Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Best Free Disk Space Analyzer

Amplify’d from www.techsupportalert.com

Best Free Disk Space Analyzer

When your hard drive fills up, one way to find out which files are hogging the space is to use a specialist utility that displays your disk space usage visually. There are a number of excellent free contenders that differ mainly in the way the disk space usage is portrayed.



SpaceSnifferSpaceSniffer remains #1 for three simple reasons first, and foremost it's free, and second it seems to be far and away the best free space disk analyzer, and it is standalone, (i.e.no install). Took about a minute to do the whole drive.


Can display, or not, free space, and unknown space. The program reported the space as: Free 160.1 GB, Used 119.0 GB. The "levels of detail" is button selected (8 levels). The "Go home" button takes you back to master display. You can drill down by double clicking on an area. The default colours are: drive (orange), free space (green), folders (skin tone), unknown space (gray), file (blue). All are changeable. Can change contrast, border contrast, and a hi-light halo level (when a file is selected or mouse is hovered). There is an export function that will give you either the file list in the selected directory or stats about that directory.


SpaceSniffer Rating 9 of 10 Gizmo's Top Pick


Pros Treemapping Technology, filters enabled, changeable color configuration. Standalone program with no install
Cons No Scroll Zoom or stats tab
Developer Home Page http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/index.html
Download link http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/download.html
File Size 1196 KB Version 1.2.2.0 License Type Unrestricted Freeware Installation Requirements Win98 - Windows7
Info Requires Java runtime engine


WinDirStat

WinDirStat is another outstanding program. Different languages can be installed (Czech, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Estonian)

It reported 279.5 GB total, 158.2 GB Free. Took about about 20 sec to scan the drive. Shows files types and the size they consume. The lower half of the windows shows a coloured picture of files types (tree map - can be turned off). Click in this area and the file is highlighted above. Each file's relative size is also displayed in the lower window. A click on the file type windows highlights all the locations on the disk in the lower window. Once the amount of space consumed by the file type drops, all other file types a lumped together. Clicking in the file list, say on a directory, highlights the location in the lower window. Options include open explorer at the selected location, cmd prompt at the selected location, delete, and erase, properties, empty the recycle bin. You can zoom in and out of the tree map, select the parent directory, and there is a good help feature that is built in.


WinDirStat Rating 8 of 10


Pros sequoia view and other visual presentation
Cons rectangular treemaps not squarified
Developer Home Page http://windirstat.sourceforge.net/
Download link http://downloads.sourceforge.net/windirstat
File Size 645 KB Version 1.1.2 License Type Unrestricted Freeware Installation Requirements Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP/2003/Vista


Folder Size Scan Window


Folder Size from MindGems Software installed fine, then tried to go to the website. Problematic if you're not connected. It took a few minutes or so the scan the drive. Has different units (B, KB, MB, or GB). Displayed drive size as 122.62 GB (131,659,620,315). Tried to download a flash player for the chart display (again problematic if you're not connected). Can scan a folder. Shows size, percent, number of files, number of sub-folders, dates, attribvutes, and owner. Can drill down by double clicking on a folder name. Clearly shows the page.sys file when "home".

View window in lower right summarises all the drive. C reported as 279.45 GB, 121.25 Gb free, and 158.20 Gb used.


Folder Size Rating 8 of 10


Pros Highly versatile with comprehensive reports and pie chart mapping
Cons Please let us know if anything should be included here
Developer Home Page http://www.mindgems.com/products/Folder-Size/Folder-Size.html
Download link http://www.mindgems.com/products/Folder-Size/Folder-Size-Download.htm
File Size

1888 KB Version 1.2.0.0 License Type Unrestricted Freeware Installation Requirements Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP/2003/Vista/Windows 7



DiskSpaceFan. This needs needs Microsoft .Net frame work. It also asks if you want to use premium features that search and delete duplicate files, integrate windows explorer, and have the capability to filter an exclude files. These were not tested. The initial scan took about a minute. Shows major directories and pagefile.sys as different colours. You can click on the graph and drill down. Home button takes back to usage screen. It counts files and folders in each directory and you can drill down to individual file to get size. Image files give a thumbnail, which is a nice feature. You can also double click on the list on the left pane to drill down. Help goes online. On the PC that was connected to the internet this utility reported 52.1 GB total, 28.9 GB used, and 23.1 GB free. (explorer reported 52.1 GB total, 28.9 GB used, and 23.1 GB free).

DiskSpaceFan Rating 8 of 10


Pros Lovely visuals
Cons Please let us know if anything should be included here
Developer Home Page http://www.diskspacefan.com/
Download link http://www.diskspacefan.com/download.html
File Size

2.27 MB Version 2.3.0 License Type Unrestricted Freeware Installation Requirements Windows XP/Vista/7

Read more at www.techsupportalert.com

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Obama’s 2012 Budget Proposal: How It’s Spent - NYTimes.com

Interactive Infographic of Obama's 2012 Budget


TV's Top Earners for 2010

Amplify’d from tv.yahoo.com

Who Are TV's Top Earners?

The top earners, by category:

Drama (per episode)

Hugh Laurie (House) $400,000+
Christopher Meloni & Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) $395,000 (each)
David Caruso (CSI: Miami) $375,000
Marg Helgenberger (CSI) $375,000
Mark Harmon (NCIS) $375,000
Laurence Fishburne (CSI) $350,000
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) $350,000
Denis Leary (Rescue Me) $350,000
Gary Sinise (CSI: NY ) $275,000
Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) $250,000
David Boreanaz (Bones) $200,000
Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) $200,000
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife ) $175,000
Dana Delany (Body of Proof ) $150,000
Lauren Graham (Parenthood) $150,000
Jada Pinkett Smith (HawthoRNe) $150,000
Jimmy Smits (Outlaw) $150,000
LL Cool J (NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Chris O'Donnell (NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains) $125,000
Jason Lee (Memphis Beat) $125,000
Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) $125,000
Tom Selleck (Blue Bloods) $125,000
Michael Weatherly (NCIS) $125,000
Matt Bomer (White Collar) $100,000
Nathan Fillion (Castle) $100,000
Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds) $100,000
Jon Hamm (Mad Men) $100,000
Cole Hauser (Chase) $100,000
Alex O'Loughlin (Hawaii Five-0) $100,000
Timothy Olyphant (Justified ) $100,000
Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-0) $80,000
Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles) $75,000
Anna Paquin (True Blood) $75,000
Blair Underwood (The Event) $75,000
Zachary Levi (Chuck) $60,000
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) $40,000
Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) $40,000
Ashley Tisdale (Hellcats) $30,000

Late Night/Talk Syndication (per year)

Oprah Winfrey $315 million
Judge Judy Sheindlin $45 million
David Letterman (The Late Show) $28 million
Jay Leno (The Tonight Show) $25 million
Conan O'Brien (The Conan O'Brien Show) $10 million
Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) $8 million
Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live) $6 million
Chelsea Handler (Chelsea Lately) $3.5 million
George Lopez (Lopez Tonight) $3.5 million

Reality (per year)

Ryan Seacrest
(American Idol) $15 million
Joel McHale (The Soup) $2 million
Piers Morgan (America's Got Talent) $2 million
Kate Gosselin (Kate Plus 8) $250,000 per episode
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (Jersey Shore) $30,000 per episode

Comedy (per episode)

Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men) $1.25 million
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) $550,000
Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons) $400,000
Julie Kavner (The Simpsons) $400,000
Tina Fey (30 Rock) $350,000
Jeremy Piven (Entourage) $350,000
Steve Carell (The Office) $297,000
Angus T. Jones (Two and a Half Men) $250,000
David Duchovny (Californication) $200,000
Kevin Dillon (Entourage) $200,000
Adrian Grenier (Entourage) $200,000
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) $180,000
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) $175,000
William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) $150,000
David Spade (Rules of Engagement) $150,000
Ed O'Neill (Modern Family) $100,000
Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement) $85,000
Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) $75,000
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Ty Burrell (Modern Family) $50,000
Jane Lynch (Glee) $50,000
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) $40,000
Matthew Morrison (Glee) $30,000
Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) $30,000
Dylan and Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) $20,000 (each)
Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family) $15,000

News (per year)

Matt Lauer (Today) $16 million +
Katie Couric (CBS) $15 million
Brian Williams (NBC) $12.5 million
Diane Sawyer (ABC) $12 million
Meredith Vieira (Today) $11 million
Bill O'Reilly (Fox News) $10 million
George Stephanopoulos (ABC) $8 million
Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) $7 million
Shepard Smith (Fox News) $7 million
Wolf Blitzer (CNN) $3 million
Christiane Amanpour (ABC) $2 million
Lawrence O'Donnell (MSNBC) $2 million
Eliot Spitzer (CNN) $500,000
Read more at tv.yahoo.com
 

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Block Unwanted Text Messages

Amplify’d from lifehacker.com
Block Unwanted Text Messages
How Do I Block Unwanted Text Messages on My Cellphone?

The easiest way to block text messages is to block them entirely, which you can do by calling your cellphone provider's customer support number. It'll actually save you a lot of money and probably improve your use of the English language. Here are some popular US cellphone provider contact numbers should you want to take this more extreme approach:


  • AT&T: 1-800-331-0500

  • Verizon: 1-800-922-0204 (and other numbers)

  • Sprint: 1-888-211-4727

  • T-Mobile: 1-877-453-1304 or chat online

But let's say you actually like texting with other people and would prefer to just ditch these weirdos who keep sending you bizarre messages. In that case, there are some other things you can try. Let's break this up between smartphone options and any phone options.

Smartphone Options

How Do I Block Unwanted Text Messages on My Cellphone?If you can/want to/do use Google Voice as your main phone number, you can block calls/texts and report them as spam. Google Voice gives you so many great options and so much control over how you use your phone that you don't get with your cellphone provider that it can really be worth the switch. You can even send messages from Chrome with the wonderful new Google Chrome browser extension. Then you can just cancel your cellphone text messaging plan and use Google Voice instead.

But Google Voice isn't for everyone, so what else can you do? Well, not much if you're not on an Android phone. There are a couple of exceptions, though. Jailbroken iPhone users can grab iBlackList), and Symbian and Windows Mobile users can grab Norton Smartphone Security. If you are running Android, you've got a couple of options:

There are quite a few more, but those should be enough to get you started.

Any Phone Options

How Do I Block Unwanted Text Messages on My Cellphone?If you don't have a smartphone, sometimes you can call your carrier and have them blacklist specific phone numbers. If you keep getting texts from new numbers, ignore them. When you reply to spam text messages they know they're reaching you and will keep trying. Your best defense other than blocking is to never reply.

Most spam text messages come from the internet, too. Whether you're aware of it or not, you're assigned an email address that will send SMS messages to your phone (like 4445551234@vtext.com). Generally spammers will just guess your number by trial and error (which is why replying can be so bad, because then they know you exist). Many carriers will offer you the option of creating an alias and use that instead of your phone number (so it could be myspamfreesmsportal@vtext.com instead, for example). That can often do away with most of the spam you'll run into, unless you you start posting that email address all over the web. David Pogue, over at the New York Times, elaborates on this process and provides specific carrier information to help you out.

Those are your options! Also, if you ever start getting calls you don't want, here's how to block those as well. Hope that helps!

Read more at lifehacker.com
 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Republicans Propose - $2.5 Trillion in Spending Cuts over 10 Years

Amplify’d from www.usnews.com

House GOP Lists $2.5 Trillion in Spending Cuts

Here is the full list of cuts:



Additional Program Eliminations/Spending Reforms


Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy. $445 million annual savings.


Save America's Treasures Program. $25 million annual savings.


International Fund for Ireland. $17 million annual savings.


Legal Services Corporation. $420 million annual savings.


National Endowment for the Arts. $167.5 million annual savings.


National Endowment for the Humanities. $167.5 million annual savings.


Hope VI Program. $250 million annual savings.


Amtrak Subsidies. $1.565 billion annual savings.


Eliminate duplicative education programs. H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.


U.S. Trade Development Agency. $55 million annual savings.


Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy. $20 million annual savings.


Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding. $47 million annual savings.


John C. Stennis Center Subsidy. $430,000 annual savings.


Community Development Fund. $4.5 billion annual savings.


Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid. $24 million annual savings.


Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half. $7.5 billion annual savings.


Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20%. $600 million annual savings.


Essential Air Service. $150 million annual savings.


Technology Innovation Program. $70 million annual savings.


Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. $125 million annual savings.


Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization. $530 million annual savings.


Beach Replenishment. $95 million annual savings.


New Starts Transit. $2 billion annual savings.


Exchange Programs for Alaska, Natives Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts. $9 million annual savings.


Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants. $2.5 billion annual savings.


Title X Family Planning. $318 million annual savings.


Appalachian Regional Commission. $76 million annual savings.


Economic Development Administration. $293 million annual savings.


Programs under the National and Community Services Act. $1.15 billion annual savings.


Applied Research at Department of Energy. $1.27 billion annual savings.


FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. $200 million annual savings.


Energy Star Program. $52 million annual savings.


Economic Assistance to Egypt. $250 million annually.


U.S. Agency for International Development. $1.39 billion annual savings.


General Assistance to District of Columbia. $210 million annual savings.


Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. $150 million annual savings.


Presidential Campaign Fund. $775 million savings over ten years.


No funding for federal office space acquisition. $864 million annual savings.


End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.


Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. More than $1 billion annually.


IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget. $1.8 billion savings over ten years.


Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees. $1 billion total savings.


Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees. $1.2 billion savings over ten years.


Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of. $15 billion total savings.


Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.


Eliminate Mohair Subsidies. $1 million annual savings.


Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. $12.5 million annual savings.


Eliminate Market Access Program. $200 million annual savings.


USDA Sugar Program. $14 million annual savings.


Subsidy to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). $93 million annual savings.


Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program. $56.2 million annual savings.


Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs. $900 million savings.


Ready to Learn TV Program. $27 million savings.


HUD Ph.D. Program.


Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.


TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years

Read more at www.usnews.com
 

Top 10 Resume Mistakes

Amplify’d from www.studentloaninfo.org
Career Tips -Top 10 mistakes to avoid while creating resume

A resume is the first impression you will be making to your prospective employer and you need use it as a valuable instrument. Statistics indicate that you have only about 10 seconds to impress the hiring team and your resume should be compelling enough to attract and retain their attention.


There are many mistakes created by job hunters which are quite common and you should avoid to ensure better response from your prospective employers.



Get your dream job by creating an impressive resume


1. The writing of the resume should not be filled with errors and be poorly written. It is be devoid of spelling errors, verb tense mistakes or long sentences.


2. The format of the resume is very important as they need to be reader-friendly and easy to go through quickly. It should not have fancy designs and it is always better to have the format simple to comprehend. It should have four sections which include the objective, summary, earlier work experience and job profiles as well as educational qualification.


3. The resume needs to be precise and to-the-point instead of writing elaborate sentences. You should not write long paragraphs about your experience or achievements. It is better to stick to short-bulleted points which are concise and gives your details in a nutshell.


4. It should not be like an advertisement of you instead should give details on the kind of work you are capable of doing. It should not look like your life story. You should not focus only on your job responsibilities instead should give details of areas where you are better than the others like your achievements and special training you have obtained, if any. These achievements should have details on your promotions and qualified achievements like setting up a team to solve a particular problem and increase business by a sizable amount.


5. Do not stick to one format for all employers. Some employers might want your professional details in a chronologically whereas some might want details of your skills. Then you need to have a skill-based resume which focuses on abilities and skills instead of just your achievements. Another format which can be used is education-based format.


6. Do not attach your photo to the resume.


7. Do not include the remuneration you are expecting from the prospective employers


8. Do not exaggerate your performance or achievements. Do not use words like outstanding performance or excellent ability to describe your performance, instead can just write “good working knowledge”.


9. Do not include references in the resume. It should be provided after your first interview. If you include reference in the resume, then the referee might not be prepared to give details about you. Instead, you can brief them after your initial interview and then can be prepared to give good feedback about you.


10. The resume should not be more than 2 pages. Keep it concise and simple instead of putting all details in it. It should information which will help your prospective employers to call you for an interview. You should keep in mind that they will be seeing scores of resumes and might not have patience to read lengthy and time consuming resumes.

Read more at www.studentloaninfo.org
 

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The I Have a Dream Speech

Amplify’d from www.usconstitution.net
The I Have a Dream Speech

The following is the exact text of the spoken speech, transcribed from
recordings.






I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the
greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.



Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand
today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a
great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in
the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long
night of their captivity.



But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years
later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of
segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the
Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of
material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in
the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So
we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.



In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the
architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and
the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which
every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes,
black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.



It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note
insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred
obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has
come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank
of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds
in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this
check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and
the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind
America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury
of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time
to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark
and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is
the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the
solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of
God's children.



Martin Luther King, Jr., delivering his 'I Have a Dream' speech from the steps of Lincoln Memorial. (photo: National Park Service)

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This
sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until
there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three
is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow
off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation
returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in
America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of
revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright
day of justice emerges.



But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm
threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our
rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to
satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and
hatred.



We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and
discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical
violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting
physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed
the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for
many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have
come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come
to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot
walk alone.



As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We
cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights,
"When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is
the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be
satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain
lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot
be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to
a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of
their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only".
We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a
Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not
satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters
and righteousness like a mighty stream.



I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and
tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you
have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the
storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have
been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that
unearned suffering is redemptive.



Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go
back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our
northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.



I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of
today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream.



I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men
are created equal."



I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former
slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at
the table of brotherhood.



I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state
sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression,
will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.



I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of
their character.



I have a dream today.



I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with
its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and
nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black
girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as
sisters and brothers.



I have a dream today.



I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and
mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the
crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.



This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With
this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of
hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our
nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be
able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail
together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one
day.



This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a
new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every
mountainside, let freedom ring."



And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom
ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the
mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies
of Pennsylvania!



Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!



Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!



But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!



Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!



Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every
mountainside, let freedom ring.



And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring
from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will
be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white
men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands
and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last!
thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Read more at www.usconstitution.net
 

Thursday, January 13, 2011

10 Best Jobs in the Ski Industry

Amplify’d from www.msnbc.msn.com

10 best jobs in the ski industry - Travel - Seasonal Travel

No. 1: Boutique ski maker

“When your passion is your job, you never work a day in your life,” says Jordan Grano, founder of Folsom Custom Skis in Boulder, Colorado. “To have a chance to affect the industry you love in a positive way and help people enjoy their time skiing is what motivates me.” Many boutique ski companies are spawned by skiers, usually after they’re dissatisfied with the skis already out on the market. Perks include testing the skis during powder days. How to break in: Find a gap in the current market and be creative on how you can help fill it. Study ski design from other companies and stay motivated. Grano doesn’t have a degree in designing, instead he spent years doing personal, in-depth field work with skis he built before he began marketing them.
No. 2: Heli-ski guide

Being a heli-ski guide in Canada or Alaska may be one of the world’s most high-risk jobs, but it’s also one of the most rewarding. “The best part of my job? Skiing sick spines all day,” says Jim Delzer, who’s worked as a guide at Valdez Heli Ski Camps in Valdez, Alaska, for the last three years. “I ski untracked steeps in Alaska for about 40 days each winter.” How to break in: Work as a ski patroller or mountain guide, and be sure to take wilderness first responder courses, avalanche safety courses, and guiding courses from the American Mountain Guides Association or the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. You may also have to climb your way up the ladder by working the front desk, kitchen, or radio operations at a heli outfitter before you get bumped up to guide.
No. 3: Ski photographer

Getting a single usable action photograph of a skier takes more effort than most people realize. But it’s also more rewarding. Just ask Ian Coble, a self-taught photographer who has shot editorial spreads for ESPN, Backcountry, Powder, Skiing, and more. “It’s absolutely incredible to get paid to travel and ski the most incredible places on earth,” Coble says. “I also get to spend time outside and not behind a desk. I have the freedom to work for myself.” How to break in: Photoshop skills are a must, as is motivation to work hard, mostly independently at first. It’s also very important to network and you have to be passionate about your work, says Coble. “It’s going to take this energy to show emotion in your work.”
No. 4: Ski writer

Granted, being a ski writer was more glamorous in the days of bottomless magazine budgets, but it’s still a pretty cushy job. Just ask Rob Story, a Telluride, Colorado-based freelance writer who has penned ski-related stories for Skiing, Powder, Outside, Men’s Journal, Travel & Leisure, Rolling Stone, and others. “The perks have been awesome through the years—free gear, great travel, more expensive steaks and bottles of wine than I can count,” says Story. How to break in: A journalism degree and a magazine internship are good places to start. “Skiing ability is important, of course, but it doesn’t help a magazine nearly as much as someone competent with words,” Story says. “Internships remain the best way to get into it, and to meet the editors who determine freelancers’ fates.”
No. 5: Ski movie maker

A ski filmmaker gets free Clif bars, more than 2,000 Facebook friends, countless excess baggage fees, and 4 a.m. wakeup calls all winter. Just ask Nick Waggoner, director of Colorado-based Sweetgrass Productions, a ski film company founded in 2007. “My favorite moments are when we connect with people who watch the films,” says Waggoner. “It’s food for our creative side.” But despite the early morning missions to catch good light, filmmakers get to travel to some of the world’s best ski destinations with some of the best skiers. How to break in: A film school degree and owning your own camera gear will help. Sign up for an adventure filmmaking class like the Serac Adventure Film School. And do your homework, says Waggoner. “Watch movies, look at photographs … get inspired,” he says. “Learn what makes a good film and surround yourself with friends who will push you.”
No. 6: Product designer

We’d all be lost without product designers — they make sure ski equipment is designed correctly so a skier doesn’t launch off a cliff sans boot. And then they get to test their products. Black Diamond product developer Derek Gustafson likes the challenge of designing ski boots and the way his job gives him the opportunity to work on a product that fits with his passion for skiing. How to break in: “Be sure that in addition to feeding the passion for the sport, you make sure you delve deeply into other interests because ultimately being well rounded is pretty important as you try to find a way to contribute to skiing and the outdoor industry,” says Gustafson, who has a physics degree and worked for 12 years at a molded plastic design company before designing boots. He recommends a background in design, a degree is best, and an internship if possible.
No. 7: Ski resort social media manager

A typical day in the life of someone who does social media for a ski resort? Update the website, ski, check ad campaigns, ski, post a blog, ski, update Facebook, ski, head to après ski, check Twitter. “It’s an awesome job,” says John Beal, the online marketing and social media coordinator for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. “I look out my window and see the tram flying by every 10 minutes. Powder clause is in full effect. Lots of free gear. Meeting and skiing with lots of pro athletes, photographers, and film crews. We ski hard and we work just as hard.” How to break in: A background in marketing, web design, or online marketing will help. Beal volunteered as a mountain host at Jackson Hole and got a good recommendation when the position became available.
No. 8: Ski shop employee

Working in a ski shop comes with lots of perks: Free ski tuning, endless piles of free gear, testing skis before they’re available to the public, and powder-day clauses. “It’s a great job,” says Ryan Ahern, 27, who’s worked at Golden, Colorado’s Bent Gate Mountaineering shop for the past two years. “It’s nice selling products that you actually use and selling them to people who are passionate about the same thing. You get to talk gear all day long.” The bummer: You’ll do this job for the swag, not the paycheck. “We definitely aren’t doing the job because it pays incredible,” says Ahern. “But we get great deals on skis. Most everyone who works here gets a couple pairs of new skis every year.” To get a ski shop job, you’ll need retail experience or experience working with customers, and gear and ski knowledge.
No. 9: Pro skier

Everyone wants to be a pro skier. The perks are endless: skiing in the best locations for free, traveling the world, piles of gear, autograph signings, film segments, and being surrounded by people who have just as much enthusiasm for the sport that you do. “It’s pretty much the ultimate job,” says pro skier Mike Douglas. “It’s all about skiing the best stuff. It’s pretty hard to get tired of this.” How to get into it: Douglas advises that the best way toward becoming a pro is to get involved in competitions—sign up for a local big-mountain comp and work your way up to a stop on the Freeskiing World Tour—and begin to prove yourself against other skiers. Attend the SIA ski trade show in Denver next winter, armed with a ski resume and prepared to market yourself to potential sponsors. Make a ‘Sponsor Me’ clip on YouTube and starting trying to shoot with professional photographers. You have to show your stuff, and only ski because you love it. He says that networking could be important, but it goes even deeper then this. “It’s really all about your talent and willingness to go bigger,” he says.
No. 10: Marketing manager

Doing marketing for a company that makes vacuum cleaners may be dull. But imagine doing marketing for a company that makes ski gear? Pretty easy stuff to get excited about, if you ask us. A typical marketing job for a ski gear company could include everything from doing public relations with media, managing the athlete team and website, writing the catalogue and press releases, traveling to events, preparing skis for magazine tests, sending gear to pro athletes, setting up photo shoots, and much more. “I get to work directly with some of skiing’s top pros, I get to witness some of the best comp riding on the planet, I get to see once in a lifetime action go down on film, and I get to ski in some of the best spots on the planet,” says Mike Nick, the Sports Marketing Director for Orage, a ski apparel company. “It doesn’t get much better than that.” How to break in: You’ll need experience in marketing or PR, strong communication and writing skills, and a ski background
Read more at www.msnbc.msn.com
 

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Tuscon Massacre: The Missed Signs

Amplify’d from www.newsweek.com

The Missed Warning Signs



A 2009 study warned that the rise of right-wing extremism could spur violent attacks. But the report was attacked by Republicans, including now-Speaker John Boehner.









Shaun Tandon / AFP-Getty Images; Pima County Sheriff's Dept.-Getty Images (inset)

The modest home in Tucson, Arizona, where Jared Loughner (left) lived with his parents.





Two years before the Tucson massacre, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a report that right-wing extremism was on the rise and could prompt "lone wolves" to launch attacks. But the agency backed away from the report amid intense criticism from Republicans, including future House Speaker John Boehner.



The report, which warned that the crippled economy and the election of the first black president were “unique drivers for right-wing radicalization and recruitment,” described the rise of “lone wolves and small terrorist cells embracing violent right-wing extremist ideology [as] the most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States,” according to a copy reviewed by The Center for Public Integrity.

“Not only was [the report] buried, the actual unit which created it was disemboweled,” said Brian Levin, a professor of criminal justice and the director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. He noted that DHS is congressionally mandated to study long-term trends among extremist groups.



Levin worried that political fallout rendered the report’s findings “impotent,” as well as future reports from the department profiling extremist groups. “Rather than the report being a hit piece, the hit piece was what was done in the wake of the report.



“Was there some awkward language in one section? Sure. But it was a very well-done report.”
The awkward language he refers to was a section in the report warning that returning veterans could be prime targets for recruitment into extremist organizations. Then-Minority Leader Boehner of Ohio was one of many Republicans who called on DHS to apologize.



“Furthermore, the Secretary of Homeland Security owes the American people an explanation for why … her own department is using [“terrorist”] to describe American citizens who disagree with the direction Washington Democrats are taking our nation,” said Boehner, now House speaker.



Leading conservatives claimed the report was a White House-directed hit piece—commentator Michelle Malkin derided it as “propaganda.”
Read more at www.newsweek.com
 

Saturday, January 01, 2011

How to Drop Off the Face of the Earth - Forever

Amplify’d from lifehacker.com

How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear Forever





How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear ForeverSo you've decided you want to drop off the map and leave Big Brother behind. It's harder than ever in our always-connected world, but if you're ready to plan your big vanishing act, here are a few tips to get you started.

Who hasn't thought about how nice it would be to start fresh somewhere new, preferably with nicer weather and cheaper drinks? Whatever your reasons for wanting to disappear—maybe you just want to get The Man off your back—with enough diligence and planning you can vanish and start anew somewhere else.


For the low down on disappearing and starting your life over, we turned to the book How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish without a Trace by Frank M. Ahearn and Eileen C. Horan. Frank Ahearn is the grizzled grandfather of the vanishing act. After 20 odd years working as a skip tracer—an investigator who specializes in finding people who don't want to be found—he realized he could make just as much money and incur a lot less risk helping people avoid investigators like himself. We've culled a few of Ahearn's tips below, but if you're really serious, his book is a great pocket guide to getting lost. Photo adapted from the Australia edition of How to Disappear.


How Not to Disappear


How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear Forever

The cardinal sin in any serious disappearance is drama. You don't successfully vanish by staging an elaborate disappearing act that ultimately involves a tri-state search, police dogs, and your home town believing that you were mauled by a bear and dragged off into the dark night. Ahearn stresses the importance of disappearing in a legal fashion. You shouldn't, for example, try and secure false papers: It's a felony to use false identification, and you have no idea if the papers you secured are legitimate. (What if your new social security number belongs to a dead guy or a criminal? What if the passport you bought is bogus and now you're staring down a customs agent?). Instead, you want to obfuscate your identity in a way that it's so difficult for people to follow you that anything short of a government task force will lack for the patience or funding to keep doggedly trying to find you. Here's a little about how that might work. Photo by David McDermott.


Minimize Your Social Connections


How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear Forever

People who hurriedly throw all their crap in a suitcase and run out the back door are the ones who fail at disappearing. Instead, one of your most important jobs, prior to your successful disappearance, is to slowly cut the fat from your social life. Stop using Facebook—ditch all social networks—maybe under the pretense that you're spending too much time online (or any other pretense that people around you will accept besides "I'm going to torch my crappy life and move to Belize").


You want to minimize the social footprint you occupy so that when suddenly you're not standing in it anymore, few people will notice or care. If you're the most prominent member of the local social scene and you vanish tomorrow, people will notice. Minimizing your virtual trail is more important than minimizing your real life trail. It takes mere minutes for an investigator to comb through social networks and search results, but hours and additional expenses to investigate on foot and by phone. Photo by Luis Perez.


The one social connection most people are unwilling to ditch is communication with their immediate family. Unless your immediate family is the reason you're pulling a vanishing act, chances are you'll still want to talk to your parents or siblings. This can the toughest communication to break, and it's where almost everyone fails. All the planning in the world is worthless if you call your relatives from your new location and a skip tracer gets her hands on the phone records. If you want to communicate with your family or best friend after you've vanished from the less desirable people in your life, then you need to figure out, well in advance, how you will do so. Never communicate with them directly from any account linked to your new life or new residence. Anonymous email accounts and prepaid phone cards and cellphones are the only way you're going to be finding out if Grandma's hip surgery went well.


Ditch the Plastic; Cash Is King


How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear Forever

Get used to the idea of ditching the luxuries you had in your former life. Gone are the credit cards, the convenience cards and loyalty cards, even simple things like a video rental card. Pay cash for everything and don't use anything that could link your new life and your plans to your old life. Don't check out books about Chile from your local library or buy them with a credit card. Don't use a credit card or frequent flier miles to book a flight out of the country. Your goal in everything you do is to minimize the number of connections between your old life and your new life. Whenever you undertake an interaction with another person or business, ask yourself "Is this the least traceable method I could use?" Paying cash for a cup of coffee at an old coffee shop? Obscure. Paying with a credit card for a cup of coffee at an airport kiosk under the eye of four different security cameras? Not stealthy in the least. Cash is king. Photo by Andrew Magill.


Lie, Lie, and Lie Some More


How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear Forever

Ahearn goes into intense detail on the topic of disinformation and its importance in disappearing. He notes that the thing skip tracers hope for most is just enough information—too little and they'll never find their prey, too much and they'll waste all their time and funding looking in the wrong places. Your goal is to create disinformation.


As you prepare to disappear, slowly but surely start fudging the information companies have on you. "Correct" the spelling of your name on file with the local utility company, tell them they have the wrong social security number and offer a correction, change your mailing address for your bills to a fake mail drop you set up through a private mailing company. If people come looking for you, you want them to waste their time looking in the wrong places. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Ahearn's book are all devoted entirely to disinformation, creating false leads (with examples from his work that are so clever you'll want to hire him just to see him in action), and establishing yourself securely in a new locale. Photo by Anonymous9000.


Incorporation, The Binding Glue


How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear Forever

At this point you might be nodding your head, thinking that the plan sounds great so far, save for the one glaring detail. If you can't use anything but cash how on earth are you going to establish a new identity in your new location? Since you don't want to lead the life of an illegal alien in your new locale, you're going to need some way to have a legal presence that isn't intimately tied back to your old identity.


Creating a corporation to manage your assets is one way many people handle their affairs once they have disappeared. Your corporation, only vaguely linked to you and not in the way that is readily identifiable to skip tracers, will be the entity that leases your apartment, pays your utility bills, and otherwise delegates your money out while serving as a shield between you and those looking for you. The details of this are best discussed between you and a lawyer or after careful research into what kind of corporation (and where) would be the best fit for you. Photo by Diana.


Lastly: Don't Bother If You're Not Committed


How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear Forever

Disappearing is not easy. You don't just fake your own death, buy some false papers in an alley from a guy with an indiscernible accent, and then retire to a life of leisure on a small island nation. Disappearing, and doing so legally and without incurring a bigger headache than the one you're running away from, takes careful planning. You need to be willing to cut contact with nearly everyone you know (if not everyone), change how you shop, and even ditch your hobbies. Disappearing means beginning a game of chase with people who want to find you and being willing and strong enough to outlive them at that game. If you can't do that, you'll waste a lot of time and money trying to disappear but failing. Photo by Bohari Adventures.


Further Reading


How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear ForeverThe total planning and execution of your disappearance is well beyond the scope of this article. If you're seriously entertaining the idea of disappearing, we highly recommend checking out Ahearn's book How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish without a Trace. If you're serious about vanishing, it offers insights and tips you likely never even thought about. If, like most of us, you're not serious about vanishing, it's still packed with fascinating stories culled from the hundreds of clients Frank has helped vanish from their old life and start a fresh one more to their liking. Either way you'll end up a little more paranoid about your privacy and security and a lot more knowledgeable about the ways people abuse both.

Read more at lifehacker.com