text:
If you are on Facebook, we have two pieces of advice for you. One, find and like Realtree's Facebook Page, if you haven't already. And two, keep your eyes open for big-mouthed poachers. It seems a growing number of them are bragging about various wildlife violations on the social media site, and wildlife enforcement officers are responding in turn. Check out this lineup of poachers caught on Facebook.
According to a news release from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission posted on June 5, an anonymous complaint led to charges against four Floridians who posted photos of dead wild turkeys. One of the guys even posed with a dead alligator.
When questioned, one of the men, Travis Clayton McFatter, admitted he had killed five turkeys during the season, including two in one day. Another guy, Blake Dalton King, killed four turkeys. After giving investigators permission to search his truck (where they found blood), King also admitted to killing a deer that stood in a road, blinded by his headlights.
McFatter also found a road-killed alligator on his way home one day, and took it home without notifying authorities.
All in all, TWC officials issued 13 misdemeanors and two infractions after hearing the confessions.
Last September, a poacher shared his propensity to break the law on Facebook by showing off two bucks he'd taken in one season and a gaggle of geese. In a Minneapolis StarTribune outdoors page column, Doug Smith quotes conservation officer Travis Muryers, who said, "It was definitely not smart."
In fact, it doesn't really appear that the guy could count. The limit for geese is three, and he posted a photo of him and two buddies with 12 geese, calling it a "three-man limit." You do the math.
As for exceeding the buck limit, the poacher posted a photo of himself with a bow-killed buck in September and another 8-pointer in October. Minnesota game laws allow one buck per hunter per season. Then, this same hunter took one of the bucks over the state line, to a taxidermist in Wisconsin. That's a violation of the federal Lacey Act, which states you cannot transport illegal game across state lines. According to the StarTribune, officials could have taken his vehicle. The hunters faces fines up to $2,000.
Florida (again)
Here's a mother-son team that paid the price for poaching, after Mom posted photos on Facebook of her son skinning out a deer in May of 2010. According to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from Sept. 8, 2010, neither mother nor son would admit to killing a deer out of season. She blamed him. He wouldn't confess. The Commission cited them for possession of wildlife taken illegally, a second-degree misdemeanor.
Every state has a poaching hotline. Might be a good idea to put your state's number in your speed dial section, just in case you're checking updates at Facebook.
The Florida Wildlife Commission even posts photos and stories of busts of poachers by its law enforcement division at its Facebook page, "My FWC."


text:
Photo: Getty
Evan Rachel Wood is returning to HBO for a new series produced by J.J. Abrams.
The actress will star alongside Anthony Hopkins in Westworld, inspired by Michael Crichton's 1973 film of the same name. The original film was a Sci-Fi thriller about the dawn of artificial intelligence.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wood will portray Dolores Abernathy, "the quintessential farm girl of the frontier West — who is about to discover that her entire idyllic existence is an elaborately constructed lie."
The actress first appeared on HBO in a recurring role as vampire Sophie-Anne Leclerq on True Blood. She followed it up with an Emmy-nominated performance in Mildred Pierce.
Wood recently made news when she revealed on Twitter that she was working with Ellen Page on a new film. In the same conversation, the actress also admitted she had a crush on Milla Jovovich.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This is the base class for the Bio::Phylo package. All other modules
inherit from it, the methods defined here are applicable to all. Consult
the manual for usage examples: Bio::Phylo::Manual.
WWW: http://search.cpan.org/dist/Bio-Phylo/
make generate-plist
To install the port: cd /usr/ports/biology/p5-Bio-Phylo/ && make install cleanTo add the package: pkg install p5-Bio-Phylo
cd /usr/ports/biology/p5-Bio-Phylo/ && make install clean
pkg install p5-Bio-Phylo
PKGNAME: p5-Bio-Phylo
SHA256 (Bio-Phylo-0.58.tar.gz) = b8bbd3ea0d2029abac7c8119ef84d607d9c5a226477e8955bc38bac99d44167c
SIZE (Bio-Phylo-0.58.tar.gz) = 459056
NOTE: FreshPorts displays only information on required and default dependencies. Optional dependencies are not covered.
No options to configure
Number of commits found: 48
Fix license information for portgs that use "the same license as Perl".
Sponsored by: Absolight
- Add LICENSE_FILE
- Add NO_ARCH
- Bump PORTREVISION for biology/p5-bioperl renaming
- Fix trailing whitespace in pkg-descrs, categories [a-f]*
Approved by: portmgr blanket
Remove ${PORTSDIR}/ from dependencies, Mk and categories a, b, and c.
With hat: portmgr
Sponsored by: Absolight
- Update to 0.58
Change the way Perl modules are installed, update the default Perl to 5.18.
Before, we had:
site_perl : lib/perl5/site_perl/5.18
site_perl/perl_arch : lib/perl5/site_perl/5.18/mach
perl_man3 : lib/perl5/5.18/man/man3
Now we have:
site_perl : lib/perl5/site_perl
site_arch : lib/perl5/site_perl/mach/5.18
perl_man3 : lib/perl5/site_perl/man/man3
Modules without any .so will be installed at the same place regardless of the
Cleanup plist
- support stage
Add NO_STAGE all over the place in preparation for the staging support (cat:
- Convert to new perl framework
- Trim Makefile header
- Remove MAKE_JOBS_SAFE=yes, it's the default.
- Update to 0.56
- Update to 0.52 [1]
- Capitalize names (Perl) in COMMENT
PR: ports/176003 [1]
Submitted by: Gea-Suan Lin <firstname.lastname@example.com>
- Update to 0.50
- Add TEST_DEPENDS
- Sort PLIST
- Update to 0.49
- update png to 1.5.10
- Update to 0.48
- Add BUILD_DEPENDS
- Update to 0.47
- Update to 0.46
- Update to 0.45
- Update to 0.43
- Update to 0.40
- Add LICENSE (Artistic 1 & GPLv1)
- Update to 0.39
- Update to 0.38
- Sort MAN3 and PLIST
- Update to 0.36
- Update to 0.35
- Update to 0.34
- Update to 0.33
- Update to 0.32
With Hat: perl@
Changes: http://search.cpan.org/dist/Bio-Phylo/Changes
- Update to 0.31
- Update to 0.30
PR: ports/152205
Submitted by: Gea-Suan Lin <firstname.lastname@example.com>
- Update to 0.28
- Update to 0.26
- Reset maintainer to perl@
- Update to 0.22
- update to 1.4.1
Reviewed by: exp8 run on pointyhat
Supported by: miwi
- Update to 0.21
- Update to 0.18
- Adopt
Feature safe: yes
- update to jpeg-8
For ports maintained by email@example.com, remove names and/or
e-mail addresses from the pkg-descr file that could reasonably
be mistaken for maintainer contact information in order to avoid
confusion on the part of users looking for support. As a pleasant
side effect this also avoids confusion and/or frustration for people
who are no longer maintaining those ports.
- bump all port that indirectly depends on libjpeg and have not yet been bumped
or updated
Requested by: edwin
Reset aaron's port maintainerships due to many maintainer-timeouts.
- Take advantage of CPAN macro from bsd.sites.mk, change
${MASTER_SITE_PERL_CPAN} to CPAN.
PR: ports/122674
Submitted by: Philip M. Gollucci <email@example.com>
Reworked by: araujo (myself)
Approved by: portmgr (pav)
Welcome bsd.perl.mk. Add support for constructs such as USE_PERL5=5.8.0+.
Drop support for antique perl.
Work done by: gabor
Sponsored by: Google Summer of Code 2007
Hat: portmgr
Bump to v0.16.
Submitted by: firstname.lastname@example.com
- Welcome X.org 7.2 \o/.
- Set X11BASE to ${LOCALBASE} for recent ${OSVERSION}.
- Bump PORTREVISION for ports intalling files in ${X11BASE}.
Update to v0.15
- Update to 0.14
Submitted by: Jin-Shan Tseng <email@example.com>
Approved by: maintainer timeout (3 months)
- Updated from 0.07 to 0.12
Approved by: tobez (implicit)
0.08 20/Feb/2006 15:14
Improved referential integrity between nodes,
taxa, and data.
Implemented Fastnexus parser
Node object silently implements Bio::Tree::NodeI
interface if BioPerl is installed
Tree object silently implements Bio::Tree::TreeI
interface if BioPerl is installed
Added convertor methods for XML and CIPRES
Implemented more Matrix methods
Implemented symbol tables in Bio::Phylo::Util::CONSTANT
Implemented visit method for listable objects
Implemented caching infrastructure for calculations
Changed object-model to inside-out arrays
Added Biodiversity measures code by Aki Mimoto
Moved constants and exceptions to Bio::Phylo::Util::*
Fixed memory leak due to circular references
Adding port biology/p5-Bio-Phylo, Phylogenetic analysis using perl.
Approved by: tobez (implicit)
Servers and bandwidth provided byNew York Internet, SuperNews, and RootBSD
No vulnerabilities have been reported in the past 14 days
* - modified, not new
All vulnerabilities


text:
Diabetic No Bake Cookies
Mix in heavy saucepan:
4 cups Splenda
1 cup margarine
1 cup milk
Bring to a boil and boil for 3 mins.
Take from heat and add:
1 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups rolled oats
2 cups coconut
Drop by large spoonfuls onto waxed paper. These set up differently than the ones with sugar, just moisten hands and make balls with them and set on waxed paper to cool.
This makes 39 very large cookies.


text:
In PV, it takes a village to find a superintendent
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District is taking a progressive approach in deciding its next phase of leadership.
In September of last year, Superintendent Walker Williams of the PVPUSD announced that he would retire as of July 1, 2015. Now the Board of Education is charged with selecting a replacement, and they have called in a consulting agency to help.
The district hired The Cosca Group, an educational consulting firm that specializes in recruiting superintendents. The firm not only assists in finding and vetting candidates, it also helps the school district establish what it is looking for in a new superintendent.
To that end, The Cosca Group led 30 meetings of PVPUSD stakeholders and two public forums in the month of April. In each session, the consultants asked participants to identify what they believed are greatest strengths and weaknesses of the school district and what characteristics they sought in the new superintendent. A similar survey was conducted online.
"The Board of Education makes the hiring decision," said Assistant Superintendent John Bowes. "The Cosca Group is providing aggregate information about the community to help in that choice."
On Friday, April 25, in a special meeting of the Board of Education, the firm reported its findings.
"We have never seen such a response to surveys and meetings like we did in your district," Steve Goldstone of The Cosca Group told the Board of Education. "That says something very positive about your staff and your school district."
About 220 people attended the meetings and 245 people completed the online survey. At the April 25 meeting, the firm integrated the community responses with the results of a school board brainstorming session.
"You want us to recruit someone who can build on the strengths and work on the needs," Goldstone told the school board. "We want to figure out what characteristics the right person would have."
Overwhelmingly, the data pointed to a need for stronger leadership, more accountability and consistent programming across the district.
In terms of characteristics in the ideal candidate, data showed that the district wants a change agent, an exceptional communicator and someone highly visible and accessible on campus and in community.
"This is the criteria that will be used in our brochure, our review of the candidates and establishing questions in the interview process," said Frank Cosca of The Cosca Group. "The most common thing I heard, which meant a lot to me, was that your district wants a leader who can bring a vision to this district. And I really do believe that is what you want."
The Cosca Group will finalize their recruitment brochure by May 2. The first advertisements for the PVPUSD Superintendent position will be posted on May 5 and applications will close on June 6. From there, the firm will bring the applications to the Board of Education for review, conduct background and reference checks on worthy candidates and assist the board with the first round of interviews on June 23.
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text:
Kuroutoshikōu (Read: Expert-Oriented) from Japan is announcing availability of a new USB 3.0 HDD enclosure. This enclosure is codenamed as GW2.5CL-SUP3, featuring USB 3.0 standard, has four LED lights on the rear side of the enclosure, and you could install a 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD.
The maximum transfer rate when connected to a USB 3.0 connection is about 5Gbps, and it's compatible with Windows XP, Vista (32bit/64bit) and 7 (32bit/64bit). There most interesting feature on this external USB 3.0 HDD enclosure is the four LED light system. It's not a common lighting that serves no other purpose than giving a good looking. It's actually an indicator for you to figure out how many percentage of free space available in your storage.
Each LED light indicating 25% of the capacity, which mean if it's only one light lit up, you still have 75% left, four LED light up means that you are running out of space pretty soon.
This External USB 3.0 HDD enclosure is going to hit the market for 3,000 Yen, or equal to $36 USD. You can visit this link for more details.


text:
Use code shirtsale at the Tatts-Store to get $10 off T-Shirts and $15 on longsleeves! Only for a limited time.
See 'Jackass' Gang Relive 15 Years of Wild Pranks, Scary Injuries @Rollings Stone magazine! Thanks Chris Pontius, TFFT!
As the band Rose Tattoo are coming to an end after an amazing 39 years fans are left wanting more.
A DVD Box Set would be a great tribute to Rose Tattoo. A band that helped shape the sound of Australian Music in the 1970's. As previously seen in the recent 'Blood + Thunder: The Sound Of Alberts' documentary shown on the ABC. "They played so loud the world listened" – ABC iView.


text:
Water Filtration Systems, Filters, & Parts
Discount Filter Store carries a wide variety of water filters and filtration systems to make sure that you have clean water everywhere you need it. We offer camping water filters, RV filters, water bottles for travelers on the go. Purify your office or home's drinking water with countertop filter systems, commercial grade filters, and whole house filter systems. Our filters are protected by our 100% Price Match Guarantee. We are happy to offer you the lowest possible price on our filters, matching any lower price listed by competitors.
WHKF-GAC AP117 Whirlpool Comparable Whole House Sediment Water Filter by Tier1Fits most whole house water filter systems that uses standard 10 x 2-1/2 filter cartridges Learn More
EV9324-02 Everpure Ice Machine Filter SystemFits standard 3/8-inch water lines Learn More$376.99 MSRP: $450.79
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FLOPLUS-20BB Pentek Replacement Filter CartridgeFits most Big Blue housings that accept 20-inch x 4.5-inch water filter cartridges Learn More$78.99 MSRP: $95.99
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CBC20-BB Pentek Replacement Filter CartridgeFits most housings that accept 20-inch x 4.5-inch water filter cartridges Learn More$114.17


text:
QUEBEC-RESEARCH-L ArchivesArchiver > QUEBEC-RESEARCH > 2003-06 > 1055394644
Subject: Re: [Q-R] REF: characteristic trait of all genealogists
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 01:10:44 -0400
Mary -
I thought I was the only one with those little pieces
of paper. I write on anything I have handy - including
my checkbook register, and the back of a paper
placement from a restaurant [with a brown crayon!]
-so thoughtfully provided for the children to keep them
busy while waiting for the food. If you really want to
laugh, my non-genealogist husband just threw me and
the dead-people [his words] out of the office space
we shared - he couldn't stand the piles on my half
of the double desk.
Now I have a whole table in another room, with
a whole bunch of new piles, and he's waiting impatiently
for me to move the old piles [like that's going to happen
sometime soon]
On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 14:09:42 -0400 Tanglewood <>
> I second that motion ! Thank God * Now I know
> I'am not >> " over board " I too have binders -
> boxes - paper files - computer mass over load-
> mounds of genealogy charts- photo's - documents -
> And the all present attitude " Do Not Touch " !!
> Every once in a while- I have to stop and reorganize
> or else I just keep piling one item after another. Does
> any one , have those scraps of paper > with notes jotted
> down on them ? You know the ones you let go for so long-
> you can not remember what it is suppose to mean ? But,
> oh no- do not throw it away * as you are sure you will
> come to your senses and figure it out - sooner or latter !
> WOW * I feel much better > knowing I'am not a
> crazy person after all.
> Mary
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
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This thread:


text:
It's not Dead !
It's just resting.
So why doesn't Microsoft just come out and say Zune - its iPod wannable MP3 player - is dead? Actually, earlier this week it did. It put up a note on the Zune support site re-iterating past comments that its focus is now on Windows Phone 7 - which contains a Zune section for media playback. It also said it will no longer be …
It's just resting.
In essence the Zune was a damned good device and MS pumped a small fortune into the device both hardware wise and with their marketing campaign
I think MS tried to tread into a market where the iPod and the Creative Zen were the players of choice.
I wonder if keeping it "alive" shows that MS may just come out with an updated product offering a lot more [Windows Phone 7 based] technology & features in the future?
"Zune"? FFS. They couldn't have done much worse if they'd just called the thingy "Puke".
It may have been a good device, but any device that comes in brown and allows you to "squirt" is a tough sell.
MS also went wrong with the wireless sharing - "Share music with your friends! A little. No, not that much. Ok, that's enough."
Played with it in a shop State-side. Was actually quite impressed with the UI.
I guess it was just too little, too late (and it never reached the UK)
"..(and it never reached the UK)..."
actually it never reached anywhere (outside the states). Which is probably why sales didn't meet 'expectations'. A very very bad marketing move from M$. But they all make bad decisions these days. Just look at Mokia.
If you hadn't nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies!
That's really nice of you, Microsoft, but don't you think it's time to offer a permanent contract ?
Maybe their customer relations team crashed. Everything else they have does!
I might even have got one if I could have found one here a while ago as I quite want a decent size music player, hate iTunes with a passion and have heard bad things about the reliability of the Creative offerings.
I think sometimes to try and catch up with the leader in a given area, Microsoft end up making pretty good kit which is just inherently uncool because Microsoft are inherently uncool and so never really gets the credence it might achieve if it didn't have the stamp of Technology Walmart on it.
While I could use my phone for it I prefer to have a separate player to save the battery on my phone for making phone calls.
I had to import it from the States but it's worked flawlessly ever since, compared to the small stack of iPods I have sitting under monitor waiting for me to do something with.
Personally I hope they do a revamp iPod Touch style based on the windows phone but without a phone.
It's obvious what's going on here is a little power-struggle within MS. Some executive killed it, the team who produced ran crying to some other executive, who unkilled it. The top people who really should be making the decisions simply aren't interested.
So those without the real power are left to fight it out. Somewhere in Microsoft HQ there's been a few heated meetings. And anyone with any sense appreciates that the Zune is an unloved child with no future. To be avoided at all costs.
The correct term is "incompetence".
Until Microsoft pulls the plug. If you thought DRM was a bad idea for music & video wait until even the media is in the cloud.
Actually I liked the Zune - both the regular iPod wannabe, and the ipodTouch wannabe.
Build quality was top notch, interface fast, nice and clean. Sound quality was also better than the iVariants, to my admittedly uneducated ear.
But, like the iThings it was tied to some proprietary software on Windows (Zune). While Zune on Windows has a very nice and (unlike itunes) fluid interface, it is shackles of a sort.
Add to this being too late to the game and not being available worldwide - it's a wonder it lasted as long as it did.
I have always been critical of DRM. But the AFAIK the Zune Pass thing is as nice as DRM can be - all you can listen music (as long as you pay 10 USD/month), and you get to keep 10 tracks without DRM. Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't live in the U.S.
But with a stupid, stupid, STUPID name like Zune and it's ridiculous logo, it never stood a chance. No matter how good, who in their right mind will want to say, check out my Zune.
Just saying it....... Zzzzuuuuune, makes me wonder what the fuck the they were thinking when they suggested it. I find it staggering, that someone didn't say Seriously, Zune...what the fuck... are you off your fucking trolley. The design people also need to hire some new blood.
The Zune HD was close, and looked pretty sleek, then some twat decided to add the little notch at the bottom of the screen and completely mess up the nice lines. To me that one little notch (well two if you count the one on the back as well) take it from looking sleek to looking dated.
.... or is it just me.


text:
Not sure about G2 as I don't own one but one thing that caused similar problems for the live was a header compression on the MKV. Run Media Info on the file and see if it was created with MKVMerge 4.1 or newer. If so, try and remux it with either an older version of MKVMerge or if you try with a newer version then turn header compression off in audio and video and remux. That should/may fix it.
WDTV Live Plus freezesI just bought a WDTV Live Plus. I found that after scanning my movies in the hard drive if would freeze, so I updated it to FW v1.03.39, to no avail. It still freezes. Can anyone help me out?I have a WD My World 4TB hooked up to my network as a NAS. This NAS has 400+ ISO movie files with their corresponding same-name JPG cover files (they're 200Kb files). So it shows the covers twice (one for the JPEG, another for the ISOs).The WDTV Live is connected to the switch via Ethernet.If I browse the video files in "list mode" the WDTV Live Plus works fine, it finds and plays all the movie files with no problems. However, if I use it in "Thumbnail mode"-which I prefer- after browsing through about 50% of the JPEG and ISO files to create the thumbnails, the WDTV freezes completely. The only way to restart it is unplugging it.Any ideas about what could be happening?I had the same issue with the WDTV Live, which worked fine with FW v1.01.24. But started doing the same thing with FW v1.02.21. Same with all subsequent beta releases. WD could not fix the issue even after 6 months of waiting.
Is the BETA FW File no longer available?
We are limiting this to the first few hundred people who download it.
Page created in 0.056 seconds with 22 queries.


text:
As consumers wake up to the false economy and cruelty of 'factory' meat and poultry, free range producers are bringing home the bacon while sales soar, according to industry sources
Ostrich — sorry, Pork — Industry Board stalwarts have buried their heads in the sand, threatening legal action against higher animal welfare standards. Meanwhile, the market shops elsewhere, where the chickens and piggies roam free. The savvy shopper and good cook likes to know that the dollar she pays for chicken is buying actual chicken, as opposed to surgically-inflated breasts, pumped up with salt and water; and that her 'free range' chicken really has ranged freely.
In the 10 days after Mike King's intensive pork farming exposé, on the Sunday programme last May, Freedom Farms' sales nearly doubled. Freedom entered the bacon market in 2006, contracting seven South Island farms and an abattoir to produce an accredited free-range product to fill a market gap; they then moved on to fresh pork and, more recently, chicken, the two most intensively farmed meat industries.
Still only a few years old, Freedom had grown 80% year on year before the Sunday story broke. But last year saw growth in excess of 200%. It was durable growth, evidently, because demand did not drop off as the story faded from the spotlight; rather, it has continued to increase.
On the shopping side of the transaction, at Moore Wilson's Fresh Market in Wellington, the retail arm of the business deals wholly in free-farmed chicken and eggs. All pork and pork products are New Zealand sourced, and about half is free-range, prominently displayed.
Long before Sunday, this had been the vision on Moore Wilson's radar; they have a philosophy and a history of sourcing all kinds of fresh products from small, independent, often local, producers, including free-farmed meat products. But the Market's will was constrained, by the logistics of supply. Supply came on stream coincidentally around the time of the Sunday programme, coinciding also with the year the business moved into new premises, with more retail space, allowing them to stock and display a wider range, in greater quantity.
Meat supervisor Grahame Law comments on the good response from Moore Wilson's customers: they were not just a bit pleased, he says, but "extremely". But owner Julie Moore cautions against generalising from her store's experience.
Central Wellington in general, and Moore Wilson's shoppers in particular, tend to be food-savvy, ethically-driven, on above-average incomes. Clearly, a market exists, but it is not the whole market: trade customers — restaurants and cafes —with an eye on the bottom line, are still dealing in 'ordinary' meat, and price-driven family shoppers populate the supermarket aisles.
Freedom Farms, on the other hand, is setting out to prove that it is not just a niche market product. According to co-founder and spokesperson Gregor Fyfe, Freedom bacon is now in around 85% of supermarkets nationally. A number of supermarkets and butchery specialists now, he says, will not sell any fresh pork that is not from a Freedom Farm. "Today," he wrote to me, "we have had a national hamburger chain confirm that they will soon be converting the bacon in their burgers to Freedom Farms bacon".
"It is a myth," says Fyfe, "that this is only for people who can afford to care".
Welfare concerns span all income levels. Albeit only a portion of the market, Freedom's market penetration must be costing conventional industry dearly, and ought to be worrying them, a lot.
The demand brings its own challenges. Havoc Farm, which featured in the Sunday programme, could not meet the demand that followed. "We could not just overnight grow more pigs," says Linda McCallum-Jackson, "we are a very small producer, only approx 100 sows, so we just supplied our regular customers and took a waiting list, this we are just starting to get to". Similarly, it took a while for Freedom Farms to meet Moore Wilson's demand for fresh whole chicken; this has only come together in the last few weeks.
Evidently, there's a different mind set at work here, in all sorts of ways, starting with putting the animals first, not exploiting them as means to an economic end. It turns the situation on its head: the market speaks, but the creatures get a right of reply. So it's no surprise that, when I ask everyone about the challenge of pricing competitively, they counter with different priorities, about animal welfare and food quality.
Fyfe reckons farming Freedom's way adds a premium of around 20%, and there's little doubt everyone, from producer to shopper, is robustly challenged by the economics. For example, at Moore Wilson's, a Freedom size 14 bird is priced at $19.35; the Rangitikei corn fed free range equivalent is $16.95 ($17.99 down the road at the supermarket), with standard Ingham's, Tegel, and home brand birds pitching around $12. Twenty bucks for one chook is a big bite of anyone's grocery budget.
But Fyfe makes two points. First, he says, there is absolutely no question that consumers are willing to pay more for their meat if they have the surety of welfare standards, backed by a quality product. Second, price comparisons are not straightforward, because these are not comparable products.
With the chicken, for example, Freedom's birds are grown and processed differently, so there's a different product in the packet. Freedom is challenging all aspects of the industry: flock sizes, growth rates, the birds' diet. And I needn't take Fyfe's word for it, because it's pretty well known already: even in so-called 'free range' production, a combination of reasons, including flock size and density — thousands of birds in a shed — mean that, in practice, the birds tend not to go out or move around a lot. Nor does Freedom subject its birds to forced lighting cycles. "When the lights come on a bird will start eating again even if it's the middle of the night," says Fyfe, "but we reckon she deserves a good sleep".
He also notes the practice of 'tender basting', where processed birds are pumped up with water and salt. It does make them juicy and tender, he says, but it also increases the weight. Size 14 means 1.4 kg in total including all the added water; whereas on a Freedom bird, that is meat.
Moore Wilson's couldn't give me a percentage breakdown for free range vs non-free range sales — it was complicated to work out, they said — but Fyfe's assertions are supported anecdotally. Moore Wilson's says there's no doubt they are selling more free range pork than ordinary NZ Pork, even with limited free range supply.
That was borne out by my own observation the day I visited, last Monday, after a typical busy weekend. On the free pork and bacon displays, the shelves were all but empty; the Freedom chicken, well supplied the previous Thursday, was all gone. By contrast, Tegel (Rangitikei) and Ingham's (Waitoa) free range chicken offerings were still plentiful; there were rows of NZ Pork, and well stocked piles of conventional bacon.
And I remembered something else Fyfe wrote to me that morning: if you don't sell through in the supermarket, he commented, you pretty quickly lose your place on the shelf.
The real challenge here is more fundamental than competitive pricing. It's about readjusting consumer expectations on availability, consumption levels, even taste, as well as price. People have lost the taste for real chicken, with its darker more textured meat, and knowledge of how to cook it.
Arguably, there are other lives at stake here as well, reflected in the price: if the meat costs up to one-third more, that is because it should, and it will do us no harm to eat one-third less of it. So Fyfe is not willing to compromise: his is an unapologetically ideological stance.
"I don't think we should be hoping to see prices drop over time," he says. "Farmers in general do not get paid well for their efforts. We need to happily pay more for humanely farmed meat, and farmers need to be better rewarded."
"I agree," says Julie Moore. "People need to respect and understand the value of real food. I wish more people would."
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The debate as to how useful a tablet can be in the business world is ongoing, however it looks like Pwnie Express have set out to make the tablet a useful tool in terms of penetration testing. In fact, the company has recently unveiled the Pwn Pad, a 7-inch tablet that they describe as being a "commercial grade penetration testing tablet." Aside from the 7-inch display, this tablet is running Android 4.2 and Ubuntu 12.04 and touting features to include a OSS-Based Pentester Toolkit and Long Range Wireless Packet Injection.
Needless to say, if those terms do not mean anything to you as they stand, this is probably not a tablet that you are going to be purchasing. In fact, the price tag alone will likely turn many away. Pwnie Express has the Pwn Pad priced at $795. Basically, the Pwn Pad is a tablet aimed at the professional.
Keep in mind, the tools included with the Pwn Pad are nothing that cannot be found or done with a penetration-testing setup on a laptop. The key here, using the tablet should be much easier, if not more convenient for those on the road or performing a company walk-through looking for issues. Not to mention, this somehow just looks quite a bit cooler. For that near $800 price tag you will get a complete toolkit in addition to the hardware accessories.
The hardware (aside from the tablet) includes a TP-Link TL-WN722N wireless adapter, Sena UD100 Bluetooth USB adapter, USB Ethernet and OTG (USB host mode) cable. The toolkit includes the expected goodies such as Aircrack-ng, Kismet, Wifite-2, Netcat, Cryptcat, Nikto, bluelog and many others. Bottom line here, if you are in the business of testing others networks (or like to do that for fun) and happen to have an extra $795 laying around, the Pwn Pad may be something to consider. With that, those making the purchase can expect the tablet to begin shipping in April.
[via Wired]


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Pierzynski to rehab at Charlotte
Pierzynski to rehab at Charlotte
But in an e-mail to MLB.com, general manager Ken Williams explained that Pierzynski needs at-bats. So, the White Sox catcher once again will test his fractured left wrist from Tuesday to Thursday, this time with Triple-A Charlotte, before returning in Detroit this Friday.
"The bottom line is I'm going to go up there and swing at whatever they throw up there, and if I hit it, I hit it. If I don't, I don't," said Pierzynski, who had never been on the disabled list previously in his big league career. "It's not going to change. Will it help me to go? I don't know. I've never done it.
"In my mind, I'm ready to go [on Sunday]. Physically, I feel great. If it was up to me, I would rather use my bullets in a big league game than a rehab game. But it's not my decision, and I'll just do what I'm told."
Manager Ozzie Guillen mentioned that Pierzynski still was feeling a little of the after-effects of the fracture when catching. But Pierzynski has expressed no difficulty, and certainly seemed pleased by his early bat work on Saturday.
"I got a lot of swings in, and I felt good," Pierzynski said.


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XO Luxury came strong at SEMA this year![read more]
Posts By Evan Yates
BJ Baldwin's Recoil 3 – Sasquatch Hunter (Presented By Toyo Tires)
Regardless if you like this style of trucks or not, this video is simply badass![read more]
BMW i8 On 21-Inch Forgiato Wheels
Uber custom and fuel efficient![read more]
Jeep Wrangler On Vellano Wheels And Nitto Terra Grappler Tires
MC Customs put another dope Jeep on the streets![read more]
Satin White Bentley GT On Gold 22-Inch Lexani Forged Wheels Gold
Gold is taking over![read more]
2015 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO | DRIVEN
Is this the baddest Tundra to ever hit the trails?[read more]
Top Liberty Walk Cars At SEMA 2015
All the way from Japan and taking over SEMA![read more]
Best Of SEMA 2015
You've seen the rest, now here's the best![read more]
Top Jeeps Of SEMA 2015
The Wrangler keeps gaining momentum![read more]
Lifted Trucks Of SEMA 2015
Lovin' the lifts? We are too![read more]
SEMA 2015 Recap – Day Two
Here's the best from day two![read more]
SEMA 2015 Recap – Day One
Check out the mega-gallery from our first day at SEMA 2015![read more]
Kent's Automotive Car Show
It went down in Waycross, GA![read more]


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This product is no longer available.
You can try these similar gifts instead.
Bodum Cappuccino Glasses
Your favorite coffee enthusiast will love this set of 2 cappuccino glasses that will turn any cup of coffee into a work of art. Made of borosilicate glass, the glasses are double-walled to insulate both hot & cold beverages.


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Posted 03 Jun 2015
Link to this post
I am evaluating Telerik ASP.NET MVC for a small shop of C# developers with minimal to no javascript background. In particular the DropDownList event demo (but the same problem applies to many of the demos). The demo link here:
Now a typical use case for this component for an ASP.NET MVC developer would be to:
1.Load the DropDownList from an MVC Controller
2. Detect a selection changed event
3. Do something with the selected value in an MVC context, such as having an ActionLink in a Razor view to pass the selected item back to the mvc controller as an action param, or calling a GET on an MVC controller from JavaScript with the selected value in order to demonstrate the "full round trip"
Instead these demos show the bare minimum (outputting to client side log). It would be nice for these demos go the extra mile to show some real non-trivial use-cases in the example code. Sure, you can find the answer to the above stuff by spending half a day in the forums hoping someone else had the same question and searching stackoverflow, etc, but for us the quality and depth of the example code will be the deciding factoring in purchasing a license, thanks
Posted 10 Jul 2015
in reply to
Link to this post
I second that! Just send a ticket and i'm redirected to the sample directory, where no freaking samples / folders for DropdownList exist.
This is bad Telerik and I need proper samples to get going with server filtering, and virtualization where i can bind the selected item to my model.
Posted 28 Jul 2015
Link to this post
I am also interested in such an example / demo app.


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A BROTHEL auction to be held in Melbourne later this month is believed to be a first.
Hotspot Showgirls on Truck City Drive in Campbellfield is going under the hammer on September 28.
Real estate agent John Castran said the six-bedroom property boasts new decor and will be sold fully-furnished, adding that it also comes licensed - and not just for liquor.
It has an entertainment area fitted with an extensive bar alongside a number of sturdy, load-bearing poles and dancefloor, he said.
The property also boasts secure fencing, 24 carparks and is a stones throw from the Hume Highway.
Mr Castran said 12 potential buyers had already contacted him with interests in the venue.
He said it was rare to come across an auction for such an establishment.
"I have spoken to the people in the industry and no-one is aware of one ever happening, they have never been sold like this before," he said.
The showgirls venue has sat idle after changes to Victorian laws prevented its owner, Donna Murdoch, from operating more than one brothel.
Holding on to her better known North Melbourne property, the Main Course, the Herald Sun believes Ms Murdoch is hoping the Hotspot venue will fetch around $3 million.
Former Hotspot manager Chris Hall, speaking on behalf of Ms Murdoch, said the venue wasn't being let go lightly.
"She (Murdoch) had hoped the legislation would change back," Ms Hall said.
Mr Castran said would-be buyers can arrange private viewings of the property.
He added that it would be open on the day of the auction, with plans to bring models in to help set the atmosphere.
"We are going to open it, with some models there, on the day... an over 18 affair," he said.
Originally published as R-rated auction of Melbourne brothel


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But first, some inspiration from last week's commenters:
• johnslau grabbed martinis and burgers at Urban BBQ in Sandy Spring, Md. He also reported going to Ricciuti's in Olney for brick oven pizza and biscuits that are now on my must-try list (sweet potato and rosemary with local wildflower honey).
•The-Historian stayed home to cook a brandied cranberry short-rib stew, which sounds lovely, but tends to makes one feel bad if they're known to use an oven for storage (and sometimes cupcakes).
Join the conversation:
Where did you eat this weekend?
All kitchen envy aside, we want to hear about your domestic culinary forays too so feel free to describe your creations in the comments.
I did make my way out this weekend for brunch at my go-to, Eggspectation, in downtown Silver Spring. It's a chain restaurant and generally bustling on the weekends, but it has never failed me.
I ordered a California scramble — two eggs on an English muffin with tomato, green pepper, goat cheese and hollandaise sauce, with a side of potatoes and turkey sausage.
So whether you checked out the newest kids on the chopping block or headed to your favorite spot, tell us where you ate this weekend. Need inspiration for next week? We've posted last week's reviews below — definitely tell us in the comments if you've already tried any of them.We may feature your comments in next week's post.
Last week's reviews:
(Follow this week's Restaurant Recap on Foursquare.)
Where: 1602 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036
Tom Sietsema says: "Plan to go home with leftovers. Among the appetizers is bruschetta the size of a Sealy Posturepedic, a mattress of toasted bread covered by a field of chopped tomatoes and leavened with a bright pesto. A satisfying plate of sausage and cheese could fuel a small office party."
Where: 16th and K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Tom Sietsema says: "The prettiest appetizer is also the most problematic. A trio of hard-shell tacos, presented in a sleek metal rack, shatter upon impact, sending pink bits of smoked salmon, capers and creme fraiche in all directions; not the sort of scene you want for a business meeting. Easier to maneuver (and fun to share) are fritters filled with melted Camembert and sweetened with lingonberry jam."
Where: 900 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20006
Catherine Zuckerman says: "Vegetarian taste buds will delight in garlicky tofu, or butternut squash scented with ginger and coconut (both $6.25). Sandwiches can be made over as lettuce wraps; all meats and squash are cooked sous-vide (in sealed plastic bags, submerged in warm water for several hours)."
You'll also want to check out Justin Rude's thorough Kebab roundup, which spotlights kebab houses in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
And if you take your camera with you on your dining excursions, be sure to upload snapshots to our dining out gallery.


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After an almost immediate outcry and outrage on what seemed to be a rights-grabbing move by the web's most popular mobile image sharing platform, Instagram apologizes on their initial change in their Terms and Condition and Privacy Statement.
Here's what Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram mentioned:
First of all, Instagram is a business, this shouldn't and never be a surprise to any web user as almost all products we use online are meant to be revenue-generating, or at least non-profit.
Advertising on Instagram From the start, Instagram was created to become a business. Advertising is one of many ways that Instagram can become a self-sustaining business, but not the only one. Our intention in updating the terms was to communicate that we'd like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram.
So it seems like it's another case of misunderstood legal mumbo-jumbo but the legal team of Instagram worded things really poorly for everyone to "misinterpret" the entire statement, so they clarify that:
Instead it was interpreted by many that we were going to sell your photos to others without any compensation. This is not true and it is our mistake that this language is confusing. To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear.
So why the whole announcement?
Why bother with the initial announcement in the first place? Well, as they've mentioned, Instagram is a business and it needs to generate revenue beyond display ads, and it seems that they're adopting Facebook's "Promoted Posts" features for businesses and those who want to use the platform for generating advertisement revenue.
To provide context, we envision a future where both users and brands alike may promote their photos & accounts to increase engagement and to build a more meaningful following. Let's say a business wanted to promote their account to gain more followers and Instagram was able to feature them in some way. In order to help make a more relevant and useful promotion, it would be helpful to see which of the people you follow also follow this business. In this way, some of the data you produce — like the actions you take (eg, following the account) and your profile photo — might show up if you are following this business.
How about ownership of our photos?
Instagram remains true to their original terms in this regard, as it states:
Instagram users own their content and Instagram does not claim any ownership rights over your photos. Nothing about this has changed. We respect that there are creative artists and hobbyists alike that pour their heart into creating beautiful photos, and we respect that your photos are your photos. Period.
So there you go, straight from Instagram's shutter statement on what they really meant on their revised Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statements. Read the whole response here


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Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee held a hearing today entitled, "Gun Violence Prevention: A Call to Action." The hearing focused on preventing future gun violence and featured experienced panelists with expertise in finding solutions to preventing gun violence in America. Below are the Leader's opening remarks:
"Good afternoon everyone. Thank you all very much for joining us on this very solemn and important occasion for the American people. Just over one month ago, our nation was shocked and horrified by the news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty children, six teachers and educators were taken from us at gunpoint. An act of senseless and incomprehensible violence struck at the heart of our families, of our schools, of our communities across the country.
"Earlier this month, shortly after Newtown, all Members of Congress took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and the American people. To protect and defend: that is our first responsibility. Today, leaders of the House Democratic Caucus have come together to fulfill that duty, to confront the challenge of gun violence in our society, to act to ensure the safety and security of our communities.
"Under the leadership of Congressman Thompson, Mike Thompson, our Gun Violence Prevention Task Force keeps growing in number. Our colleagues are submitting recommendations for legislation. The task force is working with outside organizations, and sharing the latest information on gun violence and the steps we can take, and must take to end it.
"Today, to strengthen the efforts of this task force and our Democratic Caucus, we will hear from Americans with personal and professional experiences with gun violence -- and with critical expertise on how and why we must prevent it. It's really an emotional occasion for many here; we thank them for sharing their grief to help other people be safe, [for] sharing their experience, to help us all honor our oath of office. Our witnesses hail from every walk of life -- education and academia, law enforcement and public service. We are extraordinarily grateful to have with us: Dr. Janet Robinson, Superintendent of Schools, Newtown, Connecticut; Dr. Emily Nottingham, Mother of Gabe Zimmerman -- whom you know was a victim in Tucson nearly two years ago; Chief Scott Knight, Chaska Police Department, here from Minnesota, to give us the view from middle America, from rural areas; and Mayor Michael Nutter, President of U.S. Conference of Mayors, who has been a leader on this issue for a very long time. Your voices and your contributions are playing a critical role in our effort to take these long overdue actions, we look forward to hearing your ideas and testimony, and answering the call to action on gun violence prevention.
"We are especially pleased to be doing so on a day when our President, as we continue to mourn with the families of Newtown, has told us that the time for action is now. We must do everything in our power to stop such terrifying violence in the future. We recognize that these challenges are not new. And as President Obama said so eloquently in the days following the shooting: "we can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change,' he said.
"And today the President put his proposals on the table. He outlined 23 executive actions his administration is taking right now. He demanded action from Congress on establishing a universal background check system, restoring the ban on assault weapons, banning high-capacity assault magazines, putting more police officers on our streets. We must address issues of mental health -- to keep weapons out of the hands of those in danger of doing harm to themselves or to others. These commonsense proposals, among others, represent steps we can take, and must take right away to put a stop to the violence. As the President said today: "this time must be different.' We agree. We cannot permit any more time to go by without action. We owe it to the families of the victims in Newtown, in Aurora, Oak Creek, Tucson, Virginia Tech, Columbine -- the list goes on almost every day across our country and shootings across America.
"I'm very pleased to turn the meeting now over to the Co-Chairs of our Steering and Policy Committee, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Congressman Rob Andrews. I'm pleased to be joined by our Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Congressman John Conyers, and the Chair of our Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Congressman Mike Thompson, as we thank you Mike, for your leadership. And we are also joined by our distinguished Whip Steny Hoyer.
"With that, I'm going to yield to Steny for a moment and then to our Co-Chairs."


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Judge to issue verdict in Ohio high school football rape case
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — A judge planned to announce his verdict today in the case of two high school football players charged with raping a 16-year-old girl after an alcohol-fueled party last summer.
Prosecutors say the drunken girl was taken advantage of and treated like a toy. Defense attorneys counter that the girl has a history of heavy drinking and telling lies.
Testimony concluded Saturday night with the accuser recalling that she drank at a party in August but couldn't remember what had happened when she awoke the next day naked in a strange house.
Testimony in the four-day nonjury trial against Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond ended after the judge heard from the 16-year-old West Virginia girl and others in the juvenile court case.
If found delinquent — the juvenile court equivalent of guilty — the two defendants could be jailed until they turn 21, when they would be released.
Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, are charged with digitally penetrating the girl, first in a car and then in the basement of a house, while out partying Aug. 12. Mays also is charged with illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material. They maintain their innocence.
The case has riveted the small city of Steubenville amid allegations that more students should have been charged and has led to questions about the influence of the popular football team, a source of pride in a community that suffered massive job losses with the collapse of the steel industry.
On the stand Saturday, the girl said she remembers drinking at the party, leaving the party holding hands with Mays, then throwing up later. The next thing she remembers is waking up with no clothes on in a strange house, she said. She said she felt scared and embarrassed. Her phone, earrings, shoes and underwear were missing, she testified.
The accuser said she believed she was assaulted when she later read text messages among friends, saw a photo of herself from that night and watched a YouTube video in which a student cracks jokes about the alleged rape just hours afterward. She said she suspected she had been drugged because she couldn't explain being as intoxicated as defense witnesses have said she was.
The girl testified in a quiet, sometimes hesitant voice, and broke down only once: when prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter showed her a second photo of herself naked that she hadn't seen.
Richmond observed the girl carefully as she spoke, while Mays, as he often did during the trial, fidgeted, appearing not to focus on any one thing in the courtroom.
Prosecutors told the judge in closing arguments that the evidence was overwhelming. Defense attorneys argued that prosecutors hadn't proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Earlier Saturday, defense attorneys went after the accuser's character, calling two former friends of hers to the stand.


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1 Million Lotto Ticket Lawsuit: 2 Men Sue NJ for Winnings After Trashing Ticket
A $1 million lotto ticket lawsuit was filed Tuesday by two men who accidentally threw the lucky numbers in the trash in March. Salvatore Cambria, 42, and Erik Onyango, 30, of Suffern N.Y. purchased the Multi-State Powerball ticket in Mahwah, N.J., but blame the state for not updating their website quickly enough with the winning numbers— Cambria threw a ticket he thought was a loser in the trash.
The $1 million lotto ticket turned out to be a winner, though, despite the last Powerball number not matching up. When Onyango and Cambria realized their mistake, they filed a formal request for their winnings, but got no response. Now they are suing the New Jersey Lottery Commission and Governor Chris Christie for keeping the prize, which counts as "unjust enrichment," the suit claims.
"It's not as if the lottery commission or the state of New Jersey or whoever would be losing money," their attorney Edward Logan told The Washington Post. "There was a winning ticket that was sold and these people have proven that they're the ones who bought it."
The two friends' proof is the two other losing lottery tickets Onyango bought at the time— the serial numbers are before and after the winning ticket. Onyango said that the lottery not updating their website 10 minutes after broadcasting the results is what caused the oversight.
"I gave [Cambria] the numbers that were on my iPhone, only to realize later those were the numbers for the last drawing," Onyango told Bloomberg. The date displayed on the screen "is really small," which the N.J. should have known because "we do everything on our phones and computers now," he said.
Onyango plans to use the money to open an accounting business, and Cambria would use the funds to supplement his cleaning products company.
"I'd like to think that New Jersey wants to do the right thing, but you never know," Logan said.


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I just don't understand...
Why do people choose to put their life drama on Facebook for the world to see? And why, after an argument, do they change their relationship status to "it's complicated"?
I feel like the things going on in my personal life are not for anyone's business but myself and the other person(s) involved. Why post a status on Facebook just for the sake of starting an argument for the world to see?
Also, if my DH and I have a disagreement, I do not go on Facebook and start downing him through my status and saying how horrible I think he is. Of course our relationship is complicated at times...I don't know anyone who has a perfect relationship!
What do you ladies think? Do you ever post a status just for drama sake? Do you post when you are arguing with your DH/SO?
I don't put anything truly personal on Facebook. Something cute one of the kids did, or bragging on a milestone the baby has met or something like that, sure, but that's it.
I get sick of the people posting every day about their health issues. I will occasionally post if we are sick but it's not very often. I know a lady who had a hysterectomy a week after mine. I didn't post anything about mine or my recovery or the health issues leading up to it but this lady has posted about her hysterectomy from day 1. OMG. I won't type out all the details of her posts but it's super annoying and it's like she tries to mention her hysterectomy in every post she can. I also have another friend who has fibromyalgia and she posts stuff almost every day about fibro or how she's feeling. I have fibro too and I've not once posted anything about it and very few people even know I have it. I don't mind people saying they feel cruddy that day or the kids having the flu or them or whatever but when it's like they are trying to get sympathy and it's a constant thing...it's just annoying.
And yes, it's super annoying when people make drama posts. Or start their post with "Some people..."
i personally dont do that but we all have the option to unfriend others if we arent ok with what they post .
no never... because my husband is basically a wonderful man and when I do get upset at him I know it will pass...probably before the status drops off the first page. That just get other people involved who have no business being involved.
I don't post anything negative about DH on fb but I love it when people post their relationship problems, lol. I'm entertained even while I'm shaking my head.


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Daybreak draws a million viewers
ITV1 morning show Daybreak has bounced back by drawing a million viewers for the first time since its launch week.
The show - hosted by Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles - had seen its audience shrink, dipping as low as 500,000 at one stage.
But viewing figures have recovered to push back to seven figures yesterday (Thursday). The edition had an average audience of one million.
The average for the week so far has been 923,000, marginally ahead of the launch week average of 915,000.
Guests over the past few days have included Dame Helen Mirren, Harry Hill and stars from I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! and The X Factor.
ITV said the programme's viewing figures had been growing steadily since mid-October.


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A year ago during a routine allergy checkup, a requirement to renew a prescription to the magic nose potion that ended almost four decades of allergy shots two years ago, the wide-eyed nurse wagged her finger and said my blood pressure was out of control.
It was the latest in a string of increasingly unpleasant pressure reports that continued inching me closer to medical intervention.
Life's circumstances and crushing stress, I believed, had conspired to turn my blood flow into a Schlitterbahn ride. Proper diet, exercise and a 30-pound weight loss in the preceding year had failed to turn the tide.
A week earlier, stress spiked upon the news that a lightning bolt struck my Beaumont rental property, frying appliances and ceiling fans, downing a tree and briefly driving out the tenant, I needed to avoid shouldering a full mortgage.
August might be known as Happiness Happens month, but it was anything but that past year. My kind of "happens" was more like something unfit to put in a family newspaper.
By the time I arrived the next week at the allergist's office, the blood pressure had achieved an all-time high, putting me close to medication territory. The nurse ticked off a list of horrifying possible long-term effects such as exploding arteries and organ rebellion.
But I did nothing, believing that time's healing of wounds and stress reduction would serve as the best medicines for blood-pressure relief.
I believed in the old saying about there being darkness before the dawn, with something better waiting around a corner.
And then there she was.
Having exchanged a few pleasantries through Facebook, my now-wife Beth and I met Aug. 31, 2012, on a night of a spectacular blue moon. She was out with some mutual friends and, of course, enjoying a Blue Moon beer when I arrived. We chatted and danced, and I walked her to her car and asked permission to download her phone number from her Facebook page.
I was smitten from the get-go after having spent a few weeks watching her life play out on Facebook. Little did I know that she, out in the real world, had seen me before I'd seen her, before I threw out a Facebook friend request.
The dating mold was broken from the start. Against the rules, our first outing involved the children (with mine acting quite rotten). A whiny hike around the Tyler State Park lake was followed by a weed-flinging frolic on an overcrowded paddleboat.
Nothing like kicking off things with a dose of reality, sans any traces of grandiose delusions, but we did have ice cream.
Relationship development took its natural course in the months that followed. One thing led to another, and we found ourselves a blended family this year in a big house on a huge patch of land in the country. There is a swimming pool, where my two boys, Curt, 11, and Luke, 9, and Beth's son, Beau, 12, spend hours swimming, chasing each other, creating games and, well, squabbling like siblings are biologically predisposed to do.
Since Aug. 31, 2012, the crushing stress, whose foundation dates back years, has lifted from my shoulders. But having avoided doctors and even those testing machines in grocery stores during the past year, I didn't know where things stood on the blood-pressure front.
It came time to visit the allergist in order to renew the nasal-spray prescription and maintain that shield against fall's sinus-pounding pollens.
On Tuesday, after the grind of morning school dropoff, I arrived at the clinic 30 minutes early, hoping to get the appointment done sooner than later. A nurse led me to the same room where I'd received the grim report a year earlier.
Pump. Pump. Pump. Pump. Pump. Pump. Pump.
As the band around the right bicep tightened, I tried to remain calm, feet flat on the floor, braced for the verdict.
Then there it was, in little red digital letters: perfect blood pressure, well out of hypertension turf.
"You have the blood pressure of a very young man!" the nurse exclaimed as my 50-year-old heart skipped a beat.
A Vietnam vet once told me that the only way to survive an ambush is to fight through it.
This is how we should see adversity in life, as ambushes that demand a frontal assault to survive.
This weekend, Beth and I will celebrate the one-year anniversary of our meeting and all the wonderful things that have happened in the past 12 months, of adventures large and small, of ups to embrace and minor ambushes quickly brushed aside.
We will drink a couple of Blue Moon beers, toast to our lives together and dream of wonderful new things to come.
And when it comes time to visit the allergist next August, I won't spend another fearful month with my finger on the appointment-cancelation trigger.


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Haass confesses timetable for Ulster parades progress 'pretty ambitious'
US diplomat Richard Haass has admitted that equal progress may not be possible in all three of the key areas he has been brought in to address.
He has also admitted that his timetable for solving issues such as parading, flags and the past by Christmas may have been "ambitious".
Dr Haass jetted in from New York yesterday before hosting the opening round of critical talks aimed at resolving some of Northern Ireland's most divisive issues.
He is meeting representatives from each of the five parties in the Stormont executive before holding plenary talks later in the week.
Yesterday he met with Sinn Fein and the SDLP, while the DUP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance are on today's agenda.
The ex-White House special envoy is attempting to achieve agreement on three issues – flags and emblems, parades and dealing with the legacy of the past.
Speaking to the media before talks got under way, and flanked by Harvard professor and experienced negotiator Dr Meghan O'Sullivan, who is a senior member of his team, he warned peace process gains could not be taken for granted, with work still needed to tackle the unresolved issues.
Asked if he was more hopeful of success on a particular topic, Dr Haass admitted there may not be equal progress on every issue.
"I would hope to make progress on all three areas – that's our goal," he said. But he added: "It may be at the end of the day that the potential for equal progress is not there."
At the weekend, Dr Haass indicated the talks could also include issues such as segregated education and housing. However, he appeared to backtrack somewhat on that yesterday.
"The focus will be on the three issues," he added. "I didn't mean to suggest that now there was a fourth agenda so, if that was the conclusion that some took, that wasn't meant to be the case."
While Dr Haass said it was conceivable that other issues would arise during talks and that good progress could create momentum, the timetable was already ambitious.
"We have three and a half months, it is already pretty ambitious the focus on these three areas," he added.
Dr Haass said the disorder surrounding parades over the summer showed the urgency of agreeing a way forward.
"There's been tremendous progress but there is still a real need to move things forward and that is why we are here," he said.
"I think this last summer was something of an indication or something of a warning that one should not take the improvements for granted."
Stressing the importance of compromise, Dr Haass said no outsider can substitute for the willingness of insiders to reach agreement.
He added: "We look forward to all sorts of give and take in these days and obviously subsequent visits. The goal here is to come up with a consensus document that ideally would be both broad and deep, dealing with these three sets of issues, and that is our goal at this point."
After meeting Dr Haass in an encounter lasting just over an hour, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness emerged with the rest of the Sinn Fein delegation and expressed optimism that resolution could be obtained.
"We are approaching all of this in problem-solving mode," he said.
"These are very, very serious issues that badly need resolution and we are very determined to play a positive and constructive role during the course of these discussions to find a resolution to these problems, because quite honestly that's what people want."
SDLP negotiator Alex Attwood said his party had told Dr Haass that whether there was agreement or not, he should publish his findings.
Party leader Alasdair McDonnell said the SDLP was "totally and unconditionally committed to seeing this process through".
"We have ambition. We believe absolutely that these talks can be comprehensive and bring closure to the issues that were parked 15 years ago."
Earlier, Dr McDonnell said that Dr Haass said spend most of his time outside the talks room, exerting pressure on those inside.
"If there's a will and if there is a determination and if there is a generosity, yes, these issues are resolvable. I think we are all agreed that dealing with the issue of the past might be the most difficult of all, but I think if people come at this with a good heart, huge progress can be made."
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (right)
Belfast Telegraph


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MTV pulls double duty with streaming, second-screen app
Viacom?s MTV continues to build up its mobile chops with a new Android application that not only lets fans catch-up on their favorite shows but also use their smartphones and tablets in conjunction with live programming.
With more consumers using their smartphones and tablets during all parts of watching entertainment content, MTV?s Android app highlights the need for broadcasters to bundle multiple features into a universal app for viewers. Previously, the MTV app was only available for iOS devices.
"Simply put, we want to be everywhere that our fans are,? said Kurt Patat, vice president of communications at MTV, New York.
?After a successful iOS launch, we've now created a three-in-one video experience for Android users that will bring them closer to their favorite characters and shows than ever before,? he said.
Stream on mobile
The free Android app lets MTV TV subscribers log-in with their account information to access full-length versions of their favorite shows.
The app stores recent episodes from programs including Catfish, Teen Wolf, Real World and Awkward.
MTV fans can also access additional bonus clips, sneak peaks and other mobile-exclusive video content.
In addition to catching up on recent episodes, MTV?s app doubles as a companion guide during live programming.
The app syncs with on-air primetime content to pull up photos and trivia while viewers watch a TV show.
Additionally, viewers can browse through facts and read exclusive show information from the app.
MTV is also capitalizing on the growing stream of social conversations during shows by pulling in show-specific Twitter feeds. Viewers can also tweet and Facebook chat directly from the app.
Finally, the MTV app includes information about MTV?s special events. These include MTV?s Video Music Awards, Music Awards and Movie Awards shows.
Building a mobile powerhouse
Viacom has been building up its mobile strategy for its brands around apps for years.
In 2011, MTV rolled out the WatchWith app that lets consumers plug into Facebook and Twitter to stay connected to their favorite TV shows in real-time (see story).
Then in 2012, Wrigley?s 5 Gum became the launch sponsor on MTV?s Music Meter app. The Music Meter app ranks music artists on a daily basis based on the broadcaster?s own algorithm that gauges what music is being talked about most (see story).
Most recently, Comedy Central rolled out an app called CC: Stand-Up that showcases the comedy network?s library of video content (see story).
As consumers increasingly expect to watch their favorite shows from their smartphones and tablets, MTV likely has a big opportunity to target its tech-savvy millennial audience.
?Consumers have become device agnostic ? they are more interested in the content than the delivery method,? said Paul Bremer, general manager of blinkx Mobile, San Francisco.
Mr. Bremer is not associated with MTV. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.
?Any app or site that opens up premium content with a great user experience on smartphones and tablets is incentive enough for content loyalists,? he said.
Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York


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You've got about an hour to get over the Houston's River Oaks Theater for the third screening of Stick'Em Up, Director Alex Luster's documentary on wheat-pasted street art in H-town. 1st Screening SOLD OUT! 2nd Screening SOLD OUT! but the THIRD Screening, at 10:30, has been added by popular demand! Your $10 ticket benefits Aurora Picture Show, or if you're already an Aurora member it's FREE!
also by Bill Davenport
- Lego My Art! - January 30th, 2016
- Archive: Painting on My Planet/The Top Ten Painters in Houston - January 1st, 2016
- Archive: Tire Iron 0: Cropduster: Hills Snyder/Chris Sauter - December 28th, 2015
- DMA Crane Flip Video - April 26th, 2015
- Helmreich New Dean of Fine Arts at TCU - April 25th, 2015


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- + Follow
Steve Caruso
Experiential Designer & Art Director
New York, NY
New York, NY
I'm an art director for special events and experiences in real space, graphic designer, scenic designer, concept artist, obsessive detailer and specifier, 3D modeler, lighting enthusiast, minimalist object-maker, accidental copy editor, walking furniture encyclopedia, tolerable iPad musician, good driver in Brooklyn but nowhere else, cat and food photographer. In that order.
Hybrid Sketch Render
I operate a design studio servicing the built environment through concept art, visualization, detailing, and design for fabrication.
Design and execute total creative for marketing events and activations, corporate pop-ups, TV promotions, publicity stunts and online engagements. Create and present concept art; manage printing, scenic fabrication, décor & furniture specifying, budgets; direct junior designers, supervise installations.
Create artwork and scenic designs for event lighting, manage brand visuals and website, edit photos and videos, direct assembly in shop.
Created brand identity for LED media product start-up, visual design for website, press materials and product documentation, designed lighting products.
General creative services including print, web, product and exhibit design, art direction and photographs.
Design page layouts, edit photographs and copy content, publish website updates, write headlines
I express brands through creative trade show exhibit architecture, interior spaces and graphic systems.
Created graphics, maps, presentation materials and architectural visualiza-
tions, conducted design research and hosted gallery events.


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The Samsung M Power TV S239 CDMA phone will be your perfect all time companion. Watch live TV and videos on the vibrant 2.4 inch display or listen to music or record live FM, this phone is truly the entertainer. This CDMA phone comes with a SIM facility ensuring that you are not tied up to only one network. The phone even comes with a smart mobile tracker application that helps you to wipe your data remotely as well as trace your handset in case you lose it. Truly feature rich, this handy bar handset will be your perfect way to keep in touch with friends and family while also keeping you entertained.
Design and Build Quality
With a compact dimension of 118.5 x 50 x 12.45 mm and weighing 87 gms only, this mobile phone is light weight and will comfortably fit in your hands or denim pockets. The phone comes with an alpha numeric keyboard which makes the phone perfect for one handed use, allowing you to make calls or type SMSes conveniently. The phone is equipped with a vibrant 2.4 inch TFT LCD which supports 240 x 320 pixels and will bring your images and videos to life, making it perfect to watch videos or live TV.
Camera Features
Embedded with a 1.3 MP camera, you can capture memorable moments. The camera is quite versatile and comes with features such as single shot, multi-shot mode, mosaic shot, photo effects and white balance to enhance your photography experience. In addition, this mobile camera helps you to record videos.
Hardware Specifications
The phone comes with an internal memory of 85 MB which you can expand up to 16 GB with a microSD card to store images, videos as well as carry any files. You can store up to 2000 contacts in the phonebook memory without worrying about adding new contacts in your device. And the ability to store a whopping 1000 text messages is a huge plus point ensuring you don't have to delete SMS's frequently. The Samsung C239 comes with an alpha numeric keyboard which is perfect for one handed operation allowing you to conveniently make calls or type SMSes. Samsung has provided with an USB port and using the Samsung New PC Studio, you can keep your phone synchronized with your PC.
Multimedia Features
The Samsung C239 CDMA phone gives you the power to groove and enjoy live TV. You can switch on the Live TV mode and access up to 100 live channels through the MiMobi TV application on this Samsung MPOWER TV Phone. Groove to your favourite tracks on the versatile multi format audio and video player or record live FM - this phone will keep you fully entertained. Support for Java allows you to install games giving you an additional entertainment option.
Productivity Features
In addition to SMS, the phone also supports Email allowing you to keep in touch with work. This CDMA phone can connect to high speed EVDO networks giving you internet connectivity speeds up to 2.4 Mbps allowing you to browse the internet on the Polaris 6.15 browser.
Power Management
Powered by a 960 mAh Li-Ion battery, the Samsung C239 mobile phone is designed to support up to 4 hours of talk time and 420 hours of standby time.
The images represent actual product though color of the image and product may slightly differ.


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From the founding fathers to the current generation, meet the people at the heart of the club.
After a brief spell playing for the Cans in the 2006-7 season, Charlie returned to the club in 2009 as assistant manager to Gordon 'Boogle' Winton. Charlie then took the role of Gaffer at the beginning of Season 2010-11. Having played a big part in three trophy winning seasons on the bounce, Charlie guided the club to become league champions in 2011-12, only their second league title in over a centuary. Securing his 'legend' status Charlie announced that the work is not yet done and he wants to lead the club to further success.
Charlie is a true Cancans legend, despite a short time with Buckie! One of our all time top scorers he still has not seen the last of his playing days (just signed again Aug 2017!). He is a great asset in Charlie Rowley's staff and now has taken on the role of heading up the newly structured Mechanics Youth set up as head of youth coaching.
Craig is a trained paramedic with the Scottish Ambulance Service in the Moray area and a local lad who was born and raised in Forres. He was a tall commanding centre half playing Welfare football football in his younger days and is a great asset to have at the club.
William (Willy) McLean is the only member remaining with Mechanics since the League winning side of 1985-86. The longest serving member of the team and a constant through thick and thin.
The Can Cans are run by a dedicated committee and a host of backroom staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to make the club something to be proud of for their fans, the town and the highland league community.
A local GP for many years, Dr Anderson is a very well know and well respected member of the Forres Community. The Doc has been Chairman for 7 years and enjoys it thoroughly. Famous also for getting his nut down on Sky Sports Soccer AM the Doc says of himself, "I hate wearing a tie to a football match but really I don't think there is any justification for accusing me of being the worst-dressed Chairman in the league. My friends do refer to my dress sense as 'smart gardening'. I will take that as a compliment, I think!".
David is a very experienced and respedcted member of the Highland League family.Having spent many years running the line at all Highland League venues David spent some years assisting the league committee before joining the Cans as a committee member. Club Secretary for many years David recently accepted a term as Vice Chairman as well as keeping up his Secretary duties.
Ian has been a committee member for the last few years. Born in Forres, Ian has been a Mechanics supporter all of his life like his Father was before him. Ian runs the Forres Mechanics Bonus Ball and along with fellow members contributes to the smooth running of admission gates, raffles and general housekeeping at Mosset Park during home games. Ian says, "the highlight of my time as a supporter and being on the committee is without a doubt being at Mosset Park to witness the team become Highland League Champions for the second time in 2012".
A school teacher at Forres Academy for many years, first in PE and now academic support, Mr Hunter will be well known to many. Having been involved with local football for many years he joined the committee of Forres Mechanics and has recently taking the role of Vice Chair of Forres Mechanics Youth Committee. His strong local connections will be a great help in this role of developing our youth set up.
Vic was appointed club chaplain during 2014-2015 season, but has been a fan since the early 1980s. He is currently a Pastor of a church in Lossiemouth, and also runs his own business as an independent whisky consultant.
As well as his many other local duties, George joined the committee five years ago and began by getting all the 700+ club records computerised which was no small task. As well as running the very successful 700+ club George's main duties are helping out on match days and helping to keep the profile of the club as high as possible.
Forres Loon and life long Cans supporter. Ian works in the IT industry throughout the North of Scotland, and in his spare time loves a dram and a blether. Along with Peter, Ian has responsibility for selling match day packages along with many other tasks.
Originally from Kinloss has supported Mechanics all his life and is proud to have been present at both league winning presentations. Has strong family connections from 1909 to present with the club as Grandfather was previous club captain, great uncle and uncle pulled on the jersey and his nephew Simon in current squad. Peter's main role along with Ian is hospitality and sponsorship.
Dennis has been with the club for many years and between his work commitments does many jobs in and around Mosset Park on match days and at most other events wher the club are raising money or awareness. You will usually find Dennis at the gate or looking after dignitaries in the club rooms. Along with kit man Willie, Dennis loves a match day afternoon, especially when the afternoon doesn't end until 11pm on a Saturday!
Paul has been involved with Mechanics for many many years, depite his youthful looks. Local swim teacher and fitness supervisor Paul has followed the Cans through thick and thin starting many years ago when he was instrumental as a fan in starting up the Supporters Club, raising money and running transport to every ground in the League. Now a committee member, Paul devotes most of his energy to editing the Match Day programme and helping out on match days.
The Can Cans have had many well known supporters over the years. Here are a few of our best known followers.
Les Raeburn is a current stalwart and full time Can Cans supporter. Les, a local builder, has followed the 'Cans home and away for many years enjoying the social aspect of Highland League life and entertaining many along the way.
For many a year the famous call of Mechanics follower 'Wilsy Tooch' could be heard around Mosset Park. Wilsy was a real character and like a few other supporters like a wee drink on a Saturday! Wilsy can be seen in the various 1986 videos celebrating and hugging players and police chiefs alike! Had he been around last May there would have been one unmistakable celebration heard throughout the night. 'Yeeeeee-haaaa' Wilsy!
Iain MacKenzie, a life long supporter passed away recently. Iain was a Mechanics season ticket holder and attended every home game until he was unable to do so due to his illness late last year. Iain played most of his footballing career for Forres Thistle however did pull on the Chocolate and Gold strip several times for the mighty cans following in the footsteps of his father who was captain during the 1920's. His love of Mechanics never went away and was never as proud when he saw his Great Nephew Simon Allan lift the league trophy in 2012.
This feature will be updated periodically. Who would you like to see featured and have there time in the spotlight? Send an email to us:
*For those not familiar with Scots language Weel-kent means simply 'Well Known'.


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LONDON, April 27 (UPI) -- British lawyers are poring over the 71-page decision in "The Da Vinci Code" plagiarism case in an effort to crack a code embedded by a London judge.
Justice Peter Smith, who cleared author Dan Brown of plagiarism claims brought against him, told The Times of London he decided to have "a bit of fun" with his written judgment.
The decision handed down earlier this month contains a series of "odd italicizations," which the judge admitted "were something more than a typo," the newspaper said.
The first part of the message has already been decoded as "Smithy code," the newspaper said.
"We're not sure yet what it means, but we're working on it," a partner at the London-based law firm Olswang told the Times.
Director Ron Howard's film of Brown's best-selling book opens worldwide May 19.


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A STORE in Hook could lose its licence to sell alcohol today after failing a sting operation by trading standards officers.
A 16-year-old girl, volunteering for Hampshire County Council's Trading Standards department, was able to buy four cans of lager for £5.40 from Premier Stores, in Grand Parade.
Keyur Patel, the premises licence holder, has been summoned to attend a hearing today at the Civic Offices in Fleet, after Trading Standards requested Hart District Council review the licence given to him in 2007.
A report prepared for the meeting by principal licensing officer David King said Trading Standards officer Paul Worrall accompanied the teenager to the store.
Mr King wrote: "She was served by a shop assistant called Bhavesh Patel. However, the premises licence holder Keyur Patel was also nearby when the sale took place."
Mr Worrall escorted the teenager out of the store and when he returned, Bhavesh Patel had disappeared. Keyur Patel told Mr Worrall his employee was out at the back, but when he did not return after a few minutes, a second Trading Standards officer went outside and found him in London Road, walking away from the shop.
Mr King added that the licence review was being sought not only for the failure of the test purchase operation, but "because there have been many complaints made to them of children being able to purchase alcohol and tobacco" at the store.
Requests made by Trading Standards to install a CCTV camera in the store had been ignored by Mr Patel, the report added.
The licensing hearing will take place at 10am, with the committee having the option of suspending the licence or altering its conditions.


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Boom Cars
A boom car is a vehicle equipped with an audio system that produces excessive sound pressure levels (SPL). The pounding bass noise can be heard and felt over a wide distance, rattle windows and travel through walls.
Aftermarket sound systems were originally marketed as a means to enjoy improved sound quality and convenience in a vehicle by replacing the factory stock sound system. Today, the car audio industry promotes thuggery and passive aggressive behavior in the use of their products.
The car audio industry promotes "booming" to males in their teens and twenties with some disposable income. The message is that it will attract women and improve their social standing among their peers.
Boom cars have given rise to an urban subculture. Sound pressure level (SPL) competitions (also known as dB drag racing) are held nationwide. Non-professional competitors spend thousands of the dollars on audio equipment for their vehicles. The expensive speakers frequently blow out in competition and need to be replaced. Manufacturers and installers promote the brand and their business respectively by sponsoring professional competitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 25 percent of vehicle accidents are caused by driver distraction. Drivers experience reduced reaction times when listening to loud music and adjusting the controls on their car stereo equipment.
MTX Audio Jackhammer Superwoofer
Advertised as the "biggest, baddest, boldest superwoofer". It is a 369 pound speaker with a 22" diameter and requires an extruded heatsink. The speaker can handle 12,000 watts.
The largest manufacturers of boom car equipment include Sony, Pioneer and JBL. Sony uses the brand name Xplod with the slogan "Disturb The Peace". Pioneer Electronics slogan is "Disturb, Defy, Disrupt, Ignite". JBL uses the slogan, "Either we love bass, or hate your neighbors."
Car audio companies advertise through magazines, internet viral and guerilla marketing campaigns. Because their marketing often falls under the radar of mainstream culture, they have been able to avoid public scrutiny. Below are their slogans and marketing messages.
- JBL: "Either we love BASS or hate your neighbors."
- JL Audio: "Be Very Afraid."
- Kicker: "You deserve a beating...Kicker's loudest, meanest subwoofer ever!"
- Concept: "When TOO loud...is just right!"
- Lightning Audio: "Sonic submission."
- Boss Audio System: "Turn it down? I don't think so."
- Cerwin-Vega Mobile Audio: "Shake the living, wake the dead."
- Crossfire: "We're louder...Deal with it!"
- Earthquake Sound: "The Meanest, Loudest, Most Powerful, Mother F--- Amplifiers Money Can Buy!"
- Viper Audio: "Cold Blooded. Violent Fury and Multi-Channel Mayhem."
- Orion High Performance Car Audio: "Be Loud. Be Obnoxious."
The Mobile Enhancement Retailers Association (MERA), represents automotive aftermarket retailers. They issued a position statement warning its member companies "not to use symbols, messages or suggest behavior that would adversely affect the industry. Irresponsible promotion could negatively impact the perception of our industry by the public at large and could be used against us by activists or government to regulate our products and activities".
The culture of booming is also promoted through cable television, notably MTV's Pimp My Ride (Viacom). The premise of the show takes a jalopy that is customized and outfitted with high end audio equipment. A rapper hosts the show and participants end up with a car designed to blast bass noise as a primary function of the retrofit. Car audio companies and the automotive aftermarket industry showcase their products through product placement.
These companies are members of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). Along with the Mobile Enhancement Retailers Association (MERA) representing dealers and installers, they have lobbied against proposed noise-pollution ordinances in communities all over America. SEMA created the 'Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus' enlisting members of congress to support their agenda.
Boom Car Ads
Major cities have imposed stronger noise codes, but across the country, there is a patchwork of noise ordinances with varying levels of enforcement. In cases where communities have tried to strengthen the noise code against booming, the car audio industry have lobbied to defeat it.
Some municipalities require that a police officer measure the amount of noise with a decibel meter before issuing a summons. Officers must be trained to use the expensive equipment. Citations are often challenged in court because the meters must be certified and calibrated for its readings to be used as evidence.
A more effective enforcement measure is called 'plainly audible standard' that allows an officer to determine noise levels from a prescribed distance.
In Lorain, Ohio, the noise from loud car stereos was so bad that more than 2,000 city residents signed a petition demanding a new noise ordinance. The revised ordinance removed decibel requirements and prohibited noise that is plainly audible 50 feet from the source. Repeat offenders risk having their vehicle impounded and their stereo equipment destroyed.
In Gulfport, Mississippi, the police launched a public service campaign to raise awareness of the city's noise ordinance, which sets a penalty of up to $1,000 for disturbing the peace.
In 2005, Florida enacted its state noise code that made it illegal to drive a vehicle if the sound system is plainly audible at 25 feet. In 2008, Sarasota amended its local ordinance to allow police to fine motorists and additionally, seize and impound their vehicles.
Sarasota Police Chief Peter Abbott said, "If somebody goes down the street and has this car that's rattling the walls and waking up every child and every infant, every sick and elderly person and shift worker and drives through the neighborhood, and when they settle down they drive back an hour later, wake up the neighborhood again, that car will spend time in the impound lot."
In 2009, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the ordinance, representing two plaintiffs who was fined for violating the noise ordinance. The ACLU claimed that the enforcement violated their First Amendment rights. A year later, the ACLU reached a $50,000 settlement after suing the city. The terms of the settlement also meant the city could no longer enforce its ordinance.
In 2012, the Florida Supreme Court invalidated the state noise code as unconstitutional on the grounds it violated free speech rights.
Pioneer "Disturb"
Pioneer Electronics thug-marketing video titled, "Disturb". A young man talks about spending half of his inheritance money to purchase car audio equipment costing $30,000. Another brags about how his boom car sets off car alarms and once caused a little boy to cry in the middle of the street.


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Bill.com, a payment and invoicing service startup, has raised a fresh $38 million round of funding, the company announced today.
The startup has developed a cloud-based system to make it safe and easy for businesses to adopt electronic payments, thus eliminating the need to manage all the cumbersome paperwork associated with billing, invoicing, and managing money. The startup estimates that about 80 percent of businesses are still using paper, as VentureBeat previously reported. That means there should be plenty of room for Bill.com to expand.
The new round of funding was led by Scale Venture Partners, with participation from Bank of America, American Express, Fifth Third Bank, Pete Kight, founder of CheckFree, Commerce Ventures, and other previous investors. (So clearly, this is something the banking industry is interested in.) Under terms of the new investment, ScaleVP partner Rory O'Driscoll will join Bill.com's board.
The startup said it plans to use the new capital to grow Bill.com's banking platform, its payments network, gain additional customers, and add more integration with third-party applications.
Founded in 2006, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup has raised a total of $80 million in funding to date.


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Insurer Laya Healthcare recorded pre-tax loss of €1.85m in 2011
The country's second largest health insurer – Laya Healthcare – last year went into the red after a drop in revenues.
According to accounts lodged by Laya Healthcare, the firm – then known as Quinn Healthcare – recorded a pre-tax loss of €1.85m last year following a €1.9m pre-tax profit in 2010.
The negative swing of €3.8m follows revenues at the firm last year dropping 16pc from €27.8m to €23.4m.
The insurer – headquartered in Cork – was the subject of a management buyout in December of last year with the support of an underwriter owned by re-insurance giant, Swiss Re.
The Quinn Healthcare business re-branded in May of this year to become Laya Healthcare. The firm has almost 450,000 members today.
Commenting on the 2011 performance yesterday, managing director of Laya Healthcare Donal Clancy said: "2011 was an extremely challenging year for Quinn Healthcare Ltd. However, following the launch of Laya Healthcare in May 2012, our business continues to grow in a declining market and we are very excited about our future as Laya Healthcare."
The firm said the loss was primarily driven by a reduction in commission receivable from its underwriter Quinn Insurance Ltd who were under administration throughout 2011.
The commission income accounts for 90pc of the revenues.
Asked if the firm anticipates a return to profit in 2012, a Laya Healthcare spokeswoman said: "Since its launch in May 2012, Laya Healthcare continues to gain members in a declining market. Currently the second largest health insurance provider in the market, Laya Healthcare is focused on continuing to grow its membership base and product offering."
Numbers employed by the firm last year increased from 324 to 334. Last May, Laya announced a further 100 jobs and since then 30 of the posts have been filled, bringing the headcount to 372 with a further eight positions to be filled between now and the end of the year.
The figures show that the firm recorded an operating loss of €2.5m in 2011 following an operating profit of €3.4m in 2010.
Irish Independent


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The retrial for Amanda Knox has been set for September 30, an Italian appeals court ruled Tuesday.
Knox, 26, is charged in the 2007 death of her British roommate Meredith Kercher. Italy's highest court overturned her acquittal in March for "deficiencies [and] contradictions" in the lower court in a 74-page document explaining the court's reasoning.
The court also said the jury did not consider all the evidence, and that discrepancies within Knox's testimony need to be clarified, citing prosecutors' theory early in the trial that Kercher died in an "erotic game" that got out of hand, a motive that the prosecution later abandoned.
The decision to overturn the acquittal freed Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. Knox had spent four years in an Italian prison when she was released.
The court has moved to retry Knox, and ordered a new appeals court to examine all the evidence and determine whether it ties Knox to the murder.
But Knox, who returned to her home in Seattle after the acquittal, is not expected to attend the retrial.