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Recently, there is a lot going on regarding games development. Mainly speaking about how prominent Unity3D is becoming, we can hear more and more people speaking about it everywhere; even my wife (who doesn't understand anything about games development) asked me these days about it, she said; hey! what's that unit 3d plug-in for? Is that a kind of Adobe Flash competitor? I said; well to be honest I don't know enough about it for calling it "competitor".
About couple of weeks ago there was a conference here in London called bluegfx, mainly focused on 3D production stuff (film industry, cgi effects, etc) and also 3D game development… the Unity guys were there showing off some features and for the very first time I got the chance to look at it deeply. Guys! I have to confess that I fall in love to it same I did in 1998 when I first met Macromedia Flash.
Am I switching from Flash to Unity?
The short answer is no. Long answer is; nowadays I am really worried about Adobe's attitude regarding the Flash platform. It seems to me Adobe cares every day less and less about Flash and for me, in this last quarter of 2012 the big question is; if Adobe doesn't care about it why should I do it? It feels like those old days when our girlfriend is not anymore into the relationship, she stops feeding it and even worse, she's interested in other men. Well my friend, maybe it is time to move on.
In my case, I truly love Flash more than Adobe does it, simply because I mainly use it not for making money but satisfying my joy, my creativity… but hey! we are here speaking about business not love, aren't we? Yes, sorry I forgot about it. Money, money, so should we make things in HTML5? Huggg! once again I will skip this HTML5 part, It feels like going backwards in all senses… let's just put it in this way; What you can achieve in HTML5 today is equivalent to what we did in Flash in 2003 (and back those days it was less painful). People are very ignorant about Flash and unfortunately these days there are more developers/designers using it wrongly more than properly, which is understandable, not everybody have a certain skill set and responsibility to make a decent work in a robust platform that tries to satisfy us all. Sadly, the Flash platform trending is to get worse. I am in the games industry so let's go back to what we were talking before, Unity!
Just in 2.5 days
Around a year ago Flash made a big step giving us multiplatform support for dealing with real 3D (rendering 3D using almost any GPU chipset), however we all know how complicated things are when dealing with 3D, especially the nature of 3D programs and the way they behave in the GPU. As expected, all what Flash (Stage 3D API) had to offer was something very low level and complex, so the chances of "pick it and go" were a bit low unless we use a third party 3D framework such as; away3d, alternativa, stariling… Unbelievably, Unity came with a solution that makes everything even easier; the whole Unity world is about "multiplatform 3D games" using an IDE which allows us to build our own scenes in 3D by simply using the mouse, isn't this awesome?
Inspired by the blugfx conference I've decided to have a go with it and make a very simple game, a TETRIS game in 3D, which I've tried to do in Flash before but unfortunately I have to postpone it over and over again due to the amount of time it was taking me, surprisingly making it in Unity took me only 2.5 days to build the whole game logic and visuals. I am very satisfied with what I have achieved in just 2.5 days of work.
Unity exports to SWF (Stage 3D)
Although Unity uses C# as a main programming language, it also accepts a strict version of javascript which looks almost the same to Action Script. However I built the whole game using C# why? I just wanted to try something different. It was my first time with C# and you know what? I loved it!
The craziest part of it all is that Unity exports to almost every platform (Web, xBox, Play Station, Nintendo Wii, iOS, Android), and when speaking about web, it has its own web plug-in but it also exports to Flash SWF which was one of the things I was interested the most. My biggest question was; how on earth does it generates a SWF? How come? The answer is; it understands my crazy logic written in C# and translates it to Action Script… Whoooaaaaaa!!! amazing! the thing is that there are some resources in Unity C# libraries that are not available in Flash so, guess what!? In those cases you can tell to Unity that you have your own Action Script .as Classes and Unity compile them all together when generating your SWF. God! Is there anything else you could ask?
Once I got the game done (in 2.5 days) I have decided to build a leaderboard so people can submit their score and compete against others. This took me another 2 days to get it done and then, and I have to confess that it was here when I decided to named it "Tetris World Records", so I've registered its domain tetrisworldrecords.com which I am going to leave up and running for very long time, totally for free (no ads, no fees). I am pretty sure I am not the only one here who love tetris.
I just made a quick test exporting this Tetris Game to other platforms (PC, Mac and Linux) it all works perfectly fine in all of them. I highly recommend to you having a go with Unity, you will be surprised how easy is to make 3D games.
I hope you liked it!
Alex Nino (yoambulante.com)
Misunderstanding Adobe Air for mobile platforms
This is a funny thing, nowadays, even in this first quarter of 2012 when I speak with developers sometimes they get surprised when I say that I am working in an iOS project using Adobe Flash, people say, ehh? Hmmm? How come? Adobe Flash is not supported on iPad, nor on iPhone… To be honest I can't understand how Adobe has not made this very clear, people still think Flash is banned from iOS and only few of us know that this is a complete misunderstanding (this is wrong). Flash is not supported on safari browsers (in Apple mobile devices), so are not other plug-ins such as; java applets, unity3d, etc… but people don't see this; the only thing they see is Flash can't run on iOS.
I have spent countless hours testing adobe flash on iOS (yes using adobe air), my final conclusion is that it will never be (in terms of performance) as good as an app natively made in Objective C, but hey, this is not new for us, it was always like that, same on PC, same on MAC, we can't compare Flash with programs made natively in C++ and other languages that work closer to hardware. So we are in a very similar position to where we were before; depending on what we would like to achieve Flash will perfectly satisfy all our needs, as usual.
I am following what Adobe is doing from earlier stages with the flash platform. I am quite happy with all the progress they've got so far; they have made some serious improvements in the flash platform running on iOS and other mobile platforms. I know earlier versions of Adobe Air on iOS were not even a possible solution, they run badly comparing with other apps made in Objective C natively. Nowadays I have to confess, the current version of Adobe Air 3.1 is something you can seriously consider for building your apps, what you get in terms of performance is more than acceptable, sometimes equally good comparing to apps natively coded, and you know what's the best part of it? that you can transparently port everything you have done to other platforms. Maintaining different source code depending on its platform is really a pain.
Almost limitless
Did you know you can code part of your Flash App natively using Objective C? Yes you can, this is called Native Extensions, which allows you to communicate your flash app with pure Objective C code on the fly. This is really useful, before you didn't have any way of using some resources from the operating system like, accessing internal API, system notifications, app-in purchases, game center, checking battery status, etc… I highly recommend having a go with Adobe Air for mobile, it has changed a lot during the last year, I can't wait for the version 3.2, Adobe is promising fully control of the GPU (Stage3D for mobile), woohoooo!
So far the majority of the flash apps we can find in Apple, Android and Blackberry markets (made purely using actionscript) are very simple apps in terms of complexity, and games that normally demands extra work, are quite rich in visuals and sounds but very simple in terms of algorithms and processing. And I was wondering why? Is it all about performance?
Traffic Wonder was made purely using actionscript
I've been totally focused working fulltime on this project since october last year, for those who haven't heard about it from my previous posts, it is a crazy puzzle game aimed to be distributed on all existing mobile platforms (including desktops computers PC/MAC/Linux), the game is currently in QA at the very last stage, its release date is on March 15th for all platforms, you can find out more about it at http://www.trafficwonderapp.com
I have tried making different prototypes of the game using C++ combined with Objective C but at the end of the day, I end up building it all using purely actionscript for many reasons, the most important one "portability". It was a big challenge make it work in all existing platforms, since there are big differences in hardware architectures from device to device, for example; flash could run on iPad1 about 5 times slower than iPad2 if you don't make some proper tweaks and optimisations, taking advantage of the device itself and relying less on its GPU. I have faced the same problems everybody did, my app sometimes suddenly crashes without giving me any particular error, and the reason was the same all the times "abuse of memory usage". Think about making a SWF file that will start running once forever, you cannot control when the user or the operating system will terminate it but yes you need to be worried about keeping it in memory running stable all the time, you have to manage very well resources which is a bit tricky when coding complicated algorithms manipulating lots of assets. I am recently, strategically using more often in parts of my code System.gc();
Here is a video I have filmed today with some interesting notes about its development, explaining the most important feature of the game "the drawing experience", at the end, the user experience dealing with the game mechanics is what really counts, I hope you enjoy it.
I can't wait for Adobe Air 3.2
Something very interesting that really worth to mention is that, we have spent a lot of time on making the levels good looking, make then look as nicer as possible, each level has 3 different representations; on spring (green), desert (dry summer) and winter (snow). Have a look at this level for example:
At the moment each level has in average 20 millions vertices, I've made some tests with Flash Player 11, and apparently "there is a light at the end of the tunnel" a possibility in an early future to render all the levels on the fly and then cache them as bitmaps in (Adobe Air 3.2). That will be definitely a huge help for making the game far much smaller in terms of file size, maybe to 20% of its original size, at the moment all the levels are pre-rendered bitmaps, that's why the game is 150MB, which is still aceptable for a tablet game.
Some advices and tips (regardless what language you use) which apply only for paid apps
I have made a massive research during the last years on different mobile platforms and markets, there are some things that really surprised me a lot and I would like to share some of them with you:
⇒ Be careful using the accelerometer sensor, your app controls cannot rely totally on it; some users feel ridiculous when using it in public.
⇒ People will remember your app not only because its graphics and UI but also sounds, sound is part of your app identity, it needs to be unique, keep in mind it is extremely important and can destroy completely the user experience, be aware some devices won't play sounds as good as others do, and what I mean with this is, it could be really annoying (same sound) depending on which device it's being played, it might play louder or quieter, sometimes it doesn't even sound. Why!? Frequencies, some devices like iPads have really, really, really bad speakers, iPads are not even stereo, and if they are, it is completely pointless, they have only one speaker hole on the side; they are monophonic unless you use them with headphones. Some devices are not able to play low frequencies so you can't hear any bass at all but yes really loud high frequencies (treble) and that's the only thing users can hear, annoying treble noises. Have you ever wondered why Michael Jackson sounds the same everywhere, all speakers? Masterization, you might have to master sounds you use in your app in order to guarantee a good user experience (Best device speakers from my point of view – Playbook, it is stereo, better frequencies range, etc…)
⇒ Did you know that 1 in 20 persons in the world have some index of colour-blindness? That means that if your app rely on colours (like Traffic Wonder does) about 5% of users won't be able to look at your app exactly in the same way you do, be careful with the colour balancing.
⇒ You have only one chance with new users (listen very well, one chance only!), be careful with your app instructions, do not rely on text descriptions much, around 65% of the users don't read anything, be creative, make your app as intuitive as possible, otherwise they will give up and will never try it again. I am constantly struggling with this.
⇒ QA (quality analysis) is extremely important, spend more time than usual testing your app, do not make final users test it for you otherwise you have a massive big chance of burning your app forever, to the point of, if you want to improve/enhance it, you might have to change its name and its art for republishing it as a completely new app (this is a crazy strategy of many developers, especially on Android platform).
⇒ The main platform you have to be focused on is currently Apple. Why!? There around 200 million users in iTunes, 44% (88 millions) of these users are considered as active users which (unlike Android users) they like buying things, at least one app monthly in average. So whatever you do, do it, aiming to at least 1% of this audience :)
⇒ Guess how many apps are being published per day in the Apple Store? Between 150 and 200 (this is mad) that means that we have around 1200 per week, (52/12) x 1200 = 5200 per month. So indeed you app icon is super important, when you publish your app, you have only few minutes on the shared NEW tab at the store. Make your app icon attractive or at least not crabbed :)
⇒ Developing for Android is easy but it could be a pain in the ^&%$... When you think about Android, you think about it as an operating system itself, not as a specific device. So whatever you do (I am afraid) you can't guarantee it will work and run the same on every device, Google is facing same problem Microsoft did on 1994, there are people making Android devices in any garage in china where android crashes all the time and at end sadly what people see is Android is bad! I can see Android as one of the best mobile OS but not now, in 5 years time maybe.
⇒ For god sake, some users wants everything for free, so you better think in a proper strategy for selling your app, having "freemium" versions is not always the right way to go, be careful with lite versions, although it sounds odd, lite versions can affect negatively your sales "drastically".
⇒ Keep an eye on the Blackberry Playbook platform, regardless they are not even 10% of the 45 millions iPads out there (15 millions first generation + 30 millions iPad2), Blackberry users have no problems paying high for what they consider a good app. Nowadays you can find big titles for the playbook platform and they (unlike other platforms) are highly expensive, apps such as; Monopoly (EA) USD$5.00, SimCity (EA) USD$4.00, Angry Birds (Rovio) USD$5.00, etc.
⇒ Nowadays you have to compete with very high quality standards, do not spend more than USD$80K making the game (including marketing and your own time), the more you spend the higher your risk if you don't have a very clear marketing campaign, so stop thinking in those hero-champion-apps that have been sold millions of times like Angry B… this happens really rare, I wouldn't say it is a bit of luck but it depends on many factors, most of them about when your app was launched in relation with tendencies, quality, cost/benefit, etc... The market doesn't promise anything else that worth increasing a higher budget of USD$80K to "guarantee" some profit.
⇒ It is really weird, the way how apps get featured in the Apple Store, it seems to be at random rather than highly reviewed, evaluated and chosen, at the same time it feels odd when an app gets featured same day its release date, that means one thing only; it doesn't depend on users and acceptation, I don't like to speak about this much… just don't rely on this, if your app gets featured or not, it is not in your hands, so you need other alternatives to propagate your app.
⇒ Careful with what you read, this crazy market changes so quickly, 6 months old readings might be obsolete, I am writing this article in the morning of February 19th 2012, I have no clue if all I said here will be valid by the end of the year.
⇒ There are evil people out there buying your app, some of them are very ignorant, some of them are just 100% your competitors (enemies), be prepare for bad reviews, those bad 1 star reviews will always come over at some point, try to interpret them in the best way possible, regardless how much effort you put in your app, regardless how good your app is, we need to understand bad reviews are part of it all.
⇒ This is really serious; when you own a product there are 3 key elements that worked combined to reach your hands; "Idea", "Development" and "Marketing", I have asked many people I highly recognize and appreciate about these, most of them experienced entrepreneurs, interesting thing, they don't know each other, they are from different nationalities... my question was very simple which demands a simple answer, If we have to give percentages to each of these elements (idea, development and marketing) what these figures are? I couldn't believe this but surprisingly the average answer was 1% idea, 54% development, and 45% marketing. So marketing is SUPER IMPORTANT! my conclusions are; the idea is only good once you have proved it is, so at the beginning the idea represents only one thing "risk", it values nothing commercially, however it is the spark (soul) of the whole product. Development is what you can control 100%, and then marketing (the art of predicting the future) is what you can incite to happen but is never guaranteed. You might end up extremely frustrated unless you have the whole time of the world, and you are up for waiting ages to see results. If you don't make any marketing the chances your app has of doing well in sales are almost none regardless your app is a super-hero-champion-app, we are in 2012! It is not like 3 or 4 years ago when users don't have much to choose. Important thing! It is completely a waste of money and time if you don't have a good budget for it (at least USD$25K). Do not waste your money on small marketing campaigns, the results are very similar to doing nothing (cost/benefit). Although you might not have the right channels to achieve this, focus more on approaching magazines, news papers, critics and journalists... contact a good PR agency. If you don't have any budget at all for this, try finding a partner. Don't release your app alone (without marketing) the results could be undesirable.
Guys, I will keep adding some more things later on, so keep in touch through the RSS feed,
Have a good day everyone!
Alex Nino (yoambulante.com)
It has been a while since I've published my last post. To be honest I just been unbelievable busy and I didn't have much spare time for making new experiments; those I do for fun with no pressure, no rush.
Couple of weeks ago, by chance I read some articles (from different sources) about global warming, overpopulation, worldwide resources, world's education and that entire thing you might have heard already about humans destroying the planet slowly. I know that you may be feeling a bit tired about this subject but I was actually thinking what if you have a real chance of making instant-huge changes on earth, what would you do?
So, in one afternoon during my coffee break, I wrote down an email with some specific key questions and I sent it to some friends around the world (thanks everybody for the well detailed answers), these answers gave me a good idea about what kind of resources-tools we could use for making quick-drastic changes on Earth so I built up a Flash interface with the idea. I have published the whole thing on facebook but it is also available here (both use same database)
The technical part
Well, it is all about Flash and using some resources only available on Flash player 10 like its drawing API; copyPixels, drawTriangles, blending modes, etc. It is a bit interesting, this app didn't take me long, I did the whole thing from scratch in just few days. It took me exactly 9 days working at nights, it definitely looks more complicated of what it actually is. I think it could be a good practice for the people who are interested to know how it was made. This is a very simple program, it is pure actionscript without using extra libraries or extra resources (I am not using any 3D Engine), it is just actionscript with some good magic bits of bitmap data manipulation (the performance of the app when rollover the countries on a 3d projections was a good challenge).
I am currently thinking in writing an article explaining it step by step divided by days. You might wonder where I got all the data from, textures, countries data, filters, etc, and the answer is simple; Wikipedia. Did you know that Wikipedia has an API which you can use from Flash and extract any kind of data you want?
I have extracted automatically all data I needed in my app from Wikipedia, including the countries coordinates, capital, globe coordinates in degrees (latitude and longitude), mouse rollover sectors, highlights; i.e. this piece of code extracts from Wikipedia the string where the capital name of a country localized:
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onCountryData);
var country:String = "France";
loader.load(new URLRequest("http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&titles=" + country + "&prop=revisions&rvprop=content&rvlimit=1"));
function onCountryData(e:Event):void {
var data:String = loader.data;
var found:int = data.indexOf("|capital");
if (found > 0){
//shows the string where the capital is
} else {
trace("capital not found :(");
Unfortunately, I ran out of time, this is all what I can say so far, I will write down an article explaining it bit by bit (I soon as I have the chance) it was a very interesting practice for me.
Cheers guys!


text:
J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Increases as Claimants Are Being Paid Faster
Length of Time Vehicles Are in a Repair Shop Increases, Extending the Claims Process
Jan 24, 2013, 02:35 EST
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Jan. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As repairable and total loss claims are being paid faster, overall claimant satisfaction with the auto insurance claims process increases in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction StudySM—Wave 1 released today.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)
The study measures claimant satisfaction with the claims experience for auto physical damage loss. Depending on the complexity of the claim, a claimant may experience some or all of the following, which are measured in the study: first notice of loss; claim service interaction; damage appraisal; repair process; rental experience; and settlement.
Overall, claimant satisfaction with the auto claims process in the fourth quarter of 2012 has increased by six points to 861 (on a 1,000-point scale) from the fourth quarter of 2011, primarily due to an 11-point increase in settlement satisfaction. Contributing to the improvement in settlement satisfaction are slight increases in the ratings of two attributes in this factor: fairness of the claim settlement and timing of the settlement.
The study finds that the average time to pay claimants has decreased to 13.9 days in the fourth quarter of 2012, down from 16.4 days in the same period of 2011. While the average time to pay claimants for a repairable claim (11.8 days) has decreased by 1.3 days from the fourth quarter of 2011, the largest decrease is in the time it takes to pay total-loss claims, down by an average of 5.1 days to 18.5 days.
"Regardless of the claim type, the faster the claimant is paid and can move forward with a repair or to replace their vehicle, the more likely they are to be satisfied," said Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "In addition, satisfaction with the claims professional is at an all-time high, indicating that the process is becoming smoother, with more frequent updates throughout contributing to a much more satisfying experience."
Interestingly, while overall claim satisfaction increases and the time it takes to pay claimants decreases, the average cycle time of the vehicle repair increases by 1.2 days to 13.5 days in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with 12.3 days in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Satisfaction with the repair process is 862, a decrease of two points from the fourth quarter of 2011. Contributing to lower satisfaction is a decline in the percentage of vehicles being fixed right the first time—89 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with 91 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011.
"While insurers have made significant progress in the past 12 months to improve the efficiency of the claims process, the repair providers have not kept pace," said Bowler. "Failure to repair a vehicle correctly is critical to the customer experience as average satisfaction scores tumble over one hundred points for those who had to bring their vehicle back for repeat repairs."
On average, claimants who take their vehicle to a non-direct repair provider wait 16.0 days to get their vehicle back, 2.9 days longer than when they take their vehicle to a direct repair provider (13.1 days, on average). The gap in time between a direct repair provider and non-direct repair provider in the fourth quarter of 2012 has increased from only 1.8 days in the same period in 2011.
The 2013 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study—Wave 1 is based on responses from more than 3,000 auto insurance customers who settled a claim within the past 6 months. The study excludes claimants whose vehicle incurred only glass/windshield damage or was stolen, or who only filed roadside assistance claims. Survey data for Wave 1 of the study was gathered in December 2012.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company providing forecasting, performance improvement, social media and customer satisfaction insights and solutions. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a financial intelligence and education company, signed an agreement to sell its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC in November 2012. Following the sale closing, expected in early 2013, the Company will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval) and will be a powerhouse in benchmarks, content and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. The Company's leading brands will include: Standard & Poor's, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, Crisil, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company will have approximately 17,000 employees in more than 30 countries. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.
J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:
Jeff Perlman; Brandware Public Relations; Woodland Hills, Calif.; (818) 598-1115; email@example.com
Syvetril Perryman; Westlake Village, Calif.; (805) 418-8103; firstname.lastname@example.com
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate
SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates

subset: commoncrawl


text:
When I started working at the Los Angeles Times nearly 15 years ago, downtown L.A. was a style wasteland. Sure, there were denim wash houses, sewing shops, designer showrooms and studios, but you wouldn't know it walking down the street. Fashion was something that happened behind closed doors.
When I went to New Moon across from the California Market Center to meet designers over the famous Chinese chicken salad, I didn't feel safe walking the seven blocks from The Times office. Shopping was almost nonexistent, except for the bland Macy's and Robinsons-May department stores, which catered mostly to the career suit-wearing set, and the stalls hawking discount tank tops and knockoff purses in Santee Alley.
Fashion Diary: The Fashion Diary column in Sunday's Image section said Andre Balazs' Standard Hotel opened on 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles. The hotel is on 6th Street. —
Back then, the colorful kimonos in Little Tokyo and embroidered Mexican blouses on Olvera Street were the finds.
Starting around 2000-01, a few pioneering designers held runway shows at quirky locations downtown. Michelle Mason closed off the 2nd Street tunnel one season and the former St. Vibiana's Cathedral another. Jared Gold staged his show in a pungent alley, before upgrading to the Palace Theatre.
American Apparel opened its factory downtown with a lot of pride of place, and founder Dov Charney's aesthetic — love it or hate it — gave the area an edgy vibe.
After Andre Balazs' Standard Hotel opened on 5th Street in 2002, downtown became the destination the next year for the first centralized Los Angeles Fashion Week in some time. And, oh, how people complained — about the traffic, the parking, the nonexistent coffee bars. There was no place to go after the shows ended at night and no reason to stay.
But slowly, brick by brick, things started to change.
Jorge Pardo's Mountain Bar on Gin Ling Way started luring the artsy set. Then came the nightcrawlers, dressed up like they would for a prom to line up at velvet ropes outside the Edison, the Golden Gopher and Broadway Bar. For awhile, it seemed like it was during the daylight that they rolled up the streets.
In 2006, "Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture" drew a different kind of crowd downtown: avant-garde fashion followers, who came to the Museum of Contemporary Art to see Viktor & Rolf's famed Russian doll collection. (Three years later, Lady Gaga would perform at MOCA's 30th anniversary gala held on a closed off block of Grand Avenue, wearing a dress designed by Miuccia Prada, who hosted a table at the swank event.)
In 2008, downtown L.A. got some seriously cool retail, with the arrival of the Comme des Garcons guerrilla store. It was as if designer Rei Kawakubo was doing some urban planning of her own, all the way from Japan.
Downtown was on a roll. Since that first fashion week event at the Standard, groups have come and gone trying to establish downtown as a runway show destination — Downtown L.A. Fashion Week at the Geffen Contemporary, Concept Fashion Week, BOXeight and on and on. The downtown fashion fervor reached a fever pitch when "Project Runway" decamped from New York in 2008, and Tim Gunn was spotted shopping at the downtown Ralphs.
Cole's reopened, and the Varnish bar with it..
Along came hot restaurants, too, with dynamic young chefs — Church & State, Riviera and Bottega Louie, where the macarons are as lovely as you'd find in Paris. Now, there are so many new places to eat and drink, you can't even get to them all.
When we started shopping for fashion finds for this issue, I really noticed how far downtown has come on the street level. On Central Avenue in Little Tokyo, I saw a gaggle of girls in short shorts with shopping bags from contemporary clothing boutique Number A heading to the Dennis Hopper exhibit at MOCA. In Chintatown, shoppers weren't checking out silk slippers and bamboo plants; they were trying on natural-colored canvas wedge shoes by conceptual clothing label Slow and Steady Wins the Race at a boutique called Ooga Booga. On 9th Street, near Santee Alley, it wasn't the knockoffs that caught my eye, but the vintage wares at Virgo, where a pixie-haired designer-hopeful was working the counter.
On 4th Street, there is a whole new retail zone, with local labels Skingraft and Elmer Ave. opening up shop. Even the Goodwill store on Broadway near 2nd Street is looking good. (I recently saw a pair of brand-new Christian Louboutin pumps there for $100, still in the box.)
I used to make it a policy never to come downtown after the work week was over, if I could help it. But lately, I'm breaking that rule a lot. "If you squint, it feels like a Manhattan street," my companion said the other night, as we crossed Spring Street at 6th, passing the Z Loft Boutique vintage store with its door still wide open after 8 p.m.
We were headed to a birthday party for handbag designer and personal shopper extraordinaire Raven Kauffman, who was entertaining friends for the first time in her new loft. The place was on four levels — one of them was her color-coded closet, another an outdoor patio with a hot tub. . All kinds of fashionable people were there, including designers Pegah Anvarian, Barbara Tfank and Michael Schmidt, boutique owners Desiree Kohan (Des Kohan), Lisa Bush (Mona Moore) and Rose Apodaca (A+R), and "House" actress Lisa Edelstein.
Not one person complained about having to come downtown. It wasn't even an issue.
Sipping Champagne and nibbling mini-cupcakes on the roof, with the Standard Oil building and the rest of the skyline twinkling below, it was easy to see why. If you are a creative person living in L.A. right now, downtown is the place to be.


text:
Frances Grace Smith Papers
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Frances Grace Smith Papers, Box #, Smith College Archives.
History of the Collection
The materials in the Frances Grace Smith Papers, are part of 42. Faculty Biographical files, came to the College Archives from a number of sources.


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
The music department at Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School will present "Do You Hear What I Hear? A Christmas Musical" this holiday season. The production highlights the birth of Jesus as told through song, dance and scripture.
The musical will be staged Saturday, Dec. 14, at 3 p.m. at NC, 520 66th St., and also on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. at Prince of Peace Church.
Tickets are $5 each at the door. For tickets and additional information, contact Kristen Hill at 716-283-8771, ext. 319, or via email at [email protected].


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just becauseFriday, April 27, 2007
I started the chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Just because........I needed another project to keep me up at night.
Just because........I was one of maybe 20 out in blogland that hasn't made one.
Just because........they are all so beautiful.
Just because........Keana and I decided to make one at the same time.
Just because........Scout told me to.
And, I am sure I will make another one at some point, because I am really not loving my colorway!
Have a wonderful weekend, and do something crazy, just because!
19 comments
Oh, I've been so tempted to cast on for this as well. I've been hauling out various skeins in my (small) stash to see if anything might work. Yours is looking lovely, so far.ReplyDelete
Temptress! I am one of the 20 too but the more I see Chevron the harder and harder it is to resist. Good thing my stash is packed away for our move :-)ReplyDelete
I like this chevron scarf too and yours is nice and colourful.ReplyDelete
I haven't started it yet either, but every time I see someone else doing it, I am very tempted!ReplyDelete
Yours looks great...sorry you are not crazy about the colorway!


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Substance Use Treatment in Jails: Current Issues and Recommendations
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that in 2014, 21.5 million people in the United States age twelve and older had at least one substance use disorder (SUD), as cited in Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ; 2015).
Read More >>
Opiate Use: The Tip of the Iceberg for Adults in Jail
Law enforcement officials and public health professionals are currently concentrating their efforts on reducing opiate use, and for good reason, but they may be overlooking even more prevalent substance use disorders (SUDs).
Jim TriandiflouBA, MBA
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Channel 4 investigators took that previous Twitter handle and searched other social networks to see if they could find anyone using it. That led them to a Google+ account, and then to a Facebook page. There they found photos and other details about a man living in Bangalore who worked as a marketing executive for an Indian company. Soon, they had him on the phone: He confirmed that he was behind the ShamiWitness account.
The result was an investigative story broadcast in December 2014 . That report caused the man behind the Twitter account to stop tweeting.
Channel 4 used publicly available data and information to produce journalism that shut down a key source of propaganda and recruitment for the Islamic State.
Journalists, human rights workers and others are constantly making use of open data, user-generated content and other open source information to produce critically important investigations of everything from conflict zones to human rights abuse cases and international corruption.
"Open source information, which is information freely available to anyone through the Internet — think YouTube, Google Maps, Reddit — has made it possible for ANYONE to gather information and source others, through social media networks," wrote Eliot Higgins on the Kickstarter campaign page for his open source investigations website, Bellingcat. "Think the Syrian Civil War. Think the Arab Spring."
The abundance of open source information available online and in databases means that just about any investigation today should incorporate the search, gathering and verification of open source information. This has become inseparable from the work of cultivating sources, securing confidential information and other investigative tactics that rely on hidden or less-public information. Journalists and other who develop and maintain the ability to properly search, discover, analyze and verify this material will deliver better, more comprehensive investigations.
Higgins, who also goes by the pseudonym Brown Moses, is living proof of the power of open source information when combined with dedication and strong verification practices. He has become an internationally recognized expert in the Syrian conflict and the downing of Flight MH17 in Ukraine, to name but two examples. His website, Bellingcat, is where he and others now use open source materials to produce unique and credible investigate work.
In February 2015, Bellingcat launched a project to track the vehicles being used in the conflict in Ukraine. They invited the public to submit images or footage of military vehicles spotted in the conflict zone, and to help analyze images and footage that had been discovered from social networks and other sources. In its first week of operation, the project added 71 new entries to the vehicles database, almost doubling the amount of information they had previously collected . These were photos, videos and other pieces of evidence that were gathered from publicly available sources, and they told the story of the conflict in a way no one had before.
As before, the explicit predictions for momentum are consolidated as:
but this time we introduce an intermediate step by splitting the tendency of the flow as follows:
Substituting into the depth integrated continuity (equation (2.11) ) gives
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is working with system developers at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and with hydrographic experts at Coast Survey and others who are collaborating on an international effort to maintain crowdsourced bathymetry. In a Taryn Rose S Dana Loafer Sneaker Navy Leather WBIi8spXv
, Rose Point has added a new feature to Coastal Explorer that gives users an option to send anonymous GPS position and soundings data to a new international database managed by NCEI. After getting permission from users, Rose Point systems will generate data log files of positions, depths, and time, and automatically transmit the files to the data center, where Coast Survey can pull the data to compare it to nautical charts.
Using data from private sources is not new for Coast Survey. Private interactive cruising guides and other internet-based enterprises have set up services that allow commercial mariners and recreational boaters to share information about navigation hazards they see (or experience) while on the water.The
Dolce amp; Gabbana Footwear Courts XpCzC
and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary have a decades-long tradition of sharing updates through our cooperative charting programs. Butthe lack of appropriate software and integration between sources has hampered efforts to usethe informationto its full potential.
Hydrographic offices around the world are re-thinking crowdsourced bathymetry. In October 2014, Coast Survey led the U.S. delegation to the
Fifth Extraordinary International Hydrographic Conference
, with Rear Admiral Gerd Glang at the helm. At this meeting, the U.S. and France jointly proposed an initiative (see
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) that introduced crowdsourced bathymetry as a recognized source of data for nautical charts. One of the results of that initiative was the formation of the IHO Crowdsourced Bathymetry Working Group (IHO CSBWG) that set out to develop crowdsourcing principles and guidelines, and then offer a platform for sharing best practices around the world.
Working hand-in-hand with NCEI, the working group has developed a database that can receive volunteered bathymetric data. Data can come from anyone in the world, and everyone can access it.
Crowdsourced reports serve an important role in focusing attention on trouble areas. The data helps cartographers determine whether a charted area needs to be re-surveyed, or if they can make changes based on the information at hand. Even with very sparse data, cartographers can make improvements to nautical charts.
Agreeing in principle to use crowdsourced data is much different than applying the system to the vigor of data transmission from moving vessels, however, so Coast Survey experts contributed hydrographic expertise and system testing. Using Rose Point's Coastal Explorer , Coast Survey Research Vessel Bay Hydro II transmitted "crowdsourced" data using log files that were automatically produced by the electronic charting systemsoftware. ( Bay Hydro II is Coast Survey's primary platform to test and evaluate new hydrographic survey technologies.)
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Top performance nationally
Roger Brown's First and 10: 'Wade'-ing through recordsBy ROGER BROWN
New Hampshire Union Leader
October 05. 2013 11:17PM
MANCHESTER CENTRAL running back Jesiah Wade had himself a pretty good night in Central's 56-35 victory over Merrimack on Friday night.
Wade, a senior who played for Campbell of Litchfield last season, rushed for 556 yards and six touchdowns on 31 carries to help Central (3-2) stretch its winning streak to three games.
"It was an unforgettable night," Wade said. "The line did all they could and I just put my shoulder down when I got to the second level. It was too slick to be putting any juke moves on.
"I just wanted the win because a loss would have really hurt our playoff chances."
Although no official individual statistics are kept in New Hampshire - Wade's rushing performance is believed to be the best ever - the National Federation of State High School Associations lists Wade's total as the 12th best all-time nationally.
"We weren't trying to get him a record," Central coach Ryan Ray said. "We weren't trying to get him a big night. We were trying to do other things so they couldn't just send 11 guys to get him, but he was our best option on every play call."
John Giannantonio of Netcong, N.J., holds the national single-game rushing record. He gained 754 yards against Mt. Lakes in 1950.
Wade had six runs of at least 40 yards against Merrimack and ran for 319 yards in the first half. He led the state in rushing last season, when he gained 2,204 yards.
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NASHUA SOUTH coach Scott Knight had to like what he saw from his team in Friday night's 28-6 victory over Exeter. South's defensive performance may be what he liked best.
No. 3 South held No. 5 Exeter to a pair of Matt Oppici field goals, both of which were set up by South miscues - an interception and a blocked punt - deep in its own territory.
It's the first time Exeter failed to score a TD in a game since a 42-0 loss to Bishop Guertin in 2009.
South quarterback Trevor Knight - Scott's son - ran for two TDs and passed for another. South trailed 6-0 at halftime, but scored 21 points in the third quarter.
"Our defense played a great game," Trevor Knight said. "They really kept us in it. They kept our hopes up. After we put two touchdowns in our momentum was real good."
South raised its record to 5-0. Exeter fell to 3-2.
"We've haven't had problems scoring this year, so (playing good defense) is a sign of a team that's maturing," Scott Knight said. "We needed defense in the first half until we got our act together. They kept us in it. They kept their foot on the gas on D, which I'm real happy with.
"We're getting it rolling a little bit," Knight said. "We want to play our best football in November and we know we have a ways to go."
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SALEM ended a 13-game losing streak by beating Manchester West 50-6 Friday. Quarterback John Cerretani tossed three touchdown passes to Jake Poore in the victory (38, 39 and 31 yards). Salem (1-4) scored 36 points in the second quarter and led 44-6 at halftime.
It was the first victory for Salem first-year coach Rob Pike.
Roger Brown covers high school football for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter: @603sportsmedia.


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The Federal Reserve, fulfilling a Congressional order to examine whether merchants were being charged excessive fees to process debit card transactions, proposed new rules on Thursday that analysts said could cut those fees as much as 90 percent.
The Fed's report went much further than the 50 percent reduction that Wall Street analysts had expected. Shares of Visa and MasterCard, which could come under increasing pressure from banks seeking to make up billions of dollars in lost revenue if the Fed proposal was adopted, plunged more than 12 percent.
"It's bad for the issuers and the card networks," said Rod Bourgeois, a payments analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.
As part of the Dodd-Frank Act's overhaul of the financial code, Congress directed the central bank, which oversees the regulation of electronic payments, to ensure that the swipe fees charged by the banks and payment card networks like Visa and MasterCard were "reasonable and proportional" to the cost of processing the transaction.
On Thursday, the Fed proposed limiting those so-called interchange fees from 7 cents to 12 cents per transaction, or roughly 0.3 percent of the face value of a purchase. Merchants now pay debit card processing fees averaging about 1.3 percent, according to the Nilson Report, a payment industry newsletter. Smaller retailers are charged more because of lower transaction volume and limited bargaining power.Continue reading the main story
The Fed proposed that it re-evaluate the fee cap every two years and asked for more time to consider whether it should be increased to reflect the costs of fraud protection.
The new rules will be open for public comment until February. Final rules are to be completed by April and put in place in July.
Both Visa and MasterCard argued that the Fed had not considered all the costs incurred to operate debit card programs.
Visa said it had "concerns that the Federal Reserve's proposal includes artificial caps on debit interchange that do not realistically reflect the value of card acceptance."
MasterCard went a step further and openly criticized the proposal, saying it would simply shift costs to consumers from merchants.
"This type of price control is misguided and anticompetitive and in the end is harmful to consumers," Noah J. Hanft, MasterCard's general counsel, said in a written statement.
Henry O. Armour, chief executive of the National Association of Convenience Stores, said his members were generally pleased with the proposal.
"The proposed rules that the Federal Reserve issued today are a positive step in addressing the anticompetitive behavior of banks and credit card companies," he said in a conference call with reporters. But he and other advocates for the merchants argued that even if the Fed's rules were adopted, interchange fees would still be too high.
He compared debit cards to paper checks. "You look at checks clearing at par, which means there is no interchange," he said. "We believe the standard for debit should be the same."
In most American stores today, customers pay the same price for goods, whether they use credit, debit or dollar bills, even though each costs the merchant a different amount.
That will almost certainly change soon, the result of the legislation and recent court settlements that have set out to reduce processing fees and abolish rules by the major card companies that have made it impractical for merchants to give discounts to customers using cheaper forms of payment, like cash.
Already, the balance of power has begun tilting toward merchants and away from the financial industry, with some visible results.
Gate Petroleum, which operates about 100 gas stations in the Southeast, has seized on a separate piece of the Dodd-Frank Act that lets merchants charge different prices to customers using different forms of payment.
This fall, Gate began offering a discount to customers who used cash to buy one of the company's new prepaid gas cards. Just over two months into the discount program, about 20,000 cards are in use, the company said.
David Dill, the company's vice president for sales and marketing, said Gate saved about 4 cents a gallon whenever it made a sale that did not touch a Visa or MasterCard payment network. Customers receive a discount of 3 cents a gallon; the other penny goes toward the cost of operating the card program.
"It's really a loyalty program for the customer," Mr. Dill said.
For years, some gas stations charged higher prices when customers used credit cards, sometimes simply in defiance of the card processing contracts and other times taking advantage of legal technicalities.
In many states, gas stations could comply with the rules by posting separate prices for cash and credit. That approach was impractical for most other retailers because they stocked different products on their shelves.
Dodd-Frank lifted that barrier by allowing merchants to steer customers toward the payment method that is cheapest for them to process, without having to post separate prices.
Merchants were given even more latitude in October, when the Justice Department settled an antitrust case against Visa and MasterCard. The card companies agreed to let merchants steer customers to the payment network the merchant preferred.
This gave merchants greater leverage to negotiate lower processing fees, by promising more payment volume to one network, like Visa, in exchange for better terms. (American Express was also sued by the government but declined to settle out of court.)
Dodd-Frank also forces Visa, MasterCard and others to compete more aggressively for merchants' business by requiring that all debit cards run on the networks of at least two different payment companies. So when a customer uses a Visa debit card, for example, the merchant could process the transaction on a network other than VisaNet.
Today, through exclusivity agreements, many debit cards run on the network of only one payment company. The change will take effect in July, after a review by the Fed.
Taken together, these measures significantly strengthen the hand of merchants. Analysts expect merchants to negotiate sharply lower prices with the banks and reclaim a portion of the tens of billions of dollars they spent last year on processing fees for debit and credit cards.
"All of the sudden, the merchants have bargaining power," Mr. Bourgeois of Sanford C. Bernstein said. "They have an ability to drive prices down because there will be multiple payment brands on every card, and on top of that, the merchants will have the ability to use the lowest-cost route of whatever payment network they choose."
The banks are setting out to make up for the expected drop in card processing fees. Bankers say they may offset part of the lost revenue by assessing higher monthly fees on deposit accounts — just as Fifth Third, Wells Fargo and others did last year after the Fed placed tougher restrictions on overdraft charges.
Debit cards offering rewards points — which cost merchants more to process so they can cover the cost of the programs — could be another casualty. JPMorgan Chase, for instance, announced that it would no longer sign up customers for such products starting in February.
Some analysts cite that as proof that while merchants may benefit, the savings will probably not trickle down to consumers.
"It's big industries fighting each other over the bread crumbs, but consumers aren't coming out ahead," said Jaret Seiberg, a financial policy analyst for MF Global.Continue reading the main story


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Hometown All-Star Game extra-special for Perkins
MINNEAPOLIS -- Glen Perkins can't help but envision what it's going to be like to pitch in front of his home crowd in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Target Field.
Perkins is a Minnesotan through and through, growing up in Stillwater and attending the University of Minnesota before being drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Glen Perkins can't help but envision what it's going to be like to pitch in front of his home crowd in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Target Field.
Perkins is a Minnesotan through and through, growing up in Stillwater and attending the University of Minnesota before being drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft.
Perkins was named an All-Star for the first time last season but never saw action at Citi Field. He's hoping this year will be much different, as he'll be pitching in front of a stadium packed with Twins fans, including more than 30 family members.
"I've thought about it a lot," Perkins said. "It'll be a feeling I think will be hard to describe. I don't really even know. It'll be along the lines of my Major League debut at Fenway Park."
Perkins, 31, has come a long way since making that debut in 2006, as he suffered through some forgettable seasons as a starter before being moved to the bullpen in 2011. He's developed into one of the game's best relievers since then, posting a 2.54 ERA with 269 strikeouts and just 59 walks in 234 innings over the last four years.
The thought of pitching well enough to be invited to an All-Star Game in his hometown weighed heavy on him this season, but he was rewarded with his second straight trip to the Midsummer Classic after posting a 2.97 ERA with 22 saves and 49 strikeouts against seven walks in 39 1/3 innings.
"It's pretty neat," said manager Ron Gardenhire, who will serve as a coach for the American League squad. "I know what it meant to him. When I called him in to tell him he made the All-Star team, he was pretty fired up. It was a big sigh of relief. He wanted it. And it's very special to him."
Perkins hasn't been informed by AL skipper John Farrell whether he'll serve as closer, but he remains hopeful he'll be able to close out a victory for his squad.
"That would be the best and most exciting thing," he said. "But I just want a chance to pitch. If I just get one out in the fifth inning, that's fine by me. It doesn't really matter. I just want to get out there and pitch in front of the home crowd. Whatever it is, I'll be grateful."
Perkins also hopes to pitch to catcher Kurt Suzuki, the Twins' second representative in the Midsummer Classic.
Suzuki, who joined the Twins on a one-year deal worth $2.75 million over the offseason, has had a breakout season offensively and was rewarded with a spot as one of three catchers on the AL squad. He's hitting .309/.365/.396 with two homers, 18 doubles and 37 RBIs in 79 games this season.
But Perkins said that Suzuki's work ethic and defensive skills impress him most.
"He's always having fun and smiling and has so much energy," Perkins said. "It started in Spring Training -- even when he didn't catch me, he'd ask me what I threw and why I threw it. He just wants to learn so much about each guy to make himself better and the pitchers better."
Suzuki, a first-time All-Star, has waited a long time for this opportunity, as he's in his eighth season in the Majors. So it's a special achievement for Suzuki, who is arguably having his best season at age 30.
"I'm really excited," Suzuki said. "It's awesome. It's a dream come true. I never really thought after the last two years that this could happen. So it's kind of surreal. I still think about it and go, 'Wow. I'm an All-Star.' I'm very humbled."
Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Bollinger Beat, and follow him on Twitter @RhettBollinger.


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This is a real feel good piece with a summer feel to it. It mainly features Piano & Guitars but with a full back line of bass & drums.
This track would be great for motivational corporate video or even any commercial video with a need for an upbeat happy groove.


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DUBLIN (AP) — The widower of an Indian woman who died in an Irish hospital after being refused an abortion plans to sue Ireland's government in the European Court of Human Rights.
Praveen Halappanavar confirmed his decision Thursday through his lawyer, Gerard O'Donnell.
His wife Savita died Oct. 28 in a hospital in Galway, western Ireland, one week after being admitted for severe pain amid a miscarriage.
Doctors refused to perform an abortion for three days while the 17-week-old fetus still had a heartbeat. Savita fell gravely ill after the dead fetus was removed and then suffered gradual organ failure. A coroner ruled she died from blood poisoning.
The case has forced Ireland to re-examine its two-decade failure to pass any laws governing when women can receive abortions to save their own lives.


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Uhm... why is people hating the Zero season? if you paid attention in the previous 2 seasons, everything is kinda obvious and easy to understand.
Also, it's mostly ecchi and season 2 is definitely yuri so unless you've yuri tendences, I'd say it's a show aimed to a male audience, if you liked Ikkitousen then you're gonna like this too.
lorreen wrote:
Keeps existing customers happier and keeps them visiting the site. More visits to the site means more audience for advertisements; it also leads to retention of paying members, who'll watch the show on CR in its last days instead of going elsewhere. Also just keeping customers happier means keeping customers over time. If they don't announce a series being removed, folks would bitch and whine about it, and stomp their feet and pout and claim they are going to leave CR because CR is so mean and crappy when they don't let us know about news like this.
So, encouraging a marathon is an upbeat way of giving us a heads up that the show won't be around much longer, and we should enjoy it now.
If a show is in my queue, I'd be very disappointed to just have it become unavailable without notice. Likewise if there's a series I've been thinking about watching and haven't got around to putting in my queue. Knowing that it's going away soon is a welcome nudge.
And sometimes it brings to light a series you didn't know about, and would like. That happened to me with Giants. I was really, really glad I got a chance to watch it, but I wouldn't have done so without the Marathon/going away announcement.
So, it makes me happy that CR makes these announcements.
I think you misunderstood what I was trying to ask (or I was unclear in what I was asking). Also I have nothing against CR announcing Marathons, I actually really appreciate them letting users know what anime's will soon be removed from the site due to licensing issues.
LLSIF: MLal PSN: tigereds (currently playing Paragon)


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mnp13 wrote:furever_pit wrote:I just don't think that a truly good dog *needs* to be crazy socialized. I've seen enough to prove that to me.
And again... what is crazy socialized??
Loud noises, strange flooring, a little adversity... how is that "crazy"??
Exactly, that's what I'm wondering. I've explained what I've been doing with the pups...which is nothing MAJOR in my life...it's not like I've set up an obstacle course for them or something. I've invited people over to visit...I've taken them on a trip to see my sister and her kids (which was already planned before the pups arrived...and it wasn't like I could leave them for hours at home alone). I don't think what I've been doing is "CRAZY SOCIALIZED". What I have done is added some new things every day into their environment, allowed them a little more freedom, and noted what their reactions were...and tried to keep everything positive and happy for them. They've met rabbits, cats and older dogs...because that's what lives in my house.


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Forget SOPA, You Should Be Worried About This Cybersecurity Bill
from the this-is-not-good dept
However, this is a terrible bill for a variety of reasons. Even if we accept the mantra that new cybersecurity laws are needed (despite a near total lack of evidence to support this -- and, no, fearmongering about planes falling from the sky doesn't count), this bill has serious problems. As CDT warned when this bill first came out, it's way too broad and overreaching:
However, the bill goes much further, permitting ISPs to funnel private communications and related information back to the government without adequate privacy protections and controls. The bill does not specify which agencies ISPs could disclose customer data to, but the structure and incentives in the bill raise a very real possibility that the National Security Agency or the DOD's Cybercommand would be the primary recipient.If it's confusing to keep track of these different cybersecurity bills, the ACLU has put together a handy dandy (scary) chart (pdf) comparing them all. And what comes through loud and clear is that the Rogers-Ruppersberger CISPA bill will allow for much greater information sharing of companies sending private communication data to the government -- including the NSA, who has been trying very, very hard to get this data, not for cybersecurity reasons, but to spy on people. CISPA has broad definitions, very few limits on who can get the data, almost no limitations on how the government can use the data (i.e. they can use it to monitor, not just for cybersecurity reasons) and (of course) no real oversight at all for how the data is (ab)used.
CDT has put together a reasonable list of 8 things that should be done if politicians don't want to turn cybersecurity into a new SOPA, but so far, Congress is ignoring nearly all of them. Similarly, EFF is asking people to speak out against CISPA, noting that it basically creates a cybersecurity exemption to all existing laws. If the government wants your data, it just needs to claim that it got it for "cybersecurity purposes" and then it can do pretty much whatever it wants.
This is a really bad bill and it looks like it's going to pass unless people speak up.


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Academic Spotlight
Bowdoin Islamicist Wins Top Iranian Book Prize
Story posted February 19, 2009
A book about a 14th-century Iranian Shiiite scholar published by Bowdoin Associate Professor of Religion Robert G. Morrison recently brought him face-to-face with one of the most provocative figures of the day: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Morrison's book, Islam and Science: The Intellectual Career of Nizam al-Din al-Nisaburi (Routledge, 2007) was selected as one of Iran's 2009 International Books of the Year in Islamic Studies, an honor given to only several scholars worldwide. Morrison was the only American scholar selected. Morrison was awarded his prize by Ahmadinejad at a Feb. 7, 2009, awards ceremony in Tehran.
"It's very gratifying to receive such an award for my first book," remarked Morrison, a scholar whose research interests span a number of subjects, including Judaism and Islam, with a particular focus on medieval Islamic science. "I focused on a scholar who was both a Qur'an commentator and astronomer from the 13th and 14th centuries, drawing theoretical parallels between his scientific and religious thought."
The overlap of science and religion continues to be a rich topic of discussion in Iran, noted Morrison. "Islamic philosophy is something they take very seriously in Iran," he said. "One of the judges of the book awards was the chief justice of their Supreme Court, whom I met at the ceremony. He said he was struck by the ways in which al-Nisaburi wrote about Islamic law using concepts that paralleled processes of scientific reasoning. From afar, Islamic law tends to have the reputation that it is harsh and decisive, but in fact, the consideration of what God's will may be requires a great deal of probabilistic reasoning."
Other scholars whose books were recognized include Nigel Tallis and J.E. Curtis (Britain), Adel Theodor Khoury (Lebanon), Mohsen Reza Heidari (India), Vali Ahmadi (Afghanistan), Yasin Muhammad (South Africa), and Manuchehr Moshtaq Khorasani (Iran).
"Islamic studies is a big field and it was nice to meet other scholars within Iran and internationally," said Morrison, adding: "In spite of differences many Americans may have with the constitution of the current government, international academic exchange is a safe space. A few of the winners wrote books that did not accept Islam's account of its own origins. I thought it was quite impressive that they were awarding a full range of serious books on Islam, and it truly was an honor to be included among this group of outstanding scholars."
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better late than never!
Our precious son, Israel Cash Hagler, arrived September 30, at 11 pm.
It was the best day of my husband and I's life!
After a wonderful birth, we slept blissfully until the next morning.
The next 5 days, though, were some of the hardest days we've seen.
We spent those 5 days in the NICU, watching our son through a plastic box, only holding him during feedings. Every couple hours, my husband and I would dress in protective gowns, masks and gloves so that we could visit our newly born son.
Monday morning, which couldn't have come soon enough, we brought little Israel home!
Life has been full of sleepless nights, very little time to eat, forgetting to put on deodorant and definitely no time for make-up!
Every second has been worth it.
Our sweet baby boy is a miracle and we love him dearly!
Needless to say, my blogging may be sporatic at best, at least for the next few weeks.


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The success of job sharing…
Posted on November 22, 2011 by allmumkind | Comments (0)
As more and more parents seek flexible working patterns a high proportion of this group are mums returning to work post maternity or after a career break.
We are seeing evidence of organisations working with flexible policies and they are embracing work-life balance. This is all very well and part time jobs have mostly been the option for working parents, however some businesses would benefit even more if they thought about a job share perhaps?
Even the best intended part time roles present challenges and unfortunately some working mums can end up even more stressed and over worked keeping the balance when working reduced hours. Many companies do compromise and really value returning mums and offer pretty much the same job with reduced hours. The main problem here is that unless the role is tailored to the output required, then the employee ends up squeezing more hours into fewer days. If you have a supportive boss and team which is what I experienced allowing me to work at full speed and be challenged, however at times I found it very tough. This isn't always the fault of the organisation. If they are encouraging more women back to work as they realise the benefits of talent retention and skill, but the roles on offer are confined to set part time hours then it can sometimes turn out untenable for both parties.
Some organisations on the other hand offer part time roles where they can but are highly sensitive to reducing hours within client facing roles and some positions with high strategic content. Fair enough but by planning and structuring business needs around women wishing for more flexible working patterns they could be in more advantageous position.
I have never personally experienced job sharing in my career however I worked with a few clients over my time who operated in this work pattern and demonstrated efficiency and success.
A success story I recently heard of is of when a Global organisation restructured a client facing business team and it was decided that the roles would ideally be full time. The situation arose at a time when a couple of returning mums (ideally searching for flexible working) who figured that with their wealth of experience and relationship with their clients it would be a loss to the business if they were not to be a part of the team. Collectively they presented to the business that they could perform the role as a job share. Armed with the positives and not so much of a mention of many negatives they won over the support of the business leaders and since then have been successfully sharing a client facing, highly operational role between themselves for over 3 years now. They are delighted to have their flexible opportunity along with continuing to work in such a business. The clients themselves are equally satisfied to have the sustained relationship and level of service commitment. A real key to achieving their success is that they compliment each other extremely well with their skills and experience but more importantly work ethic and professional attitude.
If more businesses could think wider and not see a job share as a risk, but a positive retention of talented and skilled working mums who can continue to deliver and probably more efficiently too.
I think some guidelines are equally essential to consider when structuring such a position(s);
- An accurate workload agreed and divided equally
- Very clear lines of communication
- Clear lines of communication is compulsory between job sharers
- Compliment each others skills/experience along with work ethic and professional attitude
Posted in Flexible working, Juggle mummy! | Tags: Communication, Job sharing, Skills, Talent, Work-life, Workload


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HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Civic activists say they will not accept the Zimbabwe mining minister's offer of funds because it would hamper their efforts to make government accountable for its diamond revenues.
Farai Maguwu, director of a new minerals watchdog, Center for Natural Resources Governance, said Friday that Mines Minister Obert Mpofu's offer of 1 percent of all diamond sales to civic groups would "compromise our neutrality." He said the non-governmental organizations need their independence to "criticize and pressure" the state to account for its diamond mining activities.
Mpofu earlier said that President Robert Mugabe's government wants to "extend an olive branch" to civic groups that are interested in diamond mining in Marange.
Mpofu has amassed a personal fortune from misuse of the diamond sales, according to a recent report by Partnership Africa Canada.


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Women have borne the brunt of some very harsh statements lately, from Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akins Legitimate rape rarely causes pregnancy to Wisconsin state Rep. Roger Rivards, Some girls, they rape so easy, to Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdocks poorly stated belief that pregnancy resulting from rape can be something that God intends to happen.
Note to male politicians: It is possible, and certainly preferable, to take a pro-life stance without denigrating rape victims.
This spring, a 30-year-old law student advocating for insurance coverage for contraception was called a slut a derisive term rarely applied to men by a popular national talk-radio personality.
Second note: Ad hominem attacks are not the most civil way to argue an opposing position.
Reproductive rights, which women thought were assured decades ago, are back in play, both through religiously motivated legislation and through decisions ostensibly related to economics.
Perhaps most troubling, though, is Mitt Romneys refusal to state, unequivocally, that he supports equal pay for equal work.
How, in 2012, could such a statement pose a political risk to a man running for president?
At least three possibilities exist:
Romney simply did not think quickly enough to be able to affirm his belief in equal pay and so appeared to be equivocating.
Romney believes in equal pay but did not have the political courage to profess that belief because he believes a majority of voters disagree.
Romney does not believe gender discrimination is wrong.
None of those options speak well for the candidate, but they do not speak well for the nation, either, because they boil down to this: A man who appears to have an even chance of becoming president of the United States either does not support womens rights, supports them only when convenient or does not think much about them at all.
And that even chance boils down further to another truth: Voters are willing to tolerate that.
Much as we wish it were otherwise, the future of a great many American children depends mostly on their mothers, and children who grow up in poverty in Romneys 47 percent tend to stay there. Fair opportunities for women can help lift them out of it.
Opportunity involves more than mandated equal pay, however. It requires a belief in womens abilities to contribute just as much as men do, and a commitment to policies that enable them rather than standing in their way. It also requires an understanding that sometimes women legitimately are victims of rape, of prejudice, of inequitable policies, of other forms of injustice.
Actively seeking qualified women for open positions is a good start (although misstating how active one actually was in the search is not). As the current, most prominent voice of the Republican Party, though, Romney could make a strong statement to every Republican candidate: Treat women as equals or suffer the consequences.
We have to believe he would, if voters demanded that.
Why on Earth dont we?


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By Pinja Silicone necklaces keep those cute little baby fingers busy while breastfeeding, carrying or cuddling and gives the mother something nice to wear!
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Friday, February 4, 2011
Acute Stroke Quality Task Force recognizes fastest treatment time
MGH STROKE EXCELLENCE: Several members of the winning stroke care team and local EMT representatives
TIME IS BRAIN when it comes to treating stroke. National Institutes of Health standards suggest hospitals treat appropriate patients with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) – a thrombolytic agent also known as a clot-busting drug – within 60 minutes of arrival in the Emergency Department (ED). Meeting this benchmark has been a priority for the MGH Acute Stroke Quality Task Force. This year, the task force is sponsoring the Door to Needle within 60 Minutes Campaign to recognize and help sustain recent improvements in the delivery of critical treatment to acute stroke patients arriving in the ED.
On Jan. 27, the task force held a recognition ceremony and breakfast for the care team with the fastest door-to-needle time – an astonishing 20 minutes – for the third quarter of 2010. "There was fast, clear communication between the ED and neurology teams and the technicians in the scanner," says Allison Gray, MD, a neurology resident who was part of the winning team. "On that day, everyone was in synch." Members of the winning team are Gray; Theodore Benzer, MD, PhD; Amanda Czuczman, MD; Onyinye Iweala, MD, PhD; Katharina Busl, MD; Katharine Stockton; Priscilla Stratiotis; Scott Silverman, MD; Frank Curtis, RN; Rachel Manning, RN; and Gaetano Pastena, MD. The breakfast also recognized the emergency medical technicians (EMT) from Armstrong Ambulance who transported the patient.
In 2009, more than 70 percent of eligible stroke patients were treated with IV tPA within 60 minutes of arrival at the MGH ED. In the first six months of 2010, that performance improved to more than 80 percent of eligible stroke patients. The average rate of tPA treatment within 60 minutes for academic hospitals in the United States was less than 30 percent in 2009.
"This is a remarkable achievement and reflects a considerable improvement from prior years," says Lee Schwamm, MD, director of the Acute Stroke Service and vice chairman of the Department of Neurology. Schwamm credits a streamlined process that breaks down barriers between staff in the ED, neurology and computed tomography imaging, making them a uniform stroke team. Many of the changes the MGH has made are incorporated into the American Heart Association's Target Stroke Campaign, which establishes best practices for hospitals working to reduce door-to-needle times.
"When the team is integrated, all parts can move in parallel," says Schwamm. "We had to re-engineer our process of care and figure out how to make it truly patient-centered. We all had to give a little to be successful as a team. I am very proud to be able to work with such a talented and dedicated team of health care providers. These efforts have made us successful and led to the creation of evidence-based best practices."
For more information about the MGH Stroke Service, access www.massgeneral.org/neurology/ services/treatmentprograms.aspx?id=1205.
Browse the Entire Newsroom Archive


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Yes, I agree. But, given the state of patent system in US, it's likely that Linux infringes some Microsoft patents. But it's equally (or even more) likely that Microsoft infringes patents owned by OIN, IBM, RedHat (?) and others.
Yes, it's probably only FUD as I don't see a real patent-war against Linux friends (thanks, IBM) as something that would benefit Microsoft, but FUD is bad enough. Maybe companies from the Linux side should tell the world that their patents are being infringed by Microsoft too?
I used to think that part of the objective of OIN was to provide a sense of security. Something like "they can't sue us because we have X, Y and Z". Maybe this should be better advertised.
Of course, without software patents the situation would be different.


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SVSU has joined many leading universities in the e-portfolio community:
"e-portfolios radically alter how students learn, how faculty teach, and how institutions assess the value of their educations...e-portfolios are literally remaking the landscape of higher education" (American Association of Colleges and Universities)
Access the login page for Foliotek.
Access the login page for Tk20.
General overview and guidelines for the Foliotek e-portfolio pilot program: SVSU pilot groups, FAQs, video tutorials, and sample e-portfolios.
Support for implementing e-portfolios into curricula: required elements for Foliotek e-portfolios, video tutorials for initial set-up, and examples of e-portfolios by students at other Universities.


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posted by Thom Holwerda on Thu 18th Mar 2010 22:30 UTC, submitted by Tam Hanna
"Being the developer of a Qt-based mobile solution is really really nice nowadays – especially as Android support is well on its way. For all those of you new to the topic: the moment Qt has been ported, you can run your Qt-based applications on the operating system. Bogdan Vatra [is] the brain behind the Qt port - let's see what he has to say!"


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24 April 2013, Geneva, Switzerland - Another good initiative that will contribute to promoting peace in the world: the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peace. UNITAR was honored by the invitation to provide a keynote speech at this first World Peace Award Forum named after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai. The event that brought together several governmental, non governmental and international on organizations was held in Dubai from 17 - 18 April 2013.
In the keynote speech, UNITAR reminded the distinguished audience about the ultimate goal of the United Nations, which is to prevent and resolve international conflicts and help build a culture of peace in and throughout the world. The Forum was also reminded that UNITAR was established in the light of the UN charter "for the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of the United Nations in achieving the major objectives of the Organization through extensive training and research."
It was clearly pointed out that in order to meet today's challenges, there is a need, not only for continued political, military, and financial commitment, but also to collectively reform the peacekeeping and peacebuilding tools to make them more effective by ensuring that women and men are fully and well-trained in order to be prepared to face up to the increasingly complex tasks that they are expected to deal with in peace operations.
Organisers and panellists welcomed the UNITAR contribution towards addressing the emerging capacity development needs of beneficiaries within Member States and the United Nations System through the Training of Trainers' initiative that brings to the national and regional Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Training Centres up-to-date knowledge and best practices in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peaceis a noble initiative that will contribute to promote world peace.


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Dec 11, 2014 at 2:22 pm
Always fine your garage to be a fun place to stop by when you need to find a smile!
Oct 8, 2013 at 2:24 am
Love your boat and swimsuit photos. Great back yard as well!
Jun 4, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Good to see that you posted some new photos, miss seeing your smile bringing joy and your sillyness to others


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VA treated shooting suspect for insomnia
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Veterans Affairs Department has told lawmakers that the Washington Navy Yard gunman visited two VA hospitals in late August complaining of insomnia, but that he denied struggling with anxiety or depression or had thoughts of harming himself or others.
The information about the gunman, Aaron Alexis, was released to Congress Wednesday. The Associated Press obtained a summary.
The VA said Alexis visited the VA facility in Providence, R.I., on Aug. 23, and was given medication to help him sleep and advised to follow up. Five days later he sought a refill at the VA Medical Center in Washington. The VA described him as "alert and oriented" during both visits.
Alexis, a former member of the Navy Reserve, had a 30 percent disability rating based on orthopedic problems and tinnitus.


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Find more videos like this on BritMums
Posted at 06:17 AM | Permalink
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I have been waiting for it for a while. We get the bus home from school and nursery a few times a week and a couple have raised the kids interest. Two high school students part company at the Bus Station and they fondly kiss each other goodbye. The question was finally asked at the weekend "mummy, is that a boy or a girl?" Ichose to avoid the question. The couple are both girls. I will probably have the conversation soon. I think that these girls are very brave. Hungary is years behind even the UK in such matters. The last government was going to introduce civil partnership for same sex couples, alas not something the present incumbents would touch with abarge pole.
Continue reading "Prejudice by a three -year-old" »
Posted at 07:29 AM | Permalink
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Mami has something called homesick.
(Between you and me, I don't get that last one, isn't her home here with papi and me?)
I've heard this illness is very common and everyone has it at least once. I must have been vaccinated against it, because so far, I haven't had this homesickness mami talks about.
Why doesn't she just go to the GP like when I'm sick? Silly mami, I think she want to ride it out.
From what I can see, there are more serious cases and sometimes you just get a small virus. She says "this time of year is the worst for homesickness".
And I hope it's not contagious because I don't want to catch homesick too. Come to think of it, papi doesn't seem to have caught it, so I should be safe. Phewwwww!
Here's what I recommend
This post was written by Maria, a US expat living in the UK. She blogs at Mummy's Busy World.
Posted at 01:53 PM in Holidays, Homesick | Permalink
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The first thing you need to do when you move to the UK is to learn to make a proper cup of tea.
I am not talking Oolang, peppermint, cranberry/orange, or even the end-all cure-all green tea. I am talking about a cup of plain old black tea. With milk.
If you perfect this skill, you will go far in your new home.
A good cup of tea works wonders with builders, decorators, electricians and any other British person that comes into your home. As the saying goes, they love their tea.
Continue reading "How to make a proper cup of English tea" »
Posted at 06:15 AM | Permalink
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When the military gave my husband the assignment to the UK, I was absolutely thrilled. It was a chance to change our life and live outside our comfort zones, experience another culture and give our kids the experience of living abroad on the governments dime. Unfortunately I didn't realize there isn't a manual for moving oversea provided by the government. Basically, they buy the airline tickets, take care of your visas and passports, provide you lodging until you can sort out your housing situation, tell you some interesting places to visit and send you on your way. Helpful, but it all leaves you with your head spinning, feeling like you have landed on an alien planet with no sense of direction.
Continue reading "When in Rome" »
Posted at 03:20 PM in Culture Shock | Permalink
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I've been living in the UK on and off since 1990. I have a British passport. My children were born here. I can make a roast that can compete with the best of them.
Why the heck can't I steer a British shopping trolley?
I am resigned to the fact that "things are harder here". When I first opened a bank account, I went to the branch where I lived. Bad move. On a lunch break one day, when I needed to withdraw more money than allowed by the ATM, I had to travel 40 minutes from my work place in order to complete the transaction. The systems were not "connected".
Continue reading "Shopping trolleys: why are they so hard?" »
Posted at 07:21 AM | Permalink
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A friend told me last week that she thought the rite of passage must be having your little one have a temper tantrum while walking down Oxford Street and having everyone stare at you in disdain.
Another friend said that the rite of passage is the inaugural supermarket tantrum. Did you see The Exorcist, she asks me. She goes on to describe a scene where her little cherub starts throwing apples, oranges and lemons at passers-by while screaming at the top of her lungs. Said cherub then runs away to what my friend describes as "a section of glass things" and gives her a look that says if her mum comes anywhere near her, she'll pick up a piece of glass and throw it. She then runs to another aisle, throws herself on the floor and starts flailing her arms as if she's doing some sort of 360-degree snow angels interpretive dance. My friend said it wasn't the cherub's head that was spinning around in the manner of one Linda Blair, but rather her own.
Continue reading "The rite of passage known as the tantrum" »
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Yes that is what it took 12 hours in a plane from London to Cayman Islands and my life changed completely.
Sometimes we think big decisions in life take time to take and you need to think and think pros and cons, evaluate, re-evaluate and then when you are 100% sure you make the move. Well actually that is not my case and if i start thinking back to the time i started to make my own decisions and carving my own path i have never taken long to make a crucial decision. Probably because if i would have evaluated and re-evaluated i would have never jumped in the pool. So this time again i jumped hoping for the best.
Left work on September 11th 2009 and arrived in Cayman on September 18th. Let's face it the first week very little was going through my mind in terms of the future, it was all about getting to know the new environment more like a holidays let's say… My husband had not started his job yet so the four of us plus the bump were just having a great time by the beach.
Continue reading "From a successful business career to expat mum in one plane ride!" »
Posted at 07:30 AM | Permalink
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Signs we have been in Bosnia for a loooong time and there may be some readjustment required before entry back into the UK:1. When the traffic lights go green, my first instinct is now to hoot the horn, then to put the car in gear.
2. Pedestrians, what are they? (in my defence, if you take the definition of safe driving to be driving in a way that people expect you to, then stopping to let pedestrians cross the road does constitute dangerous driving as people will go into the back of you).
3. When I look out of the window and see some metal poles in the garden opposite, my first thought isn't ooo, look, football goalposts, it is oooo, look, a place to bash carpets.
Continue reading "Becoming Bosnian, Staying English" »
Posted at 09:17 AM in Culture Shock | Permalink
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I first came to the UK in 1990 for a study abroad programme in Bath. I was a journalism student and had never been outside the US except for a trip to Niagara Falls when I was a kid and the obligatory Tijuana bar hopping over the border in college. I thought living in the UK would be an adventure.
I was placed with a family with two girls; an 18-month-old named Marie and a four-year-old named Emma.
Immediately I was fascinated with the language differences. I was quickly comparing the American version of British words with Emma – jumpers are sweaters, trousers are pants, pants are knickers. Hee hee hee, isn't this fun.
Continue reading "Pardon?" »
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The Malians and Congolese shared the spoils in their final Group B encounter, sending the Eagles through to the next round of the competition
Goals from Dieumerci Mbokani for the country formerly known as Zaire, and Mamadou Samassa for the Eagles produced the stalemate.
A number these Afcon matches have been slow at the start, with the action peaking in the second half, and often only in the dying minutes of the encounters have goals been scored. This match was a completely different story, with DR Congo's Lomana LuaLua hitting the post in the first minute of the game, before Mali conceded a third minute penalty. Dieumerci Mbokani converted the spot kick, giving the Congolese the lead very early on.
The Eagles of Mali would soon respond to that strike, however, and in the 15th minute Adama Tamboura sent in a tight angle cross to a confident Mamadou Samassa, who equalised for his side.
The Congolese found themselves on the back foot at that stage, with Mali growing in confidence after their poor defensive start. Mali continued to push forward, but despite their hold on possession, they were only able to create a handful of decent chances, which were not converted.
In the 38th minute DR Congo wasted an opportunity from a free kick, with LuaLua curling his effort straight into the wall. The half ended with the score level at 1-1.
At the start of the second half Tresor Mputu came on for LuaLua, in an effort to inject life into the Congolese attack.
Patrice Carteron's Mali side struggled to impose their dominance in the early stages of the second half, with DR Congo looking the more dangerous side.
Both teams were aware that the winner would advance to the quarter-finals of the competition, but neither of the two squads seemed capable of outdoing the other, and in contrast to a frantic and entertaining first few minutes, the last section of the game was scrappy.
With 10 minutes to go it seemed as though captain Seydou Keita had found a winner for Mali, but his header fell just wide of the target. In the dying minutes DR Congo had a penalty appeal, but the referee waved play on.
The match ended in a 1-1 stalemate, while the other game in the group produced a 3-0 victory for Ghana over Niger.
Those results see Ghana top and Mali second in Group B, with the Black Stars set to play the Cape Verde, while the Eagles will clash with hosts South Africa, as Bafana Bafana topped Group A.