Monday, December 31, 2012

'Django' expresses an anger not every filmmaker can show: Jarvis ...

In "Django Unchained," an enslaved man has declared he won't participate in fights to the death anymore. He is being rewarded for his refusal by being mauled to death by dogs. A German visitor, ostensibly on the Mississippi plantation to purchase a so-called Mandingo fighter, is visibly sickened at the spectacle, to the great amusement of the plantation's master. He turns to Django, the unflinching black man who is pretending to help the German scout the best black fighters, and tells him his boss doesn't look so good. Django agrees. His boss, he says, "ain't as used to Americans as I am."

If you've tapped into social media, you may have noticed the spirited debate over the movie. Much of the debate has been driven by black people who think that director Quentin Tarantino is dishonoring black culture with this movie about a black man killing slavers to rescue his enslaved wife. But chattel slavery isn't black culture. And if black folks own it as such, then we really have been bamboozled. The dehumanizing brutality was visited upon our African ancestors, but its character was American, through and through. If that wasn't understood before, it becomes an unavoidable conclusion once Django, played by Jamie Foxx, describes the killing of the black man for kicks as typical Americana.

We may tell ourselves that America came into being because of its high-minded ideas - liberty, justice, the pursuit of happiness - but really, doesn't it all come down to violence, the triumph of the people with the guns? People indigenous to this land were declared savages and wiped out by Europeans. Those same Europeans brought in other human beings from Africa. There have been a good number of movies about American slavery, and a whole genre of movies about white folks' violent expansion into the West. "Django" is a Western set in the South. It's a bang-bang-shoot-'em-up with a black man playing something other than a hero doomed to die.

That doesn't mean Tarantino should be swept up into the NAACP. He has said some ridiculous things in support of "Django." For example, he says that "Roots," the 1977 mini-series that begins with Kunta Kinte's capture in The Gambia, rings false to him. Thus he implies that "Django," with an angry black protagonist who walks through master's front door and eats at master's table, is truer in its character depictions and its storytelling.

It's ironic that a man who makes a movie about white people lording their power over black people seems unaware that he has privileges in 2012 that writer Alex Haley did not have in 1977, privileges that Haley probably wouldn't have today. Haley originally called his manuscript "Before This Anger." That's telling, isn't it? If "Roots" is less angry than Tarantino thinks it ought to be, maybe that's because watering down the anger - indeed, changing the title to excise that word - was the only way to get Haley's story out.

A white dean on my campus said she wouldn't see the 1997 movie "Rosewood" because white friends had been unnerved by black moviegoers cheering a white man's death. That movie, directed by John Singleton, was inspired by the real-life attack by a racist lynch mob on the mostly black town of Rosewood, Fla. The black people fought back. I knew the scene the dean was describing, and I told her, "But he was the bad guy." He was shot off his horse as he was galloping and taking aim at two innocent children. If her friends had gotten that far into "Rosewood" and didn't rejoice at the sight of a would-be lyncher being shot to hell, what was the point of their going to that movie?

"Django" is fun to watch. At times, it's embarrassingly fun to watch. That said, I don't know if its depiction of slavers being bullwhipped, shot and blown up - there's even a scene where the missus gets her due - is being better received because more time has passed or because this revenge fantasy sprung from somewhere other than a black person's head. I suspect that much of the anger at Tarantino is not about the film he made but at a Hollywood establishment that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for black writers and filmmakers to do the same.

Jarvis DeBerry can be reached at jdeberry@nola.com or 504.826.3355. Follow him at http://connect.nola.com/user/jdeberry/posts.html and twitter.com/jarvisdeberrytp.

Source: http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2012/12/django_expresses_an_anger_not.html

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How To Recover Deleted Photos: Software Is The Key Ingredient For ...


Taking photographs is actually a pastime or perhaps an activity that has taken the attention of untold numbers of people around the globe. While many individuals learn photography and invest in training courses and instruments, intending to use them commercially for a lucrative career of taking photos, others additionally realized to be specific in their personal choice of cameras and would enroll in a number of instructional classes and seminars for them to take even better pictures of special events and certain subjects-even when they only wish to have fun with their photographs for their own use and share them with friends on the internet or in photo albums.

With the huge number of folks bringing along with them cameras in birthday celebrations, concerts, family vacation trips, or maybe even during a regular walk in the park or perhaps a quiet dinner with their husband or wife at a brand-new restaurant, it is typically expected that dozens or many hundreds of pictures are kept in the camera's memory card and also in phones, computers, and other devices. Instead of promptly looking through the images, choosing which ones to keep and which to get rid of, and printing the selected photos immediately after the event, it is more likely that a person would leave the image files un-tampered with in the camera or electronic device for a long time, with new photographs being added with every single new photo opportunity that comes up. There's a serious chance that a photo could become deleted, and without any actual physical printout, the photo of an unforgettable event may be gone forever. It's important to be aware of a way to recover deleted photos and prevent the loss of irreplaceable memories from happening.

Photography lovers will be delighted to find out that they may make use of available innovative software program to retrieve deleted photos easily. Deleted photos in data formats such as TIFF, JPEG, CRW, BMP, RAW, and NEF, deleted movie and music in MPEG, AVI, MOV, and WAV filetypes, and deleted images from reformatted memory cards, cameras, USB memory sticks, SD cards, PC disk drives can all be very easily recovered by means of exceptional software designed especially for this objective.

As a way for this software to function more effectively and to increase the likelihood of retrieving an unintentionally deleted image file, the most important thing to do is to actually refrain from storing any more new photo files onto the memory card or device. Deleted files still retain a small amount of data which may be utilized to recover the file, but this data will disappear if new data gets written over it. Taking more new photos using the same device or closing and opening applications and web surfing on a computer will cause disk activity which increases the risk of losing the data permanently.

About the Author

Any photography enthusiast will be able to recover deleted photographs from a camera, phone, or computer and preserve memories of special occasions and regular days alike for more and more years into the future.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Kate-Barton/290100




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Source: http://www.articlerich.com/Article/How-To-Recover-Deleted-Photos--Software-Is-The-Key-Ingredient-For-you-to-Retrieve-Deleted-Photos-From-A-Camera/2505309

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Who's Accountable in Mayor Bloomberg's New York?

Mayor Bloomberg loves talking about "accountability." That's what teachers need. It's important, therefore, that we establish parameters that will ensure they are fired for no reason. This, of course, is why we're having conversations about judging teachers by test scores. The methodology is absurd, and does not reflect on how good or bad teachers may be, but at least it will guarantee some of them will lose their jobs.

It's another thing altogether when the fickle finger of fault is pointed toward Mayor Bloomberg. For one thing, he has all that money, and if that's the case, how could anything he does be considered "wrong?" When parents say, in the mayor's own survey, that class size is the most important issue to them, he conflates it with other issues and obfuscates the inconvenient truth with sheer nonsense.

And, when the NYC crime rate goes up, that's not his fault either. The crime rate went up, quite simply, because there are too many Apple devices on the streets, and people just can't keep themselves from swiping them. Apparently, these are otherwise honest, trustworthy citizens, and were it not for the abundance of iPhones on the street, they'd be pursuing one of the many minimum-wage, no-benefit jobs available at the many fast-food franchises that pepper our fair city. According to Mayor Bloomberg's conclusion, they would not be stealing your wallet, your car, your computer (unless it's a Mac), or your big-screen TV. They are driven to theft solely based on that Apple logo.

Oddly, when Mayor Bloomberg closes schools, it's no excuses. You can't say, "Gee, we've got a hundred alternate assessment students no one expected to graduate, and at least we trained them to work a job." That's unacceptable and your school must be closed. And where will those alternate assessment kids go? Well, not to Eva Moskowitz's joint, that's for sure. She doesn't buy into the nonsensical demands that her schools actually represent the population of the neighborhoods into which she's bullied her way. After all, that's how the schools she wants to replace get closed in the first place.

So ask not at whom the finger points, unionized teachers. It points at YOU.

Source: http://nyceducator.com/2012/12/whos-accountable-in-mayor-bloombergs.html

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U.S. plane stuck in Iran for repairs after emergency landing

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The FBI is still searching for one of two convicted bank robbers who escaped last week from a high-rise jail in downtown Chicago by lowering themselves on a makeshift rope nearly 20 stories to the street. Kenneth Conley, 38, and his cellmate, Joseph Jose Banks, 37, escaped from the Metropolitan Correctional Center early on the morning of December 18. The pair apparently broke a window in the cell they shared, squeezed through the opening and lowered themselves to the street. They then hailed a cab to make their getaway. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/small-u-plane-makes-emergency-landing-iran-report-080644202.html

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

South Africa: 7 die during fitness tests

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? South African media say provincial authorities are investigating the deaths of seven job-seekers who collapsed in the heat while undergoing a fitness test for positions as traffic officers.

The chief transport official for KwaZulu-Natal province, Willies Mchunu, has suspended further test in the meantime.

The state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that several tens of thousands of people took the fitness test late last week, even though only 90 jobs were available. They were required to run four kilometers (2.5 miles) in temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), and many collapsed from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Some received hospital treatment.

South Africa's official statistics show that the unemployment rate is 25 percent, an indication why so many were applying for the 90 jobs.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-7-die-during-fitness-tests-120412500.html

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Anglican leader Rowan Williams steps down

LONDON (AP) ? The head of the Church of England is leaving office after a decade as the spiritual leader of the world's 80 million-strong Anglican Communion.

Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, will be replaced by 56-year-old former oil executive Justin Welby, the Bishop of Durham.

The ten years in which the 62-year-old Williams held office saw him struggling to maintain unity within the Anglican Communion amid bitter disagreements over female bishops and church teachings on gay relationships.

Williams has been praised for engaging with church critics and atheists including Richard Dawkins, but he has also raised eyebrows with his opinions on controversial issues including the war in Iraq and Sharia law.

Williams will step down Monday to start a new role as Master of Cambridge University's Magdalene College.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anglican-leader-rowan-williams-steps-down-124335774.html

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Woman charged with "murder as a hate crime" in fatal subway pushing

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A woman suspected of shoving a man to his death in front of an oncoming New York subway train was arrested on Saturday and charged with "second-degree murder as a hate crime" in the second such fatality this month for one of the world's busiest transit systems.

The district attorney for the New York City borough of Queens said Erika Menendez, 31, who was seen pacing the subway platform and muttering to herself before the attack, had told investigators that she pushed the victim, Sunando Sen, 46, on Thursday because "I hate Hindus and Muslims."

Menendez was taken into custody in Brooklyn by authorities acting on a tip from someone who recognized the suspect from video of the incident that was aired on television, a spokeswoman for the district attorney told Reuters.

"The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter's worst nightmare - being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train," District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.

"Beyond that, the hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant's actions can never be tolerated in a civilized society," he said.

The prosecutor's statement quoted Menendez as telling investigators: "I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers I've been beating them up."

Her alleged admission was an apparent reference to the September 11, 2001, attack on Manhattan's World Trade Center by Muslim extremists who flew two hijacked jetliners into the twin towers.

Brown's statement gave no indication of the victim's ethnicity or religion or Menendez might have taken Sen to be a Muslim.

The spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, Meris Campbell, said she did not believe the victim was wearing any clothing that would have led someone to identify him as being a Muslim.

Menendez is awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on a criminal complaint charging her with second-degree murder as a hate crime, an offense that carries a minimum sentence of 20 years to life in prison. The minimum penalty for second-degree murder alone is 15 years to life, Campbell said.

If convicted, Menendez could face a maximum penalty of 25 years to life.

Witnesses told police a woman appeared to be mumbling and pacing Thursday evening before she approached an unsuspecting man from behind on the platform of an elevated station in the borough of Queens.

She then shoved him onto the subway track as the train pulled into the station, witnesses said. Brown said Sen died of multiple blunt-force trauma.

After shoving Sen on Thursday, the suspect ran from the station to the street in a scene caught on surveillance video footage that police released on Friday as they searched for her.

Sen's death was the second this month of a New York subway rider pushed onto the tracks of the city's more than 100-year-old subway system.

On December 3, Ki-Suck Han was killed after being shoved onto subway tracks in Manhattan as a train entered a station near Times Square. A suspect, Naeem Davis, has been charged with second-degree murder. Authorities have disclosed a possible motive.

Including Thursday's incident, 139 people have been struck by New York City subway trains so far in 2012, and 54 of them died, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman said on Friday. He said the tally was preliminary and subject to change.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins, Brendan O'Brien and Dan Burns; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Peter Cooney and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-charged-murder-hate-crime-fatal-subway-pushing-005352488.html

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2012?s Top 10: China?s Most Popular DIY Projects Of The Year

By Herman Lai, posted Dec 29, 2012 at 12:07 PM, 94 views,

2012?s Top 10: China?s Most Popular DIY Projects Of The Year
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This is our first year of creating a round up post to share our favorite Do-It-Yourself stories. A lot amazing DIY projects were seen from China this year, such as the homemade Lamborghini from villagers and the mini submarine. We also had a touching story on how a Chinese old man build himself a pair of bionic arms after losing both of his hands in an explosion. So, here we go, the top ten list of the most popular DIY project of 2012!


1. Turn Old Hard Disk Into Candy Floss Machine

What else could you do with a hard disk except storing and retrieving data? A Chinese engineer has an answer for it ? turn it to be a candy floss machine. Other than a working hard disk, this creation also needs components like a round flat metal tin, six bicycle spokes, an aluminum can and a plastic basin in order to get it running. The key to the improvised cotton candy maker is the hard drive?s rotating platter. Most commercial cotton candy machines spin at around 3,450 rotations per minute, while modern hard drives operate at 5,400 rotations per minute or higher.


2. A Motorized Iron Man Helmet With Glowing Eyes

A year after the ZTE employee invented an ultra-realistic Iron Man Mark I suit with LED bulbs, he bought us an awesomely cool Iron Man Mark III?s helmet with motorized faceplate and a pair of glowing eyes this year. The maker also managed to make a video sharing how he mould, sculpt, colorize, polish and compose the faceplate. Take a look at it above.


3. Plastic Surgery For Old iPhone 4/4S

Plastic surgery is not barely for humans. It also applies on our iPhone as well, thanks to this Chinese dude. He posted a detail tutorial on the internet to show how he breaks and reconstructs his iPhone in six steps to change it looks like Motorola XT390. I guess the outcome does not have to be Motorola XT390, it just depends how you want it.


4. Homemade Lamborghini To Deliver Fertilizer

Many of us dream of owning our very own supercar, so do this young villager in Suqian of East China?s Jiangsu Province. He has showed the world how to make it a reality after spending 60,000 yuan (US$9,445) to construct this life-size replica model of the classic ?1million Lamborghini. The Chinese replica was constructed from sheets of metal and engine parts recycled from an old Nissan van and Volkswagen sedan. It?s fully operational and can reach a top speed of 160mph. He usually drives this unique vehicle through his village to carry chemical fertilizer during the harvest season, and that?s his goal.


5. Chinese Man Builds Himself Bionic Hands After Losing Both

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Nearly a decade ago, a 51-year-old Chinese man who named Sun Jifa lost both hands when he was building a bomb for blast fishing. Sun desperately needed the use of his hands to work on the family farm. So instead of feeling discouraged when he realized he couldn?t afford the hospital?s prosthetic limbs, he built his own bionic arms. With 8 years rigorous efforts, he finally developed a working model that allows him to grip, hold, and mimic other necessary movements thanks to a system of pulleys and wires inside the shell. Sun also decided to improve the design and built it for other similarly disabled people. We respect this man, and admire his will and tenacity.


6. Laid-off Chinese Factory Worker Builds A Mini Submarine For Sale

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A Chinese worker from Central China has begun to build a submarine in a makeshift workshop since being laid off from a textile machine factory job years ago. The man has spent roughly three million yuan (US$400 thousand) to get this business running, and it now has over 10 workers in his factory assembling mini submarines that can do simple underwater work, such as grabbing and lifting, emergency oxygen reserves as well as an underwater video camera for monitoring. Each sub can fit two people, capable of dive up to 30 meteres and travels at a speed of 20 km/h for 10 hours. Due to the lack of fund, the factory can only build one unit each month. The price for the DIY built submarine is at 200,000 yuan (US$31,621) each, and he has already received three orders this year.


7. Chinese Farmer Made His Own Tsunami Proof Survival Pods

We now all know the ancient Mayan-predicted apocalypse was not true, we?re still alive, and we don?t need this Noah?s Ark yet. But still, natural disasters will not come to an end. A former Chinese farmer and furniture maker made an anti-disaster sphere, and obviously, it?s designed to withstand devastating earthquake and towering tsunamis. It is made by fiberglass casing over a stell frame and other elements with a total cost of US$280,000. The survival pods are equipped with oxygen tanks, food and water supplies and it?s able to carry 14 people at a time. Will we see this kind of pods place around the global to protect us from natural disaster in the future?


8. This Water-Propelled Jetpack Is What You Need For Your Next Summer Holiday

Man?s fascination with finding new ways to travel on the open ocean never ceases to end. A father and son, living in Haining city, Zhejiang province, have invented a water-propelled jetpack that is little closer to the dream of flying hovercrafts. The contraption operates by using basic Newton principles, sucking water through a hose which then propels the rider onwards and upwards at a distance of 30m. Cool stuffs, huh?


9. Chinese Stretched Limo, But For a Totally Different Purpose

If you have been to a ball, function or other special occasions, you probably have an idea of what Limo is. Some migrant workers over in China made something similar to a Limo but for a different purpose. The creation was made to transport an electricity pole from one place to another without hiring a truck. As showed in the video, they attached the motor of a tractor to one end of the pole, and lay it across a modified three-wheel wagon-bed that allow to seat for ten people. Insane.


10. Sofa Car

Alright. Here?s the finally one and probably the most stupid and funny one ? a man with a moving sofa on the road in China. Do you like this idea? Maybe you can build a longer one with your couch, so it can drive all your family members on a comfortable road trip.


Other popular nominees are listed below:

1. Chinese Farmer Builds DIY ?Wind-Powered? Electric Car
2. Chinese Homemade Autobot That Can Transform Like Transformers
3. A DIY Washing Machine That Clean Your Underwear In 40 Seconds
4. DIY-Made Auto Street Sweeper Equips With Rotating Brooms
5. How A Chinese Farmer Builds His Own Airplane Which Cannot Fly


This is our first year of bring lots of Do-It-Yourself news to share with you guys, and these are some of our top picks. Hope you like it and we will continue to bring you more interesting DIY projects in 2013! Did any of them above inspire you? We?re waiting for your comments.


Been under a rock? See what else happened this year in our Best of 2012 series. Meanwhile, feel free to look back our Best of 2011 series.


TAGS: Everything Else, 2012 Roundup, auto, autobot, bathtub, car, cockpit, Culture:China, DIY, homemade, machine, motorbike, photos, transport, vehicle, video, videos, water

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/micgadget/~3/nl8p4TKXahU/

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Members of a local church are doing their best to provide for kids after a car a...


Members of a local church are doing their best to provide for kids after a car accident killed their mother and grandmother. They believe it's the best way to remember a woman who loved her three children.

Police said a drunken driver hit an SUV on Wednesday with Jennifer Hunt, her mother Marie Crook, and Hunt's two young daughters inside. Crook and Hunt died. The children are expected to be OK.

Read the full story: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/church-members-help-kids-after-mother-killed-car-a/nThSQ/

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=460846620618700&set=a.116581068378592.7728.114787771891255&type=1

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In Pursuit of The Purple Onion | Filmmaker Magazine

When I was a doorman at San Francisco?s Punchline and Cobbs comedy clubs, I never would?ve thought that three years later, I?d be making my first feature film about a comedian.

I went to film school in Poland, from where my parents emigrated. While there, I made several short films, which went on to play at international film festivals in France, Albania, Poland, and the U.S. Before I went to Poland, while working with my father in China, I passed on his proposal to expand his furniture-making empire, as he called it, in order to pursue filmmaking.

Eventually, back in San Francisco, I worked as a video producer, editor, and creative director. I worked at CBS Interactive, a creative media agency called MKSHFT, and I directed and shot music videos for local bands. While the work was sometimes challenging and creative, I needed something more personal and fulfilling; most of all I wanted to tell stories.

Police departments offer ride-alongs so civilians can get to experience on-duty patrol alongside officers. I did something similar, albeit less dangerous, with comedian Edwin Li. I went along as he performed on stage at various comedy venues in and around San Francisco. Sometimes we?d go to a handful of spots in one night where he?d perform only for a few minutes. I?d see many eager comedians perform this way; in cramped and poorly lit, inconvenient settings.

Comedians often make us laugh by comically highlighting their traumatic experiences, their moments of weakness. This is therapeutic not only for the comedian on stage but also for the audience. When listening to other people?s problems, our own troubles are made more proportional and relative. By laughing at the expense of a stranger?s suffering, human folly becomes less traumatic; it becomes entertainment, which allows us to better cope with our own problems. This is comedy. A fine, wavy line separates this from drama. These are some of the ideas we are tackling in our first feature film.

The Purple Onion, named after the recently closed historic San Francisco comedy venue, tells the tale of a most unfortunate and downtrodden amateur comedian ? a sad clown of a character. All our comedian wants to do is perform in front of an audience. Unfortunately, for various reasons, people and society at large prevent him from getting on stage. To add to his troubles, our comedian?s mother; down-on-her-luck after a foreclosure, moves into his tiny apartment. In a short time, she becomes the target for our comedian?s frustrations. Their mutual troubled past becomes an even greater source of conflict. It?s not a story about winning or success; it?s about striving for a vision, about the things that motivate us and the relationships that give us strength. We aim for tragedy and comedy. With this story we wish to evoke a wide range of emotions from the audience ? from revulsion, sadness and fear to joy, sympathy and hope.

Development on the film has progressed steadily as we?ve been building our team and garnering recognition. The project has received Fiscal Sponsorship and Development Support from the San Francisco Film Society. I?ve teamed up with cinematographer Bartosz Nalazek, with whom I studied at the National Polish Film school. Bartosz has worked on Spielberg?s War Horse and Lincoln as cinematographer Janusz Kaminski?s assistant. Our other lead, acclaimed Chinese actress Kechun Li, has twice been nominated for the Chinese Academy Award and the Chinese Golden Globes. Last year I was invited to the Berlinale Talent Campus where The Purple Onion was shortlisted for their Talent Project Market. I attended the MacDowell Artist?s Colony where I finished the script for The Purple Onion, which went on to become a finalist for the Sundance Screenwriter?s Lab. Not to mention, we?ve got a solid team of friends, supporters and producers.

As of August, I?m also a part-time associate instructor at the School of Digital Film in San Francisco. I tell my students that when you make a film you actually make four films: the idea itself is one film, the script is another, while shooting is yet another, and then there?s the film that you actually edit together. At each step you come to terms with what you have to work with and you let go of what you thought it would be. You have to trust the process. We began this process nearly two years ago and now The Purple Onion is scheduled to shoot in spring.

We?ve delved into the world of crowdfunding in order to raise our initial production budget of $30,000. We have until midnight on January 6th, to do this. As first-time feature filmmakers, we?re eager to embark on this adventure, and we want to share our story with you, entertain you, and mostly, give you a reason to laugh.

The Purple Onion Crowdfunding Campaign

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Source: http://filmmakermagazine.com/61404-in-pursuit-of-the-purple-onion/

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Our Year In Dating As Told In GIFs

Winona, Julie and Rachel spent much or all of the year in serious relationships, but Ami, Jessica and I were on the prowl. Here?s what the 2012 dating scene was like for us single Frisky ladies?


When a guy on OKCupid wanted to exchange numbers and I suggested email addresses instead and he was like, ?I don?t do email.?


When he told me I embarrassed him in front of his friends when I kissed him on the cheek and held his hand.


When he sent me a text message saying, ?I just can?t do this.?


When the best compliment he could come up with was ?Your eyes are ominous.?


When he made fun of my bike on our second date.


When he kissed me for the first time in the subway station.


When he told me he was taking me to trapeze school for our second date.


When he said he wanted to stay in bed longer to sniff my pillow.


When he messaged me with his phone number and said, ?Text me sometime if you want to hang out.?


When he asked if I wanted to come back to his place after he acted like a dick on our second date.


When I found out that the hot British guy who writes me dirty emails lives in Paris AND does not want a relationship right now.


When he squeezed my butt while walking up a flight of stairs and I yelled at him for doing that in public, but secretly was kind of turned on.


When we had an amazing conversation on the first date and then I never heard from him again.


When I?m at Toys In Babeland and I find myself a BOB (battery operated boyfriend)?


When the guy I was sleeping with told me he didn?t want to have sex with me anymore because he liked me too much as a person.


When I excused myself to go to the bathroom and my date, who I just met 30 minutes prior, followed me, thinking I wanted to make out.


Whenever the guy I was banging suggested we break out the full-length mirror.


What I was really thinking when my mom asked what I was looking for in a man.


Every time I sat at a bar, waiting for a date to arrive, annoyed that he was late.


When I Get The OKCupid Alert, ?Someone Chose You!?


When a guy is?32, but according to his online dating profile, is looking for a woman who isn?t older than 29.

Source: http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-12-28/our-year-in-dating-as-told-in-gifs/

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Apple still said to account for 87% of North American tablet traffic as Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 gain

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A homeless woman was in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after a man doused her with liquid accelerant and set her on fire as she slept on a bus bench, police said on Thursday. Officers arrested Dennis Petillo, 24, in connection with the early morning attack, and he has been booked in jail on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. The woman, whose name has not been released, was being treated at a local hospital with burns all over her body, said Los Angeles police Lieutenant Damian Gutierrez. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-still-said-account-87-north-american-tablet-171041905.html

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Friday, December 28, 2012

Courts: Truckers' breaks covered by federal?not California?law ...

by Michael Nader, Esq., Ogletree Deakins, San Francisco

In a significant decision for transportation companies operating in California, a federal district court judge recently dismissed several class-action claims brought by truck drivers who alleged meal and rest break violations under California law.

In Cole v. CRST, Inc. (No. WL-4479237, CD CA, 2012), Judge Virginia A. Phillips decided that based on the pleadings alone, the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (49 U.S.C. ? 14501(c)(1)), pre-empts meal period and rest break claims brought by driver-employees against CRST, a trucking company that operates in California.

Federal law, state cases

Congress enacted the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA) in 1994. Part of the law prohibits states from enacting or enforcing laws related to the prices, routes or services (the system for picking up, sorting and carrying goods) of a motor carrier w...(register to read more)

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Smith's baseline jumper at buzzer beats Suns 99-97

New York Knicks' Jason Kidd (5) celebrates with teammate J.R. Smith after Smith hit a game-winning basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, in Phoenix. The Knicks won 99-97. (AP Photo/Matt York)

New York Knicks' Jason Kidd (5) celebrates with teammate J.R. Smith after Smith hit a game-winning basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, in Phoenix. The Knicks won 99-97. (AP Photo/Matt York)

New York Knicks' J.R. Smith (9) shoots the game-winning shot over Phoenix Suns' P.J. Tucker (17) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, in Phoenix. The Knicks won 99-97. (AP Photo/Matt York)

New York Knicks' J.R. Smith dunks against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

New York Knicks' Steve Novak, left, and Phoenix Suns' Goran Dragic (1), of Slovenia, chase down a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

New York Knicks' Pablo Prigioni (9), of Argentina, drives against Phoenix Suns' Goran Dragic (1), of Slovenia, during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP) ? Without Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton, the New York Knicks still had enough to eke out a 99-97 victory in Phoenix, thanks to a pair of very late, very tough jumpers by J.R. Smith.

The first was a 15-foot, fadeaway shot from just inside the key to tie it with 10.6 seconds left, the second a 21-footer from the baseline at the buzzer.

"I don't know whatever words you want to use but he loves that moment," Knicks guard Jason Kidd said. "I'm trying to figure out if that last shot was tougher than the one before that he took."

The game-winner came on an inbound pass from Kidd after the Suns turned it over with a second to play.

"It was premeditated," Smith said. "I was walking around the court going, 'You are going to make it, you are going to make it.' I was trying to get my form ready before I even thought about taking it. I was trying to go through my mechanics in my head, get my shoulders square to the basket and just let it fly."

Jared Dudley had a career-high 36 for Phoenix, including two free throws that put the Suns ahead 97-95 with 34.5 seconds to go.

New York was without the NBA's No. 2 scorer in Anthony (hyperextended knee) and Felton (finger), both hurt in the Christmas day loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles.

The Knicks said X-rays on Felton's right fifth finger revealed a fracture and the next course of action will be determined after his return to New York.

"We just have to go back and assess it and see where we are and go from there, but again, like I said, injuries occur," New York coach Mike Woodson said. "Key guys get banged up here and there and we have enough guys on our team that guys just got to step up and play until guys get back. That's how it's got to be."

The Suns lost Goran Dragic in the final seconds of the first half when he was undercut by Smith on a layup attempt and fell hard to the floor. Dragic had bruises to his hip, back and wrist. Smith was called for a flagrant foul on the play.

Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry knew there was no intent to injure on Smith's part.

"J.R., he's not that kind of player," Gentry said. "He plays hard and he competes like crazy. It was an accident. It was one of those things that happens."

Chris Copeland and Tyson Chandler added 14 points apiece for the Knicks.

Dudley, whose previous high was 33, was 11 of 17 shooting, 5 of 8 on 3s, and 9 of 9 at the foul line. Marcin Gortat added 13 points for the Suns, who lost their third in a row.

New York led 54-44 at the half and stretched it to 68-54 when Smith made a fadeaway, falling-down 19-footer with 7:13 left in the third. Dudley responded with a 3-pointer and the Suns were off on a 20-4 outburst.

Another 3 by Dudley tied it at 72 with 2:10 to go, and Shannon Brown, who made just one of his first seven shots, scored on a fast-break layup to put Phoenix ahead 74-72 with 1:23 left in the quarter.

It was knotted at 76 entering the fourth.

Dudley was fouled by Copeland on a 3-point try and made all three free throws to put Phoenix up 90-86 with 5:19 left, but Smith scored the next four, Kidd sank a 3 and Copeland made a 21-footer in a 9-0 spurt that had the Knicks up 95-90 with 3:34 left.

After a scoreless 1:28, Sebastian Telfair made a 3, then Brown sank a 20-footer to tie it at 95 with 1:15 remaining.

Smith missed a jumper from the top of the key 52 seconds from the finish and the Suns got the ball. Dudley was fouled on a drive to the hoop and made both free throws to make it 97-95.

But Smith, with P.J. Tucker all over him, sank a fadeaway from just outside the free throw line to tie.

Gentry called a 20-second timeout but the play broke down and, when Telfair tried to hit Gortat for a back-door layup, the ball was knocked back into the backcourt by Kidd. Telfair chased it down but wound up stepping out of bounds with a second on the clock.

After a timeout, Kidd tossed the pass to Smith, who got the shot off, again over Tucker, from just inside the 3-point line. It went in and he was mobbed by his teammates.

"It happened so fast and obviously you want to keep it for the last shot and live with that," Dudley said, "but you give them one second and J.R. with the big shot."

NOTES: The Knicks complete their three-game trip west at Sacramento on Friday. ... New York has lost two in a row only once this season. ... Michael Beasley, a big part of the second-half surge, missed Sunday's home loss to the Clippers due to illness. ... The 36 points were the most by a Suns player in two seasons. ... Kidd also had eight assists and six rebounds. ... New York also was without Rasheed Wallace with a sore left foot. .... It was the first time the team had been without Anthony and Felton in the same game. .... The Knicks are 3-2 without Anthony.

___

Follow Bob Baum at www.twitter.com/Thebaumerphx

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-27-Knicks-Suns/id-4f33577b617142d5bf26818e944bc8f8

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Job Announcement: Special Education Graduate Programs ...

Position Description?link.?Please help us get the word out about this opening in our Special Education graduate programs!?The Division of Special Education at Western Oregon University seeks qualified applicants for a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track Associate Professor and 12-month appointment as Division Chair. The Division Chair term is three years and rotates among the faculty. The WOU academic year is based on quarters.

PRIMARY TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES

Primary teaching responsibilities are in the Special Education graduate programs. Summer teaching opportunities may be available. The Special Education Programs include a Master of Science in Education: Special Education, an Early Intervention/Special Education I and II endorsement program, and a Special Educator I Endorsement and Special Educator II License. The program is especially interested in recruiting a faculty member with expertise in?teaching methods for low incidence disabilities (e.g., medical aspects, managing communication systems, transition) as well as?on-line program development.

CHAIR RESPONSIBILITIES

The Special Education Division is a multidisciplinary division with ten tenured/tenure track faculty and approximately twenty NTT faculty offering four graduate programs, two undergraduate programs, two minors, and two certificates. These programs include:

  • MS: Education in Special Education
  • MA in Interpreting Studies
  • MA in Rehabilitation Counselor Education
  • BA in American Sign Language Studies
  • BA/BS in American Sign Language/English Interpreting
  • American Sign Language Minor
  • Special Education/Rehabilitation Counseling Minor
  • Rehabilitation Counseling with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults Certificate
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate

Additionally, three full years of American Sign Language courses are offered in the Division, and all but one of the faculty teaching these courses is Deaf. Approximately 250 undergraduate students take ASL each year. The courses can be used to fulfill the foreign language requirement for BA degrees.

The Chair is expected to foster excellence in teaching, scholarship, and outreach for Division faculty, staff, and students; support faculty to expand their programs; and to work collaboratively in establishing future directions for the Division and program innovations. For example, the Division is currently seeking to reopen its Deaf and Hard of Hearing Educator program, which has been on hiatus since 2008. The Division Chair would play a key role in efforts to gain approval and to implement the revised program.

DSE faculty, staff and alumni were among 30,000 who took part in the annual Shamrock Run in Portland, which benefitted Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

DSE faculty, staff and alumni were among 30,000 who took part in the annual Shamrock Run in Portland, which benefitted Doernbecher Children?s Hospital.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

You can find out more information about the Division of Special Education by going to?http://www.wou.edu/education/sped/index.php. You?ll find links to the programs there, as well as information on faculty activities and news of special events. ?WOU is home to other exciting?programs that support professional development in working with individuals with disabilities including the Regional Resource Center on Deafness?www.wou.edu/rrcd, Teaching Research Institute?www.wou.edu/tri?, and the Center on Sensory Disabilities?www.wou.edu/tri/sensory.

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Source: http://cherylddavis.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/job-announcement-special-education-graduate-programs-associate-professordivision-of-special-education-chair/

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5 Concerns For Small Businesses In 2013

NEW YORK ? In 2013, small business owners will contend with many of the same issues that made it hard to run their companies over the last 12 months.

They're also heading into the new year with a lot of uncertainty. It's unlikely that negotiations in Congress will resolve all of lawmakers' disagreements over tax and budget issues that affect small businesses. And there are still many questions about the implications of the health care law for small companies.

That points to continued caution ? and perhaps slow hiring ? among the nation's small companies.

"Uncertainty is the bane of every small business," says Scott Shane, a professor of entrepreneurship at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management in Cleveland. "Their only rational response is to pull in their horns and slow down."

Small businesses aren't likely to get much encouragement from the economy. It's expected to grow by no more than 3 percent in 2013, according to the Federal Reserve. That's a moderate pace, better than the 1.7 percent that the economy grew during the first three quarters of 2012. But it's also far from robust.

Here's a look at some of the issues facing small businesses in the coming year:

TAXES

Lawmakers are still haggling over what's called the fiscal cliff, the combination of billions of dollars in tax increases and budget cuts. Even if Congress reaches an agreement, small business owners won't have the certainty they need, according to Todd McCracken, president of the National Small Business Association, a group that lobbies on behalf of small companies.

"It almost surely won't be comprehensive enough that we won't be revisiting it next year," McCracken says. He's concerned that there'll be another fiscal cliff in six months ? which would mean more negotiations and more uncertainty.

Many small business owners are worried about their personal tax rates. Sole proprietors, partners and owners of what are called S corporations, all report the income from their businesses on their individual Form 1040 returns. That means their companies are in effect taxed at personal rates, which can be higher than corporate rates.

One of the most important tax provisions for small businesses, what's known as the Section 179 deduction, will shrink to $25,000 next year from $125,000 in 2012. The deduction, which applies to equipment purchases, was $500,000 in 2011. Congress can increase the deduction at any time, even after 2013 has begun. But for the time being, business owners can't count on getting a big break.

"It's a huge change for companies planning on making investments," McCracken says.

It's not known if Congress will extend the 2 percentage point payroll tax cut that workers have had for two years. If it doesn't, consumers will have less money in their paychecks to spend, and that is likely to affect retailers and any other small businesses that sell directly to the public.

HEALTH CARE

Health care has been another source of uncertainty for small business owners. The new year will bring some, but probably not all, of the answers to questions about how the new health care law will affect them. Many will have to devote some time to understanding the law ? or hire someone to help them do it.

"They'll have to get their arms around the law, look at their options, learn more about the exchanges," says John Arensmeyer, CEO of Small Business Majority, a lobbying group.

Under the law, companies with 50 or more employees will be required to provide affordable health care insurance for their employees starting Jan. 1, 2014. During 2013, federal and state health insurance exchanges will be set up, and owners will be able to see how much it will cost them to buy insurance. As the year begins, however, many small business owners don't know whether their states will be creating exchanges, or whether they'll have to go into the national system ? and they don't know what that will mean for their costs.

For some owners, that information will help them decide whether they will buy insurance, or whether they'll decide it's cheaper to not provide coverage and just pay the government a $2,000-per-employee fine. For those who have close to 50 workers, they may decide to not hire more workers in order to remain outside the law's jurisdiction.

LENDING

Don't look for the small business lending climate to get easier in 2013. Owners who are uneasy about the economy, taxes and health care aren't expected to significantly increase their borrowing, especially as many have been paying down debt since the recession. But even those who are ready to borrow are expected to find it's still hard to get a loan. Bankers are unlikely to be more liberal in their lending policies.

Depressed lending levels may be with us well beyond 2013, says James Schrager, a professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

The problem isn't just that banks are cautious about small business loans. Schrager notes that home equity loans, a traditional source of money for people starting or expanding a business, remain difficult to get, the result of the collapse in the mortgage market in 2008.

Small Business Majority's Arensmeyer is hopeful that a bill introduced in Congress this year to allow credit unions to make more loans to small businesses will get more traction when the new Congress convenes. That bill would more than double the amount of total assets that credit unions can use to lend to small businesses to 27.5 percent.

But he's also not expecting major changes in lending next year.

"Sadly, I don't think we're going to increase our access to capital overnight," he says.

ONSHORING

A trend that's expected to gain speed in 2013 is what's calling onshoring. That's the term for manufacturing that had been done overseas, and that's now taking place back in U.S. factories. Apple Inc. earlier this month said it would move production of some of its Mac computers to the U.S. from China next year ? but many small businesses have already been making the switch. While Apple is an example of a big company moving in this direction, the majority of U.S. manufacturers are small businesses.

There are several reasons behind the trend. As China becomes more of a middle-class country, wages for its workers are rising, and that is lessening some of the appeal of manufacturing there for U.S. companies, says Steven Kaplan, a professor of entrepreneurship and finance at Chicago's Booth School. Over the past two decades, it was the cheaper labor in China that prompted businesses of all sizes to have everything from computers to clothes to food ingredients made in China.

The rising cost of fuel, which has made transporting goods more expensive, is another factor in onshoring.

"Manufacturing in the U.S. is relatively more attractive than it has been in 20 years," Kaplan says.

SKILLED WORKER SHORTAGE

While companies' caution has weighed on the job market, many company owners who actually want to hire say it's hard to find workers to fill some positions.

It's becoming more difficult to find people who have the skills they need, these owners say. Many new manufacturing jobs require high-tech skills. They include positions at factories where computers are used to create products like airplane parts and machinery. And some require several years of training, says Shane, the Case Western Reserve professor. For example: A company that makes metal molds which are in turn used to create automobile dashboards. That takes a machinist who knows cutting-edge processes to make the molds.

"You cannot take someone off the street to do it," Shane says.

Because of changing technology, owners are struggling to find qualified workers in 2013.

"There's a whole level of work that's going to require skills that weren't needed in traditional jobs," says Arensmeyer. He notes that community colleges around the country are offering courses that will help train workers to fill these jobs. But training takes time, and the demand for jobs may continue to outstrip the supply of qualified workers.

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November/December Personal Finance Newsletter | Keener ...

December 26, 2012 by Jean Keener, CFP, CRPC, CFDS?

The November/December Personal Finance Newsletter is now available. ?It includes information on the 2013 retirement plan limits and an update on investment market performance. ?There are also two articles relevant to the fiscal cliff negotiations ? a review of the considerations in harvesting long term capital gains and a discussion of the special dividend payments many companies are making this year. ? In addition, the 2013 schedule for Keller free retirement planning workshops is listed, and an article on giving wisely to charity. ?Please click here to read the newsletter.

Filed under: Featured Posts, Investing, Legislative Changes, Living Well, News, Newsletters, Retirement, Taxes, Your Finances
Tagged: charitable giving, Investing, Retirement, Taxes

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5 stores with great return policies

12 hrs.

What makes a great return policy?

Enough time to get that mistake back to the store? Recouping your money without having to dig through a pile of receipts? Receiving that return in whatever form is most convenient for you? And, if you're buying online, how about free return shipping?

These days, with a lot of merchants, you have to pick and choose which points are most important to you. When it comes to returns, very few retailers offer it all.

Some stores might give a full return within a certain window of time -- but you need a real receipt, not a gift receipt. Others have a very short time window but might not require much paperwork. And some are lenient on time but might limit you to a store gift card.

Don't forget that rules can also change depending on what you bought or how you paid for it. And a handful of stores also assess those pesky restocking fees.

It's enough to make even a veteran shopper dizzy.

During the holidays though, many of the major retailers will offer more liberal return policies, says Teri Gault, co-author of "Shop Smart, Save More."

Here, in no particular order, are five stores that are earning a reputation for making returns easy.

Nordstrom
The return policy is that there is no return policy, says Colin Johnson, spokesman for Nordstrom. "You won't find one posted at the cash register or on your receipt. We're just going to stand behind our merchandise. The bottom line is that we work with the customer."

The highlights to this kind of thinking for a consumer are that there's no time limit, no receipt required and no paperwork. And you get treated the same whether you have a gift receipt or purchase receipt.

If you bought online from Nordstrom.com, the store provides free return shipping, he says. Or you can take the item back to a local store.

"The way it works is we ask our people in the stores to use good judgment," Johnson says. "The ultimate objective is taking care of the customer. It really depends on the situation. You really can't have a rule book that takes into account every scenario."

The chain's discount store, Nordstrom Rack, operates a little differently with respect to returns because items come from closeouts and special purchases, says Johnson. There, you'll have 30 days to return items, and receipts and tags are preferred, he says.

Bottom line, Johnson says, is that employees "try to remove the clutter -- the policy-type stuff that can get in the way of taking care of the customer."

Zappos.com
You'd think an online shoe store would be a tough sell, since shoes are all about fit.

But Zappos.com has built a business around making returns easy so that customers can order several pairs, try them on and ship back the ones that don't work. As a result, the retailer is as famous for its return policy as it is for its shoes.

"The return policy for Zappos.com is if you're not 100 percent satisfied with your purchase, you can return it for a full refund," says Corey Schreiber, content developer for Zappos Insights.

The highlights to Zappos.com's policy are that you have one year to return merchandise. Because you're shopping online (and orders are tracked), you never need a receipt. Shipping is free for orders and returns. And for returns, you can print out shipping labels at the Zappos site, or the company will email or snail mail them to you, he says.

One cool feature is the company's "advanced exchange." If you need a different size or color, the company will ship it to you for free. All you have to do is send back the first item within the next two weeks, he says. All the shipping is free, and you don't have to worry about carrying two items on your credit or debit account.

"We use it as a 'wow' tool," says Schreiber.

L.L. Bean
Just what every consumer needs: No time limits and no receipts required.

If you bought online from L.L.Bean, you can return the merchandise to your local store, or you can send the item back using prepaid labels you can print from the site.

It's all part of the Maine-based retailer's "100 percent satisfaction guarantee," says Carolyn Beem, an L.L.Bean spokeswoman. "We are one of the few companies out there that lets the customer define what 'satisfaction' is," she says.

Return shipping is $6.50 (deducted from your refund) or free if you have an L.L.Bean credit card or are sending back the item because it's defective, she says.

During the lifetime of a product, if you find you're not happy, "We encourage you to return it for a refund, store credit or replacement," Beem says.

"It's a pretty simple policy," she says.

Costco
Membership club Costco is another retailer trying to make returns easy.

Shoppers are members who pay fees to join, so "We will refund in full at any time (if) a member is dissatisfied," says Franz Lazarus, an executive vice president with Costco. Members generally get the refund in the same form they paid, while nonmembers would likely get cash or store gift cards, he says.

With consumer electronics, which tend to have a shelf life, there is a 90-day window to return, he says. "That's the only exception."

And that's been the only change to the return policy over the years, says Lazarus. "We felt at one point several years ago that we had to initiate that because technology was changing so rapidly."

You also don't have to have a receipt, he says. "(While) we like for there to be a receipt because it makes the process easier, we would not refuse a refund because there was no receipt."

Buying online? "Anything that's purchased online can be returned to one of our locations," he says. And return shipping is free.

Target
If you paid via credit card, debit card, gift card or check, the store can track your purchase and refund the full amount without a receipt, says Jessica Deede, spokeswoman for the retailer.

The store's return window is 90 days. The one exception is consumer electronics, which have a 30-day return window.

Target even offers shoppers a generous "gift" during holiday time. For holiday purchases (anything bought in November or before Dec. 24), that 30-day clock doesn't start until Dec. 26, she says. That way shoppers "don't have to hold off or wait," to buy, Deede says.

With the actual receipt (or searchable purchase record), you'll get all of your money back. If you have a gift receipt, you'll get a gift card or exchange, she says.

If you paid by check, consult a calendar. If it's been less than seven days, you could be offered cash or a gift card, says Deede. But if the store has had at least a week to clear the check, then you'll get a cash refund, she says.

Buying online? Most products can be returned to your local store, says Deede. (To be sure check the "shipping & returns" tab before you buy, she advises.)

And if you want (or need) to ship it back, shipping costs are deducted from your return, says Deede.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/5-stores-great-return-policies-1C7657748

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2012: The year malware surged 'dramatically'

1 hr.

December is "prediction season" in the cybersecurity industry. Every major anti-virus software maker and digital-security provider issues its own forecasts of what computer users face in the coming year.?

So far this month, the predictions for 2013 look a lot like those for 2012: more?Android malware, increased cyberattacks by nation-states and greater activity by "hacktivist" groups such as Anonymous.?

However, a few companies go back and check their own predictions at the end of the year to see what they got right ??and wrong.?

One company that does so is Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab, one of the top five anti-virus companies in the world.?

"In 2011, we really saw a number of things rising up: hacktivism; big?database breaches; attacks against Androids; attacks against Macs; data espionage became daily business in 2011," said Roel Schouwenberg, senior researcher at Kaspersky's Boston-area office. "When we look at 2012, we saw a further evolution of all these new trends."?

Kaspersky made the following predictions for 2012:?

  • Hacktivist?groups, who attack computer systems for political or social reasons, would continue to increase their activities?
  • A higher rate of "advanced persistent threat" attacks, or state-sponsored espionage efforts?
  • More incidents of cyberwarfare involving customized, state-sponsored malware?
  • Attacks on software and game developers such as Adobe, Microsoft, Oracle and Sony?
  • More aggressive actions from law-enforcement agencies against cybercriminals?
  • An increasing rate in the growth of threats to the Android mobile platform?
  • Successful attacks on Apple's Mac OS X computer platform?

Let's examine five of the top security incidents that shaped 2012 and check the accuracy of the Kaspersky researchers in light of those predictions.?

1. More Mac OS X malware
Security experts had anticipated an outbreak of malware targeting Mac OS X for years; 2012 was when it finally happened.?

The bug that did it, called the?Flashback or Flashfake Trojan, first appeared near the end of 2011, but didn't reach its peak rate of infection until March of 2012.?

Flashback infected more than 700,000 Macs around the world, the largest known Mac OS X infection to date.?

"In 2011, we predicted that we would see more Mac malware attacks," said Kaspersky Lab's Costin Raiu and David Emm in a?blog posting. "We just never expected it would be this dramatic."?

Why did Flashback wreak such havoc??

One reason was a well-documented Java vulnerability, which Apple took a long time to patch even after it had been publicly disclosed. The Flashback authors took advantage of Apple's delay to incorporate the Java exploit into their otherwise unremarkable creation.?

The second reason was the general?lack of awareness among Mac users?about security. Proper anti-virus software would have stopped Flashback's attack, yet most Mac users felt they didn't need it.?

Flashback wasn't the only successful attack on Mac OS X systems in 2012. There were multiple espionage-related attacks on Macs used by Tibetan dissidents and exiles. Some of the attacks used corrupted files purporting to?come straight from the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled leader.?

"The espionage angle may be a bigger factor for Mac right now than regular consumer malware," Schouwenberg said. "For general cybercrime, most criminals go after Windows because that's what they know. That's what's easiest for them."?

"But when it comes to these targeted attacks, the attackers go after whichever machines the targets are using. So if the targets are using Macs, they'll go after Macs."?

Schouwenberg said in terms of the proportion of available systems infected, Flashback was the most successful malware outbreak of the year.?

"When you look at relative market share, the Flashback malware in terms of prevalence was the size of [the infamous Windows worm]?Conficker," he said. "This was an absolutely huge event in the Apple world. When you extrapolate [the number of Macs infected] to Windows numbers, that's about 10 million."?

2. Cyberweapons: Flame??
Cyberwarfare is a term that often gets hyped up, especially when a politician or general is speaking.?

In fact, the?Stuxnet worm, which crippled an Iranian uranium-enrichment facility in the summer of 2010, was for nearly two years the only known cyberweapon that had destroyed anything.?

That changed this past spring, when a series of cyberattacks destroyed computer systems at oil facilities in Iran, as well as in the offices of the Iranian oil ministry.?

Wiper, the malware thought to be responsible for the attacks, was never found, although certain tell-tale signs indicated it was similar to Stuxnet and its cousin Duqu.?

During the investigation in May, however, researchers from Kaspersky, the Iranian computer emergency response team MAHER and the CrySyS Lab at Budapest University in Hungary discovered something else ?possibly the most sophisticated piece of malware ever seen. Kaspersky's team called it "Flame."?

The size, age and sophistication of Flame were startling. It was 20 megabytes in size, as large as a complex smartphone game, while most malware is only a few dozen kilobytes in size.?

Flame contained a dozen different modules that could be added and subtracted according to the task at hand, which made it extremely versatile as spyware.?

It could map out networks, index files, record audio and video, log keystrokes, take screenshots and archive emails and instant messages. When its job was done, it would destroy all signs of itself on any 32-bit Windows PC, and sometimes the host system as well.?

Yet despite its size, Flame was at least five years old at the time of its discovery ?an enormous amount of time for a piece of malware to be "in the wild."?

As?Raiu said in a press release, Flame was "an example of a complex malicious program that could exist undetected for an extended amount of time while collecting massive amounts of data and sensitive information from its victims."?

A couple of weeks after its discovery, Dutch researchers found that Flame's creators had pulled off a mathematical breakthrough.?

Using unknown techniques, Flame's creators had created a nearly-impossible?cryptologic collision?that allowed Flame to present itself as a signed, genuine Windows update package direct from Microsoft. No anti-virus software could have stopped it.?

?Gauss...?
In August, Kaspersky researchers found a highly sophisticated Trojan in the Middle East, this time spying on Lebanese banks.?

Like ordinary criminal banking Trojans, this new malware, which Kaspersky researchers dubbed "Gauss," stole online-banking credentials to break into accounts. Yet Gauss didn't steal any money ?just information.

In their year-end review, Raiu and Emmer said Gauss added a "new dimension to nation-state cyber-campaigns," even if it was nowhere as sophisticated as Flame.?

"It appears there is a strong cyber component to the existing geopolitical tensions ?perhaps bigger than anyone expected," they added.?

? and Shamoon?
That would prove to be an understatement. Later in August, Shamoon, a piece of especially destructive, yet simple, malware, made?its world debut.?

Named after a piece of text embedded deep in its code, Shamoon launched an attack against the state-owned Saudi Arabian oil company Saudi Aramco and destroyed data on more than 30,000 computers. ??

Shamoon was crude but effective. It searched an infected system for certain files, sent a list of those files to a remote server, and then methodically deleted key parts of the installed Windows system, rendering the infected machine useless.?

"You have the hacktivist movement claiming credit for that attack, which may or may not be the case," Schouwenberg said.?

"Shamoon wasn't really that sophisticated, but when you look at the relevance of the incidence, it's extremely, extremely important," Schouwenberg added, "especially when you consider the fact that Saudi Aramco announced just recently that they strongly believe that Shamoon's real target was to mess with the oil production rather than just sabotaging the machines in the corporate network."?

Kaspersky researchers said many details about Shamoon were still unknown, such as how the malware infected Saudi Aramco's systems in the first place, or who was behind the malware.?

Some observers suspect Iran created and used Shamoon as an attempt to cripple Saudi Arabia's oil production, which would cause oil prices to rise, benefiting cash-strapped Iran.?

3. Exponential growth in Android malware?
During 2011, there was an explosion in the number of?malicious threats against the Android platform. It was obvious that the trend would go on.?

Kaspersky, as well as most of its competitors, accurately predicted that the number of threats for Android would continue to grow at an alarming rate in 2012.?

"We predicted we would see an explosion in Android malware and that's what we saw," Schouwenberg said. "There is a huge amount of Android malware these days, although not anywhere near the amount of Windows malware that we see. But it's grown very dramatically."?

How dramatically??

"The number of samples we received continued to grow and peaked in June 2012, when we identified almost 7,000 malicious Android programs," Raiu and Emmer wrote. "Overall, in 2012, we identified more than 35,000 malicious Android programs, which is about six times more than in 2011."?

So why is there so much Android malware, and so little malware targeting its competition, Apple's iOS??

It's because?iOS is locked down tight. Apple oversees every part of the hardware and software development, and strictly controls which apps can be installed on iOS devices.?

Android, however, is a free-for-all. Dozens of manufacturers make hundreds of Android devices, and the operating system is a little different on each one. Manufacturers and cellular carriers?refuse to update Android?in a timely manner, resulting in security holes that are left unpatched for months or years.?

"Off-road" app markets flourish, especially in China where access to the official Google Play store is restricted. Google has belatedly tightened security in both Android itself and in the Google Play store, yet its efforts have a long way to go before they can match Apple's.?

Still, the tighter security in the latest versions of Android may be having an effect. Kaspersky's own figures show that while the number of new Android threats continued to grow in the second half of 2012, the rate of growth began to slow.?

4. Advanced persistent threats go quiet?
Advanced persistent threat hackers, i.e. cyberspies, were certainly active in 2012, yet didn't have the spectacular successes they'd had in previous years.?

Perhaps the most visible attack on Western targets was the discovery in September 2012 that two pieces of malware had been signed using a?valid Adobe code-signing certificate.?

Apparently, someone, somehow, had broken into an Adobe server and stolen authentication certificates.?

"This discovery belongs to the same chain of extremely targeted attacks performed by sophisticated threat actors commonly described as APT," wrote Raiu and Emmer. "The fact that a high profile company like Adobe was compromised in this way redefines the boundaries and possibilities that are becoming available for these high-level attackers."?

5. Data breach after data breach?
One thing that Kaspersky failed to anticipate in 2012 was the seemingly unending parade of huge data breaches involving companies and organizations with inadequate security.?

In early June, the business-networking website LinkedIn had?6.4 million passwords stolen. The passwords were encrypted, but in a very simple way that meant most could easily be deciphered.?

A day later, online-dating service eHarmony suffered a similar breach,?losing 1.5 million passwords, also poorly encrypted.?

In July, struggling Web giant Yahoo was embarrassed by a data breach that revealed?450,000 passwords?had been stored without any encryption at all. It wasn't entirely Yahoo's fault, since the database was acquired with the 2010 purchase of another company, but it was also evident that no one had bothered to check.?

Worst of all was the revelation in late October that vital personally identifiable information on?3.8 million adult residents of South Carolina, plus 1.9 million dependents and 700,000 businesses, had been stolen from the state tax agency.?

Entire tax records, containing names, addresses, dates of birth and, worst of all, Social Security numbers, were all stored unencrypted. Virtually the entire state population of 4.7 million people was put at grave risk of identity theft.?

Weeks after the breach was revealed, the state government was blaming the federal IRS for not providing strong security guidelines, and was itself being criticized by security experts for not revealing enough about what had happened.?

Looking back, and forward?
"There isn't too much that was shocking news over 2012, just these up-and-coming things [from] 2011 that really established themselves in 2012," Schouwenberg said. "But we also saw some examples of new nation-state [campaigns] like Flame and Gauss. But from my personal point of view, the most significant event of the year was Shamoon."?

As for 2013, "we expect the next year to be packed with high-profile attacks on consumers, businesses and governments alike, and to see the first signs of notable attacks against the critical industrial infrastructure," Raiu said in a company press release.?"The most notable trends of 2013 will be new examples of cyberwarfare operations, increasing targeted attacks on businesses and new, sophisticated mobile threats."

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/2012-year-malware-surged-dramatically-1C7659317

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