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The Fetishism of commodities is explained in Section 4. of Chapter 1 of Capital:
A commodity appears, at first sight, a very trivial thing, and easily understood. Its analysis shows that it is, in reality, a very queer thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties. So far as it is a value in use, there is nothing mysterious about it, whether we consider it from the point of view that by its properties it is capable of satisfying human wants, or from the point that those properties are the product of human labour. It is as clear as noon-day, that man, by his industry, changes the forms of the materials furnished by Nature, in such a way as to make them useful to him. The form of wood, for instance, is altered, by making a table out of it. Yet, for all that, the table continues to be that common, every-day thing, wood. But, so soon as it steps forth as a commodity, it is changed into something transcendent. It not only stands with its feet on the ground, but, in relation to all other commodities, it stands on its head, and evolves out of its wooden brain grotesque ideas, far more wonderful than "table-turning" ever was. [26a]
The mystical character of commodities does not originate, therefore, in their use value. Just as little does it proceed from the nature of the determining factors of value. For, in the first place, however varied the useful kinds of labour, or productive activities, may be, it is a physiological fact, that they are functions of the human organism, and that each such function, whatever may be its nature or form, is essentially the expenditure of human brain, nerves, muscles, &c. Secondly, with regard to that which forms the ground-work for the quantitative determination of value, namely, the duration of that expenditure, or the quantity of labour, it is quite clear that there is a palpable difference between its quantity and quality. In all states of society, the labour time that it costs to produce the means of subsistence, must necessarily be an object of interest to mankind, though not of equal interest in different stages of development.[27] And lastly, from the moment that men in any way work for one another, their labour assumes a social form.
Whence, then, arises the enigmatical character of the product of labour, so soon as it assumes the form of commodities? Clearly from this form itself. The equality of all sorts of human labour is expressed objectively by their products all being equally values; the measure of the expenditure of labour power by the duration of that expenditure, takes the form of the quantity of value of the products of labour; and finally the mutual relations of the producers, within which the social character of their labour affirms itself, take the form of a social relation between the products.
A commodity is therefore a mysterious thing, simply because in it the social character of men's labour appears to them as an objective character stamped upon the product of that labour; because the relation of the producers to the sum total of their own labour is presented to them as a social relation, existing not between themselves, but between the products of their labour. This is the reason why the products of labour become commodities, social things whose qualities are at the same time perceptible and imperceptible by the senses. In the same way the light from an object is perceived by us not as the subjective excitation of our optic nerve, but as the objective form of something outside the eye itself. But, in the act of seeing, there is at all events, an actual passage of light from one thing to another, from the external object to the eye. There is a physical relation between physical things. But it is different with commodities. There, the existence of the things quâ commodities, and the value relation between the products of labour which stamps them as commodities, have absolutely no connection with their physical properties and with the material relations arising therefrom. There it is a definite social relation between men, that assumes, in their eyes, the fantastic form of a relation between things. In order, therefore, to find an analogy, we must have recourse to the mist-enveloped regions of the religious world. In that world the productions of the human brain appear as independent beings endowed with life, and entering into relation both with one another and the human race. So it is in the world of commodities with the products of men's hands. This I call the Fetishism which attaches itself to the products of labour, so soon as they are produced as commodities, and which is therefore inseparable from the production of commodities.
This Fetishism of commodities has its origin, as the foregoing analysis has already shown, in the peculiar social character of the labour that produces them.
As a general rule, articles of utility become commodities, only because they are products of the labour of private individuals or groups of individuals who carry on their work independently of each other. The sum total of the labour of all these private individuals forms the aggregate labour of society. Since the producers do not come into social contact with each other until they exchange their products, the specific social character of each producer's labour does not show itself except in the act of exchange. In other words, the labour of the individual asserts itself as a part of the labour of society, only by means of the relations which the act of exchange establishes directly between the products, and indirectly, through them, between the producers. To the latter, therefore, the relations connecting the labour of one individual with that of the rest appear, not as direct social relations between individuals at work, but as what they really are, material relations between persons and social relations between things. It is only by being exchanged that the products of labour acquire, as values, one uniform social status, distinct from their varied forms of existence as objects of utility. This division of a product into a useful thing and a value becomes practically important, only when exchange has acquired such an extension that useful articles are produced for the purpose of being exchanged, and their character as values has therefore to be taken into account, beforehand, during production. From this moment the labour of the individual producer acquires socially a twofold character. On the one hand, it must, as a definite useful kind of labour, satisfy a definite social want, and thus hold its place as part and parcel of the collective labour of all, as a branch of a social division of labour that has sprung up spontaneously. On the other hand, it can satisfy the manifold wants of the individual producer himself, only in so far as the mutual exchangeability of all kinds of useful private labour is an established social fact, and therefore the private useful labour of each producer ranks on an equality with that of all others. The equalisation of the most different kinds of labour can be the result only of an abstraction from their inequalities, or of reducing them to their common denominator, viz. expenditure of human labour power or human labour in the abstract. The twofold social character of the labour of the individual appears to him, when reflected in his brain, only under those forms which are impressed upon that labour in every-day practice by the exchange of products. In this way, the character that his own labour possesses of being socially useful takes the form of the condition, that the product must be not only useful, but useful for others, and the social character that his particular labour has of being the equal of all other particular kinds of labour, takes the form that all the physically different articles that are the products of labour. have one common quality, viz., that of having value.
Hence, when we bring the products of our labour into relation with each other as values, it is not because we see in these articles the material receptacles of homogeneous human labour. Quite the contrary: whenever, by an exchange, we equate as values our different products, by that very act, we also equate, as human labour, the different kinds of labour expended upon them. We are not aware of this, nevertheless we do it.[28] Value, therefore, does not stalk about with a label describing what it is. It is value, rather, that converts every product into a social hieroglyphic. Later on, we try to decipher the hieroglyphic, to get behind the secret of our own social products; for to stamp an object of utility as a value, is just as much a social product as language. The recent scientific discovery, that the products of labour, so far as they are values, are but material expressions of the human labour spent in their production, marks, indeed, an epoch in the history of the development of the human race, but, by no means, dissipates the mist through which the social character of labour appears to us to be an objective character of the products themselves. The fact, that in the particular form of production with which we are dealing, viz., the production of commodities, the specific social character of private labour carried on independently, consists in the equality of every kind of that labour, by virtue of its being human labour, which character, therefore, assumes in the product the form of value – this fact appears to the producers, notwithstanding the discovery above referred to, to be just as real and final, as the fact, that, after the discovery by science of the component gases of air, the atmosphere itself remained unaltered.
What, first of all, practically concerns producers when they make an exchange, is the question, how much of some other product they get for their own? In what proportions the products are exchangeable? When these proportions have, by custom, attained a certain stability, they appear to result from the nature of the products, so that, for instance, one ton of iron and two ounces of gold appear as naturally to be of equal value as a pound of gold and a pound of iron in spite of their different physical and chemical qualities appear to be of equal weight. The character of having value, when once impressed upon products, obtains fixity only by reason of their acting and re-acting upon each other as quantities of value. These quantities vary continually, independently of the will, foresight and action of the producers. To them, their own social action takes the form of the action of objects, which rule the producers instead of being ruled by them. It requires a fully developed production of commodities before, from accumulated experience alone, the scientific conviction springs up, that all the different kinds of private labour, which are carried on independently of each other, and yet as spontaneously developed branches of the social division of labour, are continually being reduced to the quantitative proportions in which society requires them. And why? Because, in the midst of all the accidental and ever fluctuating exchange relations between the products, the labour time socially necessary for their production forcibly asserts itself like an over-riding law of Nature. The law of gravity thus asserts itself when a house falls about our ears.[29] The determination of the magnitude of value by labour time is therefore a secret, hidden under the apparent fluctuations in the relative values of commodities. Its discovery, while removing all appearance of mere accidentality from the determination of the magnitude of the values of products, yet in no way alters the mode in which that determination takes place.
Man's reflections on the forms of social life, and consequently, also, his scientific analysis of those forms, take a course directly opposite to that of their actual historical development. He begins, post festum, with the results of the process of development ready to hand before him. The characters that stamp products as commodities, and whose establishment is a necessary preliminary to the circulation of commodities, have already acquired the stability of natural, self-understood forms of social life, before man seeks to decipher, not their historical character, for in his eyes they are immutable, but their meaning. Consequently it was the analysis of the prices of commodities that alone led to the determination of the magnitude of value, and it was the common expression of all commodities in money that alone led to the establishment of their characters as values. It is, however, just this ultimate money form of the world of commodities that actually conceals, instead of disclosing, the social character of private labour, and the social relations between the individual producers. When I state that coats or boots stand in a relation to linen, because it is the universal incarnation of abstract human labour, the absurdity of the statement is self-evident. Nevertheless, when the producers of coats and boots compare those articles with linen, or, what is the same thing, with gold or silver, as the universal equivalent, they express the relation between their own private labour and the collective labour of society in the same absurd form.
The categories of bourgeois economy consist of such like forms. They are forms of thought expressing with social validity the conditions and relations of a definite, historically determined mode of production, viz., the production of commodities. The whole mystery of commodities, all the magic and necromancy that surrounds the products of labour as long as they take the form of commodities, vanishes therefore, so soon as we come to other forms of production.
Since Robinson Crusoe's experiences are a favourite theme with political economists,[30] let us take a look at him on his island. Moderate though he be, yet some few wants he has to satisfy, and must therefore do a little useful work of various sorts, such as making tools and furniture, taming goats, fishing and hunting. Of his prayers and the like we take no account, since they are a source of pleasure to him, and he looks upon them as so much recreation. In spite of the variety of his work, he knows that his labour, whatever its form, is but the activity of one and the same Robinson, and consequently, that it consists of nothing but different modes of human labour. Necessity itself compels him to apportion his time accurately between his different kinds of work. Whether one kind occupies a greater space in his general activity than another, depends on the difficulties, greater or less as the case may be, to be overcome in attaining the useful effect aimed at. This our friend Robinson soon learns by experience, and having rescued a watch, ledger, and pen and ink from the wreck, commences, like a true-born Briton, to keep a set of books. His stock-book contains a list of the objects of utility that belong to him, of the operations necessary for their production; and lastly, of the labour time that definite quantities of those objects have, on an average, cost him. All the relations between Robinson and the objects that form this wealth of his own creation, are here so simple and clear as to be intelligible without exertion, even to Mr. Sedley Taylor. And yet those relations contain all that is essential to the determination of value.
Let us now transport ourselves from Robinson's island bathed in light to the European middle ages shrouded in darkness. Here, instead of the independent man, we find everyone dependent, serfs and lords, vassals and suzerains, laymen and clergy. Personal dependence here characterises the social relations of production just as much as it does the other spheres of life organised on the basis of that production. But for the very reason that personal dependence forms the ground-work of society, there is no necessity for labour and its products to assume a fantastic form different from their reality. They take the shape, in the transactions of society, of services in kind and payments in kind. Here the particular and natural form of labour, and not, as in a society based on production of commodities, its general abstract form is the immediate social form of labour. Compulsory labour is just as properly measured by time, as commodity-producing labour; but every serf knows that what he expends in the service of his lord, is a definite quantity of his own personal labour power. The tithe to be rendered to the priest is more matter of fact than his blessing. No matter, then, what we may think of the parts played by the different classes of people themselves in this society, the social relations between individuals in the performance of their labour, appear at all events as their own mutual personal relations, and are not disguised under the shape of social relations between the products of labour.
For an example of labour in common or directly associated labour, we have no occasion to go back to that spontaneously developed form which we find on the threshold of the history of all civilised races.[31] We have one close at hand in the patriarchal industries of a peasant family, that produces corn, cattle, yarn, linen, and clothing for home use. These different articles are, as regards the family, so many products of its labour, but as between themselves, they are not commodities. The different kinds of labour, such as tillage, cattle tending, spinning, weaving and making clothes, which result in the various products, are in themselves, and such as they are, direct social functions, because functions of the family, which, just as much as a society based on the production of commodities, possesses a spontaneously developed system of division of labour. The distribution of the work within the family, and the regulation of the labour time of the several members, depend as well upon differences of age and sex as upon natural conditions varying with the seasons. The labour power of each individual, by its very nature, operates in this case merely as a definite portion of the whole labour power of the family, and therefore, the measure of the expenditure of individual labour power by its duration, appears here by its very nature as a social character of their labour.
Let us now picture to ourselves, by way of change, a community of free individuals, carrying on their work with the means of production in common, in which the labour power of all the different individuals is consciously applied as the combined labour power of the community. All the characteristics of Robinson's labour are here repeated, but with this difference, that they are social, instead of individual. Everything produced by him was exclusively the result of his own personal labour, and therefore simply an object of use for himself. The total product of our community is a social product. One portion serves as fresh means of production and remains social. But another portion is consumed by the members as means of subsistence. A distribution of this portion amongst them is consequently necessary. The mode of this distribution will vary with the productive organisation of the community, and the degree of historical development attained by the producers. We will assume, but merely for the sake of a parallel with the production of commodities, that the share of each individual producer in the means of subsistence is determined by his labour time. Labour time would, in that case, play a double part. Its apportionment in accordance with a definite social plan maintains the proper proportion between the different kinds of work to be done and the various wants of the community. On the other hand, it also serves as a measure of the portion of the common labour borne by each individual, and of his share in the part of the total product destined for individual consumption. The social relations of the individual producers, with regard both to their labour and to its products, are in this case perfectly simple and intelligible, and that with regard not only to production but also to distribution.
The religious world is but the reflex of the real world. And for a society based upon the production of commodities, in which the producers in general enter into social relations with one another by treating their products as commodities and values, whereby they reduce their individual private labour to the standard of homogeneous human labour – for such a society, Christianity with its cultus of abstract man, more especially in its bourgeois developments, Protestantism, Deism, &c., is the most fitting form of religion. In the ancient Asiatic and other ancient modes of production, we find that the conversion of products into commodities, and therefore the conversion of men into producers of commodities, holds a subordinate place, which, however, increases in importance as the primitive communities approach nearer and nearer to their dissolution. Trading nations, properly so called, exist in the ancient world only in its interstices, like the gods of Epicurus in the Intermundia, or like Jews in the pores of Polish society. Those ancient social organisms of production are, as compared with bourgeois society, extremely simple and transparent. But they are founded either on the immature development of man individually, who has not yet severed the umbilical cord that unites him with his fellowmen in a primitive tribal community, or upon direct relations of subjection. They can arise and exist only when the development of the productive power of labour has not risen beyond a low stage, and when, therefore, the social relations within the sphere of material life, between man and man, and between man and Nature, are correspondingly narrow. This narrowness is reflected in the ancient worship of Nature, and in the other elements of the popular religions. The religious reflex of the real world can, in any case, only then finally vanish, when the practical relations of every-day life offer to man none but perfectly intelligible and reasonable relations with regard to his fellowmen and to Nature.
The life-process of society, which is based on the process of material production, does not strip off its mystical veil until it is treated as production by freely associated men, and is consciously regulated by them in accordance with a settled plan. This, however, demands for society a certain material ground-work or set of conditions of existence which in their turn are the spontaneous product of a long and painful process of development.
Political Economy has indeed analysed, however incompletely,[32] value and its magnitude, and has discovered what lies beneath these forms. But it has never once asked the question why labour is represented by the value of its product and labour time by the magnitude of that value.[33] These formulæ, which bear it stamped upon them in unmistakable letters that they belong to a state of society, in which the process of production has the mastery over man, instead of being controlled by him, such formulæ appear to the bourgeois intellect to be as much a self-evident necessity imposed by Nature as productive labour itself. Hence forms of social production that preceded the bourgeois form, are treated by the bourgeoisie in much the same way as the Fathers of the Church treated pre-Christian religions.[34]
To what extent some economists are misled by the Fetishism inherent in commodities, or by the objective appearance of the social characteristics of labour, is shown, amongst other ways, by the dull and tedious quarrel over the part played by Nature in the formation of exchange value. Since exchange value is a definite social manner of expressing the amount of labour bestowed upon an object, Nature has no more to do with it, than it has in fixing the course of exchange.
The mode of production in which the product takes the form of a commodity, or is produced directly for exchange, is the most general and most embryonic form of bourgeois production. It therefore makes its appearance at an early date in history, though not in the same predominating and characteristic manner as now-a-days. Hence its Fetish character is comparatively easy to be seen through. But when we come to more concrete forms, even this appearance of simplicity vanishes. Whence arose the illusions of the monetary system? To it gold and silver, when serving as money, did not represent a social relation between producers, but were natural objects with strange social properties. And modern economy, which looks down with such disdain on the monetary system, does not its superstition come out as clear as noon-day, whenever it treats of capital? How long is it since economy discarded the physiocratic illusion, that rents grow out of the soil and not out of society?
But not to anticipate, we will content ourselves with yet another example relating to the commodity form. Could commodities themselves speak, they would say: Our use value may be a thing that interests men. It is no part of us as objects. What, however, does belong to us as objects, is our value. Our natural intercourse as commodities proves it. In the eyes of each other we are nothing but exchange values. Now listen how those commodities speak through the mouth of the economist.
"Value" – (i.e., exchange value) "is a property of things, riches" – (i.e., use value) "of man. Value, in this sense, necessarily implies exchanges, riches do not."[35] "Riches" (use value) "are the attribute of men, value is the attribute of commodities. A man or a community is rich, a pearl or a diamond is valuable…" A pearl or a diamond is valuable as a pearl or a diamond.[36]
So far no chemist has ever discovered exchange value either in a pearl or a diamond. The economic discoverers of this chemical element, who by-the-bye lay special claim to critical acumen, find however that the use value of objects belongs to them independently of their material properties, while their value, on the other hand, forms a part of them as objects. What confirms them in this view, is the peculiar circumstance that the use value of objects is realised without exchange, by means of a direct relation between the objects and man, while, on the other hand, their value is realised only by exchange, that is, by means of a social process. Who fails here to call to mind our good friend, Dogberry, who informs neighbour Seacoal, that, "To be a well-favoured man is the gift of fortune; but reading and writing comes by Nature."[37]


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Credible Blogging begins with Leg Work
I remember back during my Mass Communication class in High School when my school newspaper advisor told us during a class lecture that at some time in our writing future, the subject of naming or not naming your "sources" for stories would turn our journalistic integrity into a slippery slope towards the negative, and the background work of our judgments to name or not name a source would play directly on our credibility as writers. Journalist have gone to prison and even been banished as if they had the Black Plague for misinformation and dishonesty in their writings.
And that simple premise of "watching your back" seems to make a lot of sense in today's fast paced, electronic world of libel and slander where even a tongue-in-cheek reference can land you deep within a mountain of litigation, and then quickly, you and your writing integrity could be sent sliding down the dark side like a mudslide even if you are totally right. Because that is essence of the culture today. Injury someone emotionally or physically and some of the first words out of the mouth of the general public is "I will sue you!".
So dotting your "i's" and crossing your "t's" takes on a bigger role in the 5-second media world we have today. This weekend I was reading a very sordid and tangled web of "sources" and "unnamed sources" in a small series of blog postings by the New York Baseball Digest blog posting by Mike Silva. And while I was reading this account out of the New York area, that class discussion over 32 years ago about sources came quickly to mind.
I was brought up on the old A P style book of journalism. Heck, back then it was the bible every Evening Independent Sports Correspondent and staffers used as a foundation for our story stylings. And it suddenly came to my mind the old teaching of where if you make a statement associated with a source without credible sources or information, your stories foundation might crumble and not withstand a storm of controversy.
One of the first thing I remember being taught was the fact that when you name sources or people with knowledge of an event, it is in your best interest to have two solid forms of evidence or information before even quoting one of them in your story. The reasoning for this method is to give your information a solid foundation so if you are questioned or receive a nice little legal writ, you have a secondary source that adds to your credibility on the subject matter.
Accuracy and credibility are the two of the founding cornerstones of retaining a loyal band of readers online. If they can get a sense of trusting your writings as the truth, then you gain readers and hopefully more web views of your postings. And maybe that is why it is so upsetting when I see a blog with half-baked writing principles and mis-guided information you know are half-truths at best.
Most of this simple misguided energy can be corrected with a simple credible source for your information. Some guy named "Joe Schmoe" who tended bar in such and such a club and overheard a conversation by player "A" and "B" about an event or something in regards to the Rays is considered "hearsay" at best unless you have a second person who heard or saw the same event.
RRCollections Joe Nelson2009
An great example of the right way to document and solidify your sources was with the rumor I heard from a Rays player about the Tampa Bay Rays using their old 1998-99 Devilrays multi-colored logo jerseys during the Sunday July 12th afternoon game against the Oakland Athletics. I first heard a hint of this rumor back in late May 2009 by a player after a game, and I decided to dig a bit deeper into it before bringing it out into the light. Just because I now had one source doesn't make the rumor a "truth" yet.
I first got a confirmation from a member of the Rays field staff and another player as an additional source, but decided it might not be good to use them as my source. I do not like to use players as sources of information because they could decide to "clam up" and I might not ever hear another good morsel of information to track down. So I contacted someone within the Rays front office who deals directly with marketing and promotions and asked them to simply confirm or deny the spreading rumor. As soon as he got back to me, that rumor quickly transformed into a fact, and I posted a Tweet about the upcoming event.
And because I had more than two sources to verify the possibility of the old "Rainbow Devilrays" uniforms were going to make an appearance again in that July contest. This in-depth fact checking into the rumor gave me credibility about the event. And that is the one thing most people forget when they write online. Sure I can say almost anything about anyone on the team and maybe no one will call BS on me, but that is not the issue. Staying within the truths and admonishing the lies is the job of publications like the National Enquirer or Star Magazine, not the general blogging public.
If NYBD want to idolize those publications and style themselves in that realm of journalism, then go for it. But they have to be reminded that there are hundreds of websites like that all jockeying for the same morsels of media fodder. With every slight of hand missed fact and negative comment posted, the negative mountain is building around them. I know I would rather be the guy who will give his honest opinion and facts about an event, and I do shy from some of the "hot topic" stories around the league at time because I do not want to be 1 of the 2,000 people writing about the same thing day in, and day out.
We hear almost daily about some blogger somewhere who has given "fake" or mis-guided information and it in turn tends to affect all of our credibilities. But that doesn't mean the "mainstream media" always follows the Golden Rule either. With the advent of sites like Twitter and the other social networks, fans can get a snippet of information in the flash of a camera bulb and minutes before the "paid" media.
And that can be a slap in their faces at times. I posted a Twitpic of Pat Burrell's new 70's butch mustache during the 2009 season and also few "first" pictures of new Rays reliever, Jeff Bennett before the local media even reported it online. Here I am an unpaid and unsolicited fan got the scoop.
NYBD made some critical errors when they did not get secondary sources checks on their quotes and information before posting it. Sometimes it is difficult to get that information, but if you can not prove it is 100
% true
, then it is a rumor. Blogs take a beating every day from the Media sources throughout the country as being slanderous and libel within an inch of their collective lives. For us to gain the credibility and the trust of the readers, we sometimes have to take it a notch above and sweat a little more for our information.
Anyone can write a rumor.
Anyone can create a mis-truth and start to perpetuate a lie. But if you really want to be known for your writings, do the leg work, strain the eyes to see beyond the words and ask the simple questions. Some times, the answers you get from a source can make your day. Other times it can disappoint and frustrate you. But every once in a while you get a tasty morsel and you do the work and build it into a credible masterpiece and then you can bask in the limelight and know you did it right……..the first time.
12 Comments
You're very diligent about your blogging, and I think it's why your blog has such credibility. I know that if I read something here, it must be true!
That comment coming from you is why I write on MLBlogs.
I loved writing for the newspaper, and that medium is disappearing faster than rainwater in a desert.
I have always tried to write the truth, and if there is an error, I can humbly correct it and admit my mistake.
That is the problem with blogs like NYBD to me.
Instead of just knowing a mistake was made, they blasted Rays fans as feeling "inferior" and they blasted their own fans for not defending their site.
Only one person should defend you, and that is yourself.
Rays Renegade
Well said, well articulated, RaysRenegade. Having worked in non-journalistic research fields, I was always checking and double-checking any sources I consulted. It is a practice that seems to be going by the wayside, and I hope more people like you give the same warnings to any journalist or blogger wanting to be worth his/her salt. We need that warning in this day of 24-hour news and 5-minute attention spans. Thanks!
My sources said I should stop by and see what RR is up to… said sources begged for anonymity… they're weak. They live in my head too, of course. And the Ramos vids always make me smile btw.
He is a great guy to chat with before a game. Always in a good mood and wanting to join the party. Bobby Ramos has to be one of my favorite Rays of all time.
I am glad your source had the chance to come by before beer-thirty before the rest of the voices come out to play.
Rays Renegade
Thank you for that.
I want to thank my Dixie Hollins HS "Rebel Rouser" advisor and my mentor at the "Evening Independent" Sportwriter extrordinaire Bob Chick for the fact checking being pounded into my brain.
I agree.
In this 24/7/365 era, even a slight miscalculation can render your reputation nothing more than fish wrapping.
It is becoming a lost art form, but one worth re-instituting daily.
Rays Renegade
We're having that problem with my favorite club right now. Word got out we were getting ready for a fire sale, and now we are finding out that wasn't even close to true.
I worked on my high school newspaper and I thought I was going to be a journalist when I grew up. But the legal logistics of it all was ultimately not for me. However, one of the things that I like about writing my blog is that I get to say what I want, and unlike you, I don't have access to super, awesome secret stuff! I understand the need for credibility because, well, it's what makes a journalist a journalist and it's why people kind of hate bloggers. But now that I'm thinking of it, perhaps the need for a credible source is necessary in anyone's writing, including bloggers. That's why I love your posts, Cliff. You do your research and your hard work, never take the short cuts.
I have been checking out a bit of the thrills and chills coming out of the Three Rivers area, and I have heard my buddy Jonny Gomes might be a candidate for arbitration after all.
Small market teams have a definite situation, but the Reds have done amazing considering the limitations set on the payroll.
Hopefully the next few weeks will show more good than bad, and maybe a trade or two ( weird hunch here).
Rays Renegade
The last time I took a short cut coming home from North Carolina I ended up in a alfalfa field at 2 am wondering where the highway ended (lol).
I just think in order for us to change the staus quo we need to get people to abide to certain levels of credibility before blogging becomes a joke to most people.
But in the end it is about expressing and providing a source for your outlet of frustrations, fears and joys, so whatever will be………will be.
Rays Renegade
You inspire us all with your accurate and fair blogging!
I really did not expect a Kumbuya moment, but thank you.
As the old sherriff used to say in the Old West after a dramtic situation….
(tipping 10-gallon hat) Just doing my job.
Rays Renegade


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Law School Discussion
Law Students
JMLS (Chicago) to Northwestern
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JMLS (Chicago) to Northwestern
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JMLS (Chicago) to Northwestern
July 24, 2012, 11:34:26 AM »
I finished in the top 3% of 1Ls, with a 3.83 at JMLS. I am waiting to hear back from Northwestern, I know it's quite a jump, but I was just wondering if anybody has made a comparable transfer, or can offer me some odds. I had a horrible undergrad gpa, 158 LSAT, but have some unique work experience which I really hammered in the PS. I know that this is black magic, but I'm anxious and wondering what some objective voices thought. Also, any thoughts on whether or not transferring to Kent or LUC would be a lateral move, or worth the difference in the sticker price would be appreciated. I want to work in prosecution, so of course Kent's trial ad program is alluring, and I have little to no interest in big law. Thoughts?
Re: JMLS (Chicago) to Northwestern
Reply #1 on:
July 24, 2012, 01:50:23 PM »
Well, nevermind. Northwestern just said no. Thoughts on whether to take the big fish little pond approach to law school, or to transfer to Kent or LUC?
Re: JMLS (Chicago) to Northwestern
Reply #2 on:
July 26, 2012, 07:01:29 PM »
Before I give any advice realize that I or anyone else posting is nothing more than an anonymous internet poster that knows nothing about you, your situation, or what is best for you so take whatever I or other posters say with a grain of salt.
First congratulations on being the top 3% that is an amazing accomplishment at any ABA school, and now I will give some anonymous internet poster advice, which I think any prospective transfer or OL should consideration location, cost, realities of legal education, your personal feeling about the school, and the lack of importance U.S Plays in the real world (at least in my limited experience having gone through law school.)
I am not familiar with Chicago, but I am assuming these two schools are in close proximity to eachother so you would be able to maintain your friends, apartment, and so forth. I have many law student 1L student interest think about moving cross-country to transfer and that is rarely a good idea considering law school doesn't exist in a vacuum and adjusting to a new city, being away from family, etc can be a difficult experience.
I am not familiar with either of these schools and I couldn't tell you which school is better than the other and nobody really can, but one thing is always certain cost will be there and if your going to accrue an additional 40,000 or 80,000 whatever is dollars which is accumulating 8% interest really think about whether or not is worth it. If a resume came on my desk from JMLS or Chicago-Kent I can honestly say I don't know the difference, but you will feel paying an additional 80,000 or whatever it may for two years while is accrues interest.
One thing I recommend anyone considering a transfer do is request scholarship money or an increase in scholarship money. I would recommend going through the process of applying as you seem to have done and see if JMLS will give you more money to stay. I received additional scholarship money by doing this and it may save you an additional 20k and it is a nothing to lose everything to gain situation, but be very wary about the costs.
I had the opportunity to transfer after 1L, but choose not to because I made a lot of friends, had good rapport with professors, and generally liked my school. Many of my friends that transferred went into a new school not knowing a soul, not knowing professors, and as you must know law school is a bit clickly and everyone that went through the 1L experience together will have formed their bonds and you will kind of be out of the loop.
You may think that is fine and hate law students, you have a very outgoing personality and meet people instantaneously, or this could be very detrimental to you it is a high personal opinion, but if you truly liked your school leaving it for a new one may be a bad decision. At the very least visit the other school talk to professors, students, and so forth and make sure it is a fit for you. You may have already done this, but really consider your own personal feelings. You have another two long years of law school and being in a place your comfortable is important.
Also as a side factor the other top students will likely transfer and your ranking may go up possibly to valedictorian. I was not in the top 3%, but the top 15% and after 2L ended I was suddenly I jumped several percentage points and I can only imagine this is because many of the people above me transferred. That is just a side though and being in the top 3% is pretty impressive regardless/
I don't know if this is a playing a huge role in your decision or not, but please remember that U.S. News is nothing more than a for-profit, unregulated magazine offering an opinion. They rank more than law school as evidenced by them deciding Alburquee, New Mexico is the best place to live.
. That makes me think New Mexico might be a bit cooler than I thought, but I am not going to make a life-altering decision based on a magazine saying some place is great. You should use the same logic when deciding to transfer.
The rankings fluctuate so much year to year and when I was a law student I thought they meant something, but my school was tier 2 went to tier 3 one year and last year was in the amazing 11 way tie for 84th place. It has gone all over the place as every school essentially does except Harvard, Yale, etc. You might U.S. News is a factor, but do not make a life altering decision on it or do, but just remember it is a magazine nothing more.
So many people considering law school ask me if X is a good school. The reality is legal education across the board is really the same. I imagine at JMLS you took torts, contracts, property, con-law, criminal law, criminal procedure, civil procedure, and legal writing or some variation on that and you will take all of those subjects eventually. In Torts you read Palsgraff, in Civ Pro you read International shoe and so did everyone at Northwestern, JMLS, Chicago Kent it is essentially the same across the board.
Although I do a lot of mock trial stuff now and did it while in law school and that is one of the few areas where different styles make a difference. If Chicago Kent fields numerous mock trial teams and that is your interest that is a consideration in their favor. Unlike the substantive law, which can only be taught in one way since there is only way to explain consideration trial ad is much more subjective and a school like South Texas dominates in competitions, but I'm sure most people I have never heard it, but they have an amazing trial ad program and I lost to them many times in mock trial competitions unfortunately.
As I stated I as a OL I remember being so caught up in rankings and even during law school and conintoually thinking X school was doing this or that. During my law school experience I got several internships and worked along people from all calibers of schools and in the end whatever school they went to didn't matter. If you don't finish a Bench Memo for a judge on time saying I was in the top of the class or I go to X school won't help you. The same is true in the real world try losing a client a million dollar contract and telling them, but I went to X school or I got in A contracts. I assure you they won't care or even know the difference.
You will probably come to realize this on your first day of BarBri when you see all the school sweatshirts appear and then after a week or two they slowly disappear as everyone freaks out and realizes they got to pass this test. Then you go out into the whole world and deal with clients and believe it or not most have no idea about any difference between School X or School Y. Think about when you go to a Doctor or Denist or whomever and they tell you they went to X school you generally have no idea. A few might be Harvard, UCLA, or something, but I really don't know anything about other medical schools or dental schools and I don't necessarily I like my dentist and my doctor I know they went to Med School and Dental School, but I have never heard of the schools, but they may be top 25 schools I just don't know what they are and most clients coming to a lawyer don't either they want their problem solved nothing more.
My advice might seem anti-transfer, but that is probably because I choose not to transfer and there are likely thousands of successful transfer stories and thousands of successful alumni from both schools. Remember above all else when transferring think of what is best for you don't listen to me, U.S., news, or any other anonymous internet poster. Your a person with your own unique circumstances and transferring or staying will have a tremendous impact on 2 years of YOUR LIFE, 40-80k of YOUR money, and YOUR legal career. Take all your personal factors into heavy consideration.
Good luck and congrats on being in the top 3%
Maintain FL 350
Re: JMLS (Chicago) to Northwestern
Reply #3 on:
July 26, 2012, 10:52:37 PM »
I have no experience with the Chicago market, but I'd be willing to bet that if you want to be a prosecutor top 3% at JMSL is probably better than middle of the pack at Loyola or Kent. I understand that both may have higher rankings than JMSL, but lots of prosecutors went to small, local schools. In fact, in my area (CA) many of the prosecutors I've met fit your profile: they were top students at T3/T4 schools. JMSL probably has good connections to the local DA's offices, and top 3% is very impressive. If that's your goal, you'll probably be fine.
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Law School Discussion
Law Students
JMLS (Chicago) to Northwestern


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95 sheltered: Road conditions still treacherous
The two Charlottesville-area shelters have nearly 100 people holed up inside, according to a morning release from Albemarle County spokesperson Lee Catlin, who estimates approximately 45 people at UVA's Aquatics and Fitness Center and another 50 at the North Garden Fire Department.
Meanwhile, Route 29 South remains a disaster with cars still getting stuck and rescue workers extricating drivers, according to Catlin.
Although the sun is shining, temperatures are still below freezing, and although most primary roads are "passable" according to Catlin, secondary roads remain "treacherous."
With thousands without power and many trapped at home, the National Guard has removed several people with medical emergencies from their homes, while officials have renewed their plea for four wheel drive vehicles to help move stranded motorists and emergency and healthcare workers. Volunteers should call 434-979-INFO.
8 comments
Mr/Mrs/Miss name, had that been an ordinary citizen they would have been arrested on the spot. Cops ar simply not being properly trained on the proper use of deadly force. You don't pull out a firearm on people throwing snowballs at you.
Had the gun went off accidentally, I am sure the cop would have claimed he was blinded by a snowball to the face and feared for his life. And his department would have sworn he acted properly.
I urge people with 4 wheel drive to call this number 434-979-INFO. Doctors and health care workers are desperate to get into the hospital, to care for extremely sick children and adults, and to relieve the workers who have now been on call 36 hours. Please help if you can !
O.M.G.!!!!!!!!!!!! thats whats wrong . The news outlets should check all the "millon dollar" roads and streets .Bet ya that there clean. And what? All the T.V. News readers got to work I Bet they didnt walk! And that VDOT guy whats up with that The same turn for 24 hrs Clean the mains the move on if youe dumd enough to drive then your domb enough to wait in your car til every smart person get plowed out .
Sorry abut the spelling I was beatin kids as I was typing .
I'll never understand whats going on in this town. The roadway in front of the main post office on 29 was plowed rather well and very passable. But a Jeep Grand Cherokee was abandoned and sitting sideways in the road blocking the two far right northbound lanes. Why is something like this not towed out of the traveled portions of the highway?
4X4 drivers can't hardly get around because of all the abandoned cars and trucks blocking the roads. The cop shoppes need to start towing this stuff off the public roadways.
Is the County now pleading for volunteers the same one that's wanted to shut down volunteer rescue (and fire) squads in the past?
Hey GSOE, here's a winter wonderland "cop shoppe" story from yesterday you might get a kick out of.
OK. I am originally born and raised in Maine. I have some gentle advice: watch the weather reports and deal with it and always expect the worst.


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Hands-Off Policy
This story appears in the July 1997 issue of Business Start-Ups magazine. Subscribe »
some are not getting the message. Lawsuits over sexual harassment
are still on the rise. When the White Plains, New York, law firm
Jackson, Lewis, Schnitzler & Krupman surveyed 850 human
resources specialists
in 1995, 92 percent reported that their company had handled a sexual harassment claim in 1995, up from 62 percent the year before. Small businesses are especially vulnerable because the informal office atmosphere may seem to allow sexual banter and innuendos, and a small business is less likely to have an official sexual harassment policy and training program. But be sure you and your staff understand what sexual harassment is, what it isn't, and how to stay out of trouble.
The law is still developing in such areas as same-sex harassment, female-to-male harassment, what constitutes a "hostile environment," and just who can be held liable. Basically, though, charges of sexual harassment are based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of gender. (Many states have similarly worded anti-discrimination laws.) After a string of pioneering cases in the mid-1970s and 1980s, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued definitions and guidelines to clarify what constitutes sexual harassment.
According to the EEOC, sexual harassment consists of "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature." The key word is "unwelcome," a term being hotly debated in the courts. Those who claim they've been harassed must show the conduct was unsolicited, undesirable or offensive, even if they didn't demand that it stop. Employees who participate in sexual banter or encourage the advances of a co-worker will have a harder time proving their cases in court.
The EEOC recognizes two types of sexual harassment. The more blatant is quid pro quo harassment, in which an employer or supervisor offers a promotion in exchange for sexual favors or threatens termination if refused. More subtle is a sexually charged "hostile environment" that hurts an employee's job performance. It might involve unwelcome sexual advances, gender-related verbal abuse, pornography, hugs and back rubs or sexually explicit jokes in a pattern pervasive enough to change the conditions of employment. To prevail in court, the employee must have indicated the conduct was offensive.
"A lot of managers do not understand that just because one
employee doesn't consider it offensive doesn't mean
it's not a hostile environment for others," says Debra J.
professor of management at George Washington University in Washington, DC. What seems like good fun to one person might be distressing to another.
Although an employee bringing suit over sexual harassment typically names both the individual and the company, the plaintiff's lawyers don't expend much effort going after the individual, who is not likely to be able to pay much. But for employers, failing to take action against the harasser can make them liable. "One way you can cut off your liability when one co-worker harasses another is to investigate immediately and fire the [harasser]," says J. Miles Gibson, an employment law attorney in Columbus, Ohio. Gibson says if the harasser is the employee's supervisor, though, a court is more likely to hold the company and supervisor jointly liable even if no one knew about it.
Recent court cases have expanded the definition of sexual
harassment beyond a man's unwelcome sexual
advances toward a woman. In
November 1995, a federal court awarded $237,257 to a married man who managed a pizza store in Florida and was fired after rebuffing blatant sexual advances from his female supervisor. In August 1995, a U.S. District Court in Tennessee awarded nearly $1.7 million to a bookstore worker who claimed he was forced to quit his job because of continual harassment from his homosexual supervisor. In 1994, an Ohio appellate court upheld an award of $386,235 to a highly educated female information specialist after the company vice president repeatedly shouted at her and threatened her. Although the executive did not make sexual advances, his tirades tied in her gender, creating a "sexually abusive, hostile work environment."
Watch your step
To stay out of trouble, begin by watching your own behavior. Since a disgruntled employee may charge you with sexual harassment just to get even, make sure the charge would be completely groundless.
Don't touch your employees without permission.
Don't demean people, especially with reference to their gender.
Don't treat employees as potential dates.
Don't get romantically involved with someone you supervise. "Nothing good can come of it," Gibson says. "If anything bad happens to the relationship, it's an automatic cause of action. The employee will say `I only did it to get promoted.' "
Don't make suggestive comments in the workplace.
Watch your language; cursing and bawdy humor is distressing enough to some people to count as sexual harassment.
Compliment without innuendo. It's fine to say a new outfit looks nice, but don't say it with a wink or a comment on how well the pants fit.
As much as possible, keep your office door open if your employee is a member of the opposite sex (or the same sex if one of you is homosexual). If you expect trouble, bring a witness who is the same sex as the employee.
Setting The Rules
If you don't have a sexual harassment policy, write one. Define harassment, state that the company won't tolerate it, and tell employees what to do if they're harassed. Then make sure everyone understands the policy, and set a tone that makes it clear you take it seriously. "You need to say it's appropriate to blow the whistle on someone," Cohen says.
The policy should include a procedure for reporting sexual harassment complaints to avoid having unfounded accusations crop up months after someone leaves the job. "Tell employees that if they're going to complain, they have to do it in writing," Gibson says. "That makes it easier to defend yourself." Also, give an option other than reporting to the employee's supervisor, who may be the harasser.
Know what's going on in your office. Notice the posters and listen to the talk. "Be proactive rather than waiting for problems," Cohen says. Try an anonymous survey to see if your employees think their co-workers are out of line.
If a complaint arises, take it seriously. Interview the victim, the alleged harasser and any witnesses. (To avoid charges of defamation, use open-ended questions about inappropriate behavior, which encourage the witness to volunteer names.) Keep a record of what's said. Evaluate and take action, such as giving the perpetrator a written warning, and tell the complaining party what you did. Follow up to make sure the conduct has stopped. After all, running a business is difficult enough without employees harassing each other.


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Minor Details: Rethinking the Farm System**
This past off season, the Atlanta Braves announced plans to terminate their 42-year relationship with the city of Richmond, Virginia. The plan is to relocate the Richmond affiliate 469 miles to the south making the distance to watching the Braves most major league ready prospects just a 45-minute drive away from Turner Field in Gwinnett County, Georgia starting in the 2009 season. The Braves, who already have a class-A affiliate in Rome, Georgia, roughly 70 miles northwest of Atlanta, will have two of their farm clubs within a two-hour drive of their fan base. Another National League East team, the Philadelphia Phillies, took the opportunity to shuffle the locale of their top affiliate prior to the 2007 season, moving the Ottawa Lynx from the neighbors to the north to a city that was immortalized on Billy Joel's The Nylon Curtain: Allentown, Pennsylvania. Named after the region, Lehigh Valley, the team assumed the moniker IronPigs and situated themselves in a cozy new 8,100-seat Coca-Cola Park, an hour and a half drive away from the parent club. This was a nice compliment to the existing Reading, Pennsylvania AA affiliate located an hour and fifteen minute drive southeast of Philadelphia. In theory, a Phillies Phanatic can spend a weekend and just two hours and forty-five minutes in the car and watch three levels of Phillie talent. On the opposite side of the Manifest Destiny, the Seattle Mariners have nursed a pair of 13-year relationships with both the AAA Tacoma Rainiers (33 miles south of Safeco Field) and the class-A Everett AquaSox (30.7 miles north of Safeco Field). This proximity has encouraged local blog communities such as USSMariner and Lookout Landing to organize outings to get a first-hand inspection of the developing Mariner talent.
It is hard not to be envious of the aforementioned clubs for diehard baseball fans living in Twins Territory. In comparison to a Braves fan who will be able to see prospects perform in Atlanta's northern suburbs starting next year, an ambitious Twins fan in Minneapolis or Saint Paul would have to drive nearly 17 hours to catch a glimpse of the team's future in Rochester, New York. Notable Braves blogger (Sabernomics.com) and associate professor at Kennesaw State University, J.C. Bradbury, cited several economically positives regarding the geographical convenience of these farm clubs. First, travel time for scouts and coaches to analyze a potential call-up is greatly reduced. Secondly, once a player is needed due to injury or general promotion getting that player from point A to point B is cut down significantly. In the case of the Braves, Phillies and Mariners, each have two of their clubs within an easy drive reducing the cost of shuffling players around. Finally, but possibly the most important reason for the clustering of the ball clubs is that it would create a commitment to players by the fans region-wide.
Not long ago, hometown fans recieved brief snippets of information and reports on players down on the farm once a week through updates in the local paper, since the proliferation of the internet, however, minor league statistics have been readily available to every rube with a modem. Now it appears that major league organizations are discovering the added benefit of allowing the average fan to visually see who were once just numbers flash the leather or bring out the whooping stick before their very eyes. If every Twins draft pick spent a season in St. Cloud, Fargo or Mankato before ascending to the other levels, an investment of sorts would be made between the spectator and the organization and that spectator may be enticed to visit the new Twins stadium when the player was eventually promoted. A relationship is created.
There are several barriers that would impede the Twins from easily replicating this system. Unlike the Atlanta Braves who own the Richmond Braves franchise, the Twins are only in a partnership with the majority of their farm teams (they own Elizabethton outright). The Braves were able to move their club on a whim while the Twins in order to adjust their alignment, they would have to wait for one of the Player Development Contracts to expire and simultaneously find a community that would be accommodating to the immigrant club. Secondly, the sparsely populated Midwest region limits the encroachment of almost all of the leagues (minus the Midwest League, of course) which are situated on the dense coasts. The AA Eastern League's closest team to Minnesota is the Akron, Ohio Aeros, a 12-hour drive from the Twin Cities (but a 45-minute drive for Cleveland Indians fans to see their second highest farm club). Therefore, relocating the New Britain Rock Cats to the similarly sized Duluth-Superior area would greatly increase the travel budget, completely negating the entire purpose of saving money if every road trip takes a minimum 12-hour bus ride. Likewise, the International League, home of the Twins current AAA affiliate Rochester Red Wings, has a minimum 9 hour drive from Minnesota to the nearest competitor (Indianapolis Indians). Obviously Des Moines would be a great city to host a Twins affiliate after all, it is just 3 hours and 40 minutes south on Interstate 35 and they have drawn 14,000 people to one game. The problem, however, is that the Player Development Contract between the Iowa Cubs and the Chicago Cubs is signed through 2012.
The Twins do have one affiliate that would benefit from relocation. In August 2007, the Twins and the Beloit Professional Baseball Association (BPBA), purveyors of the Snappers, agreed to a 2-year extension on their P.D.C. ensuring the partnership would last through the 2010 season. The Snappers home ballpark, Harry Pohlman Field, seats just 3,501 in a league where most of the facilities have around 1,500 more seats per stadium, the 1981 constructed ballpark seems antiquated. The Beloit ballpark has been renovated several times - adding box seats and other amenities - but lacks the revenue generators that flashier, newer ballparks have. Recent attempts to get a new stadium built in nearby Janesville, Wisconsin have been thwarted. Since the Beloit Snappers are community-owned (like the Green Bay Packers) the group selling their team appears to be an unlikely outcome so in order for a franchise to come to Minnesota an entrepreneur who have to purchase an existing team (the most recent Midwest League team sold for $6.2 million in 2006) and wait until the Twins' P.D.C. with the Beloit organization expired and then relocate that team to a community closer to the Twin Cities. One location that seems appealing is the recently proposed stadium to be constructed in Burnsville, Minnesota (25 minutes south of the Metrodome). Two private financiers, Tony Pettit and Terry Deroche, have submitted preliminary designs of a 7,300-seat ballpark to the city of Burnsville that would be constructed without government assistance and potentially be ready to hold independent Northern League games on its grounds by the 2009 season. Dakota County, Minnesota's third most populous county, has over 380,000 residences and, like Gwinnett County in Georgia, a strong economic base to support a minor league franchise.
Bringing a low-A Midwest League team into the Twin Cities would be a good reward to local Twins fans, providing them with a low-cost alternative to what is sure to be an increasingly expensive ticket at the taxpayer-funded stadium. The team would reap dividends from the residual marketing effect of having future Major League players develop just south of the Minnesota River while saving on travel costs for scouts and coaches. And when the Twins can finally wrestle Des Moines away from the Cubs in 2013 I-35 will be a solid corridor of Twins baseball.
**A version of this article appears in the September issue of GameDay. Nick Nelson, the guest editor for the month, pieced it together to and more cohesion (I tend to ramble, I realize this), so any help wrangling the story in was greatly appreciated. To read that version along with all the other insightful articles, pick one up from the vendors across the street from the Dome during the Twins' next homestand.


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Android Activity Recognition
Android Activity Recognition
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Activity Recognition gives our Android device the ability to detect a number of our physical activities like walking, riding a bicycle, driving a car or standing idle. All that can be detected by simply using an API to access Google Play Services, an increasingly crucial piece of software available to all Android versions.
As in the article on geofencing, we will download the sample app (ActivityRecognition.zip) at the Android developer's site and start playing with it, eventually modifying parts of it to fit our purposes. We will show here only the most relevant code sections.
The first thing to note is that we need a specific permission to use Activity Recognition:
<!-- Inside manifest file --> <uses-permission android:name="com.google.android.gms.permission.ACTIVITY_RECOGNITION"/>
As with geofencing or location updates, we use the API to request Google Play Services to analyse our data and provide us with the results. The chain of method calls for requesting updates is similar to that of geofencing:
- Make sure that Google Play Services is available.
- As an Activity Recognition client, request a connection.
- Once connected, Location Services calls back the onConnected() method in our app.
- Proceed with the updates request via a Pending Intent pointing to an IntentService we have written.
- Google Location Services sends out its activity recognition updates as Intent objects, using the PendingIntent we provided. Get and process the updates in our IntentService's onHandleIntent() method.
The sample app writes all the updates in a log file, and that is OK if we like that sort of thing … though a closer look at the data makes us realize that most of it is garbage. Do we really need to know that we have a 27 percent chance of being driving a vehicle and a 7 percent chance of riding a bicycle when we are in fact sitting idle at our desk? Not really. What we want is the most significant data, and in this case, that would be the most probable activity:
//.. import com.google.android.gms.location.ActivityRecognitionResult; import com.google.android.gms.location.DetectedActivity; /** * Service that receives ActivityRecognition updates. It receives updates * in the background, even if the main Activity is not visible. */ public class ActivityRecognitionIntentService extends IntentService { //.. /** * Called when a new activity detection update is available. */ @Override protected void onHandleIntent(Intent intent) { //... // If the intent contains an update if (ActivityRecognitionResult.hasResult(intent)) { // Get the update ActivityRecognitionResult result = ActivityRecognitionResult.extractResult(intent); DetectedActivity mostProbableActivity = result.getMostProbableActivity(); // Get the confidence % (probability) int confidence = mostProbableActivity.getConfidence(); // Get the type int activityType = mostProbableActivity.getType(); /* types: * DetectedActivity.IN_VEHICLE * DetectedActivity.ON_BICYCLE * DetectedActivity.ON_FOOT * DetectedActivity.STILL * DetectedActivity.UNKNOWN * DetectedActivity.TILTING */ // process } } }
Instead of writing the updates to a log file, it is simpler to just store them in memory (e.g. in a static List in a dedicated class) and display them to the user of our app. One way to do this would be by using a Fragment to display the updates on top of a Google map. As commented in previous articles, Fragments were introduced in Honeycomb but are also available to older Android versions through the Support Library.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <FrameLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" android:id="@+id/lay_map" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:orientation="vertical"> <fragment android:id="@+id/map" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent" class="com.google.android.gms.maps.SupportMapFragment"/> <!-- activity recognition --> <fragment android:id="@+id/ar_fragment" android:name="package.to.our.fragment.ActReconFragment" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content"/> </FrameLayout>
Once we define our own XML layout for the ActReconFragment and give it a transparent background (left to the reader as an exercise), we will get a nice overlaid display like this:
Since we have chosen to show the most probable activity to the users of our app, we need the display to be dynamic, like a live feed. For that, we can add a local broadcast in our service:
//inside ActivityRecognitionIntentService 's onHandleIntent Intent broadcastIntent = new Intent(); // Give it the category for all intents sent by the Intent Service broadcastIntent.addCategory(ActivityUtils.CATEGORY_LOCATION_SERVICES); // Set the action and content for the broadcast intent broadcastIntent.setAction(ActivityUtils.ACTION_REFRESH_STATUS_LIST); // Broadcast *locally* to other components in this app LocalBroadcastManager.getInstance(this).sendBroadcast(broadcastIntent);
We are using a LocalBroadcastManager (included in Android 3.0 and above, and in the support library v4 for early releases). Apart from providing our own layout to position the Activity Detection panel on top of a map, the only new code snippet we wrote is the above local broadcast. For the remainder below, we have simply re-positioned the sample app's code in a fragment and use in-memory storage of the activity updates instead of using a log file. The receiver on that local broadcast is in our Fragment:
//... public class ActReconFragment extends Fragment{ // Intent filter for incoming broadcasts from the IntentService IntentFilter mBroadcastFilter; // Instance of a local broadcast manager private LocalBroadcastManager mBroadcastManager; //... /** * Called when the corresponding Map Activity's * onCreate() method has completed. */ @Override public void onActivityCreated(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onActivityCreated(savedInstanceState); // Set the broadcast receiver intent filer mBroadcastManager = LocalBroadcastManager.getInstance(getActivity()); // Create a new Intent filter for the broadcast receiver mBroadcastFilter = new IntentFilter(ActivityUtils.ACTION_REFRESH_STATUS_LIST); mBroadcastFilter.addCategory(ActivityUtils.CATEGORY_LOCATION_SERVICES); //... } /** * Broadcast receiver that receives activity update intents * This receiver is local only. It can't read broadcast Intents from other apps. */ BroadcastReceiver updateListReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() { @Override public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) { // When an Intent is received from the update listener IntentService, // update the display. updateActivityHistory(); } }; //... }
Live feed shots:
Once we have taken care of the display, we need to move on to other important aspects like what to do with those activity updates. The sample app gives us one example of that in the ActivityRecognitionIntentService:
if( // If the current type is "moving" i.e on foot, bicycle or vehicle isMoving(activityType) && // The activity has changed from the previous activity activityChanged(activityType) // The confidence level for the current activity is >= 50% && (confidence >= 50)) { // do something useful }
Simply getting the most probable activity might be OK for displaying purposes, but might not be enough for an app to act on it and do something useful. We need to make sure that the type of activity and the corresponding confidence level (i.e. probability) are adequate for our purposes. While a detected activity type of "Unknown" with a confidence level of 52% is next to useless, knowing that the user is moving in a vehicle as opposed to walking can be put to good use: increase the frequency of location updates, enlarge the map area of available points of interest, etc …
Activity Recognition has been added as an experimental feature to this Geofencing app. Check it out and feel free to post any feedback.
Published at DZone with permission of Tony Siciliani , DZone MVB. See the original article here.
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.


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USPS, HUD find innovative avenues to reduce energy consumption, increase recycling
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces today it has selected the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as award winners, and the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park with an honorable mention in the EPA's Federal Green Challenge Program.
"EPA is pleased to recognize the U.S. Postal Service, Housing and Urban Development, and the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park for their outstanding leadership to reduce their environmental footprint," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "By taking the initiative to reduce waste and conserve water and energy, these agencies will not only help motivate other federal agencies and organizations to follow suit, but save the government money as well."
Leadership Category
Winner: USPS Honolulu Processing and Distribution Center: USPS Honolulu achieved a 70.7% recycling rate, increasing significantly by 400 tons in the last year. One of the keys to their success was the creation of a Green Team of finance managers, maintenance managers, operations specialists, and vehicle maintenance staff. The Green Team set a standard for recycling at the Honolulu plant and communicated that to the more than 160 Postmasters in Hawai'i. There were significant cost reductions of $65k as a result of decrease trash disposal.
Innovation Category
Winner: HUD Honolulu: HUD Honolulu created a tracking tool to analyze the transportation methods of the staff. The tool not only allowed HUD to establish detailed transportation metrics, but also encouraged more sustainable transportation choices on a person-by-person basis. They took many factors into account including staff point of origin, total miles to work, mode of transportation, and frequency of work-related travel. As a result, they exceeded their goal of decreasing commuting via car by 5%.
Education and Outreach Category
Honorable Mention: Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park: In conjunction with the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, they developed an employee survey to ascertain energy knowledge, views, and habits. The students from the university analyzed the survey results and developed recommendations for educating the national park employees about energy conservation methods. As a result, informational signs and stickers were put up and energy meters were added to some equipment. Additionally, supervisors monitored employee activity and the energy manager tracked quantitative results through energy bills.
In total, Federal Green Award participants regionally:
· reduced over 57.5 million kWh of electricity and 342 million cubic feet of natural gas (equivalent to the energy used in a year by almost 2200 households);
· prevented over 40,000 tons of waste from reaching landfills, through composting and recycling, resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 107,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (the equivalent of taking over 22,000 cars off the road for a year);
· reduced water usage by over 357 billion gallons; and
· saved over $16.6 million by reducing waste, water and energy use.
The Federal Green Challenge is a national effort to challenge EPA and other federal agencies to reduce the federal government's environmental impact. Offices or facilities start their participation by selecting a minimum two of the six target areas—waste, electronics, purchasing, energy, water, or transportation—and commit to improve by at least 5% per year in their selected target areas.
For more information on the Federal Green Challenge winners, visit: www.epa.gov/region9/federalgreenchallenge/awards/pacificswawards/
Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Environment, Hawaii, Health, National Affairs, State Affairs, Technology Tagged: | EPA, Green Award Recognition, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, HUD Honolulu, USPS Honolulu Processing and Distribution Center


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All visits are scheduled by appointment only.
Ricker Polsdorfer, MD
A stroke is a medical emergency. If you think you are having a stroke,
call for emergency medical services right away.
A stroke can be diagnosed based on your signs and symptoms, as well as a physical and neurological examination performed when you arrive at the hospital. Once you are stabilized, your doctor may want other tests to determine the type of stroke, what area of the brain is affected, or to determine an underlying cause.
Imaging tests evaluate the brain, blood vessels, and surrounding structures. Detailed images can provide your doctor with information about areas of bleeding, blockage, or where the damaged area is located. Imaging tests include:
Blood tests can also be used to evaluate platelet, glucose, electrolyte, and cholesterol levels, as well as blood clotting time. Assessment of blood components can help with diagnosing or ruling out a stroke. Specific blood tests can also test liver and kidney function.
Electrical activity can be measured with:
Depending on the severity of your stroke, your doctor will evaluate swallowing, how you respond to food textures and tastes, as well as your language skills. Stroke often affects these parts of the brain. It will help determine the rehabilitation process needed during your recovery.
lumbar puncture
may be done to check the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord. It can be examined if your doctor suspects the presence of an infection or a
subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Many strokes are the result of cardiovascular disease. If your doctor suspects you have cardiovascular disease, you may have additional tests, such as:
Albers GW, Amarenco P, Easton JD, et al. Antithrombotic and thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
2008;133(suppl 6):887S-968S.
Carpenter, C, Keim S, Milne W, et al. Thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke beyond three hours.
J Emerg Med.
How is a stroke diagnosed? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/stroke/diagnosis. Updated January 27, 2017. Accessed September 29, 2017.
Liberman AL, Prabhakaran S. Stroke chameleons and stroke mimics in the emergency department. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2017;17(2):15.
Neuroimaging for acute stroke. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at:
http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T474350/Neuroimaging-for-acute-stroke. Updated October 28, 2016. Accessed September 29, 2017.
Stroke (acute management). EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at:
http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T143427/Stroke-acute-management. Updated July 27, 2017. Accessed September 29, 2017.
Stroke diagnosis. American Stroke Association website. Available at: http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/Diagnosis/Stroke-Diagnosis_UCM_310890_Article.jsp#.VnrtTU2FPIU. Updated June 2, 2016. Accessed September 29, 2017.
tPA treatments for stroke. Jefferson University Hospitals website. Available at: http://hospitals.jefferson.edu/tests-and-treatments/tpa-treatments-for-stroke. Accessed September 29, 2017.
Last reviewed September 2017 by EBSCO Medical Review Board
Rimas Lukas, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.


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Hello all.
When I first installed PocoMail 10 years ago, I separated the attachments folder, so I could backup PocoMail emails & keep the backup sizes relatively small, by not backing up the attachments. Seemed like a good idea at the time .
However, now I am at the point of needing to switch to another email client (Outlook). There are various utilities that I have tried, to export PocoMail & import into Outlook. The ones that I've tried so far, are able to import the emails themselves, but none of the attachments get imported.
In searching the forums here, I see that others have run into the same problem in the past. I see some solutions, but those are in posts from many, many years ago. Just wondering if someone with this same problem more recently has found a solution for somehow getting PocoMail's emails exported with their attachments.
By default, when PocoMail is first installed, what is the location of the attachments folder? Would I be able, after making a backup of the entire PocoMail directory, to simply move the attachments to where the default location is, and then re-index PocoMail?
I welcome any suggestions.
Thanks in advance & have a great day.