text:
The RSA and Social Market Foundation report Fiscal Fallout got very little coverage this week. There were reports in the Guardian, the Telegraph and Public Finance but, if it made the TV or radio news, I must have blinked and missed it.
This is a pity because, as Matthew Taylor said, it is far more important than most of the hullaballoo that's been making headlines this week:
Given the importance of the research's conclusions, I predict with total confidence that its contents are more important to you than the question of George Entwistle's payoff.
What's the big news? The RSA and SMF have crunched OBR figures together with growth projections and concluded that, to meet its deficit reduction targets, the government will have to cut a further £48bn from public spending by 2017-18. That's on top of the cuts already announced!
The reasons are that the economy hasn't grown as much as the government assumed it would when it wrote the 2010 spending review. Therefore, tax revenues have not recovered and benefit payments have remained high.
What is supposed to happen during a recovery is that companies recover, unemployment falls, tax revenues rise and benefit payments fall. This reduces the government's need to borrow. Increases in GDP give the added benefit of making the public deficit and debt look smaller.
Alas, this hasn't happened. A couple of years ago, there were fears of a jobless recovery. Instead, what we seem to have had is a recovery-free job increase. Unemployment has fallen but growth has remained flat (at best) for the past two years. The tax revenues have barely moved from where they were a year ago and, if anything, in recent months they may even have fallen. The cost of welfare is rising as low wages force many of those in-work to claim benefits.
It's not hard to see what's going on here. The rising army of part-timers and self-employed odd-jobbers might be keeping the unemployment figures low but they are not earning enough to pay much tax. In some cases, they are not even earning enough to keep themselves off benefits.
Not only does a recovery-free job increase not do much for the public finances, it also, say the authors of Fiscal Fallout, has worrying implications for the country's ability to bounce back:
There has been a fall in average hours worked as the proportion of part-time workers in the labour force has increased. This partly explains the fall in productivity per worker, but doesn't account for the entire drop. While output per worker is 3.7% lower than immediately prior to the 2008 recession, output per hour is only 2.5% lower.a However, even output on a per hour basis has been falling recently, suggesting that there are other factors limiting productivity of the UK economy.
A recent ONS analysis of the issue has suggested a number of potential factors that may have reduced productivity.b These include:
- The 2008–09 recession adversely affected high-productivity sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing;
- Lags in the response by firms to lower demand, as some businesses decide to 'hoard' skilled staff in anticipation of the economy picking up;
- The impact of the downturn in lending on firms. This may in turn be reducing firms' investment in capital and innovation, damaging productivity;
- Over-exuberance in the financial sector pre-recession resulting in capital being diverted to areas with less potential for returns;
- The loss of human capital, as those who have been unemployed for a long period of time lose skills.
a. Office for National Statistics, The Productivity Conundrum, Explanations and Preliminary Analysis, October 2012 (http:// http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171766_283259.pdf)
b. Ibid.
Some of these, like the hoarding of labour, might be temporary, but others, like the reduction in investment and innovation and the degradation of skills, suggest that the economy may have run out of oomph.
The report continues:
This is profoundly important for two reasons. First, the economy has less far to bounce back, so we may be permanently poorer than we thought we were. Second, together with higher borrowing, it means that even more public spending cuts or tax rises than those announced to date will be required to return the public finances to structural balance within five years.
Anaemic growth will, as I've said before, have serious implications for public finances.
Fiscal Fallout concludes that, if the government persists with its strategy of reducing deficit by spending cuts, it will need a further £48bn worth of cuts in the next spending round, on top on the £81bn proposed in the current one.
Assuming the government sticks to its plan for reducing the benefits bill by £10.5bn (which also assumes a certain amount of cost reduction due to growth but let's not over-complicate things) that leaves £37bn in cuts to public services. Fiscal Fallout calculates that this will be a real terms cut of 11 percent over the three years 2014–15 to 2017–18.
But that 11 percent is unlikely to be spread evenly across the board. Fiscal Fallout concludes that, if the government continues with its policy of protecting health, international aid and, to an extent, education, the cuts required from other departments would average 23 percent. Because health and education are so large a proportion of public spending, protecting them transfers a massive burden to everywhere else.
If these cuts are combined with those in the current spending round, the implications for the other public services are huge. Some departments would end up with budgets nearly half the size they were in 2010.
The reports gives some examples of what this might mean:
Ministry of Justice
- Halving spending on the National Offender Management Service – i.e. prisons and probations budget; or
- Cutting over 80% of the Legal Services Commission – i.e. the legal aid budget.
Department of Work and Pensions
- More than halving combined spending on Jobcentre Plus and employment programmes; or
- Cutting departmental operating costs and housing benefit and council tax administration costs by around 90%.
Home Office
- Cutting over a third of crime and policing spend; or
- Cutting spend on the UK Border Agency and the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism by around 90%.
The report doesn't get into specifics about the impact on local government, but remarks:
At a local level, the fiscal impact of rising demand is daunting. The Local Government Association have estimated that the cost of meeting rising demand for statutory services such as adult care and waste could leave local government with a funding gap of £16.5 billion by 2019–20. Assuming that social care and waste costs are met in full, this means that other services would have to be cut by 66 per cent.3 None of this takes account of the further cuts identified as necessary by the SMF after 2014–15. Birmingham City Council has given a stark illustration of the impact of these cuts on the UK's second largest city, warning that some £600 million of cuts could result in 'the end of local government as we know it'.
On top of all this, there is the near-certain increase in social costs as a result of demographic change:
Responding to growing and changing demand: the impact of demographic change will be profound and is well known to policymakers. The OBR, for example, estimates that health spending alone will rise by 2.4 percentage points of GDP between 2015-16 and 2016-61.1 Research commissioned for the 2020 Public Services Commission from Professor Howard Glennerster of the London School of Economics predicted that an additional 6 per cent of GDP would need to be spent on public services by 2030 to meet the social costs of an ageing society and to maintain existing cross-party social policy commitments.
According to PwC, that amounts to another £20bn in tax rises or spending cuts, plus an increase in the retirement age, sometime in the next decade.
Anyone who thinks that efficiency savings or the salami-slicing of budgets is going to solve this is living in cloud cuckoo land. As is anyone who thinks public services will get back to normal when the recession is over.
Here's Matthew Taylor again:
Reading the RSA/SMF report has enabled me to put my finger on the ambivalence I feel about a whole range of government polices – such as free schools and police commissioners – which I don't actively oppose but which also feel somehow misguided. The answer is that the scope and credible impact of these policies is utterly out of proportion to the strategic challenge government now faces. The leader of any organisation facing Whitehall's scale of crisis would deal ruthlessly with ideas which did not seem powerfully relevant to core strategic needs. But instead it seems that Number Ten seems positively to encourage these irrelevancies, perhaps in the hope they will distract people.
He could also have mentioned the utterly pointless and counterproductive re-organisation of the NHS.
Tinkering with the state isn't good enough any more and neither is a laissez-faire just-cut-spending-and-see-what-happens approach. Even if a Labour government is elected in 2015, the problem won't go away. OK, some of the targets might shift but the underlying debt problem will remain. Whoever is running the country at the end of this decade will have very little room to manoeuvre.
As some politicians are at last starting to recognise, a fiscal gap of this size means that a complete re-design of services and entitlements will be needed. And soon. As I keep saying, the task of this decade is to design a state which can cope with the next one. If we fail to do that, we will be living with the consequences long after everyone has forgotten who George Entwhistle was.


text:
|home projects production services stock footage public speaking store - dvd's biography about us contact archive
WHO ARE WE?Serac Adventure Films is a full service production company based in Boulder, Colorado.
learn more...
CLIENTSWith three national Emmys from five nominations, multiple industry awards and more than fifty film festival prizes, Serac Adventure Films brings high quality films to theaters, broadcast television, the Internet and other new media platforms.
Reproduction of material from any pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
LAKERS TOGETHER: Find COVID-19 updates and resources. Also, be sure to complete the online daily self-assessment.
Photo Galleries
Civil Discourse Symposium 2014
Thank you to all who attended the inaugural Padnos/Sarosik Endowed Civil Discourse Symposium, Civil Discourse for Civic Engagement. Over 240 people came together for a community dialogue. Students, staff, neighborhood residents, community members, faculty and GVSU leaders shared a unique opportunity to dialogue about important issues about developing and maintaining vibrant communities. Panelists shared poignant stories and challenging questions about the importance of "staying at the table" when conversations get difficult, both for the sake of remaining committed to honoring each other's need to be understood and for the critical tasks facing each of us in the ongoing work of revitalizing Detroit and the many other cities whose needs call for civic engagement. When the evening ended, participants were still in the middle of conversations with one another. We had so much more to talk about together. May the conversations continue…
We look forward to seeing you at next year's Civil Discourse Symposium on Thursday, November 5, 2015.


text:
PHILADELPHIA -- Even though Rex Brothers' availability was in question on Thursday night after three consecutive days of work, Rockies manager Walt Weiss is thrilled to have the 25-year-old lefty in his bullpen to go with closer Rafael Betancourt, who missed a month due to an appendectomy, and Matt Belisle. They give Weiss the type of late bullpen trio that every manager looks for to close out games.
"It's good to have Raffy back, and even in the last couple of games has allowed us to use Rex in ideal situations," Weiss said.
"It's been nice to set up our bullpen the way we have. Since Raffy has been back, and last night, we did well, and it set up very well. But no one is perfect, especially in that role. But I've said it before, give me a one-run lead, and I'll go with Raffy every time."
Betancourt's blown save on Wednesday in a 4-3 loss to the Phillies was only his second of the season in 18 attempts. Entering Thursday, Belisle had allowed just four runs in his last 19 1/3 innings, while Brothers has been equally effective, including 3 1/3 scoreless innings in this four-game series at Citizens Bank Park.


text:
The Best Financial Counsel
By: Rick Boxx
May 4, 2012
According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 50 % of people surveyed would rather take financial advice from Donald Trump, compared to only 32 % who would rather rely on the Bible's financial wisdom.
The Bible has more than 2,000 verses regarding money, and has been time tested for thousands of years. And it comes to us from the Creator of the world! Yet, more people would rather rely on the financial insight of a man who has firsthand experience with corporate bankruptcy.
2 Timothy 3:16 teaches, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
If you desire the best financial counsel, study God's principles, not those less qualified.
Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover
In this interactive guide, respected financial expert, Dave Ramsey, offers a proven, comprehensive plan for getting in shape financially. Dave gives solid, hard-hitting advice and the "hope" and the "how-to" needed to turn goals into reality. Purchase Total Money Makeover here.
"How well are you modeling Faith, Integrity, Relationships, and Excellence in your work? Find out by taking Integrity Resource Center's free FIRE Assessment!"
Contact Rick Boxx at www.integritymoments.org, and to learn more about Integrity Resource Center go to integrityresource.org.


text:
The Power of Food Blogging
My parents and I walk into Le Cirque in New York City for the second time in two months, and the difference between our first visit and second is startling. The first time, we were ignored by Sirio Maccioni, Le Cirque's famous owner, and ushered to a loser table in the back; this time the maitre'd seats us immediately at a table in the frontthe best spot in the house. Bus boys and waiters swoop down on us and ask us what we want to drink, if we want sparkling or flat water, if we'd like to see the wine list. Mauro Maccioni, Sirio's son, makes sure to check in on us every so often. When the meal is over and my father asks for the check, a man who looks like he might be Sirio's brother bends down and whispers in my father's ear. When he walks away, my dad says, grinning, "Tonight, we're guests of the Maccioni family."
What transpired between our first and second visits? The answer lies beneath your fingertips.
The power of blogging, nowadays, is irrefutable. Blogging has ousted political leaders, written dialog for Samuel L. Jackson, and forced Doogie Howser out of the closet. In the realm of food, blogging is just beginning to gain power. Restaurateurs and chefs are starting to take notice of the strange quiet types scribbling notes and taking pictures of their food.
Sam Breach, of the food blog Becks and Posh says, "I don't take photos at dinner anymore in the Bay Area for fear of being outed as a bloggerthis town is over-run with them."
Food bloggers are making a dent on the restaurant scene because of the way the Web has been integrated into our everyday life. New York Times food critic Frank Bruni, who began blogging on the paper's site himself, says, "I think restaurant reviews on food blogs have an impact, because a curious, hesitant consumer who's Internet-savvyand these days, who isn't?can plug in a restaurant's name and toggle between a dozen reviews on a dozen different sites without necessarily knowing much about the sites or seeking them out per se. The aggregate impression of a restaurant that this person gets, built from these reviews, has to have an impact. How could it not?"
The presence of food bloggers, then, should be cause for concern in the restaurant community. Regina Schrambling, food writer and proprietor of gastropoda.com, says, "I think every restaurateur should either be reading all the bloggers, big and small, or be paying someone to do a Technorati search every morning. When I was in restaurant school, one of the first lessons was that a diner who has a good experience will tell one person. Have a bad one and that tale goes viral, to 10 or 20 or more. Bloggers amplify that danger beyond belief. And this is damage a restaurateur can control, just by paying attention to 'the little people.'"
Dan Barber, the gifted chef at New York City's Blue Hill and its sister restaurant upstate, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, subscribes to this theory. He reads blog reviews and sees them as a more sophisticated version of a comment card. "The real power of it is the way that it informs the chef and the manager and the waiters and the staff. That's what every restaurant wantsevery good restaurant should be encouraging bloggers."
Still, blogs have their drawbacks for chefs. "I read a lot of blog reviews that are very misinformed and flat-out wrong," Barber adds. "But more often than not they're pretty informative even with that."
And while some chefs, like Barber, are generally open-minded when it comes to blogs, other chefs are more hostile to the idea. For example, there's the way that Washington, D.C., chef Carole Greenwood responded to a write-up of her restaurant Buck's Camping and Fishing by Jason Storch of DCfoodies.com. After posting a positive review of his meal (including pictures), he received a cease-and-desist letter from Greenwood's attorney asking him to remove the photos from his site.
Jason ultimately took the post down but the incident created a maelstrom of bad publicity for Greenwood and her restaurant.
So how should a restaurant handle a food blogger? Enter Sirio Maccioni. After a disastrous first meal at Le Cirque with my family, I wrote a post on my website titled (perhaps inappropriately) Only a Jerk Would Eat at Le Cirque. In it, I said I couldn't believe a restaurant could charge so much for food that was so mediocre and served in such an oppressive environment. I concluded my review, "New York is filled with wondrous restaurants, restaurants with food and hospitality that rival all of the world's major cities. Why anyone would waste their money at a place as unwelcoming and uninspired as Le Cirque is baffling."
A few weeks after I posted my review, my mom called me in disbelief when a package came to her door from Le Cirque. She opened it, and inside was a copy of Sirio Maccioni's autobiography and a letter printed on Le Cirque stationery:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, I was sorry to hear that your experience at Le Cirque was not as it should have been. I assure you that we do not consider your seating arrangement a "bad table," but I regret that there was a problem with your appetizer. I trust that our servers corrected this as quickly as they possibly could.
The letter addressed all of the concerns from my review (my mom's artichoke was undercooked) and concluded with an invitation to come back to "experience Le Cirque as it really is and should be."
We did go back, and we were treated exceptionally well. There was the table at the front and the excellent service and the special attention from Mauro (Sirio was out that night). The food, I must say, was less than dazzling: The Venison entrée was poorly cooked (tough and grainy) and a side of French fries arrived at room temperature. Yet we enjoyed the "star treatment," if you could call it that, and savored the evening for what it was.
And what it was, it turns out, is a confirmation that a new age is herethe age of the food blog. Le Cirque is a litmus test for power and status in New York. Ruth Reichl wrote her famous dual review for the New York Times in which she went twice, once as a dowdy midwesterner named Molly and the second time as herself. As Molly, she was treated like garbage, as herself she was treated like a star.
Then, Ruth Reichl was the champion of the nobody. Nowadays, with the advent of the food blog, the nobodies no longer need a champion. At the click of a button, the nobodies can champion themselves.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
Duxbury to mull fluoride in municipal water supply
Duxbury's board of health will discuss fluoridation issue
The decades-old issue of fluoridated water is on the agenda in Duxbury.
Duxbury Fluoride Choice, a citizens' group, is urging health officials to keep fluoride out of their water supply. The group says studies link high fluoride levels to lower IQs and weaker bones.
The Patriot Ledger reports that Duxbury's board of health will discuss the fluoridation issue on Thursday. It may consider adjusting the amount of fluoride in the town's water supply.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says water fluoridation is among the best public health achievements of the 20th century.
The U.S. Department of Public Health recommends communities use 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. The agency is considering reducing that amount because of a sharp rise in products with fluoride.


text:
Glad Tidings from Cumorah
1. Glad tidings from Cumorah!
An angel has returned to earth
To yield a book of priceless worth
Into a prophet's hands.
The fulness of the gospel
The Savior gave his "other sheep"
Breaks forth, as with a flood, to sweep
All nations, tribes, and lands.
2. Oh, hear the voice of gladness!
An ancient record is restored;
Another witness of the Lord
Has spoken from the dust.
Its message must be sounded
As with a trump in ev'ry tongue,
For truth out of the earth has sprung
To gather out the just.
Text: Douglas Ipson
Music: Douglas Ipson
Artist: Ipson
Album: Music Published in the Church Magazines: New Era
Composition Date: 1994-08-01
More Info: New Era
Book of Mormon, another witness, Cumorah, prophet, gathering


text:
Already sold
I sell a TechniStar S2 satellite receiver, from Technisat, with CI + port, as new.
With the right module and card, it can be used to receive bouquets like German HD+, French Fransat or the Italian TivùSat.
Recorder with external key or USB hard drive.
Price 70 plus shipping.
All the details are in Ebay


text:
Be the first to review this product
White - Faux Leather - Single Tier
Availability: In stock
No Related Product.
Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.
One Source Jewelry Supply, is committed to being your number one source for all your jewelry supply needs specializing in Jewelry displays, packaging, store supplies and tools.
Call Us: 636-326-2234
Email Us: firstname.lastname@example.com
Mail Us:One Source Jewelry Supply 1613, Manufacturers Drive.Fenton, Missouri-63026.
Business Hours:Monday Thrusday Friday 9am - 5pm


text:
Is Howard Schultz of Starbucks the best CEO ever?September 12, 2013: 11:16 AM ET
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney, Abbott Laboratories and AbbVie, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.
With all due respect to the late Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Sam Walton and Ray Kroc, Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Howard Schultz may be the best CEO ever.
Sure, the former heads of Apple (AAPL), Ford (F), Wal-Mart (WMT) and McDonald's (MCD) are all legends.
And it's admittedly silly to try and compare executives from different eras. It's the equivalent of a bunch of drunks at a bar yelling at each other about whether Peyton Manning or Tom Brady is better than Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas or Joe Montana.
But hear me out. Schultz, like Jobs, returned to a company that was in trouble and totally resurrected it.
Related: Starbucks expanding to Colombia
Schultz stepped down as CEO in 2000 and came back in January 2008. During his absence, the stock did hit a then all-time high of just under $40 (adjusted for several stock splits) in November 2006. But by early 2008, the stock had fallen to about $18.
Keep in mind that this happened while the broader market was still in bull mode. Sure, the Dow and S&P 500 had begun to retreat from their October 2007 peaks. But they were still higher than they were in November 2006. Starbucks lost nearly half its value.
Of course, the return of Schultz did not lead to immediate success for investors. The stock performance was colder than a Frappuccino during the first few months of his second stint as Barista-in-chief.
For one, Schultz made the difficult decision to cut back on stores -- especially in the United States. I'm sure Schultz was aware of the joke in the 2000 movie "Best in Show" about a couple who first met after the woman noticed her future husband at a Starbucks ... while she was sitting across the street at a different Starbucks.
And Schultz also suffered from bad economic timing. He took the helm just as the company was about to go through the country's worst financial crisis since (stop me if you've heard this before) the Great Depression.
By March 2009, Starbucks shares had plunged to barely above $8. But since then, investors have been on a caffeine high.
The stock hit an all-time high Thursday of just below $76. So Starbucks has surged more than 800% from the bear market lows. That's well above the 150% or so jump in the S&P 500 since March 2009.
But what really impresses me about Schultz is this. He has proven that a company can do its best to make money for its shareholders while also taking care of its employees.
The company routinely finds itself on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list. It made the cut again this year. It's also a stalwart on the World's Most Admired Companies list.
And Schultz recently told CNN that Starbucks will not cut back on existing health insurance benefits for its employees despite the fact that many other large companies, such as UPS (UPS), Papa John's (PZZA) and Delta (DAL) have recently complained about the impact that Obamacare will have on their bottom lines.
That's admirable. Schultz realizes that if a company's workers are happy, then that should also lead to happy consumers. And that's extremely important for a retailer.
Related: Starbucks sees big growth in China
So there you have it. A bunch of reasons why I think Schultz deserves to pull a Muhammad Ali. He may be the greatest CEO of all-time.
Do you agree? Disagree? If it's the latter, who would you say is the best CEO ever? Tweet me @LamonicaBuzz or e-mail at email@example.com. I'll include some of my favorite comments in Tuesday's column.
Speaking of Twitter, it's time for my Reader Comment of the Week. I noted on Wednesday that satellite radio Sirius XM (SIRI) was at a 52-week high. And just like Starbucks, it's had an amazing comeback from the depths of the Great Recession.
But one Twitter follower joked that it was nice to see Sirius XM was not punished merely because its ticker symbol is the name of a certain (and often maligned) search tool with a female voice.
Ha! Maybe Apple (AAPL) should get Howard Stern to be the male voice for Siri?


text:
- Font:
- +
- -
The U.S. jobs market appears to be at a turning point.
After more than two years of staggering pain for workers, the latest employment data include signs that a historic wave of heavy job losses may be ending, although only modest gains are expected in the near future.
And even as the economy begins creating those new jobs, the unemployment rate could rise back above 10 percent, say some economists. In any case, it will likely be years before it falls again to "normal" levels or anywhere near the 5 percent where it stood before the recession began in December 2007.
Employers cut fewer jobs than expected in February, despite fears that a major storm would skew the numbers to the downside. The unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent as nonfarm payrolls shrank by a mere 36,000 jobs. There was more encouragement to be found in the revisions to the Labor Department's original estimates for December and January, which 35,000 fewer net job losses than previously reported.
"If we did not have bad weather, then this number would have been solidly positive. It tells me the economy and the jobs market have evolved to the point where we are now ready to produce jobs," said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist at Federated Investors in New York.
That would be good news for President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats, who worry that voter anger could cost them in November if the economy doesn't start putting Americans back to work.
"I'm not going to rest, and my administration is not going to rest, in our efforts to help people who are looking to find a job," Obama said Friday.
But the news about jobs may get worse before it gets better.
That's because the widely followed unemployment rate may move higher again before it begins a longer-term decline. The reason is the mathematical flip side of the reason it has fallen from its peak of 10.1 percent over the past few months.
The "official" jobless rate represents the number of unemployed workers as a percentage of the work force, as measured by a survey of households. But to be counted in the work force, you have to be actively looking for a job. (Officially, "actively" means at some time in the past four weeks.)
As the job market went from bad to worse in the recession, the labor force shrank by roughly two million, in part because many people stopped looking for work.
"When there are no job opportunities, and there clearly have been no job opportunities over the last couple years, people say, 'Why am I looking?," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "Some people get severance packages that are pretty good, and they're saying, 'It doesn't make sense for them to look. There are just no opportunities.'"
As the economy improves more unemployed workers could join the official work force simply by looking for jobs. That's not unusual coming out of a recession, Zandi notes, which is why the unemployment rate tends to be one of the last economic indicators to show improvement when the economy begins growing again after a downturn.
With some other economic indicators already flashing green — notably big gains in gross domestic product for the past two quarters — most forecasters expect the recovery to pick up steam. Many believe the economy will soon begin showing a net gain in jobs.
"The February jobs report suggests that the economy is on the verge of creating jobs, and that it will break through to sustained job creation beginning in March," Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight, wrote in a note to clients Friday.
That's not surprising, given the massive government stimulus from hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency spending by the Treasury and the more than $1 trillion in fresh cash the Federal Reserve pumped into the economy. Voters will likely judge those policies by the number of jobs they create, not the impact on other economic data.
And some economists worry about the long-term impact of the stimulus programs.
"The government is going to be hiring workers and going to make (the jobs data) look good in March, April and May, and the government will claim credit for that," said David Malpass, president of Encima Global, an economic research firm.
"But I don't think the actual programs that they're putting in place are helping at all," said Malpass, a former senior Treasury Department official in the Reagan administration. "If you're a small business, you're looking at a difficult financing environment with a very high tax rate." He said future high taxes will discourage small businesses from hiring.
While many economists believe the job market is getting better, no one is suggesting it's in good shape. The searing pace of layoffs that sidelined more than eight million people in two years seems to be fading. But for most of those, employment prospects remain terrible.
Part of the reason is that the jobs that were lost may never come back, and the people who lost them may not have the right training for the jobs that are being created
"The trend is getting better for jobs, if you have the skills," said John Silvia, chief economist for Wells Fargo.
Often overlooked in the discussion about monthly job numbers is that they represent a net figure after many jobs are created and others are eliminated. But the turnover in jobs created and lost remains stubbornly slow, said Malpass.
"There is a lot less dynamism in the economy," he said. "Normally you have seven million people every quarter getting a job and almost seven million people losing a job. That's way down now in these current quarters."
The unemployment rate is also expected to remain stubbornly high because this recession has created a pool of unemployed workers so large it could take years to rehire even in the strongest of recoveries.
Even if the economy soon begins creating 150,000 net new jobs a month — a "good" number by historical standards — that will just about keep up with the growth of the population. It will take a much higher level of job growth to have a significant impact on the unemployment rate.
"It's really related to structural unemployment in terms of losses in housing and finance, Wall Street finance, automobiles and the associated small businesses that create those jobs," said Bill Gross, head of money manager PIMCO. "It's not a normal business cycle that we're looking at."
© 2013 msnbc.com Reprints


text:
And here it is folks, despite all his blustering about shooting for an "R Rating", word has spread today that "Terminator Salvation" will be PG-13. Keep in mind that the source of this is an affiliated Pizza Hut site that's doing cross promotion, so I suppose it's possible they got it wrong. But it looks pretty official to me. I would expect some type of PR announcement soon considering all the coverage this story is getting.
Today's awesome indie title: "Destined to be Ingested". Do I care what it's about? Not really, but I'm guessing cannibals.
Jennifer Lynch talks about "Hisss", her "love story-action-comedy-musical-creature feature", which also happens to star a Bollywood actress in some sort of hot human/serpent hybrid costume. This is David Lynch's daughter after all, did you expect it to make sense?
Win a walk-on role on "The Crazies" remake through an auction. Just remember, if it turns out like "Friday the 13th", you're there for eternity, people!
Kyle Gallner, from "The Haunting in Connecticut" is now officially cast in the "Nightmare on Elm St." remake. He will be playing "Quentin", who also happens to be a podcaster. He was really solid in "HIC", so I would say that BGH is officially on board with this news.
I thought we had figured this out after the whole "Obama fingers" fiasco in New York a few months back... It's not a good idea to put our president's visage on any product, because there's probably some tangential way to turn it into a racist thing, and you don't want that kind of trouble. Considering this, it's hard to believe someone thought Chia Obama was a good idea, but as we learn on this site every day, the depths of stupidity know no bounds.
Contrary to advice being given out by some imam's in the Arab world, Epilepsy is not caused by Genies, and frankly they don't appreciate the slander.
1241: Mongols collect nine bags of ears after a battle with Henry, Duke of Poland, at Liegnitz. A feigned retreat separated the 500 Teutonic Knights from their infantry, and the Mongols slaughtered the entire infantry.


text:
Dragon Pals
Jump into the world of Dragon Pals a free MMO game where you find, raise and fight along side little dragons. These creatures will help you on your quests and become your best pals. Far away in a galaxy unknown to us a small world exists. The gods created this world to be everything that is good and right. The dragons were sent to be the guardians of the human race. However pace can't last forever. Darkness can appear anywhere, it's your task to battle against these new unknown forces, which are trying to take our your beautiful world. Do you have what it takes to put the world right? Don't worry you wont be alone with the help of your dragon friends.
Follow the in game tutorial.
Share this game


text:
05 September, 2013 | (01 hr)
Sign In to access this Webcast
The world has changed dramatically, transforming from a slow-moving 2D-world to a fast-moving, innovative 3D-world. This is a period of revolution, from which a new type of organization will emerge that will be built to harvest the power of information. In this new environment, people with passion and access to information will have the highest value. Join us for a webcast that offers a compelling view on this switch from 2D to 3D and insights on a new innovation strategy for organizations in search of a new balance.
Jef Staes
Jef is a thought leader when it comes to Innovation and Change Management and has been a keynote at numerous conferences. His refreshing ideas on creativity and management have inspired many professionals to adopt a new mindset.
More information: Full Bio
Joseph Tatepo
Joseph Tatepo is a Council Manager at The Conference Board Europe. In his role Joseph supports the Corporate Leadership Practice and the Emerging Markets & Value Creation practice by managing the Economists' Council, the Council on Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, th...Full Bio
Velizar Velkov
Velizar is managing the membership for Councils and Academies at The Conference Board. He is a creative thinker with solid sales and marketing professional background and education. Velizar is interested in commercial innovation, sustainable business development and corporate entrepreneurship. He...Full Bio


text:
Think back to the last time you visited an ecommerce store. Do you remember how it looked?
Maybe not, but I bet you remember how it made you feel. Excited? Confident? Happy? Or maybe it made you feel confused or frustrated because it was difficult to navigate.
Ecommerce design is about more than how a website looks—it considers the way a site actually works, the flow from one page to the next, how it tells a story, and the mood it triggers.
Design trends come and go, but there are four timeless visual elements fundamental to creating an effective ecommerce website. But before we get into them, there's one question I want you to keep in mind:
How do you want customers to feel when they come to your site?
Marketing and design, after all, really boil down to helping your customers experience a feeling that leads to taking action (ideally making a purchase, or three).
Let's explore the four pillars of designing a modern ecommerce store: trust, visual appeal, format, and navigation. I'll start off this video talking about trust and 3 indicators I think you should add to your online store today.
Prefer a written version of this video? Below you'll find a slightly edited overview of the four pillars of effective ecommerce web design.
Free Reading List: Online Store Design Tips
Your online store's appearance can have a big impact sales. Unleash your inner designer with our free, curated list of high-impact articles.
Get our Store Design reading list delivered right to your inbox.
Almost there: please enter your email below to gain instant access.
We'll also send you updates on new educational guides and success stories from the Shopify newsletter. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe.
The pillars of ecommerce design
When someone visits your store for the first time, they may not know anything about your brand, the quality of your products, or your commitment to making the customer happy. Deals might earn their consideration, but they'll need to trust you before they actually go through with a purchase.
Customers need to know that when they buy from you, they'll receive the product as advertised. There are three essential trust indicators I recommend every entrepreneur include on their website:
Contact information
Nothing throws potential customers off more than a website without contact information. Include an email and, if possible, a phone number and a mailing address. This type of information, along with an About page, helps potential customers feel they're buying from a real person.
A return policy
A return policy not only makes it easier for people to bring back products that don't satisfy them, it actually increases sales by instilling the customer with a sense of confidence and trust that they can send back an item if they need to.
Technical certifications
By adding Shopify Payments, you'll have a powerful payments service featuring the latest security technology for protecting your customers' information. Don't hesitate to use graphics or badges to show your security compliance and all the payment methods you accept.
Customer trust is hardest to earn when you don't have any customers, so I highly recommend incorporating these trust indicators as you design your store.
Visual appeal
Perception is everything when selling your products online. People form their first impression of your site within a mere 50 milliseconds. With your Shopify store, making that impression count rests largely on the quality of your images.
Think of it this way—your product photography is like an ambassador sharing the promise of your product online. Your customer can't try, taste, feel, or wear your product before they buy, so they'll rely heavily on your visuals to decide if that product is right for them.
Generally, I recommend including product photos with a white background, as well as lifestyle photos of your products in use. Outdoor Voices' home page features both lifestyle images to communicate the brand side-by-side with more product-centric images to entice the visitor to learn more.
You may have noticed when you purchase a product on a big-box retailer's website that there's almost always a white background photo included for every lifestyle shot. Products photographed on a white background are the gold standard of ecommerce photography. That's because the white background makes it easier to see the item in detail and strips away the branding so your product can appeal to different demographics.
Check out Shopify Academy's free course on product photography to learn more. Jeff Delacruz will show you how to take your own product photos in a quick and inexpensive way.
Lifestyle photos are important because they allow customers to envision using a product in their day-to-day life by picturing themselves as the model being shown.
Your product photos are a key factor in your store engagement, conversion, retention.
Beyond product photos, you also need to consider your site's colors and fonts. You may have the most incredible product, but if the aesthetics of your website—specifically its colors and fonts—don't work, your customers will be put off and may not make a purchase. The look of your store plays into the overall experience of buying the product.
Color is one of the most powerful tools you can use to spark interest and emotion. It can also be used to draw attention to specific sections of your website and lead your customer down the buyer's journey.
I recommend limiting your site to two main colors—a primary color and a secondary color. To choose my colors, I like to refer to two great resources. I typically go to Dribbble to search for a color palette. For example, if I type in "red" I can see examples of websites that use red in their color palette and decide which options are most visually appealing.
Here's an example where the business used simple black on white text with shades of green as their accent colors.
Another key consideration is your website's accessibility. You want the colors you select to contrast enough that people of all ages and abilities can read and see your text.
Lastly, you'll want to give some thought to typography. Customers expect to see dynamic and interesting typography on websites, not stale fonts like Times New Roman. While the words you write share information, it's the typography that communicates the emotion behind that information.
The good news is, with the Shopify theme store, each template comes with recommended fonts. You can use these fonts on your website, or choose fonts from another source.
Like with colors, it's a good idea to stick to two fonts and create a hierarchy between them. Managing multiple fonts can be tricky for non-designers, and your website can become very messy looking. Using just two fonts simplifies things. Choose one font as your header or title font and another to be your body font.
Supergoop does a great job of selecting a title font that reflects their brand while the body font is simple, clear and easy to read.
A unique header font can be add some flourish to your brand, while the body font will be your workhorse, used for all the other copy on your website, from product descriptions to checkout instructions. While display fonts can have a little more flourish because of their size, whatever body font you use it's important to pick one that's readable. Not every font is designed for screen reading and picking the wrong one (a thin sans serif, for example) could drive customers away if they can't read your site.
Format (desktop and mobile)
According to comScore, nearly 70% of digital media time is spent on mobile devices. Unfortunately, many ecommerce websites and platforms are built with only desktop browsing in mind. This can result in a fair number of lost new sales.
If you're building your business with Shopify your store is "responsive." This means the site adapts to different devices and screen sizes, whether customers view it on a desktop, smartphone, or tablet.
When choosing a theme based on mobile-friendly design, it's best to personally test the purchasing process to see if you're happy with the transactional flow. If you're not, there's a good chance your customers won't be either. Elements like cart drawers and easy-to-follow mobile navigation are crucial when finalizing your choice.
Your website navigation should help customers find your products quickly and easily.
Good navigation improves the online shopping experience and helps merchants increase their sales and profits. Navigation can also influence the theme you choose. For example, if you have a large catalogue of products, a theme with a bigger menu might be best for you.
Here are some guidelines to follow when designing your store: first, try to stick to only a few menu headers in your navigation. Be clear and direct when labeling these headers—this is no time to be clever. Here are the headers I recommend for top-level navigation:
- Shop [Product Category]
- About Us
- Bestsellers
- Contact Us
Here are three great examples of menus that make navigation simple. The visitor knows exactly what they're getting each time. As a beginner, I still think you should start with the four listed above but over time, you'll learn what your audience gravitates to.
Additional navigation links can go in your footer—the section at the bottom of your website. Here are the labels I recommend for your footer:
- Shop [Product Category]
- Return Policy
- Terms of Service
- Contact Us
You can always change your headers if you notice they're not being clicked on, or add a sub-navigation menu to include links to other important pages or product collections.
The fundamentals go a long way
It's important to keep these four fundamental design elements in mind as you build your store. I've worked on dozens of businesses, from startups to massive brands, and these are the constants throughout the process.
Build trust. Make it visually appealing. Think about the device your visitors are using. And keep site navigation simple to get the visitor to the product as quickly as you can.
If you're interested in learning more about design for ecommerce, enroll in my online courses free on Shopify Academy.
Shopify Academy Course: How to Design Your Online Store
Creative director Stephan Peralta demonstrates how to design a brand people love and an online store even the most casual browsers want to buy from.Enroll for free


text:
Since I'm going to hell already I'll say it for you – the little one's voice is just as annoying as her older sister. Of course it's a Cyrus. What else could it be?
You've already enjoyed the sight of Noah Cyrus working a pole and her Halloween costume left nothing to be desired. But there's more. Of course there's more. Trash is self sustaining. Somehow it multiplies all by itself.
The video is below. Taken backstage at one of JailBait Miley's recent shows. Noah Cyrus desperately wants the spotlight. The unmistakable hunger is all over her face. And the attention she receives while dropping an impromptu performance of Akon's SMACK THAT while suggestively moving her hips and fondling her ass is like oxygen and blood and all the bodily essentials. She is LIVING. She is ALIVE. They have raised them to crave this, no matter the cost.
Note that Noah is surrounded by sycophants, and her own sister, shouting encouragement. Note also that this was shot in a highly secure area, which would mean that this came from a Cyrus Camp sanctioned camera, and therefore a Cyrus sanctioned online post.
They find nothing wrong with this. In 3 years, this will be ready for mass market, more millions, and a bright future, just in case JailBait version 1.0 starts smoking crack with Lindsay Lohan. Version 2.0 is ready to strip at a moment's notice.
Meanwhile, while you may be horrified at this display of underage skank, warm your heart with the thought that hundreds of thousands of people out there are experiencing the opposite reaction. They are preparing for pageant school and auditions, another day lining up at the mall, hoping to see a talent agent, pushed by parents who want this Cyrus dream, fueled by the belief that their child is more "special" than most. These days they learn how to dirty dance before they learn how to read.
Photo from Wenn.com


text:
Masullo Pizza: The Best Neapolitan Pies in Sacramento?
Editor's Note: If you're looking for the best pizza in Sacramento, California, our new contributor Becky Grunewald will be your guide. Take it away, Becky!
Masullo Pizza
2711 Riverside Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95818 (map);
916-443-8929; masullopizza.com
Pizza style: Neapolitan–style
Oven type: wood-fired
The skinny: The nicely-charred crust is the key here, but take a chance on the more surprising topping combos; you won't be sorry.
Price: 10-inch pies range from $10 to $15
Before Masullo Pizza opened in Sacramento, the river city had a dearth of Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza. In the two years since, with the opening of OneSpeed and Hot Italian, our quota has tripled, but I still think that the first is the best.
Masullo is located in an unassuming storefront on Riverside Drive in the ritzy Land Park neighborhood. It's almost too unassuming; at first it was virtually unmarked and many customers searched for it in vain. The proprietor, Bob Masullo, later added an understated awning and a few outside tables to draw the eye.
The interior is earth-toned and modern, with long communal tables hewn from highly burnished planks of local walnut. It's all one narrow room, with a wood-fired Vesuvio pizza oven at the back wall. The wood fuel comes from a nearby almond orchard.
Masullo, 39, whippet-thin and sporting his ubiquitous red Rainier beer ballcap, left Sacramento shortly after graduating high school to attend culinary school. Post-CIA, he led a typically peripatetic cook's life, putting in stints as a line cook in North Carolina, and then as a baker, first in Minneapolis, then in Denmark, France, and Italy. At a festa for St. Anthony south of Rome, Masullo tasted a pizza that he says "reset" his mind as to what pizza could be. He was inspired to return to Sacramento to open his own pizzeria.
As you would expect from a former baker, Masullo put a lot of thought into his dough, and after trial and "so much error", he settled on a sourdough with a two day cold ferment. This gives his crust a wonderfully deep flavor and excellent crumb.
Most of the pizzas have feminine names, including the "Maddy", which was named for Masullo's sister. My standard order is the Elisa, topped with mozzarella, Fra'Mani salami, fennel, red onion, and fresh oregano. The pie starts with a layer of Masullo's sweet and chunky tomato sauce, and is lightly topped with creamy pillows of fresh mozzarella. The intensely piggy salami plays well off of the crunch of the red onion, but on my recent visit, the fennel was mostly M.I.A. The crust in the center inch of the pie sags just a bit.
I love the Elisa, but the pizza that really knocked my socks off recently, both for sheer beauty and intense flavor, was the Gilda (pictured at top), with its swirled, grass-green persillade, rich with anchovy and garlic, and its rough-chopped olive topping. The aroma of the hot anchovies and garlic hits you first, and then the rich fontina and mozzarella tempers the anchovy's intensity. The olives add a bright burst of acid and salt.
There are many more pies to explore at Masullo Pizza—I'm curious about a black garlic pie, and drawn to another with oyster mushrooms, bacon, cream, and sage. There are also an assortment of artfully composed salads featuring ingredients from local farms, as well a few tempting desserts, in case you manage to reserve a little stomach real estate.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
The Best Drinks We Drank in April
The best stuff we've sipped lately.
Every month the Serious Eats crew scouts out the best stuff to drink: newly released beers, cool new cocktails, spirits you should know about, and favorite recipes for refreshing non-alcoholic drinks. We've been getting into the warm weather lately, trading our toddies for mai tais and our Imperial porters for pale ales. It's been a month of good drinking. Here are the sips we're most excited to share, from sour plum juice in Taipei to an awesome new brett-fermented IPA in Denver.
What was the best drink you tried this month? Tell us about it in the comments below.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
Wikitravel:Collaboration of the month/Slush pile
The following pages were nominated for Wikitravel:Collaboration of the month, but the consensus was generally against them. If you think it worthwhile to re-nominate one of these articles, be sure to draw up new tasks, and to address the arguments made against the nomination.
Calgary is a bustling metropolis that needs more attention on this beautiful webpg. This city would have some nice benefit if people got more involved in the city. As of late other than me and a few texugo edits, nothing has really happened. I think Calgary would benefit greatly from districting, and although I could lead it all, I'd need more help than Edmonton so a CotM would be a perfect time. It seems lately Edmonton is the only city in Canada that really hoards the Recent changes , maybe Calgary could take a share. What I would like resulted is DotM material, good districts, and more involvement by community. What Calgary needs:
To me, it just looks kinda messy and I'd like that changed. Hopefully this could be successful. edmontonenthusiast [ee] .T.A.L.K. 15:14, 21 December 2008 (EST).
Edmonton is a ravishing city that most people don't think of and never look beyond the first glance. Anyways, I think it would be successful because it has definitely caught the attention of the website and I can tell I have changed many people's opinion of the city. They could help so much & I have asked numourous people if they would like to help, tons said yes, others still have no reply, but still. Because of that, I think it could be successful because tons of people will be working and people seeing the work will get involved. Personally, it's biggest fault right now is the grammar and style, I still screw that up sometimes leaving typos all over the place. Not to mention, I think it has been a while since a Canadian place got as much coverage as Edmonton is getting - if at all. I really hope to make this a viable DotM and leave the tracks to what could be some stars (Namely South Central, Central, and Main article pages). I am not asking for actual stars, but begin the path. From that, I believe personally that Edmonton needs:
Ultimately, I think we can do this. Most of it is just researching and grammar. For the maps, I can give all the information as to what to do first so it's not like you won't know. I hope this is the proper format and that people vote for it. Lets do this - a successful COTM! I would like to make it for January. edmontonenthusiast [ee] .T.A.L.K. 12:59, 21 December 2008 (EST).
Ultimately, I think we can do this. Most of it is just Listingify and grammar. For the maps, I can give all the information as to what to do first so it's not like you won't know, but again, nobody needs to do a map. I hope this is the proper format and that people vote for it. Lets do this - a successful COTM! I would like to make it for January. edmontonenthusiast [ee] .T.A.L.K. 12:59, 21 December 2008 (EST).
Tokyo Disney Resort[edit]
This is the second most visited theme park resort in the world, after Walt Disney World.
Jonathan 784 21:34, 6 February 2009 (EST)
From what I hear, it's a nice destination in South Africa and popular amongst backpackers. According to its Wikipedia article it is the 3rd largest city in SA & has several nice places for tourists. Most importantly, however, it will be one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup...a very good reason to work and improve this article.
Essentially, this has the potential to be a very nice article and we should collaborate to fix/improve it in time for the World Cup. AHeneen 19:18, 5 February 2009 (EST)


text:
Your past lives?
Posted 06 June 2012 - 12:34 AM
I have no idea who I was. It's something I haven't made too much effort to know, but I do like the 1920s and the 1960s.
I just thought it would be something interesting to hear if you'd all like to share.
http://www.dresm.com/ariakuroneko0489 Take a look at my other cheaper clothes too!
http://soundcloud.com/astrid-essex Trying this out as well. Some of my music on soundcloud.
Posted 06 June 2012 - 02:59 PM
Things of note about the session, it involved going into a hallway with several doors, each representing a past life, and as you go into the doors the background fades into view and becomes very real yet set in a darker tone. I saw glimpses of two lives as my line, or whatever it was called, got pulled and it yanked me out into another doorway. Both glimpses where actually pretty upsetting and many others involved in the session also reported experiencing negative things like the moments before death or other traumas.
Posted 07 June 2012 - 05:43 PM
Around 1351 bce - 18th dynasty Egypt - possible sister to Pharaoh Akhenaten
Roman Empire - male (quite high up in the Roman Legions) No real idea of a date
Early Middle ages - 14th century - male monk, order of St. Francis, southeastern England
No real date but probably before 1492 - Female Native American, tribe was around the modern day Carolinia's
US Revolution (late 1700's) - Male, was well dressed.... some kind of business
Victorian Era - female, had long brown hair and brown eyes.
There are a few more "tentative ones" but I don't have much on those.
Posted 10 June 2012 - 01:37 AM
Do you think that if each time we are in a new life/body it is possible to meet up with the people from our old lives if they are living as new people at the same time we are? As in there are people, or souls rather, that are tied to one another no matter what appearance their bodies have throughout time?
Posted 18 June 2012 - 08:48 AM
Do you all believe that you were someone else in a past life or past lives? If so, who, when, and where? Or if you don't know, is there some time or place in which you suspect you lived because of your interest in it?
I have no idea who I was. It's something I haven't made too much effort to know, but I do like the 1920s and the 1960s.
I just thought it would be something interesting to hear if you'd all like to share.
Hello there! I am new to the forum! Just to input my insights here. Yes we do believe there is a past life in Taoism but then our view is totally different from Buddhist or other religions.
This is a blog post I made about how life cycle works. If you got a past life, it gotta be not in this realm and so you won't see cultures from this world. How do I prove it is real? Hard to tell but my student had proven it themselves with experience and those are hard to tell in words. So just read the article if you feel like to and I am just one of the option out there for you to read~ enjoy!
My BLOG: Taoist Master Blog
My Exorcist Website! - World's Best Exorcist Web!
Posted 19 June 2012 - 02:08 PM
An Interesting new way on sharing your Paranormal experiences click here!
Posted 19 June 2012 - 06:28 PM
Posted 07 September 2012 - 08:00 AM
Posted 07 September 2012 - 07:58 PM
On a facetious level, I'm positive that I was burned at the stake as a witch in England. I'm terrified of fire and my biggest peeve is when I'm accused of doing something I didn't do...almost to a violent level, lol.
In more "recent" incarnations, I think I was a young adult living in the late 70s or early 80s. I have recurrent dreams of a shopping mall, but its not a mall I ever consciously remember visiting. I'm always the same age (early 20s) even though I've had this dream all my life. Each dream is different, involving day to day activities, but its always at the same place, and I have an overwhelming feeling that in this "life" I was shot accidentally. I know malls are actually on the list of popular dream archetypes, but I'd like to believe we have a little bit of our past lives bleed over. I've always enjoyed exploring the belief that we as humans will reincarnate as many times as we need to in order to experience everything we have chosen for ourselves.
Edited by TheresaRHPS, 07 September 2012 - 07:59 PM.
Posted 24 September 2012 - 08:35 PM
Posted 31 October 2012 - 11:48 PM
Cry Havoc! And let loose the Dobermans of war!
My knitting and crocheting blog.
Life is too short to take seriously, none of us get out of it alive.
Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be.Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.
Posted 02 November 2012 - 09:20 AM
When it came to WW2 Germany, I always wanted to know about everyday life, from the good to bad, all the branches of the military, and especially personal stories. I even tried to learn German, but I can't really grasp the it (or other foreign languages, for that matter; I'm half Mexican, but don't care for Spanish), so I don't know if that a clue. It is the same for US Navy and Marines, being my first "love" subject of interest.
Maybe I won't feel a draw to a location until I visit Europe someday.
Posted 02 November 2012 - 02:57 PM
Posted 02 November 2012 - 03:29 PM
As it is, in my opinion, there is absolutely no way to know, but still I ponder the possibilities, the how's and why's of it, how it all can tie into afterlife "living" and beyond. When people offer up theories as fact and absolutes, then I will mentally wave it off with a "don't do that" because we don't know. That's how I handle all of this paranormal spirit stuff: it exist, but we don't know how and why. Well, that's my opinion, factually or not.
Is this day yet to be over? I have paranormal shows to watch tonight...and Chinese food to eat.
Posted 02 November 2012 - 06:11 PM
I'm with you about all the theories on reincarnation. Although I may seem fluffy-headed sometimes (born in March afterall) my logical side kicks in and I want to say "prove it!"
There are a lot of convincing stories though. Guess I've read most of them.
Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: past life, reincarnation, past lives
Town Square →
Religion/Spirituality →
My Past Lives: Pieces of our existence
Started by OmniSoul , 17 Dec 2016 Past lives, Reincarnation, Dreams and 3 more...
Town Square →
Paranormal Media →
Love of Pregnant Ghost
Started by Tony68 , 09 Mar 2015 rebirth, vietnam, love, ghost and 4 more...
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


text:
Alleged Illinois bank robbers plead not guilty
Two Chicago-area men whose alleged failed attempt to rob a small-town bank in northern Illinois left an accomplice dead have pleaded not guilty in federal court in Chicago.
Tuesday's arraignment was for 34-year-old Roberto Favela of Chicago and 40-year-old Aaron Russell of Orland Hills. It comes a week after their indictment on attempted bank robbery and other charges.
They were arrested on May 10 outside the Associated Bank branch in Richmond after FBI agents who'd been tracking them surrounded their vehicle.
But authorities say 45-year-old Tony Starnes of Chicago was shot dead by an officer as he tried to flee.
MiAngel Cody is a federal defender who represented Favela and Russell at an initial hearing following their arrest. He didn't immediately return a message Monday seeking comment.


text:
Image Disclaimer
Samsung - October Savings - Save Up to $550 !
Download Rebate Form
Valid 10/01/2020 - 10/31/2020
Build Rebate Package
Samsung - June & July Savings - Save Up to $650 !
Valid 06/01/2020 - 07/31/2020
Samsung - August & September Savings - Save Up to $550 !
Valid 08/01/2020 - 09/30/2020
Please note:
This rebate will only be paid on AJ Madison purchases only.Purchases in any other store do not qualify for this rebate.All rebate forms will be rejected.
Add an Extended Protection Plan for full coverage of parts and labor with fast in-home repairs by certified factory technicians
* Protection plans are for residential use only. For commercial use, please call (800) 570-3355
Add an extended service plan for full coverage of parts & labor with fast, in-home repairs by certified technicians.
50% Cash Back Offer on 5 Year Protection Plans:


text:
Credit: yabhee0214
Shared by: JYJ3
Tagged: Antifans, JYJ, SBS Morning Wide
Credit: yabhee0214
Shared by: JYJ3
I don't think it's called WAR. it's safety measuresd
i think "war" is a little too dramatic to say…but i'm glad that JYJ and C-Jes are sticking through with their decision to go after these netizens that basically have no life.
in addition: I'm so proud of being a JYJ fan~ Look at all these precedents that JYJ have helped/are helping set up in the Korean entertainment industry, which are rewarding their hoobaes. >_< I still can't (and probably will never) get over KFPCI, or w/e they're called, said they're "damaging" the Hallyu wave…yeah right. This is TOTALLY "damaging".
Love it! Posted on my twtr.
So proud of JYJ !!!!! Only them – our brave JaeChunSu will dare to take measures and actions against those who are in the wrong. They have created history in most of their projects which they had done for the past 3 years plus. So those nasty, idiotic netizens and sasaeng fans beware of who you deal with…..better think twice first, as GOD is with our JYJ boys!


text:
Page 33
Published by CrossGen Publishing. Cover done by: Michael Pedro, and Nathan Baertsch.
At Snake Mountain, Kronis criticizes Skeletor, telling him that since he lost his face, has become irrational, unworthy to lead. Skeletor knocks Kronis out and orders Beast Man and Whiplash to throw him away from Snake Mountain, so he will learn that he cannot survive alone in the Dark hemisphere, that has become a chaos of feuding bandits after the rise of the Mystic Wall. Kronis is ambushed by bandits, but he defeats them and becomes their leader. Then thy go to an encampment and kill the general, after which Knonis tells the men to become his army. With time, Kronis' army has several successful raids, offering the defeated the option of joining such army or die. When the army is big enough, Kronis decides to attack Snake Mountain. At Snake Mountain, Tri-Klops informs Skeletor that his Doomseekers have confirmed the informs about Kronis' massive army, and they come to Snake Mountain. An enraged Skeletor shoots Tri-Klops with the Havoc Staff. Kronis' army battle Skeletor's creatures, while Kronis himself climbs the mountain to find Skeletor. They fight and Skeletor burns Kronis' face, which turns green. Skeletor then blows Kronis' right arm, but Kronis still fights until Skeletor breaks his jaw away with a punch. When Skeletor has Kronis at his mercy, Kronis reaches Skeletor's shoulder with his left hand. Skeletor notices Kronis is begging for his life, so he decides that is impressed with everything Kronis has managed during his exile and spares his life. Tri-Klops arrives to tel Skeletor that Kronis' army has been defeated. Skeletor goes to deal with the survivors while orders Tri-Klops to repair Kronis. Tri-Klops re-built Kronis with cybernetic parts. They were able to fashion himself a false arm that he could use inter-changeable weapons. Evil-Lynn helped by providing a magic spell that would give Kronis control of this false arm as easily as he controlled his real one. Then they turned one of Kronis's traps into a jaw brace that gave him a terrifying look. Evil-Lyn magically fused Kronis's jaw and brace together so that they could never be removed. Later, Evil-Lyn talks to the cybernetically repaired Kronis. She tells that she used to respect him, but now that he begged for his life after everything Skeletor did to him, he disgusts her. Evil-Lyn leaves and doesn't hear Kronis telling that he wasn't begging for his life; he was trying to strangle Skeletor. He will remain with Skeletor due to the old saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer", and finally he decides his name will be Trap Jaw from now on.
|Page 20
|Page 19
|Page 17
|Page 16
|Page 15
|Page 14
|Page 21
|Page 13
|Page 12
|Page 10
|Page 11
|Page 18
|Page 2
|Page 1
|Page 3
|Page 5
|Page 4
|Page 6
|Page 7
|Page 22
|Page 8
|Page 9
|Page 23
|Page 24
|Page 26
|Page 25
|Page 27
|Page 28
|Page 29
|Page 30
|Page 32
|Page 31
|Page 34
|Page 35
|Page 36
|Page 37
|Page 38
|Page 39
|Page 40
|Page 41
|Page 42
|Page 43
|Page 44
|Page 45
|Page 46
|Page 47
|Page 48
|Page 49
|Page 50
|Page 51


text:
CFP: The Ridiculously Violent in Science Fiction (10/30/10; ICFA 32 3/16/11-3/20/11)
Participants are being sought for a paper session on violence considered or depicted as ridiculous, for the 32nd annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts.
Possible topics include slapstick, gallows humor, spatterpunk/gore, gleeful dismemberment, Grand Guignol, or any other form of over-the-top grotesquerie or violence taken to a ridiculous extreme (in keeping with the conference theme, The Ridiculous in the Fantastic) in science-fiction literature, television, cinema, graphic narrative, or any other medium.
The conference will be held in Orlando, Florida, from March 16 - 20, 2011 at the Orlando Marriott Airport Hotel. Guests of Honor are Connie Willis and Terry Bisson, and the Guest Scholar is Andrea Hairston. For more information and updates about the conference, please visit www.iafa.org (you can also sign up for the listserv there).
Proposals should include a 300-word abstract indicating the project's scholarly or theoretical context. Be sure to include current/working contact information (snail mail AND email addresses). Presenters must be members of IAFA at the time of the conference. Be sure to indicate all audio-visual equipment needs in this initial proposal; later A/V requests cannot be guaranteed.
Andrew Ferguson
University of Virginia
219 Bryan Hall
PO Box 400121
Charlottesville, VA 22904
The deadline for receipt of submissions is October 30, 2010. However, proposals will be reviewed and accepted as they are received. Electronic submissions are preferred.
Please feel free to forward this call to other listservs, organizations, and individuals who might be interested.


text:
A provincial appeals court in Canada has ruled that police can search the mobile phone of an arrested person only if there is no password on that phone. With a digital locking mechanism, however, officers must get a warrant.
"In this case, it is significant that the cell phone was apparently not password protected or otherwise 'locked' to users other than the appellant when it was seized," the Court of Appeal for Ontario, wrote in its unanimous decision. "Furthermore, the police had a reasonable belief that it would contain relevant evidence."
The case revolves around a woman operating a jewelry stall on July 26, 2009 at a flea market in Toronto's Downsview neighborhood. Toward the end of the day, as the victim was packing up, she was held at gunpoint by two men and was ordered to open her car. The men took an estimated CAD$10,000 ($9,800) to CAD$40,000 ($39,200) worth of jewelry.
A Toronto police officer, based on eyewitness accounts and information that she filed with the authorities, drove to a nearby apartment building where he thought one of the suspects might live. More officers later arrived for backup.
Kevin Fearon and Junior Chapman were quickly identified and arrested on the charge of robbery with a firearm. They were also advised of their rights to counsel. (Later, at the station, Fearon confessed to the robbery, although he claimed that the firearm used was fake.)
Saving a text message
At the time of arrest, Fearon was given a pat-down search, which yielded, according to the court: "the discovery of the cell phone containing the photographs of a gun and cash as well as an incriminating text message: 'We did it were the jewlery at nigga burrrrrrrrr.'"
Sgt. Steve Hicks accessed the photographs and the text messages.
The appeals courts decision continues:
When Sergeant Hicks returned to the police station, he gave the phone to another officer who attempted to determine whether the incriminating text message had been sent to anyone. The officer determined that the message was a draft and therefore had not yet been sent to anyone. He hit the "save" button in order not to lose the text message. After about two minutes, the phone was returned to Sergeant Hicks who was told to look through it for recent calls or contacts. In the course of the night and next morning, as the investigation progressed, officers made additional checks of the phone. At trial, however, the only data from the phone relied upon by the Crown were the photos and the text message.
The police officers involved in the examination of the contents of the cell phone believed that they were entitled to proceed without obtaining a search warrant. Detective Nicol, in particular, testified that all inspections of the cell phone were done at his direction or with his approval. From his experience, cell phones found in circumstances such as the appellant's contain text messages sent between co-accused that will assist police in recovering stolen property and apprehending suspects. His evidence at trial underscored the importance of acting quickly following the robbery.
Many months later, one of the police officers involved in the investigation believed that there was a court case that held a search warrant was required to download the contents of a cell phone. He therefore applied for a warrant. He included in the information to obtain the warrant the fact that the cell phone had been previously examined. The search warrant was issued and the phone was re-examined and the photos and text message entered into evidence. Counsel for the appellant at trial did not challenge the issuance of the search warrant.
However, Fearon's counsel did argue that the Toronto Police "exceeded their power when they retrieved the photographs and the text message from the cell phone. This argument was premised on the theory that the expectation of privacy in the contents of a cell phone is so high that a warrant is required before the contents are examined."
That argument was rejected and the trial judge found that the officers were acting in good faith.
Use a password
In the United States, there is no national standard concerning how much protection a mobile phone password gives someone after they've been arrested. This Toronto case seems most similar to a 2011 decision from the California Supreme Court, which ruled that police do have the right for warrantless search of a phone during an arrest.
In short, password-protect your phone and know your rights. The Electronic Frontier Foundation puts it this way:
After a person has been arrested, the police generally may search the items on her person and in her pockets, as well as anything within her immediate control. This means that the police can physically take your cell phone and anything else in your pockets. Some courts go one step further and allow the police to search the contents of your cell phone, like text messages, call logs, emails, and other data stored on your phone, without a warrant. Other courts disagree, and require the police to seek a warrant. It depends on the circumstances and where you live.


text:
This is the exact black Gibson L6-S that was my very first electric guitar.
Why am I mentioning this in my Japan blog?
Well, after an early shift (getting up at 6am!), I had a little wander around Shinjuku and went into the Rock Inn primarily to get a guitar strap for my headless Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro.
I remember seeing a simple strap for 399 yen and since I looked around at other shops this was the cheapest I could find.
Looking at it again I noticed a better leather Fernandes strap for only 1050 yen. A little more yes, but still much cheaper than the equivalent with other brands.
While I was there I saw a natural finish L6-S, making me reminisce about my first guitar.
To tell you the truth I thought my black Gibson was a total piece of junk, with muddy sounding pickups and frets so low it felt like I was hugging a tree trunk. I traded it in for $800 towards my super Gibson Les Paul that still rocks my world.
Here, at the Rock Inn they were asking for the equivalent of about AUS $1600! I have read quite a few favourable reviews of this on Harmony Central, and it looks like it's increasing in value. Could I have been wrong?
Just to make sure, I asked if I could have a play on it.
To my surprise, it actually sounded a whole lot better than what I remember mine did. Even the frets were a lot faster to get around. Maybe mine was poorly set up. Still, I think my Les Paul sounds better than this. The L6-S has a vintage 70's sound, not very modern to my ears.
I had a go of a heavily discounted Paul Reed Smith guitar. I don't get why these cost so much, but again better than the L6-S. I know, I DON'T need another guitar. The prices here are too irresistible though. A Ibanez Jem for $2000? (about $4000 in Australia). Amazing.
Monday, 21 January 2008
Blast From The Past
This is the exact black Gibson L6-S that was my very first electric guitar.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm


text:
We know the lengths you'll go to provide a clean and comfortable home. Now here's a solution that works beautifully: STAINMASTER® LiveWell™ carpet. It's the first carpet system designed to help you fight dust and allergens. In fact, it's designed to reduce dust and allergen particle buildup without adding steps to your cleaning routine.
Make it a system and combine with STAINMASTER® carpet cushion. STAINMASTER® carpet cushion contains a breathable moisture barrier that allows water vapors to pass through the cushion and evaporate, which helps to inhibit the growth of mold and mildew under your carpet.
The benefits don't stop there. Like all of our carpet, it's durable, soft, and soil and stain resistant.
STAINMASTER® LiveWell™ carpet is made with kid and pet-safe AllerShield™ technology, which helps reduce the bonding of allergy-aggravating particles to the carpet fibers. When allergen particles release more easily from the carpet fibers, more can end up in your vacuum cleaner instead of building up in your carpet. Now every pass of your vacuum can be 90% more effective* in reducing allergen particles.
AllerShield™ technology is kid and pet safe and designed to minimize buildup of dust and allergen particles with regular vacuuming. AllerShield™ coats the carpet fibers to help reduce the bonding of allergen particles to the carpet fibers. It's up to two times more effective* at releasing allergen particles with regular vacuuming. It can also save you time by easily releasing allergen particles with fewer vacuuming passes*.
* Measured with home vacuuming compared to STAINMASTER® carpet without AllerShield™ technology
Simply fill out the form below and someone at CUSTOM CARPET CENTERS will be in touch shortly.


text:
View photos
menina's profile isn't completed yet. Please check back soon to see more detailed profile.
Member Since
February 22, 2012
Last Seen
June 5, 2014
Halloween Hype
by LacqueredLawyer
Posted on Oct 27, 2020
18 Views | 0 Likes 0 Comments
IF you like Pina Colada . . .
by Nailtechfriend
17 Views | 0 Likes 0 Comments
You Ought to see Autumn
Fall Is . . . .
22 Views | 0 Likes 0 Comments
Time to get spooky
NAILS Magazine is the professional's choice. We feature the latest in Technique, Style, Business, and Health issues to help nail techs and salon owners do their jobs better and make money!
See our most recent issueSubscribe to NAILS Magazine hereNAILS Magazine Nail ArtNail Art Gallery Magazine


text:
Code of Conduct
All players, coaches, parents, volunteers, spectators and others associated with the Fusion Futbol Club of Tampa Bay adhere to the highest standards of sportsmanship and ethics and commit to follow this code of conduct.
- I will encourage good sportsmanship from fellow players, coaches, officials and parents at all times.
- I will remember that soccer is an opportunity to learn and have fun.
- I deserve to play in an environment that is free of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol; and expect everyone to refrain from their use at all soccer games.
- I will do the best I can each day, remembering that all players have talents and weaknesses the same as I do.
- I will treat my coaches, other players and coaches, game officials, other administrators, and fans with respect at all times; regardless of race, sex, creed, or abilities, and I will expect to be treated accordingly.
- I will concentrate on playing soccer, always giving my best effort.
- I will play by the rules at all times.
- I will at all times control my temper, resisting the temptation to retaliate.
- I will always exercise self-control.
- Conduct during competition towards play of the game and all officials shall be in accordance with appropriate behavior and in accordance with FIFA's "Laws of the Game", and in adherence to FYSA's rules.
- While traveling, shall conduct themselves so as to being credit to themselves and their team.
- Alcohol, illegal drugs and unauthorized prescription drugs shall not be possessed, consumed or distributed before, during or after any game or at any other time at the field and/or game complex.
- I will never place the value of winning before the safety and welfare of all players
- I will always show respect for players, other coaches, and game officials.
- I will lead by example, demonstrating fair play and sportsmanship at all times.
- I will be demonstrate knowledgeable of the rules of the game, and teach these rules to my players.
- I will never use abusive or insulting language. I will treat everyone with dignity.
- I will not tolerate inappropriate behavior, regardless of the situation.
- I will not allow the use of anabolic agents or stimulants, drugs, tobacco, or alcohol by any of my players.
- I will never knowingly jeopardize the eligibility and participation of a student-athlete.
- Youth have a greater need for example than criticism. I will be the primary soccer role model.
- I will at all times conduct myself in a positive manner.
- Coaching is motivating players to produce their best effort, inspiring players to learn, and encouraging players to be winners.
- Coach's actions on sidelines during games shall be in the spirit of "good sportsmanship" at all times. Profanity, profane gestures, arguing, inciting disruptive behavior by spectators and/or players, or any conduct not in the spirit of good sportsmanship, shall require disciplinary action from the affiliate.
- Alcohol, illegal drugs and unauthorized prescription drugs shall not be possessed, consumed or distributed before, during or after any game or at any other time at the field and/or game complex.
- I will encourage good sportsmanship by demonstrating positive support for all players, coaches, game officials, and administrators, at all times.
- I will place the emotional and physical well being of all players ahead of any personal desire to win.
- I will support the coaches, officials, and administrators working with my child, in order to encourage a positive and enjoyable experience for all.
- I will remember that the game is for the players, not for the adults.
- I will ask my child to treat other players, coaches, game officials, administrators, and fans with respect.
- I will always be positive.
- I will always allow the coach to be the only coach.
- I will not get into arguments with the opposing team's parents, players, or coaches.
- I will not come onto the field for any reason during the game.
- I will not criticize game officials.
- Alcohol, illegal drugs and unauthorized prescription drugs shall not be possessed, consumed or distributed before, during or after any game or at any other time at the field and/or game complex.
Failure to comply may result in the suspension of your privilege to participate in FYSA sanctioned events, for the following periods:
1st offense -- suspension for a minimum of thirty (30) days to a maximum of five (5) years.
2nd offense -- suspension for a minimum of one (1) year to a maximum of ten (10) years.
3rd offense -- suspension for a minimum of five (5) years to a maximum of fifty (50) years.
NOTE: Any individual charged with a violation of this Code of Ethics shall be afforded due process as defined in FYSA's Rule Section 600 before the implementation of any suspension.


text:
Story highlights
- A Port Canaveral Police sergeant has paper hoodie shooting targets in his police car
- He offers the so-called Trayvon Martin targets to two other officers, who say no
- Sergeant is fired after an internal investigation
- "It is absolutely reprehensible," Martin family attorney says
A Florida police sergeant was fired for possessing several so-called Trayvon Martin shooting targets, authorities said Saturday.
Sgt. Ron King of Port Canaveral Police Department was fired Friday after an internal review investigated how he offered the hoodie paper shooting targets to two fellow officers, said John Walsh, interim CEO of the Canaveral Port Authority.
The officers, who saw King with the targets in his police vehicle, declined the offer, Walsh said.
"Port Canaveral Police Department considers that behavior unacceptable," Walsh said of King's conduct.
King couldn't be immediately reached for comment.
In February 2012, Martin, 17, was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain who is awaiting trial on a second-degree murder charge in Martin's death.
Martin family attorney Ben Crump condemned the use of the targets.
"It is absolutely reprehensible that a high-ranking member of the Port Canaveral Police, sworn to protect and serve Floridians, would use the image of a dead child as target practice," Crump said in a statement. "Such a deliberate and depraved indifference to this grieving family is unacceptable."
Walsh said the Canaveral Port Authority plans to apologize to the Martin family.
King brought two of the targets to a firearms training session on April 4 at the Brevard Community College campus in Cocoa, Florida, CNN affiliate WFTV reported.
King, who bought the targets on the Internet, and other officers at the training site were on duty at the time, the affiliate said. Port officials said King had been employed at the police department since January 2011, the affiliate said.


text:
White Sox right-hander Andre Rienzo was one of two Minor League pitchers suspended for 50 games due to violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention Treatment Program, as announced by the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball on Thursday.
Rienzo, a 23-year-old native of Sao Paolo, Brazil, came to the team as a free agent in 2006. He was 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA for Class A Winston-Salem as part of its 2012 starting rotation.
After the suspension was announced, for Rienzo testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, the White Sox released a statement from Rienzo.
"I have been informed by Major League Baseball that I have tested positive for a prohibited substance, and as a result, I will be suspended for 50 games," Rienzo said in the statement. "I want to make it clear to Major League Baseball and the Chicago White Sox that I have never intentionally taken a prohibited substance.
"Unfortunately, during the offseason, I used a dietary supplement that I purchased at a health food store in my home country of Brazil, believing it to be legitimate. It is now apparent that the supplement was tainted. I understand that I am responsible for what I put in my body, and therefore have accepted the 50-game suspension. I look forward to returning to the game I love, and I appreciate the support the Chicago White Sox have given me during this process."
According to White Sox director of player development Buddy Bell, the organization found out about the suspension two weeks ago. At that time, Rienzo and his camp, which included his representative, Paul Kiner, decided to appeal through the proper channels.
They changed their mind after 10 days upon reviewing the history of getting suspensions overturned and knowing the process would take its toll on Rienzo if he continued to pitch through it. Taking the suspension immediately will bring back Rienzo around June 13 or 14, at which point he'll go back into the Dash rotation with a couple months of the season remaining.
"He was devastated at the positive," said Bell of Rienzo. "He's a great kid. You feel awful for this kid. They just have to pay attention. He just made a mistake, and we'll move forward. And we'll support him in whatever he needs at this particular time.
"We try to educate kids on these things. I don't know what's in GNC. I don't know what's available and what's not. I know what's prohibited, and kids have to pay more attention. Not sure if that's different in the foreign countries. I don't know, but they do have the information."
Bell believes Rienzo will learn from this experience, as will his teammates.
"Unfortunately, these kids learn in different ways," Bell said. "Knowing Andre the way I do, he will be a better person for it. He's a great kid anyway. Things like this have a way of helping you grow up.
"In terms of him professionally, we'll put someone else in his place and try to keep him as physically fit as we possibly can. When June 13 or June 14 comes around, he'll be ready to go.
"And we will continue to talk to him about what has happened. We are not going to brush it under the rug like it never happened."
April 26, 2012
Andre Rienzo suspended 50 games
1 Comment »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI


text:
The "New Asthetic" is a term coined by James Bridle, and collected on Tumblr, further shaped by Matt Jones' comments on "sensor-vernacular" and the "robot-readable world." It is an investigation in the ways that imagry for and from machines has become a popular visual culture of its own, even shaping behaviors (as Tom Armitage asks, "How long before, rather than waving, or shaking hands, we greet each other with a calibration pose"?) If that is still confusing, perhaps Bruce Sterling might better explain the "New Aesthetic."
In "An Essay on the New Aesthetic," Sterling begins discussing the SXSW panel on the New Aesthetic, which included Bridle and Rhizome editor Joanne McNeil, in addition to Ben Terrett, Aaron Straup Cope, and Russell Davies. From there he explains, in almost a manifesto of sorts, just where these influences came from and where it is going:
Look at those images objectively. Scarcely one of the real things in there would have made any sense to anyone in 1982, or even in 1992. People of those times would not have known what they were seeing with those New Aesthetic images. It's the news, and it's the truth.
Next, the New Aesthetic is culturally agnostic. Most anybody with a net connection ought to be able to see the New Aesthetic transpiring in real time. It is British in origin (more specifically, it's part and parcel of a region of London seething with creative atelier "tech houses"). However, it exists wherever there is satellite surveillance, locative mapping, smartphone photos, wifi coverage and Photoshop.
The New Aesthetic is comprehensible. It's easier to perceive than, for instance, the "surrealism" of a fur-covered teacup. Your Mom could get it. It's funny. It's pop. It's transgressive and punk. Parts of it are cute.
It's also deep. If you want to get into arcane matters such as interaction design, computational aesthetics, covert surveillance, military tech, there's a lot of room for that activity in the New Aesthetic. The New Aesthetic carries a severe, involved air of Pynchonian erudition.
It's contemporary. It's temporal rather than atemporal. Atemporality is all about cerebral, postulated, time-refuting design-fictions. Atemporality is for Zenlike gray-eminence historian-futurist types. The New Aesthetic is very hands-on, immediate, grainy and evidence-based. Its core is a catalogue of visible glitches in the here-and-now, for the here and for the now.
It requires close attention. If you want to engage with the New Aesthetic, then you must become involved with some contemporary, fast-moving technical phenomena. The New Aesthetic is inherently modish because it is ferociously attached to modish, passing objects and services that have short shelf-lives. There is no steampunk New Aesthetic and no remote-future New Aesthetic. The New Aesthetic has no hyphen-post, hyphen-neo or hyphen-retro. They don't go there, because that's not what they want....