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U.S. tourists arrested for baring their butts outside a Thai temple for Instagram
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The Wat Arun Temple in Bangkok, site of the mooning.
Image: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
By Nicole Gallucci 2017-11-30 22:35:03 UTC
It's all fun and games on Instagram until you post a partially naked photo of yourself in front of a sacred Thai temple and get arrested.
That's how the saying goes, at least for U.S. tourists and Instagram stars Joseph and Travis Dasilva, who were arrested in Thailand on Tuesday and charged with public indecency after snapping a photo of their bare bums in front of Bangkok's famous Wat Arun temple.
As The Bangkok Post noted, immigration police apprehended the 38-year-old U.S. citizens at Don Mueang airport on warrants pertaining to the revealing pictures on their Instagram account, "Traveling Butts," which soon went viral after being posted.
The Dasilva's use the Instagram account to document their rear ends as they travel the world, their housesitter, Nyx Blue, told NBC 7, explaining that the men were in Thailand to celebrate their first year of marriage. They figured they'd celebrate the occasion with another post, but their placement was a huge mistake.
The Wat Arun, or Temple of Dawn, is one of Bangkok's most famous temples and a central place for Buddhists to worship. The Bangkok Post details strict etiquette to follow when visiting, including removing your shoes, hats, or sunglasses, dressing modestly, which means no sleeveless tops, and never turning your back to the Buddha statue.
Despite the popularity of the landmark, Blue told NBC 7 the men were unaware they were causing any harm or disrespect. "They didn't know it was a temple. It's just like a building."
Thai Immigration Police with the two US citizens arrested for public indecency.
Image: THAI IMMIGRATION POLICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Thai Immigration Police pictured with the two US tourists who were arrested.
Though the Instagram account has reportedly been deleted, the damage was already done in the eyes of Bangkok officials.
"Once they are through with the charges, the Thai immigration police will revoke their visas and push for deportation," Col. Choengron Rimpadee, deputy spokesman of the Thai immigration police, told the BBC. "They will also be blacklisted from coming back to Thailand."
While the charges of public nudity come with a $150 fine for each of the men, Colonel Jarupat Thongkomol told the Straits Times, "We are now seeking court approval to prosecute them on Computer Crime Act for uploading pornographic pictures."
If those charges were to stick the men could be in far more serious trouble, however, San Diego City Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez told the San Diego Gay and Lesbian News he's trying to help them avoid serious punishment.
"Though I am very disappointed in their actions, I am talking to U.S. government officials to see what assistance we can give them," Murray Ramirez said, explaining the men had reached out for assistance after their arrest.
If you learn anything from this tale: always be sure to do your research before traveling. And remember, sometimes the Instagram is really not worth the trouble.
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Here's a $30 tool that uses competitor data to improve your social media game
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Conquer social media.
By Team CommerceMashable Deals 2017-11-30 21:15:08 UTC
Social media is an integral component to any marketing strategy. Or it should be. Knowing your way around Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms isn't just a perk anymore — it's a must. And to be at the top of your game, you need to know what your competitors are up to.
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How to Optimize a YouTube Channel and Videos for Better Visibility
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Want more views for your YouTube content?
Wondering how to show up in YouTube's search and suggested videos?
An optimized YouTube channel delivers a rewarding viewing experience and works with the YouTube algorithm to boost your visibility.
In this article, you'll learn how to set up and optimize your YouTube channel and videos for more exposure.
How to Optimize a YouTube Channel and Videos for Better Visibility by Jeremy Vest on Social Media Examiner.
#1: Design a Compelling YouTube Channel Home Page
Your YouTube channel home page is the first thing people see, so it needs to make a good impression. Take time to build a professional home page that encapsulates what your channel is about.
Your profile picture is like your channel's icon and appears anywhere you comment or show up on YouTube so it can be a potent ad for your business.
Pick a clean, easily identifiable image. You want to avoid too much clutter in the image because your profile picture appears very small on the screen. Also, if you can, choose a profile picture with a face because our brains pick out faces faster than logos.
To add or change your profile pic, click your profile photo on the YouTube home page and select My Channel from the drop-down menu.
On the next page, click Customize Channel.
Next, hover over your profile photo, click the pencil icon, and click Edit in the box that appears.
Adding or changing your profile pic can be a little confusing because it's tied to your Google account. When you click to edit your profile picture, it takes you to your Google profile where you upload the new picture.
Upload Channel Art
At the top of your channel home page is the header image. Add your channel schedule and personalities to the artwork.
If you're uploading channel art for the first time, go to your YouTube channel page (click your profile photo on the YouTube home page, select My Channel, and click Customize Channel).
Then click Add Channel Art, and drag and drop or navigate to the image you want to upload.
If you want to change existing channel art, hover over the header image, click the pencil icon in the upper right, and upload a new image. Make sure you test the new image on mobile and TV.
Select a Channel Trailer
The trailer, which autoplays when someone visits your channel, is your channel's elevator pitch and could be your only chance to gain or lose a subscriber. Aim for a 1- or 2-minute video that tells people what your channel is about and make the trailer content fun and interesting.
A good channel trailer example is Grant Thompson's The King of Random:
To add or change your channel trailer, go to your YouTube channel page (click your profile photo on the home page, select My Channel, and click Customize Channel) and click the For New Visitors tab.
If you haven't added a trailer previously, click Channel Trailer and select the video you want to use.
If you want to change an existing trailer, hover over the trailer. When the pencil icon appears in the upper right, click the icon and choose a video for the trailer.
On the home page, you can feature playlists of your best work and each playlist can appear in a different section, with up to 10 sections.
In the first section, you might feature content for new viewers.
Also, feature playlists on popular topics for your channel and create series playlists because they'll ensure a "lean back" experience that encourages viewers to binge-watch your content.
To create a playlist, go to your channel (click your profile photo on the YouTube home page, select My Channel, and click Customize Channel) and click the Playlists tab. Then click the New Playlist button, enter a playlist title, and click Create.
On the next page, click the Edit button.
Then click Add Videos. On the Add Video to Playlist page, click the Your YouTube Videos tab and select the videos you want to add to your playlist. When you're finished, click Add Videos.
Tip: In your analytics, find the videos that best convert subscribers and include those in the playlist for new viewers. To identify these videos, open Creator Studio and click Analytics > Subscribers > YouTube Watch Page, which will reveal the videos from highest to lowest.
You'll find out more about how to use playlists strategically later in this article.
Add Featured Channels
Featured channels appear on the right side of your channel home page. When you include friends' channels and/or other channels you enjoy, the featured channels list will create a connection in people's minds and in the algorithm between your channel and these featured channels.
To add featured channels, go to your YouTube channel page (click your profile photo on the YouTube home page, select My Channel, and click Customize Channel). On the right side of the page, click the Add Channels button below Featured Channels.
Create an About Page
Your About page is accessible via a tab on your YouTube channel home page. On your About page, include a short, persuasive description of your channel and focus on the first few sentences.
To add or change your About page, make sure you're logged in and open your channel page (click your profile photo on the YouTube home page, select My Channel, and click Customize Channel). Then click the About tab on the far right.
If you're adding an About page for the first time, add a channel description, links, and other pertinent details.
To edit an existing About page, click the pencil icon and update your channel description.
#2: Research Keywords for Tags, Titles, and Descriptions
It's no secret that YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world behind Google (which owns YouTube). So search is not only heavily featured as a benefit of YouTube, but is also one of the best ways to grow your channel, especially when you're just starting out.
The YouTube algorithm uses dozens of metrics, but many of these kick in only after your channel has an audience of some sort. When you're starting from zero, your best bet to gain new followers is through optimizing for search.
Valuable keywords and tags boost rankings for your videos, playlists, and entire channel, giving you extra search results, more suggested views, and better subscriber conversion over time. You use these keywords not only as tags on your video content and channel, but also in video titles.
How do you know what keywords to use? To begin, a few tools can help you research which keywords to use.
Get Keyword Suggestions From YouTube and Google Search
No, really. Just type a keyword that relates to your channel in the YouTube or Google search bar and check out the autofill drop-down results.
The autofill results are the most searched phrases for that keyword. The search bars are especially good for finding long-tail keywords. After you find the right keywords, simply drop the terms into the keywords of your video.
Research Keywords With the Keyword Planner
Google AdWords Keyword Planner is the gold standard for keyword research. SEO experts use this tool to determine what keywords to focus on in an AdWords campaign.
With this tool, you can see both the number of searches for a particular keyword, as well as the competition. You want to look for keywords with high search volumes and low competition.
To use the Keyword Planner tool, you need an AdWords account. After you log into AdWords, click the wrench icon in the upper-right corner and click Keyword Planner on the menu that appears.
Once the Keyword Planner opens, click the option labeled Search for New Keywords Using a Phrase, Website, or Category.
To search for a new keyword, enter a general keyword in the Your Product or Service field and click Get Ideas.
The Find Keywords page shows variations of the keyword you entered and alternative ideas to consider. As you scroll through the options, look for keywords with high search volume and low competition. Make a list of the keywords that best fit those parameters.
Find Trending Topics With Google Trends
Google Trends is one of the best tools for finding not only great tags and keywords, but also topics for videos. Focusing on trending tags takes advantage of the natural flow of search intent that already exists. Instead of finding ways to entice people to come to your content, you create content that people are already looking for.
When you open Google Trends, the top trending topics of the day appear on the front page. Enter a search term at the top, and you see a graph of activity over time and a map of the top countries for that term.
Google Trends is a powerful tool that allows you to filter by date and location down to the city level and gives you the ability to pinpoint your topics at the optimal time.
Assess Keyword Competition and Search Volume With Plugins
A handful of plugins like TubeBuddy and VidIQ integrate with YouTube and help you gauge competition, search volume, and recommended terms alongside your selected keywords. These plugins cost some money but can be very helpful.
For example, with these plugins, you can copy and paste keywords from videos that rank highly for those keywords to help you get suggested views.
Also, TubeBuddy has a suite of video SEO tools including Tag Explorer. With Tag Explorer, you can research tags in your browser while you're watching or editing a video in YouTube, or viewing a search results page.
As you research trending and popular tags related to the one that interests you, you can see whether a tag's popularity is growing and find top videos using the tag.
#3: Add Keywords to Your Video Titles, Descriptions, and Tags
Now that you've researched relevant keywords, you're ready to start working them into your video titles, descriptions, and tags.
Use an Algorithm-Friendly Pattern for Adding Tags
The way you tag videos can make a giant difference in your YouTube channel's success. When you tag videos following a simple formula, your tags can help the YouTube algorithm sort your keywords, and consequently, your videos.
Although YouTube gives you 500 characters for tags, adding more than 15 tags can look like keyword stuffing. However, you still want to use as many tags as you can to rank for those search terms.
To balance these issues, aim for 10 to 15 tags for each video. You then order these tags following a specific formula.
Start with long-tail tags that are 3 to 5 words each and usually exact phrases that people might search for. Examples of specific long-tail tags are "How to Set Up Canon C100" and "Canon C100 Settings." These tags might reflect keywords you found via a search engine's autofilled drop-down list.
Continue adding long-tail keywords for the next 5 to 10 tags. You also want to use medium-sized phrases of 2 to 3 words each. Use more general terms for these tags such as "Canon cameras" and "camera review."
Next, separate long-tail keywords into one-word tags. Make sure some of these tags include the names of playlists in which the video appears. For the very last tag, use your brand name.
Include Core Keywords in the Title and Description
Overall, you want to create several points of connection among your video, other videos on your channel (including playlists), and other videos that rank for specific search terms. One way to do this is to include core keywords in your video's title and description.
For example, if your YouTube channel is focused on camera reviews, your goal would be to work "camera review" into video titles and descriptions.
At minimum, include at least one tag keyword that's also used in the description. If the keyword is also included in the playlist title, that's even better.
Think of these keywords as little dabs of glue that you're peppering around your video. The more glue, the stickier your video will be in search.
Optimize Your Video Titles for People
Many people think optimizing for search simply means stuffing their titles full of keywords to get the video to rank. However, you also have to optimize for people. Nonsensical or boring titles stuffed with keywords don't get many people excited about clicking and watching your video.
The art of YouTube video titling for search is to generate titles that are simultaneously intriguing and keyword-rich but don't sound keyword-rich.
Following a formula can help you write keyword-rich titles that people still want to click. The formula uses the pattern shown in this video by Gillette. Start the title with a broad category (How to Shave). Then add your main keyword with a compelling reason to click (Shaving Tips for Men). If your video is for a brand, add the brand name at the end (Gillette).
This formula ensures that your video will rank for the specific search term and also a broader category.
Tip: Make the broad category of the formula the same as a playlist in which a video appears. Doing this ties the video in with the videos in the playlist and uses their search ranking to boost the ranking of this video.
To write a title that viewers will want to click but doesn't sound like clickbait, try setting up a story. People are hard-wired for stories. Titles that set up a story get clicks because people want to hear what happens.
Similar to teasing a story, set up a conflict or challenge to entice viewers to watch. Also, use a "pick your side" scenario to activate our natural tribalism.
What is it about list videos that make them so popular? The world may never know. If your video shares a list, highlight that in your title.
Keep in mind that the title is only half of the reason people click. The other half is the video thumbnail, so make sure the title and thumbnail work together to be as compelling as possible. A title that contradicts the thumbnail sets up a question in the viewers' minds and makes them want to investigate further.
Use Caution When Changing Established Video Titles
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If a YouTube video is established and performing fine, changing the title can sink it in the search algorithm. Leave those titles alone.
Underperforming videos are fine to tweak, but don't change a whole bunch at once. Spread out the changes over time so they don't confuse the algorithm.
Having said that, YouTube does seem to provide a two-day grace period for making changes to a video title after you post the video. During this time, making changes doesn't seem to significantly impact views, so feel free to test a couple of titles on a brand-new video. But after the first couple of days, you might want to leave it alone.
#4: Add Keywords to Your Channel
In addition to adding tags and keywords to videos, don't forget about channel keywords. Channel keywords are crucial to YouTube discovery. They help the algorithm determine which other channels and videos to use for recommending your videos.
To assign channel keywords, open Creator Studio (click your profile photo and select Creator Studio). In the left sidebar, click Channel > Advanced, and then enter your channel keywords in the field provided.
#5: Use Playlists to Develop a Cohesive and Organized Channel
Most creators and brands on YouTube just use playlists as an organizational tool and put them on the channel home page as a way to categorize their videos for new viewers to browse. Those are good practices. There's nothing wrong with that, but playlists are capable of so much more.
Playlists allow you to treat your YouTube channel more like a TV network. Shonduras offers playlists with cool themes and popular videos that keep people watching. With playlists, you can develop a content strategy that leads viewers from one video to another for hours of watch time instead of a few minutes.
Playlists also serve a strong SEO function. By connecting videos with similar tags and keywords to playlists with the same tags and keywords, you're attaching those videos in the algorithm, which leads to more suggested views.
When you begin seriously incorporating playlists into your channel strategy, you start thinking much bigger than the individual videos you're creating. This bigger-picture thinking leads to a more cohesive and organized channel, which pays dividends not only in the user experience, but in the algorithm as well.
Optimize Playlist Titles and Descriptions for Search
To give your playlist a boost in the algorithm, choose a title that has high search intent. You can use the same keyword research you used for tags to determine search intent for your playlist.
To change the title of the playlist, open Creator Studio and click Video Manager > Playlists.
Click the playlist you want to edit and then click the Edit button on the next page.
On the playlist edit page, hover over the title and click the pencil icon that appears on the right. After you choose a highly searched playlist title, be sure to add that title to the tags in all of the videos in the playlist so the algorithm sticks the videos together.
You also want to add a two- or three-sentence description for the playlist. YouTube does look at descriptions for some SEO data. In the description text, use the playlist name and any other tags you can use conversationally.
You can add the titles of some of the playlist videos in the playlist, but don't keyword-stuff. Keyword stuffing can count against you in the algorithm.
Rearrange Videos in a Playlist
You can choose the order in which videos appear in a playlist. Always add the newest video first for episodic content so you can help with organic playlist views. Older content will naturally be more popular based on lifetime views.
For content that is based purely on search, allow your playlists to sort videos by most popular because the popular videos appear more in search results naturally.
To rearrange videos in a playlist, navigate to the edit playlist page in Creator Studio (open the playlist you want to edit and click Edit). Then grab the left edge of a video (as shown below) and drag it up or down to move it to the desired order.
Choose a Playlist Thumbnail From a Top-Performing Video
Many people don't realize that you can choose a thumbnail image for your playlists. Playlist thumbnails are just as important as video thumbnails for enticing viewers to click and watch your playlist.
Luckily, you don't have to build an entirely new thumbnail. Instead, pick a thumbnail from a video in your playlist. Preferably, use a thumbnail from a video that performs really well.
To find out which video in your playlist performs best, open Creator Studio and click Analytics > Traffic Sources. Scroll down and click Suggested Videos. From there, find the top-performing video in your playlist.
To set that video's thumbnail as the playlist thumbnail, navigate to the edit playlist page in Creator Studio. Hover over the video whose thumbnail you want to use and a More button will pop up on the right side. Select Set as Playlist Thumbnail from the drop-down menu. That's it!
Package a Video Series
If your video is part of a series, add "Episode 1," "Episode 2," and so on to the video title to help connect those videos in the algorithm. Titles that include an episode number also tell a viewer that more videos like this one are available and encourage the viewer to watch the next episode.
To package a series, you should also add the next video as an end card and include all of the videos in the series in a playlist. If you have a verified account, you can even use a series playlist, which is a type of playlist specifically designed for a video series.
If a video is in a series playlist, YouTube automatically plays the next video in the playlist if the viewer is watching on autoplay, even if they weren't watching the playlist itself. A series playlist is an easy way to ensure that the viewer will at least see one video of yours in the suggested videos sidebar.
Add New Playlists Frequently
Ideally, add at least two new playlists to your channel every week. On average, include 3 to 10 videos in each playlist.
A few tips can help you keep up with this pace:
After you have around 10 videos, look for a tag that all of these videos have in common and create a new playlist based on that tag. This tactic will help your channel divide and conquer over time.
Add new videos to at least three playlists to create the most opportunity for binge-viewing.
Set Up Rules to Automatically Add Videos to Playlists
You can set up rules to add videos to playlists based on either titles or tags. These rules offer a good way to automate your workflow after your channel has over 20 playlists. However, you should still review your playlists every few weeks to make sure videos weren't placed in the wrong playlists.
To create rules that automate playlist additions, open Creator Studio and click Video Manager > Playlists.
Next, pull up the playlist you want to automate and click the Edit button.
In the playlist window, click Playlist Settings and then click Auto Add. As you create the rules, determine if YouTube should add a video to the playlist based on a word in the title, tag, or description.
Channel optimization is an overlooked topic because most people focus on getting the most views for individual videos. But optimizing your entire channel spreads the YouTube love much further, resulting in more views for more videos and higher conversion rates. After all, people subscribe to your channel, not your video.
For the high points on channel optimization, check out this video:
Channel optimization, much like video optimization, means optimizing for the algorithm and the audience. You need to use keywords, metadata, and other best practices to perform better in search and suggested videos. You also need to create a viewing experience that rewards continued viewing and makes the channel appealing to the viewer right off the bat.
What do you think? What ideas in this article might help grow your YouTube channel? Do you have any experiences with these tactics that you can add? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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China is deleting posts about a kindergarten allegedly abusing its toddlers
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As anger swells around a Chinese kindergarten accused of abusing its toddlers, online discussion about the topic has been systematically deleted.
Earlier this week, the RYB Education New World kindergarten in Beijing was accused of feeding drugs to toddlers, and injecting them with unknown substances.
Outside of Beijing, the group runs over 500 kindergartens in China.
Parents have started protesting and circulating alleged photos of abuse online.
But comments and posts about the topic are disappearing on Chinese social media, which the state monitors and scrubs of objectionable content regularly.
A search for "RYB kindergarten," which in Chinese is known as "红黄蓝 (Red Yellow Blue)", showed that people were actively sharing and clicking on posts about the kindergarten, yet the comment sections were curiously silent — a sign that comments had been deleted.
In the Weibo post below by the Beijing News, it's clear the post has been liked almost 29,000 times and shared 2,620. Yet there are only four innocuous comments left behind.
Image: beijing news/weibo
Similarly, this post by Sina, the parent company of Weibo, shows a discussion about the kindergarten yielded 2846 likes, 1314 shares and just 13 comments.
Image: sina guangdong/weibo
Outside Weibo's social media platform, news aggregator Toutiao's post yielded over 2000 comments, 900 shares, and just 59 comments.
And even though this Sina post has a pretty high number of comments coming in at 730, it's still pretty disproportionate to the 154,876 comments and over 18,000 shares it received.
Image: sina finance/weibo
A quick search on Weiboscope, a University of Hong Kong project that tracks censorship on Weibo revealed that there was a spike in the number of censored posts on Nov. 27.
The main words that were being censored on that day were "kindergarten" and "Beijing."
According to Weiboscope, some 27.7 of 10,000 posts were deleted on that day. That might not sound like much, but considering posts on Weibo can go well into the millions in just one day, that could be 2,770 posts of every one million posts being deleted.
Posts on Weibo get deleted by the government's censorship board, which deletes posts both automatically by offending keyword, and manually with an army of workers.
According to Weiboscope, the website on average censors about 7 of 10,000 posts — significantly lower than the 27.7 messages of every 10,000 that were deleted on Nov 27.
This could indicate the scale of censorship for this kindergarten saga has been massively ramped up.
An average of around 7 of 10,000 posts are deleted according to Weiboscope
Image: weiboscope/screenshot
The kindergarten case has set off mass outrage. Parents have claimed that some of their children had been fed unidentified tablets in school, and some been subjected to "medical check-ups" by a naked adult male.
Police have since announced that some of these claims were fabricated, but noted that a teacher suspected of using knitting needles to prick and discipline children has been detained on criminal charges.
RYB has also fired the headmaster of its Beijing kindergarten.
China's education ministry has launched an investigation into kindergartens nationwide, with Beijing authorities saying they would send permanent inspectors to nurseries across the city.
Man who deactivated Trump's Twitter account thought it wouldn't actually work
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The Twitter employee says it was a "mistake."
Image: Richard Drew/AP/REX/Shutterstock
By Karissa Bell 2017-11-30 00:52:58 UTC
The identity of the Twitter employee who briefly deactivated Donald Trump's Twitter account is no longer a secret.
The former Twitter employee has finally come forward to share his perspective on what happened that day. Speaking to TechCrunch, Bahtiyar Duysak, who worked as a contractor at Twitter's San Francisco HQ, says he now thinks his actions were a "mistake."
More surprising, though, he says he didn't think his actions would actually result in Trump's account being deactivated.
While Duysak, a German national, doesn't offer much explanation about why he chose to remove the account in the final minutes of his job at Twitter, he apparently thought Trump's twitter was "was essentially protected from being deactivated over Terms of Service violations."
Here's how he described that day, according to TechCrunch:
Someone reported Trump's account on Duysak's last day; as a final, throwaway gesture, he put the wheels in motion to deactivate it. Then he closed his computer and left the building.
Duysak describes the event as a "mistake." Specifically, he told us, he never thought the account would actually get deactivated.
In fact, it appeared that Trump's account was essentially protected from being deactivated over Terms of Service violations.
After the incident, which Twitter initially said was the "inadvertent" result of an employee's "human error," Twitter updated its Terms of Service to specifically reflect why it won't ban Trump.
Even though Trump has violated the company's policies in the past, Twitter's updated rules state that "there may be the rare occasion when we allow controversial content or behavior which may otherwise violate our Rules to remain on our service because we believe there is a legitimate public interest in its availability."
On his part, Duysak, who has returned to Germany, says he's been overwhelmed by media attention following his actions. He says journalists and other continue to "stalk" his social media accounts.
And while he says he now regrets his actions, he doesn't believe he did anything wrong.
"I didn't hack anyone, I didn't do anything that I was not authorized to do."
Meet the man who deactivated Trumps Twitter account
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s Twitter tries to figure out how to lock down the parts of its platform that enable harassment, as well as the spread of misleading information and illicit content, there have been a number of moments that highlight how the service, and its levers of control, are far from perfect. One such moment took place earlier this month, when the very active, very watched Twitter account of President Donald Trump was
abruptly deactivated
for 11 minutes.
U.S. President Donald Trump long ago realized that you can use Twitter as an effective mouthpiece without all the pain and price of dealing with the media. Trump's Twitter account (36.5K tweets and counting) has become one of the most popular ones out there today, with 43.5 million followers and growing by several hundred thousand a week. It's also one of the most notorious, because of his flippant jokes, insults, rants and controversial retweets.
So for those who haven't been happy with Trump — and judging by the popular vote results from the 2016 election, that accounted for a majority of voters in the U.S. — those deactivated 11 minutes became a burst of unexpected joy.
No joke, the internet has nominated the Twitter employee who shut down Trump's account for a Nobel Peace Prize
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) November 6, 2017
Just gonna say it, the employee at Twitter who shut off Trump's account for 11 mins could become a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
— David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) November 3, 2017
how do i tell my parents im marrying the twitter employee?
— Sarah Hagi (@geekylonglegs) November 3, 2017
Twitter, in its turn for more transparency, quickly announced that the account's shutdown was accidental. Moments later, it followed up with more information: a contractor, on his last day of work, was responsible.
The story could have ended there, but it didn't.
Reporters started immediately trying to find the now-former Twitter contractor to try to figure out what happened. If it was an accident, how could it happen? If it was intentional, why did it happen?
We were among those looking for the contractor, and through a string of events found out his name, Bahtiyar Duysak, and got him to agree to talk to us in a cold and gray town in Germany.
Duysak, a twenty-something with Turkish roots who was born and raised in Germany, was working as a contractor for a fixed term for the last part of his stay in the U.S. under a work and study visa. In addition to his role at Twitter with Pro Unlimited, other assignments had included stints in monetization at Google and YouTube via another contractor, Vaco.
Many have wondered on Twitter why Trump's account has never been shut down for violating Twitter's terms (among the reasons people have given is that he has threatened North Korea with nuclear violence) while others have been calling for people to report him using Twitter's reporting tools for offensive tweets.
At Twitter, Duysak had been assigned to customer support as part of the Trust and Safety division. This team receives alerts when users report bad behavior, including offensive or illegal tweets, harassment, someone impersonating another person, and so on. The team performs triage on complaints to determine what further steps, if any, should be taken.
uysak, medium in stature and wearing a black and gray cardigan with a pattern of the American flag across it (not something he planned, laughing a little in surprise when he made the connection between it and the story), is a personable guy. He's quick to smile; he's close to his family and has a big network of friends; and he speaks with a certain kind of indeterminate European accent — the kind you ofter hear from people who have travelled, lived and studied across different countries. He's more Euro than bro.
His last day at Twitter was mostly uneventful, he says. There were many goodbyes, and he worked up until the last hour before his computer access was to be shut off. Near the end of his shift, the fateful alert came in.
This is where Trump's behavior intersects with Duysak's work life. Someone reported Trump's account on Duysak's last day; as a final, throwaway gesture, he put the wheels in motion to deactivate it. Then he closed his computer and left the building.
Several hours later, the panic began. Duysak tells us that it started when he was approached by a woman whom he didn't know very well. According to Duysak, the woman said that she had been contacted by someone asking about Duysak in connection with Trump's Twitter account. After a moment of disbelief, he said he then looked at the news and realized what had happened.
In fact, it appeared that Trump's account was essentially protected from being deactivated over Terms of Service violations. In June, Twitter explained why: Some tweets that seemingly violate its terms of service are nevertheless "newsworthy" and therefore in the public interest to keep up.
One takeaway from Twitter's exemption for newsworthy tweets is that news and information trump judgment calls on the relative toxicity of the content, which is probably apt in our age of toxicity dressed up as "news."
Trump's election has signaled a high water mark for how people with opposing views on politics and other flashpoint subjects interact. Perhaps more than ever, people spin stories in ways that fit their own agendas.
Although Duysak was hailed as a hero by some, he says he hasn't felt like one at all.
He's been pursued by media, which have been aggressive in contacting family and friends. The woman who first alerted him is a typical example (we asked, and he would not provide her details to us, probably to protect her). Duysak said she had liked some of his posts, and someone — already with a lead on Duysak — had spotted this and tracked her down.
But he is not concerned about what happens next if there is further investigation of the incident. He hasn't broken any laws.
"I didn't hack anyone. I didn't do anything that I was not authorized to do," he told us when we met in Germany. "I didn't go to any site I was not supposed to go to. I didn't break any rules."
For now, it appears that the media has actually been more aggressive than the authorities. We asked and have confirmed with Duysak's legal representative that the FBI is not investigating him at the moment, although Twitter has apparently attempted to get more information from him. Duysak has chosen not to reply.
At Twitter — which declined to provide any details to confirm Duysak's identity to us — the event has hastened efforts to change things at the company.
The day after the deactivation, Twitter said it was conducting a full internal review and implementing safeguards to prevent incidents like this in the future.
CEO Jack Dorsey also acknowledged in an interview shortly after the incident that there have been weaknesses and gaps, which it is also trying to address. He said that the clause about newsworthiness, which was not publicly known until Twitter made it so, was one of those gaps.
"We have implemented safeguards to prevent this from happening again," Twitter tweeted from its Twitter Government account. "We won't be able to share all details about our internal investigation or updates to our security measures, but we take this seriously and our teams are on it."
There are some details that potentially complicate things, partly because of how charged the political climate has become in the U.S. Duysak is of Turkish origin, not from the U.S. While these facts have nothing to do with Trump's account on Twitter getting deactivated, in the wrong hands they could be spun negatively, given Trump's previous negative statements on immigration and people from predominantly Muslim countries.
Apart from inflaming those who don't agree with him, and emboldening those who do, Trump has spelled out some specific opinions on how the U.S. sits in relation to the rest of the world. He wants to build a wall to keep out immigrants. He has targeted Muslims specifically as a group, a blanket policy he believes would help keep out extremists and terrorists. He has also proposed and signed orders to fill out those ambitions.
uysak, in one physical sense, is out of the picture where the U.S. is concerned: our interview took place in Germany, Duysak's home country, where he returned at the end of his visa period.
He could have just lied low, but he hasn't. So then why come forward? To try to clear the air, he said, get a new job, and not worry about how the story would come out, if it did, without his involvement.
"I want to continue an ordinary life. I don't want to flee from the media," he said. "I want to speak to my neighbors and friends. I had to delete hundreds of friends, so many pictures, because reporters are stalking me. I just want to continue an ordinary life."
He said the pursuit has been relentless: journalists have contacted the university where he studied, his places of employment, his friends, and his family. His family has shut down various social accounts to avoid the contact.
He agreed to talk to us because he had a connection to a Muslim-focused community center (which has also had some persistent contact from reporters) in the Bay Area where a relative of Tito's volunteers. That contributed to his trusting us.
"I didn't do any crime or anything evil, but I feel like Pablo Escobar," he said, "and slowly it's getting really annoying."
These days, Duysak said he isn't likely to take another tech job anytime soon. More likely, he'll be looking into finance or other related field. "But I love Twitter," he said, "and I love America."
Instagram is testing a bunch of new features including GIF search for Stories
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Instagram is testing a bunch of new features, including GIF search for Stories
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We may have just gotten an early look at a ton of new Instagram features.
Instagram has been busy testing several new features, including a "close friends" feature, GIF search, and the ability to follow specific hashtags the way you'd follow an account, according to the tech site The Next Web.
One of the most interesting features the website found was something called "close friends," which will allow users to share posts with only a small group of their closest friends. This appears to be an extension of the "favorites" feature the app began testing earlier this year.
Originally created in response to the "finsta"phenomenon — users creating a separate stealth Instagram account for only close friends — favorites was billed as a way for people to maintain the ability to share with small groups of friends without having to juggle multiple accounts.
An Instagram spokesperson who spoke to Mashable declined to comment.
Other notable features uncovered by TNW include:
GIF search (via Giphy) to add animated GIFS to Stories
the ability to follow specific hashtags
native sharing to WhatsApp
the ability to "archive" Stories
Additionally, the site found a new button on Instagram posts that they claim is a "regram" feature that will allow users to re-share posts from others. There's not a ton of information about this one, but according to TNW, it would replicate the functionality of third-party apps like Repost for Instagram.
However, it's important to note that The Next Web did not test the feature. It appears that the site's editors are judging the button's functionality based on its appearance and resemblance to third-party tools.
It's also important to remember Instagram, like Facebook, frequently tests new features in its app before deciding whether or not to launch them officially.
Still, the experiments offer an interesting look at what types of features the company is thinking about and which areas they're looking to change.
How to Create Content More Efficiently with Curation Techniques
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I've always said that every website should have a blog.
Think about how long you're currently spending to write a blog post.
I'm willing to bet it takes you at least a few hours to create each.
Sometimes longer posts take up to six or even eight hours.
Where do you find the time to focus on other aspects of your business?
I struggled with this concept as well when I first started blogging.
It seemed like there weren't enough hours in the day to get everything done.
Then I realized that your content doesn't always need to be created from scratch.
Chances are, your content isn't some new or revolutionary breakthrough in the industry.
You're writing about something that's been discussed before.
Sure, you'll put your unique spin, voice, and personal experiences in there, but ultimately there are plenty of similar topics on the web.
Spending your entire day writing blogs is not an efficient use of your time.
Instead, I'll teach you some content curation skills that will help you write content faster.
David Kadavy from The Medium was able to learn different tricks to improve his productivity.
Look at the impact this had on his published word count between 2015 and 2016.
If you follow my advice, your productivity will skyrocket as well.
Here's how you can use content curation to effectively manage your content strategy.
Make sure you're utilizing visuals
If you've been reading my blogs for a while, you know I'm a firm believer in using lots of pictures, screenshots, and other infographics to illustrate my points.
That's no secret.
But there's a reason behind this strategy.
Adding pictures to your blog posts makes it easier for people to read.
It breaks up the content and grabs the reader's attention.
There are also plenty of great image resources on the Internet.
While creating a unique visual or infographic is great, it's not necessary.
Instead, use someone else's image, making sure to give credit to the original source.
This will save you a lot of time because you won't have to create these images yourself.
Don't be shy when you're adding visuals to your content.
Images make it easier for readers to process your point.
See what I mean?I
Fittingly, I'm using an image about the importance of visuals to prove my point.
But seriously, think about how easy it was for you to process and retain what you just saw.
Visuals also make it easier for you to put words on the page.
Here's what I mean.
Once you insert an image in your post, it gives you something to talk about.
Explain the image to your readers.
It will guide you in the right direction instead of just coming up with content out of thin air.
You're much less likely to suffer from writer's block if you always have something to talk about.
Here are some additional tips about using images within your content:
Use high quality visuals that aren't too cluttered.
Make sure they are easy to read and understand.
If the visual contains data, make sure it's from a reputable source.
Always cite your sources.
Use lots of images.
All of these pointers will help you create content faster and more efficiently.
Start with an outline, and stick to your plan
Never start creating content from a blank page.
Psychologically, it's intimidating.
But more importantly, it's not an efficient use of your time.
Sure, as you start writing, you'll need to do some research along the way.
But it helps significantly if you get some of that out of the way before you get started.
Here's what you need to do.
For example, let's say you are writing a post about the best ways to find a new job.
Start with a Google search.
Now you can create a list of the 28 best ways to do this.
Keep in mind, there will likely be some overlap among the pages.
You're not the only one using curation strategies to build content.
But when it's all said and done, you should still be able to come up with at least 10, 15, or maybe even 20 different ways on your list.
The key is planning this out ahead of time.
Open all these pages in a new tab.
Each time you see something you want to include in your article, add it to the outline.
Quickly add a few notes to develop further when you get to that point of your writing process.
For example, you may talk about a specific job board site on your list.
So a note could be "insert statistic about the job placement success rates of this site."
Then you can do that research when you get there.
This strategy also makes it really easy if you're aiming for a certain word count per post.
Let's say you want all of your posts to be roughly 2,500 words.
If you determine you'll have 15 different sections based on your list, now you can aim for each section to be about 165 words.
It keeps you on track for your goal.
That way you're not frantically trying to come up with a 500 word conclusion or end up reaching your desired word count after your second subheading.
Repurpose content on different channels
For the most part, I've been discussing these curation strategies as they relate to blogging, but let me clear the air.
Your content doesn't stop with blogs and articles.
One of my favorite ways to repurpose content is through YouTube videos.
I'll give you an example based on my own blog and YouTube channel.
Here's a post I wrote that was a big hit.
It's got 137 comments (and counting) at the moment.
What did I do?
I repurposed some of the main points and made it into a YouTube tutorial.
Here's the link to my YouTube video.
You don't always have to use content from other people for your curation strategy.
Instead, take your existing content.
You can also use this technique on social media platforms.
Think about Twitter.
You have only so many characters to use.
Rather than racking your brain to come up with the most clever tweet on the planet, refer to your posts that already have thousands of words.
Take lines directly from that content, and post them on social media.
It will save you a ton of time, and you'll be able to focus on other aspects of social media management, like responding to customer comments.
That's a much more efficient use of your time.
You don't need to be the first person to break a story
How many times have you seen a breaking news story, only to discover that it's inaccurate?
I see it all the time, so I'm sure you have as well.
That's because all these news outlets want to be first.
But first isn't always best.
You don't want to develop a reputation for being an unreliable source.
Furthermore, the first person to break a story may not have a chance to include lots of relevant information.
Let's use a hypothetical example of a local car accident.
The first person to break the story may just say, "car accident on X street at Y time."
But they don't have any other details to report.
So if you wait a little bit, you can newsjack the story.
Wait for other sources to report new information.
Now you can write about other factors like the:
number of cars involved
types of cars in the crash
names of any victims
cause of the accident
road conditions at the time
quote from law enforcement
You can see where I'm going with this.
Being the first one to release new information doesn't get you a gold star or sticker.
Instead, it limits your resources and the amount of information you can talk about.
Curate content from the comments section of your blog
You should always be checking the comments on your page.
Respond to these users.
It's a great way to help with your search engine optimization, but it also keeps your readers actively engaged.
You may find some valuable information here as well.
People who comment on your page may be doing so to promote their own websites or blogs, but their points may be viable.
Take a look at what people have to say.
It might just be included in your next post.
Send a newsletter with a roundup of your weekly content
Again, you don't always need to use someone else's thoughts or ideas to generate new content.
Sometimes the best curation source is your own writing.
If you've got a weekly or monthly newsletter, it's a great opportunity for you to promote content you've already published.
Moz does this with their monthly top 10 newsletters.
Instead of coming up with something new or unique for their monthly newsletter, they just repurpose the hard work they've already done.
You can use this strategy as well.
Write a weekly roundup post that summarizes the content you've already covered during the week.
Work smarter, not harder.
Don't get me wrong.
I'm not saying to just copy and paste your existing content into a new article.
That's a quick way to lose readers.
But you can just take something old and put a new spin on it.
Update new statistics.
Add personal stories or a learning experience you've come across since the content was originally posted.
This will make your life a lot easier, and you'll spend less time trying to come up with new ideas.
Your time is valuable.
Instead of spending endless hours each day trying to come up with new content to write about, you can use curation strategies to be more efficient.
Remember, content curation doesn't just apply to your blog.
You can also use these methods to help produce content on social media.
Research showed that finding and posting content on social media was the most time consuming aspect of this process.
It doesn't have to be.
Use lots of visuals in your content.
Rather than creating original infographics, use ones you find on the Internet.
Make sure you give credit to the source.
Images make it easier for readers to process and retain information as well.
Don't start writing from scratch.
Build an outline using ideas you find from a Google search.
This will make things easier for you to write naturally and stick to a plan.
All of the curation doesn't need to come from someone else's pages or ideas.
Repurpose your existing content.
Take a top performing blog post and turn it into a YouTube tutorial.
Use phrases from articles on your site as social media posts.
Think twice before you try to be the first person to break a news story.
Instead, wait until all the information gets released.
You'll have more reliable sources and information to use.
Refer to the comments section of your blog if you're looking for new ideas.
Use recent posts to come up with a weekly newsletter or round up blog.
If you follow these strategies, you'll spend less time creating content and more time focusing on other areas of your business.
What kind of content curation strategies have helped you spend less time writing blogs each day?
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7 Mobile Apps for Editing and Enhancing Images
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Do you want to edit your social media images on the go?
Looking for easy-to-use smartphone apps to fine-tune your photos?
In this article, you'll discover seven mobile apps for editing and enhancing your visuals.
7 Mobile Apps for Editing and Enhancing Images by Tabitha Carro on Social Media Examiner.
#1: Make Your Photos Pop With A Color Story
If you're looking for an easy-to-use photo editing app, A Color Story (available free for iOS and Android) has you covered. Choose from the app's large selection of filters to make your photos stand out. This app is especially useful for enhancing product photos, as shown in the example below.
In the free Essentials filter pack, the first four filters (Pop, Everyday, Sharp, and Lite Bright) do a superb job of brightening and whitening dull photos.
Drag the slider to adjust a filter's intensity. The app lets you apply multiple filters to a photo; just be careful not to lose the details along the way.
If you want more editing control, tap the wrench icon in the bottom toolbar. Use the Adjust and Crop & Frame options to edit individual aspects of your photo, such as clarity, contrast, brightness, saturation, and exposure.
One standout feature of the app is that it lets you save your editing steps to reuse for future edits, which will save time when batch-editing photos.
Tip: At the time of this writing, you can also edit video clips of up to 1 minute the same way you edit photos.
#2: Edit Specific Areas of Your Images With Snapseed
Want to brighten shadows or dark areas in your photo? Try the free Snapseed app (available for iOS and Android). Its Selective feature is exceptional for precise edits of individual areas of a photo. You can see the effect of this tool in these before and after images.
To use the Selective tool, tap Tools at the bottom of the screen and then tap Selective.
Now tap on the area you want to edit. A circle with the letter B will appear. Swipe up or down anywhere on the screen to select one of the four editing options: Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and Structure. After you choose an option, swipe left or right to adjust the intensity of the edit.
If you want to edit multiple areas at once, tap the + sign at the bottom of the screen and then tap anywhere on the photo to add another adjustment point.
To change the size of the editing area, pinch the screen around the circle inward or outward with your index finger and thumb, as shown below.
#3: Capture Vibrant Outdoor Photos With ProCamera
Travel and nature photos make excellent backgrounds for inspirational quotes. If you're outdoors on a sunny day, use the ProCamera app (available for $4.99 for iOS) to take some snaps of the scenery.
The app's HDR tool does a great job of balancing contrasts in light, as you can see in the right image below.
To select the HDR tool before you take a photo, tap the up and down arrows icon to the left of the shutter button.
Then swipe the slider left or right to adjust the exposure. When you tap the shutter button to take the picture, hold your smartphone as still as possible until the app finishes processing your photo. HDR photos will come out blurry if there is any movement from the camera or the objects in the scene.
When the processing is complete, you can choose from four different filters: Dramatic, Natural, Vivid, and Black & White.
Tip: Use a simple text-on-photo app like Word Swag (available on iOS for $4.99 and Android for $3.99) to layer inspirational quotes on your eye-catching outdoor photos.
#4: Blur Distracting Backgrounds With Pixomatic
Have a great photo but the background is distracting or messy? Use an app like Pixomatic ($4.99 for iOS, free with in-app purchases for Android) to blur the image's background and give it that coveted DSLR look. The app lets you quickly outline your focal point so you can edit the background.
Blurring the background encourages the viewer to focus on the point of interest in the image.
To blur the background of a photo, tap the Cut tool. You can then increase or decrease the size of the brush you'll use to outline your focal point.
Trace around the focal point with your finger. It's okay to go outside of the focal point's outline if it's not too much; the edge of the focal point needs to be covered.
After the outline of the object is completely closed, tap Next.
If your focal point contrasts well with the background, you may get a clean cut with no need for additional edits. However, sometimes you need to fill in and erase areas around the object, as shown below. This is necessary for creating a blurred effect that looks natural.
Tap Preview to make sure your cut completely covers the focal point. This isolates the object so you can see if it needs more editing. When you're finished, tap Apply.
Next, tap Blur and choose from a number of filters to blur the background of your image. Swipe the screen left or right to adjust the intensity of the blur.
Tip: When you save your image, also save the cut. The app will save the cut as a PNG file with a transparent background; you can find it in a folder on the search page of the app.
If you download this cut to your camera roll, you can layer it onto future image posts.
#5: Remove Unwanted Objects With TouchRetouch
How many times have you taken a great photo only to find an unwanted object in the background? Instead of trashing the photo or firing up Photoshop, use TouchRetouch (available for $1.99 for iOS and Android) to remove the object. For example, you might remove a distracting electrical outlet from the background, as shown below.
This video tutorial shows you how to use this app to remove objects cleanly without leaving behind traces of your edits.
Tip: If you're familiar with cloning, this app also provides that capability.
#6: Create Transparent Background Images With Magic Eraser
Want to remove a background completely from your image? Try the Magic Eraser app (available for free for iOS). It's a great way to remove backgrounds from logos and turn them into PNG files with transparent backgrounds.
After you import your image into the app, drag the white corner handles to adjust the crop so you can remove excess background you don't want in the final edit. At the bottom of the screen, you can choose from specific aspect ratios. When you're finished, tap Done in the top-right corner.
The magic wand icon in the bottom-left corner should already be selected. With this tool active, tap anywhere on the background that you want to remove. If your focal point contrasts well with the background, you'll most likely get a clean cut.
Swipe the slider at the bottom of the screen to adjust the intensity of the background extraction. If you want to undo an edit, tap the Undo icon at the top of the screen.
Tip: Tap the Preview icon in the bottom right to isolate your focal object to make it easier to detect edges you need to edit.
If you want to erase or fill parts of your focal point, use the tools at the bottom of the screen. Pinch with your fingers to zoom in and access more intricate details of the image.
When you're finished making adjustments, tap the download icon at the top right to save your image as a PNG with a transparent background. If you're prompted to choose between low or high resolution, choose high.
#7: Optimize Image Sizes With the Image Size App
Edited smartphone images can be very large. If you post them without reducing their size, they can slow page load times on your website and social channels. To optimize the size of your smartphone photos, try the Image Size app (available for free for iOS and Android).
At the top of the screen, choose from four different types of measurement units: pixels, inches, mm, or cm.
After you choose a measurement unit, you can check the top of the screen to see your photo's original size.
Next, type in the desired width for your image. If you want to use the same proportions as the original image, select the link icon (it's blue when active). If you need to resize your image to irregular dimensions, make sure the link icon is deselected.
As a busy marketer, finding easy ways to edit and produce quality images with your smartphone is a major timesaver. These seven apps provide unique features for enhancing your images on the go.
What do you think? Do you use any of these mobile apps to enhance your social media visuals? What must-have smartphone apps would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments!
FCCs Ajit Pai: When it comes to an open Internet Twitter is part of the problem
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FCC's Ajit Pai: 'When it comes to an open Internet, Twitter is part of the problem'
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FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, as part of the plan to promote his plan to undo the country's net neutrality rules, has thrown Twitter and other online services under the bus in order to show that it's not just broadband providers that can exert control over internet content. "When it comes to an open Internet, Twitter is part of the problem," he explained. "The company has a viewpoint and uses that viewpoint to discriminate."
Pai's remarks were made at an event hosted by the "free market think tank" R Street Institute and the "liberty"-focused Lincoln Network. Pai was joined by the other two Republican Commissioners, Brendan Carr and Mike O'Rielly, and FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen. Needless to say, none of them is a fan of the existing 2015 rules.
The Chairman's speech, which you can watch here along with the rest, began with a brief history and justification of the rollback. He specified exactly two downsides to the present rules: it decreases investment and it stifles innovation.
Neither of these things is true: the investment story is at best a mix and the numbers, like all numbers, can and have been cherry-picked to show different things. And the innovation thing is the same single example Pai has trotted out over and over — Charter fretting over rolling out some out-of-home WiFi thing — and some vague obstacles faced by a number of smaller ISPs. (I actually contacted several of those ISPs earlier this year asking about how the 2015 order had affected them and none replied.)
Then Pai cited a few celebrity critics — Cher, Mark Ruffalo, Alyssa Milano — and dismissed their complaints. Notably he did not address any substantive criticisms, like the FCC's incorrect interpretation of how the internet works, before turning his ire upon Silicon Valley.
He stated, as quoted above, that Twitter is "part of the problem." After this followed some examples of platform partisanship:
Twitter blocked Representative Marsha Blackburn from advertising her Senate campaign launch video because it featured a pro-life message. Before that, during the so-called Day of Action, Twitter warned users that a link to a statement by one company on the topic of Internet regulation "may be unsafe." And to say the least, the company appears to have a double standard when it comes to suspending or de-verifying conservative users' accounts as opposed to those of liberal users. This conduct is many things, but it isn't fighting for an open Internet.
But it's not the only one. "Despite all the talk about the fear that broadband providers could decide what Internet content consumers can see," he said, "Recent experience shows that so-called edge providers are in fact deciding what content they see. These providers routinely block or discriminate against content they don't like." (Emphasis Pai's, in prepared remarks.)
Now, this is not an assertion that is without merit. The threat of large companies that touch a significant portion of content (such as Google and Cloudflare) having power over that content is a real one.
But he takes things a step too far:
In this way, edge providers are a much bigger actual threat to an open Internet than broadband providers, especially when it comes to discrimination on the basis of viewpoint… So let's be clear. They might cloak their advocacy in the public interest, but the real interest of these Internet giants is in using the regulatory process to cement their dominance in the Internet economy.
There are a couple things to unpack from the sleight of hand here.
For one thing, it's a disingenuous comparison, like saying bullets are more dangerous than guns. The job of ISPs is to perform data-agnostic packet transmission. Edge providers, on the other hand, are in the business of sorting, modifying, and presenting information to users according to various preferences, algorithms, and yes, ideologies. For many of them, "discrimination on the basis of viewpoint" is a feature, not a bug.
And even granting the comparison credence for a moment, it's quite a stretch. Internet providers are in a position of incredible power as the main conduit for information to go from here to there. People are free to choose another search engine, quit Facebook and Twitter, or even start their own platforms, which indeed is how the present power structure was arrived at. But people (in the U.S. at least) are seldom free to easily change their internet provider, and of course that internet provider affects all their online activities, not just ones on a certain platform. So the idea that those reached through the internet are a greater threat than the ones who provide that reach is unconvincing.
But most importantly, the hypothetical bad behavior of another industry is not what should concern the FCC, and in fact is outside its jurisdiction; net neutrality is specifically about preventing the threat presented by broadband providers, keeping the pipe itself clear of blockage, throttling, fast lanes, and so on.
The entire finger-pointing exercise is a distraction, and a petty one. Like a thief who shakes your hand while picking your pocket, he puts the focus on anything but the crime.
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This 5 in 1.1 oz (13cm – 31gr) Koya Bullet Lure Head has a clear resin pour with a classic white iridescent Mother of Pearl (MOP) shell wrap covering the insert. The four sides scatter iridescent colored tones of light across the lure head.
The smallest in the Koya Bullet Lure series is this 5 in (13cm) deep diving, un-jetted, extra small bullet lure. The Lure head has a single slow taper ending in the pointed nose. It is shorter, narrower and much lighter than the 7 in (18cm) Koya bullet lure, but with the same characteristics. Despite the light weight this un-jetted bullet lure runs straight and deep because of good weight distribution. It's perfect for targeting YellowFin Tuna, Mahi-Mahi or other smaller predators – a must have in your trolling bullet lure set.
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Senate to finish voting on ACA repeal; House to begin. NO replacement plan exists. CALL NOW!
With the midnight action to begin repeal of the Affordable Care Act last night, the budget reconciliation process, the push to gut the entire plan moves forward. Two GOP Senators - Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul from Kentucky - are possible bulwarks against "repeal but don't replace". We need to contact them.
However, now the House intends to use budget reconciliation, possibly tomorrow, Friday the 13th, to do the same.
This will gut funding for ACA and by extension, Medicaid. In California this is Medi-Cal and carries different names in different states.
First, they plan to repeal key parts of the Affordable Care Act—including the law's Medicaid expansion—through the budget reconciliation process without yet offering any replacement plan. Second, congressional plans to drastically restructure the Medicaid program will make coverage less secure for those who remain enrolled in the program.
President-elect Trump will enter office armed with a variety of tools to undermine Medicaid's safety-net guarantee, as well as with a Republican Congress eager to pass legislation to roll back the ACA's Medicaid expansion and leave the remaining Medicaid program underfunded. It will be extraordinarily difficult to push back against these actions. But the first critical step is recognizing that the rhetoric of state flexibility and state innovation is really just a cover for an end goal—to gut the Medicaid program.
In California Medicaid expansion has been an enormous boon to public hospitals, greatly reducing the unfunded "charity care" for the desperately poor and homeless. It has been a huge benefit to lower income working families that long went without medical care at all but now have reliable treatment including massive prevention of things such as childhood diseases, pneumonia, diabetes and a host of other illnesses and conditions. The cost of care will skyrocket as once again people take to the Emergency Rooms for treatment of conditions that have finally worsened to a desperate level. This is NOT a saving for society - it is an increase in costs via tax demands for ER support. We know anecdotally that those without any insurance get less care since the charge to ERs is to stabilize, not make people well. They cannot handle that kind of caseload and, as pre-ACA, may well have to close leaving all of us without recourse to health emergency care.
Raise your voice against this vicious false economy! It is antithetical to every single principle we hold dear in America and certainly in our faith.
Contact our Senators to resist "repeal without replacement" and the the House to stop their budget reconciliation cuts as well.
Go to: http://www.churchimpact.org/take-action.html to contact both your Senators and your Representative.
To contact Senators Collins and Paul or Senate and House leadership if you wish to be heard, please call the US Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected. Contacting legislators outside your district is not effective but DOES make popular will clear. Numbers matter here in terms of the public record of support and opposition for ACA.
As a note to CA residents: last night Senator Dianne Feinstein did not vote. She was in the hospital getting a pacemaker. She is fine, and she is back at work today, but her absence was essential and not indifferent.
We will do our best to keep you up to date, but things are obviously moving very fast, and your "Faithful Five Minutes" can keep ahead of us on any and all issues.
Thank you! You are doing the work of justice! Pass the word! And please sign up others to get our alerts - we are trying to keep up with changes and updates, but your help in doing so would greatly improve our outreach.


In our previous article, we learned about, How to install XAMPP on Windows, Mac and or UBUNTU. Now in this article, we are going to configure our development environment. We are creating an admin panel for dealsato.xyz. So for our admin panel, we are going to host it on admin.dealsato.dev. Currently, if we launch XAMPP Control panel and visit the http://localhost we check the XAMPP dashboard. And dashboard files are available in XAMPP/htdocs folder. I don't want to overwrite the files available in the htdocs folder. Instead of this, I want if we visit http://admin.dealsato.dev then it will open files available in our development directory. To achieve this, the scenario we are going to configure XAMPP.
You may skip to the appropriate section of this article based on your OS.
Note: We are performing this step to create multiple development websites. You can also host your files in htdocs, but in such scenario, we are able to host only one website at a time. Also, you may need special privileges to modify files in the htdocs folder.
First, we need to create an entry of admin.dealsato.dev and dealsato.dev in Windows host file. For this open notepad as administrative privileges.
host (without any extension so you need to select All Files) file is available in "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\"
If you are able to see the image you can check we have other two entries for our vLemonn.com development websites.
Next, we need to add two entries in httpd-vhosts.conf file available in Xampp Installation directory "C:\xampp\apache\conf\extra\httpd-vhosts.conf" Following are the code we need to enter in httpd-vhosts.conf.
admin.dealsatoz.dv: It is for current tutorial series.
dealsatoz.dv: It is for our upcoming tutorial for the e-commerce website.
Now we need to create folders for both the websites. Finally, we are going to restart apache from XAMPP Control Panel. In the last visit admin.dealsato.dv. Following is the image for the browser.
Finally, our development website is ready. Now, let's check configuration process for Ubuntu.
Finally, we need to edit httpd-vhosts.conf file. Following is the command to open httpd-vhosts.conf file.
For restarting XAMPP Services use following commands.
Below is the browser output.
Finally, for Mac the configuration steps are same as UBUNTU. Only paths are going to change.
Edit Host File "sudo nano /etc/hosts"
Edit httpd-vhosts.conf "sudo nano "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Applications/Xampp/etc/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf"
Edit httpd.conf file and enable "Include etc/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf" sudo nano "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Applications/Xampp/etc/httpd.conf"
Finally, restart apache and then visit http://admin.dealsato.dv.
Our Virtual host for admin.dealsato.dv is working fine. Next, we need to create a database so we can use it in our entire tutorial. For creating a database we need to open phpmyadmin. for this visit http://admin.dealsatoz.dv/phpmyadmin. If your MySQL services are not running (for us it is not running, check the image above) you will get the following page with MySQL Errors. The following image shows the error.
For resolving this issue start the MySQL Services and refresh the page.
For creating a database click on database. Then provide your database name "dealsatoxyz". For the time being ignore the database username and password. We can use default user root and with blank "" password. Refer the following image for more information.
At last, we are going to install admin template which we are going to use in our entire tutorial. Visit https://github.com/puikinsh/gentelella and download the template. Extract the zip files.
Copy above folders and paste it into your development directory. For us, We are going to use Windows environment. Our development folder is "C:/Data/Work/Projects/admin.dealsato.xyz/".
For rest of the tutorial, we are going to use Windows. OS is not important because we already know XAMPP is going to work on Windows, MAC, and UBUNTU.
Our configuration is done. Our local website is running. We have a database to store our website data. In our next article, we are going to download Visual Studio Code, which we are going to use for our development IDE.


Payment is required to process registration. If the Ox-Bow Registrar notices any inaccuracies with your payment, you will be contacted by the Registrar and your payment and/or registration may be voided.
Unless you have selected an alternate class, if there is not room in the class for which you wish to register, your payment will immediately be refunded, and you will be placed on a wait list for that class.
Have questions or need help with registration? Call us at 1.800.318.3019 or email ox-bow@saic.edu.
To drop a course, students must submit the request in writing to Ox-Bow's registrar. Call (800) 318-3019 for more information. Simply not attending does not constitute a drop. Additionally, it is not possible to drop an Ox-Bow course through the SAIC Portal or through the SAIC Registrar.
From the first day of registration until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 4th: Students will receive a full refund minus a $100 drop fee.
If you drop after May 4th until 3 weeks prior to your first day of class: Students will receive a full refund minus $250 drop fee.
(800) 318-3019 for the refund review forms and information.


Prosecutors say Paul Rosenfeld planned to detonate a bomb on the National Mall on Election Day. Bryan Llenas has the story.
The home of Paul Rosenfeld, 56, of Tappan, New York, was searched Oct. 11, 2018, after he admitted buying explosives online and making a bomb.
Paul Pogba has debuted another new haircut. Why not pass the international break by voting for which is his many past styles you think is No. 1.
With strong winds and rain in forecast, headliner Sen. Rand Paul could not attend.


text:
PC Games > Puzzle Games > Arabesque
Put your superior matching skills to the test in this dynamic puzzler. Line up three or more colored balls in order to smash all the wooden cells on the board. It sounds easy, but watch out for the dragonfly! He's mean and will pry into your affairs to bother you. Let Arabesque take you away for a while.
100 levels.
Great bonuses.
Amazing graphics.
Arabesque is rated 4.8 out of 5 by 11.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Bryhannah from I love this game so dang much I also *just* found this game, and I'm in love. I play mostly strategy and TM games, but sometimes I want to relax and think less. I've been playing match-3 games since Bejeweled first came out, but I'm kind of bored with them now. Arabesque doesn't have time limits, although it does tell you how much time you spend doing it, so you can challenge yourself. The first few levels aren't that hard, but it took me a while to get used to how this particular game is played. Then the difficulty amped up! I've played through all 100 levels already, but it's never repetitive. This has been a go-to game for me for months now, and I can see myself playing this over & over for a very long time. Finally, something to replace Cradle of Rome!
Rated 5 out of 5 by matouks from for more i also missed this game and have been searching under puzzle, marble, etc. - never know what to call these types. Great game and for those who loved it may i suggest DaVinci's Secret, Pharaoh's Secret and Oriental Dreams.
Rated 5 out of 5 by MrsBen from I LOVE ARABESQUE!! A GAME THAT NEVER GETS OLD! I already owned this game from when it first came out, but couldn't get it to work on Windows 10. Must have been re-worked or updated somehow, because I downloaded it again and can play it now. Once I get started on it, I can't quit! It is an easy concept, but as the levels get higher, they get more difficult. The music is good and the game is very enjoyable. If you've never played it, you've GOT to give it a try!!!
Rated 5 out of 5 by biscuitsmama from Fun, Fun and More Fun I don't know how I missed this fun little game but somehow I did. When I had one of those days with nothing else to play, I started searching the puzzle games section and found Arabesque. It reminds me of a game I played years ago but lost somewhere along the way. Arabesque is a nice game that can sometimes be a bit of a challenge if things get out of hand, but all in all it's just an easy relaxing game to play when you have a bit of time. A game that you don't have to play to the end and can just pick up when the mood strikes. I found Arabesque easy to play, no real instructions needed because you catch on fast. My recommendation is that you try this little gem of a game to see if you find it as much fun as I do.
Rated 5 out of 5 by spiritlaughing from Great Game For Leisure But Still A Real Challenger! I bought this game months ago. I have played all the levels, many times over. It is my go to game when I don't want to play anything too heavy minded. But don't take that the wrong way. There are at least 100 different levels, each one is different. It takes wit and determination, and the right combination of skill and use of power ups to level up. I enjoy it immensely! You can kick back and take as long as you want to get through a level. I rated the story line excellent, but there really isn't a story. But it's a really great game of fun and challenge.
Rated 5 out of 5 by gobbeldygook from Fresh new take on a traditional match 3 game I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun this game is. It's addicting. Not your typical Match 3 game, this has 100 levels of increasingly challenging fun. There's a strategy to this game that's not found in many other Match 3s. I marked sound quality as average because it's typical mini explosions and clicks. I didn't play with the sound anyway
Rated 5 out of 5 by Lori8110 from love this game very challenging and relaxing and wish there were more games like this one available.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Marja67 from Did I say Love? Love, love, love this. Relaxing and change of pace from all the fantasy.
Rated 5 out of 5 by katzarm from Excellent Game This is a great game to play to chill out after a hard day, or when you just want a game to play that can challenge you. This game seems to do both for me.
Rated 5 out of 5 by lurack from Go-to game I purchased this game years ago and must have played it hundreds of times all the way through. Still play it daily. If you're a puzzler, buy this game.
Arabesque Reviews - page 2
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Line up colored balls in order to break wooden cells in this dynamic match-3 puzzler.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Küttigkofen is a former municipality in the district of Bucheggberg, in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland.  On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Küttigkofen, Tscheppach, Brügglen, Aetingen, Aetigkofen, Bibern (SO), Gossliwil, Hessigkofen, Mühledorf (SO), Kyburg-Buchegg merged into the new municipality of Buchegg.

History

Küttigkofen is first mentioned in 1316 as obrenchúttenkouen.

Geography
Before the merger, Küttigkofen had a total area of .  Of this area,  or 61.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while  or 31.5% is forested.   Of the rest of the land,  or 8.5% is settled (buildings or roads),  or 0.5% is either rivers or lakes.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.2%.  Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests.  Of the agricultural land, 36.6% is used for growing crops and 22.1% is pastures, while 2.3% is used for orchards or vine crops.  All the water in the municipality is flowing water.

The former municipality is located in the Bucheggberg district, at the end of the Müli valley.  It consists of the village of Küttigkofen and scattered settlements.

Coat of arms
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Or a Beech Tree eradicated Vert and in a Chief Azure six Doves Argent volant to Dexter.

Demographics
Küttigkofen had a population (as of 2011) of 262.  , 4.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals.  Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of 2%.

Most of the population () speaks German (237 or 98.8%), with French and English each being spoken by 1 person.

, the gender distribution of the population was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.  The population was made up of 117 Swiss men (47.0% of the population) and 3 (1.2%) non-Swiss men.  There were 124 Swiss women (49.8%) and 5 (2.0%) non-Swiss women.  Of the population in the municipality 85 or about 35.4% were born in Küttigkofen and lived there in 2000.  There were 69 or 28.8% who were born in the same canton, while 70 or 29.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 15 or 6.3% were born outside of Switzerland.

In  there was 1 live birth to Swiss citizens and were 4 deaths of Swiss citizens.  Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 3 while the foreign population remained the same.  There  was 1 Swiss woman who immigrated back to Switzerland.  At the same time, there was 1 non-Swiss woman who immigrated from another country to Switzerland.  The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 3 and the non-Swiss population increased by 2 people.  This represents a population growth rate of -0.4%.

The age distribution, , in Küttigkofen is; 19 children or 7.9% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 43 teenagers or 17.9% are between 7 and 19.  Of the adult population, 18 people or 7.5% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old.  61 people or 25.4% are between 25 and 44, and 68 people or 28.3% are between 45 and 64.  The senior population distribution is 24 people or 10.0% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and  there are 7 people or 2.9% who are over 80.

, there were 102 people who were single and never married in the municipality.  There were 114 married individuals, 10 widows or widowers and 14 individuals who are divorced.

 there were 49 single family homes (or 69.0% of the total) out of a total of 71 inhabited buildings.  There were 6 multi-family buildings (8.5%), along with 14 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (19.7%) and 2 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.8%).

 there were 86 apartments in the municipality.  Of these apartments, a total of 84 apartments (97.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 2 apartments (2.3%) were seasonally occupied.  , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents.  The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%.

The historical population is given in the following chart:

Politics
In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 35.55% of the vote.  The next three most popular parties were the SVP (22.12%), the SP (18.8%) and the Green Party (10.61%).  In the federal election, a total of 115 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 54.5%.

Economy
, Küttigkofen had an unemployment rate of 0.8%.  , there were 22 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 9 businesses involved in this sector.  2 people were employed in the secondary sector and there was 1 business in this sector.  39 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 6 businesses in this sector.  There were 130 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 42.3% of the workforce.

 the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 46.  The number of jobs in the primary sector was 11, all of which were in agriculture.  The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 1, all of which were in construction.  The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 34.  In the tertiary sector; 2 or 5.9% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 3 or 8.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 4 or 11.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was a technical professional or scientist.

, there were 44 workers who commuted into the municipality and 97 workers who commuted away.  The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.2 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering.  Of the working population, 14.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 56.2% used a private car.

Religion
From the , 37 or 15.4% were Roman Catholic, while 165 or 68.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.  Of the rest of the population, there was 1 member of an Orthodox church, and there were 3 individuals (or about 1.25% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church.  There  was 1 individual who was  Islamic.  33 (or about 13.75% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist.

Education
In Küttigkofen about 95 or (39.6%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 45 or (18.8%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).  Of the 45 who completed tertiary schooling, 64.4% were Swiss men, 33.3% were Swiss women.

, there were 15 students in Küttigkofen who came from another municipality, while 38 residents attended schools outside the municipality.

References

Former municipalities of the canton of Solothurn
Populated places disestablished in 2014

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Green Party of Texas just concluded a packed weekend at the Grey Forest retreat in San Antonio. On Saturday, GPTX held its nominating convention for statewide offices, including the selection delegates to August's Presidential Nominating Convention in Houston. On Sunday, the Party held its annual meeting, at which the delegates assembled elected members to the State Executive Committee and passed a few resolutions regarding policy positions and internal procedures.
The win for Stein continues a nationwide pattern: Among states that have had their primary elections, caucuses, or conventions, Stein has won all of them. Unless something changes radically in the next three months, she will likely be nominated resoundingly on the first ballot in August.
Those were the only candidates who registered to run for those positions. GPTX has a history of fielding only one candidate per office, whose only opposition is None of the Above.
Been busy, been traveling, been neglecting this blog for far too long.
Here's the first bit of not exactly earth-shattering news that I'd like to include in this entry. Another Houston-based author, Neil Ellis Orts, recently got an idea to create a Facebook event page for creative friends to advertise their wares, gratis. Check out the selection of books, artworks, and jewelry, some of it by Houston residents, including a certain novel about the exciting lives of Unitarian Universalists in a fictitious Texas college town.
I met Neil through Continuum Performance Art, the group with which we have both staged performances. I bought Neil's novella Cary and John shortly after it was published last year, and I recommend it, especially to those who might enjoy a good closeted love story with vivid, multi-dimensional characterizations.
tried to do my part in keeping the Harris County Green Party moving forward, stressed about not being able to do enough, and realized that my approaches to helping HCGP grow have been wrong from the beginning.
At least I can report that a decision has been reached regarding the venue for the 2016 Green Party US Presidential Nominating Convention. The local and national folks put their heads together, after touring some possible sites, and decided to hold it at the University of Houston. The dates are set at 4-7 August 2016, with Saturday the 6th the most likely date for choosing the party's nominee.
Bear in mind that, while Dr. Jill Stein remains the presumptive nominee, the only Green candidate to file the requisite paperwork and pursue federal matching funds, all Greens should be cautious not to label her as "the Green nominee" or even "the Green candidate." She is a Green candidate. Other declared candidates include Kent Mesplay (for the fourth time), Earth First! organizer Darryl Cherney, and the redoubtable SKCM Curry.
GPUS has a set of criteria for whom it recognizes as a presidential candidate. One of the criteria is "written support from 100 Green Party members to the GPUS Secretary, with no more than 50 from one state, and including members from at least five state parties; this requirement is not applicable until December 1st of the year preceding the presidential election."
In expressing this written support, Green Party members may indicate their support for more than one candidate. It's a standard practice within the Green Party to allow voting for multiple candidates when choosing its officials at the county, state, and national level. The method varies from state to state, but Approval and Ranked Preference voting are the most common; both have the advantage of ending up with a candidate approved by at least 50% of the voting members.
For public offices other than President and Vice President, states may also use a form of Instant Runoff Voting. However, for President, delegates the the Presidential Nominating Convention cast votes for just one candidate in each round. They may also choose None of the Above for any office. If NotA wins, the Party chooses not to field a candidate for that office.
The NotA scenario almost happened in 2004, when David Cobb narrowly defeated NotA in the second round of balloting. That year, some None-of-the-Abovers preferred to support the Greens' 2000 nominee Ralph Nader, who was running as an independent in '04; some just did not want to risk peeling votes away from Democratic nominee John Kerry in key states. As it happened, Cobb's vote totals did not upset any Electoral College apple carts. He did continue the Green tradition, started by Nader and carried on by Stein, of getting arrested or tossed out while trying to crash the presidential debates.
After the 2004 election, Cobb and Libertarian nominee Michael Badnarik went to bat for Kerry in Ohio, where the Republicans appeared to have used multiple dirty tricks to lock up the vote for George W. Bush. Kerry, VP nominee John Edwards, and the rest of their crew didn't bother.


Metaphysicians is a 14 letter long Word starting with M and ending with S. Below are Total 1883 words made out of this word.
Note There are 5 vowel letters and 9 consonant letters in the word metaphysicians. M is 13th, E is 5th, T is 20th, A is 1st, P is 16th, H is 8th, Y is 25th, S is 19th, I is 9th, C is 3rd, N is 14th, Letter of Alphabet series.


Aim: To study the clinical outcome of shunt surgeries in children suffering from hydrocephalus.
Methods: A prospective study of 50 children with hydrocephalus who underwent a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt insertion over a period of two years. These patients were then followed up for shunt related complications, shunt revisions and outcome.
Results : Twenty six of the 50 patients (52%) suffered from complications. The most common complications were shunt blockage (n=7) and shunt infection (n=6). These complications necessitated repeated shunt revisions.
Conclusions: Infective complications of hydrocephalus are more likely to leave behind an adverse neurological outcome in the form of delayed milestones and mental retardation.