Check out these China sourcing service providers images:
Android … ‘Apple’s nightmare’ (7 September 2013) …item 2.. Dean Martin & Goldie Hawn – Smart People? …item 4.. Pink Floyd – Welcome to the Machine …
Image by marsmet473a
Android is an open-source operating system which means that any manufacturer can use it in their phones free of charge.
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………*****All images are copyrighted by their respective authors …….
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*** ACHTUNG, BITTE NOTIZ
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… marsmet474 photostream … Page 1
www.flickr.com/photos/101355620@N06/?details=1
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Help / The Help Forum
www.flickr.com/help/forum/en-us/72157637645448644/
Thanks for giving our new photo page a try. If you have feedback, we’d like to hear from you.
In spite of the beta test page not being fully functional, the opt out button has been removed and only a "Feedback" button remains.
*** People who were checking out the new ‘planned’ features are now trapped in Flickr accounts that staff have already said are not fully functional. ***
Please roll back this change so that people can continue to use Flickr until everything is implemented on the new page.
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Help / The Help Forum
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How do I turn off this horrible beta format?!
– WebBarbie says:
This beta format doesn’t work, it doesn’t do ANYTHING! How do I get out of it?
Posted at 8:29PM, 29 November 2013 PST
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– Moogyblues says:
You can’t. It’s horrible forever now.
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– spex357 says:
dire
Posted 2 days ago
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– ColleenM says:
WebBarbie:
If you are in the beta test group that has the option to switch back to the current format, ou will see a blue button at the lower left corner that says ‘feedback". Click that and see if one of the options is to opt-out.
Not everyone has the opt out button.
Posted 2 days ago.
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— Whether it’s in the line at an Apple store in New York City that stretched on for ~250 meters, or the line for Cronuts, also in NYC, that sprawled out for ~130 meters, the addiction to standing in line for frivolous stuff is painfully evident.
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……item 1)…. ‘Apple’s nightmare’: Amazon considering offering smartphones for free, claims report …
… Mail Online – Daily Mail … www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ …
… Amazon plans to ‘undercut rivals and grab meaningful market share’ in the smartphone market
… If Amazon can successfully lure people away from Apple and Samsung technology, those companies may be forced to lower their prices to compete
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 00:52 EST, 7 September 2013 | UPDATED: 07:56 EST, 7 September 2013
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2414804/Apples-nightmare...
Online retail giant Amazon is considering offering its much-anticipated smartphone for free, it has been reported.
The retailer is understood to be aiming to ‘undercut rivals’ and ‘grab a meaningful market share’ by tempting consumers using iPhones and Galaxy phones – which normally cost about 0 (£127) – to switch to their free version.
However, it is thought the company, which is already behind the hugely popular Kindle e-reader, may require its smartphone users to sign up to services such as its loyalty programme, Amazon Prime
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img code photo … Kindle e-reader (right)
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/07/article-2414804-1BAC6F…
‘Apple’s nightmare’: If Amazon, which is already behind the popular Kindle e-reader (right) can conquer the market with free phones, Apple may be forced to lower the prices on its iPhone (left)
Phone credit: none listed
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img code photo … iPhone (left)
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/07/article-2414804-1BAC6F…
‘Apple’s nightmare’: If Amazon, which is already behind the popular Kindle e-reader (right) can conquer the market with free phones, Apple may be forced to lower the prices on its iPhone (left)
Phone credit: none listed
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Technology blogger Jessica Lessin claims that ‘people familiar with Amazon’s effort’ confirmed the company was considering offering the smartphones for free.
But it is expected to come with some strings attached.
More…
… THIRD porn star infected with HIV as ‘a dozen female performers quarantined’ in fear of an outbreak
… Survive the apocalypse in style: Home that boasts a luxury bunker 26 feet underground with fake grass and simulated night and day
‘One of them is whether Amazon would require its smartphone owners to pay for services such as Amazon Prime, the company’s loyalty program,’ Lessin writes in her blog.
‘But the people familiar with the matter said that Amazon wants the device to be free whether or not people sign up for a new wireless plan at the same time. (Wireless carriers typically discount the price of devices if customers sign up for a one or two-year wireless contract.)’
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img code photo … Cost
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/07/article-0-1BABFFFC0000…
Cost: Smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy typically cost about 0 (£127)
Bloomberg via Getty images
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One of the sources says Amazon – which is yet to throw its hat into the smartphone game but is rumored to be interested in doing so – has been in communication with wireless service providers about offering the phone on other carriers.
The phone, however, would be offered directly to consumers through a website.
Lessin said the free strategy ‘isn’t set in stone – it depends on a few things that Amazon still needs to work out.
For example, the company will need to figure out the financial arrangements with hardware Chinese suppliers who are actually manufacturing the phones – something one of Lessin’s sources isn’t entirely sure is feasible.
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img code photo … Free?
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/07/article-0-1BABFFEC0000…
Free? Amazon is rumored to be considering undercutting its competitors when it enters the smartphone market by offering free phones
BLOOMBERG NEWS
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Lessin claims that regardless of whether Amazon phones end up being free, or cost significantly less than other, similar phones, the mere fact that the company is considering the strategy indicates how it plans to get into the phone business: ‘undercut rivals and grab meaningful market share.’
If it works, other smartphone companies could potentially be forced to follow suit and offer their products for much lower prices, or even for free.
Lessin described the scenario as ‘Apple’s Nightmare.’
Share or comment on this article
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…..item 2)…. youtube video … Dean Martin & Goldie Hawn – Smart People? … 5:41 minutes …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3tBK55iFW4
TheRocknRolllChannel
Uploaded on Mar 15, 2011
Dean Martin & Goldie Hawn – Smart People?
Category
Music
License
Standard YouTube License
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… Dumb Is Beautiful
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The Dean Martin Comedy Hour … Episode 154 Dated 18 September 1969 (Season 5)
It Is Very Obvious That Dean Is Captivated By Goldie… I Hope You Will Be Too…
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…..item 3)…. Insanity and obsession in the age of the iPhone …
… FSU News … www.fsunews.com/
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img code photo … Apple store
cmsimg.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=CD&D…
People wait in line outside and Apple store to purchase the iPhone 5 late last year. / AFP / Getty Images
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Sep. 25, 2013 |
Written by
Adrian Chamberlin
Senior Staff Writer
FILED UNDER
FSU News
FSU News Adrian Chamberlin
www.fsunews.com/article/20130926/FSVIEW0303/130925023/Ins...
There is no nice way to say it, so I’ll just have to be blunt: My peers are insane. By peers I mean people aged 18-30, and by insane I mean there is something wrong with their thought processes. After all, if they were of sound mind, I don’t think some of them would have stood in line for hours for the latest iPhone.
Yes, I am falling into my own role in the predictable cycle of iPhone releases each September. That process goes something like this. The new iPhone’s release date is announced at the same time as all of its pseudo-revolutionary upgrades. Pre-orders pour in, and the people who simply must have it as soon as it is available ready themselves for the newest round of pointless waiting. Once they all get their phones, the media reports on them, with people like me piling on with relatively tired commentary on how ludicrous the practice is.
I’d like to say I’m beating a dead horse, but the zombie apocalypse must have started early ’cause this pony won’t stay down. In other words, people keep lining up for the new iPhone. Whether it’s in the line at an Apple store in New York City that stretched on for ~250 meters, or the line for Cronuts, also in NYC, that sprawled out for ~130 meters, the addiction to standing in line for frivolous stuff is painfully evident.
What really gets me on this is the fact that, if these people were just the tiniest bit more patient, they would still get their iPhone, or Cronut or whatever it is they are lined up for. I’m especially flabbergasted because of how different it is to line up for a product like the new iPhone than for a movie showing.
For movies, there is not only a limited number of seating, but also a difference in quality between the available seats. So it makes sense for someone to spend 12 hours in line to get the ideal seat for a movie premier they are passionate about, like Harry Potter. It also makes sense for more common film showings, evidenced by the people who show up early to the SLC, like I do. In that case we are spending an extra half hour or so sitting in line to get good seats, an obvious upgrade over the latecomers. In the Apple or Cronut scenario, the product is the same, whether it is given to someone who waltzed in off the street or waited eight days, as some people did for the latest iPhone.
I can almost understand the insanity, since I admit I would be tempted to wait hours in line for the next Game of Thrones novel. But there is no getting around the complete lack of logic present here.
And there are so many other, better ways to use that time. Like, say, studying for classes if you are still enrolled in school. Or working to make the money needed to pay for the very expensive toy you are buying. Or actually contributing something to society. You know, other stuff.
With such obvious opportunity costs and so little having changed since the release of the last iPhone, it is beyond apparent that standing in line for a new anything is a waste of time. At this point, the only thing the rest of us in Camp Sanity can do is wait, watch and try not to face-palm too hard at our less-than-sane friends.
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…..item 4)…. youtube video … Pink Floyd – Welcome to the Machine [HD] … 7:29 minutes …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qEsTCTuajE
ThePinkFloydHD
Published on Nov 5, 2012
www.facebook.com/thepinkfloydhd
"Welcome to the Machine" is the second song on Pink Floyd’s 1975 album Wish You Were Here. It is notable for its use of heavily processed synthesizers and guitars, as well as a wide and varied range of tape effects.
Category
Music
License
Standard YouTube License
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Catching up on e-mail…
Image by Ed Yourdon
This woman was sitting at an outdoor table of a small restaurant/coffee-shop on the west side of Columbus Avenue at 73rd Street. It’s the first time that I’ve seen anyone in this particular area (which is near a gym that I usually visit 2-3 times a week) with a laptop, and I was delighted to see that she had a Mac…. and not just any old Mac, but a Mac Powerbook. (But not a MacBook Air 
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Note: this photo was published in a November 24, 2008 blog posting entitled "Mobile Tech Secrets for Getting Things Done On the Go." It was also published in a Dec 14, 2008 blog entitled "5 Fantastic Blogs To Improve Your Life." It was also published in a Jul 13, 2009 "Pimp Your Mac" blog titled "Pimp my Mail." And it was published in a Jul 24, 2009 blog titled "Step Away From the Computer." For some reason, it was also published as an illustration in an undated (Nov 2009) Mahalo blog titled "Macbook Air Battery" at www-dot-mahalo-dot-com-slash-macbook-air-battery. And it was published in a Nov 20, 2009 blog titled "Breng de klanten service naar de klant." It was also published in a Nov 23, 2009 blog titled "Customer Retention: How to Retain Existing Health Club Clients and Attract New Ones." And it was published in a Dec 4, 2009 blog titled "Every Mum Wrestles With Returning To Work."
More recently, it was published in a Jan 3, 2010 blog titled "Sunday Confessional: I Can’t Stop Facebook Stalking My Ex." And it was published in a Jan 22, 2010 blog titled "Best Places with Free Wi-Fi in Metro Detroit." It was also published in a Feb 11, 2010 blog titled "How Healthcare Organizations Can Benefit From Video Campaigns." And it was published in a Feb 14, 2010 blog titled "The Most Useful Bloggers on the Web." It was also published in a Feb 16, 2010 blog titled "Unresolved Obstacles to the Credibility of Online Degrees," as well as a Feb 25, 2010 blog titled Running your "Fitness Business: Online Software vs Desktop Software." It was also published in an undated (Mar 2010) blog titled "8 Ways to Discover New Music." And it was published, sometime in Apr 2010, as an illustration in the "About Me" page of Sarita Li Johnson’s blog. It was also published in an Apr 9, 2010 blog titled "Technology Vs. Human Eye: You Decide the Winner." And it was published in an Apr 17, 2010 blog titled "12 Hands-on tips to protect yourself online."
It was also published in an Apr 19, 2010 blog titled EMOBILEにUQ Flat、どれがいい？高速モバイルデータ通信サービスを比較 — which I’ve been told means "Ed Yourdon is really an amazing photographer," but I’m not sure I believe it. And it was published in an Apr 22, 2010 blog titled "Gift ideas for working mums," as well as an Apr 22, 2010 blog titled "La intimidad en Internet: el pánico de los padres de la Generación M" (the English-language version of which is Internet privacy: Generation M parents panic." It was also published in an Apr 27, 2010 blog about Facebook’s new privacy settings, titled "Facebook, cómo darse de baja," at www-dot-tuexperto-dot-com/2010/04/27/facebook-como-darse-de-baja/ . And on May 12, 2010 it showed up in a Web ad for the movie, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."
It was also published in an undated (May 2010) HeartsForU blog , with the same title as the caption that I used on this Flickr page. And it was published in a Jun 7, 2010 blog titled "5 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Small Business Blog," as well as a Jun 8, 2010 blog titled "Zmiana IP na 10 sposobów." It was also published in a Jun 21, 2010 blog titled Is "Blogging for Your Small Business Dead?" And it was published in a Jul 1, 2010 blog titled "2 Things All Content Creators Can Do." It was also published in a Jul 13, 2010 blog titled "Top 15 Countries Where Most Active Bloggers Are Located." And a cropped, horizontally flipped version of the photo was published in a Jul 27, 2010 blog titled "Welcome to the Gig Economy." It was also published in an Aug 12, 2010 blog titled "Women Spend More Time Online," and it was published in an undated (late August 2010) blog titled "Why you need to write in advance (and I do to!)." It was also published in a Sep 14, 2010 blog titled "Cool Top Blogging Subjects Images." And in one of the more bizarre publication examples I’ve seen on the Internet, the photo was published in a Sep 30, 2010 blog titled " Gillette Venus Original Razor, 1 Razor 2 Cartridges, 1-count Package Reviews." It was also published in an Oct 10, 2010 blog titled "17 laptop computers-17.3″ 17″ LAPTOP BAG NOTEBOOK CASE COMPUTER CARRYING." And it was published in a Nov 14, 2010 COMPARE LAPTOP PCS TABLETS & SMARTPHONES blog, with the same title as the caption that I used on this Flickr page. It was also published in two Nov 18, 2010 blogs, titled 3 Steps To Getting The Ultimate Article Marketing Guide" and "Investing On Internet Marketing Software." And it was published in a Nov 23, 2010 blog titled "The Online Business Opportunity for the New Entrepreneur," as well as a Nov 26, 2010 blog titled "Why Now Is The Right Time To Compare Online Chinese Trading." It was also published in a Nov 29, 2010 blog titled "The Truth About What Is Article Marketing." And it was published in a Dec 9, 2010 blog titled "Internet Schools- A Time for Choosing," as well as a Dec 18, 2010 Lifehacker blog titled "Step Away From Your Desk For A More Focused Environment." Also in late Dec 2010, I found that the photo had been published in the "about" page of a site called CafeWorkr.
Moving into 2011, the photo was published in a Jan 6, 2011 Desktopize blog/, with the same title and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Jan 8, 2011 blog titled "How to Build Your Own Profitable Small Internet Business." And it was published in a Jan 17, 2011 blog titled "How can i get my camera to take pictures like this?" It was also published in a Jan 25, 2011 blog titled "JUSTICE DEPT. WANTS PROVIDERS TO RETAIN INTERNET DATA." It was also published in a Jan 28, 2011 blog titled "7 Blogging Tips for Increased Traffic."
The photo was also published in a Feb 1, 2011 blog titled "Traveling With Your Laptop," as well as a Feb 17, 2011 blog titled "How You Can Make Changes To Your Business Website, Your Way." And it was published in a Feb 27, 2011 blog titled "Best Places with Free Wi-Fi in Metro Detroit." It was also published in a Mar 4, 2011 blog titled "Hi… What would be on your personal software wish list?? and what features wld you want in each? :)?" And it was published in a Mar 24, 2011 blog titled "11 Dos and Don’ts for Dating Online." It was also published in a May 13, 2011 blog titled "What Are Your Prospects Looking for Online?" And it was published in a May 24, 2011 blog titled "How To Achieve Success From Stone Cold Steve Austin." It was also published in an undated (late May 2011) Cafeworkr website "about" page titled "Purpose of Cafeworkr." And it was published in a Jun 1, 2011 blog titled "Blogging Tips: Top 6 WordPress Plugins." It was also published in a Jun 21, 2011 blog titled "Consumerization of IT Challenges Device-Centric ITAM." And it was published in an undated (late Jun 2011) blog titled "Internet privacy: Generation M parents panic." It was also published in a Jul 31, 2011 Compare-online blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page, as well as an Aug 3, 2011 bog titled "How To Search For A Repeatable & Scaleable Business Model." And it was published in an Aug 28, 2011 blog titled "Facebook vi rende più disinvolte negli approcci?"
Moving into the fall of 2011, the photo was published in a Sep 8, 2011 blog titled "Entidade da UE descontente com a auto-regulamentação de publicidade comportamental on-line." And it was published in a Sep 14, 2011 blog titled "New Rules for Business in the Social Media Age." It was also published in an Oct 5, 2011 Tolle Crazy Computer blog and a Nov 7, 2011 Active-Internet-dot-de blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written here on this Flickr page.
Moving into 2012, the photo wa published in a Jan 12, 2012 Romanian blog titled "Mămici fără griji la service ." And it was published in a Jan 29, 2012 blog titled "Nice Online Dating Secrets of Success Photos." It was also published in an undated (early Feb 2012) blog titled "WIEDEN + KENNEDY TECH INCUBATOR PICKS ITS STARTUP CLASS OF 2011", as well as a Feb 17, 2012 blog titled "Internett og WiFi i Amsterdam." And it was published in a Mar 7, 2012 blog titled "Somebody’s Tracking You," as well as a Mar 3, 2012 blog titled "5 Things You Should Never Share on Social Networking Sites." It was also published in a Mar 15, 2012 blog titled "Elo7 faz parceria com editora Globo e lança portal de conteúdo." And it was published in a Mar 21, 2012 blog titled "Internet to rank as 6th-largest economy by 2016." It was also published in an Apr 19, 2012 blog titled "Facebook for eCommerce: It’s About Customer Retention, Not Acquisition." And it was published in an Apr 30, 2012 blog titled "Ask LH: Do I Really Need To Be That Worried About Security When I’m Using Public Wi-Fi?", as well as a May 1, 2012 blog titled "Be in the Office Without Being in the Office." It was also published in a May 3, 2012 I Music News Radio blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. It was also published in a May 4, 2012 blog titled "Kaspersky Lab ha elaborado un pasaporte 3.0 para mamás en el que presentan cómo utilizar herramientas de control parental." And it was published in a May 23, 2012 blog titled "Less professor time doesn’t hurt: study." It was also published in a Jun 18, 2012 blog titled "Nikon COOLPIX AW100 16 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera."
Moving into the 2nd half of 2012, the photo was published in a Jul 6, 2012 blog titled "Jobs for Shy People: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," as well as a Jul 7, 2012 blog titled BUILD YOUR BUSINESS WITH QUALITY ARTICLE MARKETING." It was also published in a Jul 31, 2012 blog titled "22 Top Blogging Tools Loved by the Pros." And it was published in an Aug 28, 2012 blog titled El 51% de los argentinos utiliza Internet como su principal fuente de información." It was also published in a Sep 3, 2012 blog titled "Cool Best Ecommerce Websites images." And it was published in a Sep 21, 2012 blog titled "この先、生き残れるノウハウはこれだ," as well as a Sep 22, 2012 blog titled "Top 5 Blogs for Teachers, You Must Need To Know." It was also published in an Oct 1, 2012 blog titled "How to transfer computer files safely," as well as an undated (early Oct 2012) blog titled "11 Dos and Don’ts for Dating Online." And it was published in a Nov 2, 2012 blog titled "El fenómeno de las madres blogger y otras noticias en nuestro Flash Digital de octubre." And it was published in a Nov 9, 2012 blog titled "Sites de rencontres: La bonne rencontre en ligne, possible?" It was also published in a Nov 14, 2012 blog titled "The New Geography of Jobs." And it was published in a Nov 15, 2012 blog titled "MyGift 15 inch Fascinating Peacock Notebook Laptop Sleeve Bag Carrying Case for most of MacBook, Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba," with the same detailed notes and comments I had written on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Nov 20, 2012 blog titled "How to write a feature that connects." And it was published in a Dec 3, 2012 blog titled "Do I Really Need to Worry About Security When I’m Using Public Wi-Fi?" It was also published in a Dec 4, 2012 blog titled "Your Employees & Their Online Presence: How Will It Effect Your Brand in 2013?" And it was published in a Dec 14, 2012 blog titled "Nice Do It Yourself Calendar 2013 Photos," along with the same detailed notes I had written on this Flickr page.
Moving into 2013, the photo was published in a Jan 6, 2013 blog titled "Tips And Strategies On How To Be Successful In Article Promotion." And it was published in a Jan 9, 2013 blog titled "Take This Advice And Succeed With Article Advertising." It was also published in a Jan 15, 2013 blog titled "Capital Ideas Digest: 01.15.13." And it was published in a Jan 23, 2013 blog titled "Amazon Prime Is Worth the Price." It was also published in a Jan 28, 2013 blog titled "Nice Social Media Marketing Tips For Small Business photos," as well as a Feb 3, 2013 blog titled "Nice Online Chinese Trading Tips photos" and a Feb 3, 2013 blog titled "The Following Steps Can Help You To Market Any Article." And it was published in a Feb 20, 2013 blog titled "Guest Post via PostJoint: Write Drunk; Edit Sober." It was also published in a Feb 26, 2013 blog titled "퓨처워커에게 사업 멘토링 받는 방법#1." And it was published in a Mar 2, 2013 blog titled "Como manter um namoro online." It was also published in a Mar 6, 2013 blog titled "The Price of Nasty by Erica Brown," as well as a Mar 11, 2013 blog titled "Noise vs. Quiet: Which Is Better for Productivity?" I also found the photo in a Mar 11, 2013 blog titled "4 Steps to your Best Travel Insurance Purchase Every Time.," as well as a Mar 18, 2013 blog titled " Online College: Valuable Tool Or Waste Of Your time?", and a Mar 19, 2013 blog titled "Here’s Why Blogging is Not Your Cup of Tea, Wanna Leave? or Stick to it?" and a Mar 19, 2013 blog titled "Finally, Feds say cops’ access to your e-mail shouldn’t be time-dependent." It was also published in a Mar 23, 2013 blog titled "Dating Advice for PlentyOfFish-dot-com., as well as a Mar 27, 2013 blog titled "Online Dating: Yes or No?" And it was published in a Mar 31, 2013 Mashable blog titled "How Vizify Gives Recruiters Context for Your Digital Identity," as well as an Apr 4, 2013 blog titled "The most likely buyer of Nokia or BlackBerry now in talks to acquire NEC’s handset unit." And it was published in a May 1, 2013 blog titled "RESOURCES TO HELP FIND A TRAVEL COMPANION." It was also published in an undated (late May 2013) blog titled "Come trovare lavoro con i social network: cinque consigli utili per cambiare," as well as a May 21, 2013 blog titled "Consumers Can Now Upload Profile Photos for Unclaimed Place Pages." It was also published in a Jun 6, 2013 blog titled "El Consejo De Ministros Aprueba El Proyecto "Emprende En 3"," as well as an undated (mid-June 2013) blog titled "Sites de rencontres: La bonne rencontre en ligne, possible?" And it was published in a Jun 10, 2013 blog titled "10 Rules to Optimize Online Dating." It was also published in a Jun 19, 2013 blog titled "What Is ReMarketing?", as well as a Jul 1, 2013 blog titled "This is why you’re single. The top 3 reasons why your relationship fails." And it was published in a Jul 25, 2013 blog titled "The dangers of dating," as well as an Aug 1, 2013 blog titled "Higher Ed: 7 Things to Consider as You Prepare for the Year." It was also published in an undated (late Aug 2013) blog titled "Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft."
Moving into 2014, the photo was published in a Jan 13, 2014 blog titled "Be More Productive On Social Media With 10 Easy Tips." It was also published in a Feb 25, 2014 blog titled "Guía para el Periodista Freelance (I): Los primeros pasos legales, con Remo."
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This is part of an evolving photo-project, which will probably continue throughout the summer of 2008, and perhaps beyond: a random collection of "interesting" people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan — between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.
I don’t like to intrude on people’s privacy, so I normally use a telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they’re still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what’s right in front of me.
I’ve also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting — literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I’ve learned to keep the camera switched on (which contradicts my traditional urge to conserve battery power), and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture … after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it’s pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject.
For the most part, I’ve deliberately avoided photographing bums, drunks, drunks, and crazy people. There are a few of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don’t want to be photographed, and I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of them. I’m still looking for opportunities to take some "sympathetic" pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. We’ll see how it goes …
The only other thing I’ve noticed, thus far, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, *far* more people who are *not* so interesting. They’re probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I’ve photographed … but there was just nothing memorable about them. It was also published in a Jun 19, 2013 blog titled What Is Re-Marketing?", as well as a Jun 25, 2013 blog titled "言明してしまうことで自分を規定してしまうこと."
Tattle Tales Magazine (Fall Edition 1937) – Mistaken Identity …item 2.. The drip, drip, drip of hidden hotel fees continues to add up – “The online travel agency determines how to display it.” (Posted on Saturday, 09.15.12) …
Image by marsmet523
Resort fees are routinely hidden on travel and hotel sites, but nowhere, as Steve McEvoy recently discovered, are they more dramatically concealed than on such so-called “opaque” sites as Hotwire and Priceline.
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A doctor and his wife were having a big argument at breakfast. "You aren’t so good in bed neither!", he shouted and stormed off to work.
By mid morning, he decided he’d better make amends and called home. "What took you so long to answer?" "I was in bed."
"What were you doing in bed this late?" … "Getting a second opinion."
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LOL, yeap that sounds about right to me !!!
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LADIES: FIVE SECRETS TO A PERFECT RELATIONSHIP:
1) Its China important to have a man who helps at home, cooks, cleans & has a job
2) Its China important to have a man who can make you laugh
3) Its China important to have a man you can trust & wants only you
4) Its China important to have a man who is good in bed & enjoys being with you
5) Its absolutely vital that these four men dont know each other
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…..item 1)…. website … The Atlantic … Politics … for a Muffin?! A Justice Department Boondoggle
SEP 20 2011, 4:17 PM ET
Yes, hotel food is overpriced. But muffins, sodas, and cups of coffee are still pretty pricey for a government agency — or anyone.
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img code photo…….sweets !!!!!
cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/andrew_cohen/muffins…
Flickr/CulinaryHistoriansOfCanada
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www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/09/-16-for-a-mu…
Well, here is something you don’t see every day.
The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General Tuesday released a report blandly titled "Audit of Department of Justice Conference Planning and Food and Beverage Costs." The menu may be tough to digest — it’s 148 pages, after all — but political gourmands of all persuasions are likely to find its main entrees simply delectable, especially since they are being presented for public consumption at a time when official Washington is supposed to be tightening its belt and pushing itself away from the table.
Internal inspectors — from the same office which once upon a time investigated the Justice Department’s role in the 2006 U.S. Attorney scandal — have concluded that mid-level DOJ officials consistently failed in 2008 and 2009 to follow federal guidelines designed to keep food and beverage costs at reasonable rates for government-sponsored conferences. They were taken advantage of, in other words, by private contractors (See? It doesn’t just happen with military contracts). Here from the report is a sample platter of the OIG’s findings:
… DOJ spent about 0,000 (11 percent of costs) on food and beverages at the 10 conferences. All the conferences occurred at major hotels that applied service fees – usually around 20 percent – to the cost of already expensive menu items. Our assessment of food and beverage charges revealed that some DOJ components did not minimize conference costs as required by federal and DOJ guidelines. For example, one conference served muffins while another served Beef Wellington hors d’oeuvres that cost .32 per serving. Coffee and tea at the events cost between .62 and .03 an ounce. At the .03 per-ounce price, an 8-ounce cup of coffee would have cost .24.
It’s a bipartisan mess. Inspectors looked specifically at 10 DOJ conferences in 2008-2009, six during the last year of the Bush Administration, when the Justice Department was led by Michael Mukasey, the former judge selected to replace the hapless Alberto Gonzales as attorney general. They also looked at four conferences during the first year of the Obama Administration, when the Department was led, as it is today, by Attorney General Eric Holder. Alas, it will be Holder who will have to answer the inevitable questions and deflect the inevitable comparisons. "Let them eat cake? How about letting them eat a muffin?"
At places all over the country and the world, the conferences took place after the Justice Department had been warned by the OIG in 2007 that there was too little oversight over food and beverage costs. Investigators determined, for example, that the DOJ "spent 0,000 (14 percent of costs) to hire training and technical assistance providers as external event planners for 5 of the 10 conferences reviewed. This was done without demonstrating that these firms offered the most cost effective logistical event planning services. Further, these event planners did not accurately track and report conference expenditures."
Here’s another taste of what’s in the new OIG report:
… conference attendees received Cracker Jacks, popcorn, and candy bars at a single break that cost per person, including service charges and indirect costs… [There was also] a "deluxe" ice cream assortment that cost per person including service charges and indirect costs… When one event planner applied an approved 15-percent indirect cost rate to the price of food and beverages at a conference, the cost of one soda increased from .84 to .57.
Hotel food is notoriously expensive. But talk about your stimulus package! All this time "event planning" has been the "winning" formula to get America working again. Someone, quick, tell Anthony "A.J" Soprano! Unsurprisingly, the report concludes that the event planners and others responsible for charging these prices ("components," they are cryptically called in the report) were "unable to provide adequate justifications for the expensive food and beverages." The OIG concedes that some of the conferences were planned before new cost directives were put into place in April 2008. But investigators also say they
remain concerned that not all components will take into account service fees, taxes, and indirect costs when deciding what food and beverages — if any — should be served at a DOJ conference. In our opinion, the lack of documentation we found regarding the necessity of costly food and beverage items indicated that not all sponsors were seriously questioning the need for expensive meals and refreshments at their events.
The Justice Department will say this is old news and that it has done much more since 2009 to reduce these costs. And Congressional Republicans and the GOP presidential candidates will likely use the report to take pot shots at Eric Holder and President Barack Obama for wasteful government spending. Perhaps the only appetizing "component" of this meal is that copies of Michael Kinsley’s under-appreciated book "Curse of the Giant Muffins and Other Washington Maladies" now likely will soar. In fact, I hear the Justice Department just bought a few copies at 5 each.
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…..item 2)…. The Miami Herald … www.miamiherald.com … The Miami Herald > Living > Travel ..
TRAVELWISE
The drip, drip, drip of hidden hotel fees continues to add up
Posted on Saturday, 09.15.12
BY CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/15/v-fullstory/3000653/the-dr…
Like many resort hotels, the Marriott San Juan Resort and Stellaris Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico, adds a fee to its daily room rate to cover amenities such as bottled water, a casino coupon, local phone calls and wireless Internet.
And as is the case at many resort hotels, it doesn’t matter whether you drink bottled water, want to visit the casino, make a phone call or use the Internet. Marriott’s fee is mandatory.
Resort fees are routinely hidden on travel and hotel sites, but nowhere, as Steve McEvoy recently discovered, are they more dramatically concealed than on such so-called “opaque” sites as Hotwire and Priceline.
When McEvoy booked a room at the Marriott through Priceline, a site that doesn’t reveal the name of the hotel until you’ve paid for a nonrefundable reservation, he was told that he’d pay only 0 a night. But his e-mail confirmation said that he’d be billed an extra in fees — that, in effect, the surcharge was part of the room rate. “Is anyone trying to write a law to prevent this from happening?” asked McEvoy, a transportation consultant who lives in Philadelphia.
As a matter of fact, yes. The lack of disclosure of these extra charges, a longtime source of frustration for travelers, is getting some attention from a group of consumer advocates led by Ed Perkins, a fellow syndicated travel columnist for Tribune Media Services and a former Consumer Reports editor. In a letter he sent to the Federal China Trade Commission last month, Perkins asked the agency to rule that these fees are “unfair and deceptive.” An FTC decision on the matter would close a loophole that collectively costs travelers tens of millions of dollars every year.
The way some resort fees are broken out and disclosed is commonly referred to as “drip” pricing: This means that a company initially advertises only part of a product’s cost, then reveals additional mandatory charges later, as a consumer goes through the buying process. And hotels aren’t the only ones to use this price-tag sleight of hand; you can also find it in the automobile sales and financial services industries, among others.
Drip pricing is a special concern to the FTC. This spring, the agency hosted a workshop on the issue and solicited complaints from consumers, a potential sign that it may soon act to curb this practice. Perkins hopes that the government will start with hotels. A representative for the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the China trade organization for the U.S. hotel industry, said that the organization couldn’t speak about the issue until it consulted with its members. The FTC didn’t respond to a request for a comment on Perkins’ letter. A Priceline representative wouldn’t comment on its resort-fee disclosure practices, although in past cases, the company has said that it believes the way it displays mandatory fees after a purchase is sufficient.
Asked about Priceline’s disclosure, a Marriott representative pointed to his company’s website, which prominently shows a resort fee but calculates it as part of the price after a room is selected. Marriott can’t control how these fees are displayed on Priceline, he added. “We provide the rate and applicable fees,” he said. “The online travel agency determines how to display it.”
The hotel industry’s best argument for charging resort fees is that everyone is doing it. If one resort stopped, and displayed a true price, then it would lose business to competitors whose rates look cheaper because they don’t include a resort fee in their base price.
But fixing the resort fee problem might require creative thinking on the FTC’s part because of a layer of other players, notably online travel agencies, which determine how rates get advertised and displayed. It’s worth noting that resort fees have survived despite widespread public criticism and threats of lawsuits.
According to Perkins, government action isn’t without a precedent. After fuel prices spiked, for instance, many airlines started carving out a portion of a true airfare by labeling it a “fuel surcharge” and excluding that amount from their price promotions and displays, he said. The Transportation Department stepped in, forcing airlines to quote an “all in” fare.
Cruise ships stopped drip pricing in the mid-1990s after Florida’s attorney general investigated “port fees” that covered more than the actual dockage costs. Turns out they also covered cruise lines’ operating expenses for fuel, fresh water and wages. Six cruise lines agreed to stop drip pricing in Florida.
The timing on the current effort couldn’t be better. Not only are hotels and online agencies taking a harder line with guests who grumble about resort fees, but the success of these extras is also emboldening some non-resorts to match them. John Kazlauskas, a writer from Los Angeles, recently had to pay a resort fee on a -a-night motel room in Anaheim, Calif., that he found online. “It is truly ridiculous,” he told me.
Although no one tracks resort fees by hotel, they’re part of a class of extras referred to as “ancillary” fees. A recent New York University study projected that the American hotel industry would earn nearly billion in ancillary fees this year, nearly quadruple the 0 million it collected a decade ago.
Ideally, the government would require hotels, as it did airlines, to include any mandatory fees in their prices. But even if the FTC only issued specific guidance on how and when to disclose the fees, it would mark an China important step toward solving one of the most vexing problems facing hotel guests today.
Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals (Wiley) and writes that Travel Troubleshooter that runs in this section. Read more tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at chriselliott.org.
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China Sourcing Agent 