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They Play the Venture Game Well
Fund: VantagePoint Venture Partners
Posted by hollywood on 2008-04-10
This doesn't mean they are good at helping you build your company, since they aren't.
The game is, start a small fund, have a super hit deal, then drive out the partner who had the hit, raise a ton of cash, collect huge fees each year from the limited partners, then tell the Ltd's that there aren't any good companies to invest in or that the entrepreneurs are too greedy.
They will only be lying to you when their lips are moving. Their culture has been set from the top.PRIVATE: Members Only (317 Characters)

subset: commoncrawl


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With the city of Detroit facing an uncertain future after this week's bankruptcy filing, the Detroit Red Wings are still hoping to have a new arena soon, the Tigers are defending their American League title and the Lions are preparing for the start of another NFL season.
DETROIT (AP) ? The Detroit Red Wings are hoping to play in a new arena soon, not far from where the Tigers are defending their American League title and the Lions will soon start another football season.
All this in a city that is filing for bankruptcy, a decision that follows years of decline. Detroit owes billions to creditors and its revenues, like its population, drop each year.
Yet it's been largely business as usual on the ice and the playing field. The bankruptcy filing Thursday left the region a bit shaken, but the professional sports teams may be spared any dramatic impact.
"We remain confident in the city of Detroit and in its future," the Lions said in a statement Friday. "We do not anticipate that yesterday's announcement will have any impact on Lions home games or our many other events at Ford Field."
Spokesmen for the Red Wings and Tigers both declined comment, not wanting to speculate in the immediate aftermath of the largest bankruptcy protection request in U.S. history.
But that $650 million arena planned for the Red Wings? That can still become a reality, according to Brian Holdwick, an executive vice president for the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.
Plans for an 18,000-seat arena were announced by the team's owners and local economic development officials last month, although the new proposal still needed to be approved by the City Council and a handful of state and local agencies. The Red Wings said there will be $367 million in private investment and $283 million in public funds in the complex, which would also include residential, retail and office space.
Spending that kind of money on an arena ? in a city where bankruptcy could mean laying off employees and scaling back basic services ? could draw some public resistance. Holdwick said funding for the project would come from tax increment dollars that can't be used by the city's general fund anyway, so it's not necessarily a zero-sum game between building an arena and easing Detroit's financial pain.
Holdwick says money for the arena would go back to the state if not used for development downtown.
"I think there's a lot of reasons why the city should be supportive," Holdwick said. "I can't, obviously, predict what they'll vote."
Even while playing in aging Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings have been a model franchise. "Hockeytown" has been in the playoffs every season for over two decades and the team has won four Stanley Cup championships since 1997.
The Tigers and Lions have become pretty stable, too. They began playing in downtown stadiums across the street from each other in 2000 and 2002.
Downtown Detroit's trio of teams ? as well as the NBA's Pistons, who play in suburban Auburn Hills ? have had no trouble drawing fans when they've been winning. The Tigers, who are trying for their third straight AL Central title, ranked eighth in baseball in average attendance at this year's All-Star break, according to STATS.
That's in a city where the financial challenges have piled up for years. Detroit lost a quarter-million residents between 2000 and 2010. Today, the population struggles to stay above 700,000.
If the area's teams have been able to survive that exodus ? even thrive in it ? they may not be affected much by the bankruptcy filing, said Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College.
"They have strong ownership groups. It seems to me that they're going to be OK," Zimbalist said. "The extent to which they're not OK ? that would have been revealed already."
Tigers owner Mike Ilitch has been willing to inflate the team's payroll recently, presenting Detroit fans with a roster full of some of the game's brightest stars, like Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. Ilitch also owns the Red Wings.
The Lions have been considerably less successful on the field, stumbling to the NFL's first 0-16 record only a few years ago. But as Zimbalist pointed out, revenue sharing in the deep-pocketed NFL ? which signed a nine-year, $27 billion TV rights deal with the networks in 2011 ? can help teams overcome challenges their local markets present.
And like so many NFL teams, the Lions still draw big crowds for their eight home games. Last August, Forbes valued the team at $855 million. That put the Lions near the bottom of their league, but they were still assigned a higher value than the Tigers, who at $643 million ranked 13th in baseball before the start of this season.
Gov. Rick Snyder has said the bankruptcy process would offer a more certain path for creditors, who don't know how much or whether they will be paid. Holdwick said the city does not make ongoing contributions to debt service on Ford Field and Comerica Park. The Downtown Development Authority pays $350,000 a year to Comerica Park for maintenance and capital improvement.
There's concern that a bankrupt Detroit could cause businesses large and small to reconsider their operations in the city, but General Motors said it does not anticipate any impact to its daily operations. The Lions sought to sound the same refrain Friday.
"Our top priority remains providing all Lions fans and Ford Field patrons with a safe and optimum experience," they said.
While the city tries to figure out a path forward, the games will go on.


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Frontcountry Guildlines
As more people use parks and recreation facilities, LEAVE NO TRACE® (LNT) guidelines become even more important for outdoor visitors.
Leave No Trace is a plan that helps people to be more concerned about their environment and to help them protect it for future generations. Leave No Trace applies in a backyard or local park (frontcountry) as much as it does in the wilderness (backcountry).
We should practice Leave No Trace in our attitude and actions‹wherever we go. Understanding nature strengthens our respect toward the environment. One person with thoughtless behavior or one shortcut on a trail can spoil the outdoor experience for others.
Help protect the environment by remembering that while you are there, you are a visitor. When you visit the outdoors, take special care of the area. Leave everything just as you find it.
Hiking and camping without a trace are signs of a considerate outdoorsman who cares for the environment. Travel lightly on the land.
Watch for hazards and follow all the rules of the park or outdoor facility. Remember proper clothing, sunscreen, hats, first aid kits, and plenty of drinking water. Use the buddy system. Make sure you carry your family's name, phone number, and address.
Stay on marked trails whenever possible. Short-cutting trails causes the soil to wear away or to be packed, which eventually kills trees and other vegetation. Trampled wildflowers and vegetation take years to recover. Stick to trails!
Managing your pet will keep people, dogs, livestock, and wildlife from feeling threatened. Make sure your pet is on a leash or controlled at all times. Do not let your pet approach or chase wildlife. When animals are chased or disturbed, they change eating patterns and use more energy that may result in poor health or death.
Take care of your pet's waste. Take a small shovel or scoop and a pick-up bag to pick up your pet's waste— wherever it's left. Place the waste bags in a trash can for disposal.
When visiting any outdoor area, try to leave it the same as you find it. The less impact we each make, the longer we will enjoy what we have. Even picking flowers denies others the opportunity to see them and reduces seeds, which means fewer plants next year.
Use established restrooms. Graffiti and vandalism have no place anywhere, and they spoil the experience for others. Leave your mark by doing an approved conservation project.
Expect to meet other visitors. Be courteous and make room for others. Control your speed when biking or running. Pass with care and let others know before you pass. Avoid disturbing others by making noise or playing loud music.
Respect "No Trespassing" signs. If property boundaries are unclear, do not enter the area.
Make sure all trash is put in a bag or trash receptacle. Trash is unsightly and ruins everyone's outdoor experience. Your trash can kill wildlife. Even materials, such as orange peels, apple cores and food scraps, take years to break down and may attract unwanted pests that could become a problem.
Patches (catalog number 08797) are available through your local council.
You can take the pledge to practice the Leave No Trace frontcountry guidelines wherever you go. Just review the guidelines and promise to practice them in your frontcountry outings.


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Check out these local businesses and organizations in our local community.
Our resource guide program is an exclusive look at businesses and organizations in the Billings, Montana area. Billings is a thriving city and the heart of commerce for the surrounding 500 mile radius of small communities and farmers. As the largest city in Montana, Billings has a big city feel to it, but it also comes with the small town charm that Montana cities are infamous for. Included in this list of members are websites that are supporters of Billings but may be located outside of the area. We welcome you to peruse the links below and visit the following websites:
- Appliances Billings MT by Kitchens Plus
With Kitchens Plus of Billings, Montana you can make your kitchen design dreams a reality with the highest quality cabinetry, counter tops, appliances and award-winning expert design advice – all in one convenient location!
- Captivate your world with abstract art by designer Nikki Shiva! Featuring fine art, graphic deigns, wall coverings, murals, prints, wraps, decal, poster, apparel, and much much more!!
- I am Nikki, CEO of The Universal Artists Website, Universal Art on facebook and the Universal Book on wordpress. These sites are designed to help the artists who are looking to be seen and heard and was created because of my deep love for art and the artists who create them
- High Plains Law PLLC is a general practice law firm Billings. Attorney Will Gilbert has over a decade of experience in civil litigation, having represented individuals, small businesses, schools, national retailers and some of the nation's largest insurance companies in every level of Montana's State and Federal courts. High Plains Law focuses on litigation, family law, and DUI offenses and work with clients across the state from Sidney, MT, to Billings, Bozeman, Butte, and Missoula.
- Whether you live in Las Vegas or picked up a charge while visiting the city's nightclubs and casinos, Daniel Lippman, a Criminal Defense Attorney in Las Vegas can help you. His firm tackles a broad range of felony and misdemeanor cases. No matter what charge you face, Daniel will work hard for you. He will listen closely to you and tailor a criminal defense strategy to meet your specific goals.
Business Coaching
- Lisa Matovich Brooke Counseling offers business coaching Billings, MT. Lisa Matovich Counseling has many years experience in family, grief, trauma, relationship, mental health,depression, PTSD counseling for all ages. Now these wonderful skills are available to help take business owners to the next level.
- Steph Johnson and The Cut makes listeners believe in Rock-n-Roll all over again! Hailing from Humboldt County, California. Steph Johnson and The Cut has an instinctive sound that is a fusion of Rock and Blues, and inspired by Classic Rock, Alternative, Punk and Metal. The band's inspirations come from artists the likes of AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Social Distortion, as well as Classic Country and Blues artists like Patsy Cline and Etta James.
Cleaning Companies
- commercial cleaning Billings, Montana. Gwenlin Business Cleaning has been providing cleaning and maintenance services for all types of businesses in the Billings, Heights and Laurel, MT areas for over 40 years.
- Rug cleaning service las vegas – Rug Service Center understands that your Oriental or Persian area rugs can be a major investment similar to a work of art that appreciates in value with proper care and protection. Rug Service Center's experience and knowledge will help protect your investment for the long-term.
Computer Repair
- San Antonio Computer Repair. Mobile PC Fix drives to the customers location: Business or Residents. We even give the option to meet at certain locations directly located near the mobile technicians location.
Counseling Services
- Lisa Matovich Brooke Counseling offers counseling services Billings, MT. Lisa Matovich Counseling has many years experience in family, grief, trauma, relationship, mental health,depression, PTSD counseling for all ages. Now these wonderful skills are available to help take business owners to the next level.
Countertops & Granite Installation Services
- Pro Stone Source is one of the top granite and tile installers and showrooms in Lake Havasu City, AZ. granite Lake Havasu, AZ.
- Moritz Dental Care Services Billings Montana
At Moritz Dental Care our mission is a simple one: To make quality dentistry more accessible to hard working families.
- Dental implants Billings, MT. The All on 6 Dental Implant Solution procedure creates a permanent prosthesis by using 6 dental implants which act as an anchor for a bridge or over-denture. Six implants are placed in the lower or upper jawbone to permanently anchor prosthetic teeth in place.
Dj Services
- Magic City Productions DJ services Billings, MT We have over 20 years of DJ experience and have seen a lot of changes in this industry. We want to be the company that makes you the center of attention at your party.
Dog Breeders
- We have owned Bernese Mountain Dogs for over 20 years, and have a deep love for the breed. Our search for the ideal family dog, and desire to spend more time at home with our children started us on this journey. Bernese mountain dog Montana We live on 11 acres in Montana with our son, daughter, and our four legged family members. Looking for bernedoodle dogs Montana?
Essential Oils
- Essential Oils of Montana – essential oils billings Proprietary blends by Nikki Shiva. Concentrated 100% pure natural oils. No diluted base oils, alcohols, or animal based scents. We offfer bath salts, bubble salts and soaps with these fragrances!
Financial Services
- Thurlow Wealth Management has been serving individuals, families, and small businesses in all areas of wealth management since 1992. Thurlow Wealth Management / financial advisor Henderson, Nevada. Our office assists clients in southern Nevada and over 20 states across the country.
Food Services
- Trailhead Mushrooms Billings, MT. Our mushrooms are grown in the most healthy substrates available. We provide a delicious treat of variety of different mushrooms for your culinary delight.
Graphic Design
- Graphic Design Billings MT
Welcome to Graphic Design Billings, MT the ultimate resource for professional graphic design.
Healthcare Solutions
- Healthcare IT Solutions San Antonio TX.Compuwork Healthcare IT Solutions specializes in Healthcare IT and Technical Support. With over 22 years of experience in the IT field, we are proven, reliable, and we care about our clients!
- Big Sky Asset Insurance is an independent agency, proudly representing and selling the insurance products of Family Heritage Life Insurance Company of America. Featuring cancer insurance Billings, MT
Grass – Artificial
Landscaping Companies
- We are happy to introduce our landscaping design and installation services to Billings Montana! Billings Landscaping provides high quality landscape design and installation.
- Billings Landscape offers lawn maintenance services Billings, MT.. Billings Landscape can take help you maintain existing trees and remove old, damaged, or unwanted trees and shrubs.
Lawn Care Services
- We are happy to introduce our landscaping design and installation services to Billings Montana! Billings Landscaping provides high quality lawn care services Billings. Brilliant landscape design and quality installation is our mission from design to finish. Our landscape designers are uniquely qualified to handle any project.
Massage Therapy
- The Massage Company in Billings, MT, is dedicated to helping people live life with less pain and discomfort. Looking for a massage Billings, MT? Licensed massage therapists provide a wide range of customized services from deep tissue and relaxation massage therapy to hot stone massage, foot massage, aromatherapy, and more.
Meat Companies
- The MM Beef Company is dedicated to producing high quality Montana natural beef. Our goal is to provide ranch raised all natural grass fed beef for our customers. Like all good things, it takes effort and time to develop these cattle. Traditional grain fed finishing takes about 16 months. Cattle finished on grass takes up to two years.
Mobile Storage & Offices
- Specializing in portable offices and shipping containers, Mobile-Stor (Mobile Store), located in Billings, Montana, provides a variety of mobile office and mobile storage container units Williston, North Dakota and Billings, MT and other areas including: Bozeman, Dickinson, Watford City, and Northern Wyoming. Customized office units and storage containers available for sale or lease.
Nail Salons
- Get It Nails and Spa is a Get It Nails and Spa nail salon Billings, MT. Here your comfort is our top priority. Indulge yourself with our full line of luxurious nails, skin and spa treatments that soothe the body and mind. As a guest, you are entitled to the finest products and services available.
Online Business Reputation Management Services
- Online Presence Management for Your Business | Girl Geek Communications
Online Presence Management works beyond your website to reach areas of the internet that your customers visit every day! From online directories like Google and Bing to review monitoring on sites like Yelp and Facebook. We also set up, manage, and market your social media pages with professional graphic design, paid advertising, and top-notch customer service when customers reach out to you through these sites. Run your business while Girl Geek takes care of your digital presence!
Pet Crematory Services
- Pet Crematory San Antonio TX. With Bluebonnet Pet Crematory you are assured the same quality, integrity, and choice services that we've offered the families of San Antonio, Texas now serving over 17 years.
Pet Products
- Tamboo® Flyers are fly fishing poles for pets. Our ultra long cat pet toys are unique wand style feather toys combine modern technology with nature to create fly rods that effortlessly make feathers fly like birds.
- Peter Herzog is a professional photographer based in downtown Billings Montana. He specializes in Children Photography, Family Portraits, Professional Headshots, and Senior Pictures but these are just a few of the services provided.Looking for photographers Billings, MT?
Plumbing Services
- Plumbing Service Billings
Rimrock Plumbing is a licensed and insured plumbing business located in Billings, Montana. Services include home or business plumbing repair, water heater replacement and remodeling. Owner and Master Plumber Bill Manske or Master Plumber Gabe Hopkins are the plumbers on each job. They are dedicated to quality work at a fair price. Commercial plumbing services Billings, MT.
Private Investigator
- Zane Investigations is a top investigation and repossession service Las Vegas, NV. Private Investigations, Repossession, Process Service and Security Consultation. Licensed for Arizona, Nevada, California and Oregon.
- Elite Investigations Private Investigator Billings MT, provides professional investigation services to Billings, MT and its surrounding areas including Wyoming.
Recording Studios
- Wyld Style Studios is a recording studio Lyons, CO. Paradigm shifting recording studio and artists showcase venue. Come and get you some! Puresound, art and creation for the pure souls. Let's make magic!
Scuba & Snorkeling
- Family Fun Scuba & Snorkel is the ONLY full time aquatics scuba and snorkel instructor in Billings. Marc works and instructs in Scuba, Snorkeling, Swim, Life Guarding and First Aid, CPR, AED and O2 provider.
Search Engine Optimization
- SEO Expert Billings, MT Search marketing and search optimization can improve your business traffic, recognition and sales.
- SEO Vegas by Vegas SEO Club an exclusive online group of businesses who support each other in building search engine optimization between the members websites. Visit the website vegasseoclub.com to learn more about joining the club and how the SEO program works.
Sprinkler Installation Services
- Billings Landscaping technicians are experts at servicing underground sprinkler systems. Whether you have a simple residential system or an entire golf course, we have the technical expertise to diagnose and repair your sprinkler system. Our sprinkler installation service Billings includes troubleshooting, startups, seasonal maintenance, and winterization.
Therapy Services
- Lisa Matovich Brooke Counseling service Billings, MT is a page about family, grief, trauma, relationship, mental health, depression, PTSD counseling for all ages.
- Towing service San Antonio, TX. Roadrunner Towing Located Schertz, Texas and services the Tri-County area, Roadrunner Towing is no stranger to the towing and recovery business. We have over seventeen years experience in San Antonio and the surrounding areas.
Virtual Reality Education/Training
- Using VR Brightside Media creates powerful virtual reality simulations for workplace VR education and training. Ask how VR can save your company time and money with our intensive and measurable training experiences. These proprietary virtual reality trainings use intense interactions in photo-realistic environments.
Web Design
- Havasu Web Design Co. is a top of the line web design and marketing firm serving the Lake Havasu City area. Looking for web design Lake Havasu City?
- Henderson Web Design Co. is a premier web design and marketing firm serving the Henderson, Nevada area. Looking for web design Henderson, NV?
- SkyPoint Studios is a full-service web design and
graphic design firm located in Billings, Montana. SkyPoint is one of the top companies in town for web design Billings MT. We have a passion for hyper-localized service, we know Billings and Montana and care about doing business in our local community.
- San Antonio Affordable Website Design and Development. Odyssey Designs provides affordable logo and website design services along with SEO & internet marketing for businesses in San Antonio.
Videography Services
- Videography services Billings, MT. Using a professionally written script and recorded voice-over, ads reinforce your message while highlighting the benefits, features and advantages of your business, product or service.


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esg wrote:Here's a much more interesting article on the shark "sighting" on Maui a couple days ago.
This crap seems to be happening almost on a weekly basis lately.
Those buggers don't shy away from paddle boards, kayaks, or kiters.
SHARKWatch Update: MAUIWatch's Malika Dudley spoke with the woman who had a shark encounter yesterday fronting the Mana Kai Resort. No stranger to ocean activities, she's paddled the Molokai channel, done competitions in Tahiti, dives and has been around other types of sharks before. She describes the shark she encountered as "aggressive" and a "beast" - the water was crystal clear that morning, lots of people enjoying the ocean. She said it came so quick, she saw it out of the corner of her eye. It rammed her board and she fell in the water. She thought "This is it. I'm going to die today." The shark then bit her board and started swimming toward her friend. Her friend screamed "The shark is over here, get on your board!" She got back on her board, yelled at her friend to get on her knees and started praying out loud, that's when the shark (which she describes as being bigger than her board, with distinguishable stripes) came back to ram her board again. She said she was in a state of shock. That's when two ladies, responding to their cries for help, paddled out toward them and, in her words, "they were big together" while paddling back to shore. She says the shark followed them all the way in. "I know I'll be back in the water, I just don't know when that is going to be. I feel sick to my stomach. My girlfriend saved my life and those two ladies are my heroes."
Background info:
The shark encounter occurred yesterday afternoon (2/9/14) a little after 1pm. DLNR closed the beaches from Ulua to Charley Young for 2 hours while Ocean Safety patrolled the area. The beaches were reopened a little after 3pm.
I completely agree. It is ridiculous when people go into nature and complain when nature shows up.tautologies wrote:Anyone that suggest we kill sharks because they are afraid should gtfo of the ocean. That playground really just isn't for you. May I suggest a lake or perhaps land kiting.
I dunno, like sharks paedo's are good at preying on the weak so probably knows what he's talking aboutHawaiis wrote:http://m.hawaiinewsnow.com/#!/newsDetail/24487638
I wouldn't believe this guy.
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A tip from LeNae: When adding brads to monograms with thin edges, I find it easiest to attach the monograms to my project, then add my brads. This way I don't have to worry about the brad prongs peeking out from behind the monogram, and I don't have to deal with the difficulty of trying to glue the monogram to my page with the prongs on the back. After gluing your monograms to your page, just punch or cut a small hole through both the monogram and paper layers, then insert the brad and open the prongs on the back side of the paper.
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Tavern On The Green Plays Halloween Trick On Thousands Of Partiers
Melissa is one of thousands of people who showed up at the bankrupt Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park on Saturday night for a ticket-holders-only Halloween party. She was forced to wait outside at the front of an increasingly agitated mob because the restaurant had sold too many tickets, or because someone had sold fake ones, it's still unclear. The Daily News says one reveler waited 5 hours before he was finally let in, just before 1:30 am—which was when the party was shut down by police. Now they all want their money back, but Tavern on the Green and the party promoters are blaming each other.
Melissa writes,
I'm hoping you can help escalate the Tavern on the Green Halloween scam where thousands of people were scammed into buying tickets for a party they never got to attend.
We were among the thousands that got stranded in front of Tavern on the Green in the pouring rain and mud for 2 hours only to find out the party was shut down by the police due to overcrowding. What started as an annoying line turned into a dangerous crowd that threatened to riot. I was pushed and shoved and could hear people yelling to storm the doors. I was near the front, so it became a very nerve-wracking experience, hoping they wouldn't start trampling everyone in front of them. No one ever came out to tell us what was going on; we could only gather information from whatever people in the crowd were hearing.
People spent $60 to $130 for a party that never happened. Tavern on the Green is blaming the promoters for selling too many tickets (apparently 4,000 over the actual # they were allowed) [I can't verify this number. – Ed.], but all the promoters' phones have voicemails that direct the blame to Tavern on the Green. Neither side is returning our money to the thousands of us.
It's amazing how irresponsible Tavern on the Green was as the crowd grew larger and angrier; maybe they didn't hear about last year's Walmart trampling?
If you were one of the people who got ripped off on Saturday, here's a Facebook group where you can share information with others and find out how to fight for your refund.
Update, November 4th 2009: Here's a message that was just sent out to members of the Facebook group:
Subject: Update on refunds issued!
Update from 7 on your side: UPDATE 12:31pm Wednesday 11/4/09
Alex and Leo Entertainment say they will be responsible for organizing the refunds. The statement says those who purchased valid tickets online using a credit card or PayPal should request a refund directly from the online ticket seller. Customers should also dispute this charge immediately with their credit card company.
The promoters also say "those who purchased tickets using cash should email their refund requests to email@example.com." Each request "must include a copy of the ticket(s) purchased, together with the place and date of the purchase, as well as the ticket holder's mailing address. Alex & Leo Entertainment will process each request within four weeks of receipt."
It's advised when customers send your email get a documented record of when the email was sent and whether it was received/opened. If you find that refunds aren't received 4 weeks after delivery of email, contact the promoters at the email listed above. If that doesn't work, contact 7 On Your Side.
"Tavern on the Green Halloween party from hell, say booted patrons" [NY Daily News]
"We got scammed by Tavern on the Green 2009 Halloween!
Join" [Facebook]
(Photo: hmerinomx)
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.


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The city of London has asked a marketing company to stop using street-side trash bins to track the unique hardware identifier of every Wi-Fi-enabled smartphone that passes by, according to a published report.
The request by London officials came a few days after Ars and other publications reported the deployment of bins outfitted with technology to collect the unique media access control (MAC) address of every Wi-Fi enabled device that came within range. In press releases, the company boasted that the cans, which included LCD advertising screens, "provide an unparalleled insight into the past behavior of unique devices"—and hence of the people who carry them around.
The company, known as Renew, has suspended all trials of the program following a request by London officials, according to an article published Monday by the BBC. The BBC quoted a spokesman for the City of London Corporation as saying, "Irrespective of what's technically possible, anything that happens like this on the streets needs to be done carefully, with the backing of an informed public." Meanwhile, Renew's CEO maintained that the bins were mere "glorified people-counters in the street" and that his company held no personal information about the people carrying the mobile devices being tracked.
Maybe. But unless the company acts carefully, it may collect personal details without even knowing it. As the company's press releases acknowledged, the "ORB" data collection technology can monitor a wealth of details, including the "entry/exit points, dwell times, places of work, places of interest, and affinity to other devices" by people whose smartphones are monitored. During a one-week period in June, just 12 cans (or about 10 percent of the company's fleet) tracked more than four million devices and allowed company marketers to map the "footfall" of their owners within a four-minute walking distance to various stores. Further, there's no indication that tracked smartphone owners were informed of the program in advance.
It's great that Renew has suspended this experiment, but it by no means resolves the potential problems surrounding Wi-Fi enabled monitoring. A bigger threat than marketers tracking mobile devices to glean personal details about their owners is other people doing the same thing for voyeuristic or personal agendas. As Ars also reported last week, the price and technical requirements of a distributed DIY stalker network are well within reach of the masses. As we said then, using virtual private networking and turning off Wi-Fi except when needed are the two best defenses, but they're certainly not a sure bet.


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Now is the perfect time to give your classroom library a facelift. The books you took great care to shelve by genre or place in labeled bins in August have likely found new homes in nooks and crannies around the room or are simply MIA at this point in the school year. The meeting space rug is soiled, the book doctor basket is full, the beanbag has more duct tape than beans, and the plant that once gave the space that special touch has failed to survive the drought. Sound familiar?
No worries! Now is the time for starting fresh, tidying things up, and recharging. Sprucing up the classroom library will no doubt require you to roll up your sleeves and possibly, moan and sweat a bit, but what could be any better motivation than knowing your efforts will have a direct impact on promoting engaged, proficient, joyful readers? The research is clear....reading more is directly linked to reading (and writing) better. So, what are you waiting for? Let's get started!
While there is no single "best way" to set up a classroom library, there are four tips I have found helpful in setting up a classroom library that I am eager to share with you.
Tip #1: Organize for ease of retrieval and replacement
Organization is key! When you think about how to organize the plethora of titles you have generated over the years, think about the importance of grouping texts together that have something in common and think about labels that let everybody know exactly what texts they should expect to find in that section. You may prefer to sort by genre, author's last name, topic, theme, or any number of ways. Maybe now is the time to shake things up a bit – why not try a new organizing scheme and get the students involved in the process? The most important consideration is to look at the titles you have and determine what makes sense to you and your learners. Labels are critical! Having labels on the texts and corresponding labels on the shelves, bins, baskets, or other storage devices enable readers to be independent in both the retrieval and replacement process. Here is a great website for FREE labels – print, laminate and fasten!
Tip #2: Move beyond the cozy corner
Think about the successful book stores. Books and magazines are everywhere! For me (a self-professed bibliophile), the aesthetic allure of being able to reach out and touch oodles of my paper friends at every turn is irresistible! This is what we want for our readers – the inability to leave book shelves, bins, and baskets without one or two titles in their hands. Most classrooms boast a cozy corner, which is fantastic, but what about branching out and making texts available all around the room? Just think about the possibilities. Could nonfiction titles be located in one part of the room and fiction in another? What about a special space for poetry, Big Books, multiple copies of titles for buddy reading, magazines, newspapers, graphic novels, wordless titles, and student created works? Get creative – look at the texts you have and the layout of your room through new eyes!
Tip #3: Create Attractive Displays
When you walk into a public library or book store, think about which books catch your eye. The ones on the end cap, featured on a table top, or on the shelves with the covers facing you, right? Try mimicking that in your classroom and watch the titles fly off your shelves!! Try a new display with books by a featured "Author of the Month" or permit students to make recommendations to peers and feature those in a special spot in the room. Try having a section called "Teacher Picks" – you will not believe how desirable these books are to your students!! Do you have a special event or fieldtrip coming up you can frontload with independent reading material? What about supplementing required content area reading with many and varied texts across genres and levels of challenge? I guarantee that if you rotate titles often enough and make them visually appealing, they will find their way into the hands of engaged, happy readers! Don't have enough bookshelf space? How about gutters? That's right…..rain gutters! The image below shows how rain gutters can make an easy way to display books.
Tip #4: Build Your Library and Catalog your Texts
Classroom libraries are living organisms in that they continually grow and change over time. I think two things are important to keep in mind:
- Take stock of the genres presently in your collection and see where there are holes – fill those in with new acquisitions before you add to existing genres. Teachers, me included, can be guilty of purchasing titles in genres they enjoy. If science fiction is not your cup of tea and you have no offerings for that 4th grade reader who talks nonstop about time travel and space adventures into galaxies far, far away, you could very well miss out on that one opportunity to propel him to new reading heights. It is critical we stay on top of what is "hot" and learn about new authors so that we can make appropriate recommendations to our students. There is nothing more motivating for a reader than for his teacher to say, "I was thinking about you when I read this and I bet you would really enjoy it. Have a go and then let's talk about it together." Wow!!
- Know what titles you own! This is one thing I wish someone had told me about sooner! In my first few years of teaching I gobbled up books as fast as I could and donned with my personalized ink stamp, I made sure to place my name on the inside cover of every one of them. The trouble was, I had no idea which books I owned, how many, or what genres – I was happy just to see my shelves, buckets, and bins expanding. Big mistake! I realized the error of my ways and rectified the situation. It was a slow process, but it was totally worth it. Whether you are just starting your teaching career or you have been teaching for decades, it is not too late. There are many ways to catalog, but I am happy to share LibraryThing, a terrific tool I really like.
When you have plentiful offerings across all genres, topics, and degrees of challenge (and a way to see at a glance the current text inventory), you can be certain there is something irresistible for every reader on your shelves! Do you have a checkout system and if so, is it for classroom purposes only or do you permit students to take books home to read? Whether or not you incorporate a check out system, I would encourage you to have a formalized "shopping day" system in place. This will ensure that all readers have a time every week or two to browse and choose titles that are "just right" for them to read independently.
Benefits of a Classroom Library Makeover
Revitalize, refresh, and rejuvenate your classroom library with two purposes in mind:
- To optimally support your instruction
- To grow proficient, engaged, and lifelong readers
I hope you decide to make 2014 the year to overhaul your classroom library. One thing I know for sure, it will be time and energy well spent. The payoff is enormous – a classroom full of students with large reading appetites, engrossed in texts they simply cannot put down….it does not get any better than that!
Dr. Debbie Linville is the Department Chair of the Elementary & Middle Grades Education at High Point University. She has been involved with NCAEE since 2005 and is currently the Director of Region 5 and Chair of the NCAEE Regional Advisory Councils. Dr. Linville has been teaching for over 30 years and her passion is enabling educators to promote the proficient, joyful reading and writing lives of children.


text: Kinect -- it's the Xbox 360 peripheral that just keeps on giving, now with more edutainment. Yes, that collision of worlds typically yields cringe- and boredom-inducing interactive experiences. Not so with this marriage of MS' motion-controlling sensor and the fine folks behind TV mainstays like Sesame Street, National Geographic and Disney. The newly inked content partnerships will see the creation of specifically tailored episodes of Kinect Nat Geo TV, in addition to a season's worth of Kinect Sesame Street TV for Xbox Live, letting your youngins play virtual connect the dots with Elmo. Plans are also underway for a virtual storybook effort, codenamed Project Columbia, aimed at indoctrinating children into the fundamentals of reading, and Rush, a videogame that'll lead adults and their tots alike through Pixar's virtual worlds. These various family-friendly titles and TV shows are set to rollout sometime next spring, so if you need to get your little ones' blood pumping (and slim down those love handles while you're at it), it looks like X's prepping to mark that spot. Official presser after the break.


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COLUMN: Time to accept, deal with global warming
Here at home, U.S. government action on climate change has been paralyzed by politics, but American taxpayers are actually trying to make things better abroad, whether they know it or not. At the front lines in the climate change war, there's no argument about whether weather disasters come more frequently and ferociously. The only question is what to do about them.
As a trustee of Save the Children, Cokie recently traveled to the agency's programs in Vietnam, deemed by the World Bank as one of the five countries most at risk from climate change.
Rising sea levels and more frequent rainfalls are already affecting about 40 percent of the Mekong Delta, where children accounted for 90 percent of the deaths from recent floods.
During the Vietnam War, newscasts carried regular reports from the Mekong Delta battlefield. But after centuries of war and decades of poverty, Vietnam has struggled into the ranks of middle-class countries, only to see its future now threatened by weather that can drown farms and devastate fishing.
Government officials at both the federal and district levels rank climate change as a major obstacle to Vietnam's development, telling visitors: "We're seeing storms in places we've never seen them before." One of those places is Yen Bai province.
Driving northwest from Hanoi, dodging the thousands of motorbikes on a road lined with bustling shops celebrating capitalism in this communist country, one sees the landscape eventually shift to rice fields interrupted by banana groves and small vegetable plots. These crops provide the income for many of the area's almost 800,000 people.
Much of the population in the Tran Yen district of Yen Bai province is made up of ethnic minorities who don't speak Vietnamese. Save the Children has been implementing bilingual education programs for the children of the area, but for these kids to learn they must first be safe, so disaster drills are a regular part of the curriculum.
Hong Ca primary school sits at the end of a muddy mountain road. The large yellow building, with a huge mural above the door of Ho Chi Minh tying a red scarf around a schoolgirl's neck, backs up to a wall of mud. When teachers sound a drum and blare a megaphone-enhanced siren, children file out in an orderly fashion and move quickly from the landslide-threatened building to a safe area a few hundred yards away.
Girls wearing the traditional brightly embroidered skirts and coin-embossed tops of the Hmong tribe drop their Disney princess backpacks and stand watching as their classmates tend to some of the "injured" students. They know these drills could mean the difference between life and death, since many children have been lost in flooding streams and under landslides.
The kids now know how to protect themselves and warn their families against impending disaster. Save the Children has established evacuation sites with clean water available, put systems in place where teachers and parents cooperate to get children to school and back home safely in rising floodwaters, and in some areas handed out floating backpacks that can serve as life vests.
The U.S. Agency for International Development funds many of these "disaster risk reduction" projects as part of the official American response to climate change. There might not be much movement here at home, but the U.S. government is actively addressing altered weather patterns abroad. And U.S. AID has plans to invest in clean energy to help the countries it assists move to more low-emission development.
But greenhouse gases don't stop at national borders, and the absence of an international plan of action means that Vietnam and the other countries on the environmental edge are likely to suffer more disasters from ever higher waters and ever stronger winds.
At the recent United Nations climate conference in Doha, Qatar, even the highly unusual sight of the chief negotiator for the Philippines breaking into tears to plead for his typhoon-ravaged country failed to move many of the major countries, including the United States, to action. The best the meeting could come up with was an extension of the current climate protocols.
The little Hmong children in the mountains of Vietnam know that more is needed. They can tell visiting Americans what happens when too many trees are cut or when a manufacturer spews pollution, and they're educating their parents as well.
Too bad those kids can't come here. Maybe they could educate our politicians to take action on the home front about a situation threatening us all.


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With college football players blocked from joining the NFL until three years have passed since the player's high school class has graduated, what should a college football player who has shown in only two years that he has the ability to thrive at the next level do?
The right answer, from a business standpoint, is to quit playing football for free. Or, technically, for a free education that the player may have never wanted and, if things go as planned, will never actually use.
But 20-year-old football players aren't wired to be businessmen. They're wired to play football. And to not worry about the worst-case scenario.
So the middle ground becomes buying insurance. According to ESPN.com, Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has become the latest underclassmen to do so, purchasing $10 million in coverage against a career-ending injury.
But here's the problem. If Bridgewater suffers a career-ending injury this year, $10 million won't even begin to cover what he could have earned over the course of an NFL career, if he's truly a top-five prospect for the 2014 draft. And if he doesn't suffer a "career-ending injury" (but instead an injury that limits his career or greatly reduces his value), he's not getting any of the insurance money.
The decision to buy the insurance reflects an understanding by the player that he's taking a risk by playing for free. Still, players like Bridgewater and Jadeveon Clowney are taking only half measures to protect themselves.
If they really want to protect their future earning potential, they'll go all the way and refuse to play another game of college football.
Fortunately for South Carolina and Louisville, the thing that helps make both players great is the thing that will keep them from ever choosing to not play.


text:
The context is the definition of Hecke Größencharakter:
This is supposed to generalize the Dirichlet $L$-series for number fields. Dirichlet characters are characters of the multiplicative groups of $\mathbb Z/p\mathbb Z$. An appropriate generalization would be instead to consider characters of the multiplicative group of $\mathcal O_K/\cal P$ where $\mathcal P$ is a prime ideal in the ring of integers of a number field $K$.
But Hecke Größencharakter goes to more trouble than this. It brings in ideles and such for a more complicated generalization. Why is this necessary?


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8-18-09 PNC Park
Today started in the same place as yesterday. I stood about a foot from the river's edge and waited for balls to sail onto the outer concourse of PNC Park, and bounce towards the river. Two other ballhawks, Nick and Bryan Pelescak, joined in the opportunity. Yesterday, one ball came out.
Today, there would also be just one ball that would exit the stadium.
I heard a crackling of branches to my left, and quickly looked to see a ball rolling towards the river. Bryan was the closest to the spot, but wasn't able to corral the ball before it rolled off of the walkway and into the Allegheny River.
Game: 5 balls (5 hit)
Season: 293 balls (151 hit, 89 thrown, 53 device)
Games: 61 games (6 of which didn't have BP)
Average: 4.80 balls per game
Career: 459 balls
Streak: 76 consecutive games attended with at least 1 ball snagged.
Attendance: 12,188


text:
National Night Out; Back to School bash; Barton honor society
KDPS crime campaign set for today
Howard-Carter Funeral Home has donated $300 to the National Night Out campaign, planned for 6 to 8 p.m. today by the City of Kinston Department of Public Safety. The event will be at Southeast Park, off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between East Bright and East King streets.
This donation will enable KDPS to serve food items during the annual event that focuses on police and community partnerships involving crime prevention. KDPS will share information on keeping you and your family safe. Free tickets will be given to children younger than 18 years old for a visit to the Woodmen Community Center�s Lions Water Adventure.
For more information, call KDPS at 252-939-3139.
�Back to School� bash planned
The Gate of Lenoir County, in partnership with St. Mary�s Episcopal Church, will sponsor its fifth annual Back to School bash at 10 a.m. Saturday at The Gate, 201 E. Gordon St.
Free school supplies and hotdog lunches will be given out to youth in the community. Christopher L. King will be the guest speaker for this event. Students must be present to receive a school supply bag.
For more information, call Wanda Hall, executive director of The Gate, at 252-939-3223.
Students named to Barton honor society
WILSON � Barton College�s Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society in Business, Management and Administration held its third induction ceremony before the end of spring semester.
Area students among the 19 inducted include Holly Carol Lafond of New Bern, a member of the junior class; and senior class members Sarah Elizabeth Casey of Kinston and Lindsey P. Frederick of Goldsboro.
Candidates for bachelor�s degrees in accounting or business management at Barton College, who rank academically in the upper 20 percent of the junior or senior class at the time of the invitation to membership, may be inducted into membership following completion of at least one-half of the degree program in which they are enrolled.
Transfer students who meet the qualifications for membership may be inducted after they have completed a minimum of one term of work at the College in an accounting or business management degree program, provided their overall record, in the judgment of the collegiate chapter, is of Sigma Beta Delta caliber.


text:
Mi SciELO
Servicios Personalizados
- Citado por SciELO
- Accesos
Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais
versión impresa ISSN 0102-6909
MONTERO, Paula. Antonio Colbacchini and salesian etnography.Traducido porPlínio Dentzien. Rev. bras. ciênc. soc. [online]. 2008, vol.4Selected edition, pp. 0-0. ISSN 0102-6909.
This paper studies the ethnographies of Salesian priests, particularly the ones of Father Antonio Colbacchini, produced between the years of 1920 and 1930 in Brazil, about the Bororo Indians in Mato Grosso. It is an examination of this literature to understand the specificity of its textual construction as well as to reveal its intrinsic interlocutors. Our analysis will favor both symbolic and political mechanisms which are used at a given moment to produce a certain image of the Indian and construct - for the Brazilian society - a convincing and absorbing view on their way of life and on what could be understood as their "culture."
Palabras clave : Mission; Identity; Culture.


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Date: May 18, 2004
This notice clarifies the responsibilities and authority of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and agencies with delegated authority to adjudicate suitability issues relating to falsification of employment applications and materials by individuals applying for or employed in competitive Federal civil service positions.
This notice does not apply to adjudication for contractors, military commissions or enlistments, positions in the excepted service that do not convert to the competitive service, or positions that are not subject to investigation under the provisions of 5 CFR 731.104.
OPM responsibility. As outlined in OPM's published suitability adjudication regulations (5 CFR 731), OPM retains jurisdiction in all competitive service cases involving evidence of material, intentional false statements or deception or fraud in examination or appointment. The regulations define a "material" false statement as "one that is capable of influencing, or has a natural tendency to affect, an official decision." The test of materiality does not rest on whether or not an agency actually relied on a false statement. Actions may be taken against falsifiers whether or not they succeed in their attempts to deceive. OPM's suitability program seeks to deter applicants from falsifying statements to gain advantage in the appointment process, as well as to detect individuals who falsify. Our continued involvement in adjudicating these cases serves to promote the efficiency of the service and to protect its integrity. When we take a suitability action, we are able to debar (for up to three years) an individual from competing for or accepting appointments in the competitive Federal service. Our debarment action prohibits individuals who engage in material, intentional falsification in the appointment process from being appointed to any competitive service position with any Federal agency.
If we identify falsification during the course of an investigation we are conducting at the request of an agency, and determine that there is evidence of materiality and intent, we will contact the agency to coordinate adjudication of the case. If appropriate, we will notify the agency that we will be assuming jurisdiction to adjudicate the case.
Agency responsibility. If you receive the results of an investigation containing falsification and are not contacted by us, the explanation may be that we have no jurisdiction to adjudicate the case or that we have deemed the falsification to be non-material or unintentional. However, we realize that agencies may identify a material and intentional falsification that we overlooked or lacked information to validate. We also realize that agencies may have insight into the requirements of the position and may reach a conclusion that a particular false statement is material because of its nexus to the position or because of the agency's public trust responsibilities, for example.
If you receive the results of an investigation for a position that is in the competitive service and is subject to investigation under the requirements of 5 CFR 731.104, and you believe that it contains an issue of material, intentional falsification, you should contact our Suitability Adjudications Branch (SAB) by phone or mail. We will evaluate the issues in the case and consider any information you provide about the materiality or intentionality of the falsification. We will exercise jurisdiction to adjudicate the case if we conclude the falsification is material and intentional.
Agencies with delegated authority from OPM to conduct investigations that are required under 5 CFR 731.104 should refer those investigations to OPM in which material, intentional falsification issues are developed. Also, if falsification by an applicant for a competitive Federal job is developed independent of an OPM or other agency investigation, the case must be referred to OPM for adjudication.
False statements, even when clearly intentional, do not always rise to the definition of "material." In a situation where the agency believes that an intentional falsification is not material, but that such a falsification raises concerns about the individual's honesty, the agency may wish to identify the issue as part of a suitability action using the factor set forth at 5 CFR 731.202(b)(2), "dishonest or criminal conduct."
Although this option is perfectly legitimate, administrative judges of the Merit Systems Protection Board have recently dismissed, for lack of jurisdiction, several suitability actions taken by agencies based on falsification but characterized as "dishonest conduct." Specifically, several judges have concluded that agencies lack jurisdiction to take a suitability action in cases of this nature because OPM's regulations state that OPM retains jurisdiction in all cases involving evidence of material, intentional falsification in examination or appointment. To avert such a finding, we advise agencies to consult with OPM-SAB about the materiality of the falsification before characterizing an intentional falsification as "dishonest conduct" in a 5 CFR 731 action. If we agree that the falsification is not material, we will indicate to the agency, in writing, that the falsification does not meet OPM's definition of material and we will delegate the authority to adjudicate the case to the agency. If, instead, we conclude that the falsification is material, we will assume jurisdiction over the case and will notify the agency of our decision.
For further information about what constitutes material falsification or about OPM's authority and responsibility to adjudicate material falsification in the competitive Federal service, please contact one of the following SAB Suitability Specialists at (724) 794-5612. Individual extensions are listed.
Mark Enterline
extension 7454
Karen McCue
extension 287
extension 187
extension 244
Written requests for adjudication of a material falsification, or an advisory opinion about whether or not a falsification is material, may be sent to this address:
Office of Personnel Management Center for Federal Investigative Services Suitability Adjudications Branch Box 618, 1137 Branchton Road Boyers, PA 16018-0618
Kathy L. Dillaman Deputy Associate Director for Investigations
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text:
How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? With a cardboard-dry turkey and some Stove Top? I pity you. But it's only Wednesday, and I can still help you make a fantastic holiday dinner. I know how to do this.
I'll be here for the next hour to help you make the best Thanksgiving dinner ever.
What are my bona-fides? Who am I to tell you what to do? You're just wasting time.
Random Stock Image of Some Person Who is Not Answering Your Questions Today: Shutterstock/Wallenrock


text:
THE Duchess of Cambridge was discharged from the King Edward VII Hospital today and was taken to Kensington Palace for a period of rest.
Kate left the central London private hospital where she has been treated since Monday for severe morning sickness looking relaxed.
She emerged carrying a bouquet of yellow flowers and walked from the building with William.
She gave a brief smile to the waiting press before being driven away with her husband.
Kate, who is less than 12 weeks pregnant, was wrapped up against the cold in a coat and scarf.
The royal couple will now spend time at their London home, Kensington Palace, to allow for the Duchess to recuperate from the effects of the severe morning sickness.
She was admitted on Monday after developing the condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum, and was suffering from the effects of dehydration.
For medical staff to allow Kate to go home, her severe vomiting must be under control and they are likely to have given her anti-sickness medication.
Her discharge comes the day after it emerged that two Australian radio DJs impersonated the Queen and the Prince of Wales to dupe hospital staff into giving a condition update on the Duchess.
The 2Day FM presenters, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, apologised for their actions, as did their radio station.
But Christian has been promoting their stunt on Twitter telling followers in a tweet: "Still haven't heard the £RoyalPrank that has the world talking? Listen to it here..."
In a brief statement, St James's Palace said: "The Duchess of Cambridge has been discharged from the King Edward VII Hospital and will now head to Kensington Palace for a period of rest.
"Their Royal Highnesses would like to thank the staff at the hospital for the care and treatment the Duchess has received."
A spokeswoman for Pregnancy Sickness Support, a charity which helps women with Kate's condition, said rest would be important for the Duchess and the Duke's support was also crucial.
Caitlin Dean, who suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during three pregnancies and is a trustee of the charity, said: "One of the key things is she needs rest in bed or on a sofa.
"She will need people to look after her, literally bring food to her and quickly, if she wants a piece of toast or an apple it needs to come straight away before a bout of nausea sets in."
Kate's attendance at two royal engagements this weekend - a Centrepoint Royal Albert Hall fundraiser and the British Military Tournament - have already been cancelled.
Mrs Dean added: "Hyperemesis gravidarum can be quite cyclical. She will be feeling quite good now because she's hydrated, but she needs to keep taking fluids or that cycle can start again, taking sips of water frequently or any other liquid she can tolerate.
"She will be on medication, anti-sickness tablets, so it's important she takes them on time."
The trustee said William's support would also be important: "The emotional side is going to be really tough on her. It's just so unrelenting, you wake up thinking you've got a whole day to get through and this lasts for months.
"William is going to be really key. My husband was my rock and, as hard as it was, it brought us closer together."
The Duke is an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot based at RAF Valley on Anglesey and is likely to get time off to help care for his wife but will have to return to work at some stage.
The Duchess's mother and sister could step in to provide support for Kate when her husband is away.


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We're now two months away from WWDC 2009, which means it's time to start thinking about which sessions you'll be attending and which ones you'll be using as a convenient place to recover from the previous night's parties. Apple has now posted the first set of WWDC session titles and descriptions for your perusing pleasure, so get out your planner.
The first session list for WWDC 2009 is pretty evenly split between iPhone and Mac offerings, but there are a few for the IT focus as well. On the iPhone side of things, there will be sessions covering things like push notifications, copy and paste, CSS effects, in-app purchasing, game programming, and various security topics. Other titillating iPhone session titles include "Mastering iPhone Scroll Views" and "Perfecting Your iPhone Table Views."
As expected, Snow Leopard makes an appearance in many session and lab descriptions, such as the "NSImage in Snow Leopard" and "Managing Kernel Extensions" sessions. Mac offerings also include overviews of OpenCL, Grand Central, and Cocoa development. There's even a "Mac Programming for iPhone Developers" session being held for any iPhone developers who want to branch out.
If any of the sessions or labs pique your interest, you can buy your WWDC ticket for just $1,295, or $1,595 if you purchase after April 24. If you're not sold yet, Apple will probably be posting more session and lab descriptions as WWDC 2009 draws closer, so keep an eye out for the expanded list.


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ATLANTA -- Mark Richt's wife, Katharyn, waited for him in the hallway outside the Georgia locker room. She sat on a black platform in the middle of a small, tight group. Nobody spoke much. You could smell the diesel fumes from the buses idling around the corner, and hear the blowers on the field piling up Alabama's victory confetti, but here in the hallway it felt like a hospital waiting room, with family and friends trying to accept this little death.
The players were out there in the buses. They had tried to explain what it felt like at the end, when they had the ball at the Alabama eight-yard line, with a chance to win the best SEC title game there ever was and advance to the national championshp game, and could not get all the way home. A TV guy asked Todd Gurley, the freshman running back, a convoluted question about frustration and comebacks and pride, and Gurley just looked up at the end and said, "I mean, it's life, man."
I should probably be writing two columns. One would tell you all about this amazing game. The crowd, split 50-50 and deafening on both sides. Five lead changes. A blocked field goal for a TD. Alabama, after running the ball relentlessly, throwing a bomb for the go-ahead score. Georgia -- resurrected by an interception overturned on review -- going 80 yards in the last 1:08. And that last play: a tipped pass unexpectedly dropping into the hands of receiver Chris Conley, who did what he's trained to do -- catch it -- but fell short of the end zone as the clock ran out.
The other column would tell you what it was like to watch all that as a Georgia grad and lifelong fan, how I had to swallow my shouts (or divert them to Twitter) because there's no cheering in the press box, how my credential got me on the field and behind the Georgia end zone as the Bulldogs drove right toward me to win the biggest game a Georgia team had played in 30 years … and how I saw them cry and curse as they walked off the field while that stupid confetti fell.
Maybe that's two columns. But it all happened at the same time, and it's all mixed together in my head, and this is how sports and life and death work, right? Messy.
So I went down and sat a little distance from Katharyn Richt and her little group, and waited for her husband to come out.
Mark Richt coached the game of his life even though Georgia lost. His team was bold to the end and never scared of Nick Saban and Alabama, even when the Tide ran Georgia to the edge of exhaustion (Eddie Lacy, 181 yards rushing; T.J. Yeldon, 153). From the opening kick to the last play it felt like a match of equals, on the field and on the sideline. And that has not always been true.
In the news conference after the game, somebody hinted that Richt and quarterback Aaron Murray always come up short in big games. Richt bristled a little but blew the question off -- "I'm not worried about that" -- and walked offstage. But he stood for a second in the little area behind the curtain and slammed his drink to the ground. Then he turned around and came back to the podium. "If anybody thinks our guys didn't play their tail off, Aaron Murray didn't play his tail off, they're crazy," he said.
It was as close to fury as most people have ever seen from Mark Richt.
Sometimes, as fans, we think it hurts us to lose more than it hurts the players and coaches. Don't fool yourself. Here's tight end Arthur Lynch, who caught three huge passes on that last drive, flinging his helmet through the end zone after it was over. Here's linebacker Alec Ogletree, who ran back the blocked field goal for a TD, slamming his towel on the ground over and over and over. Here's Jarvis Jones, the all-world linebacker, swallowing hard to reroute the tears.
Here are the Georgia fans, staying in the stands to watch Alabama celebrate, figuring if they had to take the pain, they might as well take it all.
Why do sports hold so much power? Not because they're life and death -- they're not. But they make us feel life and death, in all its messy glory, in all its numbing agony. I felt all those things Saturday night, and so did those 75,000 people in the Georgia Dome, and so did all those millions watching and listening, even those who didn't care who won and lost, but were screaming at the end because the game made them feel.
And now, more than an hour after it was over, here comes Mark Richt out of the locker room.
He's eating from a bag of chips and holding a Coke. He just stands there for a second, not sure where to go.
Katharyn jumps up and walks over and they kiss. She says something soft, just for him, and he nods. He goes over to say hey to the rest of the group, and a couple of them hug him, but there's not a whole lot to say. Everybody just stands there for a second. Then Richt starts to wander toward the buses.
Behind him, everybody exchanges glances. Are we leaving now? I guess we're leaving now.
This is the way it ends. Sometimes there's no revelation, no great pronouncement. It's not a movie. It's life. You do your best. Then you get on the bus and go home.


text:
Archetypal gentleman's attire
Hackett was founded on London's Portobello Road in 1979 and still stands for quintessential British style to this day. The company's strong sense of heritage and slick execution has garnered a multi-generational following. We are partial to the impeccable formalwear.
- The slick shirts ensure a pristine finish
- Expect sharp, timeless tailoring
- The pin-striped accessories add panache


text:
About the Clinic
Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic
LAW 767A and 767B
6 credits (4 clinical, 2 academic)
Professors Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Karl S. Coplan
The Environmental Litigation Clinic represents public interest environmental groups bringing citizen enforcement actions in state and federal courts on a variety of environmental and land use issues. The major client of the Clinic is the Riverkeeper, Inc. Amicus curiae briefs in significant national environmental litigation are also prepared.
The Environmental Litigation Clinic requires a substantial time commitment. The minimum time commitment outside of class is 20 hours a week. Clinical students must continue client responsibilities throughout exams and holidays when necessary. Schedules must be planned to accommodate the demands of the program.


text:
My ancestor Lambert Van Valkenburg came to the New World from Holland sometime between 1642 and 1644. He settled in New Amsterdam, where he bought about 50 acres, roughly where the Empire State Building sits today.
But Lambert apparently was a restless sort. A couple of years later, he sold off that prime real estate and headed up the Hudson River to try out life in Fort Orange, near where present-day Albany sits. His Manhattan land, meanwhile, went to a fellow by the name of Claes Martensen van Rosenvelt, ancestor of the Roosevelt family.
While many of the Van Valkenburgs spent the next seven or eight generations quietly living in the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains, the Roosevelts made a bigger splash. And now I'm wondering if Lambert could take the blame for the worst land deal since the Indians sold Manhattan for $24.
What's amazing was that I found all these details with a few clicks of the mouse, and now I've developed a fascination with genealogical research. Apparently, I'm not alone.
Recent television shows like NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" and the growing sophistication of digitization, search engines, and DNA research mean that Americans are embracing their families' pasts more than ever.
The NBC show features celebrities such as Rosie O'Donnell, who discovered a long-lost branch of her family, or Steve Buscemi, who learned of an ancestor who was a deserter in the Civil War.
In addition, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates has done genealogical research through two TV programs tracing the history of notable African-Americans and a second program last year called "Faces of America," tracing the genealogy of prominent Americans. Professor Gates learned, for instance, that he has more than 50 percent European ancestry, far more than he ever thought.
"Genealogy has exploded," says James Sweany, head of the local history and genealogy reading room at the Library of Congress.
The National Archives in Washington, D.C., recently hosted its seventh annual genealogy fair. Seven years ago, says Diane Dimkoff, director of customer services for the archives, 700 people attended the first fair. This year, nearly 5,400 visitors came.
Ancestry.com, a company that allows visitors to create a family tree free of charge, now has 24 million family trees on its website. "Literally billions of records have been put online in the last couple of years," says Josh Hanna, executive vice president and general manager of Ancestry.com.
Much of the credit for the current interest in genealogy harks back to 1976, when author Alex Haley published his groundbreaking book "Roots," followed by the 1977 TV miniseries. But, says Mr. Hanna, "the trouble with 'Roots' was that you couldn't do much about [research] other than stumble through archives."
Then along came the Internet, affording users the ability to conduct searches anytime and dig up documents, photos, and more. As the sophistication of Web searches grows along with the mountains of documents available, so does the fascination.
I'm certainly captured. As for Lambert, I've already discovered some compelling details. After he, his wife, and possibly a child or two moved to Fort Orange, Lambert was appointed to the "rattle guard," the policemen of the day who walked the streets of Fort Orange with wooden rattles as they looked for fire, thieves, and "all forms of unruly nighttime activities and breaches of the peace," according to the book "The Colony of New Netherland: A Dutch Settlement in Seventeenth-Century America," by Jaap Jacobs.
Part of that tidbit came from a search on Google Books, an ambitious project that seeks to digitize and make available all of the world's books no longer protected by copyright laws and those a publisher has given them the right to scan. Google announced last October that it had already scanned 15 million books out of the estimated 150 million books in the world, although a court ruling in March might put a damper on how many copyrighted books will be available this way.
At Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., history professor Daniel Carpenter is painstakingly digitizing millions of signatures to the multitude of petitions Americans have made since the nation's founding. Inside the walls of the National Archives, he says, there are probably 100 million to 300 million signatures on petitions that called for the end to slavery, suffrage for women, the regulation of alcohol, and religious freedom.
And, Professor Carpenter says, finding an ancestor's name on a petition "gives more of a context and meaning to the birth, death, and marriage records, the usual family history searches." After all, if Great-Aunt Martha was leading petition drives in the antislavery movement, suddenly her descendants can imagine her as a living, breathing person.
While Carpenter's work is in the early stages, the Library of Congress has embraced genealogy for a long time. Tucked away on the basement level of the Thomas Jefferson building is the local history and genealogy reading room, where 6,000 books note everything from land sales to doctoral dissertations and family histories. The rise in the ability to search on the Internet has cut back on the number of readers perusing the shelves, says Mr. Sweany, but people are missing the wealth of material available only in book form. For example, the reading room offers actual evidence of Lambert's land holdings – a listing showing a land patent granted to him in 1647.
For those who prefer to dig from home, the task grows easier by the day. With my own family, I've been helped by the National Association of the Van Valkenburg Family, since it turns out that just about every Van Valkenburg in this country descended from Lambert's son Jochem, who had 10 children.
Conducting a fairly easy search on the website Rootsweb.com, I discovered that Jochem's great-great-grandson (my great-great-great-grandfather Jacob) married a woman who was also a Van Valkenburg. But Permilla Van Valkenburg descended from Jochem's son Johannes, so the two were distant cousins. Sadly, an 1860 Census showed that Jacob, 53 at the time, listed a wife, Catherine. Permilla had died in 1855 at age 42, but not before bearing four children, including my great-great-grandfather Amasa Mattoon.
The National Association of the Van Valkenburg Family, founded in 1970, had a website as early as 1996. The group began when Robert Van Valkenburg, who traveled a great deal, would "grab a phone book" in a new city, look up the Van Valkenburgs listed, and introduce himself, says board member Rick van Valkenburg. Today, the NAVVF's Facebook site has expanded the reach of the group even more, he says.
My ancestors have been easy to find. African-Americans have a far more difficult task. Reginald Washington, a specialist in African-American genealogy at the National Archives, offers some creative techniques. For instance, former slave owners applied to the federal government for compensation for their ex-slaves. Freed slaves registered with the Freedmen's Bureau, which was set up to help them transition to an independent life. "They provided a good deal of information about themselves," says Mr. Washington, including naming their former owner.
One of the leaders in genealogical research is Ancestry.com. Type the names of your grandparents into its family tree maker, and all kinds of data pop up, from census material to ship passenger lists. With a click, I learned that my great-grandparents Omar and Leilah May were just 22 and listed 1899 as their year of marriage, the same year my grandfather was born – in April.


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I do believe this is the last symbol I will be making from the Divergent book series which is soon going to be a movie. Up next, we will tackle the task of learning "how to draw Candor", step by step. The faction Candor was formed by a group of people who believe that duplicity and deception are the reasons for human nature's faults. Their symbol is that of a balance scale, and the scale is actually the perfect symbol for them because Candor's believe in and value honesty. Drawing scales shouldn't be too hard so I'm pretty confident that you will all do a great job. If you like the Divergent book series you should love this lesson. Adios amigos and have fun.
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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Harris GOP wants widow to replace Anderson as DA
Devon Anderson, the widow of recently deceased Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson, is the local GOP leadership's choice to replace her late husband, the head of party said Monday.
"The person who would be the best to fill Mike's shoes, and they're big shoes to fill, would be his wife," said Jared Woodfill, chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. "I'm hopeful that the governor will appoint her to carry on Mike's legacy. She's very, very qualified for the position."
Woodfill put his sentiments in a letter to Gov. Rick Perry who will appoint someone to fill the unexpired term of Mike Anderson, who lost his battle with cancer Aug. 31.
Woodfill said he is urging Devon Anderson to ask for the appointment, and said she is considering it.
Neither Devon Anderson nor her husband's political consultant could be reached for comment Monday.
Devon Anderson spent more than 12 years prosecuting cases as an assistant Harris County district attorney. In 2004 she beat two opponents in the GOP primary and defeated one in the general election to take over the 177th state District Court for retiring Judge Carol Davies.
She was unseated in 2008 with more than a dozen other Republican judges who lost their benches to Democrats when Barack Obama's presidential race brought record numbers of Democrats to the polls.
To stay in office after the expired term, whoever is appointed will have to run for re-election in November 2014. The position will be up for election again in 2016, when it was normally scheduled.
Belinda Hill, Mike Anderson's first assistant, is serving as interim district attorney until his replacement is named.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Waitress and Three Family Members Fired for Reporting Misconduct, Federal Agency Charged
ATLANTA – A federal jury has awarded $51,700 in back pay, compensatory and punitive damages to four family members who were fired for resisting sexual harassment at a Tucker, Ga., restaurant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.
According to the EEOC's suit, Lauren Goldston, a waitress for Sangria's Mexican Café, engaged in protected activity when she opposed and complained about unwelcome sexual advances, remarks, and inappropriate touching by a male cook at the restaurant. Lauren Goldston's mother, Sara, aunt, Francesca, and uncle, Max, also worked at Sangria's. They all reported the sexual harassment to Sangria's' owner on several occasions, the EEOC said, but nothing was done by the company to remedy the hostile work environment. Instead of ending the harassment, the EEOC charged, Sangria's terminated all of the Goldstons in retaliation for reporting the misconduct.
The Atlanta jury of eight returned a unanimous verdict finding that the claimants were entitled to back pay in the amount of $4,000, as the Goldstons largely mitigated their back pay damages by finding other employment after they were fired. The jury also awarded compensatory damages in the amount of $22,000 and punitive damages in the amount of $15,700.
"This verdict is significant because it indicates to employers that, regardless of their size, they must afford their employees the statutorily protected right to oppose unlawful discrimination without the fear of retaliation," said Bernice Williams Kimbrough, district director for the Atlanta District Office.
Robert Dawkins, regional attorney for the EEOC in Atlanta, added, "Suing a small employer is a difficult proposition. However, the EEOC pursued this case to prevent similar acts of retaliation from recurring. In this case, the jury did a fabulous job. Their verdict was fair, thoughtful and well reasoned as they attempted to balance compensating the Goldstons on one hand while ensuring the economic viability of the restaurant going forward."
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


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by Kalie Burnett, sports information student assistant
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Sophomore Jake Sandlin (Evans, Ga.) of the No. 6 Georgia College baseball team (24-5, 12-3 PBC) has been named Bobcat Athlete of the Week after helping the Bobcat baseball team to a 4-0 record this past week. This is his first time receiving the honor, and he is the fourth player to be recognized from the baseball team this season.
Sandlin went 7-for-15, hitting .467 with nine RBI and six runs scored in the Bobcat's four games this week. The sophomore powered the Bobcat offense with a home run and two doubles, finishing the week with a .800 slugging percentage.
In the doubleheader with Clark Atlanta University Tuesday, he went 3-for-6 at the plate and drove in six runs. His home run helped solidify the doubleheader sweep at Carson-Newman.
Sandlin leads the team with 36 runs batted in this year, and is second in home runs with three. He has seven stolen bases on the season and a batting average of .376.
The Bobcats continue their Peach Belt Conference schedule this weekend with home games against No. 25 Columbus State University Friday, April 4 starting at 6 p.m., and continuing with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. The Bobcats are first in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) with a 12-3 record.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.


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NEW YORK, July 18 (UPI) -- Crew members of a New York Waterway ferry said the same feral pigeon has ridden the vessel every day for the past three years.
The crew members of the Thomas Jefferson ferry from Manhattan to Weehawken, N.J., said the pigeon, nicknamed Tony, boards the vessel every day during the rush hour commute and rides the ferry back and forth for about two hours, the New York Daily News reported Monday.
The crew said the bird returns for another two-hour shift during the evening commute.
"I've been working this job for 23 years and I've never seen anything like this," said senior deckhand George Schumpp, 52. "Three years ago, this pigeon shows up and starts going through the cabin and eating crumbs. Next thing you know, he's here every day at the exact same time. And he does more work cleaning than my partner."
Schumpp and others working on the boat said the bird has only been known to miss days if there is a blizzard involved.
The crew said they have made Tony their unofficial mascot and have set up a Facebook page in his name.
"I've been a New Yorker my whole life and we're not big fans of pigeons, but Tony has changed the way I think," Schumpp said. "He's really smart and unique. He thinks he's human. He'll walk on and off the boat with the passengers. The passengers love him."