Friday, October 26, 2012

British Army dog honored with highest award for bravery

LONDON (AP) ? British soldiers and military dogs gathered at a British army barracks Thursday to honor a fallen hero with selfless courage, nerves of steel ? and four legs.

Theo, a bomb-sniffing springer spaniel who died in Afghanistan on the day his soldier partner was killed, was posthumously honored with the Dickin Medal, Britain's highest award for bravery by animals.

Theo worked alongside Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker, searching for roadside bombs in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold.

Tasker, 26, died in a firefight with insurgents in March 2011, and Theo suffered a fatal seizure hours later. Tasker's mother, Jane Duffy, says the pair were inseparable. She's convinced Theo died of a broken heart.

"They'll be watching us, and they'll be so proud," she said. "I just wish they were here to get it themselves."

Since 1943, the Dickin Medal has recognized gallantry by animals serving with the military, police or rescue services. Some of these animal heroes:

CANINE COMMANDOS

Theo is the 28th dog to receive the medal, awarded by animal charity PDSA and named for its founder, Maria Dickin.

One of the earliest winners was Rip, a mongrel found abandoned in a bomb shelter and adopted by a London air raid warden. He was credited with finding more than 100 people trapped in rubble by German bombs during the 1940 Blitz.

Another World War II hero was Rob, a collie who joined British commandos in more than 20 parachute operations behind enemy lines in North Africa and Italy. His medal citation said that "his presence with these parties saved many of them from discovery and subsequent capture or destruction."

Dogs have also been honored for service in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and during terrorist attacks.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Apollo, a New York Police Department German shepherd, received the medal on behalf of all search and rescue dogs at the sites in New York and Washington, "for tireless courage in the service of humanity."

WINGED WARRIORS

Pigeons' homing instinct makes them excellent messengers, and more than 200,000 served with British forces during World War II. Some 32 were awarded the Dickin Medal for carrying back vital information from behind enemy lines.

Feathered medal-winners include Gustav, a pigeon serving with the Royal Air Force, "for delivering the first message from the Normandy Beaches from a ship off the beach-head" on June 6, 1944, the day of the D-Day landings.

GI Joe, a member of the U.S. Army Pigeon Service, was honored for flying 20 miles (32 kilometers) in 20 minutes with a message that stopped U.S. planes bombing an Italian town occupied by British troops in October 1943, saving the lives of at least 100 Allied soldiers and many civilians.

HEROIC HORSES

Upstart, a London police horse, is one of three equine recipients of the medal.

He was honored for a World War II incident in which a German flying bomb exploded 75 yards away, "showering both horse and rider with broken glass and debris."

Despite this, "Upstart was completely unperturbed and remained quietly on duty with his rider," controlling traffic until calm was restored.

A FEARLESS FELINE

Only one cat has ever received the Dickin Medal.

Simon, a Royal Navy ship's mascot, was honored for his service on HMS Amethyst, a ship shelled by Chinese Communist forces on the Yangtze River in 1949.

Despite being seriously wounded by shrapnel, Simon returned to his rat-killing duties aboard the damaged ship, which was trapped for months in Chinese waters.

"Throughout the incident his behavior was of the highest order," the citation said.

Simon and the ship's crew were greeted as heroes when they made it back to England, but the cat died weeks before he was due to receive his medal.

___

Online:

The Dickin Medal: http://bit.ly/tGxVZt

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/british-army-dog-joins-list-animal-war-heroes-143601955.html

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Durable orders show business investment still weak

(AP) ? U.S. companies remained cautious in September and held back on orders for long-lasting manufactured goods that signal investment plans. Weak business investment has contributed to slower economic growth.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that orders for durable goods jumped 9.9 a percent last month. While it was the biggest gain in nearly three years, most of the September gain was driven by a tremendous spike in aircraft orders, which are very volatile and plummeted in the previous month.

When taking out transportation, orders rose just 2 percent. And demand for core capital goods, such as machinery and equipment, were unchanged in September. Core capital goods are considered a proxy for business investment plans. Those orders rose only slightly in August after steep declines in July and June.

Durable goods are products expected to last at least three years. Orders can fluctuate sharply from month to month.

Demand is sharply lower this year, which has weakened manufacturing and hampered economic growth. High unemployment and low pay have kept consumers from spending. Businesses have held back on investing in machinery and equipment. And slower global growth has dampened demand for U.S. exports.

Economists are concerned that businesses could pull back further if Congress doesn't reach an agreement to avert steep tax hikes and government spending cuts scheduled to take effect in January.

There is some indication that U.S. factory activity could be improving. A closely watched survey from the Institute for Supply Management, said manufacturing grew in September for the first time in four months. It was buoyed by a jump in new orders.

Americans also boosted their spending at retail businesses in September, buying more cars, appliances and furniture. Stronger consumer spending could help offset declining demand from overseas.

Still, the decline in U.S. manufacturing has slowed job growth. Manufacturing employment dropped by 16,000 in September after falling by 22,000 in August.

The weak job market has been a key topic in this year's presidential election, which is down to its final days. Voters will have one final employment report to consider, which comes out four days before Election Day.

The economy is not growing fast enough to generate much hiring. Growth slowed to a tepid annual rate of 1.3 percent in the April-June quarter, down from 2 percent in the previous quarter. Most economists see growth staying at or below 2 percent in the second half of the year. The Commerce Department will issue its first estimate of growth in the July-September quarter on Friday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-25-Durable%20Goods/id-10e24d83540d4cffb3edbb75f79b9ca4

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Writing A Novel: ?You Mean, I Need to Edit?? | The Creative Penn

I?ve just finished the second major edit of my novel Exodus, #3 in the ARKANE series. I?m now going through again, editing it on the Kindle before releasing it to beta readers.

editing ARKANE

Some of my own editing

It?s true that writing the novel is only the start of the adventure, for it?s the editing stage that can make or break the success of your book. Guest blogger Nick Thacker has some tips.?

I just finished writing a book.

Part of me is elated; ?bouncing-off-the-walls?-excited.

The other part of me knows it?s a lie?I am, after all, a pretty ?na?ve? writer?

While I?ve ?finished? writing a book (a thriller novel, to be specific), I also know that I?m nowhere near finished with the actual process of ?book writing.?

To be clear, the words are all there. The cover?s even complete, and I?ve got some Lulu-printed hardcovers and paperbacks on the way, and the Kindle version is ready-to-go on Amazon.

And I didn?t have to ?sell my soul? to get it done.

But I?m writing this post for two reasons: to talk about the next step for myself (and you, if you?re in a similar boat), and to prolong the actual taking of the next step?

What?s the next step?

To put it bluntly, it?s the rewriting process: the editing, cutting, rehashing, rewording, etc?everything that we don?t think about when we begin the rewarding and awesome journey of book writing.

Sure, I have a pretty decent vocabulary, which I think I?m able to wield with relative ease. I also pride myself at my editing/proofreading abilities?I love to spot those incorrect there, they?re, or theirs in other peoples? work.

But when I finish an article, chapter, or larger work, when that last word is placed so perfectly on the page (or screen) in front of me?I?m done. I absolutely abhor the idea of starting again. I don?t want to revisit my characters?some have died horrible, nightmarish deaths?and scenes. I don?t want to find the typos, mistakes, and misnomers that I?ve somehow let slide the first time around?not to mention the strange wording here, the odd anachronism there. I just want to upload my Kindle file and start building my blog?s readership to sell more books.

Writing, I?ve come to find out, is maybe one part actual writing?putting words on the paper?and one part (or more!) redoing everything.

Umm, we know?

Maybe I?m just too new to this art form. Maybe I just wasn?t properly forewarned. Maybe I?m actually on to something no one?s ever thought of before.

Most likely, the importance and headache of editing down, improving, and finalizing a manuscript is something I?ve just ignored since?obviously?I need to have a manuscript written first before I?m able to really edit and rework it.

Either way, I?m now starting to realize a few key points that may be of use to others looking to push through their first novel. Here are a few items that I?ve found, after penning 110,000 words, that would have helped me enormously prior to and during my writing experience:

Planning

I can?t stress this enough. Some writers are able to ?flow? in a linear way, bouncing from chapter to chapter in a seemingly effortless way. I started writing as I began the research, and I wish I?d spent 2-3 months solely researching, planning, and studying?my characters, my settings, and my ideas.

Equipment

While I?m sure it?s not impossible to write long documents in Microsoft Word, who would want to? I used a piece of software called Storyist for a brief period, mainly for its full-screen mode, until I stumbled across Scrivener (which soon released a full-screen mode as well anyway!), which made my writing experience and compilation process not only easy, but also enjoyable. To round out my equipment set up, I used Evernote for the research and planning process and always have my MacBook Pro at my side (or on my lap).

Reading material

Usually the last thing on my mind during the writing process was reading more. I was constantly working on the manuscript, reading a few similar genre thrillers, and maintaining my non-fiction reading for work. But about three days after I hit ?Compile? and prepared my book for its first print-run, I came across Dwight Swain. If you haven?t heard of him, Google his work right now. I have a copy of Techniques for the Selling Writer in front of me now, highlighted and ready for a second read-through. Honestly, it?s not just one of the best ?how to write? books out there?it may very well be one of the most outstanding ?how-to? books on the market. His timeless advice is extremely practical, easy-to-digest, and specifically geared toward fiction writers interested in commercial viability.

I?m not going to stand on a soapbox and preach the ?one true way? for writing?as with most art forms, there?s never only one route to the destination. I?m just hoping to start a dialogue with both the seasoned writers out there and the younglings like myself who are eager and willing to learn.

The secret?

What I?ve found after writing one novel, starting a second, and completing numerous nonfiction manuscripts, is that this ?last step? should actually come first.

Obviously it?s impossible to rewrite what we haven?t written yet, but what I mean is this:

Plan ahead for the rewriting process:

  • Plan ahead by outlining and layout out your novel well the first time.
  • Plan ahead for the extra time it will take between going back and forth with an agent, editor, or publisher.
  • Plan ahead for the marketing steps you?ll immediately want to take after you write ?The End.?
  • Plan ahead for the balance between starting to promote and finishing up your WIP manuscript.

Most new writers know they?re ?supposed? to rewrite at least once or twice. I was one of these ?in-the-know? people, but yet I somehow thought that my writing was above this, and I didn?t need to rewrite.

Thankfully, I had absolutely no momentum built when I finished the first draft, so there was no eager tempting to send my masterpiece out into the world, uncut and unfinished. I threw it in a drawer and then started researching the marketing and promotional aspects of my upcoming book launch?eventually to realize that a couple rewrites were more than necessary!

What do you think?

My experience and takeaways might help someone structure, plan, and execute the writing of their own masterpiece, but for now I?m happy enough to post this, hear your thoughts, and join in the discussion!

Have you done a full rewrite, or is your planning process such that you don?t feel you need to rewrite at all? Let us know in the comments below.

nick thackerAbout the Author

Nick Thacker is a writer from Texas, and he writes to help writers, bloggers, and pretty much anyone who wants to hack their life! Check him out on his website, where he talks about?how to write, and be sure to grab his new book, Welcome Home: The Author?s Guide to Building A Marketing Home Base. Also, be sure to grab the newsletter!

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Source: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/10/25/novel-editing/

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How to sleep more easier - Health, Fitness, and Sports

equestriatola
Your friendly sports otaku/Brony
Phoenix

Joined: Aug 14, 2012
Posts: 3380
Location: Western WA, but hoping for LA


PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:55 am?? ?Post subject: How to sleep more easier Reply with quote

Lately, I've slept early, and woken up WAY too early. Now, I ask his; what are some surefire ways to get back to sleep? I'm listening to every one of you. Very Happy
_________________
"If entertainers worked funerals." ?Please gather around the body..... WHOOF! He?s not there anymore! Huh? Thank you!?

Source: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt213479.html

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

When Microsoft unveiled its Surface tablets with a flashy, top secret Los Angeles event, it didn't just mark the beginning of a new (and utterly critical) phase for the history of the company. It marked the repurposing of a name that was already quite familiar to us -- though in the guise of a big table. That device lives on as PixelSense, thus putting a period at the end of on one definition of the word, a definition Microsoft kindly requests we put behind us as we move on to something that is wholly different.

This new Surface device could be said to relate more closely to the active form of the word in question. That is, the verb: to rise up -- for something to appear that was not there before. It's a very apt definition for what Microsoft is doing, attempting to go from zero to hero on the tablet hardware front in just one shot. Is this, the Surface for Windows RT, good enough to erase decades of mediocre touchscreen Windows devices? Will it help Microsoft and its latest operating systems float up to the top of the tablet hierarchy? Your answers lie just below the break.

Hardware

It's not an easy feat to make a tablet that looks or feels different from those hundreds of slabs that have come before, yet this Surface is indeed quite distinctive on both fronts. It's genuinely hard to differentiate our visual impressions from our tactile ones.

The exterior of the slate is a cool, matte surface that looks dark and feels quite strong and durable.

The exterior of the slate is a cool, matte surface that looks dark and feels quite strong and durable. It's constructed using Microsoft's Vapor Mg process, which relies on vapor deposition to create this distinctive tactility, which we found ourselves quite drawn to. The material feels amazing in the hand and here it's used to create a structure that is quite complex, flat on the front and back of course but with the sides angling outward, connecting a facade slightly wider than the rear.

This inclination makes for a very reassuring feel when walking around carrying this tablet under one arm, and also gives room for a display that is slightly larger than your average 9.7- or 10.1-inch slates. In fact, its display clocks in at 10.6 inches, nearly a full notch greater than the new iPad, but its resolution is far lower, at just 1,366 x 768. As we saw when we got to go behind the scenes of the device's design and development, that 16:9 display and size were custom-crafted to make the most of Windows RT's ideal orientation and, as we'll detail in the next section, the quality of this panel mostly makes up for its relative lack of resolution.

DNP Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

That rim around the edge is perforated in many places, much more than your average tablet, including two new proprietary magnetic connectors. The first, and biggest, is on the bottom of the tablet. It has six contacts, providing power and data connectivity for Microsoft's first party keyboard covers and, hopefully, more peripherals down the road. On the lower-right is another, similar but incompatible magnetic connector, this one with only five pins. It's here that the device's AC adapter plugs in, that custom plug meaning you'll have to bring it with you whenever you hit the road, but this does at least mean it pushes more juice through than your average USB connector and therefore charges faster. We do, though, wish that connector was a bit more grabby. With MagSafe it seems like if you get the plug anywhere near the connector the two pull themselves together. Microsoft's option requires a good bit more precision and doesn't hold nearly as tightly.

Following up the right edge the next port you'll find is a full-size USB 2.0 connector that's ready and waiting for thumb drives, keyboards, hubs, mice and anything else you can throw at it. We can't help but be slightly disappointed it isn't USB 3.0, but having this port is incredibly useful -- as is the micro-HDMI connector that sits above. Then comes the right speaker, with its mate to be found over on the other side. Up top you'll find a pair of microphones along with the power button, which can be found toward the right edge. On the left side is the 3.5mm headphone jack positioned just above a volume rocker. Finally, tucked behind the fold-out kickstand on the rear is a microSDHC port, which means near-infinitely expandable storage is just one tiny little chip away.

Fitting all those ports means this slate is on the large side, and not just because of the display. Full dimensions are 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37 inches (275 x 172 x 9.4mm), considerably wider and taller than the new iPad, but only 0.2mm thicker -- not bad, considering you get that full-sized USB port out of the equation. Its 1.5 pounds means it hits the scales at 0.1 pounds greater than the latest iPad, but for some reason it feels heavier still.

When combined with either of the keyboards that Microsoft offers at launch, this becomes a surprisingly capable laptop replacement. Or surrogate, at least.

It's around the back that one of the most distinctive hardware features is found -- the kickstand. While useful, we typically find ourselves deriding the presence of such appendages when they spring out of phones and tablets. Here, though, it comprises a major part of the DNA of the device. Yes, it can be used to prop this thing up and watch a movie, but when combined with either of the keyboards that Microsoft offers at launch, the $120 Touch Cover or $130 Type Cover, this becomes a surprisingly capable laptop replacement. Or surrogate, at least. Its hinge is complex but feels durable, though we do wish Microsoft had put a notch on either side of the stand, instead of just the one on the left. Flipping it out with your right hand can be a little tricky at times.

And while we're focusing on look and feel, we'd be remiss if we didn't discuss the sounds of the device, too -- if only because Microsoft is making such a big deal out of the acoustic nature of the thing in its commercial. Indeed, the kickstand flips out with a very satisfying click and the Touch Cover magnetically pops on to the bottom with a reassuring "thunk." Reassuring, because that magnetic connection is strong enough to comfortably support the weight of the tablet dangling below -- though we wouldn't recommend swinging it around with too much verve.

When it comes to the other sounds this thing can make, those that you might actually want to listen to through the built-in stereo speakers, the Surface is merely adequate. Despite having twice as many speakers as the iPad, it actually can't match that product's maximum volume output. But, it does at least offer stereo separation, and overall audio quality is average for tablets -- that is to say, completely lacking in bass.

And when it's time to reach out and get this thing online, as it is, of course, of limited use when disconnected, you have WiFi and... that's it. Microsoft is not offering a 3G- or LTE-equipped model, at least not yet, but you do get a comprehensive suite of 802.11 interconnects: a/b/g/n with 2x2 MIMO sending and receiving. There's Bluetooth 4.0, too.

Display

DNP Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

As any digital camera aficionado will tell you, there's more to image quality than resolution.

Back when Surface for RT was first revealed, Microsoft shied away from confirming the tablet's screen resolution. We can now understand why: if people knew then that it had a 1,366 x 768 pixel count, they might have pooh-poohed it for not having a 1,920 x 1,200 panel, or better. And that would have been a shame; as any digital camera aficionado will tell you, there's more to image quality than resolution. For starters, Surface uses Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rendering technology to help smooth out jagged edges. Additionally, the Surface has an optically bonded display, in which the touch panel and LCD comprise a single layer, all protected behind Gorilla Glass. A technique already used in smartphone manufacturing, this allows for the panel to be thinner, and also creates fewer opportunities for light to refract. As a result, there are some pleasantly versatile viewing angles here.

It helps, too, that the screen has an impressively high 400-nit brightness rating; thanks to that spec, in particular, outdoor visibility won't be a problem. (And with such robust battery life, as you'll see below, you needn't worry about temporarily cranking up that brightness slider; you'll still have plenty of charge to spare.) Viewing angles are also world-class. You could watch a movie with this slate lying face-up on a table in front of you, but that kickstand means you'll probably have an easy time keeping it perpendicular to your gaze.

All told, the Surface's display stands up well against the competition. We still consider the new iPad panel to be the best on the market, but there is noticeably less glare on Microsoft's latest and, when placed side by side, the Surface also shows slightly deeper blacks. (The color temperature is generally cooler, too -- we're not sure that's good, per se, just different.)

That said, there's no escaping that this is indeed a lower-resolution tablet. In viewing an eye chart on the Surface and the new iPad, the smaller text elements (the ones you may find yourself squinting hopefully at while standing at the DMV) are noticeably cleaner on the iPad's 2,048 x 1,536 display. Still, since the iPad scales up all its content to match the older, lower-res tablets, much of that resolution is going to waste. In fact, load up the same webpage on both tablets and you'll see far more content on the Surface than the iPad, thanks at least in part to the 16:9 aspect ratio here.

Keyboard covers

DNP Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

You wouldn't think a 3mm-thick piece of polyurethane could make for a comfy keyboard, but the pressure-sensitive Touch Cover is a compelling companion to your written missives.

You wouldn't think a 3mm-thick piece of polyurethane could make for a comfy keyboard, but the pressure-sensitive Touch Cover is a compelling companion to your written missives. Just give yourself a little time to get used to it. Microsoft warns it could take four to five days to reach your peak touch-typing speed. That sounds about right to us, which is a bit unfortunate; you'll need to pay up to buy one before you know for sure whether you'll really like it, even if you get a chance to sample Surface at a Microsoft Store.

But, if you're on the fence, we'd recommend making the extra investment for the cover. The first 30 seconds or so will feel mighty disorienting, a sensation that evolves into uneasiness over the next few minutes as you figure out how to successfully insert an exclamation point and experiment with how much pressure is really necessary. It's also a matter of trust: think about how gingerly you used your first BlackBerry's keyboard, or how carefully you typed out text messages on your first touchscreen phone. It took time to figure those typing systems out, and there's another learning curve to ride here.

It's worth it, though. Within minutes we were typing at a brisk clip, making surprisingly few errors along the way. It helps that there are small indentations on the F and J keys just like a proper keyboard, marking the home position for each of your index fingers. The keys are also spaced well enough that you're unlikely to hit the wrong letter by mistake. It's no sweat if you do: the backspace and spacebar keys are easily found without looking down. In fact, as Microsoft was developing the product, it gradually widened the spacebar after some large-handed focus group testers found themselves mistakenly striking the touchpad instead.

We're inclined to think that touch typists will come to grips with the Touch Cover more quickly than with a more tactile keyboard on another tablet OS.

It's the familiar layout and functionality that's the best part of the Touch Cover. If you're a regular PC user you'll quickly and happily find that all your typical keyboard shortcuts work exactly as you'd expect them. Arrow keys make for quick and easy navigation through text files, like the one in which this review was written. We're inclined to think that touch typists will come to grips with the Touch Cover more quickly than with a more tactile keyboard on another tablet OS.

DNP Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

Still, that tactility is something to overcome. The biggest challenge we had in acclimating to the Touch Cover was learning just how much pressure to apply. Use it for a few minutes and you'll realize you can tap the "keys" lightly and quickly while watching as full, perfectly spelled sentences flow onto the screen. Get too cavalier, though, and a letter will fail to register, forcing you to back up and try again with a little more force. Again, though, you'll likely overcome such missteps after practicing for the prescribed business week.

Because the Touch Cover is so photogenic -- it is available in five colors, after all -- you might not have known about the Surface's other keyboard, the Type Cover, so named for its tactile, conventional-looking keys. Here, too, there's a slight learning curve, though perhaps gentler than the Touch Cover's. Once again, we found we could type quickly with a low error rate, though we never totally got used to the closeness of the keys -- they're packed very tightly and feature flat caps, meaning they very nearly bleed into one another. We wouldn't be surprised if you came to prefer the Touch Cover once you got used to it -- provided, of course, you were willing to spend an extra $130 on a spare keyboard for comparison's sake. It's a bit of a shame that there aren't more Microsoft Stores: the ideal solution would be to wander in, play with both keyboards and see if you're a more of a Touch or a Type fan.

In either case, you'll find a small elf of a touchpad sitting beneath the spacebar. Our prediction: you won't bother with it much. It comes in handy if you're working in a desktop app like Explorer or Microsoft Word and need the kind of precision finger input can't offer. Most of the time, though, we followed our intuition and just tapped on the far more responsive touchscreen. The trackpad does support two-finger scrolls, which you might use if you're looking at a website and don't want to get your finger in the way while you're reading -- or if you're a stickler for staying as close to the home row as possible. Just don't expect such gestures to be recognized in the smoothest of manners.

And, in case you were wondering, closing either cover will disable the display on the Surface, much like the magnetic iPad covers from Apple. But, we were rather disappointed by the lag here. There's a good three seconds wait before the display pops back on after flipping open the cover. That compares unfavorably to the one second or less time on Apple's option. Not the end of the world, but a bit annoying if you're just flipping it open to take a quick peek at something.

Performance and battery life

DNP Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

Under the hood, the Surface purrs along on 2GB of RAM and a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra T30 chip, the same SoC powering other Windows RT tablets, like the ASUS VivoTab RT. Since we're not yet aware of any benchmarks tailored to this operating system, we'll stand on this: Tegra 3 is more than capable of handling Windows RT's Live Tiles and Modern UI. The tablet cold-boots in just under 25 seconds and launches apps briskly. It responds smoothly to taps and swipes, and we also found that the tablet is quick to respond if you open an app, change your mind and hit the home button before the app is finished loading.

That said, we did notice some occasional pauses when quickly swiping the left side of the screen to toggle between open apps. To be clear, it didn't matter how many apps we had open: in fact, we frequently lost count of how many were running. We rarely bothered to manually close any and the machine never seemed to suffer for it. In short, the performance has a few limitations, but overall, Surface is fast, responsive and stable.

Battery Life
Microsoft Surface for Windows RT 9:36
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 12:01
Apple iPad 2 10:26
Acer Iconia Tab A510 10:23
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime 10:17 / 16:34 (keyboard dock)
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 9:57
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 9:55
Apple iPad (2012) 9:52 (HSPA) / 9:37 (LTE)
Apple iPad 9:33
ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 9:25 / 14:43 (keyboard dock)
Motorola Xoom 2 8:57
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) 8:56
HP TouchPad 8:33
ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 8:29 / 12:04 (keyboard dock)
Acer Iconia Tab A700 8:22
Acer Iconia Tab A200 8:16
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus 8:09
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 8:00
Amazon Kindle Fire 7:42
Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 7:38
Acer Iconia Tab A500 6:55
Archos 101 XS 5:36

The only benchmark we felt comfortable running is the browser-based and platform-agnostic SunSpider JavaScript benchmark. Here the Surface returned a very, very healthy average score of 994ms. That's nearly twice as fast as the latest iPad and nearly as quick as our record holder, the iPhone 5, which burned through the test in 924ms when we reviewed it. Indeed, the initial rendering of webpages is far faster than the iPad, with the main content and text popping in earlier. But, if you wait for all the content to filter in, overall page load times are comparable between the two.

You caught the part earlier where we said this thing has robust battery life, right? How does nearly 10 hours sound? In our standard battery rundown test for tablets, which involves looping a locally stored video with WiFi on and brightness fixed at 50 percent, the Surface's 31.5 watt-hour battery held out nine hours and 36 minutes, which puts it just short of the new iPad (9:52) and just ahead of ASUS' high-end Transformer Pad Infinity (9:25).

Software

DNP Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

We're still a little unclear on how Microsoft plans to educate consumers on the difference between Windows RT and Windows 8.

We'll be honest: we're still a little unclear on how Microsoft plans to educate consumers on the difference between Windows RT (for ARM-based devices) and Windows 8 (for full x86 machines), especially since there's going to be a whole lot of similar-looking tablet / laptop hybrids running Windows 8. Case-in-point? The Surface with Windows Professional, which comes out in a few months andwill cost a bunch more than the RT, but looks nigh-identical, both on the outside and in the OS.

So, it might be useful, then, to start by addressing some common misconceptions about Windows RT. First of all, contrary to what some readers might believe, it does, indeed, have a desktop, just like regular Windows. Pinned to the Taskbar are various apps from Office Home & Student 2013 RT: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

That said, you won't be spending much time down here on the desktop, since Windows RT can't run legacy programs written for traditional, x86-based Windows systems. In other words, while you can install an app like Photoshop on a full Windows 8 machine, you can't do it here, nor any other Windows application written since the dawn of the OS. Additionally, we have our doubts about whether anyone going forward will bother to write desktop apps versus those more optimized for running in the de facto Live Tile interface.

It really is lovely to plug in a USB drive and start dragging and dropping files.

Still, the desktop can be a godsend in certain situations. For one, that USB port is a perfect match for Windows RT. Though this isn't "full" Windows, per se, it's still compatible with almost any USB-powered storage device or peripheral that you'd normally use with a Windows machine, a massive pile of legacy devices. It really is lovely to plug in a USB drive and start dragging and dropping files. Or, feel free to connect that comfortable keyboard you've been using for a decade, or that old tank of an HP LaserJet that's still doing the business after all these years. These are the sorts of luxuries you might take for granted but will appreciate more as you start comparing the Surface to other tablets. In short, that USB connection isn't just a spec or a talking point: it means you can use this Windows tablet like a PC, whenever it's convenient for you.

Other than the fact that Windows RT can't run legacy apps, it looks and feels like Windows 8. As you probably know, there's no Start button, and the Start Menu is comprised of Windows Phone-esque Live Tiles. Here, you'll find all the usual native apps, such as Mail, Calendar, People, Camera and Internet Explorer 10. (There are two versions of IE, by the way: one on the desktop, and a more touch-friendly one that exists as a Live Tile. They do, at least, share bookmarks now.) The desktop, too, is an app unto itself on the Start screen. What's more, all the same gestures apply: swipe from the right to expose the Charm Bar, which contains options for searching content and adjusting system settings. Swipe from the left to toggle apps, and swipe from the top or bottom to view certain app-specific options, like playing a movie on loop. That these options are all hidden means there is a bit of learning users will have to do before making the best use of their tablets, but once mastered you'll find options and commands are usually just a few taps away.

From the Start Screen, you can just start typing to begin a search for something -- a trick you can use on the Windows Store home screen, too. On the desktop, windows have a flatter, two-dimensional feel, meaning the old transparent bordering is a thing of the past. Things are, by default, a bit more finger-friendly than your average Windows desktop, with bigger buttons and menu options.

There's nothing stopping you from downloading legacy apps from the browser, but none will run on Windows RT.

Video playback support is rather limited at this point. The system will play WMV and MK4 files, but the system has no idea what to do with MKV files by default, and even an old AVI file we tried to play failed miserably. So, if you were hoping this machine would be as adept at playing back video files in any 'ol format you throw at it, like the x86 version of Windows is, you're bound for disappointment. At least, until someone ports VLC over to ARM.

When they do, you'll have to download it from the Windows Store. In fact, you'll be getting everything from the Windows Store. Mind you, there's nothing stopping you from downloading legacy apps from the browser, but none will run on Windows RT. As we discovered, you can go so far as to create desktop shortcuts for apps. But when you try and load them, a banner will stretch across the screen, telling you the app won't run on your device. As for apps you can run, the selection is small, but growing. Netflix, for instance, just arrived in the Windows Store, and we expect plenty more soon (including our own app). So far, there's a comforting group of heavy hitters, including Skitch, Box.net, Associated Press, Evernote, eBay, StumbleUpon, Pandora and Slacker Radio. We'd like to believe that bodes well for other major apps that still haven't arrived on the platform.

There is, at least, a Kindle app, but it's decidedly less than optimal at this point. Page-turning is sometimes done very quickly, sometimes met with five seconds of a spinning progress indicator. Voice playback (and, therefore, Whispersync for Voice) are unsupported and we got an error whenever we tried to open a comic, and what's the point of having such a nice display if you can't read Watchmen?

We searched on for other popular apps, more often than not coming up empty-handed. Notables we're still waiting for include: Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Dropbox, Mint, PageOnce, TripIt, NPR, NYTimes, Angry Birds, Draw Something, Words with Friends, Temple Run, Spotify, Springpad, Remember the Milk, Amazon, Instapaper, Pocket (formerly Read it Later), Flipboard, Steam, Instagram, Nook, Zinio and Rdio. You can't even install Microsoft's own Silverlight browser plugin, which should be the final nail in that platform's coffin.

We also couldn't find any airline apps. Now, we can't make any guarantees, but it seems to us that Twitter, Foursquare and Rovio would be nuts not to develop for Windows RT and Windows 8. This is, basically, a new ecosystem and it will certainly grow -- we're just advising patience if you insist on buying the Surface as an early adopter.

Cameras

The Surface has dual 720p cameras, but unless you're in the mood for video chatting, you probably won't be using them much. Even by tablet standards, the image quality here is pretty poor. Our full-res, 1,280 x 720 shots look awfully pixelated, even in brightly lit environments that shouldn't have yielded any noise. You'll also notice a good deal of color saturation (take a look at those fire-engine-red peppers in the sample gallery to see what we mean). As for the Surface's 720p video recording, we noticed some motion blur, but we were pleasantly surprised by how gentle the audio rendering was. Too often, our clips taken with tablets have a buzzing, distorted quality. In this case, the tablet didn't pick up any stray gusts of wind that might have otherwise spoiled our recording.

Configuration options and the competition

DNP Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

The Surface is available in just two flavors, one with 32GB of built-in storage and the other with 64 gigs. The 32GB version starts at $499. That entry-level kit doesn't include a keyboard, but for $599, you can get one in the box. As for that 64GB model, Microsoft is selling it as a bundle with the Touch Cover keyboard for $699. If you do buy the tablet by itself and later decide you want a keyboard to go with it, the Touch will sell for $120, while the Type Cover (the one with physical keys) will retail for $130. As a side note, Microsoft will only ever bundle the black Touch Cover, so start saving your pennies if you just have to have it in blue.

The Surface arrives in lockstep with several other tablets running Windows RT. We've been testing the ASUS VivoTab RT, which is priced identically to the Surface with a thinner, lighter design but slightly shorter battery life and a less comfortable typing experience. Dell's XPS 10 should also go on sale soon, though we unfortunately don't know yet how much it will cost. We're also intensely curious about the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11, which has a screen that folds all the way backward, but that won't go on sale until December. When it does, it will come at a premium: it will start at $799.

As an ARM-based tablet promising healthy battery life, the Surface goes to toe-to-toe with the iPad.

As an ARM-based tablet promising healthy battery life, the Surface goes to toe-to-toe with the iPad, along with a handful of high-end Android tablets. Starting with the iPad, both tablets start at $499, though for that price the Surface offers twice as much built-in storage (not to mention a memory card slot and support for USB storage). The iPad is thinner and lighter, but perceived build quality is comparable. (Besides, if you dig the Surface's kickstand and USB port, it probably couldn't have been much skinnier anyway.) As we've said, the displays are both nice, though neither completely bests the other: the iPad looks crisper and cleaner while the Surface is less prone to glare. When it comes to typing, Surface has the advantage of full keyboard support built into the OS and two keyboards designed by Microsoft itself. They're comfortable -- more so than many of the third-party offerings for iPad -- but it remains to be seen how many tablet buyers will truly value the typing experience.

Other than that, the key difference between the two isn't about millimeters or pixels. It's about software. We've already established, we hope, that Windows RT is easy to use, and well-suited for this form factor as well as for designs of productivity. The problem is app selection: as of this writing, the iPad has over 250,000 available that are optimized for its display. Don't get us wrong: Windows 8 and Windows RT are quickly gaining momentum, but until your favorites do show up in the Windows Store you'll have to show a little patience -- or be willing to find new favorites.

Finally, on the Android front you've obviously got many more choices, including a bunch offered with optional keyboard docks. If you're looking for something with just as nice a display as the Surface, we'd recommend the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity, a 10-inch tablet with a 1,920 x 1,200 IPS panel, excellent battery life and a solid spun metal build. Be warned, though, that ASUS' keyboard docks tend to have relatively cramped layouts. For a better typing experience, we'd suggest the new Lenovo IdeaTab S2210 ($430), though as a mid-range tablet it makes do with a lower-res screen than the Infinity. It also offers shorter battery life than ASUS' Transformer tablets, and most 10-inch slates, really.

Wrap-up

DNP Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review

The Microsoft Surface with Windows RT's $499 starting MSRP means those thinking about making the investment here will be carefully cross-shopping against same-priced offerings from Apple, ASUS and others. Where does this one rate? Very well -- but very differently. While those devices are primarily targeted at content-hungry consumers, the Surface is a slate upon which you can get some serious work done, and do so comfortably. You can't always say that of the competition.

It's in the other half of the equation, that of the content consumption and entertainment, where the Surface is currently lacking. It needs a bigger pile of apps and games to make up for that and, while we're sure they're coming, we don't know when. If those apps arrive soon, then early adopters will feel vindicated. If, however, the Windows RT market is slow to mature, not truly getting hot for another six months or so, holding off will prove to have been the smarter option.

So, if gaming and music and movies and reading are what you're looking to enjoy, then we might advise sitting this one out for a few months just to make sure that all your bases will indeed be covered. If, however, you're looking for an impeccably engineered tablet upon which you can do some serious work, a device that doesn't look, feel or act like a toy, then you should get yourself a Surface with Windows RT.

Dana Wollman contributed to this review.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/microsoft-surface-rt-review/

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Arizona ballot measure contests ownership of the Grand Canyon

PHOENIX (Reuters) - When voters in Arizona go to the polls next month, they will be asked to decide a landownership tug of war: Should the Grand Canyon belong to all Americans, or just the residents of Arizona?

A controversial ballot measure backed by Republicans in the state legislature is seeking sovereign control over millions of acres of federal land in the state, including the Grand Canyon.

Proposition 120 would amend the state's constitution to declare Arizona's sovereignty and jurisdiction over the "air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources within the state's boundaries."

The measure is the latest salvo in the so-called "sagebrush revolt" by Republicans in the West aiming to take back control of major swaths of land owned by various federal agencies, much of it by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management.

State Senator Sylvia Allen, one of the Republican backers of the measure, argues that federal retention of the land hurts the economy of the Western states and leaves them struggling to fund public education, nurture their economies, and manage their forests and natural resources.

"We do not have the ability in rural Arizona to provide jobs for our citizens due to the fact that the federal government controls all the land," Allen told Reuters. "It leaves us at a great disadvantage. We're not able to bring in industry and provide for the jobs that we need," she added.

The exact area of public land targeted by the measure - which excludes American Indian reservations and federal installations such as arsenals - was not immediately clear on the Arizona Secretary of State's website.

The Sierra Club pegged the area at between 39,000 and 46,700 square miles (101,000 and 121,000 square km) - or 34 percent to 41 percent of the entire state.

BATTLE OVER LAND

The ballot measure is just the latest move in a decades-old federal-state skirmish over control of a wide range of natural resources in Western states, often pitting mining, drilling and logging companies against those seeking to protect the environment.

The efforts have had mixed success. In May, Arizona's Republican Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a state bill calling on Washington to relinquish the title to 48,000 square miles (124,000 square km), arguing that it created uncertainty for existing leaseholders on federal lands in difficult economic times.

But similar legislation was signed into law by Governor Gary Herbert in neighbouring Utah in March, despite warnings from state attorneys that it was likely unconstitutional and would trigger a costly and ultimately futile legal battle.

Opponents of the latest drive to assert Arizona's ownership say that, if successful, the initiative could undermine protections provided by federal environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and Clean Water Act, and would saddle Arizona with lands for which it would be unable to care.

"They can't even fund and ensure that their (state) parks are protected, so how they would take on an additional 25 to 30 million acres of land is a big question mark," Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, told Reuters.

No polls have given a sense of whether Prop 120 will prosper during the November 6 election. But Bahr cautioned that, should it pass, it would inevitably trigger fresh litigation for Arizona, which recently fought a legal battle over its tough 2010 crackdown on illegal immigrants all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"This one is just blatantly unconstitutional," Bahr said of Prop 120. "Does Arizona really need another lawsuit?"

(Editing by Mary Slosson and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-ballot-measure-contests-ownership-grand-canyon-131309144.html

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'Iron Man 3' Trailer: Watch Now!

Tony Stark returns in his first post-'Avengers' appearance in Marvel's new 'Iron Man 3' trailer.
By Josh Wigler


Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 3"
Photo: Marvel

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696026/iron-man-3-trailer.jhtml

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

MacNN | iPhone News: Briefly: Angry Birds: Star Wars, Lanyard case for iPhone 5

SwitchEasy updates Lanyard for iPhone 5

Rovio has announced that the next title in its line of Angry Bird games will be released on November 8. Details regarding the game are limited, however, it is known that this release will carry a Star Wars theme. All current information, including a short teaser trailer and fan art, can be found online on the official website.

SwitchEasy has released an updated version of its Lanyard case, which is now designed to fit the larger iPhone 5. The Lanyard is a hard polycarbonate case that includes a detachable metal clip with an eyelet for lanyard and phone charm attachment. Five colors are being offered, blossom, pink, quartz grey, classic brown, cream white, and shadow black, each sold for $25 online.

by MacNN Staff

Source: http://feeds.smartphonemag.com/~r/iPhoneLife_News/~3/XNYzdTw15HM/story01.htm

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Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps - Triangle Arts and Entertainment

The Raleigh Little Theatre cast for ?Alfred Hitchcock?s The 39 Steps? includes (from left) Tony Hefner, Jesse R. Gephart, Staci Sabarsky, and Del Flack (photo by Curtis Brown Photography)

The Raleigh Little Theatre cast for ?Alfred Hitchcock?s The 39 Steps? includes (from left) Tony Hefner, Jesse R. Gephart, Staci Sabarsky, and Del Flack (photo by Curtis Brown Photography)

Any fan of the 1935 film The 39 Steps or any Alfred Hitchcock devotee should be positively delighted with Raleigh Little Theatre?s production of the play by the same name. Others, however, will likely be lost, bored, and a little overwhelmed with this excessively silly and frenzied comedy. The show follows Richard Hannay (Jesse Gephart) on a misadventure that begins when he meets a secretive woman, Annabella (Staci Sabarsky) at a theatre. He allows her to stay in his home overnight, wakes up to find that she has been murdered, and then spends the rest of the play on the run and falling into one blunder after another.

Though the beginning of the show is intriguing, things quickly go downhill. After the first six or seven ?comedic? mishaps, the production turns into one long, confusing blur with the same jokes being repeated over and over again and Hitchcock references being thrown in haphazardly. While most audience members wait patiently for the ending, which seems to never come, many at Sunday?s matinee did not return after the intermission, and it?s hard to blame them.

To be fair, the small cast (which the script calls for) gives it their all. Gephart is characteristically funny and goofy, making him perfect for his singular role. The rest of the cast, however, juggles multiple roles. Sabarsky is sometimes charming and fun to watch, taking turns as characters Annabella, Margaret, and Pamela, but her unclear accents and often-flat delivery could stand some work. Tony Hefner and Del Flack add some much needed humor (the kind that?s actually funny!) in their constantly-changing ?clown? roles.

While there are likely a few people out there who will get their kicks with this show and find it uproariously funny, most will wish they?d sat this one out. It is simply too outdated, too over-the-top, and just too silly for modern viewers.

SECOND OPINION: Oct. 17th Durham, NC Independent Weekly review by Glenn McDonald (who awarded the show 3.5 out of 5 stars): http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/a-hitchcock-homage-in-raleigh-little-theatres-the-39-steps/Content?oid=3171447; Oct. 16th Raleigh, NC BroadwayWorld.com Raleigh review by Larissa Mount: http://raleigh.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Reviews-Raleigh-Little-Theatres-THE-39-STEPS-is-a-Comedic-Take-on-a-Hitchcock-Classic-20121016; and Oct. 15th Raleigh, NC CVNC review by Jessie Dresser: http://cvnc.org/article.cfm?articleId=5779.? (Note: To read Triangle Arts & Entertainment?s online version of the Triangle Theater Review?s Oct. 12th preview by Robert W. McDowell, click http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2012/10/patrick-barlow-adapted-his-2005-farce-alfred-hitchcocks-the-39-steps-from-the-1935-film/.)

Raleigh Little Theatre presents ALFRED HITCHCOCK?S THE 39 STEPS at 8 p.m. Oct. 25-27 and 3 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Cantey V. Sutton Main Stage Theatre, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27607.

TICKETS: $20 ($16 students and seniors 62+).

BOX OFFICE: 919/821-3111 or https://raleighlittletheatre.secure.force.com/.

SHOW: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/shows/12-13/steps.html.

PRESENTER/VENUE: http://www.raleighlittletheatre.org/.

DIRECTIONS: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/about/map-directions.html.

PARKING: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/about/parking.html.

NOTE: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and assistive listening devices are available for all shows.

OTHER LINKS:

The Book (background): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Nine_Steps (Wikipedia).

The Book (text): http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/558 (e-text from Project Gutenberg) and http://www.archive.org/details/39_steps_0807_librivox (audio recording by Librivox.org).

The Film: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/92939/The-39-Steps/ (Turner Classic Movies), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_39_Steps_(1935_film) (Wikipedia), and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026029/ (Internet Movie Database).

The Play: http://www.love39steps.com/ (official website), http://www.39stepsny.com/ (Broadway website), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_39_Steps_(play) (Wikipedia), http://www.lortel.org/ (Internet Off-Broadway Database), and http://ibdb.com/show.php?ID=469214 (Internet Broadway Database).

Study Guide: http://www.39stepsny.com/Education Pack_2010.pdf (The Mousetrap Foundation).

The Playwright: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Barlow (Wikipedia), http://www.lortel.org/ (Internet Off-Broadway Database), and http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=469223 (Internet Broadway Database).

The Director: https://www.facebook.com/hakfitz (Facebook).

VN:F [1.9.20_1166]

Rating: 1.0/5 (1 vote cast)

Patrick Barlow's Farce, "Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps," Now Playing at RLT, Is Not for Everybody , 1.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating
Tagged as: Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, Cantey V. Sutton Theatre, Haskell Fitz-Simons, Patrick Barlow, Raleigh Little Theatre, RLT, The 39 Steps

Source: http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2012/10/raleigh-little-theatres-the-39-steps-is-not-for-everybody/

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Mr. President, Why Won't You Help Us Avert National Bankruptcy?

Click if you like this column!

President Obama, I'd like to follow up on my most recent column and ask you a few more questions, please.

I am assuming you don't dispute that our nation faces a very serious financial problem, with unfunded liabilities in excess of $100 trillion. I use the word "assuming" because I don't remember you ever spending much time talking about this problem, which is odd because the very subject haunts so many Americans and makes them fearful for the future of this country.

Yet if you do recognize that these liabilities threaten our nation's solvency, how is it conceivable that you've not made the problem one of your foremost priorities? Yes, you established a bipartisan deficit commission, but you refused to meet with it and you ignored its findings, so that doesn't get you off the hook.

When Rep. Paul Ryan presented his "Path to Prosperity" and the Republican Congress passed a budget largely along the lines Ryan proposed, you publicly ridiculed Ryan, and your Democratic-controlled Senate summarily rejected the bill.

When Ryan questioned your treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, about entitlements and our national debt, Geithner claimed that the administration stabilized the deficit and debt issues over the next 10 years but admitted that you have no plans for attacking the long-term problem. But what Geithner refers to as stabilization actually amounts to adding approximately $1 trillion per year to our national debt over the next decade, which, incidentally, makes your statement that you would not add a dime to the national debt just outright bizarre -- and disturbing.

More troubling, though, than the $10 trillion your budget admits you'd add to the debt over the next 10 years is Geithner's brazen confession that you have no plan to tackle the explosion of our unfunded liabilities. When Ryan pressed Geithner on that point, Geithner merely responded that he and you didn't like Ryan's plan, because it wouldn't adequately protect seniors and middle-income earners. But as you know, Mr. President, that is also blatantly false. Ryan's plan carves out special protection for those groups. You must know, unless you are as negligent about informing yourself on Republican ideas you oppose as you are regarding national security matters, that Ryan's plan would preserve Medicare benefits exactly as they are for those who are now at least 55 years of age. But you keep saying otherwise.

Source: http://townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/2012/10/23/mr_president_why_wont_you_help_us_avert_national_bankruptcy

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Monday, October 22, 2012

Ailing Pagano watched Indy win? |? Shurmur out?

New Orleans Saints v Tampa Bay BuccaneersGetty Images

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has borrowed, sort of, the punch line to the old joke about a busload of lawyers at the bottom of the ocean when commenting on the decision of Commissioner Roger Goodell to hand the bounty appeal baton to former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

?It?s a good first step,? Vilma told Jeff Darlington of NFL Network, ?for Paul to be the neutral arbitrator.?

The key word is neutral.? If Vilma?s lawyer, Peter Ginsberg, and/or the NFLPA believe that Tagliabue won?t be neutral, then it will be a problem.

?We expect that [Tagliabue will] do things in a neutral capacity that will allow us to cross examine some of the witnesses,? Vilma said.? ?See some evidence.?

The reality is that Ginsberg and Jeffrey Kessler, the primary NFLPA outside counsel, will refrain from taking any position on Tagliabue until having a chance to hear from Tagliabue regarding his plan for the October 30 appeal hearing.? If they get the sense that Tagliabue won?t be neutral, objective, and/or impartial, they?ll likely fight the appointment.? If they like what they hear, they possibly will accept Tagliabue as the arbitrator.

It?s smart lawyering.? Why complain without getting a chance to take Tagliabue?s temperature?? If, for example, he says that key witnesses like former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and former Saints assistant Mike Cerullo won?t be required to testify, then they?ll know to fight the appointment.? If, alternatively, they get the impression based on Tagliabue?s comments that he plans to require the league to prove its case, they may overlook factors that otherwise would cause them concern.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/21/chuck-pagano-out-of-the-hospital-watched-colts-win-at-home/related/

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Catholics want more focus on poverty than abortion, survey finds

(Reuters) - Most U.S. Catholics believe the church should focus more on social justice and the obligation to support the poor, even if it means focusing less on issues like abortion, according to a new poll released Monday by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.

The 2012 American Values Survey finding on Catholics goes against the focus of many U.S. Catholic bishops, who have been stressing the church's ban on abortion and artificial contraception in public policy statements. The poll found that 60 percent of Catholics believe in a greater focus on social justice issues rather than abortion, while 31 percent say the opposite.

The divide was true even among Catholics who attend church once a week or more, a group that is often considered more socially conservative. A slim majority of this group, 51 percent, thought that the church should focus more on social justice issues.

"The survey confirms that there is no such thing as the ?Catholic vote,'" said Robert P. Jones, CEO of PPRI and co-author of the report. "There are a number of critical divisions among Catholics, including an important divide between ?social justice' and "right to life' Catholics."

U.S. bishops in this election season have made strong statements opposing same sex marriage, abortion and contraception, particularly in protest of the health care mandate which requires Catholic hospitals and universities to provide insurance that covers artificial birth control, which is against Catholic teachings.

The survey also found that among Catholics who attend church weekly or more, 57 percent support a prison sentence of life without parole as opposed to the death penalty. This was also true among Catholic conservatives, who supported life without parole over the death penalty by 51 percent to 44 percent, compared to non-Catholic conservatives, who favor the death penalty by 56 percent.

"The church has clearly had a real impact on Catholic attitudes toward the death penalty, particularly among conservative Catholics," said E. J. Dionne, Jr. Senior Fellow at the Brooking Institution and a co-author of the report, speaking at a press event Monday morning. He noted that Catholics who are more conservative on the abortion issue are more "liberal" on the death penalty.

The survey also found that the religiously unaffiliated is the fastest growing group in the country's religious landscape, comprising 1 in 5 Americans and more than doubling in size since 1990. The majority were raised in a particular faith, and their reasons for leaving range from a fading belief in God to negative personal experiences with religion.

Regarding political preferences, the religiously unaffiliated, Hispanic Catholics, non-Christians and Black Protestants were more likely to support President Barack Obama. Nearly 8 in 10 likely supporters of Republican contender Mitt Romney identify as white Christian, including 37 percent who say they are white evangelical, 19 percent who identify as white mainline Protestant, and 19 percent who identify as white Catholic.

The support for Obama among the religiously unaffiliated was large, by 73 percent to 22 percent, but this group was less likely to say they were certain to vote compared to religiously affiliated Americans.

"We are not feeling the full force of their presence at the ballot box," said Jones.

The report found that a third of religiously unaffiliated Americans were ages 18-29. People in this age group were also more likely to support Obama, by 70 percent.

Dionne said noted that if younger voters continue to vote Democratic, as they have in recent elections, they could represent the "replacement generation" for the old "New Deal" generation of Democratic voters who grew up in the 1930s.

The survey was taken between September 13 and September 30 before the presidential debates and involved 3,003 respondents, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent.

(Reporting By Mary Wisniewski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/catholics-want-more-focus-poverty-abortion-survey-finds-155626695.html

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Video: Polls: Romney, Obama in dead heat

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49496432/

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There are various types of relationship websites like, matchmaking sites, singles web sites, Singles Dating Websites, and so on. Some of these websites are completely free Online relationship sites and some of these websites are accessible towards subscription. You should select day sites according to your specific purpose it will assist you to get faster outcome.

It is always smart to confirm prior to registering with a site about the administration policy of the web site about displaying the contact information of other members at the initial instance. If the coverage of get in touch with info display is very liberal it has some particular advantages. On the other hand, strict and stringent insurance policies about contact information disclosure have some benefits and drawbacks. On 1 aspect the rigid insurance policies can assist to maintain your online privateness, but it may stop spontaneous reaction of potential candidates. Liberal policies may be helpful for intercommunication but in some other way can trespass a members online confidentiality.

If you have matchmaking intention from your online relationship process, it is always wise to verify the database of the existing members to understand the possible of discovering a souls mate you are preparing for. To confirm these particulars, you need to run search with your age range requirements or with demographic particulars.

There are some singles matrimonial sites where the site administrator offers some filtered research against a candidates uploaded account these websites are matchmaking sites and these are fairly time saver.

The final consideration for selection of a specific site is to be decided on the month-to-month subscription quantity. There are different subscription kind, some sites consider yearly fee, whereas some websites requires charge on the number of reaction a applicant makes on his/her relationship procedure.

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Source: http://www.mylife-coach.net/6001/on-line-relationship-has-turn-out-to-be-immensely-well-liked-and-those-who-use-this-dating-procedure-frequently-as-a-virtual-communication/

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How to kill time without staring at your phone

19 hrs.

Once upon a time, standing around and waiting involved exactly that: Standing around, waiting, and not doing much else. Today, any free moment is spent facedown in a phone. Stop reading this on your own phone. Right now. Look around. At this moment, you should be the only person, anywhere in sight, not looking at a phone.

But staring at that phone isn't the only way to wait. You can do other stuff. In fact, there are exactly six things you can do instead.

Make eye contact
People used to do this all the time. You could recognize a neighbor or share a moment with an attractive stranger. It can still happen???but you have to be careful. You don't want to be caught staring right at the moment that person looks up from his (or especially her) phone. Wait until the fleeting few seconds when this person looks away from the phone for some reason, then casually lock eyes. Smile! It will seem a lot less weird that way. When you get back online, this kind of encounter is a great thing to put on Craigslist as a Missed Connection.

Talk about the weather
This is a classic. If you're new at it, try some established introductory phrases.

  • "This is some rain!"
  • "Hot enough for ya?"
  • "They say it's gonna turn cold tomorrow!"

For this to work, you'll need a little luck, because you have to find someone else who is also not looking at a phone. Otherwise, there's a data-filled weather app just a tap away. Not to mention that look:?Why are you talking to me, can't you see I'm looking at my phone?

Observe your surroundings
If you look up from your phone for long enough, you can notice amazing things happening all around you. A pigeon pecking at a pizza crust. A man pushing a shopping cart piled higher than his head. A grown woman weeping hysterically. That's real life! And it is stunning. Once you get back on your phone, all of these observations will make excellent tweets.

Find unusual patterns
This one is a bit of a brain teaser. Look over at that odd brick wall, or the hexagonal tile on the floor, or that way the ice cubes collect at the bottom of your glass. Gaze into these shapes. Watch them form new shapes. See the shapes begin to arrange themselves, rotating, and falling into position. So chaotic, yet so organized. You know what? This calls for a quick game of "Tetris."

See what other people are looking at on their phones
This is an endlessly fascinating sociological exercise, and it can also give you fresh ideas about what you could be doing on your own phone. A scouting report from a recent bus ride:

  • Shiny gold case. Hot pink case. iPhone 5, no case.
  • Cracked white iPhone 4 with an incoming call from "Daddy."
  • Bedazzled lady playing "Bedazzled."
  • Woman urgently speaking Spanish into a white Nokia with gold trim.
  • Girl on an HTC, reading Gawker, followed by "A Farmer's Market, Deep in China."

You could also just read a book
But then you're not even thinking about looking at your phone. You're looking at your Kindle.

This is what I do, anyway???how do you kill time phone-free?

More from Gizmodo:

Opening photo: Four guys who really know how to look at phones. From left:?Jesus Diaz,?Matt Buchanan,?Sam Biddle, and?Matt Hardigree. Shot by?John Mahoney.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/how-kill-time-without-staring-your-phone-1C6583331

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