Author: jmcappleby
Subject: Timeline question - too late?
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 3:42 pm (GMT -5)
Topic Replies: 1
I suppose I'm just looking for some peace of mind. I'm a pre-med senior who did not have such a great outing with US Med School applications and am looking at the Caribbean as an option. Stats-wise, I'm fairly decent with a 3.4 GPA and 31 MCAT and decent EC's, nothing extraordinary, unfortunately.
When I first seriously considered this (last week), I resolved to fix some stuff that probably marred my old applications and have been working on better versions of my personal statement, having some more medically-oriented people edit it, etc. I'm almost done now and will be sending everything in on Monday March 17th.
1) I guess my question is, am I too late for Fall 08? I know people recommend applying 5ish months before the semester of entry, but when I read various forums and about people who've been applying in Dec/Jan and have already interviewed, I'm a little worried.
I ask because I didn't quite make plans for what I would do after graduation (Mid-May) if I did not enter school in the fall and honestly the last thing I want to do is just sit around. If there's a real possibility that I'm too late and will be rejected/deferred to January, then I will probably want to start looking at things to do till then. Wondering if you guys had any thoughts.
2) In your experience, what is the typical time-line for response from Caribbean schools (mainly the big 4)? If I over-nighted my applications on Monday and they liked it, typically when would I be interviewed and when would I know of their final decision?
3) Some of the personal statements on the applications asked for a 1500-word max essay (SGU). Although I essentially began working on my essays from scratch, it still feels redundant and laborious reading through that long of an essay. I know that's just a guideline, but would you say it's advisable to keep it short and memorable even if it is much shorter than their limits?
Thanks!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Premed Forum :: when to request recommendation letters?
Author: iblunk
Subject: when to request recommendation letters?
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 9:36 pm (GMT -5)
Topic Replies: 3
Hi guys,
So...I'm kind of clueless about the whole application process so please bear with me. About recommendation letters. I heard that it was standard to request them in May, but I'm not entirely sure how that works. Don't you only send recommendation letters to schools you get secondary applications from, which would be needed much later? When do we generally get secondary applications anyways?
Also, do you give the professors a list of schools and a bunch of addressed envelopes that you need to do the secondary applications for? Or does he write the letter, give you however many signed copies you need and you mail them out? Let me know if you can!
Another problem I have is that I actually only know two professors well at UCSD (one science, one humanities) For the third one though, I don't know... I've only talked to professors during their the office hours and after class.(frequently enough though so they would know who I am, but not so much that I feel they could really say much about me as a person). Its also too late for me to TA since I'm graduating after next quarter, but what do you guys think, would it be appropriate to ask for a letter from one of these professors? Or is there something else I can do next quarter to get to know one of these people better?
Subject: when to request recommendation letters?
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 9:36 pm (GMT -5)
Topic Replies: 3
Hi guys,
So...I'm kind of clueless about the whole application process so please bear with me. About recommendation letters. I heard that it was standard to request them in May, but I'm not entirely sure how that works. Don't you only send recommendation letters to schools you get secondary applications from, which would be needed much later? When do we generally get secondary applications anyways?
Also, do you give the professors a list of schools and a bunch of addressed envelopes that you need to do the secondary applications for? Or does he write the letter, give you however many signed copies you need and you mail them out? Let me know if you can!
Another problem I have is that I actually only know two professors well at UCSD (one science, one humanities) For the third one though, I don't know... I've only talked to professors during their the office hours and after class.(frequently enough though so they would know who I am, but not so much that I feel they could really say much about me as a person). Its also too late for me to TA since I'm graduating after next quarter, but what do you guys think, would it be appropriate to ask for a letter from one of these professors? Or is there something else I can do next quarter to get to know one of these people better?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Clegg - We Need Less MPs
Interesting outburst from Nick Clegg today who argues there should be 150 less MPs in Britain.
The Lib Dems usually just moan about how unfair the voting system is (i.e. under the current system joke third parties never get a look in - although in fairness that would be true under most electoral systems), but now they have had a stroke of genius and want to get rid of some MPs to redistribute power away from the two major parties.
Perhaps Clegg could do us all a favour and just get rid of the 63 Lib Dem MPs in the House of Commons, that would save us all a lot of time, money and bother.
But then again, if you look at the polls, he already seems to be doing a good job of ensuring there are no Lib Dem MPs after the next General Election! ;-)
Perhaps he would like to join up to my "No Lib Dem Zone" campaign?
What Clegg seems unable to understand is that even if you took away all the Labour and Conservative MPs and called a General Election the next day, the Lib Dems would still finish third. :-/
-
The Lib Dems usually just moan about how unfair the voting system is (i.e. under the current system joke third parties never get a look in - although in fairness that would be true under most electoral systems), but now they have had a stroke of genius and want to get rid of some MPs to redistribute power away from the two major parties.
Perhaps Clegg could do us all a favour and just get rid of the 63 Lib Dem MPs in the House of Commons, that would save us all a lot of time, money and bother.
But then again, if you look at the polls, he already seems to be doing a good job of ensuring there are no Lib Dem MPs after the next General Election! ;-)
Perhaps he would like to join up to my "No Lib Dem Zone" campaign?
What Clegg seems unable to understand is that even if you took away all the Labour and Conservative MPs and called a General Election the next day, the Lib Dems would still finish third. :-/
-
Darling's First Budget
So what can we learn from Alistair Darling's first Budget today?
As tax has gone up on drink and also on driving, I suppose we can surmise that he is against drink driving. (Indeed I wonder if many people will be able to afford to do both again.)
I guess it's the same principle of putting up the taxes on cigarettes and (eventually) petrol.
You may have been bored watching it, but at least you can say it wasn't an explosive Budget like it could have been without those important changes. :-/
-
(Photo Source: Antonio Cruz/ABr, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:AlistairDarlingABr.JPG)
As tax has gone up on drink and also on driving, I suppose we can surmise that he is against drink driving. (Indeed I wonder if many people will be able to afford to do both again.)
I guess it's the same principle of putting up the taxes on cigarettes and (eventually) petrol.
You may have been bored watching it, but at least you can say it wasn't an explosive Budget like it could have been without those important changes. :-/
-
(Photo Source: Antonio Cruz/ABr, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:AlistairDarlingABr.JPG)
Bearly Noticing
As I've just criticised the dumbness of one advert this morning, perhaps I should readdress the balance by pointing you in the direction of an advert which goes to prove you do not have to be offensive to get your message across.
Click here to watch the advert and take the test.
Much more enjoyable than watching that old ad of a road accident outside my ex's house. :-/
-
(Photo Source: Reisio, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Basketball.png)
Click here to watch the advert and take the test.
Much more enjoyable than watching that old ad of a road accident outside my ex's house. :-/
-
(Photo Source: Reisio, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Basketball.png)
MPs Sent To Jail
It's not what you are thinking btw. There are always stories of MPs ending up in prison, but today a group went there by their own volition as the UK Parliamentary Football Club visited Reading Young Offenders Prison for a couple of games of football against the inmates.
The MPs, and yours truly, were visiting to see the work of the National Grid Young Offenders Programme.
National Grid has been pioneering business involvement in the rehabilitation of offenders, training over 140 offenders in the workplace on day release schemes. (The re-offending rate amongst the people on these schemes is only 7%, resulting in a significant saving to taxpayers in the United Kingdom, compared with the national average of over 70%.)
Apparently it costs approximately £36,000 to keep a person in prison for one year and there are currently 11,000 under 21 years of age in prison. That is an incredible number. And for low level offenses it's important that these young people are educated, rehabilitated and have support to get them back into the workplace, making a positive contribution to society again.
Giving young offenders the chance to gain an educational qualification like this, with a guaranteed job on release, gives them an excellent opportunity to make a new start in life and put something back into the community. And massively reduces reoffending levels at the same time.
It was quite an eye-opening experience today and good to have the opportunity to talk to some of these young people and see the difference this programme is making to their lives - especially at restoring self esteem.
As for the football, the MPs won the first game (rather against the run of play) 3-2 and drew the second game 2-2.
I would say we got out of jail despite some criminal defending, but I'll resist the temptation. ;-)
-
The MPs, and yours truly, were visiting to see the work of the National Grid Young Offenders Programme.
National Grid has been pioneering business involvement in the rehabilitation of offenders, training over 140 offenders in the workplace on day release schemes. (The re-offending rate amongst the people on these schemes is only 7%, resulting in a significant saving to taxpayers in the United Kingdom, compared with the national average of over 70%.)
Apparently it costs approximately £36,000 to keep a person in prison for one year and there are currently 11,000 under 21 years of age in prison. That is an incredible number. And for low level offenses it's important that these young people are educated, rehabilitated and have support to get them back into the workplace, making a positive contribution to society again.
Giving young offenders the chance to gain an educational qualification like this, with a guaranteed job on release, gives them an excellent opportunity to make a new start in life and put something back into the community. And massively reduces reoffending levels at the same time.
It was quite an eye-opening experience today and good to have the opportunity to talk to some of these young people and see the difference this programme is making to their lives - especially at restoring self esteem.
As for the football, the MPs won the first game (rather against the run of play) 3-2 and drew the second game 2-2.
I would say we got out of jail despite some criminal defending, but I'll resist the temptation. ;-)
-
10 Celebrity Body Urban Legends...Real or Fake?
Is Jamie Lee Curtis Trying to Hide Something?
Published: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - 16:51
Body-Philosophy Rss Feed
By Brianne DiSylvesterPublished: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - 16:51
Celebrities are known for living the extravagant lifestyle, but some of them have been accused of taking things a step too far when it comes to matters of the flesh. Removing ribs? Assaulting gerbils? Cryogenically freezing the body? Is this Hollywood, or "Tales from the Crypt"? Luckily we've got the 411 on 10 celebrity urban legends and the details on whether they're false, or…ew…true.
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman leave Byron Bay
Singer Keith Urban and actress wife Nicole Kidman, both 40, board their private jet in Byron Bay on Friday, March 21st. The couple, who expect their first child in July, were in the northern NSW coastal town for Blues Fest 2008, where Keith performed. They know the sex, but are not sharing.
Photos by Flynet.
One more photo below.
Friday Night Atheist - HAL 9000 Edition - Re-Post
I’m Afraid I Won’t Be Able To Do That, Dave
In 1968, I was eight years old and went with the family to a movie in Winnipeg. I knew it was going to be a science fiction movie, but I didn’t know much more about it. My older brother Greg, and my older sister Nancy were both familiar with the story having read it at the recommendation of their science teacher. I knew that it was set 33 years in the future but started out with proto-humans at the dawn of time. They rattled some bones and learned to use weapons, then were awakened to find an artifact which was accompanied by a killer choir.
Shortly thereafter, a man in a shuttle napped on his way from earth to a space station in a shuttle while the flight attendant with velcro shoes walked through, grabbed his floating pen and then went to the cockpit. Later, a meeting on the moon while a group of scientists talked about another obelisk. I had no idea what they were talking about, but they went out to a dig to have a look-see at the artifact and tried in vain to cover their ears as a loud noise pierced their helmets. Finally, a journey to Jupiter goes horribly wrong and a computer has to be shut down because it became a little to big for its breeches and tried to kill the astronauts.
I was fascinated by the visuals. I was amazed that they were trying to get the science right. I was amazed at 20 minutes of flashing colors flying past Dave Bowman’s pod as he flew through the artifact to find out what the hell his mission was all about. He left HAL behind, mindless. Dave died and was reborn.
I saw the movie three times over the next year, never figuring out what was really happening. I read the book, and still didn’t understand the point that Arthur C Clarke was trying to make. Some bits are still obscure to me, but I love the movie. (Part of the mystery was cleared up in the sequel released in 1984; but we never really learn who these aliens are. They blew up Jupiter and made a second sun in our solar system. They played God with us and our solar system. “Something wonderful was about to happen.”)
Within a few years of seeing the movie I started reading quite a bit of science fiction, and the public library had a good selection for a small town. I read 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time, and understood a bit more. I read Rendezvous with Rama, the story of a mysterious, abandoned cylinder which had entered the solar system and had been created as an interstellar spaceship. Earth’s scientists find that it only entered the solar system to take advantage of the gravity well and slingshot to another solar system. They never met the makers, they never met the occupants. They never solved the mystery of who these aliens were.
Accept it or not, there are mysteries that may never be resolved. One of those is the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Deep Thought said it was “42″ but only because it had been asked in the wrong way. People who search for God are asking the question in the wrong way. They are looking for an anthropomorphic intelligence to explain everything when we die and reading through scriptures and interpreting and listening to other people’s interpretations in order to get a heads up on the answer. What if there is no answer?
Arthur C. Clarke, in his fiction, didn’t wrap things up in nice little answers at the end. The question outlasts the book. And perhaps he is trying to tell us that there are no books that can answer all of the questions. Perhaps he is trying to tell us that the search for answers continues indefinitely. Perhaps he is trying to tell us that in death lay no answers; just death.
Arthur C. Clarke has not had his final questions answered. He is still living in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90.
Arthur C. Clarke is an atheist.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. 1961
I’m sure we would not have had men on the Moon if it had not been for Wells and Verne and the people who write about this and made people think about it. I’m rather proud of the fact that I know several astronauts who became astronauts through reading my books. 1975
friday night atheist arthur c clarke“Space is actually paying for itself in the communication and weather satellites. The money we have put into space has been returned many, many times over in the unmanned application satellites. Similarly, explorations of deeper space will eventually pay for themselves, too.” 1997
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Our Economy Is Not a Child's Erector Set (by Don Boudreaux)
Here's a letter that I sent today to the New York Times:
Like Gail Collins, I was unimpressed with George Bush's speech yesterday to the Economic Club of New York ("George Speaks, Badly," March 15).
But I disagree with Ms. Collins that "in times of crisis you would like to at least believe your leader has the capacity to pretend he's in control." A defining characteristic of this economy that produces such enormous abundance for us all (and yes, despite the current downturn, it continues to produce prodigiously) is that no one is "in control." Indeed, no one could possibly be "in control." A far greater danger to Americans' prosperity than a President with a poor speaking style and a penchant for standard-fare political shenanigans is the spread of the belief that economic salvation lies in having someone "in control."
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Remember, no one knows, no one has ever known, and no one can possibly know, all that is necessary to make even the ubiquitous commercial-grade pencil. It's astonishing how prevalent is the view that economies are "run" by people pulling levers -- or should be, or could be, run by people pulling levers. This misconception is the economics equivalent of the belief that the earth is flat, or that volcanoes won't erupt if they are fed a sufficient number of virgins.
Emotional and Ethical Dwarfs (by Don Boudreaux)
Speaking of all-too-many successful politicians, David Brooks -- in his New York Times column today -- notes that "their sensitivity synapses are still performing at preschool levels" and that they "have an almost limitless capacity for self-pity."
In other words, politicians are children disguised as adults - persons who ought to be playing with wooden blocks while seated at their little desks in Romper Room rather than playing with our liberties and resources while seated at their mahogany desks within marble-domed monuments to their stupid power.
Palate Cleanser: Fun with SiteMeter. And Trains. And Sixties Music.
This site is visited frequently by somebody from Downingtown, Pennsylvania. I can’t see a place name ending in -town without thinking of this song, “Morningtown Ride,” by The Seekers:
This is one my dad sang when I was a kid, but it didn’t survive into our later repertoire … until I heard my little cousin, three years old, piping it during a camping trip last year. It came back with a vengeance. Doesn’t get much better than a train lullaby … unless maybe it’s a cowboy lullaby.
And speaking of trains, if you didn’t already, check out these beautiful shots of Appalachian railroad scenes. The photographer, Kevin Scanlon, has an exhibition currently running in Grafton, West Virginia.
Via Rick Lee.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Cowen on money (by Russell Roberts)
The latest EconTalk is a conversation with Tyler Cowen on money. We talk about how the Fed works, private money, the gold standard and assorted other topics related to money.
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Sacrificing for the War
Happy Anniversary, George
In March, 2003 the United States commenced Shock and Awe and bombed the hell out of Baghdad to soften Saddam Hussein’s Iraq for an invasion. By April, the Baathist regime tumbled and the Codpiece in Chief declared the end of major hostilities on the deck of a ship outside of Los Angeles. Our warrior-god-president flew a jet out to sea to show us he is at least as tough as the president that William Pullman played in Independence Day. He is a man’s man, is our George. US kicks ass again, wiping away the anguish of the loss of Vietnam.
Mission Accomplished. End of Major Hostilities. We were on top of the world, even though most of the rest of the world was disgusted by the way that our leadership beat the drums to war while at the same time pleading that they were trying to find a way out of this. “But that damned Hussein is just so damned intractable, and he’s out their in Nigeria buying yellowcake. He’s out there importing aluminum tubes, the kind that can only be used to refine weapons-grade atomic weapons. He’s out there making new bio-weapons and violating the ban on sarin gas. We’re peaceful, but they hate our freedoms.”
After the End of Major Hostilities 4,000 American war dead are the legacy of Minor Hostilities. We don’t have a reliable count of the Iraqi war dead so the numbers vary wildly from the hundreds of thousands to a million. Warlords play games with the Iraqi government, Turkey swoops in to prevent a Kurdish uprising. Allies and enemies shift allegiances and play civilians against each other. Once thriving neighborhoods in the cities of Iraq are now rubble. Jobs for rebuilding go to imported labor while Iraqis are rejected by profiteering subcontractors. Billions of dollars for rebuilding just disappear, and the Senate holds no hearings on accountability (except to try to find a menacing corruption in the Oil for Food program of years back.)
Our political candidates for president are not hearing the people of the United States who want to end this folly NOW. We must leave responsibly or there will be a bloodbath. There is a bloodbath going on now. Christopher Hitchens says that if we leave now there will be a new wholesale slaughter that will make the genocides of Rwanda look like a mild matter. John McCain says we will only leave when we have peace, even if it takes 100 years. Hillary Clinton looks to a “responsible” pull out, as does Obama. I don’t even know what that means, or what “victory” looks like.
Vjack at Atheist Revoluton says that on the homefront we aren’t sacrificing for the war as did our parents and grandparents during the Second World War. He is right in that we are not being asked to sacrifice now, but I say we are shifting the sacrifice forward. The war is being paid for by future taxes and not current taxes. Bush wants to be remembered for cutting taxes, remember? The sacrifice will come as interest burdens the national budget so heavily that there will be less and less funding available for the things that we really need to pay for here at home; education, health care, poverty relief, roads, bridges……
It is part of the NeoCons’ plan to drown the US Government in debt to force the libertarian ideal.
This is a post written as my conribution to a special project on this fifth anniversary of Shock and Awe. March 19th Iraq Blogswarm. Today, bloggers all over will be posting their reactions to the continuation of this war. There will be calls for peace protests, impeachment of the warmongers and constructive ideas on what can be done to pressure the US government to end this NOW. It is irresponsible. It is deadly. It is wrong. Some suggestions from VJack:
war
- Contact your elected officials and make sure they know that ending the war in Iraq is important to you. Let them know that you vote and are not willing to keep voting for them if they continue to neglect their duty to the people.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper expressing your position on Iraq.
- Call for the impeachment of President Bush.
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That it has entered again into communication with mum, but I had no proof. Mine
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UF researchers on the watch for nice weather — and the diseases it could bring
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Calling it a silver lining may be a stretch, but the storm clouds wrought by the devastating 2004 hurricane season did bring the Sunshine State at least one ray of relief.
The year before, West Nile virus unexpectedly struck nearly 3,000 people in Colorado, killing more than 60. Similar outbreaks seemed virtually inevitable throughout the country for the next year — especially in Florida, where the mosquito and bird-borne disease seemed inevitable.
Even after months of preparation, states such as California, Arizona and Texas suffered heavy casualties in 2004. In Florida, however, four major hurricanes and a tropical storm had splattered mosquito and bird populations across the state, leaving the virus no means of reproducing and spreading.
Meteorological challenges continued to hold the virus at bay for the next three years — another heavy hurricane season followed by two years of drought. But this year, the weather could actually be "normal," and University of Florida entomologists could think of no scarier proposition.
Already this season, high levels of eastern equine encephalitis virus have been documented in parts of Central Florida. These early outbreaks may not bode well for the upcoming mosquito season.
"Depending on the summer rainfall patterns, conditions in Florida could be perfect for us to finally be hit by some of the diseases we've been narrowly ducking the last few years," said Jonathan Day, professor of medical entomology at UF's Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach, part of UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. "We're watching very closely so we know what to prepare for."
As Day outlines in a paper published in this month's Journal of Medical Entomology, there is a distinct chain of events that leads to a Colorado-like epidemic, and that chain begins in early January with specific rainfall, drought and temperature patterns.
For example, a series of droughts such as those reported in peninsular Florida during the last two years, could isolate mosquitoes into small areas of moisture-rich land. During that time, the confined mosquito population interacts with the birds that are attracted to the fresh water. The birds and mosquitoes become a captive audience and cycle any virus that is trapped in that space with them.
When rains return, the now infected mosquito population would then be set free to spread the disease to other birds and animals, including humans, on which they feed.
There are currently more than 560 meteorological recording stations across Florida carefully monitoring the Sunshine State's weather patterns.
Many in the state may already be feeling the buzzing pests' bites, but the information gathered at the recording stations and by many other experts across the state allow an analysis of what the current conditions may mean for July — the bloom of mosquito season and potentially the most dangerous time for arboviral diseases.
Of course, mosquito-borne diseases have probably been a problem since humans first inhabited the state of Florida 15,000 years ago. However, the increasing density of the human population in Florida makes the problem far more potent, Day says.
For example, widespread outbreaks of St. Louis encephalitis virus struck peninsular Florida in 1977, with 110 human cases. Thirteen years later, it struck again with 226 cases.
In his paper, Day points out how both outbreaks followed strikingly similar rainfall and drought patterns, patterns that can be tracked and are predictive of future mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.
But, of course, the crystal ball isn't only focused on weather patterns. Knowing which mosquito species are dangerous is also vitally important.
"The type of mosquito not only tells us what kind of disease we could be dealing with, but also when and how to take precautions," said Roxanne Rutledge Connelly, a UF entomologist who helps teach one of the most recognized courses in identifying mosquitoes in the world.
For example, if the potentially dangerous mosquito population is the Asian tiger mosquito — a relatively new invasive species to the United States known for spreading dengue fever in Hawaii and Southeast Asia — then the game is completely different than that for the vast majority of other mosquito species.
The Asian tiger mosquito not only feeds in bright sunlight, but it needs significantly less water to breed than most of its American cousins. So, control and prevention programs must consider these issues.
"We have more ability now than ever before for predicting these outbreaks and doing something about them before they get out of hand," Day said. "There are vaccinations, animal control measures and insecticides. The truth is that our best tool is still general public awareness; but it's the most difficult tool of all to put into use, because it takes the most time, effort and preparedness."
See also: Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory’s Encephalitis Information System.
The Spitzer Matter: It IS Private (by Don Boudreaux)
I sent this letter just now to the New York Times:
Gov. Eliot Spitzer says that his patronage of prostitutes is a "private matter" ("Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring," March 10). He's correct; that matter is between himself and his family and is no one else's business. I wish only that Mr. Spitzer understood that many of his most famous crusades - for example, against musical-recording companies aggressively marketing their products, against banks lending money to lower-income consumers, and, indeed, even against prostitution rings(!) - were crusades against behaviors that in each case is a "private matter."
If Mr. Spitzer wants us to butt out of his private affairs, he should from here on in set an example by butting out of everyone else's private affairs.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Of course, Spitzer is a professional busy-body, so he's unlikely to mind only his own business even as he asks us to mind only our own.
A TV Anchor's Photofacial Nightmare
Lucy Noland
Published: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - 17:52
Body-Philosophy Rss Feed
By Marene GustinPublished: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - 17:52
Man, that hi-def can really make news anchors go to the extreme to look good on camera. But here's a cautionary tale: Houston's KHOU-TV anchor Lucy Noland was missing in action for much of this year after an Intense Pulsed Light surgery to remove a freckle left her with second-degree burns and feeling "as if somebody had seared my face with white hot poker rods." Noland compared her discolored, burnt skin to a "tiger's stripes."
Courtney Thorne-Smith goes for a walk with Jake
Actress Courtney Thorne-Smith, 40, went for a walk with son Jacob 'Jake' Emerson, 10 weeks, in Pacific Palisades, CA on Thursday, March 20th. Dad is Roger Fishman.
Photo by Flynet.
A good comment
I figured this comment merited front page exposure.
OK, I have tried to mostly stay out of this trench war fare regarding who lied. Patty says no one lied. She is wrong and frankly isn't qualified to say. She was not there! She can only accurately report what she has said.
The Tinklenberg Campaign is being deceitful and dishonest because they have been caught and they know it. I received a phone call from the Chair of SD13 yesterday, (Monday 10th) where he stated flatly that a surrogate for the Tinklenberg group, Don Schultz announced that Patty Wetterling had endorsed Elwyn. He was then questioned if he was sure? Was it support or endorse? It was endorse.
Paul, the chair courageously allowed me to quote him here. The Tinklenberg Campaign plays fast and loose with the truth. When questioned they cry foul! Negative campaigning! Then they use cute tricks by arguing what the meaning of is, IS. Finally they run a smear campaign against anyone associated with their opposition. How do I know? I am an unpaid volunteer for the Bob Olson Campaign. I was there at both conventions last weekend and heard what was claimed.
I was yelled at and accused of lying by Tinklenberg's staff at DFL Senate Candidate Mike Starr's house party the next day. I received abusive and threatening phone calls from those same people yesterday.
Enough is enough. My only crime is that I support Bob Olson. I'm not responsible for what anyone else says. I will be responsible for what I say here though.
The Tinklenberg Campaign has been dishonest in their endorsement claims and then more disturbingly dishonest in trying to cover it up. They have done it before. It is wrong no matter how you fluff it up.
Paul Wellstone said: "If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
Minnie Driver helps promote Last Chance for Animals
Actress Minnie Driver, 38, spoke to the media on Thursday, March 20th to help promote Last Chance for Animals. She expects her first child in late August/early September.
Photo by Mike/Fame Pictures.
Wayback machine: Tinklenberg's negative 2006 campaign?
Dump Bachmann has a few archived posts about Elwyn Tinklenberg possibly leaking opponent information to MDE.
Lloydletta has an older post on this as well.
An older letter sent to Tinklenberg from the former leader of the Stonewall DFL.
Tinklenberg 2008 (aka version 2.0) complaining about negative campaigning is interesting. Tinklenberg 2006 (aka version 1.0) appears to have been much more negative than any Olson supporter has been.
Lloydletta has an older post on this as well.
Speaking of Elwyn Tinklenberg, he still has nothing up on his website. We know that Tinklenberg supports the Federal Bachmann Amendment and supports criminalizing abortion. While a staffer for Tinklenberg told me that Tinklenberg supports civil unions, the campaign never made an attempt to correct the record with press accounts of his support for the Federal Bachmann Amendment (which would also ban civil unions).
An older letter sent to Tinklenberg from the former leader of the Stonewall DFL.
Mr. Tinklenberg:
Why would a Democrat support someone like you, who has used his campaign kickoff to announce that he opposes three major planks in the party's platform (gay rights, gun control and reproductive rights)? If people want a pro-handgun, anti-choice, anti-gay candidate to vote for, they already have one in Michele Bachmann, Phil Krinkie, Cheri Pierson Yecke or Jim Knoblauch. We had one Republican Lite candidate--Janet Robert--run in the 6th District already and it was a disaster. We don't need another one.
Tinklenberg 2008 (aka version 2.0) complaining about negative campaigning is interesting. Tinklenberg 2006 (aka version 1.0) appears to have been much more negative than any Olson supporter has been.
A.J. Cook expecting first child
Actress A.J. Cook, formerly of Tru Calling and currently on Criminal Minds, is expecting her first child with husband Nathan Anderson. The 29-year-old's pregnancy will be written into the show. No due date has been announced.
A.J. and Nathan have been married for six years.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Thanks to CBB reader Lisa.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Marcia Cross at park with Eden and Savannah
Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross, 45, took fraternal twin daughters Savannah (purple hat) and Eden, 13 months, to a park in Santa Monica, CA on Thursday, March 20th. Dad is stock broker Tom Mahoney.
Photos by Flynet; PacificCoastNewsOnline.com.
Fashion info and more photos below.
Savannah wears Pipsqueaks blacklLeather "Squeaky" Mary Jane shoes ($27).
Eden wears Beesqueaky shoes in pale pink ($34).
Savannah wears a UV Sungear cotton wide brim hat in lavender with dots ($23). Eden wears the pink with dots style.
They wear Juicy tops.
Merrin Dungey at Safi fragrance launch; expecting a baby
Actress Merrin Dungey, 36, who has played recurring roles on The King of Queens, Alias, Summerland, and Malcolm in the Middle, is expecting a baby. If anyone has information on the due date, what she's having, if this is her first child, or the dad, please leave a comment or send an email. She attended the Safi fragrance launch last evening in Los Angeles, CA.
Photos by Startraks.
Results of the 'What Should I Call My Next Book?' Competition
So, after a fortnight's pondering, here are the results of the competition.
You know, I've never had trouble naming a book before. Titles come easily to me. I have no idea why this one has proved intractable. I discussed it with my editor and she told me I have until February to decide. Sigh. She could have told me that earlier.
Oh yes, the results.
I did suggest a possible title to my editor, but she rejected it. Too close to one of Jennifer Fallon's, apparently.
Have I told you the results yet?
The title I chose was one of my own making: Immortal's End. As I said, the editor rejected it.
The best of the serious suggestions was Owen's 'Ravaged Earth'. Get in touch with me through this site, Owen.
The silliest of the silly suggestions is a tie between Linda's 'Donkey' titles and Gillian's extended title. I'll make sure you both get books and reading lessons.
And I'm not really all that much closer ...
TPT on Tinklenberg's "endorsements"
Two Putt Tommy is dead on once again...
Getting Sergeant Major Walz involved in this is pathetic and as TPT put it, indeed "inexcusable".
For the ending, go back to Mn Blue...it's pretty damn good!
Yes, "endorsements". As in "plural". Two that I know of; one a congressman, the other a well-known former candidate. I called another congressman's office, two days ago, and asked a real simple question, Here's the cut 'n paste:
My name is (the ol' TwoPutter's given name); I'm a member of the DFL Veteran's Caucus and live in (city). I also blog on the website www.MnBlue.com .
I am wondering who, if anyone, Representative Peterson has endorsed in CD-06?
Has Representative Peterson endorsed either Bob Olson, or El Tinklenberg?
Thank you for your response!
(the ol' TwoPutter's given name)952-xxx-xxxx
I followed it up with a phone call, and was told I'd get a reply, when they got an answer. No answer, last Monday. So I e-mailed and called again, yesterday morning, and again, yesterday afternoon. Still no answer. So I followed up again, this morning. As of this minute, still no answer.
Now, the reasonable citizen might assume that anyone a Congressman has endorsed, the Congressman would be quick to confirm the endorsement. So, is it unreasonable to assume that Tinklenberg did NOT receive the endorsement?
Yesterday, I had a telephone conversation with Tinklenberg's Campaign Manager, who claimed Representative Peterson in fact "endorsed" Tinklenberg; further, she promised me she'd e-mail me written confirmation of said "endorsement." No e-mail in the ol' in-box, yesterday. This morning, I followed up with a voice mail, asking for the promised verification of Representative Peterson's "endorsement. I followed up with another voice mail. So far, no e-mail in the ol' in-box.
What is the reasonable citizen to assume?
And quite frankly, I'm not even gonna get into the parsing of words and hair-splitting Tink's campaign manager engaged in, with regards to Congressman Walz' NON-endorsement of Tink.
Quite frankly, I felt like she was insulting my intelligence – not that I have a lot. I don't understand why she didn't simply state: "Hey – we made a mistake; we're sorry, we'll fix it." And then actually did fix it. Why this campaign put Sergeant Major Walz in the position they did, is inexcusable, IF they didn't apologize. They haven't; it isn't. And I don't like gettin' the run-around from a campaign manager from my party. Or, for that matter, the run-around Wodele gave me, yesterday. I expect straight talk. I haven't gotten it.
Getting Sergeant Major Walz involved in this is pathetic and as TPT put it, indeed "inexcusable".
For the ending, go back to Mn Blue...it's pretty damn good!
Meg Ryan's Plastic Surgery Makeover
Meg Ryan's Plastic Surgery Makeover
Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 06:37
Body-Philosophy Rss Feed
By Erin DonnellyPublished: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - 06:37
They starred as lovebirds in "Sleepless in Seattle," "Joe Versus the Volcano," and "You've Got Mail," but judging from new photos of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, the only onscreen reunion fans can hope for is a film in which surgery-smooth Meg gets cast as Tom's daughter.
Brooke Shields says she wants to try for a son
While her husband Chris Henchy is apparently content with daughters Rowan Francis, 4 ½, and Grier Hammond, turning 2 next month, Brooke Shields says she'd like to try for another baby, telling US magazine "I want a boy!"
I'm going to have to convince him and he's a hard sell at this point.
As for why Chris would be hesitant to add to their brood, the 42-year-old actress has a theory.
Maybe he likes the even number.
Brooke and Chris were married in 2001.
Source: US
Comment on Blog Promotion - Reader Submitted Tips by Jeff - ScienceSays.net
What an honor! Thank you Darren for the privilege of being included in an article, and for a nice little traffic bump too! If I can echo FrugalDad for a moment, the irony is pleasant - however, I don’t post on your blog because it’s famous.
If I may share one more lesson I’ve learned from this exchange - make your comment posts count!
I’ve seen a good deal of traffic from posting on the blogs I frequent, but in the process I’ve also seen a lot of people who are just posting to get their link out there. I never click on them - I wonder if anyone does?
On the one hand, I’m annoyed that they’re taking advantage of someone’s useful advice and hardwork, which I feel protective towards out of gratitude. On the other, I pretty much assume that anyone who’s that desperate for readers probably doesn’t have anything worth saying.
Instead, when I post on a blog, I try to make it count. A good barometer for this is that I DON’T post in the hopes that it will bring readers to my site - I post on blogs that I like and that I really want to discuss.
As a result, I only post on ProBlogger.net and Zenhabits.net on a regular basis - why? Because those are the only blogs that I read and enjoy on a regular basis! Call it “holistic” or “organic” blogging or whatever you like - I post on the blogs that get me thinking and that make me want to be involved.
This may be my vanity talking, but I like to imagine that I get the number of clickthroughs I do from Problogger or zenhabits because I’m contributing something worthwhile - in any event, I wouldn’t even be considering hosting my own blog if it wasn’t for Darren and this website, and that’s made this a community I enjoy being a part of. I like to think that shows.
Tinklenberg Campaign does not heart Two Putt Tommy
For the record, they probably don't like Blueman much either...
Mr. Two Putt tried to contact the Tinklenberg Campaign today to discuss how they came up with a 60% delegate count.
Check out the action!
Don't sweat it Two Putt, they're still trying to figure out how to li...deciev...fi...twi...distort their way around the DC Watchdog's Lobbying story.
Did Tinklenberg's people go to Randy Demmer Math School?
.
Mr. Two Putt tried to contact the Tinklenberg Campaign today to discuss how they came up with a 60% delegate count.
Check out the action!
Of the named subcaucuses in 56, only 2 of 'em had Tink in their names, and they only took 3 of the 17 delegates. In 52, there was a "Tinklenberg - Uncommitted" subcaucus that took 2 delegates, a Franken-Tinklenberg that took 1 delegage, and there MIGHT have been another subcaucus with Tinklenberg in it's name that took 4 delegates - maybe. So, out of 17 delegates in 52, Tinklenberg at best got 7, at worst only 3.
Even at best, in 52, that's still only 7. Add that 7 to the 3 from 56, and Tinklenberg only took 10 of 27 - a far cry from "...nearly 60% of the delegates chosen."
Since John Wodele's name was on the Press Release, I called him this morning with a simple question: "How did the campaign come up with 60%?"
And boy, did I get an earful.
Don't sweat it Two Putt, they're still trying to figure out how to li...deciev...fi...twi...distort their way around the DC Watchdog's Lobbying story.
Did Tinklenberg's people go to Randy Demmer Math School?
.
Matt Hoover and Suzy Preston expecting second child
The Biggest Loser 2 stars Matt Hoover, 31, and Suzy Preston, also 31, have announced that they are expecting their second child in September. The new baby will join the couple's first child, son Rex Timothy, 9 months this Sunday. Suzy states,
We are so excited to grow our family. We have had so much fun and joy with Rex we know it will be doubly fun with two!
Source: In Touch
Thanks to CBB reader Trish.
Introducing Maximilian David and Emme Maribel Muñiz
Singers and actors Marc Anthony, 39, and Jennifer Lopez, 38, introduce their fraternal twins Emme Maribel and Maximilian David Muñiz, 4 weeks on Friday, in the latest issue of People.
The images were taken by photographer Tony Duran during an 8-hour shoot at the couple's Long Island, NY home over the weekend, and are featured in a 12 page spread in the magazine.
Click below for the full interview highlights.
First, a little clearing up. The babies were born by c-section, but the times that were originally announced by her rep were wrong -- Max was born 1 minute after Emme, not 11 minutes. Max's birth weight was actually 5 lbs, 13 oz, not the 6 lbs initially reported.
The girl's name is pronounced "Emmy," and the twins' middle names are David and Maribel, each derived from family members. David honors Jennifer's father, while Maribel was the name of Marc's sister, who passed away from a brain tumor. Their surname is Muñiz, which is Marc's legal last name and Jennifer's married one -- she uses it in her personal life.
Now ... onto the highlights!
On the time it took to get pregnant:
Jennifer was asked specifically to "set the record straight about how challenging it was to conceive."
J: It was natural. We didn't do in vitro, which I know was reported. Everyone assumed that because we had twins. I wanted to have a baby, but I've always said exactly what I said all those years they asked us since we've been married: "Well, when are you guys gonna have some kids?" "When it happens naturally, I guess!" And that's when it happened. It was a surprise to us.
You start getting older, you think to yourself, maybe [having kids] isn't meant for me. I knew there was nothing wrong with me. I knew that I could. Deep down, I really wanted it badly.
M: It never even entered my mind that it would not happen.
J: Really?! Even after one year, two years, three years ... You know, you start thinking to yourself, "Well, maybe..."
M: No! When you think about it, you only have a small amount of time each month when you can. So you try, and you have twelve shots a year.
On finding out that she was, in fact, expecting:
J: I was in Portugal, performing and dancing my ass off...
M: We were on the phone, and I said, "Baby, I have a sense!"
J: I said, "You think I am?" because it had been so long. When I came back, I took a test. I couldn't believe it! I was like, "Can we get another test, please?"
I think I really got to a point where I was like, "This is not going to happen for me." [But the third test I took,] it was right there in my face. At that point I looked and I said, "Marc, could this be me?" I had tears in my eyes.
On finding out they were expecting two bundles of joy:
J: I was in denial until I went to the doctor [for a sonogram several weeks later] and she said, "Oh my God! There's one baby, see the heart beating? And there's the other one!" Marc started crying again, and I started giggling.
M: One person said, "Everything with you is a production!"
J: I knew twins ran in my family, and we always joked, "Who do you think is going to have the twins?" So, of course, all my sisters were like, "It's you, it's you!"
M: My grandfather was a twin, too.
On her pregnancy experience:
J: No [morning sickness].
M: No cravings.
J: I had one of the best pregnancies ever. And, I have to say, one of the best husbands, who helped me through every emotional moment. Because you're very hormonal! Even though I feel I behaved pretty well through the whole thing.
M: Read my book! Just kidding. It was splendid.
J: I told Marc, I don't know if this will happen again. I want us to share this together. And we went on tour until I was 6½ months.
Why they didn't make an announcement until that point:
J: We didn't confirm it because I didn't want people coming to our show and having everything be about that. I just didn't want that to be a focus.
M: My philosophy was, when you release a statement, who are you talking to? Our families know. Our friends...
J: People were like, "You're keeping a secret!" We're like, "Everybody knows. We just haven't confirmed it in the press."
On the birth:
M: I kept a video diary, and we filmed everything.
J: No complications. [The c-section] went very fast. There's this intense fear and intense anticipation. [Then] they showed us the babies. We look to the right, and there's Emme, screaming with her arms up. They're holding her around her chest.
M: One minute later...
J: There's Max! To me, they both looked like Marc. I think that's the first thing I said, "She looks like you! He looks like you too!" The doctor said, "Did Jennifer get a gene in here or what?"
M: And from that moment, the love affair started.
J: All I could say was, "Thank you, God." I kept saying it over and over and over.
On no longer being pregnant:
J: I miss feeling them inside of me. It's funny -- when their little umbilical cords fell off, I cried. That was the last attachment we had where it was just us.
On motherhood:
J: You hear people say this all the time, but it's not until you experience it yourself that you can put it into your own words. Your heart is connected to them. It feels like there's a string from my chest to theirs.
Absolutely, [this is the happiest time of my life right now]. Having children is the biggest thing that can happen, I think, to a woman. You win an Oscar, get nominated for a Golden Globe -- you know, whatever things you think are big -- I can't even think of anything that can match the actual miracle of giving birth and having your own child. It's beyond anything you could ever imagine.
On the change parenthood has brought:
J: I knew I'd be protective. I knew I'd love them intensely and passionately enough to stay up for the first three days after giving birth, because I just wanted to keep staring at them.
I've been very career-oriented my whole life and very focused on my own world and my own life, and all of a sudden the focus just shifts. It's like, "Whoosh!" I want to do everything for them.
I think I've had a pretty great life so far, but there are moments of magic in your life. And I think this is always going to be remembered by me as the most magical time. With all the things that Marc and I have done and accomplished in our lives, this is the biggest thing that will ever be.
On her decision not to nurse the twins:
J: My mom didn't breastfeed, and I think that was the thing for me. You read and figure out what's the best thing for them.
On bottle and diaper duty:
The couple have two round-the-clock baby nurses, but they say they like to do the grunt work themselves.
M: It'll be 3 in the morning, and we'll be like, 'Next feeding in 30 minutes! Okay, cool!'
J: I [get up]. Marc does too.
M: I don't go to sleep!
J: We don't go to sleep until 6 a.m. now. We're still in the first month, of course!
He's the best [at diaper duty]. He puts the help that we have to shame. [He tells me what to do.] I have no ego about learning, I never have.
M: [We're having trouble with] the quick draw when Max needs to pee! I was like, when a little boy gets a little shiver, he might do a little squirt action. So you keep the Pamper on until you get the other one under, then you do the little flap.
J: I haven't mastered that one yet.
M: He [only squirted] her!
On each other as parents:
M: She's a phenomenal mom.
J: He's such a natural with the babies.
On the twins' personalities and physical features:
J: Max was very tranquil right from the start. Emme just wouldn't sleep after being born.
Emme is a total girl. You take off her clothes and she covers up, and her hands are very feminine. And she has more hair than him. And he is like a tank, with these little arms...
On if they'll be baptized:
J: Yes -- for sure.
On her weight gain and nesting:
J: I gained a good amount of weight, which I was focused on because twins can sometimes have low birth weight. I gained 45-50 lbs, a lot for my frame, but for twins it's right on. [After they're born,] you lose so much. It's amazing how your stomach just goes, "Boop," and it's this jiggly mass. It's funny!
Right now, [I don't care about getting my old shape back]. I even play with my little leftover belly, you know? I had to lie in bed towards the end, every day for four hours a day to put my feet up. But I was very active through the pregnancy.
M: An hour before we go to the hospital, she's decorating the bedroom downstairs, making sure the carpet is in, rearranging the furniture. I said, "Honey, you're going to give birth in about two hours." And she's like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that chair in the corner..." I said, "Baby, we have to go!"
J: That's my way. Even when I was doing that, I was thinking, "What could I do this year to give me a great feeling of accomplishment?" I want my babies to be proud of me. "Maybe I'll do a triathlon."
M: An underachiever over here. "Oh, maybe I'll do a triathlon because I've never done that before!"
J: I want the babies to be proud of their mom. Probably in October. September, October.
On adoption possibilities:
J: You know, I have three stepchildren too. We were really enjoying our lives, and we have Marc's kids that we get to enjoy. They're angels. But I would never rule out adoption.
Private vs. public school:
J: We haven't decided yet. We have a few years before they have to be in school all the time. If we're traveling a lot, then obviously I'm not going to want to be away from them. They'll have to be homeschooled. If we're in one place and doing something different and we can be in one place...
M: We can do both.
J: It's decisions that we'll make depending on our lifestyle so that the family unit is always together. I think that is the most important thing to me.
On the nursery:
Although they have an expansive (and expensive!) nursery, Marc and Jennifer often take the twins to bed with them instead.
J: Their room is right next to ours.
On gifts:
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes gave Bonpoint outfits. Eva Longoria Parker and Ken Paves gave a pair of Silver Cross prams. Dolce & Gabbana gave custom-made fur wraps.
J: It just made me feel so good that my children were being welcomed into the world.
And as the interview winds down, Marc makes it clear that Max and Emme are all he's thinking about lately. He tells journalist Peter Castro,
No offense, but I'm dying to get back to the kids.
Source: People, March 31st issue
See Dita von Teese's Shocking Transformation
Dita von Teese Before and After
Published: Monday, March 3, 2008 - 17:44
Body-Philosophy Rss Feed
By Erin DonnellyPublished: Monday, March 3, 2008 - 17:44
In 1990, this pretty Michigan high-schooler was the picture of blond perfection. Today, she's the most famous burlesque performer in the world, famed for her tiny waist, raven locks, and scintillating stripteases. So just how did blonde Heather Sweet become Dita von Teese, burlesque queen and ex-wife of Marilyn Manson?
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Is health care a right? (by Russell Roberts)
Is health care a right? I have no idea. What I do know is that treating it like a right can be hazardous to our health. Here's my debate on the issue with a doctor who thinks health care is a right and the government should provide it.
Comment on 這是一個沒有名字的主義，它需要深深的思考 by Angel
我覺得對這個議題有興趣的人
就會去了解”兩性工作平等法”、
“性騷擾防治法”、還有”民法親屬篇”。
因為法律是道德的最低標準
大家可以看看那些立法者是如何看待女性的
我曾經標過”台灣性別平權”的紀錄片
請了黃玉珊擔任導演(他是一個資深的電影/紀錄片導演，得過多項大獎)
但是我跟公視另一個資深的女性導演都沒得標
我覺得原因很簡單
10多位委員，只有兩個女性:一個是政府官員、一個是學者
因為每個人都是站在自己立場思考，所以我沒站在男性角度思考，沒得標理所當然。簡報結果通知後，
我的前老闆大罵我：你就是沒有把男性放進去，才沒得標的。
我：我有放彭婉如的老公，他是男性。(其實老闆只想罵我)
老闆：不夠多。性別平權怎麼沒男性。(他只想要我承認錯誤)
我的前老闆是個沙文主義者，
他曾經說:馬英九不是男人！自此我認定他是沙文主義者。
因為他不會認為馬英九是動物，所以他認為馬英九應該是”女的”(懦弱…)
我對著我的沙文主義老闆說：如果男女平等的話，就不用說性別平權了。
如果大多是的男性不是立法者、不是總統、不是主管，
就不用說性別平權了。
我真的想說的是：
BOSS不要一附被員工欺負的樣子，好像你很聰明，員工都很笨，
也不想想這些笨蛋，應徵的時候都很聰明，都被你應徵進來，
不過大家都是因為變成你的員工，才變笨的。
你的權力很大，領的薪水很多，卻不會讓員工獨自思考，
不會領導比你小30歲的員工，你用30年前的管理方式，
想要管理所有員工，我們只好裝傻，只有我會跟你說實話，
所以我被你討厭，因為實話是最難讓人相信的，實話最不舒服。
所以我很笨，我笨到覺得你會懂，我曾經以為你會懂。
抱怨了一推
不如推薦大家看我的”總經理的新衣”
總經理在台灣(別的國家我不熟)
是一個資本主義+沙文主義的代表
但是這是教育、媒體、政治教導我們的
想要三從四德的女性
會活的比較舒服
想要當副總統的女性
雖然不是聖人
但是我很敬佩他
Comment on 美國經濟衰退，Web 2.0又破泡了嗎？ by Angel
“世上有沒有點子，可以一開始就賺錢，然後，又帶有網路上最純正的感染力？”
我覺得這個問題要改變問法，就會有答案。
世界上有沒有點子，可以用最純正的感染力，然後可以賺錢？
這是社會企業的概念、”共好”的概念、雙贏的概念、永續的概念
LOHAS的概念
這是我的點子的概念
為什麼我要在網路實踐呢
我可以去像NGC提案，拿12萬美金完成節目，或許會有金鐘獎
但是So What?!
我不過是在幫美國人做節目
給美國的白人男性看(他們的最大觀眾群、他們自己)
不過很有趣的是
NGC的主管，除了老闆，幾乎都是女性^^(這是題外話)
所以答案是YES
但是做法有一千種
最好的方法 不是最快的方法 也不是最快賺錢的方法
所以若水還是有大企業的迷思
能不能成功 到底我跟若水誰會先成功
有錢就能成功嗎
我想時間會告訴我們!
Cheer Up, It’s Baseball Season
Billy Crystal takes BP with the Yankees in preparation for an exhibition game against the Pirates.
[BP pitcher] Martinez, prodded by Jeter, playfully tossed a pitch behind Crystal’s helmet during BP. Crystal was equal to the moment, walking toward the mound and pointing his bat.
Crystal ended the 90-minute session with his best swing of the afternoon. The righty lined what would’ve been a double down the left-field line, then lingered a few extra minutes talking with Triple-A hitting coach Butch Wynegar about mechanics.
“I was surprised. You could tell he’s been working at it,” Martinez said.
The Pirates’ manager doesn’t have a problem, but I like their pitcher’s remarks the best:
“It’s a no-win situation for me,” [lefty Paul Maholm] said, smiling. “I’m supposed to get the guy out. If he gets a hit off me, though, I might to have hang ‘em up after the game.”
Comment on 老闆找你抽根煙，說「NO」才是尊重他 by nchild
文化是人樹立的，當然有人可以倡議拒抽拒喝，樓上地獄犬所言五百萬的訂單肯定不是發生在網路界，至少以參加網路方面聚會，或是談合作經驗而言，還沒有一次有其他產業的這種文化，若是文化未定形，肯定更有機會，不過這方面要擴張到傳統業界，的確難度高很多。
話說回來，五百萬是不是怎樣都可以？性交換可以嗎？需要違法可以嗎？每個人對於交易的取捨不同，更何況說不之後就失去五百萬是未經證實的假設。說到這，我也必須承認，有時候不能盡如人意，我可以請朋友尊重我，我也尊重他們，可碰到開會就要吸菸的主管、老師，我還沒有guts去拒絕。
我只覺得，煙跟酒有一個差異是共處一室互相尊重下最大的障礙，喝酒除非喝倒掛又吐的狀況，否則不會對其他人有太大影響，而真正到此狀況，喝酒者也會很不舒服，但抽煙不同，實在很難"盡量不要吸到"，吸到對非吸菸者就是非常不舒服的。
說到這，不如像卿沄一樣來許個願望。
不抽煙的人也能同理吸煙的人的心情，我希望有誰能發明不傷害身體的菸，讓吸菸的人以及身旁的親友，身體都能健健康康，免於尼古丁的殘害。
最早的時候由提出希望，可是的希望更加入了對吸菸者的體諒與關懷，實在太窩心了！ 我不吸菸，但我尊重吸菸者自由選擇的權利，只希望吸菸者同樣能尊重非吸菸者。
General Discussion :: Found very good anti-spyware program!
Auteur: Anonymous
Sujet: Found very good anti-spyware program!
Posté le: Sam 22 Mar 2008 12:35 (GMT 1)
Sujet Réponses: 0
Hi
I recently had big problem with spyware and malware. My computer was really slow. Lot's of popups were thrown up. Then i had enough and i decided to do something about it. I googled some spyware programs and then i got to this nice homepage of Spyware Removal. I checked info written on the site and got really excited. So i decided to download it and got really suprised. It really worked as it was written and as Spyware programs should work. I think this is the one of the Anti Spyware program i ever have seen.
I recommend this spyware and adware removal program to everyone who i know and has problems with his/her PC. I hope i wrote some valuable information for you guys. Because this page was really valuable to me.
Sujet: Found very good anti-spyware program!
Posté le: Sam 22 Mar 2008 12:35 (GMT 1)
Sujet Réponses: 0
Hi
I recently had big problem with spyware and malware. My computer was really slow. Lot's of popups were thrown up. Then i had enough and i decided to do something about it. I googled some spyware programs and then i got to this nice homepage of Spyware Removal. I checked info written on the site and got really excited. So i decided to download it and got really suprised. It really worked as it was written and as Spyware programs should work. I think this is the one of the Anti Spyware program i ever have seen.
I recommend this spyware and adware removal program to everyone who i know and has problems with his/her PC. I hope i wrote some valuable information for you guys. Because this page was really valuable to me.
Technology-Superstitious Administration
It’s not a computer unless you can prove to the TSA that it’s a computer … and the older members who can’t tell a computer from a Lite-Brite won’t necessarily take the word of the younger members who can recognize a modern-generation Mac when they see it.
I’m standing, watching my laptop on the table, listening to security clucking just behind me. “There’s no drive,” one says. “And no ports on the back. It has a couple of lines where the drive should be,” she continues.
A younger agent, joins the crew. I must now be occupying ten, perhaps twenty, percent of the security force. At this checkpoint anyway. There are three score more at the other five checkpoints. The new arrival looks at the printouts from x-ray, looks at my laptop sitting small and alone. He tells the others that it is a real laptop, not a “device”. That it has a solid-state drive instead of a hard disc. They don’t know what he means. He tries again, “Instead of a spinning disc, it keeps everything in flash memory.” Still no good. “Like the memory card in a digital camera.” He points to the x-ray, “Here. That’s what it uses instead of a hard drive.”
The senior agent hasn’t been trained for technological change. New products on the market? They haven’t been TSA approved. Probably shouldn’t be permitted. He requires me to open the “device” and run a program. I do, and despite his inclination, the lead agent decides to release me and my troublesome laptop. My flight is long gone now, so I head for the service center to get rebooked.
At least this guy had the sense not to try to “touch the items in the inspection area” while they were debating whether it was a wooden duck or a witch. The day the TSA actually single-handedly makes me miss my flight might be the day I start driving on all my trips.
Via Ace’s headlines.
Comment on 老闆找你抽根煙，說「NO」才是尊重他 by haryewkun
> 不煙不酒者，應該以面對一般人的心去面對他們，最好根本就忘了他是
> 吸煙、喝酒這回事。想尊重他們的「特殊」，就是得忘了「他們是特
> 殊」這件事，用最原本原本的自己，來面對他們。讓他們都知道，每個
> 人都有自己的深度。
這邊可能有點一廂情願的地方在於，你認爲"用最真、最坦誠、不作僞的一面面對對方，對方便會認爲你是在尊重他"，可是事實上並不一定。
我們用最真、最坦誠、不作僞的一面去面對對方，對方不一定覺得我們在尊重他。反而很可能有別的猜測，或者即使明明知道你有道理，卻依然會不爽。
有很多時候，"存在有其道理"。如果不是有其必要，有些業務人員陪客戶喝酒喝到吐，難道是因爲業務人員自己想要找苦頭吃？
誰不想用"最真、最坦誠、不作僞"的一面去面對人？哪一個社會新鮮人，不懷抱過這樣的夢想：不用戴面具、不用婉轉奉承、不用拍馬屁、不必鑽研，那該多輕鬆……
Being Aware of the Additional Costs of Credit Ding
Being Aware of the Additional Costs of Credit Dings by Jon Arnold
Nobody wants blemishes or dings on their credit report. It just does not make good business sense, even for Joe Average Consumer and his household budget. When you start getting dings on your credit report due to late payments and overdue accounts, now your existing accounts and any new accounts you may want to open, such as a loan for a new car, look at you as a higher credit risk. That pushes you up into a higher interest rate on that loan.
And if you have enough dings on your credit report, your existing accounts can also raise the interest rate that you are paying. You may not realize it, but your existing accounts probably do a credit check on you every year or every couple of years to make sure you are still the credit risk they thought you were when they opened your account. If you are a significantly worse credit risk, you may get a letter from them stating that they have decided to raise your interest rate to cover their additional perceived risk.
Note that I'm talking about 'dings' on your credit report. Hopefully you don't have a full-fledged fender bender like an account being charged off, or a total head-on like a bankruptcy. You can still work with those, but you have just made your task quite a bit tougher, both in terms of time and in terms of your efforts to straighten it out.
While it's bad enough to have some dings on your credit report because of some unexpected things that popped up, there is an additional cost there, in real dollars, that most people aren't aware of. Those credit blemishes can also raise your car insurance rates.
The auto insurance industry is now starting to use your credit score as one of the determining factors when they establish the rate you will be required to pay for car insurance. If you do not use credit very much, and even if you don't have any blemishes, your credit score might be too low to make an accurate determination of what kind of credit risk you are, so your car insurance rates might be quoted higher.
The theory used by the car insurance companies is that your credit score is a direct reflection on your character and your credit worthiness, and their studies allegedly indicate that someone with a lower credit score is a higher risk driver. Interestingly enough, the Federal Trade Commission also supports those studies and findings with studies of its own, which indicate that credit-based insurance scores are a pretty accurate predictor of the number and cost of claims. At this time, the top 14 car insurance companies utilize the consumer's credit score to establish rate premiums.
What can you do about it? A lot, although most consumers are not aware of what they can and should be doing on a regular basis. The bottom line is that you need to raise your credit score. We're not talking some illegal activity here or some scam artist. The fact is that most credit reports contain errors, and the more errors you have, the worse your credit score will be. So when you add in a couple dings, your score is reflected as worse than it really is. It is your right to have an accurate credit report, but if you don't take action to get it corrected, nobody else will either.
For more insights and additional information on how to Raise Your Credit Score please visit our web site at http://www.credit-help-center.com
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Nobody wants blemishes or dings on their credit report. It just does not make good business sense, even for Joe Average Consumer and his household budget. When you start getting dings on your credit report due to late payments and overdue accounts, now your existing accounts and any new accounts you may want to open, such as a loan for a new car, look at you as a higher credit risk. That pushes you up into a higher interest rate on that loan.
And if you have enough dings on your credit report, your existing accounts can also raise the interest rate that you are paying. You may not realize it, but your existing accounts probably do a credit check on you every year or every couple of years to make sure you are still the credit risk they thought you were when they opened your account. If you are a significantly worse credit risk, you may get a letter from them stating that they have decided to raise your interest rate to cover their additional perceived risk.
Note that I'm talking about 'dings' on your credit report. Hopefully you don't have a full-fledged fender bender like an account being charged off, or a total head-on like a bankruptcy. You can still work with those, but you have just made your task quite a bit tougher, both in terms of time and in terms of your efforts to straighten it out.
While it's bad enough to have some dings on your credit report because of some unexpected things that popped up, there is an additional cost there, in real dollars, that most people aren't aware of. Those credit blemishes can also raise your car insurance rates.
The auto insurance industry is now starting to use your credit score as one of the determining factors when they establish the rate you will be required to pay for car insurance. If you do not use credit very much, and even if you don't have any blemishes, your credit score might be too low to make an accurate determination of what kind of credit risk you are, so your car insurance rates might be quoted higher.
The theory used by the car insurance companies is that your credit score is a direct reflection on your character and your credit worthiness, and their studies allegedly indicate that someone with a lower credit score is a higher risk driver. Interestingly enough, the Federal Trade Commission also supports those studies and findings with studies of its own, which indicate that credit-based insurance scores are a pretty accurate predictor of the number and cost of claims. At this time, the top 14 car insurance companies utilize the consumer's credit score to establish rate premiums.
What can you do about it? A lot, although most consumers are not aware of what they can and should be doing on a regular basis. The bottom line is that you need to raise your credit score. We're not talking some illegal activity here or some scam artist. The fact is that most credit reports contain errors, and the more errors you have, the worse your credit score will be. So when you add in a couple dings, your score is reflected as worse than it really is. It is your right to have an accurate credit report, but if you don't take action to get it corrected, nobody else will either.
For more insights and additional information on how to Raise Your Credit Score please visit our web site at http://www.credit-help-center.com
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Risks by the foreign exchange on Forex
Risks by the foreign exchange on Forex by Tomas Anderson
The Forex is essentially risk-bearing. By the evaluation of the grade of a possible risk accounted should be the following kinds of it: exchange rate risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk, country risk.
Exchange rate risk. Exchange rate risk is the effect of the continuous shift in the worldwide market supply and demand balance on an outstanding foreign exchange position. For the period it is outstanding, the position will be subject to all the price changes. The most popular measures to cut losses short and ride profitable positions that losses should be kept within manageable limits are the position limit and the loss limit. By the position limitation a maximum amount of a certain currency a trader is allowed to carry at any single time during the regular trading hours is to be established. The loss limit is a measure designed to avoid unsustainable losses made by traders by means of stop-loss levels setting.
Interest rate risk. Interest rate risk refers to the profit and loss generated by fluctuations in the forward spreads, along with forward amount mismatches and maturity gaps among transactions in the foreign exchange book. This risk is pertinent to currency swaps, forward outright, futures, and options (See below). To minimize interest rate risk, one sets limits on the total size of mismatches. A common approach is to separate the mismatches, based on their maturity dates, into up to six months and past six months. All the transactions are entered in computerized systems in order to calculate the positions for all the dates of the delivery, gains and losses. Continuous analysis of the interest rate environment is necessary to forecast any changes that may impact on the outstanding gaps.
Credit risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that an outstanding currency position may not be repaid as agreed, due to a voluntary or involuntary action by a counter party. In these cases, trading occurs on regulated exchanges, such as the clearinghouse of Chicago. The following forms of credit risk are known:
1. Replacement risk occurs when counterparties of the failed bank find their books are subjected to the danger not to get refunds from the bank, where appropriate accounts became unbalanced.
2. Settlement risk occurs because of the time zones on different continents. Consequently, currencies may be traded at the different price at different times during the trading day. Australian and New Zealand dollars are credited first, then Japanese yen, followed by the European currencies and ending with the U.S. dollar. Therefore, payment may be made to a party that will declare insolvency (or be declared insolvent) immediately after, but prior to executing its own payments.
Therefore in assessing the credit risk, end users must consider not only the market value of their currency portfolios, but also the potential exposure of these portfolios. The potential exposure may be determined through probability analysis over the time to maturity of the outstanding position. The computerized systems currently available are very useful in implementing credit risk policies. Credit lines are easily monitored. In addition, the matching systems introduced in foreign exchange since April 1993 are used by traders for credit policy implementation as well. Traders input the total line of credit for a specific counterparty. During the trading session, the line of credit is automatically adjusted. If the line is fully used, the system will prevent the trader from further dealing with that counterparty. After maturity, the credit line reverts to its original level.
Dictatorship risk. Dictatorship (sovereign) risk refers to the government's interference in the Forex activity. Although theoretically present in all foreign exchange instruments, currency futures are, for all practical purposes, excepted from country risk, because the major currency futures markets are located in the USA. Hence, traders have to realize that kind of the risk and be in state to account possible administrative restrictions.
Tomas Anderson is the editor of www.go-see.info - a free Article Directory, where anyone can submit articles or find free content for the website.
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
The Forex is essentially risk-bearing. By the evaluation of the grade of a possible risk accounted should be the following kinds of it: exchange rate risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk, country risk.
Exchange rate risk. Exchange rate risk is the effect of the continuous shift in the worldwide market supply and demand balance on an outstanding foreign exchange position. For the period it is outstanding, the position will be subject to all the price changes. The most popular measures to cut losses short and ride profitable positions that losses should be kept within manageable limits are the position limit and the loss limit. By the position limitation a maximum amount of a certain currency a trader is allowed to carry at any single time during the regular trading hours is to be established. The loss limit is a measure designed to avoid unsustainable losses made by traders by means of stop-loss levels setting.
Interest rate risk. Interest rate risk refers to the profit and loss generated by fluctuations in the forward spreads, along with forward amount mismatches and maturity gaps among transactions in the foreign exchange book. This risk is pertinent to currency swaps, forward outright, futures, and options (See below). To minimize interest rate risk, one sets limits on the total size of mismatches. A common approach is to separate the mismatches, based on their maturity dates, into up to six months and past six months. All the transactions are entered in computerized systems in order to calculate the positions for all the dates of the delivery, gains and losses. Continuous analysis of the interest rate environment is necessary to forecast any changes that may impact on the outstanding gaps.
Credit risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that an outstanding currency position may not be repaid as agreed, due to a voluntary or involuntary action by a counter party. In these cases, trading occurs on regulated exchanges, such as the clearinghouse of Chicago. The following forms of credit risk are known:
1. Replacement risk occurs when counterparties of the failed bank find their books are subjected to the danger not to get refunds from the bank, where appropriate accounts became unbalanced.
2. Settlement risk occurs because of the time zones on different continents. Consequently, currencies may be traded at the different price at different times during the trading day. Australian and New Zealand dollars are credited first, then Japanese yen, followed by the European currencies and ending with the U.S. dollar. Therefore, payment may be made to a party that will declare insolvency (or be declared insolvent) immediately after, but prior to executing its own payments.
Therefore in assessing the credit risk, end users must consider not only the market value of their currency portfolios, but also the potential exposure of these portfolios. The potential exposure may be determined through probability analysis over the time to maturity of the outstanding position. The computerized systems currently available are very useful in implementing credit risk policies. Credit lines are easily monitored. In addition, the matching systems introduced in foreign exchange since April 1993 are used by traders for credit policy implementation as well. Traders input the total line of credit for a specific counterparty. During the trading session, the line of credit is automatically adjusted. If the line is fully used, the system will prevent the trader from further dealing with that counterparty. After maturity, the credit line reverts to its original level.
Dictatorship risk. Dictatorship (sovereign) risk refers to the government's interference in the Forex activity. Although theoretically present in all foreign exchange instruments, currency futures are, for all practical purposes, excepted from country risk, because the major currency futures markets are located in the USA. Hence, traders have to realize that kind of the risk and be in state to account possible administrative restrictions.
Tomas Anderson is the editor of www.go-see.info - a free Article Directory, where anyone can submit articles or find free content for the website.
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Scenarios :: RE: Playing police?
Author: AnthonyM83
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:08 am (GMT -5)
Topic Replies: 19
Scaramedic wrote: Not slamming you Anthony but, that's just plain stupid. -cut-
It's sad to see L.A. county hasn't changed the system Johnny and Roy worked in. WTF do you need FF's for, is the patient on fire? Bad system. I don't know how you can stand it. And it LOOKS plain stupid...especially when there's also a medic intern plus an EMT trainee....that's 10 people in a living room at times.
Sometimes I just wait outside, but I also want to hear what goes on for the times they send the patient with us BLS-only when it's really ALS criteria. It's frustrating, but at least I'm getting call volume experience. Once I'm a medic, I'll afford enough gas to commute out of county for work.
_________________
Anthony
EMT
BLS Unit
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:08 am (GMT -5)
Topic Replies: 19
Scaramedic wrote: Not slamming you Anthony but, that's just plain stupid. -cut-
It's sad to see L.A. county hasn't changed the system Johnny and Roy worked in. WTF do you need FF's for, is the patient on fire? Bad system. I don't know how you can stand it. And it LOOKS plain stupid...especially when there's also a medic intern plus an EMT trainee....that's 10 people in a living room at times.
Sometimes I just wait outside, but I also want to hear what goes on for the times they send the patient with us BLS-only when it's really ALS criteria. It's frustrating, but at least I'm getting call volume experience. Once I'm a medic, I'll afford enough gas to commute out of county for work.
_________________
Anthony
EMT
BLS Unit
An Untouched Issue: The Aging of America
If I may interrupt the campaign for a moment to bring up a mega-issue that is barely discussed but will confront the next several presidents–the aging of America and its consequences.
Older people, according to most polls, are the most diligent voters. And according to a September Pew Research study, people 50 years and older are also among the most knowledgeable. Indeed, persons over 65 scored almost as well as college graduates on a current events quiz.
What's more, according to a May, 2007, Brookings Institution paper, "Mapping The Growth of Older America," the 77 million aging boomers, or "pre-seniors," will create a "senior tsunami" during the next few years as they prepare for retirement and their older years.
However, my experience writing a seniors column for the past 11 years tells me that millions of these boomers fear the prospects of growing older and having to quit work, and they view the future darkly especially now, as the stock and real estate markets have tanked. For many the crisis has come just as they needed the money for retirement in their 401(k)s.
These older Americans, boomers and the seniors of the World War II generation, are the fastest growing population group in the country, according to the Brookings study. They are part of what Dr. Robert Butler, a Pulitzer Prize winning aging specialist, calls "The Longevity Revolution," the title of his new book, which deals with the consequences of the remarkable increases in life expectancy in the 20th century.
But the growth in life expectancy, Butler told me in an interview, has also become a "paradox of longevity," for the aging of the nation has ignited fears widely expressed by demographers and conservative thinkers that society and its medical and nursing facilities and government budgets could be overwhelmed by what have called this "gray peril."
Indeed, the aging of the nation is, as Butler says, an imminent and great problem. But you wouldn't know it from the rhetoric of the presidential campaign. The candidates speak to an extent of obvious issues, like Medicare and Social Security. But little is said about the more fundamental and complex issues of aging.
As you might expect, the Democratic candidates offer helpful proposals on their Web sites for some current problems confronting today's seniors. Sen. Hillary Clinton has worthwhile suggestions to help improve nursing homes and pay for long term insurance. Sen. Barack Obama would tackle the coming shortfall in the Social Security trust fund by calling for a needed raise in the cap on payroll deductions for higher salaried workers. And both favor cutting back on the Bush administration's privatization of Medicare and aiming for universal health care.
Republican Sen. John McCain, who is 71 and eligible for Medicare and Social Security but will never need either one, has no proposals to strengthen them; he would cut them back in order to save money for further tax cuts.
The Democratic proposals and some Republican alternatives, however worthwhile, are palliatives. No one is speaking at all about the aging tidal wave and how the nation should prepare for it. If people live longer, there is a greater likelihood that they'll get sick. One in eight boomers may develop Alzheimer's; how shall they be cared for?
The less discussed problem for Social Security is not its future finances; which may be easily solved. What is not so easily solved are the trends that will make Social Security less dependable as a solid foundation for retirement security. According to Alicia Munnell of Boston College's Center for Retirement Security, Social Security was designed to replace 40 percent of the average worker's final income and it has done so until now. But that is going down to 30 percent in the next few years, because of rising taxes on Social Security, increasing the retirement age to 67 and larger costs for Medicare premiums, which are deducted from Social Security checks..
Furthermore, Social Security may become one of the last of the defined benefit pensions, for old-fashioned company pensions, which guaranteed payments for life based on salary and length of service, are disappearing. The reasons include the decline of unions, company bankruptcies, and naive faith in the market among younger workers. In place of pensions, employers have offered 401(k) plans, to which the employer may or may or may not contribute. They're a good deal for the bosses; all the risk and responsibility is with the worker. They are only lightly regulated. And unlike company pensions, workers can tap into their 401(k) if they need the cash. Indeed many people are using their retirement savings plans these days to prevent foreclosure on their homes or to pay medical bills.
Most Americans don't have any such savings plans. The average American saving rate is below zero. And Munnell's studies have found that those workers who do have 401(k)s, don't save as much as they could or understand the market. As a result, says Munnell., even 25 years after such savings plans were established, the typical worker aged 50 to 64 has accumulated only $50,000 in their 401(k), not nearly enough for retirement.
In the face of a roller-coaster economy, job losses, fewer union protections, soaring Medical costs, little or no health insurance protection for workers, much less retirees, how can the boomers and those who come after them afford to retire? How will the nation handle the "paradox of longevity?" Or maybe we can’t afford and don’t want so many old people. Who in this long campaign–reporters or candidates–will ask such questions?
Celebrating I.F. Stone’s Birthday By Encouraging Independent Journalism
I.F. Stone's 100th birthday comes at what feels like a real low point in terms of the iconoclastic, independent journalism with which Stone is so unmistakably identified.
So it's particularly appropriate that the observations of Stone's birthday aren't just fond looks back at the rebel journalist's storied career; they have a strong focus on strengthening and encouraging independent journalism going forward.
There's a birthday party and panel discussion next week at NYU (you're all invited); a new ifstone.org Web site about Stone launched by his son, Jeremy Stone (come visit); and — most significantly — a new I.F. Stone Medal established by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University and its Watchdog Project.
The I.F. Stone Medal will be presented annually to a journalist whose watchdog work captures the spirit of independence, integrity, courage and indefatigability that characterized I.F. Stone's Weekly. The medal ceremony will be more than just a party: Each year, the winner will talk about his or her own work, after which a distinguished panel will try to identify some practical lessons from the award winner's experience.
Stone believed that strong dissenting voices are crucial to keeping the United States true to its democratic ideals. As Bob Giles, curator of the Nieman Foundation, writes in his announcement of the new medal: "It is this spirit of independent thinking that challenges punditry and conventional wisdom that we wish to honor. The press, as an independent bedrock of our democracy, and the freedom of journalists to stand alone and apart from mainstream ideas and political currents are under great stress. Today, Izzy Stone serves as a model of the resolute, provocative journalist who worked against injustice and inequity, and loathed pomposity and false posturing, often at personal cost."
Our industry right now is suffering from a grave lack of independence, manifested in self-censorship and timidity. The pressures are clear. The increasing corporate ownership of newspaper and television stations has literally undermined our independence and in too many newsrooms is making us more responsive to our stockholders than to our readers. It threatens to make our newsrooms faceless and interchangeable, and to make journalism the voice of the powerful. There's also the rise of television punditry, which rewards glibness and balance over sincerity and authoritative analysis. And there's the fearful triangulation and misguided contrarianism that seems to have replaced independence and speaking truth to power as the guiding principles of political reportage.
I.F. Stone is rightfully a hero to those of us who value independent journalism. Most significantly to me, Stone never squelched his voice — an informed voice, full of outrage and born of an unconcealed devotion to fair play, civil rights, civil liberty, free speech, truth in government, and peace on earth. These are the same nonpartisan, humanist values that have fueled our discipline's best work throughout history.
And as it happens, our industry is ripe for a revival in which we proudly express our journalistic passions. As I've written elsewhere – for instance, in a book review of Myra MacPherson's excellent I.F. Stone biography, "All Governments Lie!" and in a Watchdog Blog post on calling bullshit – the Internet and Jon Stewart are providing us with a daily lesson in how deeply the public values passionate truth-telling.
So the occasion of I.F. Stone's 100th birthday provides the perfect opportunity for us to focus on the need for journalists to be independent from inappropriate economic, political and personal pressures — and for us to celebrate those who live by the principles Stone embodied.
Presentation is Everything on eBay- Protect Your M
Presentation is Everything on eBay- Protect Your Merchandise and Your Reputation with These Practical Packaging and Shipping Tips by Rinovette
You may not consider your Packaging and Shipping details to be of much importance on eBay -?Hey; I?ve already sold the stuff?? right? Wrong! Proper packaging and shipping is one of the most important aspects of being able to bring Customers back for more purchases. These important details can make the difference in becoming an eBay Power seller - or not.
First; you must consider the overall presentation, what kind of impression does it make with your Customer. If you expect to be taken seriously as a seller, your packages must show this. You don?t get an opportunity to meet most of your Customers face to face or to show off your expensive looking office, lobby, location, or whatever. As far as your Customer is concerned, your packaging is your business as this is all they will physically see of it and it is how your business will be perceived.
Outer Packaging
The outer packaging, of course; needs to be sturdy and protective. Try to find packaging slightly larger than the item being shipped. The closer you can find to the size of the item, the less packing supplies you will need to use (saving cost) and ultimately the more secure the item will be.
In the same sense, trying to cram an item in a package that is obviously too small can damage the item and also just plain looks bad. *USPS has free shipping boxes in multiple sizes available on their website at usps.com. Hey;?they will even deliver them right to you for free also!
Inner Packaging
There are 2 important things to remember when packaging your eBay items.- Protection and Presentation. How well will the item be protected and how is it going to look to an excited buyer to have their purchase that they?ve been anticipating for 2 or 3 days to arrive wrapped carelessly in newspaper? - Not very Professional. Spend a few bucks on some bubble wrap or packing peanuts; the investment will definitely pay off with repeat customers. Not to mention the money and hassle you will save on replacements or refunds if the item shows up damaged.
* Check with some local Furniture stores as they often have packing supplies which their furniture arrives in that they just end up throwing away. They may even put it aside for you if they know you will be by on a regular basis to take it off their hands. (This helps their overhead also, as their dumpster is not filled up as fast) J
Shipping
If you ship a lot of items First Class (thru USPS); you can save a lot of money on Postage and/or gas back and forth to the Post Office by utilizing their Free pick up service. * Check out Stamps.com for First Class postage (you can print your own stamps) instead of rounding up to the next stamp. I should also mention that the boxes that USPS supplies are Priority boxes only, so if you offer the two choices in your listings; you?re all set.
Regardless of the type of shipping you do or the shipping company you choose; keep in mind what the Customer is going to see when your package arrives - Would you be excited to open it? Protect your merchandise, your Feedback and your Reputation and you will have tons of repeat customers.
Mike Campbell is an eBay Powerseller and has been selling on eBay since 2001. Pick up your Free copy of 'The Newbie Guide To eBay Riches.' http://www.ebaynewbieguide.com/newbieguide.html
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You may not consider your Packaging and Shipping details to be of much importance on eBay -?Hey; I?ve already sold the stuff?? right? Wrong! Proper packaging and shipping is one of the most important aspects of being able to bring Customers back for more purchases. These important details can make the difference in becoming an eBay Power seller - or not.
First; you must consider the overall presentation, what kind of impression does it make with your Customer. If you expect to be taken seriously as a seller, your packages must show this. You don?t get an opportunity to meet most of your Customers face to face or to show off your expensive looking office, lobby, location, or whatever. As far as your Customer is concerned, your packaging is your business as this is all they will physically see of it and it is how your business will be perceived.
Outer Packaging
The outer packaging, of course; needs to be sturdy and protective. Try to find packaging slightly larger than the item being shipped. The closer you can find to the size of the item, the less packing supplies you will need to use (saving cost) and ultimately the more secure the item will be.
In the same sense, trying to cram an item in a package that is obviously too small can damage the item and also just plain looks bad. *USPS has free shipping boxes in multiple sizes available on their website at usps.com. Hey;?they will even deliver them right to you for free also!
Inner Packaging
There are 2 important things to remember when packaging your eBay items.- Protection and Presentation. How well will the item be protected and how is it going to look to an excited buyer to have their purchase that they?ve been anticipating for 2 or 3 days to arrive wrapped carelessly in newspaper? - Not very Professional. Spend a few bucks on some bubble wrap or packing peanuts; the investment will definitely pay off with repeat customers. Not to mention the money and hassle you will save on replacements or refunds if the item shows up damaged.
* Check with some local Furniture stores as they often have packing supplies which their furniture arrives in that they just end up throwing away. They may even put it aside for you if they know you will be by on a regular basis to take it off their hands. (This helps their overhead also, as their dumpster is not filled up as fast) J
Shipping
If you ship a lot of items First Class (thru USPS); you can save a lot of money on Postage and/or gas back and forth to the Post Office by utilizing their Free pick up service. * Check out Stamps.com for First Class postage (you can print your own stamps) instead of rounding up to the next stamp. I should also mention that the boxes that USPS supplies are Priority boxes only, so if you offer the two choices in your listings; you?re all set.
Regardless of the type of shipping you do or the shipping company you choose; keep in mind what the Customer is going to see when your package arrives - Would you be excited to open it? Protect your merchandise, your Feedback and your Reputation and you will have tons of repeat customers.
Mike Campbell is an eBay Powerseller and has been selling on eBay since 2001. Pick up your Free copy of 'The Newbie Guide To eBay Riches.' http://www.ebaynewbieguide.com/newbieguide.html
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Friday, March 21, 2008
Google Adsense: Why Do I Need Google Adsense?
Google Adsense: Why Do I Need Google Adsense?
Seeing it’s slick, it’s pleasant and it’s free. If you’re recital this, you obviously obtain some lookout in the internet. You don’t common retain to have your own site, although the more sites you use Google Adsense on, the more money you will make. For example, anyone can write a blog even if it’s just your own opinion on something.
You can also make money referring other people to Google Adsense. By placing a referral button on your site you increase your earnings potential. When a publisher that you referred makes their initial $100. 00 within 90 days of sign - up and is eligible for payout, your account will also be credited $100. 00. Additionally, they must never have registered for a Google Adsense account before.
Don’t be intimidated by the html code. It’s already formatted. All you have to do is choose the language and kind of button you would like, and copy and paste the html code to your site. Look for the referral code and more information under Adsense support.
Seeing it’s slick, it’s pleasant and it’s free. If you’re recital this, you obviously obtain some lookout in the internet. You don’t common retain to have your own site, although the more sites you use Google Adsense on, the more money you will make. For example, anyone can write a blog even if it’s just your own opinion on something.
You can also make money referring other people to Google Adsense. By placing a referral button on your site you increase your earnings potential. When a publisher that you referred makes their initial $100. 00 within 90 days of sign - up and is eligible for payout, your account will also be credited $100. 00. Additionally, they must never have registered for a Google Adsense account before.
Don’t be intimidated by the html code. It’s already formatted. All you have to do is choose the language and kind of button you would like, and copy and paste the html code to your site. Look for the referral code and more information under Adsense support.
Futures Trading Online Info
Futures Trading Online Info by Ken Charnly
Futures tracing online info can be obtained from many sources. The various exchanges have real time info and end of the day Open High Low Close. The exchanges offer this info on markets that they trade.
There are private real time quote providers, as will as end of the day price providers. These are used in conjunction with software programs that will produce technical information like charts and moving average lines on the charts.
The US Government publishes crop reports and weather information for crop areas within the country.
There is no lack of information, but the problem is how to use it to predict the future price of the commodity. Futures trading is all about forming an opinion on the future price of a commodity. Taking a position in that direction and seeing your prediction either go right or close the position if it starts to lose money.
Online information for futures trading can also be obtained via a good brokerage firm. Good ones have staff experts that are getting their information from the grower or the maker of the finished commodity. This information can be of better quality and timelier than government reports. Private weather experts can be of significant value when trading grains or cotton. They are especially useful in their long-term weather predictions.
Private futures trading online info does not come cheap. The better the quality the higher the cost. But it can easily be worth the price, as the profits from these trades will cover the cost.
Ken Charnley is a personal finance publisher whose website http://www.online-loans-pro.com/ is dedicated to quality information on online loans. For all your online loan needs visit and Apply for Loans Online
Article Submission done by: http://www.articles-submit.com
Courtesy of:Articleteller.com
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Futures tracing online info can be obtained from many sources. The various exchanges have real time info and end of the day Open High Low Close. The exchanges offer this info on markets that they trade.
There are private real time quote providers, as will as end of the day price providers. These are used in conjunction with software programs that will produce technical information like charts and moving average lines on the charts.
The US Government publishes crop reports and weather information for crop areas within the country.
There is no lack of information, but the problem is how to use it to predict the future price of the commodity. Futures trading is all about forming an opinion on the future price of a commodity. Taking a position in that direction and seeing your prediction either go right or close the position if it starts to lose money.
Online information for futures trading can also be obtained via a good brokerage firm. Good ones have staff experts that are getting their information from the grower or the maker of the finished commodity. This information can be of better quality and timelier than government reports. Private weather experts can be of significant value when trading grains or cotton. They are especially useful in their long-term weather predictions.
Private futures trading online info does not come cheap. The better the quality the higher the cost. But it can easily be worth the price, as the profits from these trades will cover the cost.
Ken Charnley is a personal finance publisher whose website http://www.online-loans-pro.com/ is dedicated to quality information on online loans. For all your online loan needs visit and Apply for Loans Online
Article Submission done by: http://www.articles-submit.com
Courtesy of:Articleteller.com
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Why I Canceled Buckley’s Column
I fired William F. Buckley, Jr. He did not take it well. When I canceled his column in the Des Moines Tribune in the 1970s he made an unpleasant fuss and misrepresented why we parted company.
Buckley and I had had a running back-and-forth about an issue of journalism ethics. I told him he had an obligation to editors who bought his syndicated column, and to readers, to disclose his family's interests in oil when he wrote about the subject.
Buckley said disclosure was necessary only if it could be shown that he had been inconsistent. I said that put the burden on editors and readers to ferret out inconsistency when all he had to do was disclose his family's interests in oil when he chose to write about the issue.
When we were at an impasse, and neither of us would bend, I canceled the column and replaced it with one by James Kilpatrick, who was equally conservative. Buckley charged that I dropped his column because I disagreed with its conservative outlook. I learned from my experience with Buckley that, with him, a disagreement is all about scoring debating points.
Kilpatrick had worked on a newspaper and was steeped in journalism ethics. At one point he took the lead in assuring that persons attacked in syndicated columns would have an opportunity to respond wherever the attacks appeared. Buckley never worked on a mainstream paper and gave me the impression that he made his own rules. Among other things, when he reprinted our exchanges he gave himself the last word and repeated in print statements made by third parties not meant for publication.
When I challenged Buckley on the issue of his family's financial interests, I naively half-expected that it would lead to a high-minded exchange on the obligations of journalists to editors and readers. I got instead a lot of personal insults and attacks on my motives. Did Buckley really believe, as he claimed, that I was out to destroy his column?
Buckley, who died February 27th, was a prolific writer who left a mark on journalism. As one who had a chance to observe his methods first-hand, the mark I saw was not all that sterling.
Why Didn’t McCain Talk to the Times?
The New York Times has taken a lot of guff for its Feb. 21 story about Senator John McCain and a female lobbyist, Vicki Iseman; even the paper's public editor, Clark Hoyt, chided it: "…if a paper is going to suggest an improper sexual affair…it owes readers more proof than The Times was able to provide."
Meanwhile, little or no criticism has been directed at Senator McCain for his part in the Times account.
Instead of meeting with Times reporters working on the story, McCain stiffed them. As the Times reported, "The senator declined repeated interview requests, beginning in December." Had he met with reporters, and denied key parts of the story as vociferously as he has since the story ran, he conceivably could have given Times editors second thoughts about it.
The story quoted a McCain aide, John Weaver, as saying that at one point he met with Iseman to warn her "to stay away from the senator." The Times wrote that "two former associates said they joined in a series of confrontations with Mr. McCain, warning him that he was risking his campaign and career."
McCain disputes that any such confrontations took place "It certainly didn't happen to me….I don't know anything about it."
The Times followed its Feb.21 story with a published broadside from McCain, who attacked the paper for a "hit -and-run smear campaign" and "gutter politics."
Much more effective than insults would have been timely denials and rebuttals to the statements delivered to the Times by McCain associates. The denials and rebuttals would have deserved to be high up in the story. If McCain's post-story statements are truthful, it would have been in his interests – and in the interests of readers – to make them to the reporters who worked on the story. For all of the ink spilled on the Times story, it remains a mystery why McCain ducked reasonable requests for a chance to tell his side of a newsworthy story.
By all means, subject the Times story to scrutiny. But let's not give McCain a pass. As a former Senate committee chairman and now a candidate for president, he has an obligation to respond to questions about his record. The parallel obligation of journalists is to ask tough questions of those who seek office and not allow themselves to be bullied.
Lobby Hottie — What if Vicky had been Victor?
Just suppose the lobbyist who buddied up to John McCain eight years ago and bragged about having an inside track with the senator happened to be a fat, balding, cigar-chomping dispenser of money and seats on the corporate jet—name of Victor, not Vicki. Would The New York Times have focused so strongly on what two former staffers said anonymously about their concerns that the senator had a too cozy relationship? I think not.
Even though being too cozy with lobbyists—as the not-so-Mr. Straight Talk campaign "reformer" has been for decades—is a legitimate subject for inquiry, the story got on page one because of a hint of s-e-x. Because the story produced no facts about a romantic relationship—which was only hinted at by unnamed aides with no proof—the Times badly over played this angle, giving the right-wing noise machine and McCain boosters a legitimate reason to complain. Now subsequent headlines, blogs and stories routinely refer to McCain's "sex scandal."
With conservative pundits calling foul and the comedians salivating at the material (well, this does give new meaning to bundling) the story may not go away soon. But whether or not McCain played footsie with Vicki is not the issue. He should be attacked for the right reasons, such as his blatant collection of lobbyists who remain top aides, while pretending to be a maverick reformer, and an incredibly close association with lobbyist-donators over the years.
One of the most important campaign stories of the season went largely overlooked. The Watchdog group Public Citizen released a study on January 28 that showed McCain far ahead of the pack in the number of lobbyist-bundlers raising money for him. McCain had 59. (Giuliani was second but had only half as many, Clinton, 20 and Obama 9.) You can read it on line at www.WhiteHouseforSale.org In total, the number of lobbyists raising money for candidates had already exceeded the number in 2004.
Fortunately, the weaker Times lead was followed up by various sources published on Alternet, Politico.com, Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo, and in Newsweek, by Michael Isikoff. They are getting to the real meat– the hypocrisy between McCain's words and actions. Isikoff caught him in an apparent lie when McCain aides categorically denied the Times story and said that the Senator never spoke to Vicky Iseman or the communications company, Paxson, which was her client, regarding the company's bid to purchase a TV station. Isikoff produced a sworn deposition by McCain in 2002 that says just the opposite; that he had indeed spoken to "Mr. Paxson" and had pushed the FCC to act on Paxson's request. That Paxson was a campaign contributor could "possibly be an appearance of corruption" , McCain conceded, but he denied any wrongdoing.
Now the Republicans are using the original New York Times story which overly emphasized a possible sex scandal to raise money for a "maligned" McCain. The Democratic National Committee has responded. with its own pitch: In a blog letter, Howard Dean writes "McCain and the right-wing noise machine will do anything and say anything to win. Turning an ethics scandal into a fund-raising opportunity is just the start.…the facts are clear: from Keating Five to today, throughout his 25 years in Washington, John McCain has consistently taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from his special interest friends, flown on their corporate jets, and then turned around and tried to do favors for them. And he's surrounded himself with the type of people he claims to fight against." Among his lodestone of lobbyists, Dean mentions advisor Charles Black who "literally" operates out of the Straight Talk express, using the phones in his role as a lobbyist working for "corporate interests and foreign governments."
Lost in all of this was another item. War hero McCain has made points among the reasonable for assailing torture methods. How many know he flip flopped and went with the Bush administration on the recent vote? Mere torture is no match for a possible lobby hottie.
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