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Monday, February 28, 2011
Sun breaking through
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Microsoft, Facebook Address Online Concerns
Technology giants Microsoft Corp. and facebook Inc. moved to beef up and clarify their efforts around the thorny issue of online privacy—the latest steps by the Internet firms to call for stronger consumer protections.
On Thursday, Microsoft endorsed the concept of adding a do-not-track tool to its Web browsing software, signaling a shift in support for a system that could let people avoid having their movements monitored online. Microsoft slipped its mention of the tool—specifically, adding a reference to a do-not-track feature in its Internet Explorer browser—into a technical paper it submitted to the World Wide Web Consortium.
On Friday, meanwhile, Facebook unveiled a new draft of its highly watched privacy policy. While the new policy doesn't change the social network's data-handling practices, it contains chunks of information organized around more practical headings such as "your information and how it is used" and "how advertising works."
The moves underline how some tech companies are continuing to grapple with online privacy concerns. The Wall Street Journal has been running an investigative series, "What They Know," which chronicled the scope and increasing intrusiveness of online-tracking technologies. The Federal Trade Commission has since weighed in with proposals on improving online privacy, as efforts to simplify privacy policies and controls have also gained steam across a range of companies.
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Associated Press
Facebook unveiled a new draft of its privacy policy on Friday.
A Microsoft spokeswoman said the company's proposed do-not-track feature is part of a suite of privacy tools that the company hopes can gain broad industry support. Microsoft has said its upcoming Web browser, Internet Explorer 9, will also include an anti-tracking tool that will let users create their own custom lists of companies to block from tracking them.
Microsoft removed similar features from Internet Explorer 8 after online advertisers expressed concerns about the impact on their business.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau, which represents online advertisers, said "there is currently no definition" of what advertisers should do when receiving the do-not-track notification. "It's like sending a smoke signal in the middle of Manhattan; it might draw a lot of attention, but no one knows how to read the message," said Mike Zaneis, senior vice president of the organization.
Microsoft's move leaves Google Inc. as the only major Web browser maker that has not yet supported the inclusion of a do-not-track tool in its Web browser. In January, Mozilla Corp. said it would add a do-not-track tool to an upcoming version of its Firefox Web browser.
A Google spokesman said it would "continue to be involved closely" with discussions about do-not-track tools, but for now would stick with offering add-on software for its Chrome Web browser.
Meanwhile, Edward Palmieri, a privacy and product counsel at Facebook, said the goal of the new draft of the start-up's privacy policy was to "apply the Facebook design experience that we bring to everything we do and extend that to our privacy policy."
Mr. Palmieri said Facebook has been working on the new privacy policy since a company-wide "Hackathon" work session last October, and consulted with a handful of privacy groups for feedback.
"The new policy is much more of a user guide to how to manage your data," said Jules Polonetsky, the director of the Future of Privacy Forum, which was consulted by Facebook. "You might actually want to read this thing."
The new privacy policy is Facebook's latest step to address users' and regulators' concerns about privacy. Last spring, Facebook consolidated many of its settings into a control panel designed to make it easier for users to adjust when and how their information was shared with other users and third parties.
Write to Julia Angwin at julia.angwin@wsj.com and Geoffrey A. Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
UCLA to host Arizona in what could be an emotional home finale
Arizona forward Derrick Williams tries to dribble around UCLA forward Tyler Honeycutt during the second half of their game last month in Tucson, Ariz, where the Wildcats won, 85-74. (John Miller / Associated Press / January 27, 2010)
It's goodbye, for now.
UCLA bids farewell Saturday to its basketball home of the last 46 years, with plans to return to Pauley Pavilion after renovations are completed in the fall of 2012.
In a fortuitous development, the Bruins will also get a chance to say hello to first place in the Pacific 10 Conference. USC's 65-57 upset of No. 10 Arizona on Thursday moved UCLA (20-8, 11-4 Pac-10) to within a game of the Wildcats (23-5, 12-3) heading into the Bruins' home finale against the conference leaders.
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That means an afternoon that already figured to be sentimental for UCLA could be revved into emotional overdrive.
"It's bigger than any player out there wearing a jersey," sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt said.
UCLA is breaking out retro uniforms from the 1963-64 team, the first to win a national title under John Wooden. Some Bruins will wear matching fluorescent yellow sneakers that they debuted against Arizona State on Thursday.
Others, maybe not.
"They're ugly," sophomore forward Reeves Nelson said. "I won't wear them in public."
Whatever ensemble the Bruins choose should get plenty of exposure. A sellout crowd is expected, with fans encouraged to wear blue to enhance the home-court edge. Denny Crum is among the players from UCLA's 1970-71 national championship team scheduled to be introduced at halftime.
As far as Coach Ben Howland is concerned, there is one person missing who could complete the experience: Wooden, who died in June at 99.
"I'm really sorry that Coach isn't going to be here," Howland said. "I mean, that really in a way hurts because I would have loved for him to be here for this last game in the building that he opened. … But I'm sure he'll be watching down on us."
With the 11 national title banners hanging over them in the arena that Wooden built and star players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Marques Johnson and so many others sustained, the Bruins realize they must resist the temptation to become too emotionally charged.
"We can't come out over-hyped because sometimes that can come back and bite us in the butt," junior guard Malcolm Lee said, "so we just have to come out with intensity, but not over-intense."
A victory over Arizona could catapult UCLA into the national rankings and improve its seeding for the NCAA tournament. It could also quash the perception that the Bruins can't beat super-athletic teams such as the Wildcats, Washington and Villanova.
Sophomore forward Derrick Williams appeared to be on another plane the last time UCLA and Arizona met, carving up the Bruins' defense for 22 points during the Wildcats' 85-74 victory in Tucson.
Howland said double-teaming Williams was not an attractive option because it would leave open several of the most accurate shooters in the Pac-10. Forward Solomon Hill is making 44.4% of his three-pointers and swingman Kevin Parrom is making 43.5%, to say nothing of Williams' conference-leading 62.8%.
Williams was held to a season-low eight points Thursday against USC, so he undoubtedly will be seeking a bounce-back effort against UCLA.
"Good players, you can't hold them to zero points," Bruins freshman center Joshua Smith said, "but we just want to make it as tough as possible on him as we can."
Some might say the Bruins are making it unnecessarily difficult on themselves by vacating Pauley Pavilion for a year and playing at a hodgepodge of venues that Howland has dubbed "a road show." Howland said it's a necessary detour for the long-term good of the program.
UCLA's lineup will look dramatically different the next time it plays on campus, with freshman center Anthony Stover possibly the only starter back. In the meantime, the Bruins seek one final tribute for their storied basketball venue.
"We want to make sure we send Pauley out the right way," junior guard Lazeric Jones said.
ben.bolch@latimes.com
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
Ohno Wins Another Medal
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It was lucky number eight for American Apolo Anton Ohno, who broke his own record Winter Olympic medal haul on Friday night with a bronze in the 5,000 meter short track relay.
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Bronze medalist Apolo Ohno holds up eight fingers to signify his tally of Olympic medals.
For the most decorated American Winter Olympian ever, an eighth medal could be a perfect career cap. Mr. Ohno skates with the number eight on his boots, and started a nutritional supplement company called Eight Zone.
During the medal ceremony, he formed the number eight with his fingers for the cameras. "This has been quite the epic journey," he said.
Canada took the gold in a clean race that had an unusual five teams, instead of four, on the track simultaneously. Korea won silver. Less than 0.3 seconds separated the first and third.
The U.S. team's bronze-medal win gives the U.S. 34 medals in hand, with two more assured in men's ice hockey and men's long-track team pursuit. That gives Team USA no less than 36 medals for these Games -- equaling the record for most medals won by a single nation at an Olympic Winter Games, which was set by Germany in Salt Lake City.
The U.S. was a dark horse in the short track relay, since Mr. Ohno had long been considered the team's only world-class skater. But Mr. Ohno was helped in the relay by the emergence of a new American star, 19-year-old J.R. Celski.
The U.S. team had been behind much of the race, but a final shove by Mr. Celski pushed Mr. Ohno – and the team -- into third place. "Right when I did that, I knew he could handle business from there," said Mr. Celski, who won two bronze medals in Vancouver.
He downplayed comparisons between himself and Mr. Ohno. "I don't feel that any torch is being passed off. I was just happy to be out here and have fun," he said.
With his three-medal haul in Vancouver, the 27-year-old Mr. Ohno proved he was not too old to compete seriously. "I'm in the best shape of my life. I feel the best I've ever skated," he said.
Earlier on Friday, he nearly came in second in the 500 meter race, but was disqualified after bumping into Canadian Francois-Louis Tremblay in the final seconds of the race.
"I had so much speed. I put my hand up to not run into the Canadian in front of me. I guess the judge saw something we didn't see," he said. "In this sport, I learned over many years and through life in general that you only have control over certain things."
These Games may mark the end of the road for Mr. Ohno's speed skating career. In addition to his company, he is also a TV star off the ice through appearances on shows such as "Dancing With The Stars."
Following Friday night's relay, he wasn't ready to discuss what's next. "I'm not thinking anything past tomorrow," he said. Asked whether he would retire, he responded, "It's too early to say."
"I never say never. This sport has been so good to me. But I will tell you I would definitely take a long break – a needed one."
Write to Geoffrey A. Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sock Poi
Sock Poi
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Luna
Luna
Fire poi spinning [099422]
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Creating dream worlds!
Creating dream worlds!
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Joel Ulises
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Sunday, February 20, 2011
1102198737_HDR
1102198737_HDR
Saturday morning reflections
3 exposure, hand-held, HDR
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Concord 1970 Plymouth Belvedere Parked
Concord 1970 Plymouth Belvedere Parked
A Concord police car with understated markings.
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Ripon Menlo Park emergency vehicle Show 2010
1970 Plymouth Belvedere
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Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Heart Angels for Lilly
Heart Angels for Lilly
I took these pictures on 2/16/2011 at about 3:00 AM. It was one of those nights were I just couldn't sleep and I had a feeling there was something I HAD to do. You will notice a red spot in one of the "Heart Angels for Lilly." I did not put it there. It showed up during processing. I considered erasing it, but thought better of it. These photos are dedicated to a young girl whose name is Lilly. She has Leukemia. All I am asking is for everyone who See's these angels to say a quick prayer for her.
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Thursday, February 17, 2011
Just sold!
Manhattan
MURRAY HILL $520,000
80 Park Ave.
Studio condo, 555 square feet, with sleeping alcove and renovated marble bath; building features doorman, garage, roof deck and laundry. Common charges $590, taxes $420. Asking price $549,000, on market 14 weeks. Brokers: Jeffrey Tanenbaum, Barak Realty and Debra Kavaler and Stephanie Barlow, The Corcoran Group
SUTTON $1,150,000
418 E. 59th St.
Two-bedroom, 2½-bath condop, 1,200 square feet, with dining area, washer/dryer and river views; building features doorman, gym and laundry. Maintenance $2,870. Asking price $1,275,000, on market 45 weeks. Brokers: Kelly Stein, In NY Realty and Frances Katzen, Prudential Douglas Elliman
UPPER WEST SIDE $1,680,000
285 Riverside Drive
Three-bedroom, three-bath co-op, 1,700 square feet, with windowed kitchen with new Sub-Zero refrigerator, Bosch washer/dryer and study; building features doorman and storage. Maintenance $2,128, 38 percent tax-deductible. Asking price $1,695,000, on market five weeks. Brokers: Kristina Ojdanic, The Corcoran Group and Laurie Bloomfield, Prudential Douglas Elliman
Brooklyn
CLINTON HILL $975,000
201 Clifton Place
Two-story, two-bedroom, two-bath carriage house, 2,200 square feet, with new electrical system, plumbing and boiler, two loft spaces and garage. Taxes $5,582. Asking price $899,000, on market three weeks. Broker: Rodolfo Lucchese, The Corcoran Group
Queens
FLUSHING $630,000
151-23 26th Ave.
Three-bedroom, one-bath Ranch on a 40-by-95-foot lot, with eat-in kitchen, basement and private driveway. Taxes $4,135. Asking price $675,000, on market 20 weeks. Broker: Carollo Real Estate
Staten Island
ARDEN HEIGHTS $314,000
37 Tulip Circle
Three-bedroom, 1½-bath townhouse, 1,869 square feet, with eat-in kitchen, laundry room, central AC and patio. Taxes $2,261. Asking price $325,000, on market 19 weeks. Broker: Sari Kingsley Real Estate
Long Island
PT. WASHINGTON $415,000
73 Carlton Ave.
Three-bedroom, 2½-bath condo, 1,360 square feet, with formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, washer/dryer, and patio. Common charges $443, taxes $327. Asking price $450,000, on market eight weeks. Brokers: Kathleen Christie, Laffey Fine Homes and Cheryl Mulqueen, Prudential Douglas Elliman
New Jersey
PATERSON $190,000
132-134 Lily St.
Three-bedroom, one-plus-bath Colonial, on a .08-acre lot, with formal dining room, eat-in kitchen and basement with laundry. Taxes $5,640. Asking price $209,000, on market 18 weeks. Brokers: Pina Nazario, Coldwell Banker and Joshshina McGlotten, Jordan Baris Realtors
Nypost.com
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
UK consumer confidence dives after VAT rise
UK consumer confidence dives after VAT rise
Consumers' confidence in spending fell at its fastest rate on record during January following the Government's VAT increase.
People's attitudes towards the economy deteriorated during January. Photo: ALAMY
7:35AM GMT 16 Feb 2011
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Nationwide's spending index dived by 20 points during the month to stand at 70, the lowest level since November 2008 when the UK was in recession, and the steepest drop recorded since the study began in 2004.
Just over half of people thought it was a bad time to make a major purchase, while 22pc also thought it was a bad time to buy household goods, up from just 15pc in December.
People's attitudes towards the economy also deteriorated during the month, with drops in confidence about both the current and future economic situation recorded.
The expectations index fell by 10 points, with less than one in five people expecting the economy to improve during the coming six months.
Instead, 36pc think it will be worse than it is now, while 58pc think there will not be many jobs available going forward and 19% are anticipating a fall in their household income.
Nationwide said recent figures showing that the economy shrank during the fourth quarter were likely to have added to consumers' concerns about the future economic outlook.
The present situation index was also two points lower at 23, with 67pc of people saying they thought the current economic situation was bad, 4pc more than in December, and 24pc saying they did not think there were many jobs available.
The overall consumer confidence index dropped by seven points to 47, almost completely reversing the bounce seen in December and leaving it just six points above its all-time low.
Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said: "Household confidence remained in the doldrums in January, with the main index falling towards the all time lows recorded during the recession.
"This follows a small bounce in December and confirms that consumers are still feeling very subdued about their own personal circumstances.
"Consumer perceptions are likely to have been dented by the rise in VAT and the upward pressure on inflation more generally, with rising prices for petrol and other essentials likely to have been recorded during the month. This will have put further pressure on household budgets in January."
People are also feeling pessimistic about the prospects for the property market, expecting house prices to fall by an average of 1.1pc during the coming six months.
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Hawkeye and the USS Midway Tower
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Kids Make Clean Sweep at Olympics
VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Awaiting his gold-medal score last week, Olympic figure skater Evan Lysacek wiped away a tear and snatched a toy polar bear from the ice. He skated off leaving a mess behind: a shower of flowers, teddy bears and other tokens of appreciation.
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European Pressphoto Agency
Sweepers scoop up offerings tossed by skating fans in Vancouver.
That's when the pint-size ice cleaners of the Olympic Games sprang into action.
Rarely has there been so much competition for volunteer litter collection. Vancouver chose 30 local children from among 135 who applied to be "flower sweepers." They dart onto the ice between performances, gracefully plucking up the debris in under two minutes, and then placing it into bags to hand over to the athletes.
Skaters competing here have been pelted with hundreds of items—plush hearts, framed photographs of fans and even plastic toy potatoes. All that detritus creates a potential nightmare for Games officials, who are so obsessive about keeping the ice pristine for competition that they flood and refreeze it about every hour.
The flower sweepers are their first line of defense. Bev Viger, manager of figure-skating operations at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum, began holding Olympic sweeper auditions two years ago. She whittled down applicants on their ability to work as a team and take orders—not to mention skate like a mini-pro.
In the audition, the children had to prove they had sufficient speed, as well as the ability to stop on a dime. Sometimes, says Ms. Viger, the children have to retrieve plush projectiles almost as large as they are.
Ms. Viger ran the sweepers who made the cut through a boot camp at skating competitions last year, where they learned to be quick while portraying a certain refinement.
"They should look nice on the ice. They have to bend down while looking like they are graceful," says Ms. Viger. Like the skating stars, sweepers don sparkly outfits. In Vancouver, each of the girls' outfits features more than 8,000 sequins.
On Sunday night, 11-year-old Nam Nguyen from the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby got his first taste of the spotlight. Sitting on a bench across the ice from the judges in a uniform that features a blue and green Olympic tie, he waited to pounce.
"Go over there!" he was ordered, after a British ice-dancing performance. "If it is a really good performance, we send out three or more of us," he adds.
Nam's first catch was a plush toy, known in competitive skating as a stuffy. "It's like a videogame," he says. "You're the character moving around collecting stuff."
One challenge: "You're not allowed to stick your butt out," he says, to avoid insulting the audience. "It's not hard. You have to stick your toe pick in the ice, and then bend down as if you're doing a squat."
![[SWEEPERS]](http://sg.wsj.net/public/resources/images/HC-GO544_Nguyen_BV_20100223174514.gif)
Nam Nguyen
That's easy for him to say. The three-time Canadian youth champion skater admits he's tempted to show off his own triple-spin skills on the ice. "You feel all of this adrenaline out there, but you have to follow the rules," says Nam, who practices skating two hours a day. (He'll be back at an Olympics to do the spins some day, he predicts.)
The tradition of allowing fans to litter the ice is believed to have begun in Europe, perhaps borrowed from ballet theater. In the 1950s, it made its way to the U.S. thanks to enterprising vendors at rinks.
But the range of stuff that rains down on the ice has escalated far beyond flowers. The Vancouver Olympics, in fact, exhorts audiences in an announcement at the beginning of each competition to make sure that any flowers are wrapped, since fallen petals can leave a mess.
Katarina Witt, the two-time Olympic gold medalist from East Germany, remembers skating in exhibitions as a child when fans would throw candy onto the ice, sending the kids scrambling as if they'd just cracked a piñata.
And she's still puzzled why adult skaters like to receive stuffies. "It's something in figure skating that will never end," she shrugs. Not that she was above the practice: She says she kept the most amusing ones from her competition days in a box that she still has at home. Athletes donate most of the gifts to children's charities, since they can't fit all the loot in their luggage.
There's some competition for the weirdest projectiles. At a championship in 1987, American skater Doug Mattos threw a pizza box on the ice to celebrate his friend, skater Debi Thomas. In a recent interview, American skater Mirai Nagasu joked she wished her fans would throw purses and jewelry.
Day 12 of the Olympics
Bobsledding, speed-skating, and the final in the women's biathlon.
View Slideshow
![[SB10001424052748704188104575083960408685500]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-HQ658_0223ol_D_20100223172807.jpg)
European Pressphoto Agency
Her teammate Johnny Weir, who has a large following in Asia, was once given a nearly life-size doll of himself, with interchangeable wigs for his different hairstyles. He has also had underwear tossed his way. "I took a picture and put it back in the bag, because you don't know where it came from," he says.
In Olympic figure skating, tossing gifts on the ice is legal and even encouraged. However, if somebody threw an object that disrupted play or seriously damaged the ice, they could be thrown out by security. That hasn't happened recently. But before the start of the Vancouver Games, Mr. Weir said he feared animal-rights activists might throw blood on the ice in protest of his costume, which contained fur. He changed his wardrobe.
Some hockey audiences have even messier traditions. Detroit Red Wings fans start games by throwing octopuses onto the ice. Zamboni driver Al Sobotka, who has traditionally swung an octopus around his head to start games, had to shift that activity to the gate area after the National Hockey League worried about octopus bits on the ice.
In figure skating, where grace is part of the performance, stray tokens of appreciation, plus hairpins and errant bits of costume, can and do wreak havoc. During the 2006 U.S. championships, Emily Hughes lost an earring, sending a flock of sweepers on a wild hunt on the ice.
American pairs skater Randy Gardner, who won gold at the 1979 world championships, remembers an unfortunate incident at an Ice Capades performance where an audience member flung a light-up toy onto the ice as he was being introduced. "I saw it, but couldn't avoid it," he says. "Down I went."
In Vancouver, Nam Nguyen, the sweeper, says he's prepared to handle whatever's thrown his way. He's gotten lots of practice at his own junior competitions, where skaters are expected to pick up after themselves.
At one recent contest, someone threw Nam a beach ball larger than he is. "I had to use the other stuffies to whack it, but still it couldn't fit through the door," he says. "I had to throw my stuffies at my coach. And then throw the ball over the boards."
Write to Geoffrey A. Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com
Online.wsj.com
Monday, February 14, 2011
Majestically
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Mouse study suggests new clues to celiac disease
animal study offers clues about tolerance to gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye.">By Madonna Behen HealthDay
A key discovery into how celiac disease develops may pave the way toward preventing this painful digestive disorder in those most at risk, a new animal study suggests.
Using mice, scientists at the University of Chicago have identified a biochemical interaction that may trigger an autoimmune reaction in the intestines of genetically susceptible people.
Specifically, the researchers found that retinoic acid, a form of vitamin A, seems to work together with high levels of a pro-inflammatory substance known as interleukin-15 (IL-15) to break the body's tolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
"This is the first time that we actually show how inducing a specific dysregulation in the intestines can lead to losing tolerance to a food antigen, and in particular to gluten," said study author Dr. Bana Jabri, co-director of the university's Digestive Disease Research Core Center.
The finding is important, she added, "because we may now have a way to reintroduce tolerance to gluten since we know what to target." It should be noted that promising research done with animals often fails to produce beneficial results for humans.
The deleterious effect of retinoic acid was particularly surprising, Jabri said. "Retinoic acid has long been viewed as a regulatory factor when this inflammation occurs, but our findings suggest a completely new role," she said.
The study, which will appear in a future print issue of the journal Nature, was published online on Feb. 9.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, one out of 133 people is estimated to have celiac disease, which causes cramping, bloating and diarrhea. Over time, the condition can lead to problems absorbing nutrients, damage to the small intestine and, in some cases, joint pain, chronic fatigue and depression.
For the study, Jabri and her colleagues examined the records of patients at the university's Celiac Disease Center, which showed that many of them had high levels of IL-15 in their intestines. Then they conducted experiments using a new mouse model of the disease developed in Jabri's lab. When the researchers increased levels of IL-15 in mice, the animals developed all the early symptoms of celiac disease. Adding retinoic acid only worsened the disease. But when the researchers blocked IL-15 in the mice, their symptoms improved and they could tolerate gluten again.
Dr. Alessio Fasano, medical director at the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research, called the findings "an extremely important piece of the puzzle."
"What's really intriguing, I think, is the role of retinoic acid, which we've always thought helped to prevent the immune response rather than make it worse. It's a most provocative finding," Fasano said.
A recent study by Fasano and his colleagues suggests that celiac disease is on the rise, particularly among the elderly, but at the same time many more people today are misdiagnosing themselves, he said.
"This is partly because people assume that if they have symptoms that go away when they are on a gluten-free diet, then this means that they have celiac (disease), but that's not necessarily true," Fasano explained.
In many cases, the problem may be gluten sensitivity, which is thought to affect roughly 7% of the population. "Gluten sensitivity is a totally different animal than celiac disease, because it doesn't involve the autoimmune response and it doesn't have the same long-term consequences," Fasano noted
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The Original GLBT Expo 2010
The 17th Original GLBT Expo
Jacob K. javits convention Center
655 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 216-2000
www.javitscenter.com
www.originalglbtexpo.com
Photos
03-20-2010
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Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
HE1013-24.jpg
HE1013-24.jpg
LTU, Litauen, Vilnius, Wilna, St. Stanislaus Kathedrale, Umbau im klassizistischen Stil 1783-1801, Arch.: Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevicius, Statuen der drei Heiligen Stanislaus, Kasimir und helene, 1786-1792 vom Bildhauer Karol Jelski;
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Thursday, February 10, 2011
Cathedral Rocks, Kiama
Cathedral Rocks, Kiama
View on Black
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iOS wallpaper Blog: iOS Wallpaper
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cathedral rocks, 8g, clarity, wallpaper
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
GPS track of today's skiing
GPS track of today's skiing
Tracks as logged by the Ski Tracks iPhone app.
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Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thai Jungle Curry
Thai Jungle Curry
Mostly 365 36/365
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IMG_0065
IMG_0065
Sunday afternoon snow shoe views
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Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
072
072
ektphotos.blogspot.com/2011/02/menakoz-20110205.html
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Saturday, February 5, 2011
Jamaican breeze...
Jamaican breeze...
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Friday, February 4, 2011
St Olave's Church Marygate York
St Olave's Church Marygate York
St Olave's is situated within the walls of St Mary's Abbey. It is dedicated to Olaf, patron saint of Norway. It is thought to have been founded by local Royal viceroy, Siward, Earl of Northumbria who was buried here in 1055.
The church suffered much damage during the Civil War when it was used as a gun emplacement. It was largely rebuilt in 1723.
A new chancel was added in 1887-9 designed by George Fowler Jones, a York architect.
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patron saint of norway, st olave, fowler jones, george fowler, york architect, siward, gun emplacement, chancel, viceroy, northumbria, olaf, abbey, civil war ebook download, saint of norway
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Ice on Front Porch
Surfing, Lyall Bay-10-6.jpg
Surfing, Lyall Bay-10-6.jpg
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We returned from bali last night on Cathay Pacific. A terrific airline by the way. Bali was beautiful and exciting again this time. Photos on the way.
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©Edmund Lowe
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
LAPD gang units dismantled in some high-crime areas
gang unit LAPD officers" border="0" width="580" height="387" />
Gang unit LAPD officers find a gun and drugs during a search of a South Los Angeles apartment. Many are reluctant to join the LAPD gang units because of in-depth financial checks that are done on the officers. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
The Los Angeles Police Department has temporarily dismantled anti-gang units in several of its most crime-plagued neighborhoods because officers in those squads refused to comply with a controversial financial disclosure rule that they view as misguided and invasive.
Police officials have sent the defiant officers back to regular patrol duties and expect that it will take several months to rebuild the gang units with others willing to abide by the policy, which requires officers to periodically submit information regarding their assets and debts. Until then, patrol officers have been saddled with trying to keep up with gang-suppression efforts, a move some gang unit supervisors and community advocates fear could lead to an erosion of expertise and hard-fought gains in reducing gang violence and crime.
"There is definitely a concern that we might start to lose some of the ground we've gained," said Sgt. Randy Goens, a veteran gang supervisor in South Los Angeles who reluctantly plans to complete the disclosure form.
"They have an essential role," the Rev. Ben "Taco" Owens, a former gang member who is now a prominent gang interventionist, said of the gang officers. "They are familiar with the gangs. They are familiar with the community.... They won't be around. It's detrimental."
The disclosure policy is intended to help identify and deter corruption among the estimated 600 gang and narcotic officers who frequently handle cash, drugs and other contraband. Adopted nearly two years ago, the plan gave officers who were already assigned to the units until the end of March to abide by the new rules or be moved back to regular patrol assignments.
Few narcotics officers objected, but discontent among gang officers has persisted. In recent months, field commanders have grown increasingly worried that the March deadline would not leave them enough time to recruit and train new officers before the onset of summer, when gang crime traditionally spikes. Department officials required officers to declare their intentions in December and gave commanders permission to take action before the end of March.
About three-quarters of the officers agreed to the disclosures, according to LAPD estimates. There were, however, significant holdouts: All but one of the roughly 80 gang officers in the department's Southeast, 77th, Northeast and Hollenbeck divisions — areas that are home to some of the city's most violent and active gangs — refused, LAPD officials confirmed. Likewise, all members of the smaller gang teams in Van Nuys and Devonshire said they would not adhere to the policy.
"The bottom line is it isn't going to be effective and it's insulting. If we were dirty, we wouldn't be putting cash into a bank account," said a veteran gang officer who, like others, asked that his name not be used because of concern that he would be disciplined. "It's a matter of principle."
In response, the LAPD captains in charge of those six divisions disbanded the gang units and have begun rebuilding them. Instead of keeping some or all of the veteran gang officers in the units until the end of March to help train new officers, field commanders said they decided it would be better to move them out at once and as early as possible. That decision was made in part to avoid possible tensions between the outgoing and incoming officers.
Other LAPD divisions have lost some portion of their gang officers but managed to keep the units operational.
Police Chief Charlie Beck and other LAPD officials downplayed the possibility that the decision to dismantle the units could lead to a rise in gang activity. With most of the former gang officers now on patrol assignments in the same neighborhoods in which they previously worked, Beck and the others said, there would be sufficient police presence to prevent a crime surge.
"The sky is definitively not falling right now," said Southeast Division Capt. Phil Tingirides. "This will work temporarily."
Several senior LAPD officials acknowledged, however, that the decision to disband the gang units inevitably will mean a less intense focus on gang activity and expressed concern that the longer-term risks are significant. With each week that passes, they said, the department will lose ground in the effort to stay on top of the shadowy and always-shifting machinations of the city's gangs.
"It's the intelligence gathering, the intimate knowledge of who these gang members are and where they're located, the upkeep with the informants and the constant stream of information on what the gangs are up to that I'm worried about losing," said Capt. Dennis Kato, commanding officer of the 77th Area, where more than 15 major gangs are active. "We're going to be a little slower in catching up to these guys."
Vic Corella, a recently retired detective who spent years battling gangs in South Los Angeles, noted that although the LAPD keeps tabs on gangs, the gangs are keeping tabs on the LAPD and may exploit the situation.
"They know about deployments," he said. "They may not be educated. But they are not stupid."
Corella added that prosecutors often rely on expert testimony of gang officers to win convictions. That testimony, he said, depends largely on whether the officers have up-to-date knowledge on a gang's activities. A constant presence is required, he said, or "your information gets stale, because the players change so often."
Like traditional patrol officers, members of the LAPD gang units are required to wear police uniforms and drive the black-and-white LAPD vehicles. Instead of being dispatched on radio calls, however, the gang officers concentrate exclusively on gang crime. They are the only police officers permitted to photograph gang members and access Cal-Gangs, a statewide database that law enforcement agencies use to keep information on gang members.
In recent years the LAPD has had some success pushing down the level of gang-related crimes, and officials say the specialized gang units played a large role in the gains. Gang killings and aggravated assaults by gang members, for example, both fell about 30% between 2007 and last year, according to LAPD statistics.
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gang suppression, lapd officers, financial checks, disclosure rule, community advocates, angeles police department, narcotic officers, violence and crime, disclosure policy, financial disclosure, gang unit, gang violence, los angeles times, michael robinson, gang member, police officials ebook download, discontent, gangs, narcotics, chavez
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Tired old Britain has put its feet up and withdrawn from the world
Tired old Britain has put its feet up and withdrawn from the world
Despite the enterprise and valour of our citizens, our leaders seem set only on managing the country's decline, writes Simon Heffer.
Why is Britain putting its feet up? Photo: PA
Simon Heffer 6:03PM GMT 01 Feb 2011
Comments
Just three weeks into my
A-level economics course, in September 1976, the British economy imploded to the degree that the International Monetary Fund had to come and run it for us. As is the way with 16-year-old boys, we were rather naïve, and therefore shocked that the country our parents had believed was a serious world power should be reduced to a banana republic in this way. Our economics master strove to instil in us the correct level of cynicism. Did we not realise that, since 1945, the main job of Her Majesty's Government had been to manage decline?
We learnt that lesson, only to have it countermanded by our experience of the Thatcher era; but then we had to learn it again. What we have witnessed in the past few years especially has not merely confirmed the point, but has provided further stark examples. There is nothing like running out of money to force the recognition that whatever our parents might have grown up believing about Britain, no one can easily believe it now.
This is a pity, because we are a fundamentally decent lot, with morally acceptable values. When we were a world power during the 20th century we used that power responsibly and for the greater good. The legacy of having been on the right side during two world wars gave us a moral authority that has now been all but squandered. I do not mean purely because of our obedience to America in the contrived and lethal mess that was Iraq; I mean because of our steady determination, since 1945, to fritter away the means of exercising that moral authority.
We see this with the tide of change through North Africa, possibly on an unstoppable course through the Middle East. This used to be a part of world we understood, and prided ourselves on understanding. The Arabists in our Foreign Office were deemed, with justification, to be the most intelligent and subtle analysts of that culture in the world. The mess America has made in the region in recent years should have come as no surprise: the diaries and letters of staff officers and diplomats who saw the Americans arrive in North Africa in 1943 reflect all the portents. Yet now, in the second decade of the 21st century, our reach in such places is minimal. Our Foreign Secretary expresses pious hopes for something called "a transition to democracy" in Egypt, and no sane person can disagree with him – but his opinion, and indeed Britain's, counts for absolutely nothing, and we should not fool ourselves otherwise.
At the simplest level, the amount of influence we can exert as a power depends on our ability to back it up with force of arms, and the will to use them if necessary. We have no such force of arms. Perhaps the defence cuts, which still seem to have been so reckless in their conception and so wasteful of expertise and commitment, were deliberately designed to confirm the final surrender of our will to be a player on the world stage. We have for a long time been in the second rank of nations, but the way this Government and its predecessor have behaved, we are about to enter the third.
A country is of course the sum of its people, but also of its institutions. Since 1945, the institution that has come to characterise Britain is not our disciplined and professional Armed Forces, but the welfare state. It is what Peter Lilley called "the something for nothing society". Welfarism has always had at its core the sentimental belief that living beyond our means is simply something that a humane society has to do. What happens when the bills come in will always be a later generation's problem. That generation is ours. That the spending cuts are just over a mere three per cent a year is a sign of how, even now, the desire to protect the claimant society overrides everything else. It overrides having highly professional and well-equipped Armed Forces in which morale is high and which protect our place in the world and give us some clout. Indeed, our place in the world is not an edifying subject upon which to reflect.
We only look as good as we do to others in the Western world because of the misgovernment of their own countries. Most of Europe is a basket case, brought down by an unfeasible political fantasy. America is woefully misgoverned, with vast pockets of incompetence and corruption, and a toxic political class. Yet we do so little to make things better for ourselves. Our public services are poor not because of the sums spent on them – which have been vast – but because of their appalling management. Labour destroyed the ethos of our Civil Service when it was in power by politicising it. A similar problem has occurred in local government and the quangocracy. Part of the problem is that these institutions are run by the products of our pitiful education system, in which our rulers continue to resist the creation and promotion of an elite. As we have seen in the past couple of years, the politicians whom such people support and advise are often themselves devoid of any ethic of public service, and indeed pursue their own interests to the point of criminality. It is little wonder they take such bad decisions about how we are governed, and that the tunnel has yet to show any light.
The conscious decision to accept decline rather than to fight it can only have terrible consequences for us. Mr Cameron seems to admire Sweden. But do we want to be Sweden? Do we so want to resign from the councils of the world and be of scant consequence, in a way we have not been since Spain ruled the known world in the 16th century? Do we feel we have so little to give? Or is it that our obsession with running a client state, and the costs of that, mean we cannot aspire to give any longer? Our Deputy Prime Minister is apparently so "fragile" that he mustn't be given any work after three o'clock in the afternoon,
so he can get home early and put his feet up with his children. Never mind that he may not have chosen the right calling in life, if that is the sort of regime he requires: is he not a metaphor for the Britain he and the rest of his class of politician now choose to run? Are we not now in an attitude of surrender to mental and physical exhaustion, and finding it hard to see how we can revive ourselves to count for something in the world?
All of us are confronted by evidence every day of the determination, enterprise, industry and valour of our fellow citizens. We do not sense acceptance of decline; we sense instead a frustration that so few opportunities are afforded us for improvement, that the tax system thwarts us, and that the unproductive and the defeatist are treated so lavishly at the expense of the productive and striving. We are not just in decline, but in withdrawal: and this is without the consent of most of us who pay the bills. If we do not now resolve to break out of this corrosive mindset, it will be nearly impossible for our children to do so.
simon heffer, 16 year old boys, banana republic, international monetary fund, level economics, economics course, british economy, serious world, acceptable values, moral authority, valour, north africa, cynicism, majesty, thatcher, obedience, 20th century, decline, tide, legacy
Nets not worried Carmelo's in town
Virtually to a man, the Nets said Monday night's game against Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets was about getting a winning feeling back on their homecourt where they completed a 4-1 homestand before a disastrous Midwest visit brought a 32-point defenseless loss in Indiana and a 10-point, no-offense setback in Milwaukee.
The meeting with Anthony and the Nuggets was just one-of-82 scheduled games.
If they say so.
“Just another game,” Anthony Morrow said.
“Take this game like any other game,” Stephen Graham said.
“You try to stay as focused as possible and do what you do every day, just come to work and put your best foot forward,” Ben Uzoh said.
“We just look more to try to protect home court and continue how we’ve been playing at home. That’s the main focus rather than worrying about things we can’t control,” Devin Harris said.
Morrow, Graham, Uzoh and Harris were among the eight Nets who heard, read, saw, were informed by text that their names were linked daily to the gargantuan proposed three-team trade for Anthony, a deal that died when Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov flew in from Moscow and ended the proceedings 13 days ago.
Whether the Nuggets call back and how hard the Nets listen (figure on yes answers to both theories) remains to be seen. But now the Nets insist it is all ancient history. The door has been closed, Avery Johnson said.
“We already closed it. It’s already closed for us. The owner is not in town. We’ve lost two in a row. They’re our next opponent. For us it’s closed,” Johnson said. “We’re just focusing on our plan we’ve had from Day 1: Continue to develop young talent. Hopefully, our young talent we’ll have somebody emerge in the next year or two in terms of being a star player.”
The most likely candidate -- or the one the Nets are banking on -- is Derrick Favors, who was the Nets' prime chip in the offer. Favors admitted he was a little upset (more like truly concerned) when his name first surfaced in preseason. But he learned to deal with it.
“The rumors are over, I don’t have to worry about them, I don’t have to worry about me, so I don’t care,” Favors said.
The Nets think it is over and done.
“I hope so. I’m not trying to worry about it too much. Everybody that wants to be here is here,” Morrow said. “I wasn't trying to find out anything (during the heaviest rumors). I was just trying to keep my head right. …Talking to some other guys around the league, who have been in the league for a while and I kind of look up to, they told me not to worry about it as much and go play my game.”
So that is what the Nets’ intent is from here. If Anthony moves elsewhere, he moves elsewhere.
The Nets just want to relive that homestand feeling after their owner pulled the plug.
“We’ve moved on. Denver’s moved on. We all know Carmelo Anthony’s an outstanding player. That’s why he’s been involved in so much trade talk. There are so many teams around the league that if Denver decides to do something would love to have on their roster,” Johnson said. “For us, that’s pretty much an open and shut case.”
mikhail prokhorov, devin harris, avery johnson, carmelo anthony, homecourt, playing at home, star player, best foot, ben uzoh, nuggets, setback, derrick, ancient history, monday night, next opponent, moscow, midwest, proceedings, milwaukee, rsquo
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