MANILA, Philippines – Although Netflix has been around since 1997, the popular video-on-demand service has yet to reach the Philippines, more so with the rest of Asia. The company announced on Wednesday in a press release on Wednesday that Netflix will become available in Japan this fall, while aiming to complete a global roll out by the end of 2016.
In the meanwhile, three of the biggest companies in Asia have pooled resources to fill in the gap. These three companies are Singaporean based telecom giant Singapore Telecom (Singtel), Sony Pictures Television, and Time Warner's Warner Bros Entertainment.
The video-on-demand service is named HOOQ, and it will begin rolling out in Asia in the first quarter of 2015, starting with the Philippines, India, Thailand, and Indonesia, before expanding into other markets like Singapore and Australia.
This comes as no surprise: Globe Telecom is a joint venture between Singtel and Ayala Corporation.
In what can be seen as a preemptive move to capture the Asian market before Netflix makes an entry, HOOQ will become available to Globe Telecom's customers at P199/month.
Through HOOQ, Filipinos will have unlimited online streaming access and an offline viewing option to top Hollywood and Filipino movie and television content, via any device including computers, smartphones and tablets.
This includes Hollywood movies such as Harry Potter, Spider-Man and Inception, while enjoying popular TV series such as Gossip Girl, Friends and Smallville.
Customers can watch local high-grossing films such as Metro Manila, A Secret Affair, Shake Rattle and Roll and Ang Tanging Ina, as well as classics including Dyesebel, Bagets and Bituing Walang Ningning. Highly-rated TV shows like My Husband's Lover, Mulawin, Tayong Dalawa and Mara Clara will also be available anytime and anywhere.
According to a Nielsen report in 2014, viewing online video content has become a pastime for digital consumers in the Philippines, with 85% watching at least weekly, the second highest in the region.
The same report also revealed that 7 in 10 digital consumers in the country report watching TV content and movies via online sources such as video-on-demand, the second highest penetration of internet TV in the region at 71%.
Recognising the value that video-on-demand services deliver to consumers, Globe Telecom will provide its customers with the ability to download HOOQ, which will soon be available to customers on a plan-based service for Philippine Peso 199 per month for access to thousands of movies, far more affordable than buying a ticket for just one movie.
HOOQ will also be offered as a bundled service with the telco's GoSURF and Tattoo broadband services.


text:
Army vet helps Norfolk homeless man wade through months of red tape to get Virginia ID
By Katherine Hafner
Chris Coles, who has been homeless on and off for years, would occasionally run across local Army vet Jeffrey Sargent around Ghent. Late last year they got to talking and Sargent discovered Coles was having trouble getting into a shelter, because they required ID. The dilemma set off a months-long journey in which Sargent helped Coles track down his high school diploma, birth certificate and ultimately get official Virginia identification. As seen Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. (Stephen M. Katz)
On an evening in November, Jeffrey Sargent spotted Chris Coles at the 80/20 Burger Bar, as he often had, "just sitting up there, having a Coke, watching football."
The two struck up a conversation about the sport – Sargent's an Oakland Raiders fan, Coles prefers the Redskins – and before long Sargent learned that Coles is homeless. He has been, off and on, for the better part of a decade.
"He mentioned he was sleeping out in the bushes, and I was just like, 'Why?' " Sargent said. "He explained to me that without an ID card, he couldn't get into shelters."
Coles, 36, is a lifelong Virginian but couldn't get the card to prove it.
The conversation prompted Sargent, 50, a retired Army officer, to help. He's a certified yoga therapist who wants his work to "empower people to take their healing into their own hands.
"I started getting involved with him and was like, 'Well, let's get this ID.' "
The resulting journey was longer and harder than either of them expected. Over months, they hunted down crucial documents and waded through red tape, learning just how difficult the system can be for homeless people to simply prove who they are.
The chance meeting turned into a surprisingly strong bond, for which Coles is grateful.
"I just expected we'd be friends talking about sports," he said. "Then he became my angel to help me get what I need."
A vicious cycle
The two started at a Department of Motor Vehicles branch in Norfolk, where they received a list of documents Coles could use to get an ID: a birth certificate, a Social Security card, a passport.
"He didn't have anything," Sargent said.
The first step was tracking down a birth certificate. Coles was born in Norfolk and raised in Chesapeake, where his mother still lives. He said he's stayed with her off and on over the years, but they don't talk much anymore.
"Virginia's always been my main home," Coles said. "I got out (on the streets) because of family problems, and doing a lot of wrong things. But I got on my feet and try to do better."
Sargent stepped in, leaving messages with Coles' mother asking her to send the certificate. Eventually she did, and they tried again.
"Once we had the birth certificate we headed back to the DMV, and then it was like, 'Well, he needs proof of residency in Virginia.' And of course a homeless person doesn't really have a residence."
One way to do so is to get established at a shelter. But the shelters require ID.
It's a vicious cycle, one homeless people can easily fall into and one that's not so easy to climb out of.
"The lack of photo identification has become a tremendous problem for people who are homeless in a post-September 11 climate," the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty wrote in a 2004 report. "People without photo identification have difficulty accessing the critical services and benefits that help move people out of poverty."
Not having an ID makes it "virtually impossible to escape homelessness," according to a report last year from The Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit that researches public policy.
The men's shelter at Union Mission Ministries on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk requires ID "for multiple reasons, particularly in terms of our non sex offender stance, safeguarding guests and staff from fugitives, etc.," shelter spokeswoman Linda Jones wrote in an email. "We also understand that lack of ID for those encountering homelessness is common."
Union Mission, therefore, accepts Social Security cards, prison release documents and hospital discharge documents in addition to traditional IDs, she said.
The Salvation Army's Emergency Men's Shelter on 19th Street in Norfolk, just behind Sargent's apartment and in the area where Coles usually resides, also requires ID to screen for sex offenders, particularly due to the shelter's location across from Ghent Elementary School, said shelter director Pauline Ehmann.
So how could someone like Coles prove he lives in Virginia without an address?
"We do see these folks and we want to work with them so we can get the documents we need to be able to issue an ID," said DMV spokeswoman Brandy Brubaker. "We understand not everybody can just go to the (required documents) list and pull them out of a box somewhere. … We want to make the process as simple as possible, but of course we have standards we need to meet."
The department has an exceptions process that allows certain citizens to use "alternative documents," including Social Security cards and school transcripts, she said.
"Bigger and better"
Coles graduated from Oscar Smith High School in 1999. It was easy for Sargent to take him to get his transcripts one day, but the 20-minute drive would've been much harder by bus and on foot.
Then they returned to the DMV, where employees took Coles' photo and prepared to issue him a card, but up popped a red flag. In a strange twist, someone years ago had gotten an ID in Coles' name. It took some wrangling through phone conversations with a department investigator before Sargent got the all-clear for his friend weeks later.
After a fourth visit to the DMV, everything was in order.
Sargent allowed Coles to use his own post office box as his address, and later added Coles' name to it when the Postal Service refused to deliver the ID without it.
After about three months, with lots of help from his new friend, Coles received a Virginia ID a few weeks ago – his first since he was 20.
The duo celebrated over a haircut, a new wallet and lunch at KFC – Coles' choice. Sargent's friend recently gave Coles a cellphone, making it a lot easier for them to get in touch.
Coles eagerly showed the ID to a reporter on a recent afternoon, along with a big grin.
"It's been good, I feel like (Sargent is) one of my counselors," he said with a laugh.
Now Coles is hoping to land a job as a dishwasher, perhaps, or in retail. Or "trying to do my acting or my music or something to make it bigger and better."
The last time he earned a two-week paycheck was in the '90s at Funscape arcade in Chesapeake, he said.
In the meantime, he's been staying at local churches through the Norfolk Emergency Shelter Team, a program run only in winter .
"All of us take for granted the things that are so easy to do sometimes," Sargent said. "But for someone in that situation, if you don't have any documents showing who you are, good luck. It's really hard."
A lot of the steps should be a little easier, Coles said. But "you just hold your head up and keep strong."
Katherine Hafner, 757-222-5208, katherine.hafner@pilotonline.com. Follow @khafner15 on Twitter.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you were looking for a front line player in the racist campaign against Mexican immigrants, Michelle Malkin would be a likely candidate. And what is her primary line-of-attack lately? It's that pro-immigration demonstrators have hijacked the American flag.
In a post two days ago, Ms. Malkin accused "illegal alien public relations experts" of advising followers to "tone down their radicalism" by minimizing their use of the Mexican flag. Ms. Malkin then featured the image above (taken at the huge Dallas protest on Sunday) to suggest the marchers — whom she refers to as "reconquistadors" — simply couldn't hold back from flying the red, white and green.
Currently, reactionaries like Malkin and The Minuteman are keenly interested in protesters exclusively carrying the Mexican flag. If I catch her inference, these shots are supposed to demonstrate sole allegiance to Mexico — and that any employment of American iconography is strictly a manipulation.


If you want to live some of the most important flamenco shows in Madrid, buy your ticket now. You cannot miss this opportunity to feel the magic of flamenco watching and enjoying a real show.
Choose which show you want to go within the variety that we offer. Live a unique night with your family or friends and learn from this art of dance and music so famous in our country. The bailaores, palmeros and musicians will make you vibrate and be a participant in the shows they have prepared with a lot of passion and enthusiasm.
If you are passionate about flamenco, this is your chance to enjoy the best shows on the Madrid scene and also the national scene. And if you've never known it closely and it's your first time, it will become a difficult experience to forget, because flamenco has something that enchants the viewer, a unique charm that will make you love flamenco and want to continue seeing more shows like these.
Flamenco Cardamomo is the flamenco show where every night 10 artists gather on stage. Very close to the Plaza del Sol and the Prado Museum among other places of interest in Madrid.
Essential Flamenco: The purest and most intimate flamenco show in Madrid. Next to Plaza Santa Ana and Puerta del Sol.
Corral de la Morería: Tablao-restaurant in the historic center of Madrid.
It is considered the Best Flamenco Tablao in the World, and gives you the option of show + dinner or show + drink.
Casa Patas: The most authentic Tablao Flamenco in the city is located in the center.
Choose your ticket which includes flamenco show and Dinner, Drinks or Tapas.
Café Chinitas is one of the best known places in Madrid. Flamenco art in a 16th century palace.
Teatro Flamenco de Madrid is the only theater dedicated entirely to the flamenco show.
Choose your ticket for just the show or show with drink.
This special place is located in the heart of Madrid, in its historic center. Currently this tablao has been chosen as the "Best Flamenco Tablao in the World" by the International Festival of Cante de Minas and awarded for its gastronomic quality with a "Sol de la Guía Repsol".
Corral de la Morería combines the experience of the most veteran and famous artists of the flamenco scene, with the new promises that are making their way in this world. Enjoy a fantastic dinner while you enjoy your daily show.
Choose Café de Chinitas if you want to have a nice time enjoying flamenco and a drink, or even a dinner. A place with a lot of charm located in an 18th century palace.
There are many artists with whom you will live a different and special night. Some of these artists have been: José Mercé, Rosario or Manuela Vargas.
In the heart of Madrid you will find this famous tablao-restaurant. With more than 30 years of experience, Casa Patas offers you the best flamenco while you enjoy a delicious dinner.
A great combination of flamenco, gastronomy with typical dishes, in an authentic Madrid tavern.
It is also located in the center of Madrid, near the Gran Vía. It is the only flamenco theater in the world. With his show "Emotions" he brings the viewer to understand and feel flamenco in a more intimate way than in other flamenco tablaos.
In addition, you can accompany your ticket with a drink.
Flamenco Cardamomo is one of the few flamenco shows in Madrid which has no more and no less than 10 artists on stage.
If you are walking around Madrid, the final touch to a night in the city center is a visit to this tablao that has a different show every month. Nothing is the same in Cardamomo, a unique show.
Essential Flamenco could not have chosen his name any better. The essence of flamenco meets every night in this typical tablao. Performances as always have been done, in an intimate environment where the complicity between the artists is intermingled with that of the public.


text:
Fishing Industry News
Local public notices
Massachusetts public notices
Can you beat Burt?
Daily Times Carrier Route Opportunities
Gloucester, MA (01930)
Mainly sunny. High 81F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..
A few passing clouds. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
Newspaper of the Year | Serving Cape Ann
Submit a memoriam
Our view: Citizens should be told how data is being used
The ACLU of Massachusetts made two public records requests to the Mass. Department of Transportation, seeking information about how the agency uses facial recognition technology. After the state failed to respond both times, the ACLU filed a lawsuit.
The suit seeks details about how the the states uses and shares its driver's license database for "face surveillance" purposes.
"When you go to get a driver's license, no one tells you that you're also entering your face into a surveillance dragnet," said ACLU director Carol Rose, in announcing the lawsuit. The technology "gives the government unprecedented power to track who we are, where we go, what we do and who we know."
The ACLU wants the state to make sure the government's use of this technology "doesn't get out ahead of our basic rights."
With news that ICE and the FBI have routinely tapped into the RMV databases of certain states to troll for information about immigrants, this lawsuit is especially timely. The Legislature has broached the issue of surveillance – whether data from law enforcement license plate scanning systems can be saved or must be deleted in a specific time frame, for example — but the rapid spread of facial recognition and biometric technology surveillance must be addressed at every level of government.
Sen. Cynthia Creem and Rep. David Rogers sponsored legislation that's pending in the Statehouse that would place a temporary hold on the government's use of facial recognition while regulations are established.
This legislation needs to be discussed and acted on by lawmakers. State officials need to be clear about how these broad databases of citizen information are stored, accessed and used, by whom and under what regulations. Then, that information needs to be shared with all citizens without the need to file public records requests or lawsuits.
Gloucester - Salvatore P. "Tor...
Gloucester, MA - Jerry, a life...
Gloucester, MA - Jerry, a lifelong resident and fisherman of Gloucester, Mass., is survived by his wife Mary; daughter Josephine; and son Salvatore. He will be missed by his extended family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Holy Family Parish in h…
Gloucester - Lois A. (Ingersol...
Gloucester - Lois A. (Ingersoll) Dench, 89, of Gloucester, passed away after a long illness on Thursday morning, July 11, 2019 at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester. She was the beloved wife of the late Richard Dench Sr. Born in Gloucester, she was the daughter of the late Charles C. and…
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'Pirate' charged with breaking into Manchester home
Viral whale video: Likely not an orca, but still cool
Not an orca, not a minke, but a finback, aquarium says
Guster to headline Riverfest in Gloucester
Humpback sends fish flying while feeding
Police/Fire: Man, 79, accused of breaking into Manchester home
Man seriously hurt in fall at Vernon's Pit
New stores to open in fall at Crossing
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Police/Fire: Witnesses help in capturing car crash suspect
Featured Homes of the Week
Artfully restored home is a true Gloucester treasure
BY LILLIAN SHAPIRO SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT FOR REAL ESTATE MARKETPLACE
gloucestertimes.com
36 Whittemore St.
Gloucester, MA 01930
Email: gdtnews@gloucestertimes.com
© Copyright 2019 Gloucester Daily Times, 36 Whittemore St. Gloucester, MA | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy


CK Cycles & Skate Macksville, Bicycles & Accessories - Retailers & Repairers, listed under "Bicycles & Accessories - Retailers & Repairers" category, is located at Shop 3 14 Cooper St Macksville NSW, 2447, Australia and can be reached by 0265684466 phone number. CK Cycles & Skate Macksville has currently 0 reviews.
Browse all Bicycles & Accessories - Retailers & Repairers in Macksville NSW.


Japanese Cherry Blossom Moisturizing Body Wash is rated 4.8 out of 5 by 18.
Rated 5 out of 5 by green46 from Added moisturizer to my skin I normally purchase Japaneses cherry blossom shower gel and lotion. White shopping, the sale clerk suggested that I try the moisturizing body wash. I love it and will continue to purchase in the future.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Carla49601 from Really nice feel, great on your skin! Really luxurious feel, rinses clean, and the scent stays.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Genyphr from Body Wash I recently purchased Japanese Cherry Blossom Moisturizing Body Wash. I love how creamy it is and the fragrance is one I can love forever.


Over the year's I've liked Angelica Blick's style. There are times I use to stalk her blog every day.. But latel'y I find myself inspired by her style. She has motivated me to start blogging more and taking moe pictures outside. There's something about her style, it's for everyone and not just for one person. She can be a college girl one morning, than a personal shopper, a celeb one day and than a business women the next. How Angelica styles her look encourages girls out their to embrace their style more.. her clothes don't look expensive but instead casual and simple. I message to say that you don't need to be rich and have fancy clothes to look stylish. I don't know if you guys know her but check out her blog here, You will be amazed!
Over the weekend, I was busy shooting Aumtumn styles and I can't wait to share it with you all :) It's coming soon, take a look out for my winter skin care routine tomorrow.


First, note they have modified the candy, now it is called "Sour Flush." Apparently, the candy makers were missing an entire population of toilet candy patrons. After thorough research (I'm certain!), it was discovered that the success of the plunger pop - candy toilet crystal phenomenon could reach even new heights if they made the candy sour! So, like many companies, they have merely taken the first candy and added a sour component (i.e. Skittles becomes Sour Skittles). I still think they need to come up with a chocolate component to be housed inside the plastic bowl! (Mmmm yumm! Would you mind if I barf just a little bit right now?).
Second, I included this candy because it was delivered to me after 12,000 miles of travel. A faithful reader named Rebecca found this tasty toilet treat in Singapore and carried it with her to a wedding in Holland, where she met up with Yvette who then delivered it the rest of the way to my dental office in California. How is that for international coverage?
Third, at the same time I received the international toilet pop, I was given the same candy to review by Mangoboy #3, who found it in our favorite seaside candy store. It was like a sign! I knew this one needed to receive a 2nd mention in theMT.
Sealed for freshness until ready to scoop and eat!
So, thank you to Rebecca for your submission (and Yvette for the delivery!) and Jack for finding it!


text:
Tetuan/Sania Ramel
Weather in Tetuan/Sania Ramel, MA (Weather Station)
Precipitation: -
Avg. wind speed: 9.1 km/h
Time of day (WET)
slight rain or rain showers with partly clear sky
slight rain or slight rain showers with partly clear sky
Temperature 8 °C 10 °C 13 °C 14 °C 13 °C 12 °C 11 °C
Precipitation 0.8 l/m² 0.4 l/m² 0 l/m²
Wind gusts 28.5 km/h 23.7 km/h 29.9 km/h 30.7 km/h 19 km/h 19.2 km/h 16.8 km/h
Avg. wind speed 5.3 km/h 3.8 km/h 13 km/h 14.2 km/h 6 km/h 4.4 km/h 1.6 km/h
Feels like 7 °C 10 °C 13 °C 14 °C 13 °C 12 °C 11 °C
Dewpoint 6 °C 7 °C 9 °C 9 °C 9 °C 8 °C 8 °C
Air pressure 1014 hPa 1016 hPa 1016 hPa 1015 hPa 1016 hPa 1017 hPa 1018 hPa
Fresh snow 0 cm 0 cm 0 cm
Temperature 11 °C 10 °C 10 °C 12 °C 15 °C 15 °C 14 °C 12 °C
Wind gusts 16.8 km/h 17.2 km/h 26.8 km/h 19.9 km/h 28.8 km/h 29.9 km/h 23 km/h 21.2 km/h
Avg. wind speed 1.6 km/h 5.5 km/h 9.1 km/h 4.7 km/h 13.7 km/h 15 km/h 9.5 km/h 7.3 km/h
Feels like 11 °C 9 °C 8 °C 12 °C 15 °C 15 °C 14 °C 12 °C
Dewpoint 8 °C 8 °C 7 °C 8 °C 9 °C 9 °C 10 °C 9 °C
Air pressure 1018 hPa 1017 hPa 1017 hPa 1018 hPa 1018 hPa 1017 hPa 1018 hPa 1019 hPa
Precipitation 0.1 l/m² 0 l/m² 0.1 l/m² 0.2 l/m²
Wind gusts 15.9 km/h 21 km/h 31 km/h 23.4 km/h 32.7 km/h 35.8 km/h 23.7 km/h 21.2 km/h
Avg. wind speed 5.5 km/h 6.4 km/h 8.6 km/h 6 km/h 15.3 km/h 16.8 km/h 9.1 km/h 4.6 km/h
Feels like 12 °C 9 °C 10 °C 13 °C 16 °C 17 °C 15 °C 13 °C
Dewpoint 9 °C 8 °C 8 °C 9 °C 10 °C 10 °C 10 °C 10 °C
Precipitation 0.2 l/m² 2 l/m² 0.2 l/m² 0 l/m²
Wind gusts 21.2 km/h 19 km/h 34.9 km/h 32.5 km/h 42.2 km/h 48 km/h 45.8 km/h 41.6 km/h
Avg. wind speed 5.1 km/h 7.7 km/h 7.8 km/h 8.2 km/h 19.7 km/h 21.2 km/h 17.3 km/h 18.8 km/h
Feels like 12 °C 10 °C 11 °C 11 °C 14 °C 14 °C 13 °C 12 °C
Dewpoint 10 °C 9 °C 9 °C 10 °C 10 °C 10 °C 9 °C 9 °C
Avg. wind speed 20.3 km/h 14.8 km/h 15.9 km/h 13.3 km/h 15.1 km/h 15.9 km/h 9.3 km/h 5.1 km/h
Temperature 9 / 16 °C 10 / 17 °C 11 / 17 °C
Precipitation 0 l/m² 0 l/m² 0 l/m²
Data provided by weather station Tetuan/Sania Ramel, 10m
+54 km - Tanger/Intl
+63 km - Gibraltar
+85 km - Larache
Weather in Tetuan/Sania Ramel, 22.01.2020
On Wednesday late morning it will be variable with isolated rain showers. At noon dominates cloudy, but mostly dry weather. In the afternoon it will become variable with rain showers. Morning temperatures will be around 7 °C. During the day they will reach a maximum of 15 °C. Low temperatures at night will be around 9°C. Southerly winds are weak.
On Thursday we can expect mostly cloudy weather. Morning temperatures will be around 9 °C. During the day they will reach a maximum of 15 °C. Low temperatures at night will be around 9°C. Southwesterly winds are weak.
15-Day Outlook
Colder or warmer, wetter or more windy? Discover the trend for the next 2 weeks
+ Sunshine duration (min)
Sunshine duration
The Ensemble-diagram shows the temperature trend for the next two weeks. The black line indicates the most likely temperature sequence, whereas the blue and red lines represent the coldest and the warmest trend, respectively. The general rule is that the wider the distribution of the diagram (grey area), the lower the reliability of the forecast. Due to the fact that the model output temperatures used in this diagram do not exactly represent geographic location and height, temperature differences in comparison to the detailed forecast may occur. Thus, the 15-day outlook allows only a qualitative estimate of temperature development and forecast uncertainty.
The Ensemble-diagram shows the wind trend for the next two weeks. The black line indicates the most likely wind sequence, whereas the blue and yellow lines represent extreme values. The general rule is that the wider the distribution of the diagram (grey area), the lower the reliability of the forecast.
The Ensemble-diagram shows the precipitation trend for the next two weeks. The black line indicates the most likely precipitation sequence, whereas the green and brown lines represent the wettest and the driest trend, respectively. The general rule is that the wider the distribution of the diagram (grey area), the lower the reliability of the forecast.


In this paper, we consider a class of optimal control problems where the variation of the control variable is appended as a penalty term into the cost function to reduce the fluctuation of the control. A new computational approach is developed for solving this type of problems, based on control parametrization technique used in conjunction with the time scaling transform, the constraint transcription method and a smoothing technique. This computational method is supported by rigorous convergence analysis.


A week after the PGA Championship and the golfing calendar continues at a pace, although it is the Wyndham Championship that is by far the stand-out-event.
Tiger Woods is on course for the 2018 Ryder Cup - but as a player, and not as one of Jim Furyk's vice-captains.
The fourth and final golf major, the PGA Championship, takes place this weekend in St Louis.
We are back to one major event this week as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational attracts a major standard field for third World Golf Championship event of 2018.
After a brilliant Open Championship, it is back to normality in the golfing world, with two impressive tournaments on either side of the Atlantic.
The 147th Open takes place at Carnoustie, with the world's leading golfers looking to land the most prestigious prize of them all - the Claret Jug.
A week before The Open offers golfers on both sides of the Atlantic, either late practice or the final chance to qualify.
Europe's finest players have responded to Rory McIlroy's call this week as he heads the field going into the Irish Open.
The European Tour - for the first time this year - can legitimately boast the biggest tournament of the week ahead of the PGA Tour.
A week after the US Open, but there are a couple of impressive tournaments on the calendar.


text:
gem 'minitest'

require 'minitest/spec'
require 'minitest/autorun'
require 'minitest/mock'

require 'builder'
require 'garnet'
require 'helpers'
require 'pp'

include Garnet
include Test::Helpers

describe Chart do
  DEFAULT_WIDTH = 1200
  DEFAULT_HEIGHT = 900
  FEATURE_WIDTH = 100
  FEATURE_HEIGHT = 100

  it 'can be instantiated' do
    chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)

    chart.width.must_equal DEFAULT_WIDTH
    chart.height.must_equal DEFAULT_HEIGHT
    chart.features.must_equal []
    chart.display_rect.must_equal Rect.new(0, 0, DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)
    chart.type.must_be_nil
    chart.data.must_be_nil
  end

  it 'will raise an error on negative width' do
    proc {
      Chart.new(-1, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)
    }.must_raise ArgumentError
  end

  it 'will raise an error on negative height' do
    proc {
      Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, -1)
    }.must_raise ArgumentError
  end

  it 'can be asked to render itself' do
    chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)

    image = chart.render

    image.must_have_xml_declaration
    image.must_have_svg_doctype
    image.must_have_valid_root chart
  end

  it 'will accept data' do
    chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
      c.data = [1, 2, 3]
    end

    chart.data.must_equal [1, 2, 3]
  end

  it 'will have a default display rect of 0 0 width height' do
    chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)

    chart.display_rect.must_equal Rect.new(0, 0, DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)
  end

  it 'can have a chart instance assigned to it' do
    mock = MiniTest::Mock.new
    mock.expect(:render, nil)
    mock.expect(:nil?, false)

    Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
      c.type = mock
    end
  end

  it 'will raise an error if the type that is set does not respond to #render' do
    mock = MiniTest::Mock.new

    proc {
      Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
        c.type = mock
      end
    }.must_raise InvalidChartTypeError
  end

  it 'will call the chart type render method when render is called' do
    mock = MiniTest::Mock.new
    mock.expect(:render, nil, [Builder::XmlMarkup, Chart])
    mock.expect(:nil?, false)

    chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
      c.type = mock
    end

    chart.render

    mock.verify
  end

  describe 'features' do
    before do
      @mock = MiniTest::Mock.new
      @mock.expect(:width, FEATURE_WIDTH)
      @mock.expect(:height, FEATURE_HEIGHT)
    end

    def center(field, size)
      (field - size).to_f / 2
    end

    it 'will allow features to be added' do
      expected_min_x = center(DEFAULT_WIDTH, FEATURE_WIDTH)
      expected_min_y = center(DEFAULT_HEIGHT, FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      @mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect.new(expected_min_x, expected_min_y, FEATURE_WIDTH, FEATURE_HEIGHT)])

      chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
        c.add_feature @mock, :behind
      end

      @mock.verify
      chart.display_rect.must_equal Rect.new(0, 0, DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)
      chart.features.count.must_equal 1
    end

    it 'will allow features to be placed to the left of the chart' do
      expected_min_x = 0
      expected_min_y = center(DEFAULT_HEIGHT, FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      @mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect.new(expected_min_x, expected_min_y, FEATURE_WIDTH, FEATURE_HEIGHT)])

      chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
        c.add_feature @mock, :left
      end

      @mock.verify
      chart.display_rect.must_equal Rect.new(FEATURE_WIDTH, 0, DEFAULT_WIDTH - FEATURE_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)
      chart.features.count.must_equal 1
    end

    it 'will allow features to be placed above the chart' do
      expected_min_x = center(DEFAULT_WIDTH, FEATURE_WIDTH)
      expected_min_y = 0
      @mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect.new(expected_min_x, expected_min_y, FEATURE_WIDTH, FEATURE_HEIGHT)])

      chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
        c.add_feature @mock, :top
      end

      @mock.verify
      chart.display_rect.must_equal Rect.new(0, FEATURE_HEIGHT, DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT - FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      chart.features.count.must_equal 1
    end

    it 'will allow features to be placed to the right of the chart' do
      expected_min_x = DEFAULT_WIDTH - FEATURE_WIDTH
      expected_min_y = center(DEFAULT_HEIGHT, FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      @mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect.new(expected_min_x, expected_min_y, FEATURE_WIDTH, FEATURE_HEIGHT)])

      chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
        c.add_feature @mock, :right
      end

      @mock.verify
      chart.display_rect.must_equal Rect.new(0, 0, DEFAULT_WIDTH - FEATURE_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT)
      chart.features.count.must_equal 1
    end

    it 'will allow features to be placed below the chart' do
      expected_min_x = center(DEFAULT_WIDTH, FEATURE_WIDTH)
      expected_min_y = DEFAULT_HEIGHT - FEATURE_HEIGHT
      @mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect.new(expected_min_x, expected_min_y, FEATURE_WIDTH, FEATURE_HEIGHT)])

      chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
        c.add_feature @mock, :bottom
      end

      @mock.verify
      chart.display_rect.must_equal Rect.new(0, 0, DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT - FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      chart.features.count.must_equal 1
    end

    it 'will handle the case where the display rect is not at the origin' do
      left_mock = MiniTest::Mock.new
      left_mock.expect(:width, FEATURE_WIDTH)
      left_mock.expect(:height, FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      left_mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect])

      top_mock = MiniTest::Mock.new
      top_mock.expect(:width, FEATURE_WIDTH)
      top_mock.expect(:height, FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      top_mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect])

      mock = MiniTest::Mock.new
      mock.expect(:width, FEATURE_WIDTH)
      mock.expect(:height, FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect.new(FEATURE_WIDTH,
                                                FEATURE_HEIGHT + (DEFAULT_HEIGHT - 2 * FEATURE_HEIGHT).to_f / 2,
                                                FEATURE_WIDTH,
                                                FEATURE_HEIGHT)])

      chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
        c.add_feature left_mock, :left
        c.add_feature top_mock, :top
        c.add_feature mock, :left
      end

      mock.verify
      chart.features.count.must_equal 3
    end

    it 'will tell the feature to draw itself when render is called' do
      expected_min_x = 0
      expected_min_y = center(DEFAULT_HEIGHT, FEATURE_HEIGHT)
      @mock.expect(:display_rect=, nil, [Rect.new(expected_min_x, expected_min_y, FEATURE_WIDTH, FEATURE_HEIGHT)])
      @mock.expect(:render, nil, [Builder::XmlMarkup, Chart])

      chart = Chart.new(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT) do |c|
        c.add_feature @mock, :left
      end

      chart.render

      @mock.verify
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
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Cloud TV & TV Platform Solutions
TVaaS - TV as a Service
Cloud TV Platform
Content Discovery & Personalization
TV Analytics
Targeted TV Advertising
Super Aggregator
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DRM Solutions
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CAS & DRM as a Service
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VO at a Glance
Why TV Operators Have To Consider Targeted TV Advertising As Their Future Revenue Source
Posted by Dror Mangel
For Pay-TV operators looking at challenging situations made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, Targeted TV Advertising holds a lot of promise.
Even before we got to the current Covid-19 crisis, the TV industry was facing a looming change and demolished boundaries between Pay-TV operators, OTT providers and broadcasters. Looking at the Pay-TV operators, as 2020 dawned they were facing a wide range of interlinked challenges from cord cutting in the US and cord shaving in Europe, to increasing competition from agile competitors and SVOD, a rise in content rights prices coupled with the loss of exclusive content, growing price competition and a decreasing share of viewing time and advertiser revenue.
Covid-19 has just intensified the pressure, accelerating some trends to the point where it has become difficult to predict the shape of the industry at the end of the year. Fortunately, it appears that Targeted TV advertising may ease at least some of these problems:
Back in 2017, we saw a significant moment where the spending on global digital ads was greater than that of traditional TV advertising. And digital has only grown more influential since.
But with Targeted TV Advertising, broadcasters and Pay-TV operators joining forces can now bring TV advertising back to its glory days, with more efficient and relevant messaging via the superior medium of the larger TV screen. They can welcome onboard new advertisers who are keen to reach the highly segmented audiences that were out of reach via traditional TV advertising and start to get back some of the revenue that has been lost to digital and more.
Why Targeted Advertising?
At its core, Targeted Advertising (TA) is simply the process of serving different adverts to different viewers, based on their interests. Advertisers today are able to refine the granularity of their audience segmentation to an impressive degree. TV Audiences can now be chosen not only by location, but by a growing number of attributes such as life stage, pet ownership, household composition and many more.
Of course, the processing of such data analytics has become a matter of some concern in recent years, with initiatives such as Europe's GDPR leading the way in a global trend that is slowly promoting the importance of protecting the privacy of individuals worldwide.
As we've written recently though, one can use AI techniques on first party TV data to extract relevant granular segmentation. Combined with the TV operators ensuring that none of their audience Personal Identifying Information (PII) is shared with external providers, this might be the answer to fully complying with privacy-related regulatory and legislation.
Targeted Advertising (TA) is an important technology for operators looking at the challenges ahead, as it offers them another form of monetization over and above subscription. It also helps them implement the increasingly popular SVOD/AVOD double play, and address the viewers' need to minimise costs in the packed SVOD ecosystem; viewers can be offered progressive tiers of declining ad load as they increase their monthly payments, the so-called Freemium to Premium route. This has been hugely successful as shown by Hulu and, in audio streaming, by Spotify.
The additional benefits that targeted advertising brings to viewers can be illustrated by a five-year long survey conducted by Sky on its own AdSmart solution's effectiveness. This found that Targeted TV Advertising.
Reduced channel switching by 48% when addressable adverts were in the first three positions in a break
Increased ad engagement by 35%
It's also worth pointing out another highly significant statistic: 74% of advertisers using it are new to TV. This represents a significant potential new revenue stream for Pay-TV operators and broadcasters aspiring to increase their market reach.
Along Came Covid-19
There is a highly topical reason for launching TA now, and it relates to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic: While there are perhaps the first signs emerging that viewing figures are finally starting to level off, survey after survey reveals a huge worldwide spike in audience content consumption via SVOD and AVOD.
Streaming in South East Asia markets reached 58 billion minutes on 11 April, up 60% on 20 January; and Nielsen found that lockdown orders could lead to as much as a 60% increase in the amount of content viewed.
However, the problem faced by many SVOD providers is that the increased usage cost on their networks is dramatically shrinking their ARPU. More usage doesn't create more revenue, unlike the ad-based model, but only increases the network and service operation cost.
Targeted TV Advertising brings a way of lessening that fatigue significantly. The premium rate that operators and broadcasters can charge for targeted commercials, not to mention the increasing number of companies that want to try television advertising for the first time, means that they can maintain a lower ad load, be more effective with it, and increase profits. This way, revenue is increased while audiences are happier and more engaged than ever.
What's more, it should be pointed out that Targeted TV Advertising has also a return rate of around 70% amongst advertisers.
Why Targeted TV Advertising is a Win-Win Situation
For the Pay-TV sector, this is a perfect solution: Investment is low, returns are high, and it significantly assists them in further monetizing one of the most important things they possess — their customers' data.
There are currently three prime routes for monetization when it comes to Pay-TV:
Targeted advertising optimizes all three of them. The same collection of first party data that ensures continued customer engagement and helps to reduce churn by offering an increasingly sophisticated amount of personalization in services, is also the same data that allows for the increasingly granular segmentation of an audience. Brought together, it results with a powerful offering that maximizes viewers' engagement and operators' revenue at the same time.
Targeted TV Advertising increases both the yield and the revenue for the same inventory: Instead of running two commercials in a one-minute break, operators could run, for example, 10 commercials, with each one targeting a different, highly relevant audience, segmented via their own usage data.
To conclude, it seems that not only is Targeted TV Advertising the light at the end of the current Covid-19 tunnel, but it is also about to change the future of the Pay-TV business model. A change which, quite rarely, everyone will enjoy.
Topics: Targeted Advertising
Dror Mangel
Dror Mangel is a Senior Product Manager, AI & Data Solutions Domain. Prior to joining Viaccess-Orca he gained business development and product management experience from leading startups in Israel's 'Start-up Nation', working with many global Fortune 500 customers. He is an expert in data-driven solution and is driven by data and a passion for creating B2C + B2B products from their early ideation stages to commercial launch, always focusing on the market's needs. He holds a Bs.C. in Industrial Engineering and Management from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, and is currently working towards an MBA from Tel Aviv University
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Copyright © 2020 Viaccess and Viaccess-Orca Israel, All Rights Reserved.


Several of these items were purchased for pickup from links in this list. Then I rounded them out with a few items I could only get in the store. A couple items still remained to be received via postal service and one more store run.The easiest and most fun way to shop, by far!
Store Pickup 1016536xxxxx to gxxx@aol.com Let's get another for the Chapter Challenge as well.


According to advance estimates released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry on Jan 2, Manufacturing led growth in the fourth-quarter of 2018, expanding 5.5% on a year-on-year basis. Correspondingly, from MOM's job vacancy statistics, the Manufacturing sector's job vacancy rate has been on a slight upward trajectory across 2018 with a higher vacancy rate among the Electronic, Computer & Optical Products subsector. Among the top 3 roles identified by MOM in the manufacturing sector, Maintenance Management, Troubleshooting and Regulatory Compliance are among the most common skills demanded by companies, according to JobTech's scan of these online jobs. When it comes to training and preparing the workforce in these areas, Maintenance Management, Troubleshooting and Regulatory Compliance has a reasonably sizeable number of courses list online with 760, 280 and 710 respectively. As for other commonly demanded skills such as Preventive Maintenance and Computer Numerical Control (CNC), online courses listed for them are relatively scarcer.


To All You Good Moms Out There….
They ask the foster girl I mentor what makes a good Mom and she doesn't have an answer.
She finally says a good Mom would take her places and buy her things. The team of professionals assigned to her don't like the answer. But, when I went home that day and asked my own four what makes a good Mom, they answered the exact same way.
It's a loaded question with infinite answers.
I received texts recently saying, "You are a good Momma" and it really got me thinking, what exactly does that mean?
I believe that we sometimes view motherhood like teens do. If I only had the time and money to do those things with my kids then, I would be a good Mom too.
When a kid says a Good Mom takes me places and buys me things. I think what they really mean is that 'she invests in me.' This past month I've qualified a teen's requirement for a good mom with flying colors. Take me places.
I'm not a big one for buying lots of things for my kids, but I'll spend all I've got on having experiences with them. I won't buy the big ticket items 'everyone' has, but I assure you I will surprise you with adventures you hopefully will never forget.
Creating memories doesn't mean doing all of these big outings like I was able to do recently. That is rare. It doesn't mean that I'm a Good Mom at all because I could afford to do those things.
A Good Mom constantly works at her relationship with her kids in whatever time she has and whatever way she can.
I think a Good Mom plans something out of the norm with her kids once in awhile, so that life appears to be more than just mundane routine.
A Good Mom is adventurous and even fun once in awhile.
She is comfortable and secure enough in her skin to say no to things that don't matter and yes to things that she thinks does.
She has a life outside of being a Mom so work, hobbies and strong adult relationships vie for her time so her kids don't get all of her attention.
She is responsive, not reactive.
She is present and available.
And at other times she is nowhere to be found.
Some days I am these things and other times I really want to be, but can't muster it up.
Most days I am simply doing my best and I know you are too.
So, it may look like I'm a Good Mom because I'm riding on a bus full of middle school boys over to a popular, expensive amusement park. Or because I'm driving my daughter over to Vegas to see her teen heartthrob because her best friend's Mom asked us to join them. And yes, I bid in our school charity auction for some Monday night basketball tickets because sometimes it's nice to make Mondays matter.
But, what I'm really doing is saying yes to adventures that I hope will make my children feel valued and loved. Time is ticking with these kids at home. I've only got 5 years left and mine will all be out the door. Saying yes to making memories with them is a priority.
I hope this Mother's Day you find yourself saying yes to adventures and making memories. Now's a good time.
You, my friend, are a Good Momma. I know that to be true. Happy Mother's Day!
That was beautiful, inspiring and insightful! I haven't been able to do all that grand stuff but I've given them my time, my attention, my ears to listen, my shoulders to help keep them up, my arms to comfort and protect them and all of my heart to forever love them! I fully concur that being a 'good' (operative word) mother, just like a 'good' father, is the hardest but most rewarding job in the world!!
For You, Our Middle School Teacher What you do this week matters!


Kevin Cheng with "poor rich dad" to talk about Chongqing Education by the famous Hongkong film Mr. Wu Siyuan served as producer, director Zhang Jianting, Kevin Cheng, Li Chengyuan, little bin starring magic Carnival comedy "poor rich dad" will be released in November 10th. In November 5th, the cast appeared in Chongqing, as the audience secret filming scenes stories. TVB as the emperor Kevin Cheng in Chongqing self concept of education "and if a son, make sure he can be very independent, daughter loved her." "Poor rich dad" by Hongkong twice won the award for Best Screenplay Zhang Jianting wrote and directed, tells the story of the rich dad bankrupts with his son QiongYou Hongkong, staged a touching warmth and laughter and unforgettable trip. Director Zhang Jianting said, Kevin Cheng was chosen to play the father, because Kevin Cheng had no children, no experience, and let him play with very little bin son, two people start a relationship that awkward. Kevin Cheng said he is a very experienced actor, two people had a tacit understanding. For their own education idea, has forty-seven year old Kevin Cheng said: "if the daughter will be spoiled boy, let him alone." He found that many children will not stop reading, is integrated into the social "my son read not more than 30 years old in the escape, the man must assume responsibility for his family." Chongqing will see the film after film viewers have given good evaluation, heartwarming son of affection, the funny plot caused great sympathy from the audience, compared to the male audience, the female audience more delicate emotional concerns: "although the film is about a father and son, but as a mother, I also have experience greatly. They both as parents and parents of children, more able to understand what parents and children really need, and that is happiness and companionship." When the film opened and the audience that will take the child and his family to the cinema to see it again, believe that "poor rich dad" can bring joy and family moved.


Free Beer! Get your Free Drupalager here!
I'm off to Szeged, carrying an unusual cargo: a dozen bottles of home brewed, 100% open source, Drupalager!
Ever heard: All I wanted was to update my modules - why did my site crash?!


text:
Q: Remember me Persistent Cookie in C# I am doing a project in asp.net and tring to do Remember Me System. What I am trying to do is store ID of the user which is uniqueidentifier in cookie. But that cookie lasts only one day even though I set its lifecycle a year. Every morning I had to login to website, the cookie gets cleared.
HttpCookie userid = new HttpCookie("mb_login_userid", dr["UserId"].ToString().Trim());
userid.Expires.AddYears(1);
Response.Cookies.Add(userid);

I check the cookie after this code is run, it says it is not persistent cookie, it is session cookie. So it gets cleared everyday.
What can I do to make it persistent

A: Response.Cookies("userid").Expires = DateTime.Now.AddYears(1)

or
userid.Expires = DateTime.Now.AddYears(1)

A: Try this code...This is the code for creating a persistent cookie
HttpCookie userid = new HttpCookie("userid");
userid.Values.add("mb_login_userid", dr["UserId"].ToString().Trim());
userid.Expires=DateTime.Now.AddDays(30);
Response.Cookies.Add(userid);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Accessing model data in router when using a view I am looking for a way to access model data in a route when using a view to display model attributes.
Example
Template

New post

<form {{action save model on="submit"}}>
    Title
    {{input type="text" value=title placeholder="title" id="title"}}

    Text
    {{view "tinymce" value=text }}

    <button>Post</button>
 </form>

View Template
<textarea id="tinymce">
</textarea>

View
export default Ember.View.extend({
    templateName: 'views/tinymce-textarea',

    didInsertElement: function() {
        tinymce.EditorManager.execCommand('mceRemoveEditor',true, 'tinymce');
        tinymce.EditorManager.execCommand('mceAddEditor',true, 'tinymce');
    }
});

Router
export default Ember.Route.extend({

    ....

    actions : {
        save : function(model) {
            if (!model.get('title').trim() || !model.get('text').trim()) {
                return;
            }

            model.save().then(this.onSuccessfulSave.bind(this), this.onFailedSave.bind(this));
        }
    }
});

Now, obviously this doesn't work, since model.text is never bound in the view, like it would be if I were to use the textarea template helper:
{{textarea value=text placeholder="text" id="text"}}

But this is just one of many (many) ways I have tried to get this to work, and I am at a complete loss as how one would access model attributes in the route when using a view. And it does seem like a pretty common usecase to me too.
I have failed to find information regarding this on SO or anywhere else, so if anyone is able to help me, thanks in advance! / AS.

A: So one of the main things that you're missing out is binding the view to the controller. This is actually really straight forward to do, but without it Ember doesn't know that it should propagate changes between the two. The first thing I would do is this:
 {{view "tinymce" valueBinding="text" }}

This says that the views value will be binded to the controller's text value. Whenever view's value is updated, it will propogate to the controller and vice versa.
The next item to take care of is actually binding the value in the view. All you need to do is  tell the input to bind it's value to the view's value. This can be done like this
{{textarea value="view.value" placeholder="text" id="text"}}

Try this out, and you can use this jsbin that I created as an example:
http://emberjs.jsbin.com/qanudu/26/
If you have any other questions just let me know, but this should solve your issues!


Discussion in 'Microphones (live or studio)' started by kaushpaul, Jul 16, 2003.
what i have now is just a PC, some cheap mics, and an ART Tube V3 mic Preamp...i'll be recording the vocals at home so what is a good mic with a budget price?...also looking to do the progamming, sequencing, mixing, and possibly mastering at home...what else will i need?
i love the MoTU 828, wish i had waited and bought the mkII, but it may be overkill for what your describing. if your only recording vocals or overdubbing one instrument at a time a decent stereo sound card (m audio 24/96 or something similar from echo, aardvark, etc..) would be much more cost effective.
mic selection depends very much on your voice and personal preferences. i guess i'd start with studio project or maybe mxl for a low cost vocal mic, but you really just need to find a store that will let you sing into a few different mics and listen to the results. use your mic preamp during the auditions if possible.
for monitors, the ART SLM-1s cost about $175.00 new. you'll need to add an amp if you don't have one allready( an old stereo reciever will work if the budget is really tight). i can't think of any powered monitors i'd recomend for less than $200.00 dollars, but there are a lot of people here who have listen to quite a few more speakers than i have.
if you have a standard audio card in your PC, you can connect the yamaha with gameport/ midi adaptor. most computer or electronic stores should carry them. you could also go with an edirol um1s or m audio dou, both of wich cost less than $50.00.
i love the MoTU 828, wish i had waited and bought the mkII, but it may be overkill for what your decribing. if your only recording vocals or overdubbing one istrument at a time a decent stereo sound card (m audio 24/96 or something similar from echo, aardvark, etc..) would be much more cost effective.
As I understand it, if it's midi you want, then motu's got the mojo! :roll: With the midi and the keyboard, what is it you want to accomplish? Are you looking to trigger samples in your computer with the keys, or are you looking to play the keyboard with the computer?
As for mic's Studio projects, audix, rode, and avlex all have a good assortment of quality condensers to suit your needs. I would go to your nearest pro audio shop and see if you can loan or rent a few within your budget to make a decision on what it is you like.
Mixing with headphones can be tricky mainly because of the way the stereo image is percieved. It can be done, and it's better to mix on a good pair of headphones than it is to mix on a crappy pair of speakers.
For inexpensive monitors i could suggest the tannoy reveal. Cheap, and they seem to be good.
With all of your budget concerns, I think it would be a good idea to visit the acoustics forum and find out what you room needs for treatment. This is very important and should not be overlooked. Rod, ethan, and wes have a vast amount of knowledge, as do many of the members in that forum, and you will get great infoin no time!
I too use Acid (Pro 4) and Fruity (3.56) amongst other things. My soundcard is a MOTU 2408mk3 (no MIDI) and it works very well for me.
My MIDI controller (PC-160A) is connected to my PC via my game port using a Midiman interconnect - they produce two versions; one with male MIDI connectors (1 in, 1 out) and the other with female connectors. I got mine from Studiospares (UK supplier) for about £20 but I would imagine that you could pick one up for $20 or less from your side of the pond.
Anyway, if you don't require multiple i/o, you could do worse than look into an Echo Mia (or even the new(-ish) MIDI Mia). I've not used one myself but I've heard very good things about them (especially for the price).
As far as monitoring's concerned, I'd agree that your acoustic environment is of paramount importance. However, if you play your recordings through as many different systems (e.g. Hi Fi, in-car, friends/neighbours Hi Fi, etc.) as you can, you can 'hear' any problems (and there's bound to be some) that your mixing environment has and adjust accordingly. Not the ideal solution, but a lot cheaper than acoustic treatment.
As for your mics, I'm in the same boat there (only on a lower deck - I only have one mic) and would suggest that you audition as many mics as you can get your hands on. Are you the vocalist? If not, try to bring your vocalist with you when you do the auditions as different mics have different levels of suitability for different voices.
I would also suggest getting a small, second-hand (or new if you can afford it) analog mixing desk. This will making routing and monitoring your signals so much easier.
Acoustic treatments can be done quite economically. Curtains hanging on the wall can control reflections, bass traps can be made with sono tubes, and loose foam. Fibre glass panels can be purchased for pretty cheap, they do a good job on bass and low mids, depending on the thickness.
The amount of treatment you will require, will depend greatly on the dimensions of your room, and the materials you neewd to use to treat it. For every product available that you would purchase in order to make improvements, there are do it yourself plans, as well as materials substitutes that work O.K.
I would look into things a little more by starting with the dimensions of your room. Ethan Winer in the acoustics forum has designed a handy little program that calculates the first ten room modes based on dimension. It's very quick and painless, and will give you a good idea on where you stand acoustically.
Thanks. I lloked at the mAudio Audiophile card and think that should be enough for what I'm planning to do. I'm doing my recordings on a laptop for the moment. Should I get a USB or PCI interface soundcard? Should I just get a desktop for my audio venture or is a laptop sufficient?
if your laptop is working for you, there certainly is no reason you have to buy a desktop. that said, i much prefer the upgrade and expansion options of a desktop system. if you do stay with the laptop, usb may be you best bet. echo is now shipping a stereo pcm/cia audio interface and RME has a few higher end pc card options too, but these are generaly more expensive than usb. i'm a mac user, so i really can't offer any advice on driver compatibility for usb audio and your software of choice, but do be careful. usb audio isn't always the most reliable.


Modern world dictates brand new terms of IT outsourcing, establishment of talented and highly-skilled teams of professionals and exciting facilities.
Vast number of certified IT specialists allows Ukraine to attract new customer and investors.
With over 100,000 IT specialists, Ukraine is gaining popularity and secures its industry by establishing even stronger global position.
Low-risk level, favourable taxes, and a lot more attracts global investors to Ukraine annually.
Learn how to make money from saving money by using IT outsourcing.
What Are the Key Drivers of IT Outsourcing?
Performance, profitability, and high-quality services are the top keys of successful IT outsourcing industry development.
IT Outsourcing returns… The scariest sequel that tests our limits?
Investment into IT outsourcing reveals new options for business, despite some PR putting dark comments against it.
Cost efficiency and increased business productivity are amidst the main IT outsourcing pros.
Is IT outsourcing going to become machine automated? Will that help to reduce costs? The foreseeable trends of this year are subject to discussion.
Individual approach of IT outsourcing toward its clients is undoubtedly beneficial by all means.


text:
Plan to turn closed Cork city bank into new restaurant with apartments overhead
Clopen Capital sent the submission to Cork City Council this week and a decision is set to be made by October 7th
Plan to turn closed city bank into new restaurant with apartments overhead (Image: Google)
A plan's been lodged to turn an old city bank into a new restaurant, with 12 apartments also earmarked to go above it.
Someone's lodged an application to turn the old Bank of Ireland on Bridge St into a new cafe/restaurant on the ground floors with another unit being changed into one and two-bedroom acommodation.
The spot is split into two units, with the ground floor earmarked for the new food business and access to the flats above.
The first, second, and third floors, which are currently storage areas, would be overhauled.
Clopen Capital sent the submission to Cork City Council this week and a decision is set to be made by October 7th.
They also applied to do some works on the front and back of the building, including elevations, signage for a shop front, change the window types, and put in balconies.
A new restaurant would be a very welcome addition to the buzzing area which recently saw an old closed Subway be turned into a Priory Coffee.
Just up a planning application to turn the former garda station into apartments is also in the works.
For the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter
We will have all the very latest on this breaking news story as and when we get it on Corkbeo.ie.
For the latest news and in-depth coverage make sure to always think of us with the biggest stories first.
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I like to do a variety of different styles.
Anything and everything around me.
I already made one out of rose quartz cubes and seed beads. Why not Swarovski cubes and pearls?
I've always liked pyramids, so I thought it would look great upside-down. I always love the embroidered look, and you can't go wrong with black and white.
In 2004. I was just getting started when Hurricane Katrina hit us in 2005, destroying the inside of my home. I lost everything. I had to start all over again.
Books. I love to learn.
Yes, I am a hairdresser. I do hair replacement (go to www.hairbygreta.com to see what I do).
It was a hobby, but it has become a full-time job. So you can say I have two full-time jobs.
I made a book to show my work. They pick out what they like, or ask me to make it for them. I have also done two weddings.
I think every idea is very important. I like to start it on string. If it looks great, then I go to wire so I do not waste my materials.
Greta's piece, Crystal Fall's, was selected as a finalist in the 2009 Fire Mountain Gems and Beads beading contest. Zoom in for an up-close view in the Gallery of Designs.


text:
MediaCrooks
Changing The Way We Consume News...
Where The Dogs Of Society Howl
A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied "The one I feed the most".*
There is a reason why a certain breed of dogs shouldn't be fed beyond a point. This is the question Narendra Modi seems to have raised in a meeting of the party heads on December 24. Here's what The Pioneer reports: "Why do senior BJP leaders turn up at news shows on issues involving not so important Congress leaders? And why is that the BJP spokespersons give a sound 'bite' at the drop of the hat? These and many more such issues plague the mind of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who unveiled his media strategy before members of the party's election campaign committee that met on Tuesday".
One of the worst attributes of BJP spokies is to turn up on every debate on TV even when they know it is nonsensical, scripted and fixed. On December 26 a court in Ahmedabad accepted the SIT report on the accusations filed by Zakia Jafri against Modi and several others in the Gujarat 2002 riots. This report was also found to be fair by the SC which did not find any merit for an intervention earlier in 2011. Following the Ahmedabad Court's acceptance of the SIT closure report all that the BJP needed to do was a presser to state that the 2002 issue, where Modi is concerned, is closed and that justice for victims and those involved in the riots and killing should continue due course of law. Instead, like fools the BJP spokies were all over on TV once again defending against motivated crap. They don't learn. After 11 years do these people still believe the media wants to hear the truth? If they do, then I have to say this is a sorry bunch of lipstick-hunters. The tweet I've quoted indicates the hatred in the media and no court is acceptable to them. Another bimbo has called the SC judges "crackpots". Why bother arguing with them?
The best course after a victory is to let the dogs of hatred and calumny fight it among themselves and push back. You don't need to feed the evil dog when you've already won. After the December 26 acceptance of the SIT report by the court the headlines and comments were many. Modi not found guilty said some! The media bimbos who claimed this remain ignorant that this wasn't even a trial of Modi but a petition by Zakia to start a case. The comic Times Now reporter from Ahmedabad even called Zakia's lawyers "defence lawyers" when she wasn't an "accused" in anything. He further commented on whether Zakia will "appeal" the court's verdict. This is as legally-bimbo as our MSM folks get where law is concerned. Fortunately, the biggest legal-bimbo of all was on vacation or it could have gotten worse. Narendra Modi was neither under trial nor was there ever a case or FIR against him in the Gujarat 2002 issue. That's where the other headlines get interesting. Here's one from TOI on December 27:
Smart, isn't it? Keep throwing mud and dirt at someone for 11 years yourself and then claim his shirt was soiled. Since Independence the witch-hunt of Modi has been the single biggest ever. I would also rate it as the biggest media crime ever. Almost everyone used similar headlines. TV's 'Hate-monger in chief' Rajdeep Sardesai was no different. I had to explain to this extreme hate-monger that the mud he hurled doesn't amount to taint:
And you know what? This Rajdeep gets angry and upset even when someone points out to him that he called Dawood a "patriot" which is actually a fact. The truth is the court found no case for charging Modi and found the petition by Zakia unacceptable. One cannot help but sympathise with the lady. She has been led up a political 'yellow brick road' to a fake sense of justice by those who acted on behalf of political powers. Those who fooled her are today richer by crores while she still seeks justice. Those who fooled her also subverted true justice in the process by diverting the entire process and focus to hang one man. NDTV, one of the chief media-accusers of Modi, holds out highlights from the Ahmedabad court verdict:
On the evening of December 26, after the verdict, Commie mouthpiece Brinda Karat was out again with sound-bites still holding Modi responsible for the 'genocide'. Earlier, her party comrade Sitaram Yechury (one of the famous #65Jaichands) had coined a new convenient term 'communal pogrom'. I believe, if anyone now calls the 2002 riots a pogrom or genocide it should be treated as contempt of court and, more importantly, contempt for truth. All the politicians and media crooks who have used these terms are nothing but illiterate, uneducated morons and liars. While, politicians opposed to Modi are predictable and shameless I consider the media crooks to be more shameless. Someone created a wall of shame for those who ran the malicious campaign against Modi for 11 years. A few were forgotten (and maybe some more are left out) and I added those faces to this "Black Wall of Shame":
It's not Modi but many of these faces that now stand tainted with their lies and fake reports. Some of these faces may even have serious allegations against them. They say politics is the last resort of a scoundrel. I believe that needs a change in our times. We fairly know what to generally expect of politicians but it's the MSM that has become the last resort for scoundrels. News media should have stood for facts, truth and logic but has become just another last resort. A resort where the dogs of society howl. Since the mid-2000s the SM emerged as strong alternative to these rogues. If not, you can imagine what destructive campaigns these faces would have carried forward unchallenged. A tribute to this "Wall of Shame" would be appropriate:
So goodbye yellow brick road/ Where the dogs of society howl/ You can't plant me in your penthouse… What do you think you'll do then/ I bet that'll shoot down your plane/ It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics/ To set you on your feet again/ Maybe you'll get a replacement/ There's plenty like me to be found/ Mongrels who ain't got a penny/ Sniffing for titbits like you on the ground. **
On their part, the BJP spokies foolishly think the dogs of society were only after Modi. They weren't! Since 1999 a systematic campaign has been carried out against the right wing party for the Congress plus Commies and everyone knows it. It started with NDA being re-elected (after Jayalalitha knocked them out with 1 vote), then Kargil bashing, "coffingate" and then Kandahar. The party must decide whether to feed the good dog or the evil dog. So far the evil one hasn't managed to win where Modi is concerned. But there is a lesson to be learned because they are not going to stop their hunt as we shall see in a future post.
In this entire 11-year episode there is clearly only one winner; Narendra Modi. He won 4 elections, is seen as a top performer and his popularity has grown beyond expectations. His detractors now simply don't know how to combat the man. Now they suddenly think Arvind Kejriwal is their saviour. Goodluck! They just don't have an answer. In all this time Modi was the one who carried himself with dignity despite the vulgar campaign against him.
The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor; he took my measurement anew every time he saw me, while all the rest went on with their old measurements and expected them to fit me. ***
That goes for many political parties and the entire MSM where the dogs of society howl, and all those detractors in India and abroad. They will continue with the same old measurements. Modi has moved on to new measurements of performance. He never fed the evil dogs. We are now into the final phase.
* & *** Quotes from George Bernard Shaw.
** From "Goodbye yellow brick road" – Elton John/Bernie Taupin.
Posted by Ravinar at 12/29/2013 05:00:00 AM 103 comments
Labels: Clean Chit , Dogs of Society , Gujarat 2002 , Narendra Modi , Zakia Jafri
India's Worst News Channels - 2013
Americans are traditionally good at branding and marketing. However, till 1991 Hollywood, whose movies are distributed across the globe, had one serious problem. They didn't have a news media brand that could be identified globally. BBC was known universally but no American channel had such wide recognition. All that changed on January 17, 1991 when a small crew stayed back in Baghdad to report on the first Gulf war. In a few hours CNN became a household name across the world. CNN was the first 24X7 news channel in the world to report live from various sites; particularly disasters, accidents and incidents. 1991 was also the year private channels came into India. Most of them borrowed the same format of CNN but, unfortunately, borrowed the worst from American media. While CNN has since had an international version our news channels became 24X7 without having enough news content. They mostly report from Delhi, Mumbai and other Metros. Naturally, this meant filling up time with irrelevant stuff and a heavy dose of Bollywood, Cricket, excessive repetition of stale news and most of all political witch-hunts.
Before long, these private channels realised they didn't have a revenue model to sustain themselves and thus came in political propaganda, witch-hunts, sponsored programmes without declaration (which they now declare). Other sponsored programmes include summits, conclaves, sham awards and some even using political clout for survival. They also give each other all kinds of awards so it is fair that we have a people's version of the 'Razzies' for the worst news channels. Therefore this poll was conducted here and we have the results.
A bit about the poll: Voters were allowed multiple choices and therefore the total number of voters (4052) and the total number of votes or percentage share will obviously not match. Only news channels that grandly call themselves "national" channels were included in the poll. And being a govt propaganda channel Doordarshan wasn't included. Besides, DD doesn't have the same problems and challenges as the private channels. The results and tabulation are appended to the post.
Here are the five honourable winners of "India's Worst News Channels" poll:
5. IBN7 – Being one of the latecomers in the Hindi news category IBN7 never seems to have picked up at all. Worse, the managing editor of the channel, Ashutosh, has become more of a political activist than a news channel editor. There is a particular form of contempt for anything that is "Hindu" that pours out of this channel that is most unbecoming of any outlet claiming to be a news channel. Who else would want to dress up an Islamic terrorist as a 'saffron' terrorist? Ashutosh may not like a political party or its leaders but to be constantly pouring out hate-messages doesn't do much for viewership either. I am surprised Raghav Bahl didn't shut down this channel or at least sack the editor. In any case, I expect there will be a time not too far in the future when this channel may wind up.
4. NDTV India (Hindi) – Their website says: "This 24-hour Hindi news channel stands strong as one of India's leading credible news channels – preferred by an audience which seeks quality programming and pure news, rather than sensational infotainment". I honestly don't watch much of NDTVIndia but for a channel that is as much a political mouthpiece for Congress to claim "credible" is good imagination. And there is hardly any channel in India that is "pure news". Here's a challenge: If you can name the editor of this channel then you are probably someone who knows their business because I had to check twice myself. The only redeeming feature of this channel appears to be the popular show with Ravish Kumar, otherwise they are no different from their English mother when it comes to "Congress ke taraf se defend kar dena".
Being the Hindi sibling of their English channels both IBN7 and NDTV (Hindi) change their character dramatically (from their English versions) to include a lot of mindless drama and BigBoss and Saas-Bahu stuff which seems to sell with Hindi audiences. This is staple diet for AajTak and ABPNews which top the Hindi ratings. This is, of course, in addition to Bollywood and Cricket which are common across all channels regardless of language. Here are TAM ratings released on December 14:
Even in TAM ratings both IBN7 and NDTV (Hindi) are languishing at the lower end. There also appears to be a problem with the branding gurus at these channels. It is doubtful viewers want brand extensions in multiple languages. In that respect, although people are aware, viewers don't easily confuse AajTak and HeadlinesToday to be the same brand as they might with extensions of NDTV and IBN. There are also other local Hindi channels which they are competing with which aren't named here.
3. Times Now – Clearly the market leader in English news currently and therefore less disliked than others. Much of the entertainment from this channel comes from the nightly circus with Arnab Goswami. While sometimes enjoyable, Arnab's style has also started irritating viewers and his over-aggressive behaviour has motivated other anchors and reporters of the channel to misbehave with those they target for questioning. Along with IndiaTV, TimesNow can share the credit for destroying the concept of 'breaking news'. Mindless headlines like "Sonia gets into her car", "Sonia reaches PM's residence", "Judge enters the court room" or "Modi remains silent" are flashed and screamed as breaking news. Every 2 minutes through the day some silly nonsense is breaking news. The only advantage TimesNow has over other channels is that Arnab still remains taint-free and enjoys the value of 'personal integrity' with viewers.
2. CNN-IBN – I often call this a "mom and pop" stores. As with their Hindi sibling CNN-IBN too becomes a political activist quite frequently. Their editor Rajdeep Sardesai and deputy Sagarika Ghose are both unfit for journalism. They would have made better Christian missionaries for something like World Vision. The entire IBN group had to go through the trauma of firing over 300 employees and doesn't seem to have a business model. People are yet to forget shameful episodes like Cash4Votes, unwarranted defence of SoniaG and RahulG, playing defence for Robert Vadra and, of course, being anti-Hindu in tone of their content. It remains a mouth-piece of the Congress but given the party's downturn in recent times the channel has switched to propping up the AAP party. The channel does have some good journalists who are often left to do minor programmes. As with Ashutosh, both Rajdeep and Sagarika are known for their hatred for Modi and the right wing. Sagarika too should have been sacked long back but the ones who scream the most about nepotism and moral corruption are usually the ones who also fuel it the most. Ignoble excuses like "tyranny of distance" or not enough "body count" to report certain incidents will be the permanent hallmark of CNN-IBN.
1. NDTV – There isn't anything that NDTV isn't No.1 at, is there? Whether it's worst journalists or worst channel, NDTV rules! Each year this Congress propaganda channel only grows more brazen in its nonsense, lower in popularity and (probably) deeper in debt. How the channel which makes consistent financial losses and keeps rewarding its top personnel is a mystery. The taint attached to the top personnel of a company always sticks to the organisation too. The unexplained dumping of a CBIcase against Prannoy Roy, allegations of financial jugglery, Radiagate of Barkha and their hate campaign against Modi add up to this channel being voted the worst. It is obvious that NDTV survives and gets away with things only due to its political capital and clout. An anchor of this channel wanted to question the SC about some ruling. They hold a sham award function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. They even use fake pictures and videos to report a serious disaster like Uttarakhand floods. I estimate a certain level of trauma for this political channel whenever the govt at the Centre changes. Till then they will enable us to see the "larger" picture or send us reports from the "north lawns" of the White House. Thanks also to NDTV; we have come to read every news item as "alleged" news. They are deservedly the No.1 in this particular contest; India's worst news channel.
The channel voted worst in the poll has fallen even behind a relative newcomer like NewsX. Most readers of this site perhaps watch more of the English channels and therefore the worst ones could also be the most watched, given few options in English media. However, the votes polled proportionately reflect the viewer ratings by TAM too in order of popularity. Here are TAM ratings released on December 14 for English news channels:
It is also worth noting that each of the English channels claim they are No.1 in viewership with deceptive claims for different time-slots and events. Reminds me of the race where USA was declared coming in "second last" position by the propagandists. And the race had only two people; a Russian and an American. Do read Moneylife's "TV channels hoodwink readers with misleading advertisements about themselves". It is not just about themselves these news channels hoodwink people; they hoodwink viewers on many issues. It is increasingly hard to tell the difference between govt and news media. The watch has long gone out of the "watchdog". But people are indeed able to see through them as the votes for the worst channels indicate. Our congratulations to the winners!
Poll results and tabulation
TAM rating figures… Thanks to @ASRaghunath.
Posted by Ravinar at 12/27/2013 05:08:00 AM 42 comments
Labels: 2013 , Indias Worst Channels 2013 , Razzies
5 Million Thank Yous
It brings great satisfaction and happiness to see this blog touching Five Million in total readership so far. The journey will continue. At the beginning of the year it touched 1.6 million in January 2013, therefore 3.4 million were added during the current year.
I have been often asked if the articles here make any difference to the MSM discourse. It might have made some difference or nothing but I have no measure of it. My attitude with the MSM on this has been "You do what you do best; I do what I do best". When it started, the tagline was "Crooks and Liars in the Indian media are the greatest danger to our democracy". I still stand by that line considering the variety of propagandists, peddlers of untruths and even anti-nationals who float around as media persons. But there is something that is more important and that is reflected in the current tagline. We may not have the power to change others but we do have the power to change ourselves by what we consume. It is easier to change ourselves than to change others.
Thus, when the time was right I changed the tagline to what this site represents. It's not them but we who should be careful how we consume the news they deliver. It's used like the statutory warning on cigarette packs. Most of the time the MSM content is not even news; it's just opinions packaged as news. Some of it quite poisonous! Parents care what goes into the body of children as food and beverages. People should also care what goes into their heads. 2014 is an important election year and the MSM will raise its pitch in bogus campaigning and political propaganda. The final phase of their hunting season is just around the corner.
Many journalists do follow and read this blog and acknowledge the contents in private for obvious reasons. Most of all, many readers have now started their own blogs or websites to write about current affairs or topics close to their heart. I consider this one of the best outcomes from this blog. Consequent to requests by some readers I also had the chance to publish a compilation this year titled "Social media as watchdog". Many sponsors have distributed it free to students and citizens in general to help see the MSM through another lens. During the year this also gave me the chance to address and interact with small groups in various places.
Readers of this blog and bloggers and writers elsewhere on the SM and also on Twitter, FB and other forums made it absolutely clear that the MSM does not have a monopoly on national discourse anymore. Those who have access to the net now watch the news but double-check for accuracy on the SM. Together we have made facts more important in the public domain than opinions and propaganda.
So once again, Thank You for reading, commenting, celebrating, suggestions, inputs, for sharing and spreading the word about this site. We celebrate for a moment and move on.
Labels: 5 Million , Thank you
The Political Conflict At CNN-IBN
From 'Argo': "If you want to sell a lie, you get the press to sell it for you". Truer line was never spoken in the modern age. The press now exists to peddle lies and falsehoods. The CNN-IBN in the title is meant to represent the whole IBN or TV18 gang and not one channel. Not one editorialist in the media had the guts to call the farce being played out in Delhi by the AAP party for the last 10 days. Elections, then 18 questions, 25 lakh letters, SMS referendums and so on are the most idiotic methods introduced in a bogus concept they call 'Direct democracy'. Most of the honest commentary on politics is now coming from the SM or from stray news site observers. Here are a couple of tweets from TheJaggi, editor of Firstpost:
If you read the first tweet on the left (in the pic above) you wouldn't know what the context is unless you're aware of the background. The second tweet is quite obvious. What Jaggi refers to as fake liberals I call "Fiberals". So Jaggi thinks people talk about right and left wing without understanding these terms. Hmm! Okay, but what was he responding to?
There's another tweet by TV18 Chairman Raghav Bahl supporting "right wing" economics being most successful in eliminating poverty. Oops! Does Bahl understand right and left wing? Jaggi isn't sure he does, so he replies with "right way and wrong way" so that the answer to 'centre-right' in Bahl's tweet can be avoided. I am an admirer of Jaggi's articles because he says it like he sees it and reasons it well. But he's dodging here. He doesn't want to admit that both left and right see "their way" as the "right way" to do things. And that's the reason for the conflict and it's a healthy conflict, as long it's not violent. But if historical evidence is of any value then the "left way" of solving problems has indeed failed. The AAP represents extreme left ideology if one goes by their ideas and manifesto.
On November 8, 2013 a "source" told me Rajdeep Sardesai was headed for Nagpur. Although my source was correct I wasn't willing to believe RS would go all the way to Nagpur just to deliver a lecture and not run a few other errands. So in a lighter vein I asked the question on what RS would be doing in Nagpur. It is no secret that RS has a severe contempt for both the RSS and BJP as does his deputy Sagarika Ghose. This contempt has been nurtured very fondly in a parent-like manner by both Rajdeep and Sagarika across the IBN family. So you can understand the usual haters like Ashutosh, Wagle and others in IBN who constantly send across hate-filled messages for the BJP and Modi. Did Rajdeep tell us what happened in Nagpur? Only partly as the following tweets indicate:
RS had a good time and drew a crowd of 1000 (my source tells me the Rotary hall can accommodate only 350-500 people). But Rajdeep doesn't tell us what the Caravan magazine writes about his trip to Nagpur:
So Raghav Bahl is a right-winger who admires Narendra Modi, then you can understand the conflict with his entire gang in the IBN family. Unlike NDTV, TOI Group and others who are permanent supporters of the Commie ideology of Congress, Bahl can make the shift if he wants to. The Caravan article isn't entirely accurate because while Bahl may be leaning right for some reason, his entire sales team at IBN is full of committed Commies. The first tweet in this post by TheJaggi (December 1) where he says people don't understand the terms right or left wing is in response to the Caravan article by Rahul Bhatia (December 1):
Rahul Bhatia suggests the shift to the Right is being influenced by Mukesh Ambani. In a tweet he also contends the organisation's leaning need not apply to its people who are unhappy about it. One can't be sure but it can only be partly true in the absence of any clinching evidence. But what we can confirm with ample evidence is that the entire sales team of IBN had been a slave of the Congress party since the channel was born. Rajdeep himself had made his fortune by peddling stories about Gujarat 2002 and abusing Modi. The Padma award is just a small recognition for his work. Secondly, just a few months back TV18 had fired a lot of their employees to make the business more viable. Even comedians like Ashutosh and Sagarika were reportedly on the chopping block but survived with salary cuts. That they didn't sack Sagarika is a sacrilege. You can understand the widespread grievance, fear and anger in the company when this happened. The compassionate Rajdeep didn't like it but had to play with the top management on this decision.
What follows is a theory of what I estimate happened at the company. Now remember, this is a theory with reason but still a theory (with some inputs from "sources". If you haven't read "The AAPSucker Proxies" I recommend you do, before proceeding)
#1: Bahl went along with the Congress as long as things were rosy as did his sales team. Once he noticed the corrupt Congress had hit rock bottom he wanted to make an open shift but he was asking too much of his team. You see, people like Rajdeep, Sagarika, Ashutosh, Sagarika, Pallavi, Bhupendra Chaube are all soaked in Congress bloodline and philosophy for many years and an overnight shift would have been impossible and also a betrayal of their "Fiberal" clan. What would their darlings like Amartya Sen or Tarun Tejpal think of them, eh? Supporting the Congress any further would have been a deadly mistake for all of them but given their anti-BJP DNA the only party they could turn to was AAP. So it is quite possible that Rajdeep & Co. made it clear to Bahl that they would go the AAP way and he can like it or lump it. Faced with a revolt Bahl may have chosen to play along.
#2: Rajdeep & Co. have taken the chance on AAP to somehow thwart Modi and BJP coming to power at the Centre in 2014. It implies that even if the Congress gets routed in 2014 they hope the BJP can be kept out of power. A Narendra Modi as PM is a dreadful thought for the entire gang of Fiberals. So, multiple interviews of Arvind Kejriwal and other internal promotions happened. Bhupendra Chaube's tweet (which he later deleted) quoted in response to a question by me is ample evidence of what was going on inside the IBN sales team. On November 20, 2013 Karan Thapar dissected the AAP manifesto and Rajdeep grandly tweeted it too. This was the first time since 786 AD that a party's manifesto was so gleefully analysed. Obviously, the fact that AK had promised 50% cut in power bills, 700 litres of free water per Delhi-family and 500 new schools in 5 years all went over "The Tool's" head. Someone pointed out on TV 500 schools in 5 years means 100 in a year and nearly 2 a week. Allocation of land in Delhi is under the Centre so how these schools will be delivered doesn't matter. Also, the foolish promise of 50% cut in power bills and free water passed over their heads. Nothing mattered! They had to support AAP in the face of a definite Congress rout.
#3: Here are tweets from Ashutosh and someone called Latha Venkatesh who allegedly works as a financial analyst or reporter in CNBC-TV18:
Sounds like two desperate housewives? No! Ashutosh has worked his way up from small beginnings and many of his messages betray a feeling of "victimhood" and that explains his natural sympathies for Commie AAP even when his message contains LIES. We all know AK appealed to Muslims and also Dalits. What about this Latha? She's the latest laughing stock from the CNN-IBN stable. She decided to support AAP because Maharashtra's Congress govt decided 'no-action' against Adarsh scamsters, including Ashok Chavan. Bright as she is, she is blissfully ignorant (influence of Sagarika?) that AAP hasn't announced contesting major Congress states in the next election. They have so far announced only contesting in Gujarat and MP which have BJP govts for over a decade. The only Congress state announced by AAP for a contest is Delhi neighbour Haryana which is AK's home state too. So the morons at IBN feign ignorance of the pattern in which AAP is planning its LS campaign but this Latha will support them in Mumbai. Who did she support earlier in Mumbai? Mayawati?
Therefore, Rajdeep & Co want to promote a party that is exactly like Congress but doesn't have the baggage of Congress. Like Karunanidhi or Nitish Kumar they want to save India from "communal forces" I suppose. Oh hell, even Karunanidhi praised Modi lately, so that downs the friendly numbers. It could be well be that Raghav Bahl has given some latitude to Rajdeep & Co. till elections 2014. Having gone through the trauma of having to fire over 300 employees just recently I doubt Bahl wants to rock the boat again so soon. So he's given Rajdeep a long rope which will probably burn up around May 2014. At the moment Rajdeep, along with other channels, is lauding the stupid acts of AK and AAP in their referendums and SMS nonsense. AK is playing "victim" like Ashutosh, claiming he was forced to become CM by the people. He has created enough excuses in case he is unable to perform and deliver on his promises: Blame the "people who forced us to form the govt". In an earlier post I had mentioned he could have formed a minority govt without fear as neither Congress nor BJP would pull it down with a major election around the corner. Even cartoonists can see what the Numero Uno and Unee political analysts can't. TOI's Ninan sees AAP, a pawn, riding the Congress quite well in this cartoon, with a noose around AK's neck.
The desperate ones in the IBN family are as battered as the Congress is by the Modi juggernaut. They simply don't know how to deal with it or explain the phenomenon. That should help people understand the ecstasy and orgasm that the IBN gang and other channels are desperately faking in hope the AAP electoral performance will clean up BJP in MP, Gujarat, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan or wherever the party is. Yesterday Rajdeep bleated his frustration with Akhilesh Yadav over the mishandling of Muzaffarnagar victims in camps. Well, many of Rajdeep's IOTY nominees have indeed turned out miserable non-performers. But hey, it's not performance that counts with the IBN gang, it's whether their sham awards will be funded or not given the nominees they pick. Of course, CNN-IBN awarded another IOTY to Kejriwal this year so watch out for Rajdeep's tweet a few months later. Some observant ones like Bhupendra Chaube, Suhasini Haider and Anubha Bhonsle have kept out of this malicious campaign by their ring leaders. Pallavi Ghosh still suffers from the Stockholm-syndrome with Rahul Gandhi.
TheJaggi knows better! He does know who is right wing and left wing. From the entire stable of IBN he was the only one to bluntly state that Sonia Gandhi is the most divisive politician in this country and not Narendra Modi. The whole gang at IBN (save a few) also know AAP is a pawn and clone of Congress. How far these "useful idiots" will carry their campaign is a matter of time. Much as clowns like Rajdeep and C5M Sagarika talk about "rifts" in political parties, a closer look into IBN will also reveal a severe political conflict that runs deeper.
PS: Please do vote on the poll for India's worst news channels (on the top-right margin of this page).
Labels: AAP , Arvind Kejriwal , Caravan , CNN-IBN , Communists , Delhi Elections , Firstpost , R. Jagannathan , Rahul Bhatia , Rajdeep Sardesai
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I remember that one morning. We were scrambling down the stairs to safety from the second floor. Any moment the building would have co...
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Helen Rose's "Shut Up Helen." Helen and her daughter, Johnna, became trapped in a disastrous war with lawyers and insurers after Johnna's accident. She needs treatment, but the courts and lawyers are all looking out for themselves and the victims are taken for a ride by the legal system. Here is the eye-opening truth of a real-life insurance nightmare. You or someone you love may need this someday — to fight your own battle.
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