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Major League Baseball, as the combined National and American leagues in the United States are now called, faces new challenges—both external and internal—with the increase of baseball's international appeal. External pressures include strong professional baseball leagues in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea (see Japanese baseball leagues) that could hamper major league baseball's expansion into those Asian markets. Internal pressures involve such issues as the location of the major leagues themselves, which are no longer based exclusively in the United States (each league includes a Canadian team), and the enormous increase in the number of foreign players, particularly Latin Americans from the Caribbean basin. Both of these factors could hinder the sport's ability to market itself as "all-American." When the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues were called organized baseball to distinguish them from independent baseball (i.e., the Negro leagues), they withstood gambling scandals, desegregation controversies, expansion, and rule changes. Now Major League Baseball may be facing yet a new test: how to deal with the globalization of the game.
Though there have been Latin Americans in the major leagues since the 19th century, not until now have they been so numerous and played so many different positions and roles. At the start of the 2000 season, there were 71 major league players from the Dominican Republic, 33 from Puerto Rico, 31 from Venezuela, 14 from Mexico, 9 from Cuba, 8 from Panama, 2 from Colombia, and 1 from Nicaragua. Thus, of some 1,200 players in the major leagues, 169 (about 15 percent) were from Latin America. There were also a number of players of Latin descent (mostly with Puerto Rican, Cuban, or Mexican ancestry) born in the United States. However, the increase in Hispanic players on the field has not been accompanied by a proportionate rise in the number of Hispanic managers. There have been a few Latin managers in the past—Miguel Angel González, Octavio ("Cookie") Rojas, Preston Gómez, and Tony Pérez, for example—but in each case these men were the sole Latin major league managers during their tenure.
In the past, Latins gravitated to positions in which strength was not at a premium. Their forte tended to be fielding, and in some cases pitching, but not hitting. By contrast, the 1990s featured Latin sluggers in the outfield (José Canseco, Juan González, Manny Ramírez, and Sammy Sosa), catchers (Iván ["Pudge"] Rodríguez and Sandy Alomar), and hard-hitting first basemen (Rafael Palmeiro and Andrés Galarraga). Latin pitchers tended to be, and still are, guileful rather than fast, but this, too, has changed. Pedro Martínez and Armando Benítez, for example, both have exceptional speed.
The dramatic increase in Latin players in the major leagues is due to several factors. First, the major league expansion that began in 1961 eventually increased the number of teams from 16 to 30 and forced owners to look farther afield to fill player rosters. Second, the increasing competition for young athletes in other professional sports, such as gridiron football and basketball, decreased the number available to play baseball. The popularity of football (soccer) in the suburbs, the unsuitability of baseball to the inner city (because of the need for large fields), and fewer collegiate scholarships being offered in baseball in comparison with gridiron football and basketball also served to make the game less attractive to young men in the United States. By contrast, boys play baseball year-round in the warm Caribbean basin and Panama, and there is little competition from other sports. In Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, and Colombia, football plays a more important role than baseball, but, particularly in Venezuela, baseball is also a strong component of the national culture. Further, baseball's lifting of the colour bar with the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947 permitted black Latin players to play major league baseball and thereby greatly increased the number of players eligible to play in the United States. Finally, Latin American players are cheaper to sign and develop than other players are in the United States. Many Latin players come from impoverished backgrounds; they seldom have legal representation; and they typically are not covered by the rules governing recruitment (except in Puerto Rico).
Early history
Baseball arrived in Latin America primarily through Cuba. In 1864 Nemesio and Ernesto Guilló took the first ball and bat to the island on their return from Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama, and in 1868 they organized the Habana (Havana) Baseball Club. They were among the many Cuban men sent to be educated in the United States during the second half of the 19th century, and a number of these men returned to Cuba with a love for baseball. For instance, between 1875 and 1877 the brothers Teodoro and Carlos de Zaldo studied at Fordham College, in the Bronx in New York City, and, upon their return to Cuba in 1878, they founded the Almendares Baseball Club, which became the Havana club's rival. Soon after, an amateur Cuban league was organized, which slowly became professional, evolving into the Cuban winter league that operated until 1961, when it was abolished by Fidel Castro's regime.
Cubans played baseball in the United States at an early date. From 1871 to 1873 Esteban Bellán, another Cuban Fordham student, played third base, shortstop, and some outfield (in a total of 59 games) for the Troy Haymakers and the New York Mutuals, teams in the National Association, the earliest American professional league. Bellán was the first Latin American in what could be considered the major leagues. The first black professional team in the United States, founded in 1885 by waiters at New York's Argyle Hotel, was called the Cuban Giants, though not a single player on the team was Cuban. They were all African Americans styling themselves as Cubans, obviously mimicking Cuban teams in the New York and New Jersey area at the time. The Cuban Giants thrived when they moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and one of their splinter squads visited Havana in 1900, where they astonished Cuban citizens with both their name and their skill. Multiracial Cuban teams began to travel through the United States during the first two decades of the 20th century, barnstorming and competing in independent circuits. Some Cuban players, such as shortstop Luis ("Anguila" [meaning "eel"]) Bustamante, gained renown. The All Cubans, and eventually the Cuban Stars, both East and West (the East team played in New York and the West team in Ohio), became famous, and the Stars were entered as charter members of the Negro National League in 1920. A Cuban left-handed slugger, Cristóbal Torriente, playing for the Chicago American Giants, reached stardom in the Negro National League. Averaging .335 at bat, he played 17 years in the Negro leagues and later was also outstanding in Cuban League play.
Meanwhile, white Cuban players (of Spanish, as opposed to African, ancestry) entered the minor leagues of organized baseball in the Connecticut League and the New York–New Jersey League. Colombian player Luis Castro became the second Latin American in the majors when he spent the 1902 season with the Philadelphia Athletics as a utility infielder. The meaningful entry of Latin players into the major leagues was yet to come, but the way was paved by the U.S. occupation of Cuba between 1906 and 1909.
After defeating Spain in the 1898 Spanish-American War, the United States governed Cuba until 1902, when the independent Cuban republic was proclaimed. But the Cuban constitution contained an amendment that gave the United States the right to intervene in instances of political turmoil. After a hotly contested presidential election in Cuba in 1906 led to open civil war, U.S. troops landed and installed a military government. During the three-year occupation, the presence of baseball on the island increased. Negro-circuit and major league teams played often in Cuba. The Cincinnati Reds visited in the fall of 1908 and were shut out three times by Almendares pitcher José de la Caridad Méndez. Because Méndez was black, he was unable to play on a major league team; he had a notable career as a player and later as manager of the Kansas City Monarchs, one of the best teams in the Negro leagues. When white Cubans Rafael Almeida and Armando Marsans joined the National League Cincinnati Reds in 1911, they became the first significant major league Latin American players in the 20th century.
During the 1913–14 season the Longbranch Cubans of the New York–New Jersey League became a repository of Cuban talent for the major leagues. Two players who made the grade, pitcher Adolfo Luque and catcher Miguel Angel González, not only had long, distinguished careers in the majors in the United States but also became the patriarchs of professional baseball in Cuba nearly until its demise. González was a "good field no hit" catcher (a phrase he coined), while Luque became the first Latin star in the major leagues. He won 27 games for the Reds in 1923 and went on to amass 193 victories over a 20-year career. Such other Cubans as Angel Aragón, Merito Acosta, Oscar Tuero, José Acosta, and Pedro Dibut had brief, undistinguished major league careers in the late 1910s and the '20s, but they still were the first substantial group of Latin Americans to play in the majors.
The 1930s through World War II
The next Latin group of note comprised Cubans signed by Joe Cambria, who became a special Latin American scout for the American League Washington Senators in the early 1930s. These included catcher Fermín ("Mike") Guerra, Roberto Estalella, who played both the infield and outfield, and pitcher René Monteagudo. During World War II Cambria increased the number of Latins he signed, all in an attempt to win a pennant for the Senators with Cuban players who were, of course, not subject to the U.S. military draft. Playing against major league teams whose regular players were away at war, the Senators almost won the pennant in 1945 with a roster that included Cubans Gilberto Torres, Guerra, José Antonio Zardón, and pitchers Santiago Ulrich and Armando Roche. Cambria also signed the first Venezuelan to play in the majors, pitcher Alejandro ("Patón") Carrasquel. Through the late 1940s and the '50s, the Senators were the sole team to feature Latin American players prominently on the roster.
Other teams had dipped into the Latin American talent pool in the 1930s and '40s. Cubans Salvador ("Chico") Hernández, a catcher, and Regino Otero, a first baseman, had brief stints with the National League Chicago Cubs, as did Mexican pitcher Jesse Flores, who moved to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943 and pitched in the majors for seven years. Flores was not the first Mexican major leaguer; in 1933 Baldomero ("Mel") Almada and in 1935 José ("Chile") Gómez had played a few games with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively.
Other teams followed the Senators' example of trying to find men to fill the positions vacated by Americans in military service. Cuban right-hander Tomás de la Cruz pitched 18 games for the Reds in 1944, winning 9 and losing 9, and his compatriot Napoleón Reyes, an infielder, began his four-year career with the New York Giants in 1943. Meanwhile, in 1942 Hiram Bithorn, pitching for the Cubs, became the first Puerto Rican to play in the majors, and the Brooklyn Dodgers fielded the second in 1943, outfielder Luis ("El Jibarito" ["the Little Hick"]) Rodríguez Olmo. Revered on the island and throughout the Caribbean, particularly in Cuba, where he played in the winter of 1947–48, Rodríguez Olmo became a legend in Caribbean baseball. While a major leaguer, he had a creditable career, with a batting average of .281 for six seasons. But because he played in the Mexican League and was declared ineligible by organized baseball to play in its league in the late 1940s, "El Jibarito" did not play with major leaguers during his prime. (The Mexican League threatened the reserve clause of organized baseball. Players, known as "jumpers," who went from major league baseball to the Mexican League threatened the ability of major league team owners to tightly control player salaries. Thus, organized baseball decreed that players who had played in the Mexican League were ineligible to play professionally in the United States.) The first Puerto Rican who was truly a baseball star was Peruchín Cepeda, a powerful infielder who, because he was black, could not play in organized baseball; his own career unjustly forgotten, he is remembered now only for being the father of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda.
During the 1940s the Negro leagues enjoyed a resurgence that included many black Latin players. One such team was the New York Cubans (a team of black Latins, and not just Cubans). The Cubans played in the Negro leagues from 1935 to the early 1950s and won the championship in that pivotal year of 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier. Players included future Hall of Famer Martín Dihigo, Ramón Bragaña, Rodolfo Fernández, José María Fernández, Luis ("Lefty") Tiant (Sr.), Heberto Blanco, Silvio García, Rafael ("Sam") Noble, Orestes ("Minnie") Miñoso, and Edmundo ("Sandy") Amorós. Other great players for this team were two Dominican standouts, Horacio Martínez and Tetelo Vargas; Puerto Ricans Pancho Coímbre and José ("Pantalones") Santiago; and Panamanian Pat Scantlebury. Another legend of Caribbean baseball was also playing in the Negro leagues at the time: Puerto Rican slugger Luis ("Canena") Márquez.
The Latin talent pool in the late 1940s, combining both black and white Latins, was extraordinary. Cuba was no longer the only source; with Bithorn, Olmo, Coímbre, Márquez, Santiago, and others, Puerto Rico could field quite a team. This was not lost on Mexican baseball magnate Jorge Pasquel, who signed many of these players away from the Negro leagues for the Mexican League, along with not a few Anglo-American players from organized baseball. He also grabbed the Mexican talent, including Bobby Avila, the first celebrated Mexican player in U.S. major league baseball. As the Cleveland Indians' second baseman, Avila won the 1954 American League batting championship. Pasquel's Mexican League offered salaries that competed favourably with those in organized baseball, which caused Major League Baseball to declare players who played professionally in Mexico to be ineligible to play in the United States. Being forced to choose, many Latins entered U.S. major league teams in the 1950s.
The Mexican League profited from the strength of the winter professional leagues in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and, to a certain extent, Panama. The winter leagues played (and still play) their seasons from October to December, which is the off-season for U.S. baseball. These winter leagues, and the developing winter league in the Dominican Republic, benefited from the plethora of talent and long experience of the Cuban League. At one point in the 1950s, the four managers in the Dominican League were Cuban, and during another period three of the four managers of the Venezuelan League were Cuban. Cuban stars, such as black slugger Pedro ("Perico") Formental, played in Venezuela when they were too old to make it in Cuban League teams, and others went to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Panama. In 1946 Cuba became part of organized baseball when the Havana Cubans of the Class B Florida–International League were founded. A farm team for the Washington Senators, the Havana Cubans fed mature talent such as veteran right-hander Conrado Marrero to the parent club. In 1954 they switched leagues, entering the AAA International League as the Sugar Kings, a Cincinnati Reds farm team, and became a developer of Latin and not just Cuban talent. Future Cuban major leaguers such as Leonardo Cárdenas, Cookie Rojas, Raúl Sánchez, Miguel Cuéllar, and Orlando Peña played for the Sugar Kings, as did Puerto Rican standout reliever Luis ("Tite") Arroyo and outfielder Saturnino Escalera. The team also included Venezuelans Julián Ladera, Emilio Cueche, Pompeyo Davalillo, and Elio Chacón. Many of these players reached the majors in the 1950s.
The 1950s—baseball integrates
A significant breakthrough for Latin players came in 1949 when the Cleveland Indians signed the renowned black Cuban player Minnie Miñoso. He was the first unquestionably black Latin American in the majors. Certain players with some black ancestry had played in the major leagues before Miñoso. Cuba had racial barriers to integration in its amateur baseball teams, but the Cuban League had been integrated since 1900. Thus, race had not been an issue in Cuba, where players such as Roberto Estalella and Tomás de la Cruz were considered to be mulattos. In the United States these players' racial heritage was not recognized, as they were light-skinned and "passed" as white. Thus, Miñoso was a groundbreaker racially for the major leagues and became the first Latin American since Adolfo Luque to attain celebrity status. An exciting, charismatic player known to give his all, Miñoso was the premier Latin in the majors for most of the 1950s. His career extended until 1964, and he was brought back for promotional reasons for token appearances in 1976 and 1980, which made him a five-decade player. The New York Giants (later the San Francisco Giants), the Brooklyn Dodgers (later the Los Angeles Dodgers), the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Chicago White Sox also fielded Latin players.
The Giants were aided in signing Latin American players by Alejandro Pompez, the owner of the Negro league New York Cubans, who had strong connections in Caribbean baseball. As the Negro leagues waned, Pompez, whose Cubans played at the Polo Grounds when the Giants were on the road, became a special Caribbean scout for the National League team. Some of the talent recruited by Pompez included Puerto Rican pitching ace Rubén Gómez, who joined the Giants in 1953. Eventually the Giants signed Puerto Rican infielders José Pagán and Julio Gotay, and in Orlando Cepeda they found a true star who reached the Hall of Fame. The White Sox's Alfonso ("Chico") Carrasquel (nephew to Alejandro) became the team's permanent shortstop until 1956, when his countryman and future Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio replaced him. Other Latin shortstops in the 1950s were Cubans Guillermo Miranda, José Valdivielso, and Humberto ("Chico") Fernández.
Cuban pitchers dominated among Latin American pitchers during the 1950s; most were players Cambria had signed for the Senators. Two of the best, Sandalio Consuegra and Miguel Fornieles, had their best seasons with the White Sox and Red Sox, respectively. Camilo Pascual and Pedro Ramos both developed into front-line pitchers in the 1960s.
The player who would be the first Latin in the Hall of Fame, Roberto Clemente, was signed by the Dodgers while he was still in Puerto Rico. Clemente ended up playing for the Pirates, where in 1955 he began his remarkable career as a hitter and outfielder whose only peer was Willie Mays. Clemente, a proud and sensitive man, did much to change the image of Latin players as happy-go-lucky, reckless base runners and free-swinging batters who cared little for their teams. A black Latin, Clemente protested racial bias against Latin players, swaying opinion by virtue of his intelligence and unparalleled skills on the field. His untimely death while on a mercy mission to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua in 1973 transformed him from superstar to martyr and into a baseball icon. Clemente was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973 without the required five-year wait (this waiting period has been waived for only one other inductee at Cooperstown, Yankee great Lou Gehrig).
The 1960s through the 1990s
In the 1960s the flow of Cuban baseball talent to the United States was cut off by the advent of the Castro regime. Still, those already in the minors and a few early defectors included players such as Tony Oliva, who won three batting championships; Tony Pérez, who would become a outstanding player with Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" (as that Reds team was known in the 1970s); Zoilo ("Zorro") Versalles, who won a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award while with the 1965 championship Minnesota Twins; Luis Tiant (Jr.), who had a long, distinguished career that began with the Cleveland Indians but peaked with the Red Sox and the Yankees; Cookie Rojas, an acclaimed second baseman with the Phillies; Miguel Cuéllar, winner of a Cy Young Award with the Orioles; and Bert Campaneris, a great shortstop and premier base stealer with the Oakland Athletics.
During the 1960s the number of Puerto Rican players increased, and preeminent players such as Clemente and Cepeda were reaching their peak. A Panamanian second baseman, Rod Carew, began his Hall of Fame career in 1967. In the 1960s and '70s Carew won seven batting titles in the American League and wound up with a lifetime batting average of .328. A new development was the arrival of players from the Dominican Republic in increasing numbers. Osvaldo Virgil, an infielder with the Giants, was the first Dominican in the majors (1956), and Felipe Alou (1958), with the same team, was the second. The first Dominican star, pitcher Juan Marichal, made his debut in 1960, also with the Giants (by now in San Francisco). With Marichal, Alou and his two brothers Mateo and Jesús, and Puerto Ricans Cepeda and Pagán, the Giants of the early 1960s were a team that, like the 1945 Senators, was loaded with Latins. Other teams, mostly in the National League, followed suit. The Pirates—with Panamanian catcher Manny Sanguillén, Dominicans Manny Mota and Manny Jiménez, Puerto Rican José Pagán, and Mateo Alou—became another heavily Latin team, led by the incomparable Clemente.
Meanwhile, Rico Carty, a slugging outfielder with the Braves, became the first Dominican power hitter in the majors. By the 1970s Dominicans were nearly as numerous in the majors as Puerto Ricans, and Cubans had dwindled to a very few because Cuba remained closed. Dominican players overtook all other Latins by the 1980s and '90s. Pitcher Joaquín Andújar, catcher Tony Peña, and hard-hitting infielder Tony Fernández became leaders in the sport. The excellence of Dominican shortstops, such as Fernández, Frank Taveras, Rafael Ramírez, Rafael Belliard, and Rafael Santana, created the impression that the Dominican Republic was the premier producer of players for that crucial position. Actually, Venezuela leads in that department, going back to Carrasquel and Aparicio in the 1950s, the Reds' David Concepción in the 1970s, and more recently the White Sox's Ozzie Guillén and the Indians' acrobatic wizard Omar Visquel.
The predominance of Dominicans among the Latins in the majors is due in part to the controversial—some think exploitative—baseball academies established by major league teams in that country; the summer league is also a factor in the development of Dominican talent. The Dominican winter league continues to be a premier circuit in the Caribbean, and Dominican immigrants to the United States have also produced some excellent players, such as the Seattle Mariners' all-star shortstop Alex Rodríguez and the Indians' slugging outfielder Manny Rodríguez. One of the brightest Dominican stars of all time, second only to Marichal, is the Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who batted in 66 home runs in 1998 during his famed home run race with Mark McGwire.
Several outstanding players emerged in the 1970s, '80s, and '90s from Mexico, where the existence of a long-established summer league discourages many prospects from going to the United States. The most accomplished and popular of the Mexican players was left-handed pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who had tremendous seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1980s. Valenzuela, a charismatic player, was the only Latin player in the major leagues at that time to have a large following of his own compatriots at his home field. This situation is becoming more common, however, and the large Latin populations in several major league cities in the United States have led teams to offer Spanish-language radio and television broadcasts.
The 21st century
As the third century of professional baseball begins, the growing instability of Fidel Castro's government in Cuba threatens to alter radically the composition of the Latin talent pool. Recent Cuban defectors such as Rey Ordóñez and Liván and Orlando ("El Duque") Hernández are but a small sample of the wealth of players that could become available. "El Duque" has been the greatest revelation. Because of his cunning and pitching know-how, he is a throwback to Méndez, Luque, Marrero, Pascual, and Tiant, the legendary Cuban pitchers of old. But he is also a superbly conditioned athlete, the product of modern training techniques. Cuba has nearly twice the population of the Dominican Republic and a baseball tradition that goes back to the 19th century. In a very short period, Cubans could again dominate Latin baseball in the majors, though never as absolutely as they did in the 1940s and '50s.
A sudden influx of Cuban talent to the major leagues could have an unsettling effect. Major League Baseball, the governing body of the U.S. major leagues, would need to institute a draft to regulate the flow of players from Cuba. Given the potential number of Cuban players ready to play professional baseball, the Latin presence in the majors would increase dramatically, speeding up changes that are already occurring. Major league teams already have Spanish-speaking managers and coaches throughout their systems, but their numbers would have to increase. Some of these coaches would have to act as interpreters, as former player José Cardenal did for "El Duque" Hernández during his first two years with the Yankees. Spanish coverage via radio and television will surely increase with more Latin players involved and with Latin communities, such as the one in Miami, having enough purchasing power to make a difference.
The game itself will not deviate much from the model offered by Major League Baseball. The fact that there are Latin sluggers like Sosa and Canseco and flame throwers like Armando Benítez and Mariano Rivera means the Caribbean is adapting to the game as it is played in the majors. Latin baseball was once a game of "inside baseball." This type of baseball depends on advancing runners one base at a time via offense such as the bunt and the hit-and-run. For some time U.S. baseball has instead focused on power baseball, in which players concentrate on hitting home runs far more than on advancing a base runner with a well-hit single. Power is the foundation of the spectacle for pay, and even in communist Cuba baseball is a power game today. There is a homogenization of baseball at all levels. Even the distinctiveness of the National and American leagues is being eroded as they are subsumed under the umbrella of Major League Baseball. Umpiring has been standardized, and interleague play has been instituted. With a commissioner drawn from the ranks of the owners themselves, it is very unlikely that market forces will be thwarted by aesthetic, ethical, or political criteria, except those that benefit Major League Baseball. Having played league games in Japan, there is the possibility that Major League Baseball will become a global monopoly, with affiliated leagues throughout the world. But there is also the danger that the North American version will remain the majors and the rest of the world the minors.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB), North American professional baseball organization that was formed in 1903 with the merger of the two U.S. professional baseball leagues—the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). The NL and the AL acted as independent organizations from their founding in the 19th century. The two leagues…
Baseball, game played with a bat, a ball, and gloves between two teams of nine players each on a field with four white bases laid out in a diamond (i.e., a square oriented so that its diagonal line is vertical). Teams alternate positions as batters (offense) and fielders (defense), exchanging…
National League
National League (NL), oldest existing major-league professional baseball organization in the United States. The league began play in 1876 as the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, replacing the failed National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. The league's supremacy was challenged by several rival organizations over the years, beginning…
American League
American League (AL), one of the two associations in the United States and Canada of professional baseball teams designated as major leagues. It was founded as a minor league association in 1893 and was initially called the Western League. The Western League changed its name to the American League of…
United States
United States, country in North America, a federal republic of 50 states. Besides the 48 conterminous states that occupy the middle latitudes of the continent, the United States includes the state of Alaska, at the northwestern extreme of North…


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Adventure Submission
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Latest content added for Digital Library Partner: UNT Libraries Rare Book and Texana Collectionshttps://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/partners/UNTRB/browse/?sort=date_a&fq=dc_type:image_poster&fq=untl_collection:WWI&fq=str_location_region:Europe2006-06-13T16:53:55-05:00UNT LibrariesThis is a custom feed for browsing Digital Library Partner: UNT Libraries Rare Book and Texana Collections[Marianne and soldier collect for the Red Cross]2006-06-13T16:53:55-05:00https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc376/

A female figure representing Marianne is accompanied by a wounded soldier. They collect for the Red Cross. Marianne is dressed in a style to suggest the French Revolution, wearing a blue, white, and red skirt, a uniform jacket worn as a cape, and a long blue and red cap. She holds a Red Cross collecting tin in one hand and a small blue, white, and red keg under her other arm. She guides a wounded soldier, his head bandaged. He has one arm on Marianne's shoulder, and the other holds a cane. The soldier wears a medal pinned to his coat, a cap with an inscribed band, and is smoking.


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I sometimes speak to researchers who have a design where units are nested within clusters (e.g., 200 employees nested within 50 stores). While this is often called cluster sampling, the research that this post addresses is often more about convenience than about following a rigorous sampling plan. At some point, the researchers discover that this clustering has implications for the assumption of independence of observations, which in turn has implications for the validity of standard statistical techniques, such as t-tests and regressions that assume independence. This post discusses what to do in such a situation and when if ever it is appropriate to ignore the clustered nature of the sampling.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Clustered Samples and Assuming Independence of Observations
By jeromyanglim on Friday, February 26, 2010 Labels: multilevel, sampling, SPSS 2 comments
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Getting Started with Sweave: R, LaTeX, Eclipse, StatET, & TeXlipse
Being able to press a single button that runs all your statistical analyses and integrates the output into your final report is a beautiful thing. If you have not already heard, this is what Sweave can do for you. However, getting your computer to run Sweave can be a little bit fiddly. Thus, this post: (1) sets out the benefits of Sweave; (2) sets out how to install and configure R, Sweave, and Eclipse on Windows; (3) lists resources for people wanting to learn more about how to use LaTeX and Sweave; and (4) lists some specific resources relevant to researchers in psychology wanting to use these tools.
By jeromyanglim on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Labels: LaTeX, Literate programming, R, reproducible research, results, Sweave 23 comments
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Analysis of Winter Olympic Medal Data Using R
The Winter Olympics are on. The Guardian's DataBlog has graciously compiled a database on Winter Olympic Medals. Thus, I thought I'd run a few quick analyses on the data in R. In this post I was hoping to show how one could quickly churn out some basic analyses (and answer some interesting questions) using R.
By jeromyanglim on Thursday, February 18, 2010 Labels: fun, R 2 comments
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
A Case Study in Optimising Code in R
This post presents an experience I had optimising the efficiency of code for a data analysis task in R. I'm not an expert in programming nor code optimisation. However, I thought my experience might make an interesting case study for others at a similar level in their R programming development. The post sets out: (1) the context of the problem; (2) the strategies and tools in R that I used to diagnose the problem and optimise the code; (3) some lessons learnt from the experience; and (4) some links to additional resources.
By jeromyanglim on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 Labels: programming, R 3 comments
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12 dead at Navy Yard, plus gunman
Twelve people were killed Monday in a shooting attack at the Washington Navy Yard that also left a heavily armed gunman dead.
Authorities said the shooter has been identified as Aaron Alexis, 34, of Fort Worth, Texas.
Story Continued Below
"We have no known motive at this stage," D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said at an afternoon press conference. "We don't have any reason at this stage to suspect terrorism, but certainly it has not been ruled out."
For much of the day, police said they did not know if Alexis had acted alone, but in the evening, Chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department Cathy Lanier said they now believed he was the lone gunman. Because of that, the extensive security measures in the area were eased.
( PHOTOS: Shooting at Navy Yard)
"We do now feel comfortable that we have the single and sole person responsible for the loss of life inside the base today," Lanier said.
Reports said that the dead gunman had been dressed all in black and carrying three firearms, including a semi-automatic. Hewlett-Packard subsequently confirmed that Alexis was employed by a subcontractor of the company. Authorities said he used a valid pass to enter the base, and the Wall Street Journal reported that he had secret security clearance through his employer.
At an afternoon press conference, Lanier had said, "We potentially have two other shooters that we have not located at this point." The department later announced it had identified one of them, who had been described as "a white male in the tan outfit," and said that he is no longer "a suspect or person of interest." At the time, she described the one remaining possible suspect as a black male wearing a "military-style" uniform and asked for help from the public to locate him.
( VIDEO: Obama remarks on Navy Yard shooting)
Gray confirmed that 13 people were dead, including the gunman, with several others badly wounded. The FBI had now taken over the investigation, Lanier said.
Gray said that "as far as we know, this is an isolated incident. … We don't know of any other installations that are involved in this."
On Capitol Hill, the Senate was locked down for part of the day as a result of the shooting, with no one allowed to enter or leave the Senate complex. The move was out of an "abundance of caution," said Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer, explaining in a statement "we do not have any information to suggest the Senate, its members, or staff are in any danger."
Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) postponed scheduled votes, recessing for the day in light of the shooting.
( WATCH: Breaking News: Shooting at Navy Yard)
A jittery Washington seized on reports of a commotion outside of the White House on Monday evening, but the noise — reminiscent of gun shots — stemmed from firecrackers. The man suspected of throwing them over a White House fence was arrested, but several nearby blocks were shut down. Pedestrians were still allowed through.
Three civilians, one metropolitan police officer, and one base officer were among those shot and wounded, Metropolitan Police spokeswoman Saray Leon said.
"There is no indication this was a terrorist event," said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who plans to hold a moment of silence Tuesday on the House floor in memory of those killed in the shooting. "We cannot know what happened yet, but I hope we will withhold judgment until we do."
( Also on POLITICO: Pentagon tightening security after Navy Yard shooting)
At the White House, President Barack Obama condemned the deadly attack as a "cowardly act," vowing that federal and local law enforcement officials would work together to hold accountable those responsible.
"We are confronting yet another mass shooting, and today it happened on a military installation in our nation's capital," Obama said ahead of a speech Monday marking the fifth anniversary of the 2008 economic crash. Obama said the victims "are men and women who were going to work, doing their job, protecting all of us. They are patriots."
The president called Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to offer sympathy to those affected by the shooting and to praise Navy and law enforcement officials who handled the incident, the White House said. Obama also spoke with FBI Director James Comey, expressing thanks for the Bureau's work and receiving a briefing on the state of the investigation.
( Also on POLITICO: Senate in lockdown after Harry Reid declares recess)
He was briefed several times throughout the morning on the shooting by Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco, the White House said. Vice President Joe Biden has been kept up to date on shooting by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, according to Biden's office.
An evening White House performance at which Obama was to speak was postponed. The president ordered flags lowered to half-staff, effective through sunset Friday.
Mabus, speaking to reporters, said counseling teams have been assembled for those coping with the tragedy, and called the incident "an attack on all the Navy family."
"[We] have mobilized all resources that we have at our command to make sure we support the victims, their families and all the Navy personnel who were at Washington Navy Yard today when this tragedy occurred," he said.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has also been receiving updates.


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Commander of the Lord's Army
Even believers can presume that God is on their side on a particular issue without due consideration. Though he was not an evangelical, Abraham Lincoln's famous words can serve us well here: "My concern is not whether God is ...Read More
Joshua, who bears the same name in Hebrew as our Lord does, met Jesus as the commander of God's army, but is also himself a type of savior. As leader of the Israelites in victory over Canaan, Joshua typifies ...Read More
Our Commander
It is vital for us to realize that Christ is our captain, and to "accept Him" is to make His purposes our own. He is not just the great facilitator to help us achieve our ends. Above all, we should ...Read More


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Glenn Greenwald's blog features a fascinating discussion about the history of uses of the word "terrorism." Greenwald highlights the fact that there is no international consensus regarding the use of "terrorism."
I'd like to suggest simple definitions for "terrorism" and a new term, "quasi-terrorism." I'd welcome your feedback.
1. "Terrorism": the purposeful use of force against non-combatants to achieve political ends, broadly defined.
2. "Quasi-terrorism": the use of force against combatants to achieve political ends in a way that involves indiscriminate harm to non-combatants, with minimal effort to limit such harm.


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Find Your Perfect Home.
Nashville Real Estate
Nashville is located in Michigan. Nashville, Michigan has a population of 1,633. Nashville is more family-centric than the surrounding county with 32.48% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 32%.
The median household income in Nashville, Michigan is $36,302. The median household income for the surrounding county is $53,730 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Nashville is 33.7 years.
Nashville Weather
The average high temperature in July is 83.2 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 16.1 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 36.6 inches per year, with inches of snow per year.
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Lil Wayne Brings Out 50 Cent During Connecticut Tour Stop [VIDEO]
The concept of the Drake vs. Lil Wayne tour pits the two stars against each other in an app-based competition to see who receives the most fan support at every tour stop. One way to come out on top is definitely bringing out the big guest stars, like Lil Wayne did when he brought out 50 Cent and G-Unit.
The Young Money leader brought out the reunited group during the Hartford, Conn., concert on Wednesday (Aug. 13). Since Drake and Lil Wayne are going hit-for-hit, it makes sense that 50 Cent would end up performing his biggest song -- 'In Da Club.'
This wasn't just a big moment in the show's context. Lil Wayne and 50 Cent exchanged disses in the mid-00s but officially buried the hatchet when they appeared in photos together in 2012.


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- Guaranteed to Fit
- Free Same Day Shipping
- Thousands of How-to Videos
Ignition Coil at 1A Auto
What is an ignition coil and where is it located?
The ignition coil, also referred to as a "spark coil" or "spark plug coil," is a critical component in the electrical ignition system of your vehicle. The coil essentially converts the 12 volts from your battery to the thousands of volts necessary to allow for the spark plug to ignite the air / fuel mixture in the engine. The location and appearance of the engine's ignition coil is dependent on what type of ignition system your vehicle uses, but they can usually be found near the spark plugs. The function of the ignition coil remains the same.
There are two primary types of ignition systems commonly used in modern automotive applications: mechanically timed and direct ignition. Mechanically timed ignition systems were at one time the standard in the automotive world, however they are becoming less common as most modern vehicles are now equipped with a direct ignition system.
Mechanically Timed Ignition
Mechanically timed ignition systems use a distributor to control the ignition firing sequence. In these systems, the engine's ignition coil may be located remotely and transfer the current to the distributor through a wire, mounted either internally under the ignition cap or on top of the cap (as in GM HEI systems).
Direct Ignition
Direct ignition systems (also known as distributorless ignitions) use a camshaft or crankshaft position sensor (or combination of the two) to control the ignition firing sequence. There are variations on the location and appearance of the engine's ignition coil (or coils) within the system depending on the vehicle. Some vehicles will use a single ignition coil pack assembly or multiple coil packs, which may be mounted on the engine, that use individual ignition wires to transfer the current to each spark plug. Other vehicles use individual coil-on-plug coils (also known as C.O.P.) which are usually bolted to the valve cover on top of each spark plug and transfer the current directly to the plug through a coil boot. There are also some waste spark ignition systems which use a coil-on-plug style coil, but have an additional wire that connects to the opposite spark plug.
Ignition Coil Failure
The common causes of ignition coil failures are heat and age. An engine's ignition coil can suffer a complete failure, resulting in no spark; or may become too weak to supply sufficient current to the plug to adequately ignite the air / fuel mixture in the engine which may result in poor performance and a misfire condition. In either case, the car engine's ignition coil must be replaced. OBDII Check Engine Codes related to ignition coils include:
P0300 Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected
P0302 Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected
P0303 Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected
P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected
P0305 Cylinder 5 Misfire Detected
P0306 Cylinder 6 Misfire Detected
P0307 Cylinder 7 Misfire Detected
P0308 Cylinder 8 Misfire Detected
P0309 Cylinder 9 Misfire Detected
P0310 Cylinder 10 Misfire Detected
P0311 Cylinder 11 Misfire Detected
P0312 Cylinder 12 Misfire Detected
P0314 Single Cylinder Misfire (Cylinder not Specified)
P0350 Ignition Coil Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0351 Ignition Coil A Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0352 Ignition Coil B Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0353 Ignition Coil C Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0354 Ignition Coil D Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0355 Ignition Coil E Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0356 Ignition Coil F Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0357 Ignition Coil G Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0358 Ignition Coil H Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0359 Ignition Coil I Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0360 Ignition Coil J Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0361 Ignition Coil K Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
P0362 Ignition Coil L Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
For an even more in-depth explanation of the different types of ignition coils that there are, causes and symptoms of failure, and much more, check out our ignition coil guide for cars and trucks.
Can I replace the ignition coils by myself?
The ignition coils can be replaced by the typical do-it-yourselfer depending on the vehicle. Some vehicles' engine setup might make it a little difficult to access some coils and may require the additional manuevering of other parts. Make sure the engine is cooled down before attempting the repair to prevent burns. It's a good idea to mark which spark plug wires are which. Remove the spark plug wire to the ignition coil you want to replace. Then remove the bolt that holds the coil to the engine. The coil will then pull up and off. This procedure can differ depending on the vehicle, so following a repair manual or online instruction guide for your specific vehicle can be extremely helpful.


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Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder and president of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization created to develop emerging leaders. (www.GrowingLeaders.com) Through Growing Leaders, he and his team provide public schools, state universities, civic organizations and corporations with the tools they need to help develop young leaders who can impact and transform society.
Elmore trains middle school, high school and college students with the skills they need to become authentic leaders with huge potential to transform society. Since founding Growing Leaders, Elmore has spoken to more than 250,000 students, faculty and staff on hundreds of campuses across the country, including Stanford University, Duke University, Rutgers University, the University of South Carolina, the University of North Carolina, Florida State University and Baylor University. Elmore has also provided leadership training and resources nationally for the Future Farmers of America and multiple athletic programs including, the University of Texas football team, the Jacksonville State University football team and the Kansas City Royals. In addition, a number of government offices in Washington, D.C. have gone through the Habitudes™ curriculum.
From the classroom to the boardroom, Elmore is a dynamic communicator who uses principles, images and stories to strengthen leaders. He teaches leadership to Chick-fil-A Inc., The Home Depot, HomeBanc, Gold Kist Inc., Home & Garden Party, Oti Consulting, Network TwentyOne International, and Purofirst, among others. He has also taught courses on leadership and mentoring at nine universities and graduate schools across the U.S. Committed to developing young leaders on every continent of the world, Elmore also has shared his insights in more than 30 countries -- including India, Russia, China and Australia, among others.
Elmore has written more than 20 books, including the best-selling Habitudes™: Images that Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes, Life Giving Mentors, and Nurturing the Leader Within Your Child. His latest book Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future released in August 2010. In addition, he has appeared on the ABC Family Channel.
Elmore has worked alongside internationally recognized leadership expert Dr. John Maxwell for the past 25 years. According to Maxwell, "No one teaches leadership better than Tim Elmore."
Elmore lives in Atlanta with his wife, Pam, and his two children, Bethany and Jonathan.
Speaker Bios >


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Google accidentally leaked details of Google Drive, Google's long-rumored online storage service, on an official Google blog in France.
The leak was discovered earlier by TechCrunch.
It looks like the service will be tightly integrated with Google Docs -- we've separately heard that Google Drive will basically replace Docs -- and will include 5GB of free storage and a desktop client for syncing files with the cloud.
Microsoft beat Google to the punch yesterday with an update to SkyDrive that offers 7GB of free storage and a similar sync client for Windows. But the full Google Drive client will be available for Android tablets, while a SkyDrive client won't. (Both services have or will have clients for Windows, Mac, and iOS, and you can use both services from a Web browser on any device.)
Google+ user Gerwin Sturm found the blog posting from Google SVP Sundar Pichai and posted it, translated into English, on his Google+ account. Here it is duplicated:
Posted by Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President, Google Chrome& Apps Today we launch Google Drive, a centralized space where you can create, share, collaborate and store all your documents. You establish a budget with your staff that you develop a presentation with a working group or hosting a seminar, you can now do it in Drive. Download and access all your documents, videos, photos, Google Docs, PDF, etc.
Next step in the evolution of Google Docs and functionality of downloading any material, Drive will allow you to live, work and play in the Cloud. With Google Drive, you can:Create and collaborate. Google Docs is integrated directly into Google Drive, allowing you to work in real time with colleagues on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Add and reply to comments on any media (PDF, image, videotape, etc.) and be informed when other people comment on or wish to share documents with youKeep your documents securely and access anywhere and any device connected to the Internet. All your documents are just ... there. Whatever happens. Drive you can install on your Mac, PC or download the application Drive on your phone or Android tablet. IOS version of the application will be available in the coming weeks. Drive is also accessible to visually impaired people using a screen reader tool.Search All. Search by keyword and filter by document type, owner, activity, etc.. Drive can even recognize the text content of a document scanned by technology OCR. For example, if you download the scanned image of an old newspaper clipping, you can search using one of the words quoted in the article. We have even begun to tap the image recognition: if you upload a picture of the Eiffel Tower in Drive, the next time you search the term [Eiffel Tower], the image will appear in the results Open more than 30 types of documents directly from a Web browser - including high-definition video, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop - even without the proper software installed on your computer. We know that you need to access your documents in order to work everyday. Google Drive uses the same infrastructure as any other Google Apps services, which means it also has the same administrative tools, security and reliability, among others:
Centralized management: new tools are available in the Apps control interface for administrators to add or remove storage space for individual or groups of usersSecurity: encryption of data transfer between your browser and our servers, and check option 2 in time to prevent non-authorized access to an account by requiring users to log on returning secure code generated from their mobile phoneData replication: synchronous replication of data in multiple data centers ensures the safety and accessibility of your records even in the unlikely event one of our data centers is temporarily unavailableAvailability: 99.9% uptime guarantee so you can be assured that your documents are accessible when you need them.
Each user has access to Google Apps 5GB storage included in the suite Google Apps administrators can centrally manage and purchase additional storage space. When a user reaches the limit, administrators can purchase the necessary space of 20GB for $ 4 per month to 16TB (Google Docs are not counted in the quota of storage space).
Starting today, Google Apps administrators will see new orders for Drive in their management interface. Users of companies have opted for the quick launch, will enable Google Drive on drive.google.com / start and will receive their access in the following weeks.
Drive is designed to work harmoniously with all the products you use - whether Google products or third party service. You can share your photos on Google Drive + and will soon be able to attach documents directly into your emails Drive Gmail. Drive is intended to be an open platform, so we work with many third party developers, allowing you to do things such as sending faxes, edit videos and create models directly from Drive website. To install these applications, visit the Chrome Web Store and follow the events for more useful applications to come.
It is only the beginning of Google Drive, many developments are coming. Stay tuned!
Get the latest Google stock price here.


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Left targets Kochs with $500K buy
A liberal nonprofit group linked to Harry Reid is launching what it says will be a long-term multimillion-dollar advertising campaign targeting the conservative Koch brothers.
The campaign, which is funded by Patriot Majority, kicks off Tuesday with a $500,000 cable television ad buy accusing Charles and David Koch of trying "to buy this year's elections and advance their agenda."
Story Continued Below
It marks perhaps the most concerted — and certainly the best-funded — effort by Democrats to make an election issue of the Kochs, or any of the emergent class of conservative megadonors. The brothers intend to steer nearly $400 million in the run-up to Election Day to a linked network of conservative groups, including some that have aired among the most aggressive attack ads against President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress.
The brothers' primary political vehicle, Americans for Prosperity, last week announced a $25 million ad campaign in which people who say they voted for Obama in 2008 express disappointment with the president.
Patriot Majority's ads, which will air nationally on CNN and MSNBC, are part of a campaign called " Stop The Greed Agenda," which will be supplemented by a website, direct mail and online ads — all directed at the Kochs, for now.
"We're going to take them on," said Craig Varoga, president of Patriot Majority. His group, which spent more than $10 million boosting Reid during his tough 2010 Senate reelection campaign in Nevada, is the nonprofit arm of Majority PAC, the super PAC assisted by Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, and other Senate Democrats.
Unlike super PACs, though, Patriot Majority is registered under a section of the Tax Code — 501(c)4 — that allows it to keep its donors anonymous. Varoga wouldn't reveal the funders behind the new campaign, but he said "we already have several million on hand to launch" the Greed Agenda, which he said would continue after Election Day. He wouldn't rule out the possibility of eventually targeting other conservative donors, explaining "the Koch brothers are leading examples, but they're not the only example."


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They can't be fooled forever! Many blacks are waking up and realizing the President of 'Hope' has abandoned them. From Breitbart: "Not all blacks tow the racial line and vote for Obama just because he's black. Meet the Broke Party, who could be members of the Tea Party. They, like most US citizens want the American Dream, not poverty. They don't want to be used by liberals like Obama who want to keep them on the welfare plantation as vote slaves. The jerks at ABC? They just hide out."
The current Divider in Chief has failed – it is time for new leadership!
Related articles
- NEW OBAMA STRATEGY: DEMONIZE THE TEA PARTY: After mentioning the tea party only once in the entire… (pjmedia.com)
- Racial Divide Worse Under Obama (trinityspeaks.wordpress.com)
- African Americans Worse off than in 2008 But Still Behind President Obama (atlantablackstar.com)


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I am officially, unofficially implementing a new rule for coupled people everywhere. Please, please, please if you are spoken for, you must mention it within five minutes of having a flirty conversation with me. I am forever meeting men in social situations (I'm sure ladies do this too, so feel free to chime in guys) who will sit and talk to me for 15 minutes, half hour, sometimes even longer, will go so far as to get my number or give me theirs and wait until the very last second that we're saying good bye to inform me that they are in a relationship or even married.
On occasion, these guys have neglected to mention said girlfriend/fianceé/ wife until our first — what I believed to be — date! Come on now, people! Not cool.Out of respect for me, the single woman who wants to meet an available, unattached man, and your significant other at home, have the decency to let me make the right choice. Let me walk away (or at least keep the conversation on the friendly tip) after five minutes when I find out you have a wife and two kids waiting for you at home.
A conversation with someone outside of your relationship is not considered cheating and it certainly doesn't hurt anyone; however, there is an assumption that if you are getting into a long, intense, flirtatious conversation with someone of the opposite sex, you are assessing them as potential dating material. All I'm asking is for you to be above board and tell me about your fianceé before we start making eyes at each other. This ensures that I will be nothing but appropriate and I'll expect the same in return from you. We can even be friends.
Nothing wrong with that. I just want to know your SO exists. And I'm sure your SO would want me to know they exist, too. What do you think your partner at home would think of watching our two-hour flirtfest without the merest mention of their name? It's crappy and you know it.
You have five minutes to do the decent thing. The time starts now.
Original by Beth Ames


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Reviewed by Cynthia H. (age 9)
I thought this book was fun but it needs a little more expression in the characters voices. My favorite character is Scooby-Doo because when you think he is scared, he does something good. There are other Scooby-Doo books by the same author that I think I will read since I liked this one.
I recommed this book to kids age 7,8,9, because they understend the mysteries at their age.


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Larry Rosen, an attorney specializing in intellectual property protection and former general counsel for the Open Source Initiative, told NewsForge, "An open source copyright license can permit you to make any changes you want to certain software, or to make no changes at all. But a trademark license may also be needed before you can apply the original author's trademarks to those changed or original works.
"I don't think that this should be a debate. We merely have to understand that copyright and trademark involve entirely different rights. A license to one of those isn't necessarily a license to the other."
Earlier this year, Mike Connor, a developer with Mozilla, submitted a bug report to Debian that stated that if Debian intend to call its browser Firefox, it would be required to include Firefox graphics as well, or should plan to find a new name for the browser.
Mozilla says its guidelines are clear: the use of the Firefox name is permitted only if accompanied by its logo, icons, and other artwork.
Debian developer and project maintainer Eric Dorland contends, however, that Mozilla's graphics set cannot be released with Etch because "they have a non-free license." He says to do so would be a violation of the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG), which determine the criteria for which software can be used in Debian distributions.
While Debian developers are willing to use the Firefox name in compliance with trademark laws, they feel that any artwork contained in Etch must allow users the freedom to make changes to it, as they can with other free artwork.
Connor says, however, that while he appreciates Debian's point of view, Mozilla's logos and icons provide a visual identity as well as an assurance of quality to the user. He says that Mozilla's stance on protecting its branding elements is no different than that of any other company that wants to ensure a high-quality user experience.
"Stay of execution?"
After a long and circular discussion on Debian's email list, Dorland asked Connor if there was any room for a "stay of execution," since Etch is scheduled to go into deep freeze in a matter of weeks. Connor responded, "It makes much more sense to resolve this before you put another long-lived release into the wild, unless your aim is to delay compliance."
He went on to say that, beyond the issues of logo use, he also had "grave concerns around the nature and quality of some of the changes the patchset contains," and insisted that Mozilla be allowed to review the patches before making a final decision about the use of its trademark. "If we were forced to revoke your permission to use the trademark, freeze state would not matter, you would be required to change all affected packages as soon as possible. Its not a nice thing to do, but we would do it if necessary, and we have done so before."
Despite Dorland's continued pleas, Connor said the only way Mozilla would approve Firefox's inclusion with Etch would be to comply with four conditions: any changes to Mozilla's source code will need to be submitted for review, along with a description of a reason for the change; the release must be based on the CVS tag and/or source tarball, including approved patches; build configurations will also require approval; and the logo and trademark must be used together.
"The ball is in your court now," said Connor, "but you should absolutely not plan to ship without addressing these issues one way or another."
Mozilla says the crux of the issue is a desire to ensure a quality product and a good user experience across all distribution and vendor lines. "We have a long history of working closely with Linux distributors to determine what is and isn't an appropriate modification to Firefox. This is how brands and trademarks are being managed in the world today and we're trying to find a middle ground with Debian," says Chris Beard, Mozilla's head of marketing and product strategy.
"We have policies in place that are reasonably open but at the same time protect the meaning of our marks. They are as open as possible to support the community but as strict as necessary to protect consumers and the reputation of our products.
"I think we're at a point, since we can't reach an agreement, that Debian can ship a version of Firefox and can avail themselves of the project, but release it under their own name."
Nat Friedman, vice president of desktop engineering for Novell, says he understands Mozilla's point of view. "The Mozilla Foundation has worked hard to build Firefox into a brand [that] means security, simplicity, performance. Their desire to protect that brand is perfectly normal and perfectly reasonable and Novell works closely with the Mozilla Foundation in support of this objective."
Debian's Dorland says the whole process has been "annoyingly bureaucratic and is completely unprecedented in the Free Software community." He agrees that renaming the browser for Etch's release is inevitable "since there does not appear to be any way we can resolve our differences...Unless something changes in the very short term, it will be called Iceweasel. It seemed to be by far the most popular, avoids any confusion with the trademark, and already has a history of being the 'alternative' name for it. "
Déjà vu?
If any of this sounds faintly familiar, it may be because a similar issue arose prior to the last Debian version release, Sarge, and dates as far back as 2004. At that time, the dispute centered around the use of trademarks for Mozilla's Thunderbird. "Eventually an agreement was struck whereby we could use the name without the logo and it was up to the Mozilla Foundation to keep an eye on the Debian packages to make sure they met the level of quality they expected," said Dorland. "Now the trademark has been moved to the Mozilla Corp. and they feel that agreement isn't strong enough."
Beard says the Mozilla Corp. is just a legal framework that helps the Mozilla Foundation function and manage its resources more effectively and that it has no bearing on the issue at hand. "This was not motivated by us becoming a corporation," he says. "In fact, the Foundation holds all the intellectual property.
"There have been misunderstandings all around because this is a complex issue ... but at the end of the day, we're motivated by the same interests: doing the right thing for public benefit."


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Well, I have 3 places that you should checkout! These are not the huge sites that want to charge mass money for a 30 second clip; in fact you can use the footage for free. (I have found lots of sites that have video footage, but I don't want to just make a huge list without really checking them out.)
Ok, you do not have to pay for it, but I am a firm believer in giving full credit to anyone whose work you use.
Click over to http://mitchmartinez.com and see some very cool stuff. Clouds, fireworks, moons and more is in the Free section as I write this!
You should also see http://www.beachfrontbroll.com A small site with some great footage. It has everyday things that you could use in lots of your videos!
And this site doesn't have a lot of footage yet, but I am hoping the build! So, keep an eye on http://www.ignitemotion.com
Here is a Hot Blog Tips Hangouts on Air that we did about using video clips -
Watch on youtube.com
I will add to this list as I checkout more sites!


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Click here to accept the use of cookies on your browser.
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2 Charging cable connectors: micro USB and type C 1A. Presented in plastic box. Includes a smartphone stand.
Retractable USB/micro USB cable (suitable for Android devices) packed in a plastic cassette. The cable is approx. 43cm.
Lanyard meets charging cable. Wear this nylon lanyard with your entrance pass, keys or business card and take it off to use it to charge your devices. The cable has a standard USB connector and a 2-in-1 connector that offers connection for both Micro USB and Lightning.
Wireless charger which conforms to QI wireless charging standard. If your smartphone or tablet is equipped with a QI chip you dont need to worry about any cables anymore while charging. Simply put your device on top of the charger and charging will start automatically. Input: AC-DC 5V/1.5A. Output 5V/1A. Power 5W. Includes USB charging cable.
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Q: What is Washington's minimum wage?
A: L&I enforces the state's minimum wage law. A voter-approved initiative (I-1433) passed in 2016 raising the minimum wage to $11.00 per hour in 2017 and continues to increase the minimum wage to $11.50 in 2018, $12.00 in 2019, $13.50 in 2020. Starting in the year 2021, the initiative requires a cost-of-living increase for Washington's minimum wage each year. See more about minimum wage.
Q: Why do I have to pay for industrial insurance?
A: Washington State requires that all employees be covered by industrial insurance. Premiums paid by employers and workers pay for medical care for job-related injuries and illnesses, and wage replacement when the injury or illness is serious enough to miss work. The system, in place since 1911, provides prompt payment to injured workers and protects employers from litigation.
Q: Who decides how much I have to pay for industrial insurance?
A: The Department of Labor & Industries sets the rate, but what you pay is based on the accident and illness rates in your industry-specific job and your company's claims history. Rates vary widely, depending on how risky a job is. For example, the rate for a few select jobs in the logging industry exceeds $10 per hour. For less risky clerical workers, the rate is as low as 11 cents for every hour worked. Rates within a particular industry will vary depending on the frequency and cost of workers' compensation claims filed by a particular company.
Q: What is the status of my workers' compensation claim?
A: (Was it approved? Where is my time-loss check?) L&I manages over 170,000 workers' compensation claims each year. Each claim has a number and is assigned to a claims manager. The injured worker will be notified shortly after a claim is filed as to what that number is and how to contact the claims manager. Because of the volume of claims, we can't always answer questions as quickly as we'd like. Sign up to use the secure Claims & Account Center to get answers about your claim. L&I also maintains a toll-free number for questions about claims (1-800-831-5227). Review our "Injured? What you need to know" online guide about the claims process.
Q: What would be an allowable workers' compensation claim?
A: The program pays the cost of work-related injuries and health problems. This includes all medical costs (doctors, prescription drugs, hospital expenses, etc.). On claims where the injury or illness causes an employee to miss more than three days of work, L&I also provides partial wage replacement. Depending on the severity and nature of the injury, workers' compensation benefits may also include money for vocational rehabilitation services, partial disability payments, disability pensions and survivor benefits for the families of workers killed on the job.
Q: What can I do to minimize the cost of workers' compensation?
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Conduct an online search for a listing of registered contractors, or call 1-800-647-0982.
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A: Learn how to get an electrical permit and schedule inspections on our Electrical Permits, Fees & Inspections page.
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A: You can call our toll-free line, 1-800-423-7233. You also can contact one of our 20 local offices around the state. We're listed in most phone books. The Thurston County office is at the Labor & Industries building at 7273 Linderson Way S.W. in Tumwater, 360-902-5799. We provide technical assistance to employers and employees. We also investigate worker safety and health complaints.
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A: WISHA is an acronym for a state law called the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act. This law sets up a system for protecting worker health and safety. Safety standards are established for the wide variety of workplaces and occupations in our state. L&I provides technical assistance to employers and employees to foster a safe and healthful workplace environment. Enforcement inspections also take place and employers can be penalized for violations of workplace safety and health standards. Find more information about WISHA, DOSH, and OSHA.
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It's a boring book IMO. Not worth my time, might not be yours as well, unless you're driven to pursue extrinsic inspiration from such like!
It's a boring book IMO. Not worth my time, might not be yours as well, unless you're driven to pursue extrinsic inspiration from such like!
perhaps you will appreciate its inspirational theme, if you see Gregory Peck's performance in the movie, To Kill a Mocking Bird.....
i would like to read it again...
I used to be a fan of the film. But come to think of it, I would never revisit the film again. It's a good film for sure. Peck's performance was good as well, he has that rigidness (not "stern", but the way he emotes, and carries himself) which suited Atticus.
I read an excerpt during my college days. This is the sequence where Atticus shoots the mad dog. (it is flat and boring sequence in the film). In the novel it is extremely well written.Originally Posted by thilak4life
Nothing novel about the situation. Basically it is pretty much tihe same as the illiterate Tamil cinema hero amazing the world with his fluent English/Hindi. But the way it was presented was just beautiful. The way in which the children's perception of Atticus gets wider, never ever directly mentioned, is something that comes out very well. Nothing is told, everything happens and you move along with it. Really good writing.
மூவா? முதல்வா! இனியெம்மைச் சோரேலே
I understand that. For that matter, I found Aryn Rand's books to be well written. But I found it to be less rewarding. One could very well say that I'm a slouch for books dwelling on existentialism and philosophy. It's not that I reject these books in an universal sense. I'm just saying you knowOriginally Posted by Prabhu Ram
hmm...then again, we could never compare the book to the movie...there is so much more in the book...Originally Posted by thilak4life
yes...Originally Posted by Prabhu Ram
OH, absolutely! But there are movie adaptations which opens up an extra dimension to the book. However, this isn't one..Originally Posted by Sinthiya
Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, dies
Why is To Kill A Mockingbird so popular?


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Dan Charles
Dan Charles is an independent writer and radio producer who contributes regularly to NPR's technology coverage. He is currently filling in temporarily as an editor on the National Desk, responsible for coverage of the environment and the western United States. He is author of Master Mind: The Rise and Fall of Fritz Haber, the Nobel Laureate Who Launched the Age of Chemical Warfare (Ecco, 2005). He also wrote Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, Big Money, and the Future of Food (Perseus, 2001), about the making of genetically engineered crops. From 1993 to 1999, Charles was a technology correspondent for NPR.
Charles covers a wide swath of advanced technology, including telecommunications, energy, agriculture, computers, and biotechnology. He's reported for NPR from India, Russia, Mexico, and various parts of Western Europe. Before joining NPR, Charles was a U.S. correspondent for New Scientist, a major British science magazine.
He studied economics and international affairs at American University, graduating magna cum laude in 1982. In 1982-83, he studied in Bonn, West Germany, under a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service. He was a guest researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg, Germany, in 1986. In 1989-90, he was a Knight Science Journalism fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


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2 minutes
Enjoy the Christmas festivities, without an impact on your health and waistline
© 2019 Liverpool Victoria, County Gates, Bournemouth, BH1 2NF, UK


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For the last 17 years, Ohio's gifted* high school students and their teachers have been given the educational opportunity of a lifetime.
Computing and technology are integral parts of our every day lives. Dramatic changes in technology have inpacted our work, play, education, and commerce. Those who remain on the pulse of technological change today will be the leaders in academia, business, and government tomorrow.
To prepare these future technology leaders, the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), offers a two-week residential program that provides academically outstanding* Ohio high school freshmen, sophomores, and teachers hands-on experience with some of the nation's best supercomputers.
OSC employs a faculty of experts in high performance computing (HPC), networking, engineering and the sciences to teach students computing fundamentals such as programming language, parallel processing techniques, and visualization toolkits.
Students and teachers worked together on team projects to apply what they learned in lectures. With the guidance of an SI staff member, they worked in small groups to solve real-world, research level science and engineering problems in fields such as chemistry, structural engineering, and atomic physics. On the final day of SI, students formally presented their findings to an audience comprised of family members, SI staff, and OSC guests.
Activities are not limited to the projects. Experts from computer science and the sciences spoke about their latest research and give rare insight into careers in science, engineering and computing. Outside of the walls of OSC, students participated in a team-building day, as well as science-related field trips in the Central Ohio area.
- Get hands-on experience on supercomputers and cutting-edge technologies
- Work collaboratively with a team to complete a research level project
- Experience working in a real-world research environment
- Actively learn programming language, parallel processing techniques, and visualization toolkits
- Follow the scientific method used by researchers all over the world
- Learn about careers in computing, networking, science and engineering
- Learn and socialize with students with common interests
* Gifted according to OAC 3301-51-15
Kevin Bhasin
Ronak Buch
Andrew Burkett
David Burl
Soham Chakraborty
Abishek Ganesh
Nickolas Halliday
Stephen Halter
Joey Huntley
Kevin Jiang
Daniel Kaplun
Dominic Labanowski
Alex Lesman
Nathan Malkin
Jacob Peddicord
Joseph Wang
Cullen Wong
Susan Xie
The students worked together in small teams on diverse and challenging research-level projects. Teams were comprised of a project leader (staff member who conceived and designed the project), students in the project group, a high school teacher and a student leader (in charge of dividing project tasks).
The team projects offered vary from year to year. This year's projects included: Parallel Programming, Cryptography, Puzzle Image Processing, Game Programming and Motion Capture and the Comet Project.
Students did a vast amount of work in a short period of time to finish their projects. It was a crash course in time management. First, they learned UNIX, the operating system of the computers they used. Then they learned a programming language, such as C, C++ or Python, to write the code to solve their problem. Students were required to do their own work from code implementation to final presentations. The ability to develop algorithms and an understanding of the project's science/engineering basis were needed to facilitate code writing. Finally, the students made a video animation displaying their simulation data -- which was the ultimate goal of each project. Groups presented their findings and animations to family members, OSC staff, and guests attending the SI Closing Ceremonies.
Click here to download a detailed schedule.
Final Presentations Friday, July 28th 2006
Center for Automotive Research Tuesday, July 25th 2006
Ohio Supercomputer Center Monday, July 24th 2006
Outdoor Adventure Education Center Tuesday, July 18th 2006
Advanced Computing Center for Art and Design - Motion Capture Lab Monday, July 17th 2006
State of Ohio Computer Center Monday, July 17th 2006
The OSC's Summer Institute program is sponsored in part by:


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The mainstay of the Miami public transport system is the Metrobus; however, the network is large, and it takes some time to get used to. The fare is standard to any destination. If you need to change buses, ask for a transfer when buying your ticket, as it costs extra. There is also an elevated train service called the Metrorail, which connects North and South Miami with stations at one mile intervals, and an elevated monorail, the Metromover, which offers great views of downtown Miami and Biscayne Bay and connects with buses and trains. Most visitors, however, take taxis or hire a car. This can be more convenient, as the city is sprawled out over a large area. To rent a car, the driver must be over 21, have a valid credit card and, if from abroad, hold a passport and English language driving license. Local drivers can be aggressive.
GMT -5 (GMT -4 from March to November).
Electrical current is 120 volts, 60Hz. Plugs are mainly the type with two flat pins, though three-pin plugs are also widely used. European appliances without dual-voltage capabilities will require an adapter.
The official currency is the US Dollar (USD), which is divided into 100 cents. Only major banks exchange foreign currency. ATMs are widespread and credit cards are widely accepted. Banking hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.
The international country dialling code for the United States is +1. Mobile networks cover most of the country, including all urban areas, however unless you have a tri-band phone it is likely your cellular phone from home will not work in the United States. Internet cafes are prevalent in most towns and cities.
Emergencies: 911
Everything about travel documents
The airport is well connected to the new Miami Intermodal Centre by the free MIA Mover electric train, from here numerous services offered by the Miami-Dade Transit Department connect to greater Miami. These include the scheduled, local Metrobus; a mass-transit Metrorail system; a fixed rail system designated specifically for downtown Miami and Brickell; and the TriRail commuter train, reaching Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
Car rental agents operate at the new Miami Intermodal Centre (Central Station) which is connected to the airport by the the free MIA Mover electric train. Companies represented include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty.
Taxis and shuttles are available from the arrivals level, outside the baggage claim areas. There are wheelchair-accessible taxis and shuttles available upon request. Fares to the city centre are about $27 in a taxi and $15 in a shuttle (shuttle estimate is per person, fares vary with additional passengers).
The three terminals are connected by walkways and trains.
There are numerous restaurants, bars, cafes and fast food chains available 24 hours. Dozens of shops, including duty-free, are available. The airport also has ATMs, bureaux de change, a chapel, an art gallery, and a rooftop swimming pool at the airport hotel. Facilities for the disabled are good.
Miami International Airport's long-term parking facilities consist of two multi-level parking garages. Short-term parking is available in the same area, near the terminals. Garage parking rates are $6 for the first hour, and $17 for around three hours up to a full day.
Wifi is available at a cost of $4.95 for 30 minutes or $7.95 per day.


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2 syllables
- bicker, bricker, clicker, dicker, ficker, flicker, fricker, kicker, knicker, licker, liquor, nicker, picker, quicker, ricker, schicker, schlicher, schlicker, schricker, sicker, slicker, snicker, sticker, stricker, thicker, ticker, vicar, vicker, whicker, wicker, zwicker, zycher
3 syllables
- macvicar, mcvicar, mcvicker, redicker
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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have been able to detect the chemical signature of methane in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a star 63 light-years away. It's the first detection of an organic molecule around an exoplanet, a planet outside our solar system. The observations also confirmed previous work that detected the presence of water in the atmosphere.
The planet, known as HD189733b, is a 'hot Jovian' type planet, with conditions too harsh to allow any known type of life. "We are really excited about this detection because it is a dress rehearsal for future searches for life on more hospitable planets," said Mark Swain, one of the researchers on the project.
The methane was detected by its chemical signature in the near-infrared transmission spectrum of photons passing from the planet's sun through the edge of the planet's atmosphere. The researchers hope that other instruments, including the James Webb Space Telescope planned to come online in about 5 years, will be able to do similar analysis on more distant planets. Details of the methane observations were published this week in the journal Nature. In this segment, Ira talks with one of the astronomers involved with the project about the work, and what it means to the search for life elsewhere in the universe.


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"They've invested in hiring and training employees to serve the growing needs of today's owner-operators and truck fleets." --Mike Conroy, director of dealer network development at Peterbilt, on the award winning performance at Peterbilt of Sioux City
It's a tough time to be selling trucks these days, no doubt about it. Class 8 sales fell nearly 47% last year, dropping to 150,965 units from 284,008 in 2006, according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. Sales in the medium-duty Class 6 & 7 market fared only slightly better, contracting by 36,608 units or 22% to 220,128 units in 2007.
This year hasn't been much better. Bill Jackson, general manager for Peterbilt Motors Co., for one, believes Class 8 sales in the U.S. should total 175,000 to 215,000 units for 2008, while medium-duty Class 5-7 sales should total between 80,000 to 95,000 units for the year.
With those statistics in mind, you'd think this would be a time for dealers to pull in their horns, ratchet back on costs across the board, probably delaying investments in their business until some form of light is visible at the end of the current economic tunnel we're in. But that's not always so.
Take Sioux City Truck Sales (SCTS) for example. Founded in 1954 by G. L. Wilson, SCTS operates three full-service Peterbilt dealerships serving Iowa, eastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota (in the cities of Sioux City, Des Moines and Council Bluffs, respectively) providing new and used truck sales plus all-makes parts and service. And they don't just sell one kind of truck, either: SCTS offers a full-line of Peterbilt highway tractors, vocational and medium-duty delivery trucks.
(SCTS's dealership in Sioux City, Iowa, which racked up several national awards for sales and customer satisfaction.)
As a family-owned business, SCTS is what I like to call "old school" in a good way: the biggest reason being how the company quickly gives credit for their success to their hard-working employees. That's the basis of SCTS's reputation and the reason they've managed to keep selling trucks and other services despite the current downturn.
"I believe our great success during 2007 was built on a combination of ingredients," said Brad Wilson, the company's CEO. "Our employees have a long history and good reputation of providing quality service to our customers. Now, our skilled workers have an excellent new facility through which they can more efficiently serve our customers."
He's talking about their now-finished effort to replace its 40-year-old building at the Sioux City dealership and construct a new $5 million facility, plus hire additional employees. The new building, which opened in fall of 2006, features an indoor vehicle inspection/diagnostics area and quick lube area, offers 16 service bays, a body shop completed with a frame correction and alignment center, 80-foot-long paint booth, two wash bays and stalls for working on seven trucks.
(The new interior at Peterbilt of Sioux City.)
"We invested in the new facility that allows us to provide a higher-level of service to even more customers," Brad noted. "And our customers responded during 2007 with increased purchases in several categories."
He also pointed out that his family's Peterbilt of Sioux City location recently received the 2007 "Best in Class Dealer of the Year " and the "TruckCare Dealer of the Year" awards from Peterbilt Motors Co. - and he gave all 60 employees working there a custom jacket in honor of their contribution toward earning these awards, something I think goes a long way to reinforcing esprit de corps in this industry.
Note, too, that his Sioux City dealership won the awards in competition against all other Peterbilt dealers in the U.S. and Canada - and that's some pretty serious competition in anyone's book.
"The 'Best in Class' award recognizes overall dealer performance, including the business side of the dealership - profitability, growth, business processes and financials," said Mike Conroy, director of dealer network development at Peterbilt. "The Sioux City dealership demonstrated outstanding performance during 2007 in all of these business measurements," noting that Sioux City's market share of Class 8 trucks sales more than doubled Peterbilt's national average during 2007.
The "TruckCare Dealer of the Year" award recognizes the dealership that achieved its parts, service and preventative-maintenance contract sales goals and provided the highest levels of customer satisfaction - an Sioux City received a perfect score of 100% for its roadside assistance call center response rate and a 99% customer satisfaction rating.
"The TruckCare award is a tribute to the employees in our service, body shop and parts departments for outstanding performance and growth in 2007," said Wilson. "The sales volume for parts and service increased 29% and 23% respectively during their first year in the new building. This award honors the skills and dedication of our customer-focused employees."
You don't rack up numbers - or awards - like that without staying focused on the fundamentals in the trucking business, and those fundamentals are getting tougher all the time. It's nice to see some very hard work get some high accolades as well.
(Displaying Sioux City Peterbilt's awards are (left to right) Jeff Petersen, sales manager; CEO Brad Wilson; Rick Burkhart, parts manager; Jim Gard, warranty manager; Jerry Hesse, body shop manager; and Harland Gylfe, service manager.)


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Before I had ever attended one of Oscar de la Renta's shows, I never thought the designer's wares would speak to me. As it turns out, that could not be further from the truth - Oscar's offerings are so drop-dead stunning that I have a hard time keeping myself from bolting onto the runway and taking outfits from the models bodies look by look. Oscar de la Renta Spring 2013 was met with one bit of drama, but everyone else has been praising the line, and I am too.
While most of Oscar's collections are more demure and perfect for ladies who lunch (and go to evening galas), the Spring 2013 collection is FUN. Hot pinks and cocktail shorts appeared along with waist-accentuating suits, and colorful plaids took over the runway in a magical way. And you know what else there was, latex, and only Oscar can make latex be high fashion and chic.
I used to be one of the girls who thought Oscar de la Renta wasn't for me. I pictured the clothes on older Upper East Side ladies who attend charity benefits and have Hermes on speed dial. Sure, his items are worn by those ladies, but if you take a close look you will realize they can be worn by everyone. Oscar's costume jewelry is amazing, and his handbags have begun to turn heads and find their way into the hands of fashion notables. This season, Oscar spoke to his fun and funky crowd, his ladies who love looking put together from head to toe but also want to have a great time. This is my favorite collection of his to date, and I desperately want to be Oscar's Spring 2013 girl.
P.S. Please consider supporting our small, bag-loving team by clicking our links before shopping or checking out at your favorite online retailers like Amazon, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, or any of the listed partners on our shop page. We truly appreciate your support!


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Project X Zone is an upcoming 3DS collaboration between Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega. The game features characters from all three!
So far, we've seen a whole host of characters from various Sega, Namco, and Capcom games. But wait, there are more.
The latest issue of Japanese game magazine Famitsu reveals new characters going the fray: Chun-Li from Street Fighter, Morrigan from DarkStalkers, Valkyrie from Valkyrie no Bouken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu, Gemini and Erika from Sakura Wars, Haken Browning and Kaguya Nanbu from Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier, and Bruno from Die Hard Arcade (Dynamite Deka). See, crowded!
Project X Zone will be out sometime this year in Japan.
『プロジェクトクロスゾーン』ワルキューレ、モリガン、春麗など新たな参戦キャラクターが判明 [ゲーム情報!ゲームのはなし]