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Atossa Genetics Informs Stockholders of Key Dates and Terms Related to Announced Rights Offering
SEATTLE, April 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atossa Genetics Inc. (ATOS) ("Atossa" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics and delivery methods for breast cancer and other breast conditions, today provided an informational update to stockholders regarding its rights offering and the key dates and terms relative to the offering. Stockholders are advised to ensure they complete their open market purchases of Atossa common stock by 5:00 PM ET on Monday, May 7, 2018 to be considered a stockholder of record on Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Holders of the Company's warrants issued on December 22, 2017 are also invited to participate in the rights offering on the same terms as the stockholders. Stockholders or interested parties are advised to direct all questions and informational requests to the contacts listed below.
Under the proposed rights offering, Atossa will distribute one non-transferable subscription right for each share of common stock held on the record date. The subscription rights will be exercisable for up to an aggregate of $20.0 million of units. Each right will entitle the holder to purchase one unit, at a subscription price of $1,000 per unit, consisting of one share of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock with a face value of $1,000 (and immediately convertible into 284 shares of common stock at a conversion price of $3.52) and 284 warrants with an exercise price of $4.05. The warrants will be exercisable for 4 years after the date of issuance.
The subscription rights are non-transferable and may only be exercised during the anticipated subscription period of Thursday May 10, 2018 through 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, May 24, 2018, unless extended by Atossa.
The expected calendar for the rights offering is as follows:
Monday, May 7, 2018: Ownership Day - in order to be considered a stockholder of record on Wednesday, May 9, 2018, shares should be acquired by this date.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018: Record Date
Thursday, May 10, 2018: Distribution Date; Subscription Period Begins
Thursday, May 24, 2018: Subscription Period Ends 5:00 PM ET (unless extended at Atossa's sole discretion)
Holders who exercise their subscription rights in full will be entitled, if available, to subscribe for additional units that are not purchased by other shareholders, on a pro rata basis and subject to ownership limitations.
Atossa has engaged Maxim Group LLC as dealer-manager in the offering. Questions about the rights offering or requests for copies of the preliminary and final prospectuses, when available, may be directed to Maxim Group LLC at 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10174, Attention Syndicate Department, or via email at syndicate@maximgrp.com or telephone at (212) 895-3745.
A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. The rights offering, which is expected to commence following the effectiveness of the registration statement, is being made only by means of a written prospectus. A preliminary prospectus relating to and describing the proposed terms of the rights offering has been filed with the SEC as a part of the registration statement and is available on the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1488039/000161577418002120/s109466_s1.htm. Copies of the preliminary and final prospectuses for the rights offering may be obtained, when available, from Maxim Group LLC, 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10174, Attention Syndicate Department, email: syndicate@maximgrp.com or telephone (212) 895-3745.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Atossa Genetics
Atossa Genetics Inc. is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics and delivery methods to treat breast cancer and other breast conditions. For more information, please visit www.atossagenetics.com.
Forward-looking statements in this press release, which Atossa undertakes no obligation to update, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated or estimated future results, including the risks and uncertainties associated with any variation between preliminary and final clinical results, actions and inactions by the FDA, the outcome or timing of regulatory approvals needed by Atossa including those needed to commence studies, lower than anticipated rate of patient enrollment, estimated market size of drugs under development, the safety and efficacy of Atossa's products and services, performance of clinical research organizations and investigators, obstacles resulting from proprietary rights held by others with respect to fulvestrant, such as patent rights, potential market sizes for Atossa's drugs under development and other risks detailed from time to time in Atossa's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation its periodic reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q, each as amended and supplemented from time to time.
Atossa Genetics Company Contact:
Atossa Genetics Inc.
Kyle Guse
CFO and General Counsel
(O) 866 893-4927
kyle.guse@atossagenetics.com
Scott Gordon
CoreIR
Concourse 2
Office: 516 222-2560
scottg@CoreIR.com
Source: Atossa Genetics Inc.


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<?php

namespace KoolKode\Http\Komponent\Rest\Converter;

use KoolKode\Http\Komponent\Router\RoutingContextInterface;

/**
 * Value converters transform an input into an appropriate value to be passed to a REST action.
 *
 * @author Martin Schröder
 */
interface ValueConverterInterface
{
	/**
	 * Convert an input value into an appropriate value to be passed to a REST action.
	 *
	 * @param mixed $input The input value to be converted, a value of NULL marks no such param is set.
	 * @param RoutingContextInterface $context The routing context that triggered the conversion.
	 * @param boolean $isResolved Must be set to true when a value has been resolved.
	 * @param \ReflectionClass $ref An optional reflection of the target type to be populated.
	 * @return mixed The converted input value.
	 */
	public function resolveInput($input, RoutingContextInterface $context, & $isResolved, \ReflectionClass $ref = NULL);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Naachiyaar Official Theatrical Trailer - Jyothika Rocks!
You are here: Home / Tamil Movie News / Naachiyaar Official Theatrical Trailer – Jyothika Rocks!
Naachiyaar Official Theatrical Trailer – Jyothika Rocks!
Here's the official trailer of Naachiyar, the most-awaited Jyothika starrer. Bala has brought out a new form of Jyothika and G. V. Prakash in the movie!
Watch out for Jo's stunning performance. The trailer certainly raises the bar and expectations for the movie.


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According to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1236 About Establishment of Quarantine while Ukraine is under an adaptive quarantine (currently until June 30, 2021) everyone should carry ID.
What are the identity documents in Ukraine?
According to Article 13 of the Law of Ukraine On the Unified State Demographic Register and documents confirming the citizenship of Ukraine, identity or special status identity documents are:
passport of a citizen of Ukraine;
passport of a citizen of Ukraine for travel abroad;
diplomatic passport of Ukraine;
service passport of Ukraine;
seafarer's identity card;
crew member ID;
identity card for return to Ukraine;
temporary identity card of a citizen of Ukraine;
driving license;
stateless identity card for travel abroad;
permanent residence permit;
temporary residence permit;
migrant card;
refugee certificate;
refugee travel document;
identity card in need of additional protection;
travel document of a person who has been granted additional protection.
Can you be stopped, questioned and searched by police in Ukraine?
The main legislation that covers police use of stop and questioning / stop and search in Ukraine is the Law of Ukraine On the National Police.
According to Article 32 of the Law of Ukraine On the National Police a police officer has the right to stop and ask a person to present an ID and / or documents confirming the relevant person's right (e.g. driving license) in a way that allows the police officer to read and record the data contained in the documents. This measure may be applied only in the following cases:
1) if the person has external features similar to the external features of the wanted person or missing person;
2) if there are sufficient grounds to believe that the person has committed or intends to commit an offense;
3) if the person is on the territory or object with a special regime or in the place of special police control;
4) if the person has weapons, ammunition, drugs and other items, the circulation of which is restricted or prohibited, or for the storage, use or transportation of which a permit is required, if such rights cannot be established otherwise;
5) if the person is at the scene of an offense or traffic accident, other emergency;
6) if the external signs of a person or a vehicle or the actions of a person give sufficient grounds to believe that a person is involved in the commission of an offense, the vehicle may be an instrument or object of the offense.
The police officer who stopped you is obliged to inform you of the reason for the stop.
What should you do if you are stopped on a street by a police officer in Ukraine?
The police officer who stopped you is obliged to inform you of his/her position, rank, surname and the reason for the stop (see above the list of the reasons specified in Article 32 of the Law of Ukraine On the National Police).
To ask a police officer to present his/her service ID card. It should look like the sample below and contain a photo of the officer;
If you are not sure that this person is a police officer, you can call 102 or the National Police call center on 0800 500 202 to check the information provided by the police officer. If a police officer refuses to present his / her service ID, you have the right to immediately call the police by dialing 102 or the hotline number of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine – 1536;
To check whether the reason for the stop given to you by the police officer is contained in the list given in Article 32 of the Law of Ukraine On the National Police (one of the 6 cases listed above).
A police officer is not allowed to seize an identity document. An ID can be seized only according to a court decision.
If a person fails to present an identity document, a police officer has the right to take the person to the nearest police station and check the information in the computer database. The time a person spends at a police station under such circumstances should not exceed 3 hours. The person has the right to call his/her family/friends and ask them to bring the ID to the police station.
As you see, the habit of always carrying identity documents with you (not only during quarantine) can simplify the identification procedure on the street and save you time.
What does questioning involve?
According to Article 33 of the Law of Ukraine On the National Police a police officer may question a person if there are sufficient grounds to believe that he or she has the information necessary to carry out police duties. A police officer may invite a person to the police station for questioning.
The provision of information by a person is voluntary. A person may refuse to provide information. Questioning of minors is allowed only with the participation of parents (one of them), another legal representative or teacher.
Before questioning the police officer shall explain to the person the grounds and purpose of the police measure.
What does search involve according to Ukrainian legislation?
There are three main procedures for carrying out one measure:
According to Article 34 of the Law of Ukraine On the National Police a police officer may carry out a superficial examination of a person, personal belongings or vehicle.
A superficial examination as a preventive police measure is the implementation of a visual examination of a person, conducting on the surface of a person's outer clothing by hand or special device, a visual examination of a personal belongings or a vehicle.
This measure could be implemented toward a person who is not suspected of committing an administrative / criminal offense, but there is a sufficient reason to believe that a person has got a thing, circulation of which is prohibited or restricted or may threaten the life or health of the person or other people.
Personal examination and examination of a person's belongings – applies to a person suspected of committing an administrative offense (Article 264 of the Code of Administrative Offenses);
This type of examination must be carried out by police officers of the same sex as the person being examined and in the presence of two witnesses of the same sex. Police must make a report on the administrative offense / administrative detention.
Personal search – applies to a person detained on suspicion of committing a criminal offense or to a person whose property is being searched (Part 8 of Article 191, Part 3, 6 of Article 208, Part 5 of Article 236 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine).
In which cases does a police officer have the right to stop your vehicle?
This issue is regulated by Article 35 of the Law of Ukraine On the National Police and the Traffic Rules approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
A police officer may stop vehicles if:
1) the driver violated the Traffic Rules;
2) there are obvious signs that indicate a technical malfunction of the vehicle;
3) there is information indicating the involvement of the driver or passengers of the vehicle in the commission of a traffic accident, criminal or administrative offense, or if there is information indicating that the vehicle or cargo may be the object or instrument of the offense traffic accident, criminal or administrative offense;
4) the vehicle is wanted;
5) it is necessary to question the driver or passengers about the circumstances of a traffic accident, criminal or administrative offense, which they are or could be witnesses;
6) it is necessary to involve the driver of the vehicle in providing assistance to other road users or police officers or as a witness during the preparation of reports on administrative offenses or materials of traffic accidents;
7) the authorized body of state power has made a decision to restrict or prohibit movement;
8) the method of securing the load on the vehicle creates a danger for other road users;
9) violation of the procedure for determining and using special light or sound signaling devices on the vehicle takes place;
10) the stopping of a vehicle registered in another country is carried out in order to detect its transfer to possession, use or disposal of persons who did not import such a vehicle into the customs territory of Ukraine or did not place it in the customs transit regime.
A police officer is obliged to stop vehicles in case:
1) if there is information indicating a violation by the owner of the vehicle of customs rules detected by customs authorities in accordance with the Customs Code of Ukraine, namely: violation of temporary import and / or movement in customs transit of another vehicle for personal use, use of such vehicle for the purposes of business activity and / or receipt of income in Ukraine, dismantling or transfer in possession, use or disposal of such vehicle to persons who did not import such vehicle into the customs territory of Ukraine or did not place it in the customs regime of transit;
2) if there is information indicating that the vehicle, which is registered in another country, is not registered in Ukraine within the statutory period or is on the territory of Ukraine in violation of the terms of temporary import and / or movement in customs transit, or used for the purposes of business activity and / or receipt of income in Ukraine, or transferred to the possession, use or disposal of persons who did not import such a vehicle into the customs territory of Ukraine or did not place it in the customs regime of transit.
A police officer is obliged to inform a driver about the specific reason for stopping the vehicle with a detailed description of the reason for the stop, defined in Article 35 of the Law of Ukraine On the National Police.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
International News: TraceParts supported Purdue University for their Mechanical Components Benchmark (MCB) research #20409
Posted by: Granval
City: Saint Romain
State: - Select -
Contact Person: Audrey Varin
Company: TraceParts S.A.S.
Website URL: www.traceparts.com
Contact Email: avarin@traceparts.com
Saint-Romain, France, 8th January 2021 – A talented team of mechanical engineers from Purdue University in the United States has created the first comprehensive open-source annotated databa se of more than 58,000 3D mechanical parts, designed to help researchers apply machine learning to those parts in actual machines.
"We are in the deep learning era, using computers to search for things visually," said Karthik Ramani, Purdue's Donald W. Feddersen Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "But no one is focusing on the parts that go into machines: pipes, bearings, motors, washers, nuts and bolts, and many more. Those are the things that are important to us as engineers and manufacturers. We want to be able to point a camera at a real-world part, and have the computer tell us everything about that part or design."
Ramani's team experimented with visual search for parts in the early 2000s, but computing power and machine learning techniques were not yet sufficiently advanced. In the years since, researchers have learned that building a solid dataset is all about both quality and quantity.
"Deep learning is data hungry," Ramani said. "It needs a lot of examples for the computer to learn what humans mean and how things relate to each other. That means we needed a lot of 3D models of parts which also required an underlying engineering classification."
The team started by partnering with TraceParts, one of the world's leading providers of 3D digital content for engineering, in order to get unlimited access via TraceParts API to a extremely comprehensive data vault containing more than 120 millions of 3D CAD models from industrial parts. The team collaborated with the University of Texas, Austin assistant professor Qixing Huang to scour other databa ses for similar 3D models. They ended up compiling a databa se of 58,696 mechanical components.
Ramani's team organized the parts by establishing a hierarchical taxonomy of 68 classes, ba sed on the International Classification for Standards (ICS), a system of technical standards created and maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
"Now when a computer sees a picture of a seal component, it will know that it fits in the category of dynamic seals and then, more specifically, under composite seals," Ramani said.
The researchers have just recently published their open-source databa se, inviting computer vision and machine learning researchers to access it and create their own experiments. They showcased their work at the 16th European Conference on Computer Vision in August.
"We are very pleased to partner with TraceParts. As we needed tens of thousands of 3D CAD models for our research, access to the TraceParts databa se was a fantastic help because it is vast and sufficiently diversified." added Karthik Ramani.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today's toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.
About TraceParts
TraceParts is one of the world's leading providers of 3D digital content for engineering. As part of the Trace Group founded in 1990, the company provides powerful web-ba sed solutions, such as CAD part libraries, electronic catalogs and product configurators.
TraceParts offers digital marketing services to help part vendors, 3D printing suppliers, software and computer hardware vendors promote their products and services and generate high-quality B2B sales leads.
The TraceParts portal is available free-of-charge to millions of CAD users worldwide. It provides access to hundreds of supplier catalogs and more than 100 million CAD models and product data-sheets that perfectly meet the specific needs of design, purchasing, manufacturing and maintenance processes and operations.
For more information about TraceParts, please visit www.traceparts.com


We at Casimoto are aiming high - we want to offer an outstanding casino and betting experience from start to finish. Enjoy our online casino games, our high odds on almost any league and sport in the world, and try our Live Casino Tables and our Live Betting. We are a dedicated team that work non-stop to create a better and better Casimoto for you to enjoy 24/7.
Casimoto is operated by JMS Investment Group N.V., a company incorporated under the laws of Curaçao with registration number 139753, and with this address: Kaya Richard J. Beaujon z/, Curaçao.
JMS Investment Group N.V. is licensed and regulated by the Curaçao under the licence no 1668/JZ.
Kaya Richard J. Beaujon z/, Curaçao.


The Bao Ni Fa Link is a new progressive jackpot that follows the success of its popular predecessor in Asia. Featuring exciting bonuses and innovative features, Bao Ni Fa offers an entertaining and rewarding experience for players.
Jumbo Technology will be launching its new Bao Ni Fa Jackpot Link this year in their latest D-27 cabinet. This uniquely designed cabinet features dual 27-inch HD displays and enhanced comfort that provides the ultimate gaming experience for players.
The Bao Ni Fa Link is a progressive linked jackpot that follows the success of Jumbo's popular Yi Lu Fa Link in Asia. Bao Ni Fa offers two different Asian themed base games, "Power Dragon™" and "Power Mask™", in which the new bonuses and "Power Up" feature provide an entertaining and rewarding experience for players.
In addition to the Grand, Major, and Minor jackpots; players also have the chance to win a Fortune jackpot that increase in value based on the bet amount. And the most anticipated feature of Bao Ni Fa is its exciting jackpot game that enables players to win more than one jackpot prizes at the same time.
Jumbo continues to offer some of the most innovative products in the industry ranging from slots, electronic table games, to the latest fishing games. In recent years, their innovative products such as "Random Pay™" featured ETGs and Yi Lu Fa Link have been major successes in many jurisdictions in Asia.
Last year, Jumbo also launched the world's first SAS compatible and GLI certified fishing game series, "King of Fishing", which is based on a game concept already popular in arcade venues and online platforms around the world.
Founded in 2000, Jumbo has evolved from a local Taiwanese gaming supplier to an international gaming brand recognized by operators and other suppliers around the world. For almost two decades, Jumbo has committed itself to the Asian market with players from different demographics in mind.
By offering top performing gaming machines and exceptional services to its partners, Jumbo has now established footprint in Macau, Philippines, South Korea, and other regions in South East Asia.
Be sure to experience Jumbo's latest products during G2E Asia at Booth #1329 from May 21- May 23.


Keen Innovation Ltd is an innovation lab of Basler Kantonalbank and Bank Cler. Its core business is developing and prototyping innovative solutions for financial services. The two banks are both Keen's investor and customer. Together, they form one of Switzerland's top ten banking players and provide powerful backing. Keen operates as an independent company with its own team on its own premises. Its positioning and culture differ considerably from the banks. Consequentially, Keen is set apart as an independent brand.
Requirements for the new name were: short and bold, bright sound, easy to pronounce and to memorize, cutting the ice in the international fintech community and boosting the company's start-up credentials. The name Keen exemplifies the curiosity, ambition and energy of the new innovation lab.
The whole naming process with all research and assessments covering language, semantics, intellectual property and commercial law until final brand registration took us less than 40 days. This unusually fast development was made possible by an efficient naming process and the smooth teamwork of a client, branding agency and IP lawyer in perfect sync.
The underscore at the end of the word mark visualizes that something is being invented here. We apply this simple design element playfully and context-related to express the brand in an agile and adaptive way. In addition, the whole design is totally simple and straight-forward. The colour palette of black, white and keen-green is super reduced and conveys high intensity.


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New Quinnipiac Poll Says 48% Of Americans Approve Of President Biden's Job Performance
President Joe Biden speaks during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
According to a brand new poll from Quinnipiac University, President Joe Biden currently has a 48 percent approval rating almost 100 days into his first term in the Oval Office. He also has a disapproval rating of 42 percent.
The poll revealed that the overwhelming majority of Democrats are pleased with his performance, as he enjoys a 94 percent approval rating with folks in his own party. Not surprisingly, Republicans disapprove of Biden with 87 percent not a fan of what he's done thus far in office.
When folks were asked about whether or not they approved of Biden's handling of specific issues, the president got the highest approval for how he's handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Which is strange because he's not really done anything different than what Trump did.
Biden also scored major points with the economy and climate change. His lowest approval came from his handling of gun policy, taxes, and the border.
64% approve of Biden's COVID-19 response, 42% disapprove.
50% approve of Biden's work on the economy, 42% disapprove.
48% approve of Biden's climate change efforts, 35% disapprove.
45% approve of Biden's tax work, 42% disapprove.
39% approve of Biden's gun policy, 49% disapprove.
29% approve of Biden's handling of the border, 55% disapprove.
Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy went on to point out, "Though he gets generally positive numbers on his domestic strides as he nears his first 100 days in office, the president is confronting the same political quagmire south of the border that bedeviled his predecessor. The border with Mexico, and the people trying to cross it, loom as a familiar crisis."
Most Americans said that Biden has good leadership skills, 52% to 44%, and that he is doing more to unite the country than divide it, 51% to 41%.
The poll also found that most Americans, 44%, support Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan, and that even more approve if it's funded by raising taxes on corporations, as the president has suggested.
"The president's infrastructure bill, a $2 trillion national makeover, gets a lukewarm go ahead from Americans, but a warmer reception when the suggestion that big corporations, not taxpayers, should be forced to front the funding," Malloy stated.
The poll surveyed 1,237 adults across the United States from April 8-12, with a margin of error +/- 2.8 percentage points.
At the end of his first term, once we've had a real good taste of the policies Biden puts in place and the fallout from a lot of them, I expect that disapproval rating to be significantly higher.


TRIGA-S is an international contract research organisation and offers comprehensive solutions for clinical and preclinical studies as well as technical tests. We are a service provider and partner for the certification of new and existing In-vitro-Diagnostics and medical devices. Our competent and motivated employees are decisive for our success. Attractiveness as an employer is therefore our first priority.
The personal and professional development of our employees is in our focus. Thus, TRIGA-S offers regular qualification interviews to exchange ideas for individual development goals between all levels of employees. The intention is to implement the suggestions and ideas of our employees. Each employee can help to shape their personal and professional development in their own responsibility.
Diversity enrich us. We are convinced that our company will benefit from a diverse Team. Equal opportunities and the compatibility of work and family life are self-evident to us.
It is our concern to reward our employees in an appealing manner. We therefore regularly check our wages on the market and make sure our salaries are competitive. In this way, we ensure that remuneration stays attractive.
We are a forward-looking company that offers innovative products and services on the international market.
As a family business, we offer secure jobs and a sustainable form of doing business.
Our outstanding corporate culture is evident in the collegial working atmosphere, mutual appreciation and constructive cooperation.
We have short decision-making paths. Employees take responsibility and have space for professional and personal development.
A motivating working atmosphere, tailor-made development opportunities and attractive remuneration characterize us.


Compared to its neighbours, The Bahamas is performing relatively well in economic terms due to lower debt levels and strong fiscal policy, according to the International Monetary Fund. Construction projects, gradual recovery in tourism drive muted, but sustained growth. Pictured: Miguel Savastano (left), deputy director of the IMF's Western Hemisphere Department and Gene Leon, the IMF's senior resident representative in Jamaica and Mission Chief for The Bahamas.
The Bahamas is weathering the global economic fall-out better than many of its regional peers, according to officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
"The Bahamas started from a much stronger position than others, because it had essentially low debt levels to start with. That gave it more room to observe the shock of the crisis and three years later, it's still–in relative terms–better than others," says Miguel Savastano, deputy director of the IMF's Western Hemisphere Department.
At the start of the recession in 2008, The Bahamas had buffers, explains Gene Leon, the IMF's senior resident representative in Jamaica and Mission Chief for The Bahamas.
"When the crisis came The Bahamas was able to engineer stimulus to try to maintain or to reduce the impact of the crisis on the country. That in a sense brought the debt up," says?Leon.
Since then, tourism numbers have slowly began to rebound, although still lower than pre-crisis levels.
Meantime, construction projects such as the $3.4-billion destination resort, Baha Mar, are moving ahead.
"Hopefully, that should generate potential growth both in terms of output in jobs and revenues in the future,"?says Leon, who notes the Bahamian government remains very aware of the rise in public debt.
Fears of another recession in advanced economies have sparked global financial markets volatility.
Is The Bahamas prepared to weather another economic storm so soon?
"Yes, they are prepared, in the sense that they are aware and there's a general agreement between the government and all key stakeholders that more needs to be done in the short-run in terms of putting the public finances more in a sustainable basis,"?says Savastano.
In a second round of streamlining initiatives, the Swiss bank claims that the cuts should bring annual cost savings of 2 billion francs ($2.24 billion) by 2013, according to Reuters news service. The move comes ahead of strict new regulations and disappointing third-quarter results.


A pysanka is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist method. The designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax. In pre-Christian times, the egg was important for rite-of-Spring festivals, representing rebirth. With the advent of Christianity, the symbolism of the egg was changed to represent the rebirth of man.
Participants in this workshop will learn about traditional images and the symbolism of dye colors that they will use to complete their egg projects. All materials, including eggs, dyes, wax, kistky and design guides will be provided, but please wear close-fitting clothes and make sure long hair is tied back or up, as we will be heating our kistky with candles. In case of latex allergy, please bring your own gloves.


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Triple Threat: Xavier Dolan wrote, directed, and stars in Heartbeats, which won the 2010 Sydney Film Festival's Sydney Film Prize and was selected for the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Mifilifilms Inc. hide caption
Mifilifilms Inc.
'Heartbeats': Finding Beauty, Even If It's Skin-Deep
February 25, 2011 • Canadian director Xavier Dolan favors style over substance in his latest, a color-saturated look at a 20-something love triangle that threatens a friendship. But it's very stylish style indeed.
Ultimately big-hearted, Hall Pass nonetheless shortchanges its female leads — Jenna Fischer (left) and Christina Applegate — by giving them little room to flex their comedic muscles. Peter Iovino/Warner Bros. hide caption
Peter Iovino/Warner Bros.
'Hall Pass': A Sincere Love Story, Gross-Outs Intact
February 25, 2011 • A raunchy-sweet comedy from the guys who made There's Something About Mary, it stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis as restless married men whose wives (Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate) give them a week off from fidelity.
Men Of The Cloth: As Christian and Paul, Lambert Wilson (left) and Jean-Marie Frin play monks who live in the midst of the Algerian civil war. Their lives and relationships are poignantly captured by director Xavier Beauvois. Marie-Julie Maille /Sony Pictures Classics hide caption
Marie-Julie Maille /Sony Pictures Classics
'Of Gods And Men': Faith Tested, Faith Proved
February 24, 2011 • An extraordinary drama loosely based on the story of French monks killed in Algeria in 1996, Of Gods And Men won the Grand Jury Prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival.(Recommended)
After Martin takes a cab driven by Gina (Diane Kruger), things go awry. Martin wakes up four days later — in a hospital — and finds no one has been looking for him. Jay Maidment/Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption
Jay Maidment/Warner Bros. Pictures
'Unknown': A Suspenseful, Action-Filled Mind-Bender
February 18, 2011 • Liam Neeson plays a botanist-turned-action-star in Jaume Collet-Serra's thriller Unknown. Critic David Edelstein says the tricky thriller takes viewers on a hell of a ride while letting Neeson shine as an action star.
I Am Number Four is adapted from The Lorien Legacies, the sci-fi young adult series from the James Frey fiction factory. John Bramley/Buena Vista Pictures hide caption
John Bramley/Buena Vista Pictures
'I Am Number Four': Can We Demand A Recount?
February 18, 2011 • A wannabe Twilight with neither style nor particularly special effects, this adaptation of a hit children's novel follows John Smith, a teen with superpowers, as he's hunted by hostile aliens.
A Prodigal Daughter: Sky Ferreira plays a pop singer who returns to town for a funeral and clashes with her ex-con father — moving among stratified social circles and illuminating an eclectic community. Jeremy Saulnier/The Cinema Guild hide caption
Jeremy Saulnier/The Cinema Guild
In Baltimore's Shadow, A Suburb Mourns A Lost Boy
February 17, 2011 • Set in a lumpen Maryland community grieving over the death of one of its own, Matt Porterfield's low-budget drama is as grimly handsome as Winter's Bone — though an endlessly circular plot makes it feel less urgent.
Anybody Got A Lightsaber? Hayden Christensen (right) and Thandie Newton star as two survivors of a mysterious, worldwide supernatural event. To survive, they must stay in the light — lest they confront the unknown in the darkness. Magnolia Pictures hide caption
Stylish Minimalism, In The Dark of '7th Street'
February 17, 2011 • An apocalyptic thriller set in Detroit literally pits light against dark as whispering shadows snatch people out of existence. Brad Anderson directs a surprisingly authoritative Hayden Christensen.
The Family That Kills Together: After their father dies in the streets of Mexico City, Alfredo (Francisco Barreiro, left), Sabina (Paulina Gaitan, center) and Julian (Alan Chavez) must continue Dad's bloody cannibalistic ritual to survive. Selina E. Rodriguez Martinez/IFC Films hide caption
Selina E. Rodriguez Martinez/IFC Films
'We Are What We Are': Guess Who's For Dinner?
February 17, 2011 • A Mexico City slum clan kidnaps and kills people to feed itself — and faces unexpected problems after its patriarch dies. Written and directed by Jorge Grau, this thriller nods at the legacy of zombie king George Romero by blending horror with pointed social commentary.
Mohamad Emran Tapa, the cousin of director Tariq Tapa, plays Dilawar, an aspiring pickpocket. Dilawar, like just about every other young character in Zero Bridge, dreams of leaving Kashmir. The Film Desk hide caption
The Film Desk
In Kashmir, A 'Zero Bridge,' But No Path Forward
February 17, 2011 • The neorealist story of a Kashmiri pickpocket who befriends an aspiring physicist, Tariq Tapa's debut feature captures the sights and sounds of a far-off land with do-it-yourself filmmaking sensibilities — and delivers a palpable sense of place.
Harris finds an ally in Gina (Diane Kruger), an undocumented Bosnian immigrant, after Berlin authorities don't believe his story. Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption
'Unknown': A Botanist (Or Is He?), Lost In Thickets
February 17, 2011 • An academic wakes from a coma to discover another has taken his identity. Liam Neeson's slow-burning sincerity is an asset, but the plot's full of holes — and the director's full of hooey.
Mira (Yun Jeong-hie) learns things about herself that she hadn't seen before after she takes a poetry-writing workshop in Lee Chang-dong's Poetry. Kino International hide caption
Kino International
Unexpected Excitement In 'Cold Weather' & 'Poetry'
February 17, 2011 • Aaron Katz's mumblecore flick Cold Weather is set in Portland, Ore.; Lee Chang-dong's Poetry is from South Korea. Critic John Powers says both films are wonderful, in part because the stories they tell are so unpredictable. (Recommended)
He Wants You And You And You: Canadian pop star Justin Bieber can make teenage girls — and his marketing team — scream, moan and weep with delight. Paramount Pictures hide caption
'Never Say' Justin Bieber's Not An Awesome Package
February 11, 2011 • Packaged teen idol Justin Bieber is the star of a new concert documentary, Never Say Never, which follows him as he prepares for a show at Madison Square Garden. Film critic David Edelstein says the film is an "expertly engineered promo" that can make little girls — and Bieber's marketing team — scream with delight.
Happy Pills? Director Liz Canner's documentary Orgasm Inc., originally intended as a look at the science of pleasure, became an inquiry into the pharmaceutical industry's pursuit of a cause — and a cure — for female sexual dysfunction. First Run Features hide caption
In Quest For A Female Viagra, Many An Odd Twist
February 10, 2011 • This smart, funny documentary looks at the search for a drug to treat female sexual dysfunction — and at doubters who ask whether the pharmaceutical industry even knows what it's trying to cure.
Concrete Jungle: Young lovers (Emily Blunt, James McAvoy) try to transcend the long-simmering rivalry between their brightly colored garden-gnome families. Don't expect a story of too much woe: It's a kid-friendly animated adaptation of the classic. Buena Vista Pictures hide caption
'Gnomeo & Juliet': Shakespeare, Cheerfully Plastered
February 10, 2011 • Lawn gnomes stand in for feuding Veronese in a charming animated retelling of the star-crossed-lovers tragedy, which ditches most of the disasters to make things a bit more kid-friendly.
At an insurance-sales convention, a naive small-towner (Ed Helms, center) unexpectedly shares a hotel room with two decidedly more worldly colleagues (John C. Reilly, left, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) — who drag him far outside his rural comfort zone. Kim Simms/Fox Searchlight hide caption
Kim Simms/Fox Searchlight
In 'Cedar Rapids,' It's Never Too Late To Come Of Age
February 10, 2011 • Ed Helms stars as a naive small-town insurance salesman sent to Iowa's second-biggest city for a convention.Miguel Arteta's film taps a well of pent-up Midwestern aggression — and feels as if its comedy has been earned by experience.


The Virginia Forest Lodge is situated on the edge of a green belt in a tranquil setting, ten minutes north of Durban and just a five-minute drive from Umhlanga Rocks. There are eight en-suite rooms all decorated with an African touch. Each room has its own patio or deck, tea/coffee making facilities, amenities, hairdryers, airconditioners and WiFi. Each room has its own DSTV decoder with the Premium package of channels to choose from. Lock-up parking is provided free of charge. There is a beautiful pool area for guests to enjoy. The lodge is situated in close proximity to golf courses, airports, shopping centres (La Lucia, Gateway and more) and a wide range of restaurants.
Virginia Forest Lodge is like a mini hotel but with the feel of home.


Police have released photos of man who robbed a Chase bank on Queens Boulevard yesterday– five minutes after a botched attempt at another financial institution.
Police say that the man went inside the first bank, New York Community Bank at 107-40 Queens Boulevard, at around 2:40 p.m. He walked up to the bank teller and passed a note demanding money.
However, the teller walked away from the service window without handing over any money.
The suspect left New York Community Bank and walked across 71st Avenue to Chase Bank at 107-36 Queens Boulevard.
He went up to the teller at around 2:45 p.m. and handed over a note asking for money. This time, the teller complied and gave the suspect an undetermined amount of money.
The suspect hurried off in an unknown direction. Police believe he may have gone inside the Forest Hills/71st Ave. subway station.
The suspect is described as white and between 40 and 50 years old. He is about 6 feet 1 or 6 feet 3 inches tall and wears eyeglasses. He was last seen wearing a blue baseball cap, a gray hoodie, blue jeans and black shoes.
you gotta give it to the guy, he's persistent!
He's committed financial crimes more consistently than Trump's cabinet and close family members!


text:
import tinyapi
from unittest import TestCase
from getpass import getpass
from nose.tools import raises
import os

DEFAULT_USERNAME = "tinyapi-test-account"
USERNAME = os.environ.get("TINYAPI_TEST_USERNAME") or DEFAULT_USERNAME
PASSWORD = os.environ.get("TINYAPI_TEST_PASSWORD") or getpass()

class TestMainInterface(TestCase):
    def test_login(self):
        tinyapi.login(USERNAME, PASSWORD)

class TestSession(TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.session = tinyapi.Session(USERNAME, PASSWORD)

    def test_get_profile(self):
        profile = self.session.get_profile()
        assert(profile["username"] == USERNAME)

    def test_count_messages(self):
        assert(self.session.count_messages() > 0)

    def test_get_messages(self):
        msgs = self.session.get_messages()
        assert(len(msgs) > 0)

    def test_get_message(self):
        msg = self.session.get_messages(count=1)[-1]
        sub = self.session.get_message(msg["id"])
        assert(type(sub["stats"]["total_opens"]) == int)

        msg = self.session.get_messages(count=1, content=True)[-1]
        sub = self.session.get_message(msg["id"])
        assert(len(sub["content"]["html"]) > 0)

    def test_get_drafts(self):
        drafts = self.session.get_drafts()
        assert(type(drafts) == list)

    def test_count_urls(self):
        assert(self.session.count_urls() > 0)

    def test_get_urls(self):
        assert(len(self.session.get_urls()) > 0)

    def test_get_message_urls(self):
        message = self.session.get_messages()[-1]
        urls = self.session.get_message_urls(message["id"])
        assert(len(urls) > 0)

    def test_count_subscribers(self):
        assert(self.session.count_subscribers() > 0)

    def test_get_subscribers(self):
        assert(len(self.session.get_subscribers()) > 0)

    def test_get_subscriber(self):
        subscriber = self.session.get_subscribers()[-1]
        sub = self.session.get_subscriber(subscriber["id"])
        assert(type(sub["stats"]["last_sent_at"]) == int)

class TestBadLogin(TestCase):
    @raises(Exception)
    def test_get_profile(self):
        session = tinyapi.Session(USERNAME, "incorrect-password")


Mass surveillance getting you down? Feel like the federal government doesn't trust you, and wants access to everything you do, say, or even think? Then come on out with us in the nation's biggest ever rally against mass spying, on Oct. 26 in Washington, DC!
Without our pressure, the very best we can hope for is for the government to become marginally more transparent about how they are spying on our every moment. The Obama administration has not supported any changes to the NSA's actual programs, and has done its best to block meaningful discussion of reform.
Maybe you're content simply with knowing what abuses are being committed against you. We're going to DC to send the message that the abuses themselves must end. The only kind of surveillance that the Fourth Amendment allows is also the only kind that really works: surveillance of individuals, based on probable cause of their involvement in an actual crime. Anything beyond that is a grave threat to our freedom to live our own lives as we wish.
Sign up to attend or volunteer here. And if you can't make it to DC that day, here's a link for other ways you can help.
UPDATE: Our new article on the rally gives much more detail.


text:
Q: Should a PAM8403 be directly fed from a CHIP GPIO audio signal? I am building an internet radio (I somehow know how to develop and am an absolute beginner in electronics), for which I wanted to use a C.H.I.P computer and a PAM8403-based audio amplifier.

This has already been done and I followed the instructions from the C.H.I.P blog, to essentially build this

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab
Upon connecting the L/G signal from the C.H.I.P. and without streaming anything, the loudspeaker was issuing a continous hiss, sort of white noise, rather high-frequency.
When sending some audio signal, the signal was very distorded.
Plugging the spekaers directly on the audio outputs of the C.H.I.P. gave a nice sound, although very weak (this is the reason I wanted to amplify it in the first place).
I assume therefore that something is wrong in the way this output signal is processed by the amplifier chip.
I went on reading and articles about how to deal with such nuisances revolve around a low-pass filter. So I added one.

simulate this circuit
When turning the potentiometer (high resistance to low) I get an almost inaudible sound (I have to put the loudspeaker to my ear) and then suddenly the signal is all distorted again. But the hissing sound is gone.
Sioce I find these hind of hardware hacks fascinating I am ready to jump in to understand everything, and my main question would be: is the approach I have correct, that is: is the output signal of GPIO pins of devices such as the C.H.I.P. or a RPi intended to be used with amplifiers such as the PAM8403?
Another possibility would be a faulty element - I will look for another PAM8403 amplifier to discard that as the article I was basing my hack on is clear with the the connections.

A: Connecting the potmeter at the output is a no-go. That will simply not work (assuming you want "decent" volume control). You have to regulate the volume at the input of the amplifier.
The 100 nF capacitor is there to prevent any DC coming out of the C.H.I.P. module to disturb the amplifier.
Also improve the supply arrangement by using separate wires for each module and 1 uF capacitors near the supply connections of the modules.

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab
Next time please educate yourself on "how things are done" regarding audio amplifiers and volume control. There are plenty of examples to be found if you just search for it. "Trying" things out in electronics seldom gives the result you want and only feeds frustration and can also damage components.

A: With a radio-frequency receiver nearby, using this Class-D amplifier might cause broadband noise to give the radio grief. Switching noise should be confined to this module in an attempt to keep it from radiating switching pulses into the receiver.

*

*As Bimpelrekkie has suggested, a large-value power supply bypass capacitor should be added with very short leads, right at the PAM8403 printed circuit pads (GND, +5V). Value is not critical, perhaps 10 uF - 100 uF

*Wire pairs from module-to-speaker should be tightly twisted together for their full length. This will help reduce their ability to radiate pulse energy.

If these steps don't solve noise problems or reduce it to insignificant levels, then low-pass LC filters feeding the speaker may help. This should be added directly at module speaker output leads:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
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Example Essays Membership
Search Our Essay Database
Journalism Essays and Research Papers
Instructions for Journalism College Essay Examples
Title: Journalsim
Total Pages: 3 Words: 1027 Bibliography: 0 Citation Style: APA Document Type: Essay
Essay Instructions: Journalism ? Write a feature Story
For the topics, you need to write a "local" story of the larger national issue. In other words, you don't have to write the whole, overall story on hybrid cars or summer fashions (there are other topics as well). You need to find experts and sources in your area who know about what is happening in regard to these topics locally. Remember, this would be a story that would run in the local newspaper, so it would be any new development or trend related to the topic in your area. It's not just opinion interviews about the topic like the interview story, but interviews with people who use the product, participate in the sport, etc. So, you should pick a topic that has pertinence in your area or that you know something about, or know someone who knows about it. Some made up examples: HAPPYVILLE, Penn. -- During the week, Jane Robinson is a librarian who is happy finding books for senior citizens and reading to pre-schoolers. But on weekends, friends say, she's one of the fiercest dirt bikers in the state. Nut graf: Robinson is a participant in a burgeoning sport in this part of the country, etc. OR -- SMILEYTOWN, Ala. -- Madison Avenue may say persimmon is the hot color for summer, but not at Dot's Decorating Shop. Dot Davis knows her customers, and they want flowers and frills. Nut graf: Dictating the cutting edge of home fashion is a $26 million business nationwide, but styles across the country still reflect local tradition. Jim Bradford of the Design Institute says that means colonial furniture, eyelet lace and chintz for Smileytown homes.
Background ------
Not every story is a breaking, hard-news story. Some stories are lighthearted. Some are entertaining. Some are informative, but about general topics rather than the news of the day. These stories are called feature stories.
Many of the stories I write are feature articles. If you google my name, you may see some of them on the Web. I wrote a story on online therapy for CBS.com and another on mid-life women and makeup for Discovery.com. I have also written features on more hard-hitting topics like arms control and how reporters cover it, technology trends and workplace trends.
Often, feature stories come out of covering hard news stories. Some of you may recall that in the 1980s, Michael Deaver was President Reagan's controversial deputy director of communications. I covered Deaver's trial on perjury charges as a reporter for United Press International. During the trial, I got to know Deaver's daughter and later interviewed her for a feature story for the cover of The Washington Post Magazine. As it turned out, she was instrumental in Deaver facing his excessive drinking and getting his life back together, so the interviews produced an interesting feature article, to say the least.
A feature story can be about anything. How about this feature lead that a colleague of mine once wrote? The story was about a garbage strike in New York City. It was the second week of the strike and the streets were starting to smell. Not a pretty thought, huh? But he wrote a great feature lead: If you wanted to take a bite of the Big Apple today, you had to hold your nose. How's that for painting a picture in your reader's mind?
Module 5 does a thorough job of explaining the kinds of timeless features and news features that reporters routinely write about.
So far, we've been writing straight news stories. We have started each story with a 25-word, single-sentence news lead and written the body of each story in inverted pyramid style. Feature writing is an entirely different animal. You do not use a 25-word news lead and you do not use inverted pyramid style when writing features.
The difference between writing news and writing features is the difference between show and tell: A news story tells what happens; a feature shows the reader how it happened and what its consequences are.
A news story says:
A bridge collapsed in Fanning County yesterday, killing two.
A feature story says:
An elderly couple on their way to spend their second honeymoon in the same hotel room where they had their first died en route when the Fanning County bridge they had to cross to get there collapsed from under them.
A feature story has a distinct beginning, middle and end. It doesn't rush all the important stuff to the first sentence and then peter out as the end comes near, the way a news story does. In fact, it's not written in inverted pyramid style at all; it's not intended for readers to skim through. The feature article is a piece that readers are supposed to spend some time with. It's supposed to affect them, make them think, entertain them. And that makes your job as a writer very important and kind of hard.
Here's an excellent feature lead, followed by the rest of the story:
In Troy Ramey's kitchen there is a straight-backed chair where he once sat every afternoon before leaving for work. He would sit there, with his miner's lunch bucket on the table, sip coffee and look through the kitchen window at a large oak tree in the yard.
Looking at that tree gave him so much pleasure, he said, that he sometimes began an unconscious whistle, soft and low. "I was happy," he said.
Ramey doesn't sit there anymore, nor does he whistle. The tree itself is dead now. It began dying, he said, about the same time two soldiers came to his back door and told him his son Tommy had been killed in Vietnam.
I don't know who wrote that story, but it's wonderful. It's touching, passionate, emotional, poignant. It's also well-written, clear as a bell and follows all the rules of journalism. But it's sure not a news lead.
In fact, the lead is three paragraphs long. Feature leads break all the rules (well--not all the rules. Just because you can use more than 25 words doesn't mean you can be wordy. You still need to choose your words carefully, write efficiently, keep your opinion to yourself and use perfect grammar and AP style). But the feature lead is meant to set the tone for the rest of the story rather than to summarize the story in a single breath the way news leads do.
The story about Troy Ramey goes on to describe how Ramey and his family's life has changed since Tommy died. Here's how it ends:
The dead oak tree still stands outside the kitchen window, bare and stark now in the spring sunshine.
Ramey said he sometimes thinks about cutting it down, but that's about as far as he got. When you've loved something for a long time, he said, it's hard to let it go.
Would an editor ever dare cut the last paragraph of that story to make it fit in a small space? No way! So there's another difference between writing news and writing features: News stories written in inverted pyramid style leave the story's least-important detail for the last paragraph. The writer of a news doesn't wrap up the story or draw a conclusion in the last paragraph. The writer of a feature story does craft an ending but without expressing his or her opinion. The last paragraph is just as important as the first paragraph and, in fact, often harps back to the first paragraph. There are no "throw-away" paragraphs in feature stories like there are in news stories. Every paragraph contributes to the story.
Some people find writing feature stories more difficult than writing news. Others see the creative part of feature writing as less rigid and more fun. That's not to say that feature writing is creative writing, though; it's not. It's journalism. You still need to use short words, write short sentences, keep one thought to a paragraph, use concise language and keep your opinion to yourself.
But you have to know how to get people to talk to you, to give you information that's going to make your story the one the reader is going to remember for a long time. And you have to work at turning a phrase so that your writing paints a picture for the readers.
Above all, you have to tell a story. You're telling a story, not giving a report. You're weaving a tale--a true one based on people's experiences--not reporting the news.
Features can be about people or things, but most readers prefer to read about people. (Note that you may not submit a profile or a participatory story for Assignment #6. Your assignment is to write about how people and groups in your community are taking action to help victims of the tsunami.)
Remember these rules for writing feature stories:
? Begin with a soft lead (see Module 5 Commentary for a full description and examples of soft leads). This assignment specifically requires you to write an anecdotal lead.
? Craft a beginning, a middle and end. Do not write a summary news lead. Do not write in inverted pyramid style.
? Weave the stories of your sources into your copy so that your story is full of examples and anecdotes.
? Use quotes liberally, but remember: If you can write it better than your source can say it, write it instead of using quotes.
? Make sure all of the information in your story is true and accurate.
? Follow all of the rules of journalism: Verify all facts, use perfect grammar, follow AP style, use transitions, write short words, sentence and paragraphs, stick with active voice, don't raise questions you don't answer, etc.
In response to this topic, please answer this: A key to crafting a compelling feature article is extracting interesting anecdotes from sources with experiences relevant to your topic. Sometimes these stories are quite personal and guarded by those you interview. How will you get your sources to tell you their most personal stories? What kinds of questions will you ask? Why will they trust you enough to share their anecdotes? (Consider how the reporter who wrote about Troy Ramey got him to open up about such a sad topic.)
Below are two feature stories written by former Journalism 201 students. They both got As.
You'll see that both of the stories begin with a compelling anecdotal lead and a nut paragraph that summarizes what the story is about. Each contains lots of colorful quotations (properly punctuated and attributed) from sources. They do not refer to Web sites, but instead reveal information the writers have gathered from relevant sources.
The stories follow AP style and avoid grammar and punctuation mistakes. Each paragraph flows from the one before it, making both stories a good read.
And while the writers have taken a bit more license than they could in a news story with descriptions and anecdotes, they do not include their opinion and they attribute heavily. Those same rules apply here as apply when you're writing news.
Questions about writing feature stories? Post them here.
On a rainy Election Day last November, Myria Gray left the Friendship Post Office to deliver mail to homes along the winding back roads of southern Maryland. She never finished her route.
Jenny Taylor, the Friendship postmaster and Gray's boss, remembers the call from the police that afternoon. "They didn't tell me anything,? she recalls. Just that I needed to come to the scene of an accident to secure mail."
When she got there, Taylor says, mail was scattered everywhere. She recognized Gray's car and it looked bad. Gray, a 44-year-old grandmother who worked as a contract postal carrier, used her own car to make mail deliveries. She was on her route, when, police report, she failed to stop at the bottom of the hill where Sansbury Road ends. She drove out onto Route 260 in front of a truck. She died at the scene.
A few weeks after her death, a thin, white cross appeared near the site of Gray's crash. A few days after that, a cluster of plastic flowers was added.
Snow plows buried the memorial under several feet of snow last winter. Now, the spring buds are giving way to young leaves and again the small cross and flowers are nearly hidden to those who speed by. But Taylor knows where to look for her friend's memorial.
The roadsides of rural southern Maryland are dotted with memorials like Gray's, reminders of lives lost in accidents on the roadways.
Debbie Jennings, from the Maryland Traffic Safety Council, says in 2001 there were 602 fatal crashes in the state. In Calvert County last year, according to Jennings, there were five fatal crashes. Sgt. Ricky Thomas, investigator with the Calvert County Sheriff's Office, says there are 10 deaths in the county already this year.
Not every highway death is honored with a memorial, according to Thomas. "I couldn't estimate how many memorials we have in the county because the number is always changing. You will see [memorials] pop up on the anniversaries of deaths that are not there all the time," he says. Other memorials have been maintained for many years, he added.
"Often people will memorialize loved ones at the site [of their accident] ? as a connection to the last place the person was alive," says Patricia Kelly, a bereavement counselor at Hospice of the Chesapeake. "There is a great and healthy need to ritualize death. People are doing something active to feel less helpless."
"The rush of grief ? the fear of forgetting," says Carol Goodman, a bereavement counselor at Calvert Hospice, are reasons for the memorials.
Sally Vander Leest, a customer on Gray's mail route, says even though she didn't know Gray well, she didn't want her to be forgotten. She says she drove by the site of Gray's crash every day and saw the painted lines and arrows on the pavement from the police
investigation. They were the only reminders of what had happened and, Vander Leest says, she wanted there to be something lasting to remind people of Gray.
Vander Leest says a man at her church made the small cross, but it is only temporary. She says she is going to put up a larger, sturdier cross that will be more permanent.
Maria Hester was one of Gray's customers, too. She didn't know who put up the cross, but knew it was for Gray and added the flowers. "I just wanted there to be something ? a reminder for people who drive by."
"In the eyes of those who are grieving, [the memorial site] is ground zero," says JoAnn Kushner, a 20-year resident of Calvert County who has noticed an increase in the number and character of roadside memorials.
A 22-year resident of the county and a county commissioner, Linda Kelley, says years ago she remembers sites of fatal accidents adorned with a small cross or cut flowers. "If it helps people to heal, what's the harm?" she says.
But, Kelley says, recently there have been a few sites along busy Route 4 that concern her. There is a memorial tribute with laminated pictures at the site of a fatal motorcycle accident and a site with helium-filled balloons strung on a sign post, she explained.
The commission has no position on the memorials, says Kelley. But, if a memorial creates a hazard for drivers, "something of a carnival atmosphere," then the commission would have to act, she says.
Goodman says she has noticed more modern memorials, such as balloons and teddy bears, attached to crosses. This type of public display could be a new custom, according to Goodman, reflecting the person who was killed.
The memorial to 17-year-old Sheena Creek is eye catching. Creek's memorial consists of a cross placed in the Route 4 medium surrounded by stuffed animals and flowers. Across the northbound lanes a bouquet of 20 helium-filled balloons is attached to the Harvey Road sign near where, police report, Creek drove into the path of a pickup truck.
Gray's memorial is simple and respectful, but with a cluster of vibrant yellow, blue and purple plastic flower bouquets.
Vander Leest described Gray as a "sweetie" who would drive down her long driveway to deliver packages to her door and always had time to chat for a few minutes.
Gray was a kind woman who was always "upbeat," according to Hester. "She had a lot of traits I admire."
"Myria was always trying to save my soul," says Taylor. She recalled how she didn't want to go to Gray's church because she thought she would feel uncomfortable. Taylor says she told Gray, "People are always jumping up and singing out at your church."
But Taylor did go to Gray's church. She went for her funeral. And when the minister asked Gray's friend to stand up, she did ? but she was too overcome to sing out.
Genevieve Burns says she wasn't quite sure what to expect when she answered a small ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer for a community health nurse to work with the homeless. She certainly didn't realize that it would eventually lead her to be on the front lines in the battle against one of winter?s greatest dangers: hypothermia.
Burns is practice director in downtown Philadelphia for the Mary Howard Health Center, which was named after a homeless woman who died of hypothermia-related complications.
The center specializes in assisting the homeless, and in winter one of its outreach workers? greatest concerns is hypothermia and its complications suffered by their clients.
"I remember one gentleman," recalls Burns, "whose shoes were frozen to his feet. He walked over the bridge from Camden, N.J., and when I tried to untie his shoes, I realized they weren't going to come off."
Every homeless shelter outreach worker can tell similar stories.
"There are always people who simply refuse to come inside," says Steve Cleghorn, deputy executive director of the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness in Washington, D.C. "But with the mayor's order that allows police to bring in anyone intoxicated during a hypothermia alert, we've been able to save lives."
In temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the city's Emergency Management Agency issues an alert that runs on television and radio stations, encouraging citizens to call shelters if they see someone with the signs of hypothermia.
Intoxicated people are not imprisoned, but instead kept warm and safe until they are sober. This order, Cleghorn says, has enabled the police to identify potential hypothermia risks and take care of the problem before the person becomes a statistic in the season's cold-related death count.
Generally, the standard for hypothermia is a core body temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Both Burns and Cleghorn agree that alcoholism can mask symptoms of hypothermia, as can mental illness. Some of these signs include slurred speech, fatigue, slowed breathing rate and cold, pale skin, which sometimes is referred to as mottling.
Burns recalls a case in her days as a community health nurse when a patient, considered mentally ill by shelter outreach workers, came in after a significant drop in temperature. "He just seemed odd, and I couldn't really determine if it was mental illness or hypothermia,? she recalls. ?So to be safe we sent him to the hospital and, as it turns out, it was hypothermia."
Treating hypothermia requires raising a patient's body temperature.
"Rewarming is critical," says Dawn Frees, certified emergency nurse at Ephrata Community Hospital in Ephrata, Pa. This is often accomplished by using a blanket called a bear hugger, which is a heated blanket with warm air blown through it, as well as administering heated intravenous fluids.
Even if a patient is brought to the emergency room without a pulse, rewarming is done. "I know it sounds horrible," says Frees, "but we always say no one is considered dead unless they are warm and dead."
But the homeless are not the only ones who have to think about hypothermia. Bill Caplan, a ski boot designer working at Langhorne Ski & Sport, suggests customers dress in layers and keep perspiration and moisture away from the body.
"It's always best to be with a partner, even if you're alpine skiing," says Caplan, who finds that most of the customers he deals with are well-dressed and prepared. "We don't see much hypothermia, but we do see cases of frostbite."
In extreme cases, the cold can cause brain damage, coma and loss of limbs, he says.
"A lack of oxygen to the brain can cause the loss of balance function or ataxia, the loss of control of the limbs," says Dianne Miller, licensed physical therapist.
Hypothermia affected Miller's personal life several years ago when a friend became hypothermic during a hike at Mount Washington.
"She had never been hiking, had new boots and a new outfit," says Miller. "She fell asleep in her wet clothes at camp and woke up naked, surrounded by strangers from the camp trying to warm her."
At the Mary Howard Health Center and the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, outreach workers are trained to teach clients to recognize when they need to seek help.
"I always tell clients to make sure their first layer is plastic," Burns explains. "It doesn't matter how many blankets they have. If they are wet blankets, hypothermia is a risk."
? Begin with an anecdotal lead and a nut paragraph. Features that begin with other kinds of leads are not eligible for an A.
? Quote at least five sources, including at least one expert.
? Do not quote Web sites, books or brochures. All of your quotations must come from people.
? Use lots of colorful, direct quotes, properly attributed.
? Leave boring and irrelevant quotes in your notebook. You don't have to include everything.
? Make sure each paragraph has to do with the ones before and after it; use transitions.
? Use anecdotes and examples as evidence of statements throughout.
? Avoid lists. Do not stack quotes or list actions or rules.
? Remember: You're telling a story, not giving a report.
? Keep your opinion to yourself.
? Do not include yourself or your questions in the story. You are a fly on the wall, not part of the story. Do not use the words "I," "me" or "we." Never write, "When asked..."
? Make sure all concepts and terms are adequately explained. Don't make the reader guess.
? Don't raise questions you don't answer.
? Write a one-word slug and byline at the top of the first page.
? Repeat the slug and page number at the top of each subsequent page.
? Write -30- at the end of the story. (If you were printing out your copy, you would double-space it and write MORE at the end of each page except the last, which would include -30- at the end.)
? Follow AP style to the letter. You will lose points if you don't. Pay particular attention to:
* titles
* abbreviations
* capital letters
* punctuation
* construction of quotes
? Attribute, punctuate and capitalize quotes correctly. Review the Modules and Conferences. Consider this a test of the information you have accumulated during the semester. You will be graded on how well you follow each rule we've covered this semester.
? Use proper grammar. Watch out for:
* sentence fragments
* run-on sentences
* subject-verb and subject-pronoun agreement
? Write in active voice
? Make sure all facts are accurate and names are spelled correctly.
? Proofread your story before handing it in. Missing words confuse readers and lower your grade.
Questions about feature writing or Assignment #6? Post them here (optional).
Excerpt From Essay:
Title: Journalism Possible benefits and drawbacks of working while attending school
Total Pages: 2 Words: 795 Sources: 5 Citation Style: MLA Document Type: Research Paper
Essay Instructions: Journalism Paper written in the Inverted Pyramid Style. 2 page paper double spaced. It should be either the following topic or something along the lines. As long as it's interesting and has a good lead sentence.
The possible benefits and drawbacks of working while going to school. Research needs to be done asking a few people but i don't have the time.
Title: Technological effects on Journalism through the Internet
Total Pages: 7 Words: 2380 References: 6 Citation Style: APA Document Type: Essay
Essay Instructions: The point of this essay is to "investigate" the impact of technology (internet) on a specific communication career field (journalism).
The points below are what my professor gave us, but the internet should be intertwined through them all. I suggest looking at it as radio and tv made journalism more personal etc. and the internet combines the best qualities of both.
It needs to include:
-A historical summary of journalism that sets the context of the industry today.
-A summary of key technologies that have impacted journalism.
-An argument about the impact of an emerging technology on the career field-what recent technology has impacted those in the career; are the impacts positive, negative, neutral but important; is the impact likely to be temporary or enduring, etc.
-We have to use specific information to demonstrate our knowledge (e.g., specific examples of the continued impact today, ideas or moments that are related to the topic selected, etc)
-We also need to use multiple sources of information:
-Including online, possible newspapers, scholarly sources if applicable etc.
-WSJ, NYT.....anything reputable
-They all need to be cited within the paper if necessary and also on a "works cited page".
Title: Public Relations
Total Pages: 5 Words: 1841 Works Cited: 6 Citation Style: MLA Document Type: Research Paper
Essay Instructions: analyze public relations and advertising, and how it has changed because of new technology. The paper will also look at the state of these professions in other countries, and the effect of the information revolution on those fields.
use online sources
**An example could be the impact of the internet on the newspaper industry and multimedia journalism in the US and other countries. It will also cover ethical issues such as privacy and copyright protection as it applies to their fields.
Can i please request the same writer as last paper? Thank You
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text:
Theater review: 'Cinderella' falls flat
Rohan Preston / Minneapolis Star Tribune
Unlike the lovely staging of "Cinderella" that played the Children's Theatre in December 1999, the production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's "Cinderella" that opened Tuesday in Minneapolis is colorful, but flat as a pancake.
The show, at the Historic State Theatre, has puppet mice, a puppet feline, an omnipresent puppet dove and two high-wattage stars.
Unfortunately, radiant diva Eartha Kitt has too little stage time as the fairy godmother, and former teen pop star Deborah Gibson, who plays the title character, has too much. Gibson's talent is so thin, it could all fit in that glass slipper.
Some of the production's failings are attributable to director Gabriel Barre, whose forced, hurly-burly staging appears to try too hard to be funny.
True, this is a fairy tale. And the characters are just symbols. Still, you want to root for Cinderella, to wish she could get out of the claws of her wicked stepmother and her two squeaky-squawky stepsisters.
The dreadfully miscast Gibson did everything she could to stop your empathy. Her movements were so wooden, she could have been the subject of Madonna's lyrics: "like a virgin / touched for the very first time."
While Gibson's lack of theater talent can be hidden in a fast-paced musical comedy such as "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," her shortcomings stand out in a show such as "Cinderella."
When she sang here, her tinny voice had the kind of little holes you get when you scream too loudly. That might have been because she was way out of sync with her onstage partners, especially the prince. She overpowered him with her voice in a way that sounded less like passion than competition for the spotlight. Perhaps all of Gibson's duets should have been with Kitt.
Gibson did have one way to express desire -- through heavy, chesty breathing. Her costar, Paolo Montalban, played Prince Christopher with surprising skill and poise. Endowed with a rich voice and charm, he sang well and moved with ease. He grounded the royal in such good manners and innate decency, you wanted his bride to be someone good.
Another discovery was Victor Trent Cook, playing the royal steward Lionel. He served as a kind of audience representative onstage, asking obvious questions and talking common sense.
Impressive moving set pieces and colorful costumes provided some relief to the overall flatness.
The use of "color-blind" and "gender-blind" casting, which can ordinarily add humor, seemed tawdry. The prince, played by an Asian actor, is the son of the big-bellied black king (Ken Prymus) and the white queen (Leslie Becker). Cinderella's wicked stepmother is a lackluster man in drag (Everett Quinton).
Royal steward Lionel had some of the pithiest lines. One, used to deflect the advances of the stepmother, seemed apt for the production as well: "The only thing that should be between you and me is a continent."
Rohan Preston can be contacted at rpreston@startribune.com
© Copyright 2001 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.


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Takeaway: In the world of intellectual property licensing it is important to obtain the proper intellectual property interest in the works that you are licensing or you may not have standing to sue.
DRK Photo is a stock photography agency that markets and licenses images created by others. One of the entities they licensed images to was McGraw-Hill, the defendant in this action. DRK Photo brought this suit for copyright infringement because McGraw-Hill overprinted the images that were licensed to them by DRK Photo in a book that McGraw-Hill published.
The main issue of this case was whether DRK Photo actually had standing to sue under the Copyright Act of 1976. The court explained that it has been established that either an assignment or an exclusive license will transfer a right in copyright for the purposes of standing to sue. On the other hand, a nonexclusive license does not constitute a transfer of copyright ownership and therefore cannot confer standing to assert an infringement claim.
DRK Photo obtains licenses of the photos on its website through representation agreements which take two forms: (1) agreements appointing DRK Photo as the "sole and exclusive agent" to license and sell the covered photographs, and (2) agreements appointing DRK Photo as a nonexclusive agent to license and sell the covered photographs.
The only type of agreement that is at issue in this case is the second form, which only grants a nonexclusive right to license and sell the images. These nonexclusive representation agreements give the original photographer the ability to have other agents sell and license their photos for them as well.
In addition to the representation agreements, DRK Photo also sought an assignment agreement for the purpose of obtaining copyrights in the photos they sell for the photographers. The intent of this second agreement seemed to be for the sole purpose of obtaining standing to sue for infringement. The court found evidence through the assignment language itself and communications between DRK Photo and the photographers that the intent of this agreement was not for any ownership interest but rather only for the purpose of suing for infringement.
The issue then became whether the assignment of the copyright after the infringement occurred was enough to obtain standing. The court did not believe that it was. They found support for their decision in Silvers v. Sony Pictures Entertainment, 402 F.3d 881 (9th Cir. 2005) (en banc), and later in Righthaven LLC v. Hoehn, 716 F.3d 1166, 1169-70 (9th Cir. 2013). In those decisions, the court found that an assignee who holds an accrued claim for copyright infringement, but who has no legal or beneficial interest in the copyright itself, may not institute an action for infringement. In other words, the purported transfer of legal title coupled with the transfer of accrued claims does not confer standing when the transaction, in substance and effect, merely transfers a right to sue. Therefore, because the overall intent here seemed to be for the purpose of obtaining a right to sue, rather than a legitimate copyright in the images, the court found that DRK Photo still did not have standing to sue.


Duac gel is a prescription only medication used in the treatment of mild to moderate acne. It contains two main active ingredients; the antibiotic clindamycin, and benzoyl peroxide a keratolytic (peeling) agent with antibacterial properties. When used in this combination, Duac works by reducing acne causing bacteria as well as reducing the formation of blackheads and whiteheads on the outer most layer of the skin.
How to use Duac Gel?
Gently wash the affected area with a mild cleanser and make sure the skin is completely dry prior to application. Apply a small amount of gel in the evening to the affected area(s) only, and rub in. If the gel does not easily absorb into the skin then you are using too much. You should wash your hands after each application with a gentle soap. Allow the gel to dry on the skin where it has been applied, and do not wash off until the morning.
Duac Gel - How long does it take to work?
When using Duac daily you should expect to see noticeable improvements in your acne after 2-5 weeks, with the maximum benefit being seen at weeks 8-12. Treatment with Duac should be continued for up to a maximum of 12 weeks only.
Duac should be stored in temperatures up to and not exceeding 25°C during use. Once you have received your item, treatment with Duac should be commenced straight away. Duac must be discarded 8 weeks after opening.
Does Duac Gel have any side effects?
During the initial few weeks of treatment, users may experience an increase in reddening and/or peeling of the skin at the site of application (the area you are treating). This should reduce and improve over time.
Benzoyl Peroxide, one of two active ingredients in Duac, can increase your skins sensitivity to sunlight. As a precaution excessive or prolonged exposure to direct sunlight should be avoided whilst using Duac.
For more information on less common side effects please read the patient information leaflet included in your purchase.
Buy Duac gel online at Smart Chemist. We are an MHRA registered online pharmacy helping patients with a safe and hassle-free service that they can trust.


text:
Microsoft on 'Threshold' of Windows Phone growth
Smartphone lull a golden opportunity for Microsoft
Nadella's rise renews appeals for Office on iPad, Android tablets
Perspective: Microsoft hedges on Office for iPad, cites 'thoughtful' decisions
Microsoft Windows can't keep partying like it's 1999
Microsoft will use its Build developer conference to talk about innovations for its flagship OS
By Juan Carlos Perez
IDG News Service |
Microsoft partners, developers and customers may get a clearer picture this week of how the company plans to keep Windows relevant now that its rock-solid position in the market has been shaken up by competitors, shifts in technology and the lukewarm reception of recent releases.
"The future of Windows is overall in a bit of jeopardy," said Gartner analyst Michael Silver.
Satya Nadella, Microsoft's newly minted CEO, recently said that he and other top executives would discuss future "innovations" for Windows at the Build conference, which starts on Wednesday. They'll have their work cut out for them.
"One of the questions right up front I wanted to address is, 'What about Windows, where does Windows fit in with all of this?'" Nadella said last week at the press conference he held to introduce Office for iPad. There, he reiterated that Microsoft is focused on serving customers both at home and at work in what it views as a "mobile-first, cloud-first" world.
"Windows is a massive agenda for us. We will innovate and you will see us talk [at Build] about the great innovations in the operating system and great innovations in devices," he said.
Windows was for decades the king of operating systems for personal computing equipment, ruling over desktop and laptop PCs, but the monarch OS is having trouble defending its throne in the age of smartphones and tablets, where iOS and Android rule.
Windows 8, which was supposed to extend the operating system's dominance to tablets, got mixed reviews, in particular because its new tile interface, optimized for tablets, was considered inconvenient for desktop PC users even though it also came with an alternate "traditional" Windows 7-like interface.
In the end, Windows 8 didn't come close to achieving the success Microsoft envisioned for it, and an 8.1 update was released almost a year later. Windows 8.1 smoothed out some of the rough edges, but it had its own bugs, and many felt it didn't go far enough in addressing the needs of keyboard-and-mouse users.
Microsoft is expected to detail further refinements to Windows 8.1 at Build.
"There was a decision initially to make Windows 8 unfriendly to desktop users, and Microsoft has since been putting back in there features that they took out," Silver said, referring to elements such as the Start menu and button.
On the handset side, Windows Phone 8 remains far behind Android and iOS, but a new 8.1 version is in the works and it'll be discussed at Build as well.
Then there's Windows RT, the Windows 8 for ARM devices, which some say may be merged with Windows Phone so that Microsoft can offer customers and developers a uniform OS experience in smartphones and "phablets."
"Microsoft needs to consolidate its platforms, at least from an application perspective, so that developers don't have to maintain separate applications. I would expect this will be a priority for Microsoft going forward," IDC analyst Al Gillen said via email.
The importance of the future and strategy for Windows has been heightened by Microsoft's $7.2 billion deal to acquire Nokia's smartphone business, which is expected to close in late April.
Bringing the development of future Nokia devices into the Microsoft fold is expected to yield better products because Microsoft will be in complete control of the hardware, software and services. Clearly, the operating system powering these devices, as well as the applications running on them, are key elements for achieving that success.
Nokia will hold a press conference at Build where it presumably will offer details about upcoming Windows-powered devices.
So far, indications from Microsoft executives point to a uniform code-base strategy for Windows from smartphones through servers, making the platform more attractive for developers building applications and IT professionals managing enterprise systems.
"That seems to be the path they've had for Windows for a while," Silver said.
Gillen doesn't think there will ever be a uniform set of APIs (application programming interfaces) running the gamut from phone to server. "But there could be a subset/superset scenario," with a few core APIs along with specific ones for different platforms, he said.
Microsoft's strategy is different from the one taken by its biggest rivals, both of which have separate OSes for mobile devices and PCs.
Apple has done well with iOS for iPhones and iPads, and Mac OS for desktop and laptop PCs. Likewise, Google has Android for smartphones and tablets, and ChromeOS for Chromebook laptops and desktops -- although there have been persistent rumors that Google will at some point merge those two operating systems.
However, Gillen said that Microsoft's case is different from its competitors', so its strategy for Windows doesn't necessarily need to follow someone else's model.
"Apple has a different audience and ecosystem than Microsoft has, and I think it is oversimplifying to compare and contrast the two companies in this manner. Microsoft needs to do what is best for its ecosystem," Gillen said.
Back in September, Terry Myerson, the executive vice president of the Operating Systems Group at Microsoft, talked about this vision of a uniform Windows experience from the handset to the data center.
"We really should have one silicon interface for all of our devices. We should have one set of developer APIs on all of our devices," Myerson said during the company's meeting with financial analysts. "And all of the apps we bring to end users should be available on all of our devices."
Myerson's team was formed in July as part of a company reorganization architected by then-CEO Steve Ballmer, who at the time said the group would be in charge of "all our OS work for console, to mobile device, to PC, to back-end systems," as well as of the OS "core cloud services."
In addition to the single developer toolset and application parity across devices, his team is working on "one core [cloud] service, which is enabling all of our devices," while at the same time providing a "tailored" experience for each device, from 3-inch phones to 60-inch TV sets, he said then.
"We want to facilitate the creation of a common, familiar experience across all of those devices, but fundamentally tailored and unique for each device," Myerson said.
It's reasonable to expect that Microsoft will expand on this vision during Build, a big conference aimed primarily at commercial and enterprise developers, a crowd that hasn't rushed to embrace Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 just yet.
"A key message for the conference has to be: Come back to Windows to develop," Silver said. Microsoft should also extend the scope of its development tools so they can be used to create applications not just for Windows, but also for other platforms, such as iOS and Android, he added.
It remains to be seen whether Nadella and his charges can get developers and IT pros enthused about the future of Windows, and if the path they trace for the OS will lead to success or obsolescence.
Juan Carlos Perez covers enterprise communication/collaboration suites, operating systems, browsers and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Juan on Twitter at @JuanCPerezIDG.


Third party companies offer to install solar PV arrays on your home and promise to save you money on your monthly electric utility costs. Bloomberg found they use a mix of false assertions, lies, cherry picking and fear as sales methods, to persuade homeowners to sign up and lease the solar PV system for decades. Over time, the lease costs increase such that the homeowner spends far more in the future, while the third party company collects large government subsidies. Few homeowners understand what they got in to. When they go to sell their home, the lease is transferred to the buyer – in effect, TPO solar PV arrays become a dead weight on the home's future sales potential, particularly to informed buyers who understand the game.
The role played by propaganda in the public discussion of the #ACA #ObamaCare-Did you know the ACA has a pre-existing condition waiting period?
Propaganda messaging played and continues to play an enormous role in the public's view on the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. ObamaCare. For example, Democrats have made pre-existing condition exclusions the centerpiece of their 2018 public commentary on the ACA.
Yet, never explained is that most Americans already had protections against pre-existing condition exclusions – it was the individual market that did not have protections (details in the post). Further, contrary to what you have been led to believe, the ACA does, in fact, establish a pre-existing condition waiting period. The ACA did not eliminate pre-existing condition waiting periods (see post for details).
The propaganda messaging used the methods of Fear, Assertion, Lying and What You See Is All There Is and has been extraordinarily effective. The Republican opposition has been clumsy and largely counterproductive with utterly ineffective propaganda messaging of its own.
Obamacare was judged unconstitutional by a Federal judge today. In response, a number of politicians made comments such as this one: "Today's ruling is an assault on 133 million Americans with preexisting conditions". That claim, however, is false. It is not well known but HIPAA (passed in 1996) provided protections for many, and about half of the U.S. states enacted various protections against pre-existing condition exclusions. This was hidden by design. By implying (falsely) that 1/3d of the U.S. population would be denied health insurance, the method of fear is used to create political support.
News media has advocated a meme that housing rents increase faster than wages but according to the census data, median wages have grown much faster than median rent.
In light of the survey finding most voters are badly misinformed on well known and popular public policy issues the same is likely true about social media posts. It is likely that more than half of political or policy oriented social media posts are incorrect. But depending on who makes the posts, and how many followers they have, their incorrect posts can be influential – and plant non factual and illogical constructions in the minds of their targets.
Part 8: Is Denmark a socialist country?
This blog analyzed a popular social media propaganda post that was widely distributed in 2016. The poster encouraged viewers to share if you wanted the U.S. to be just like Denmark. Nearly all the claims about Denmark, however, were false. Yet the poster was widely shared. Another popular meme is that Denmark is a socialist country and we should be just like Denmark. Except Denmark is not a socialist country – and that is according to the Prime Minister of Denmark.