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Toronto, ON (PRWEB) March 31, 2013
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Okay, so the world most unbelievable couple has officially split.. again! And this time it was without anyone being beaten severely. Isn’t that sweet? Reports hit several months ago that the embattled couple was reconciling and actually getting back together. It was Rihanna who comforted Chris after his stupid bottle throwing fight in a NY nightclub. It was Rihanna who partied who Chris after the Grammy’s. It was nauseating. Despite being convicted of beating her to a pulp, he got a few more months in with her. Now, alas, they are broken up. Reports are hitting that he admitted it on the radio, and through Twitter. Good riddance. Now maybe RiRi can find someone who knows how to treat a lady. Get the full story over at RadarOnline. Wow, take a look at Beyonce trying to act gangsta – The Great Monkey Suit. So The Voice is not doing too shabby after all! – Pop On The Pop. Wait, what? Is Rob Kardashian checking into rehab? For what? – Celeb Dirty Laundry. Check out these adorable photos of D-Beck’s kids – Celeb Baby Laundry. Dita Von Teese always finds a way to stay relevant…but it’s always the same way! – [...]
VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Francis has won over many hearts and minds with his simple style and focus on serving the world's poorest, but he has devastated traditionalist Catholics who adored his predecessor, Benedict XVI, for restoring much of the traditional pomp to the papacy.
Francis' decision to disregard church law and wash the feet of two girls ? a Serbian Muslim and an Italian Catholic ? during a Holy Thursday ritual has become something of the final straw, evidence that Francis has little or no interest in one of the key priorities of Benedict's papacy: reviving the pre-Vatican II traditions of the Catholic Church.
One of the most-read traditionalist blogs, "Rorate Caeli," reacted to the foot-washing ceremony by declaring the death of Benedict's eight-year project to correct what he considered the botched interpretations of the Second Vatican Council's modernizing reforms.
"The official end of the reform of the reform ? by example," ''Rorate Caeli" lamented in its report on Francis' Holy Thursday ritual.
A like-minded commentator in Francis' native Argentina, Marcelo Gonzalez at International Catholic Panorama, reacted to Francis' election with this phrase: "The Horror." Gonzalez's beef? While serving as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis' efforts to revive the old Latin Mass so dear to Benedict and traditionalists were "non-existent."
The night he was chosen pope, March 13, Francis emerged from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica without the ermine-rimmed red velvet cape, or mozzetta, used by popes past for official duties, wearing instead the simple white cassock of the papacy.
He also received the cardinals' pledges of obedience after his election not from a chair on a pedestal as popes normally do but rather standing, on their same level. In the days since, he has called for "intensified" dialogue with Islam ? a gesture that rankles some traditionalists because they view interfaith dialogue as a sign of religious relativism.
This year's Good Friday procession at Rome's Colosseum, which re-enacts Jesus Christ's crucifixion, was dedicated to the plight of Mideast Christians, with prayers calling for an end to "violent fundamentalism."
Francis, however, chose to stress Christians' positive relations with Muslims in brief remarks the end of the ceremony. He recalled Benedict's 2012 visit to Lebanon when "we saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many others."
Francis also raised traditional eyebrows when he refused the golden pectoral cross offered to him right after his election by Monsignor Guido Marini, the Vatican's liturgy guru who under Benedict became the symbol of Benedict's effort to restore the Gregorian chant and heavy silk brocaded vestments of the pre-Vatican II liturgy to papal Masses.
Marini has gamely stayed by Francis' side as the new pope puts his own stamp on Vatican Masses with no-nonsense vestments and easy off-the-cuff homilies. But there is widespread expectation that Francis will soon name a new master of liturgical ceremonies more in line with his priorities of bringing the church and its message of love and service to ordinary people without the "high church" trappings of his predecessor.
There were certainly none of those trappings on display Thursday at the Casal del Marmo juvenile detention facility in Rome, where the 76-year-old Francis got down on his knees and to wash the feet of 12 inmates, two of them women. The rite re-enacts Jesus' washing of the feet of his 12 apostles during the Last Supper before his crucifixion, a sign of his love and service to them.
The church's liturgical law holds that only men can participate in the rite, given that Jesus' apostles were all male. Priests and bishops have routinely petitioned for exemptions to include women, but the law is clear.
Francis, however, is the church's chief lawmaker, so in theory he can do whatever he wants.
"The pope does not need anybody's permission to make exceptions to how ecclesiastical law relates to him," noted conservative columnist Jimmy Akin in the National Catholic Register. But Akin echoed concerns raised by canon lawyer Edward Peters, an adviser to the Vatican's high court, that Francis was setting a "questionable example" by simply ignoring the church's own rules.
"People naturally imitate their leader. That's the whole point behind Jesus washing the disciples' feet. He was explicitly and intentionally setting an example for them," he said. "Pope Francis knows that he is setting an example."
The inclusion of women in the rite is problematic for some because it could be seen as an opening of sorts to women's ordination. The Catholic Church restricts the priesthood to men, arguing that Jesus and his 12 apostles were male.
Francis is clearly opposed to women's ordination. But by washing the feet of women, he jolted traditionalists who for years have been unbending in insisting that the ritual is for men only and proudly holding up as evidence documentation from the Vatican's liturgy office saying so.
"If someone is washing the feet of any females ... he is in violation of the Holy Thursday rubrics," Peters wrote in a 2006 article that he reposted earlier this month on his blog.
In the face of the pope doing that very thing, Peters ? like many conservative and traditionalist commentators ? have found themselves trying to put the best face on a situation they don't like lest they be openly voicing dissent with the pope.
By Thursday evening, Peters was saying that Francis had merely "disregarded" the law ? not violated it.
The Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a traditionalist blogger who has never shied from picking fights with priests, bishops or cardinals when it concerns liturgical abuses, had to measure his comments when the purported abuser was the pope himself.
"Before liberals and traditionalists both have a spittle-flecked nutty, each for their own reasons, try to figure out what he is trying to do," Zuhlsdorf wrote.
But, in characteristic form, he added: "What liberals forget in their present crowing is that even as Francis makes himself ? and the church ? more popular by projecting (a) compassionate image, he will simultaneously make it harder for them to criticize him when he reaffirms the doctrinal points they want him to overturn."
One of the key barometers of how traditionalists view Francis concerns his take on the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass. The Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought the church into the modern world, allowed the celebration of the Mass in the vernacular rather than Latin. In the decades that followed, the so-called Tridentine Rite fell out of use almost entirely.
Traditionalist Catholics who were attached to the old rite blame many of the ills afflicting the Catholic Church today ? a drop in priestly vocations, empty pews in Europe and beyond ? on the liturgical abuses that they say have proliferated with the celebration of the new form of Mass.
In a bid to reach out to them, Benedict in 2007 relaxed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass. The move was aimed also at reconciling with a group of schismatic traditionalists, the Society of St. Pius X, who split from Rome precisely over the Vatican II reforms, in particular its call for Mass in the vernacular and outreach to other religions, especially Judaism and Islam.
Benedict took extraordinary measures to bring the society back under Rome's wing during his pontificate, but negotiations stalled.
The society has understandably reacted coolly to Francis' election, reminding the pope that his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, was told by Christ to go and "rebuild my church." For the society, that means rebuilding it in a pre-Vatican II vision.
The head of the society for South America, the Rev. Christian Bouchacourt, was less than generous in his assessment of Francis.
"He cultivates a militant humility, but can prove humiliating for the church," Bouchacourt said in a recent article, criticizing the "dilapidated" state of the clergy in Buenos Aires and the "disaster" of its seminary. "With him, we risk to see once again the masses of Paul VI's pontificate, a far cry from Benedict XVI's efforts to restore to their honor the worthy liturgical ceremonies."
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Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield
If you find that charging your USB-chargeable devices takes too long, you may be interested in the ChargeDr USB Charge Booster from Digital Innovations. ?The ChargeDr uses an unspecified method of boosting the power from your computer’s USB port, so that a normal?5V, 0.5A-2.1A port always outputs?5V, up to 2.1A of power. ?The ChargeDr is [...]
Editor?s Note: Nir Eyal writes about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business at NirAndFar.com. Follow him @nireyal. Recently, MessageMe announced it had grown to 1 million users in a little over a week’s time. The revelation captured the attention of envious app makers throughout Silicon Valley, all of whom are searching for the secrets of customer acquisition like it’s the fountain of youth. “Growth hacking” has become the latest buzzword, as investors like Paul Graham profess it’s functionally that matters. Clearly, everyone wants growth. To someone creating a new technology, nothing feels better than people actually using what you’ve built and telling their friends. Growth feels validating. It tells everyone the company is doing things right. At least that’s what we want to believe. Good Growth, Bad Growth Sometimes viral loops drive growth, because the product is truly awesome, while in other cases growth occurs for, well, different reasons. As an example of good growth, it’s hard to top PayPal’s viral success in the late 90s. PayPal knew that once users started sending money to each other, mostly for stuff bought on eBay, they would infect one another. The allure that someone just “sent you money” was a huge incentive to register. PayPal nailed virality. Both sides of the transaction benefited from utilizing the platform and a classic network-effects business was born. In order for users to get what they wanted, they had to open an account and the product spread because it was useful and viral. However, sometimes viral loops are less about the customer?s interests and more about short-term greed. When the product maker intentionally tricks users into inviting friends or blasting social networks, they may see growth, but it comes at the expense of goodwill and trust. When people discover they’ve been tricked, they vent their hatred and stop using the product. Unfortunately, we’ve all encountered the ways companies drive growth in deceptive ways known as “dark patterns.” Viral Oops Good and bad growth is relatively easy to identify. What is harder to decipher is the gray zone in between. A “viral oops” occurs when users unintentionally invite others, but when they look back on what happened, they blame themselves, not the app. When MessageMe pre-selects everyone in my contact list as a default, I’m likely to think that only those who are un-checked will be invited. However, the opposite is true. With two taps, my
By Prisca Sam-Duru Princess Simisola is? in her early twenties and already doing exploits as a woman in her chosen career as well as in her first love which is engaging the youths positively so as to become great in future.
In spite of her busy schedule as a young banker with one of the new generation banks in the country, she finds time to publish and also, to involve the youths in several meaningful projects.Her interesting narrative is amazing and full of optimism for the Nigerian youths. Read on.
Her background
I am Simisola Agunbiade, a.k.a. Princess Simisola. I am an Economics graduate of Bowen University Iwo. I work with one of Nigeria?s new generation banks. I am also the founder of SimRoyalE and hope to become Nigeria?s foremost esteem coach.
How do you describe SimRoyale?
Princess Simisola
SimRoyalE is a social enterprise that aims at proffering solutions? on low self-esteem through different mediums, avenues and platforms. One of such medium is SimRoyalE Letter, a quarterly mini-magazine addressing issues on self-esteem targeted mainly at teenagers and young ladies. Other initiatives are girls club, teen workshops, youth seminars, personal coaching which are all geared towards solving the problem of low self-esteem and inferiority complex in our youths and teenagers.
What informed the publication?
SimRoyalE letter was borne out of the desire to pass my message to the world, especially to the young uninformed girls who are drowning away in low self-esteem. Having gone through low self-esteem, inferiority complex as a young girl, I was going to use my experience and lessons to pass a message and guide them from the pitfalls caused by low self-esteem. The nearest step I could take was to do something that came to me so naturally, which is writing, so I channeled my energy in producing SimRoyalE Letter. And the major aim is for people to be enlightened and educated about issues of self-esteem so as to be inspired to maximize their lives to the fullest.
What else do you hope to achieve with? it?
As regards SimRoyalE letter, it is my desire to change at least one person?s life for the better, even though I hope it changes millions. It is my intention that the young females are enlightened and inspired to bring out the greatness inside of her to be the best she was created to be notwithstanding her colour, size, shape, height, but accept and celebrate her uniqueness.
What is the core of your message?
Self-esteem, the need for young people to dig deep and find the beauty God deposited inside of them. The need for young people to accept and celebrate their inimitability. I hope to continually pass that message across to Nigeria?s teeming youths and teenage population through varying mediums and platforms. What would it take a youth to be enterprising?
Inner drive, diligence and discipline. It?s easy to stay laid back and accept the status quo of situations, but inner drive gives you strength and will-power to achieve your set goals. There are so many times when I have wanted to give up, but then I am reminded of the responsibility that I have to teens and youths to help overcome low self-esteem, and so I pick myself back up and get back to work. And of course, discipline is key to staying focused in achieving your goals.
Any project aside publishing?
Personally, it is always a joy to be a part of any initiative that aims at improving the lives of people especially youths and teenagers. Presently, SimRoyalE Letter is gradually evolving and we aim at continuing enlightening and inspiring both teenagers and youths to live and maximize their lives to the fullest. Another initiative is a Girls club called LACE Royals. It is recently founded with a friend of mine, and our basic objective is to gather as many teenage girls as possible to revive, renew and rejuvenate the spirit, mind and body through informal gathering/meetings/outings. And of course, as it is laid in my heart, I hope to continually do as much as I can? within my capacity to assist the youths to live a meaningful life.
Non profit exercises/programmes?
Yes, I have been involved in a couple of programmes, offering resources, services for the good of my fellow brothers and sisters. Some of which are ?Back To School? event for less privileged children which is organized by ?Beyond The Classroom Foundation?. There is also Karmajiji Project put together by Beacons Nigeria. It is always a privilege to be a part of such programmes. I hope to continue such programs for the good of the society.
Advice to youths
Never see prostitution as an option!Personally, I believe that notwithstanding the economic situation, prostitution in any form is never an option; our bodies are sacred and should be treated as such. There is dignity in doing seemingly little decent jobs to make ends meet, knowing that faithfulness in little is the key to acquiring the big things. Education is key/ foundation for any career. And in my opinion, I believe this foundation is important to jump-start whichever path you intend to follow in life. It is important that young ladies in school are able to identify their roles in the societies, either as a banker, designer, make-up artist, business woman, caterer, Human Resource personal, accountant etc. This would enable them know the exact sector to channel their energy to. Not everybody is cut out for white collar jobs. So I?ll say, basic education is key, but of course know your strengths, talents and channel your energies appropriately. What?s the future for women?
The older generation of women are presently working tirelessly to put their names on the global arena in varying fields, having such models. It gives my generation of women a better leverage to be greater because we get to learn through their stories and experiences. I see the Nigerian women breaking more frontiers both at home and in the global arena. Motivation?
The Holy Spirit is my number one inspiration, and so I am continually filled to keep getting better. I am also driven by the passion to make my family proud, especially my dad and my spiritual parents, Pastor Yemi & Bimbo Davids. And of course, my mentors are too many to mention but particularly Fela Durotoye, Lanre Olusola, Steve Harris and Bankole Williams have stood like my second family inspiring, challenging and intimidating me to bring out a better version of me each time.
You participated in the recent leadership workshop at the U.S Consulate, tell us about it?
It was a great privilege to be shortlisted as one of the very few women to attend training on Leadership, Public Speaking and Communication organized by the U.S Consulate in Lagos. The workshop was not only educative, but really enlightening. I met other 29 passionate great women and also an amazing team of facilitators. For me, it was a period of refining, and I am glad I was a part of it.
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ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) ? An FBI report of "flying saucers" in New Mexico sent to then-Director J. Edgar Hoover in 1950 has become the most popular file in the bureau's electronic reading room.
The Roswell Daily Record reports (http://bit.ly/1647qm6) the memo sent by FBI Washington, D.C.- field office chief Guy Hottel has been viewed nearly a million times.
The document is about a report of three flying saucers allegedly recovered in New Mexico, each occupied by three small human-shaped bodies. It says an informant told officials that the UFOs had ended up there because a government radar in the area interfered with their controlling mechanisms.
The FBI never followed up on the report.
The memo is available in the "The Vault," an electronic reading room launched by the FBI in 2011 that contains around 6,700 public documents.
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Online:
'The Vault' memo, http://vault.fbi.gov/hottel_guy/Guy%20Hottel%20Part%201%20of%201/view
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Information from: Roswell Daily Record, http://www.roswell-record.com
The US Census is an expensive beast to run when paper is involved: multiply the $96 per household of the 2010 Census by millions of households and you'll feel the government's pain. When the mandate is to keep those expenses in check for the 2020 study, it's almost no surprise that the Census Bureau is now telling the Washington Post that it expects to rely on the internet for its next decennial survey in the wake of smaller-scale trials. The anticipated move is about more than just cutting the costs of lengthy forms and postage stamps, though. While frugality is the primary goal, joining the modern era should also reduce the need for follow-ups -- the Bureau would know as soon as we were done, after all. There's no question that an online Census is overdue when swaths of the US government (and society) can already skip traditional paperwork, but we still appreciate having a tentative schedule for one of the last great digital transitions.
Think about your gym, which you visit so infrequently you?re practically making a charity donation to Bally Total Fitness. Or the diet cleanse you spent $100 on ... when you could have paid $30 in healthy groceries that would have also done the trick.
Don?t kick yourself?you?re not alone in falling prey to these marketing ploys. There?s a reason that, for instance, the burgeoning ?enhanced waters? beverage category (think Vitamin Water) has become a $1.5 billion industry.
By playing on our delusions and our fears, companies tempt us to shell out for needless items, and that can wreak havoc on our finances.
Watch out for these seven industries that profit from our insecurities?and find out how to resist their ploys.
Pet products Americans spent an estimated $53 billion on their pets in 2012, a number that's grown nearly 30 percent in the past five years, even as the economy tanked. Last Halloween, pet owners were projected to spend $370 million on their pets' Halloween costumes?a 40 percent increase from 2010.
Several factors account for the rise in pet spending: Americans have a third fewer friends than they did 20 years ago and the number of Americans living alone?one in seven?is at an all-time high. These trends partly explain why about four in five animal owners think of their pets as children, and 58 percent even call themselves the "mommy" or "daddy" of their pets.
This higher status of pets in the eyes of their owners has even resulted in one million dogs being named beneficiaries in their owners' wills.
Tip: Be realistic about how much your pet costs, and be sure to budget for any extra splurges or treats. As for whether to name your beloved pet in your will?that depends on what you think of its money-managing skills.
Gyms No industry plays on the chasm between what we do and what we wish we did better than the $21 billion fitness club industry. At the beginning of a fitness push, we are all too happy to hand over a hefty membership fee and sign a yearlong contract, hoping the sunk cost will encourage us to create whole new selves.
But the reality is that 67 percent of people with gym memberships never use them. Even those who go to the gym regularly are paying a lot more than they imagined: A University of California, Berkeley study showed that people who signed up for a monthly gym membership ended up paying 70 percent more than they could have paid on a pay-per-visit plan available at the same club.
The reason? ?Overconfidence about future self-control,? say the researchers. In other words: Delusion.
Tip: If this is you, find out the best workouts for you and your budget. Even if you do use the gym, make sure you're getting the best deal possible: comparison shop, use a competitor's price to get a deal at your preferred gym, or sign up for a yearlong membership to get the best possible rate.
Health and diet food In 2011, the market for vitamins and supplements was $28 billion?despite a lack of solid research proving their effectiveness. In fact, most of our food is fortified with nutrients, so once-common deficiency diseases are now rare. Most researchers say that unless you're pregnant or elderly or have an identified deficiency, you don't need supplements and that a balanced diet is the best source of nutrients.
As for the weight-loss market, which in 2010 was worth $60 billion, several studies show that dieting actually consistently correlates with future weight gain.
Tip: If you're a sucker for vitamins and supplements, don't pay a premium for packaged foods making health claims; eat these superfoods instead. And if you think your ticket to weight loss is a diet program, consider preparing meals from fresh, whole ingredients and setting up a regular exercise routine to do it on your own instead.
Electronics rebates and warranties Electronics stores often advertise a new gadget?s price as though you already received all the mail-in rebates. But a Consumer Reports survey found that fewer than half of people always or often cash in on rebate offers, and a full quarter never do. Even among those who sent in for their rebates, 21 percent said they never received them.
Additionally, extended warranties and insurance plans for smartphones sound so sensible. But they're almost never a good deal, consumer advocates warn. The extended warranty business itself generates $15 billion a year of almost pure profit, playing on our innate urge to avoid losses even if we could financially afford to replace the object.
And consider this: By the time the manufacturer's warranty ends on your phone, laptop or other high-tech gizmo, you'll probably want to upgrade to a newer model or the replacement price will have dropped, making the extended warranty moot.
Tip: Before you rush to take advantage of a deal you can only get with rebates, ask yourself: Are you going to fill in and mail every form?
And next time the cashier asks you if you want to pay 10 to 50 percent extra for an extended warranty, just say no.
Clothes According to a recent survey, a woman owns 22 garments she never wears.
And that adds up: Americans spend $331 billion a year on clothing (which works out to $1,100 per person a year). While every once in a while we all really do need a new item of clothing, you could probably easily identify a number of pieces in your closet that you never wear?and they probably add up to a lot of wasted dollars.
How does this happen? We tend to invest in the same items over and over (whether ten black sweaters or a dozen flirty sundresses). Another problem: We buy for the life we want to have?cocktail dresses for parties we never go to or fancy new workout clothes for the gym we never visit.
Tip: Host a clothing swap to get rid of the chaff in your closet and bring fresh inspiration in, and go on a clothing fast for six months to force yourself to get creative with what you have. Need some ideas? See how one editor dressed herself for one month with just six items of clothing.
Cleaning products Do you buy different cleaners for your floors, your furniture, your bathroom and your windows? Then you can understand how the cleaning product industry rakes in $52 billion a year.
Commercials for household disinfectants and other cleaning products would have you believe that illness-causing germs linger on every surface. But experts warn that routine use of disinfectants is not only unnecessary but harmful, especially when harsh chemicals are used.
Tip: You can get your home sparkly-clean?and with less harm to the environment?using inexpensive combinations of baking soda and vinegar. In fact, we can show you how to tackle 40 household tasks with just these five everyday products.
Baby products Certain baby products really do ensure infant safety, like car seats. But companies also milk extra money out of parents' desires to give their kids the most organic, least toxic, most brain-enhancing food, toys, clothing, bedding and more.
Previous generations somehow survived infancy without shopping cart liners, video baby monitors, tiny shade tents for sunny days at the park and many of other items that make up the $7 billion Americans spend on today's babies.
Tip: Stick to essentials and learn how to save on baby stuff with these 12 tips. Want to really overhaul the way you handle the baby portion of your budget? Check out our Baby on Board Bootcamp, which explains what you should buy new, what you can get used and which safety considerations really matter.
VATICAN CITY (AP) ? The Shroud of Turin has gone on display for a special TV appearance amid new research purporting to date the linen some say was Jesus' burial cloth to around the time of his death.
Pope Francis sent a special video message to the event in Turin's cathedral, which coincided with Holy Saturday, when Catholics mark the period between Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The Vatican has tiptoed around just what the cloth is, calling it a powerful symbol of Christ's suffering while making no claim to its authenticity.
Francis toed that line Saturday, calling the cloth an "icon" ? not a relic.
Many experts stand by carbon-dating of scraps of the cloth that date it to the 13th or 14th century.
?Buyers know what goods cost.? Some version of that assumption comes up in the very first weeks of just about every introductory econ course. It becomes one of the few assumptions that we make to build the model of consumer demand. But every once in a while, life gets in the way and asks ?Is that something you really can assume??
I had to test that assumption recently. I just moved and after unpacking, I was in the mood to make dessert for myself. Of course, I?hadn't?brought many kitchen supplies with me, so that quickly posed a problem. To make cookies, I needed to buy some wooden spoons, measuring cups, and a cooling rack. None of those are hard items to find, and I happened to live just minutes away from a shopping center that had a regional grocery store, a Wal-Mart, a Target, and a regional department store. I knew that all four stores should have what I want, so the question of where to go really came down to where it would cost the least. And that?s when I realized that one of the most basic assumptions of microeconomics?didn't?hold true. I?didn't?know which store would be the cheapest, or even what the prices of the goods should be!
I had some free time on a Saturday and a strong enough curiosity that I wanted to sample prices from each store. Here?s what I found:
STORE
WOODEN SPOON (Dollars per spoon)
COOLING RACK (Dollars per rack)
MEASURING CUPS (Dollars per cup)
GROCERY STORE
$1.50
$4.50
$1.22
WAL-MART
$2.97
$2.99
$1.32
TARGET
$2.03
$3.67
$4.97
DEPARTMENT STORE
$12.00
$7.00
$7.50
I was also shocked by the spread in prices. While I did expect to see some markup at higher-end stores, the range was wider than I expected. I was also surprised that there?wasn't?one store that had the cheapest prices, across-the-board, for all the goods.
When economists create models, the goal is to make a few assumptions about the world to describe the ?typical? human response and show how that response leads to a ?general? outcome. My behavior in this case is not what economists would call ?typical.? (My friends might even call it weird!) But even for the typical consumer, are the assumptions of the supply and demand model always appropriate?
In a lot of cases, the classic supply and demand model does gives accurate results, but sometimes the assumption that consumers know the distribution of prices?isn't?appropriate. In those cases, it?s important to understand how behavior will change if an assumption is violated. The classic model does not involve consumers looking for prices, they just know them. As economists, we often say we are assuming ?complete information.? When consumers don?t have complete information the market price typically?doesn't?match the equilibrium price the model predicts. Most of the time the market will be inefficient (contrary to what the model suggests) and both producer and consumer surplus will be lost.
Throughout economics, every conclusion that we draw from a model depends on the assumptions that are used to build that model. Whenever I learn about a new model, I always list the assumptions made and focus on how the results change if the assumption would be removed. Understanding the relationship between assumptions and results is the critical step to applying what we learn from theory and using it to understand what happens in the real world.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:?
1. When I was getting my information I found that stores rarely carry the exact same goods. (Even if they are the same brand, the packaging might be different. It?s why I calculated my information in per unit prices.) Since I was able to find the goods in multiple locations, but they were not identical, which market structure is the most appropriate to describe kitchen supplies: Monopoly, Oligopoly, Monopolistic Competition, or Perfect competition? Why?
2. While my shopping behavior was a bit different than most people for kitchen supplies, people do ?search? when they buy certain goods. Name some items where the supply and demand model?isn't?as appropriate as a consumer search model would be. Why is it more appropriate to think about consumers searching for these goods?
3. An important part of search theory talks about the cost of searching. Suppose I?didn't?live near a shopping center and the stores were all 20 minute drives apart. How do you think that distance (and the opportunity cost associated with traveling between them) would change my behavior when I search? How would it change the pricing behavior of the stores?
Labels: Assumptions, Economics of Search, Supply and Demand
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Five fire departments responded to a kitchen fire that destroyed a home at 340 Shields Road Thursday night.
Madison County Fire Marshall Bobby Rollins said two women and two children were able to escape the house before firefighters arrived around 7 p.m. Firefighters from Moores Mill, Central, New Market, BoBo and Hazel Green helped to extinguish the blaze.
Rollins said a woman was cooking on her stove and thought she turned it off when she accidentally turned up the heat. He said the two-story house will be a full loss and that the American Red Cross is providing temporary placement for the family.
Frank Foster said he was about to drive his daughter to the store to get milk for her 7-month old son when she told him there was a grease fire inside the home.
"I got out the car to go in the house to see if I could try to put it out and by the time I got to the door it had spread. It caught the curtains and the kitchen, and they said it was gone," Foster said. "I'm blessed that I got my family out."
Foster, a Vietnam-era veteran and pastor, said he had been renting the house for three years and was recently considering renter's insurance.
Rollins said the house fire happened next door to the training center where three agencies were training volunteer firefighters.
"It shows how fast you can go from training to real life," Rollins said.
Sometimes you just need to blow off some steam and what better way to do that than with some energetic play? Feel free to talk about anything you want (and don't forget to bob and weave) in this week's open thread.
Same drill as always, open-threaders: You can chat and ask questions with your fellow readers all week long at the #openthread hashtag page, but our weekly open thread post is your opportunity to reach the most people. Ask questions, offer advice, discuss productivity tips, or just chat about whatever's on your mind. You'll need a commenter account to participate, then you're ready to roll.
An extra reminder: If you're not quite satisfied with the interaction in the weekly open thread or in #tips, remember that you can also share your expertise every day on our Expert Pages.
Here in Arizona, square feet is measure with "heat & cool" rooms, in other words, no garages, sun rooms or unpermitted rooms. The square footage can come from the owner, county records, or appraiser. If it is a concern to be exact, you need to have it investigated during your home inspection period.
Have you ever notice how many similarities there are between "The Walking Dead" and "Toy Story"? You know, it's not as crazy as it sounds. Also, get your first look at the "Zombieland" series in today's Dailies! » The book was better. [Galley Cat] » Vulture's great Bruce Willis grid [Vulture] » "Toy Story" and [...]
Easter egg hunts were fine and good when you were a kid and sugar was the only rush you needed. But it's time to set the Peeps aside. It's time to get drunk the Easter way. More »
KHALIS FAMILY VILLAGE, Afghanistan (AP) ? Barely able to walk even with a cane, Ghulam Rasool says he padlocked his front door, handed over the keys and his three cows to a neighbor and fled his mountain home in the middle of the night to escape relentless airstrikes from U.S. drones targeting militants in this remote corner of Afghanistan.
Rasool and other Afghan villagers have their own name for Predator drones. They call them benghai, which in the Pashto language means the "buzzing of flies." When they explain the noise, they scrunch their faces and try to make a sound that resembles an army of flies.
"They are evil things that fly so high you don't see them but all the time you hear them," said Rasool, whose body is stooped and shrunken with age and his voice barely louder than a whisper. "Night and day we hear this sound and then the bombardment starts."
The U.S. military is increasingly relying on drone strikes inside Afghanistan, where the number of weapons fired from unmanned aerial aircraft soared from 294 in 2011 to 506 last year. With international combat forces set to withdraw by the end of next year, such attacks are now used more for targeted killings and less for supporting ground troops.
It's unclear whether Predator drone strikes will continue after 2014 in Afghanistan, where the government has complained bitterly about civilian casualties. The strikes sometimes accidentally kill civilians while forcing others to abandon their hometowns in fear, feeding widespread anti-American sentiment.
The Associated Press ? in a rare on-the-ground look unaccompanied by military or security ? visited two Afghan villages in Nangarhar province near the border with Pakistan to talk to residents who reported that they had been affected by drone strikes.
In one village, Afghans disputed NATO's contention that five men killed in a particular drone strike were militants. In the other, a school that was leveled in a nighttime airstrike targeting Taliban fighters hiding inside has yet to be rebuilt.
"These foreigners started the problem," Rasool said of international troops. "They have their own country. They should leave."
From the U.S. perspective, the overall drone program has been a success.
While the Pentagon operates the drones in Afghanistan, the CIA for nearly a decade has used drones to target militants, including Afghans, in Pakistan's border regions. CIA drones have killed al-Qaida No. 2 Abu Yahya al-Libi and other leading extremists.
Still, criticism of the use of drones for targeted killings around the world has been mounting in recent months. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Counter Terrorism and Human Rights has launched an investigation into their effect on civilians.
Rasool said his decision to leave his home in Hisarak district came nearly a month ago after a particularly blistering air assault killed five people in the neighboring village of Meya Saheeb.
The U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, confirmed an airstrike on Feb. 24 at Meya Saheeb, but as a matter of policy would neither confirm nor deny that drones were used.
Rasool said that he, his son, half a dozen grandchildren, and two other families crammed into the back of a cart pulled by a tractor. They drove throughout the day until they found a house in Khalis Family Village, named after anti-communist rebel leader Maulvi Yunus Khalis, who had close ties to al-Qaida.
The village is not far from the Tora Bora mountain range where in 2001 the U.S.-led coalition mounted its largest operation of the war to flush out al-Qaida and Taliban warriors.
"Nobody ever comes here. It's a little dangerous sometimes because of the Taliban," said Zarullah Khan, a neighbor of Rasool's.
But the historic significance of his newfound refuge was lost on Rasool.
"Who's Khalis? We stopped when we found a house for rent," he said, grumbling at the monthly $200 bill shared among the three families packed into the high-walled compound where he spoke with the AP.
Standing nearby, Rasool's 12-year-old grandson, Ahmed Shah, recalled the attack in Meya Saheeb. The earth shook for what seemed like hours and the next morning his friends told him there were bodies in the nearby village. A little afraid, but more curious, he walked the short distance to Meya Saheed.
"I wanted to see the dead bodies," he said. And he did ? three bodies, all middle-aged men.
ISAF reported five militants were killed, but Rasool claimed they were businessmen. One of the dead had a carpet shop in the village, he said.
Disputes over the identities of those killed have been a hallmark of the 12-year war.
In Pakistan, an AP investigation last year found that drone strikes were killing fewer civilians than many in that country were led to believe, and that many of the dead were combatants.
In Afghanistan, the U.N. has reported that five drone strikes in 2012 resulted in civilian casualties, with 16 civilians killed and three wounded. It reported just one incident in which civilians were killed the previous year.
At the other end of the province from Meya Saheeb and Khalis Family Village lies the village of Budyali. To get there, one must drive along a long, two-lane highway often booby-trapped by militants, before turning turning off onto a narrow, dusty track and finally cross a rock-strewn riverbed.
A Budyali resident, Hayat Gul, says the sound of "benghai" is commonplace in the village. He says he was wounded nearly two years ago in a Taliban firefight with Afghan security forces at a nearby school that led to an airstrike.
Tucked in the shadow of a hulking mountain crisscrossed with dozens of footpaths, the school now is in ruins.
The early morning strike on the school took place on July 17, 2011, hours after the Taliban attacked the district headquarters and the Afghan National Army appealed to their coalition partners for help.
Gul said he and a second guard, 63-year-old Ghulam Ahad, were asleep in the small cement guard house at one end of the school. They awoke to the sound of gunfire as more than a dozen Taliban militants scaled the school walls around midnight, chased by Afghan soldiers.
A bullet struck Gul in the shoulder. Frightened and unsure of what to do, Ahad stepped outside the guard house and was killed. Bullet holes still riddle the badly damaged building.
Village elders and the school's principal, Sayed Habib, said coalition forces responded to the army's request for help with drones, fighter jets and rockets.
The air assault, which residents say began about 3 a.m. and likely included drone strikes, flattened everything across a vast compound that includes the school. Habib said 13 insurgents were killed.
ISAF confirmed that airstrikes killed insurgents in the Budyali area on that day but would not say what type of airstrikes or provide any other details.
Habib and a local malik or elder, Shah Mohammed Khan, said that in the days leading up to the airstrikes the sound of drones could be heard overhead.
"Everyone knows the sound of the unpiloted planes. Even our children know," Habib said.
The elders were critical of the U.S. attack. They said they would have preferred that the Afghan soldiers try to negotiate with the Taliban to leave the school and surrender.
Habib and the village elders recalled the attack while sitting in the middle of the devastated school, where debris was still scattered across a vast yard. They pointed toward a blackboard, pockmarked with gaping holes.
"Shamefully they destroyed our school, our books, our library," said Malik Gul Nawaz, an elder with a gray beard and a pot belly.
Habib said that in an attempt to rebuild the school, a contractor constructed a boundary wall before another Taliban attack. He fled with nearly $400,000 in foreign funds.
The roughly 1,300 students now take classes at a makeshift school made up of tents provided by UNICEF. Gul, who was taken to a U.S. military hospital at Bagram Air Base after the attack and treated for the bullet wound to his left shoulder, is now a watchman at the new school.
He held a small photograph of his dead colleague, Ahad, in his trembling left hand.
"We want to end this war," Gul said. "Enough people have been killed now. We have to find unity."
___
Kathy Gannon is the AP special regional correspondent for Afghanistan and Pakistan and can be followed on www.twitter.com/kathygannon
Gene discovery may yield lettuce that will sprout in hot weatherPublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Patricia Bailey pjbailey@ucdavis.edu 530-752-9843 University of California - Davis
A team of researchers, led by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist, has identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.
The study also included researchers from Arcadia Biosciences and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India.
The finding is particularly important to the nearly $2 billion lettuce industries of California and Arizona, which together produce more than 90 percent of the nation's lettuce. The study results appear online in the journal The Plant Cell.
"Discovery of the genes will enable plant breeders to develop lettuce varieties that can better germinate and grow to maturity under high temperatures," said the study's lead author Kent Bradford, a professor of plant sciences and director of the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center.
"And because this mechanism that inhibits hot-weather germination in lettuce seeds appears to be quite common in many plant species, we suspect that other crops also could be modified to improve their germination," he said. "This could be increasingly important as global temperatures are predicted to rise."
Most lettuce varieties flower in spring or early summer and then drop their seeds a trait that is likely linked to their origin in the Mediterranean region, which, like California, characteristically has dry summers. Scientists have observed for years that a built-in dormancy mechanism seems to prevent lettuce seeds from germinating under conditions that would be too hot and dry to sustain growth. While this naturally occurring inhibition works well in the wild, it is an obstacle to commercial lettuce production.
In the California and Arizona lettuce industries, lettuce seeds are planted somewhere every day of the year even in September in the Imperial Valley of California and near Yuma, Ariz., where fall temperatures frequently reach 110 degrees.
In order to jump-start seed germination for a winter crop in these hot climates, lettuce growers have turned to cooling the soil with sprinkler irrigation or priming the seeds to germinate by pre-soaking them at cool temperatures and re-drying them before planting methods that are expensive and not always successful.
In the new study, researchers turned to lettuce genetics to better understand the temperature-related mechanisms governing seed germination. They identified a region of chromosome six in a wild ancestor of commercial lettuce varieties that enables seeds to germinate in warm temperatures. When that chromosome region was crossed into cultivated lettuce varieties, those varieties gained the ability to germinate in warm temperatures.
Further genetic mapping studies zeroed in on a specific gene that governs production of a plant hormone called abscisic acid known to inhibit seed germination. The newly identified gene "turns on" in most lettuce seeds when the seed is exposed to moisture at warm temperatures, increasing production of abscisic acid. In the wild ancestor that the researchers were studying, however, this gene does not turn on at high temperatures. As a result, abscisic acid is not produced and the seeds can still germinate.
The researchers then demonstrated that they could either "silence" or mutate the germination-inhibiting gene in cultivated lettuce varieties, thus enabling those varieties to germinate and grow even in high temperatures.
###
Other researchers on the study were: Post-doctoral researcher Heqiang Huo and staff researcher Peetambar Dahal, both of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences; Keshavulu Kunusoth of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India; and Claire McCallum of Arcadia Biosciences, which provided the lettuce lines with variants of the target gene to help confirm the study's findings.
Funding for the study was provided the U.S. Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation.
About Arcadia Biosciences
Based in Davis, Arcadia Biosciences is an agricultural technology company focused on the development of agricultural products that improve the environment and enhance human health. Arcadia's agronomic traits, including NUE, Water Efficiency, Salt Tolerance, Heat Tolerance and Herbicide Tolerance, are all aimed at making agricultural production more economically efficient and environmentally sound. Arcadia's health technologies and products create healthier nutritional ingredients and foods with lower cost of production. For more information, visit http://www.arcadiabio.com.
About UC Davis
For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has more than 33,000 students, more than 2,500 faculty and more than 21,000 staff, an annual research budget of nearly $750 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.
Media contact(s):
Kent Bradford
Seed Biotechnology Center
530-752-6087 kjbradford@ucdavis.edu
Jeff Bergau
Arcadia Biosciences
312-217-0419 jeff.bergau@arcadiabio.com
Pat Bailey
UC Davis News Service
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Gene discovery may yield lettuce that will sprout in hot weatherPublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Patricia Bailey pjbailey@ucdavis.edu 530-752-9843 University of California - Davis
A team of researchers, led by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist, has identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.
The study also included researchers from Arcadia Biosciences and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India.
The finding is particularly important to the nearly $2 billion lettuce industries of California and Arizona, which together produce more than 90 percent of the nation's lettuce. The study results appear online in the journal The Plant Cell.
"Discovery of the genes will enable plant breeders to develop lettuce varieties that can better germinate and grow to maturity under high temperatures," said the study's lead author Kent Bradford, a professor of plant sciences and director of the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center.
"And because this mechanism that inhibits hot-weather germination in lettuce seeds appears to be quite common in many plant species, we suspect that other crops also could be modified to improve their germination," he said. "This could be increasingly important as global temperatures are predicted to rise."
Most lettuce varieties flower in spring or early summer and then drop their seeds a trait that is likely linked to their origin in the Mediterranean region, which, like California, characteristically has dry summers. Scientists have observed for years that a built-in dormancy mechanism seems to prevent lettuce seeds from germinating under conditions that would be too hot and dry to sustain growth. While this naturally occurring inhibition works well in the wild, it is an obstacle to commercial lettuce production.
In the California and Arizona lettuce industries, lettuce seeds are planted somewhere every day of the year even in September in the Imperial Valley of California and near Yuma, Ariz., where fall temperatures frequently reach 110 degrees.
In order to jump-start seed germination for a winter crop in these hot climates, lettuce growers have turned to cooling the soil with sprinkler irrigation or priming the seeds to germinate by pre-soaking them at cool temperatures and re-drying them before planting methods that are expensive and not always successful.
In the new study, researchers turned to lettuce genetics to better understand the temperature-related mechanisms governing seed germination. They identified a region of chromosome six in a wild ancestor of commercial lettuce varieties that enables seeds to germinate in warm temperatures. When that chromosome region was crossed into cultivated lettuce varieties, those varieties gained the ability to germinate in warm temperatures.
Further genetic mapping studies zeroed in on a specific gene that governs production of a plant hormone called abscisic acid known to inhibit seed germination. The newly identified gene "turns on" in most lettuce seeds when the seed is exposed to moisture at warm temperatures, increasing production of abscisic acid. In the wild ancestor that the researchers were studying, however, this gene does not turn on at high temperatures. As a result, abscisic acid is not produced and the seeds can still germinate.
The researchers then demonstrated that they could either "silence" or mutate the germination-inhibiting gene in cultivated lettuce varieties, thus enabling those varieties to germinate and grow even in high temperatures.
###
Other researchers on the study were: Post-doctoral researcher Heqiang Huo and staff researcher Peetambar Dahal, both of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences; Keshavulu Kunusoth of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India; and Claire McCallum of Arcadia Biosciences, which provided the lettuce lines with variants of the target gene to help confirm the study's findings.
Funding for the study was provided the U.S. Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation.
About Arcadia Biosciences
Based in Davis, Arcadia Biosciences is an agricultural technology company focused on the development of agricultural products that improve the environment and enhance human health. Arcadia's agronomic traits, including NUE, Water Efficiency, Salt Tolerance, Heat Tolerance and Herbicide Tolerance, are all aimed at making agricultural production more economically efficient and environmentally sound. Arcadia's health technologies and products create healthier nutritional ingredients and foods with lower cost of production. For more information, visit http://www.arcadiabio.com.
About UC Davis
For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has more than 33,000 students, more than 2,500 faculty and more than 21,000 staff, an annual research budget of nearly $750 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.
Media contact(s):
Kent Bradford
Seed Biotechnology Center
530-752-6087 kjbradford@ucdavis.edu
Jeff Bergau
Arcadia Biosciences
312-217-0419 jeff.bergau@arcadiabio.com
Pat Bailey
UC Davis News Service
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Published time: March 27, 2013 17:44 Edited time: March 28, 2013 12:37
Image from cyberbunker.com
The cyber-attack ? dubbed by many to be the biggest in history ? has caused a worldwide Web slowdown, as the battle between an anti-spam group and a Dutch web host continues to heat up.
The attack is believed to be the largest-ever distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) cyber-assault in history, and was sparked when the non-profit group Spamhaus earlier this month placed CyberBunker on its real-time blacklist of sites to be blocked for spreading spam.?
The (DDoS) attacks ? which flood targeted web servers with fake traffic to make them inaccessible ? have reportedly caused millions to experience delays with services such as the Netflix video-streaming service and made other sites temporarily unavailable. Experts fear the web congestion could lead to banking and email system slowdowns around the world.
Spamhaus servers were at one point being inundated with 300 billion bits per second (300Gbps) of data, three times larger than the previous record attack of 100 Gbps, Darren Anstee from Arbor Networks Solutions told IBTimes UK.
Spamhaus, which helps email providers filter out spam and other questionable content, first reported the attacks on March 20.
Kaspersky anti-virus giant?s experts confirmed to RT that this was one of the largest DDoS operations to date ?based on the reported scale of the attack, which was evaluated at 300 Gigabits per second.
?The data flow generated by such an attack may affect intermediate network nodes when it passes them, thus impeding operations of normal web services that have no relation to Spamhaus or Cyberbunker,? corporate communications manager at Kaspersky, Yuliya Krivosheina, wrote in a statement for RT. ?Therefore, such DDoS attack may affect regular users as well, with network slowdown or total unavailability of certain web resources being typical symptoms.?
Kaspersky warned that there may be further disruptions on a larger scale as the attack escalates.
?In general, attacks of this type are growing in terms of quantity as well as scale,? the statement reads. ?Among the reasons for this growth is the development of the Internet itself (network capacity and computing power) and past failures in investigating and prosecuting individuals behind past attacks.?
Meanwhile, Steve Linford, chief executive for Spamhaus, told the BBC that this scale of attack could knock down government Internet infrastructure.
"If you aimed this at Downing Street they would be down instantly," he said. "They would be completely off the Internet."
Linford noted that ?when there are attacks against major banks, we're talking about 50 gbs."
Five separate cyber-police-forces are investigating the incident, he added, though he could not disclose any further details.
Spamhaus further accused Cyberbunker of collaborating with criminal gangs from Eastern Europe and Russia to carry out the attacks.
Cyberbunker, which operates out of a "secretive nuclear bunker," prides itself on rebuking "authorities regarding the rights of individuals. " The firm, boasts they will provide bandwidth to anything but child pornography or terrorism related content.
Sven Olaf Kamphuis, an internet activist and self-described spokesman for Cyberbunker, reportedly told the New York Times the ongoing attack was retaliation for Spamhaus "abusing their influence." However, later on Wednesday Kamphuis told RT's news video agency RUPTLY via Skype that quotes attributed to him by the NYT were part of a campaign of ?misinformation? against Cyberbunker, which he says is not currently carrying out DDoS attacks against Spamhaus.
?There has been some misinformation from the New York Times that it?s me carrying out the attacks. Spamhaus have pissed off a lot of people over the past few years by blackmailing ISPs and carriers into disconnecting clients without court orders or legal process whatsoever,? he said. ?
?At this moment we are not even conducting any attacks because people from our group stopped any attack yesterday morning,? he said. ?So if they are still under attack which I think they are because I get news feeds that they are still under attack then it?s now other people attacking them.? He argues that such publicized cyber-attacks do serve a function, as they put the ?mafia tactics? of Spamhaus in the public spotlight, which he claims are currently ?the largest threat? to Internet freedom. ?
?Well, I think the cyber-attacks do put things under public discussion and that in the case of Spamhaus was urgently needed, because they have been operating in the background, claiming to be spam fighters and a little non-profit and at the moment it is becoming all the more clear what they really are. People that work at internet providers have always known this,? Kamphuis said.
?People who work at abuse desks or as providers, know that if you don?t give Spamhaus their way, they will list your entire provider and at that point all of your customers will start to complain that 1/3 of the internet no longer accepts email to start with. If they put you on drop a whole bunch of American providers no longer accept your backups, so you can no longer communicate with half of the sites hosted in the United States. It is a massive problem when one little offshore from the Bahamas gains such an influence on the internet that they can have such an impact.?
Tempo is a new calendar app for iPhone that not only attempts to handle your appointments and schedule more elegantly, but also doubles as somewhat of a personal assistant. It achieves this by tying into several different account types such as your emails, contacts, and more. The more you use Tempo, the smarter it gets, and the more relevant the information presented to you will be.
As many of you may have already noticed if you've attempted to install Tempo, there's a reservation system in place and you'll have to wait your turn in line. This is similar to the reservation system the recently Dropbox acquired company Mailbox implemented. While it may be frustrating, we can certainly understand why apps that may have high server usage may do this. Instead of causing a spotty experience for all users, they are choosing to let users in as they can handle the traffic.
After you get through the reservation system and you've gained access to Tempo for iPhone, you'll be guided through a quick tour of the main features. After that you will have the opportunity to link up your mail accounts and grant Tempo access to your contacts and current calendars. Tempo can take a little while to set up depending upon how many contacts and email inboxes you have. Once Tempo is ready to go, you'll receive an email and a push notification on your iPhone letting you know. For me, this process took about 20 minutes and I've got a pretty healthy number of contacts and synced 4 inboxes with it.
The first thing you'll notice is the layout and design. The main home screen will default to agenda view. You can either choose a static photo to sit at the top or you can leave Tempo's photo of the day feature which will rotate out a new image each day. You'll also see the weather for your current location. Below that is where you'll be spending most of your time, your actual calendar. You'll see a list of events for the day under agenda view. To toggle between views, simply tap the date at the top and choose between agenda, list, day, week, and month.
As far as the calendar views go - agenda, list, and month are probably the better views while the day and week options could still use a little work. For the most part they look very simliar to the default calendar but the week view will just show colored blocks. Tapping on them expands the event to see the title. You'll have to then tap on it again in order to view the detail. I'm not quite sure what the deal is with the colored blocks but a colored grid that shows no information isn't productive at all nor a good use of space. Tapping too many times to expand events can get annoying fast in week view.
The main feature of Tempo is how it smartly adds contacts to events based on your description. For example, if I tell Tempo I have a call with Jason, it will import any relevant information it may find in my emails and contacts that it finds relevant. If you use last names, your results will obviously be better. The point of combining this information is so that you can view all your information without jumping between apps and for that purpose, it really does work. You have the ability to view emails (including attachments), contact cards, social networks, and more for a contact or colleague at a single glance. From there you can text a contact that you're running late, view directions to a location, and more.
The good
Very fluid interface with easy gestures that just feel natural
Support for almost every contact type for importing
Gets smarter as you use it
The bad
Once an event is entered, you can not edit the calendar it is on, you'll have to delete the entry completely and redo it
If you don't use last names for people in calendar entries and meetings, Tempo may import wrong contacts into events
No iPad support
Imported alerts sometimes show up funny, sometimes as a negative amount of minutes
The bottom line
Overall, Tempo is off to a nice start and really does function as somewhat of a personal assistant. I've been adding entries and viewing my calendar in it for a few days now and it does seem to get smarter the more you use it.
For people who travel frequently and want one app to rule them all for sorting calendars, getting driving directions, and viewing information on a client or contact, Tempo can do it all. While certain calendar views could use some improving upon, I have a feeling the app will only get better over time. For the most part, it's off to a pretty great start.
Editor?s Note: Nir Eyal writes about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business at NirAndFar.com. Follow him @nireyal. Recently, MessageMe announced it had grown to 1 million users in a little over a week’s time. The revelation captured the attention of envious app makers throughout Silicon Valley, all of whom are searching for the secrets of customer acquisition like it’s the fountain of youth. “Growth hacking” has become the latest buzzword, as investors like Paul Graham profess it’s functionally that matters. Clearly, everyone wants growth. To someone creating a new technology, nothing feels better than people actually using what you’ve built and telling their friends. Growth feels validating. It tells everyone the company is doing things right. At least that’s what we want to believe. Good Growth, Bad Growth Sometimes viral loops drive growth, because the product is truly awesome, while in other cases growth occurs for, well, different reasons. As an example of good growth, it’s hard to top PayPal’s viral success in the late 90s. PayPal knew that once users started sending money to each other, mostly for stuff bought on eBay, they would infect one another. The allure that someone just “sent you money” was a huge incentive to register. PayPal nailed virality. Both sides of the transaction benefited from utilizing the platform and a classic network-effects business was born. In order for users to get what they wanted, they had to open an account and the product spread because it was useful and viral. However, sometimes viral loops are less about the customer?s interests and more about short-term greed. When the product maker intentionally tricks users into inviting friends or blasting social networks, they may see growth, but it comes at the expense of goodwill and trust. When people discover they’ve been tricked, they vent their hatred and stop using the product. Unfortunately, we’ve all encountered the ways companies drive growth in deceptive ways known as “dark patterns.” Viral Oops Good and bad growth is relatively easy to identify. What is harder to decipher is the gray zone in between. A “viral oops” occurs when users unintentionally invite others, but when they look back on what happened, they blame themselves, not the app. When MessageMe pre-selects everyone in my contact list as a default, I’m likely to think that only those who are un-checked will be invited. However, the opposite is true. With two taps, my
Sometimes you just need to blow off some steam and what better way to do that than with some energetic play? Feel free to talk about anything you want (and don't forget to bob and weave) in this week's open thread. 
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Public release date: 28-Mar-2013
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