modified certificate is vacated.
3. The request for clarification is dismissed as moot.
4. This decision is effective on its date of service.
By the Board, Chairman Elliott, Vice Chairman Mulvey, and Commissioner Nottingham.
[5] See, e.g., Pacific Sun Railroad, LLC—Lease and Operation Exemption—BNSF Railway Company; Watco Companies, Inc.—Continuance in Control Exemption—Pacific Sun Railroad, LLC, STB Finance Docket No. 35173 (STB served May 27, 2009).
[7] See Hayfield Northern v. N.R.R. v.
Chicago & N.W. Transp. Co., 467
[8] See id. at 633-34; Preseault
v. ICC, 494
[9] See Beaufort Railroad Company, Inc.—Modified Rail Certificate, STB Finance Docket No. 34943 (STB served Mar. 19, 2008 and May 20, 2009); Norfolk and Western Railway Company—Abandonment Exemption—Between Kokomo and Rochester in Howard, Miami, and Fulton Counties, IN, STB Docket No. AB-290 (Sub-No. 168X) (STB served May 4, 2005), slip op. at 6. See also Birt v. STB, 90 F.3d 580, 585 (D.C. Cir. 1996). For rail lines abandoned since 1997, and thus not applicable in this case, the Board has required the filing of a notice of consummation, which is considered to be conclusive evidence of abandonment consummation (if there are no legal or regulatory barriers to consummation, such as outstanding conditions). 49 CFR 1152.29(e)(2).
[10] Our agency records contain a letter from the ICC to C&NW dated January 18, 1971, referring to the December 31, 1970 letter, and an (undated) single page of C&NW's journal entries consisting of salvage valuation accounting information with regard to the line.
[11] Given our findings, the Board need not address Petitioners' allegation that the Railroad intended to use the line for intrastate passenger rather than freight rail service.
[12] See Central Kansas Railway, Limited
Liability Company—Abandonment Exemption—in


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Comment by Alison
Alison April 2, 2007 at 17:49
I hear you. It is sad. Why can't these people just stay in the bars where they are happy?
It's a beautiful spring day here in Everberg, despite a little haze… (that would be the polite way of saying smog). The birds are singing up a storm and the sun is blazing through my skylight. The temperature is supposed to go up to 17 today and it feels like the dark, wet shackles of winter can finally be thrown off.
Speaking of dark and wet, Andrew and I got back late last night from our trip to London. Unlike our previous trip, we had a fantastic time. We had very little rain and mild temperatures; no "Terror on the Tube" or reports of radiation – all things I look for in a successful trip.
We took the Eurostar early Thursday morning. It's a two hour trip but you only lose one hour because of the time change. We parted ways at Waterloo station, where Andrew continued on his way to work and I hopped the tube to Leister Square. The skies were a bit on the grey side so I deemed Thursday 'Gallery Day.'
My first stop was the National Portrait Gallery. It seemed like an interesting concept to me – an entire gallery of portraits of famous people. Although I knew it could go either way; an entire gallery of boring, dead, white, male politicians (there was a wing of the gallery that fulfilled this but I skipped through it fairly quickly) but for the most part, it was an interesting display.
Like many of the galleries in London, this one was free; with the exception of a special exhibition that I opted to see called "Face of Fashion," which documented fashion photography since the 1980s.
I spent a good while at the Portrait Gallery and when I finally stepped outside the sky was beginning to clear a bit. I emerged in Trafalgar Square beside the National Gallery. I noticed a poster for an Impressionist Exhibition and wandered inside. To my delight, the National Gallery is also free.
The exhibition was small but good. Once I finished with it however, I was tired and galleried out. It was nearing four o'clock to I decided to jump on the tube, find our hotel and check in.
This time, we stayed at the K&K George Hotel and I must say the location was perfect. We were right around the corner from the Earl's Court underground station on a quiet side street. The hotel was small, nice and modernised. The rooms were quite tiny but adequate and very clean. For the price (and being London) it was great.
I chilled out (and watched cooking shows on BBC) until Andrew got back to the hotel. Then we went for a late Indian supper at the Bombay Brasserie. The food was good and there was plenty of it. The atmosphere however was rather like dining in a very busy train station… at rush hour. It was very loud and smoky (England still hasn't joined the club to ban smoking in public). We crashed late with overly stuffed bellies.
Friday was shopping day and involved the usual London suspects. I wandered through Harrods and Harvey Nichols and then took the tube to Selfridges. While these stores are always fun to wander through, my budget doesn't allow actually buying anything at any of them. Finally I found myself at a huge Mark's and Spencer's were I let myself go a bit and bought a pair of pants (desperately needed) a blouse (not so desperately needed, but very cute) and some comfy summer sandals (also much needed). M&S caters to real people and their pants all come in short, medium and long lengths. The short size is perfect for me and these are the first European pants that I won't have to hem. The shoes also come in wide sizes so I don't have to cram my feet into narrow shoes. It was chubby girl heaven.
After my shopping extravaganza I went back to the hotel to wait for Andrew. Friday night we decided to go for Italian and found a spot in the theatre district called Getti. Again, the food was good but not spectacular. We were one of only four tables filled at the restaurant though and the huge staff was tripping over each other to serve us. We could hardly lay our forks down without someone whisking our plates away. I can't say that I'm looking forward to this North American style of dining out when I go home. After supper we called it an early night so we could get up in the morning and try to score some theatre tickets. And score we did.
We arrived at the Tkts booth just before it opened for the morning and the line wasn't too long yet. We managed to get tickets for Blood Brothers for 7:30.
With that out of the way we headed to the National Gallery to check out an exhibition that I had noticed the posters for on Thursday and thought Andrew might like to go. We shelled out 12 pounds each to see Renoir's Landscapes, but it was well worth it. The collection was fantastic and the write ups were informative. I did a bit of art book shopping in the huge gallery bookshop and then we grabbed some lunch in the café.
After lunch we stopped in at the Photographers' Gallery. It's a tiny little spot compared to the monstrous National Gallery but the exhibits were interesting and it was also free.
By now our feet were tired and we decided to go back to the hotel to rest before getting ready for the musical. We grabbed some hamburgers for supper (tasty but way too huge) and then got the tube back to Leister Square and found our Theatre.
Blood Brothers was great. The music was good, the story was interesting and the acting was superb. The only problem was the drunk, fat, cow (believe me I'm using much stronger words in my head) that sat directly behind us and talked through the whole thing. Everyone around her was telling her to shush which she flat out ignored. Andrew finally turned around and flipped out a little (which was quite funny) at which point she told him to fuck off. I couldn't believe someone could behave that way in public really. She must have been well over 40 and was dressed and behaved like a sixteen year old. We all hoped she would leave at the intermission because clearly she wasn't enjoying the show… but no, she just got more liquor and soldiered on until the end.
Fed up with the human race, we went back to the hotel for a drink in the relatively quiet bar.
Sunday, after we checked out of the hotel we took our suitcase to Waterloo Station to pick up again before we caught the train. We then went back to Leister square one more time to see if we could get any matinee tickets. Most of the musicals are closed on Sundays but there are a few shows with matinees. We got tickets to see Stomp and I'm very glad we did.
We had time for a bit more shopping before the show and I found myself at another M&S where I scored another pair of pants. Andrew found some socks, undies and a belt (so practical) and then we window shopped a bit in the glorious sunshine.
If you don't know anything about Stomp, it's not so much a musical as a performance. There is no singing, just dance and percussion. The performers play household objects and stomp and clap. It is high energy and lots of fun. We had a great time.
After the show we decided to enjoy the sun and walk over the Thames to Waterloo rather than taking the tube again. We arrived early and got some food at the station before we picked up our bag and went to the Eurostar section.
For some strange reason when I had booked our return ticket, it was 10 euros cheaper to take first class than regular (who was I to argue) so we had plenty of room and great service. I had forgotten however that we would also be served supper. We were both still stuffed from our late lunch but enjoyed the free wine and nibbled a bit at our dinner. We got in to Brussels late but it was much more relaxed than flying. Now Andrew is back in the UK for the day but hopefully will be home for most of this week. I'm crossing my fingers that the sun will continue to shine.
Alison April 2, 2007 at 17:49
I hear you. It is sad. Why can't these people just stay in the bars where they are happy?
Di April 2, 2007 at 15:26
Reads truly delicious.
Welcome back, Natural Light missed you 🙂
Lovely sweetpea, just btw.
Jenn April 2, 2007 at 17:42
I am sooooooooooooooooooooo envious. Blood Brothers and Stomp. *sigh* But I don't envy the rudeness. I've found it nearly unbearable to go to a movie lately and its not just young people that are rude. I find it awfully awkard (and sad) to have to tell a woman twice my age how to act.
Mirka April 3, 2007 at 12:36
London is great place and I am sure you enjoyed yourself. Sadly enough, rude people can be found everywhere, so it is only up to us not to let them ruin our day. Easy to say, hard to do, I know.
Jay April 3, 2007 at 10:51
Glad you guys had a better time. Love the "all galleried out" – will have to adopt it.
palmspops April 10, 2007 at 21:55
Yo Yurup,
Fabulous … I think I'll read it again!
I saw the video of Stomp when I was at my last school, one teacher had borrowed it to show her class and I think it got played in most … the kids were amazed and for days the hallways and playground echoed with bizarre but wonderful rhythms … loved it!
Unfortunate about the SOB behind you … it's hard … but have sympathy for the poor soul who has to go home with the rude and the nasty.
Hope our paths cross on the first trip … certainly in July … I'll try to get the pool ready!
Comments are closed.


text:
At empire's end war is not all hell. Mocker finds old friends in the halls of death, and Nepanthe, new lovers in the fields of blood and bone. The war-child wields the sword of truth: the Star Rider's dread secret is at last revealed. And so it ends. Though "end" is but a wizard-word for new beginnings.
©1980 Glen Cook (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
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text:
Hi, my name is Mandesa and welcome to TransLegal's lesson of the week.
Today I'm going to be talking about accounting conventions.
Now a company's accounts are supposed to present an accurate view of the company's financial position, that is, what accountants refer to as a true and fair view of the financial position of the company.
In helping accountants to determine the true and fair view of the financial position of a company certain accounting conventions have developed and accountants use these conventions in their calculations for accounting. There are many, many different accounting conventions so I will just highlight a few.
For example, the historic cost convention, which means that the value of an item is determined based on the cost of acquisition at the time of acquisition. Another convention is the going concern convention, which assumes that at the time of preparing the accounts the company intends to continue in business. A third example is the prudence convention, which means that you try to take as fair or as accurate a sum or an estimate of the cost of various assets. In other words, you err on the side of caution. Fourth, is the money measurement convention – the money measurement convention is concerned with only using those items which can be quantified so, for example, employee morale is not shown on the accounts, nor is the value of the location of the plant shown in the accounts. However, it should be noted that accounting is a living science so to say, so what can and cannot be measured according to the money measurement convention can change over time.
Thank you very much. If you have any questions please feel free to write them in the box below and either myself or one of my colleagues will be in touch with you.
This is a limited preview!
To see an example of a full dictionary entry click one of the example entriesjurisdiction consideration principal


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How To Use PEC's:
Able2learn has created PEC's for your child to use in various settings and programs.
1. PEC'S stands for PICTURE EXCHANGE SYSTEM. Pec's allow children who require additional support with communication. It is widely used by children who have little or no communication abilities. Children are taught to approach another person and give them a picture of a desired item in exchange for that item.
2. PEC's can be used to encourage verbal language. Pictures can be taped or velcro on cupboards, toy boxes, or anywhere. The child is taught to ask for the item in exchange for the desired item. Depending on the child, it can be a full word, a approximation or a sound.
3. The PEC's can be used to practice speech. Touch the picture and have your child say the word. The pictures can be cut out and placed in front of the child.
1. Matching Games: Print out two sheets. Laminate and cut out the squares. Play matching games.
2. Go Fish: Print out four sheets and glue onto cut out playing cards.
3. Memory Game: Print out two sheets
1. Use the PEC's for ABA/IBI programs.
2. Use the PEC's as visual supports for academic programs.
We hope you enjoy our PEC's. They were made in-house by our very own talented Graphic Design Artists. We would love to hear how you used the PEC's with your child.
Please leave some feedback and share us on social media.


text:
The 44-year-old patient has Hunter syndrome, which doctors hope to treat using zinc finger nucleases.
First Data from Anti-Aging Gene Therapy
April 25, 2016|
A biotech company reports that an experimental treatment elongated its CEO's telomeres.
April 25, 2016|
A biotech company reports that an experimental treatment elongated its CEO's telomeres.
April 19, 2016|
The aneuploidy expert shares what she has learned at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.
April 15, 2016|
Sequence analysis of 41 viral strains reveals more than a half-century of change.
April 15, 2016|
Patients with neonatal progeroid syndrome lack a glucose-releasing hormone, while people with insulin resistance have an abundance.
April 13, 2016|
"Ego dissolution," and other things that happen to the human brain on LSD
April 11, 2016|
For the second time, researchers use CRISPR to modify the genomes of nonviable embryos.
April 11, 2016|
An analysis of the genomes of nearly 600,000 healthy individuals reveals a handful of people who appear resistant to certain genetic disorders.
April 11, 2016|
Researchers create a new tree of life, largely composed of mystery bacteria.
April 7, 2016|
The immune cells—known for clearing dead cells—also chew up live progenitors in neurogenic regions of mouse brains.
April 7, 2016|
Analyzing resting brain scans, researchers can anticipate the brain activities of a person performing a range of tasks.


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Even in a business where beefs are mandatory and showdowns are commonplace, this one is a biggie. On Tuesday, two of hip-hop's biggest stars, Kanye West and 50 Cent, will release new albums, pitting the innovative artist versus the swaggering entertainer against a backdrop of an industry in freefall.
As musicians and people, the two men anchor opposite poles in the rap world. 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, is a streetwise former crack dealer who famously survived nine gunshot wounds and has sold millions of albums celebrating thug life. West is a born-again Christian from a middle-class home who has become a critic's darling by stretching the boundaries of rap music.
West is considered a revolutionary, 50 a by-the-numbers superstar. West wins Grammys. 50 moves units.
The competition flared in July, when West announced that he had shifted the release date for "Graduation" by a week, to the same day 50 Cent's "Curtis" was set to drop. Speculation about opening-week sales heated up, and 50, a perennial provocateur, upped the ante with a vow to stop releasing solo discs altogether if his album didn't outsell West's.
That's a brash promise and a great PR stunt. The blogosphere is abuzz, not to mention the corridors at Billboard magazine - where the staff is watching with interest to see if this Super Tuesday (as star-studded release days are known) will give the record business a much-needed boost.
"We're all fascinated," says Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director of charts. "I happen to think Kanye could sell bigger, but some bright people here think I'm nuts. Certainly, a lot more people are paying attention and we hope that this will invigorate the market."
No matter who lands in the top spot next week, plenty of folks are hoping that "Curtis" and "Graduation" will be the rising tide that lifts all boats. Album sales are down 14 percent from a year ago, and during the last decade, sales have declined in all but one year. Rap sales, according to Mayfield, are down by an astonishing 30 percent from a year ago, although judging by rap's domination in ringtones and soundtracks, the genre's popularity hasn't waned.
But this isn't just a hip-hop contest. While he doesn't have the pop-culture cachet (or the virtual ink), Kenny Chesney is releasing "Just What I Am: Poets and Pirates," also on Tuesday, and considering that the country singer's last four albums have debuted at No. 1, he's a strong contender for the first-week crown. Moreover, there isn't a competing country star coming out that day to divide consumers and diminish Chesney's sales.
As for the stakes, they appear to be highest for 50 Cent, and not because anyone thinks he's going to make good on his threat to retire. (Once upon a time Jay-Z was retiring, too.) 50 measures his success in commercial clout - he has consistently outsold West - and his very identity is based on bragging rights. Not surprising, then, that on "Curtis" he's sticking with the formula. "Ayo Technology" features Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. Other collaborators include Dr. Dre, Akon, Mary J. Blige, and his mentor, Eminem.
West, by contrast, is more invested in his creative achievements. His new single, "Stronger," samples the Gallic electro-duo Daft Punk, and elsewhere on "Graduation" West's choice of collaborators (among them Coldplay's Chris Martin and Mos Def) and samples (Steely Dan and German art-rockers Can) underscores the artist's experimental streak.
Earlier this week, "Stronger" was living up to its name: West's song was No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on iTunes, while "Ayo Technology" lingered at No. 21 and 19, respectively, on the same charts. Both are in demand among listeners at Boston hip-hop station JAM'N 94.5. The station's music director Geespin predicts that 50 Cent, "the bigger brand," will outsell West the first week but have a bigger drop-off, while "Graduation" will enjoy greater longevity. Neither, Geespin says, will do as well as the artists' previous albums.
"Expectations need to be scaled down a bit. It's been an incredible run for the last five or 10 years, but like the stock market, everything evens out," Geespin notes. "Hip-hop's not as hot as it was two years ago, and the kids who like you today forget about you tomorrow. You won't see either of them doing a Rolling Stones-type tour 20 years from now."


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Nolo author and superstar, Fred Hertz, keeps Huffington Post readers informed as a mega-hit divorce blogger. Check out Fred's most recent posts on infidelity, gay divorce in New Mexico, and more.
Tag Archives: Huffington Post
Nolo Author Fred Hertz is a Huffington Post Blogger!
Last month, Huffington Post launched a new Divorce section on its website. Nolo is thrilled to report that Fred Hertz, author of Making It Legal, is now one of their bloggers! Check out his first post and the awesome comments he has received so far.
Be sure to read Hertz's other Nolo titles: Living Together and A Legal Guide for Lesbian & Gay Couples.


text: Southwestern Arkansas Fur Takers, Chapter 29 will host our annual fur sale Saturday Feb. 8 at the Hot Spring County fairgrounds in Malvern, Arkansas. We usually have 10 to 15 buyers from 5 states. Gates open at 6:00 AM, sale starts at 8:00 AM. We are raffling a Marlin model 60 .22 caliber rifle. Drawing at 2:00 PM at the sale. This is a nice rifle with a laminated stock. You do not have to be present to win. Contact Don Hoyle, phone 479-234-8770 or email gunswapper@ yahoo.com for more information or raffle tickets. $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. Fur buyers or sellers are welcome.


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Would you buy a new phone every year in order to keep downloading new music from an unlimited subscription?{ad}
That's the plan for the Nokia Comes With Music pre-pay phone that launches in the UK later this year. You can download music from a library selection of more than 2 million songs. You can keep the songs at the end of the year if you keep using the same phone. But, if you want to download new music from the library, you have to buy a new phone.
You can read more details at: Nokia buyers to get free music downloads