Wish I Didn't Know

Read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Source: Imgur

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NEW DELHI (AP By KATY DAIGLE) - India introduced a cheap tablet computer Wednesday, saying it would deliver modern technology to the countryside to help lift villagers out of poverty.

The computer, called Aakash, or “sky” in Hindi, is the latest in a series of “world’s cheapest” innovations in India that include a 100,000 rupee ($2,040) compact Nano car, a 750 rupee ($15) water purifier and $2,000 open-heart surgery.

Developer Datawind is selling the tablets to the government for about $45 each, and subsidies will reduce that to $35 for students and teachers. In comparison, the cheapest Apple iPad tablet costs $499, while the recently announced Kindle Fire will sell for $199.

Datawind says it can make about 100,000 units a month at the moment, not nearly enough to meet India’s hope of getting its 220 million children online.

Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal called the announcement a message to all children of the world.

“This is not just for us. This is for all of you who are disempowered,” he said. “This is for all those who live on the fringes of society.”

Despite a burgeoning tech industry and decades of robust economic growth, there are still hundreds of thousands of Indians with no electricity, let alone access to computers and information that could help farmers improve yields, business startups reach clients, or students qualify for university.

The launch - attended by hundreds of students, some selected to help train others across the country in the tablet’s use - followed five years of efforts to design a $10 computer that could bridge the country’s vast digital divide.

“People laughed, people called us lunatics,” ministry official N.K. Sinha said. “They said we are taking the nation for a ride.”

Although the $10 goal wasn’t achieved, the Aakash has a color screen and provides word processing, Web browsing and video conferencing. The Android 2.2-based device has two USB ports and 256 megabytes of RAM. Despite hopes for a solar-powered version - important for India’s energy-starved hinterlands - no such option is currently available.

Both Sibal and Datawind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli called for competition to improve the product and drive prices down further.

“The intent is to start a price war. Let it start,” Tuli said, inviting others to do the job better and break technological ground - while still making a commercially viable product.

As for the $10 goal, “let’s dream and go in that direction. Let’s start with that target and see what happens,” he said.

The students Wednesday were well-briefed on the goal of providing tablets for the poor, although most in attendance already had access to computers at home or in their schools.

“A person learns quite fast when they have a computer at home,” said Shashank Kumar, 21, a computer engineering student from Jodhpur, Bihar, who was one of five people selected in his northern state to travel to villages and demonstrate the device. “In just a few years people can even become hackers.”

India, after raising literacy to about 78 percent from 12 percent when British rule ended, is now focusing on higher education with a 2020 goal of 30 percent enrollment. Today, only 7 percent of Indians graduate from high school.

“To every child in India I carry this message. Aim for the sky and beyond. There is nothing holding you back,” Sibal said before distributing about 650 of the tablets to the students.

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Read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Source: Imgur

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(Daily Mail By RACHEL QUIGLEY) — Domino’s promise their pizzas will be ready and at your door in 30 minutes or less.

But one New York entrepreneur found a way to deliver pizza to your hand in just 90 seconds - by creating a pizza vending machine.

The automated pizzeria delivers freshly baked hot pizzas at the touch of a few buttons, and not only that, but you can watch it be cooked right in front of your very eyes - just like a real pizzeria but without the chef.

See the entre article and video here.

Original Article

(Daily Mail By OLIVER PICKUP) - These sickening images show raccoon dogs being skinned alive to make cheap imitation Ugg boots bought by thousands of Britons.

The original footwear is made from high-quality Australian sheepskin, taken from animals slaughtered humanely, but this footage shows the brutal treatment of creatures in China whose fur is used to make the fake boots.

The raccoon dogs are shown skinned, but still alive and moving, in the distressing scenes filmed by animal rights campaigners. Thrown on a pile, they can take up to three hours to die.

The terrified animals are beaten with sticks and are seen kicking and writhing as the men cut them open and skin them.

The skinning process is agonizingly slow and begins from the feet up. The workers are filmed standing on the animals’ heads if they struggle too much.

The video, uploaded on to YouTube by animalwelfare1 and associated with Swiss Animal Protection / EAST international, then shows the skinned animals being tossed alive on to a pile of dead and dying raccoon dogs.

The MailOnline has chosen not to include the video, as it is too shocking.

One raccoon dog - an indigenous Asian species related to foxes and dogs - is shown lifting its head to the camera briefly before falling back down on the mound of corpses, still breathing.

The shocking footage, published in the Herald Sun, has sparked outrage and has led activists to demand a ban on the raccoon dog trade.

Imitation Ugg boots have flooded the market worldwide and are widely available online and at outlets. Many are imported into Britain.

In Australia, where Uggs - which cost up to £200 - originate, there has been a ban on the import of domestic dog and cat fur since 2004, but raccoon dog fur is still brought in.

An investigation by the Humane Society International (HSI) found a pair of imitation Ugg boots to contain raccoon dog fur, even though they were labeled ‘Australian sheepskin’.

HSI director Verna Simpson said dozens of products, aside from the boots, use imported raccoon dog fur - and in other cases dog fur.

Animal hair identification expert Han Brunner confirmed the boots contained raccoon dog fur and called for the government to crack down on the trade.

Mr Brunner told news.com.au: ‘There is no doubt they have mislabeled these items and customs refuse to do anything.

‘They have been labeled Australian merino fur and that was on the inside of the boot, on the outside there were hairs from the raccoon dog.

‘I think surely that should make an impact on customs especially after the cattle slaughtering in Indonesia - dog raccoons are skinned alive and the carcass is thrown on a heap when they are still alive.’

Earlier this year footage of the treatment of Australian livestock in Indonesian abattoirs led to a temporary export ban.

Head of Ugg Australia Lena McDonald said that the use of raccoon dog fur by other brands had tarnished the entire industry.

She said there were up to 40 products using the word ‘Ugg’ but that few were made in Australia and many used overseas materials.

‘As far as I can see many of these boots are not made in Australia at all yet they have the word Australia and Ugg on them,’ she told the Herald Sun.

‘Labeling laws in Australia are a little bit grey and we have seen companies cutting off tags saying “made in China” and the Australian made tag put on it.’

An Australian customs spokeswoman said the government took the importation of illegal fur seriously but was awaiting further information before stating its position on the importation of raccoon dog fur.

Original Article

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Blake Wimberly lives in the dark, gripped by paranoia.

The 28-year-old hides inside his small Dallas apartment because of fear that police will arrest him wherever he goes.

“I see a cop right there, so that tells me that I should not be going outside not for nothing.”

Wimberly is both autistic and schizophrenic, so he struggles with self-control.

Despite his condition, Blake has progressed enough to live on his own.  But his mother, Lori Lux, says a trip to a grocery store started a downward spiral.  “I see a man who has shut down,” she said.

The incident happened on April 28 at a Whole Foods store on Park Lane.

Police reports say Blake was ‘acting odd,’ leading to customer complaints.

Officers were called, and Blake was told to get out of an unauthorized area or be arrested.  His response to officers was: “No, I have to call my mom.”

That refusal led to Wimberly’s arrest for criminal trespassing even though he wore a medical alert bracelet and told officers about his condition.

“I told them I had autism and he told me basically I was a liar.”

“I asked them repeatedly, was he violent? Did he ever threaten? No, they all told me no he was just odd,” Lux said.

She says she was in the shower when police called her that morning, but no one answered when she called back.

It was more than 12 hours later when she was able to bring Blake home from jail.  “I was mistreated in jail,” Blake said.

“They have just totally turned our lives upside down for no reason,” added Lux.

In a statement, Whole Foods defended the store’s actions, saying Blake was quote, “Running up and down the aisles and repeatedly going into areas of the store that are employee-only.”

A spokesperson says Dallas police officers made the decision alone to take Blake to jail.  Department officials did not return our calls for comment.

Since the arrest, Blake relies on his mother for trips to grocery stores, but still has a compulsion to visit them.

But the experience has made him fearful and reclusive.  “I miss being welcome into places.”

In criminal trespassing cases, DPD officers have the discretion to either issue a citation or make an arrest.  Blake’s family says they are planning to file a lawsuit over what happened.

Original Article

A Walmart shopper has successfully sued the retail giant after she was charged two cents more than the listed price for a pack of sausages.

Mary Bach, who has made a habit of taking Walmart to court, was angered when the chain’s store in Delmont, Pennsylvania made her pay $1 for a box of Banquet ‘Brown ‘N Serve’ sausages, which had been priced at 98 cents.

(Daily Mail By LAURIE WHITWELL) — Walmart argued new packaging caused a mix-up on the price, but Ms Bach, a consumer activist from Murrysville, claimed the overcharge was intentional.

Murrysville District Judge Charles Conway agreed with her and ruled the store breached trade laws. He awarded Ms Bach $100 in damages, plus $80 in court costs, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

‘This is the fifth lawsuit that I have now won against this store, this Delmont Walmart, for the same problem: practice of putting up a shelf tag that was lower than the price charged at the cash register,’ Ms Bach told WPXI outside court.

‘All this is for the scanner charge to correlate with the shelf tag or vice versa. I’m not telling them what price to charge for the item they’re selling.’

Ms Bach said she hopes her court case will ensure the error does not happen to any other costumers, no matter how small.

She said the Walmart should be more careful in guaranteeing that prices listed on shelves match what prices scan at the register, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

‘Walmart was wrong. They were overcharging customers. Even though it was a minimal amount, they were wrong,’ she told WPXI.

Ms Bach testified that on August 20 she picked up the sausages, which had a listed price of 98 cents, but was charged $1 when she reached the check-out.

‘The clerk did everything right when I pointed out the error and refunded me the difference and noted the error,’ Ms Bach said.

However, six days later, she went back to the store to purchase more of the same sausages when the same thing happened, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

This time Ms Bach was not interested in a refund and she took the store to court.

Walmart attorney Timothy J. Nieman argued that Ms Bach, who has a reported 17-year history of legal battles over pricing faults, was not really shopping for groceries, but was looking for her next lawsuit.

‘Never once have I been questioned by a cashier whether an item I’m purchasing is for my personal use or not,’ Ms Bach said. ‘Everything I buy is for my personal use.’

Ms Bach told the court her husband and grandchildren enjoy the sausages on a regular basis.

Walmart spokesman Greg Rossiter told WPXI the company tried to refund the money to Ms Bach, but she refused. He said Walmart respectfully disagrees with the decision, and is considering its options.

Original Article

 Burnsville police say a Northfield man who had just lost his job committed suicide in front of former colleagues by locking himself in his car and shooting himself in the head.

Fifty-one-year-old Patrick Joseph Graves was still alive Thursday morning when officers arrived. He died about an hour later at a hospital.

BURNSVILLE, Minn. (AP) — Graves had just been let go from Goodrich Corp., where his girlfriend said he worked for three years. Jill Murphy says Graves received an unexpectedly poor performance review Monday and was fired Thursday.

A company official declined to say whether Graves was fired, citing employee confidentiality.

Murphy tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press Graves told the company he struggled with depression.

Graves was divorced with three daughters. His 15-year-old daughter says all three knew he loved them.

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Protesters speaking out against corporate greed and other grievances were maintaining a presence in Manhattan’s Financial District Sunday even after more than 700 of them were arrested during a march on the Brooklyn Bridge in a tense confrontation with police.

NEW YORK (AP) — The group Occupy Wall Street has been camped out in a plaza in Manhattan’s Financial District for nearly two weeks staging various marches, and had orchestrated an impromptu trek to Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon. They walked in thick rows on the sidewalk up to the bridge, where some demonstrators spilled onto the roadway after being told to stay on the pedestrian pathway, police said.

The march shut down a lane of traffic for several hours on Saturday. The majority of those arrested were given citations for disorderly conduct and were released, police said.

The group had meetings and forums planned for Sunday at Zuccotti Park, the private plaza off Broadway the protesters have occupied.

During Saturday’s march on the Brooklyn Bridge, some protesters sat on the roadway, chanting “Let us go,” while others chanted and yelled at police from the pedestrian walkaway above. Police used orange netting to stop the group from going farther down the bridge, which is under construction.

Some of the protesters said they were lured onto the roadway by police, or they didn’t hear the calls from authorities to head to the pedestrian walkway. Police said no one was tricked into being arrested, and those in the back of the group who couldn’t hear were allowed to leave.

“Multiple warnings by police were given to protesters to stay on the pedestrian walkway and that if they took the roadway they would be arrested,” said Paul Browne, the chief spokesman of the New York Police Department.

The NYPD on Sunday released video footage to back up its stance. In one of the videos, an official uses a bullhorn to warn the crowd. Marchers can be seen chanting, “Take the bridge.”

Erin Larkins, a Columbia University graduate student who says she and her boyfriend have significant student loan debt, was among the thousands of protesters on the bridge. She said a friend persuaded her to join the march and she’s glad she did.

“I don’t think we’re asking for much, just to wake up every morning not worrying whether we can pay the rent, or whether our next meal will be rice and beans again,” Larkins wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “No one is expecting immediate change. I think everyone is just hopeful that people will wake up a bit and realize that the more we speak up, the more the people that do have the authority to make changes in this world listen.”

Several videos taken of the event show a confusing, chaotic scene. Some show protesters screaming obscenities at police and taking a hat from one of the officers. Others show police struggling with people who refuse to get up. Nearby, a couple posed for wedding pictures on the bridge.

“We were supposed to go up the pedestrian roadway,” said Robert Cammiso, a 48-year-old student from Brooklyn told the Daily News. “There was a huge funnel, a bottleneck, and we couldn’t fit. People jumped from the walkway onto the roadway. We thought the roadway was open to us.”

Earlier Saturday, thousands who joined two other marches crossed the Brooklyn Bridge without problems. One was from Brooklyn to Manhattan by a group opposed to genetically modified food. Another in the opposite direction marched against poverty organized by United Way.

Elsewhere in the U.S. on Saturday, protesters assembled in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Boston and Los Angeles to express their solidarity with the movement in New York, though their demands remain unclear. Occupy Wall Street demonstrators have been camped in Zuccotti Park and have clashed with police on earlier occasions. Mostly, the protests have been peaceful, and the movement has shown no signs of losing steam. Celebrities including documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and actress Susan Sarandon made recent stops to encourage the group.

During the length of the protest, turnout has varied, but the numbers have reached as high as about a few thousand. A core group of about two hundred people remain camped throughout the week. They sleep on air mattresses, use Mac laptops and play drums. They go to the bathroom at the local McDonald’s. A few times a day, they march down to Wall Street, yelling, “This is what democracy looks like!”

There has been a growing swell of coverage in mainstream media, but there has been loud complaining that their cause hasn’t been championed fast enough — or in the way protesters want.

Misinformation has added to the confusion. For instance, a rumor sprang up on Twitter that the New York Police Department wanted to use tear gas on protesters — a crowd-control tactic the department doesn’t use. The claim was eventually retracted, one of several such retractions over the past several days. On Friday, a message said Radiohead would be performing in solidarity for the cause, but the band’s management said it wasn’t playing.

Earlier clashes with police have resulted in about 100 arrests. Most were for disorderly conduct. Many were the subject of homemade videos posted online.

One video surfaced of a group of girls shot with pepper spray by NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna. The woman claimed they were abused and demanded the officer resign, and the video has been the subject of several news articles and commentary. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said internal affairs would look into whether Bologna acted improperly and has also said the video doesn’t show “tumultuous” behavior by the protesters.

A real estate firm that owns Zuccotti Park has expressed concerns about conditions there, saying in a statement that it hopes to work with the city to restore the park “to its intended purpose.” But it’s not clear whether legal action will be taken, and police say there are no plans to try to remove anyone.

Seasoned activists said the ad-hoc protest could prove to be a training ground for future organizers of larger and more cohesive demonstrations, or motivate those on the sidelines to speak out against injustices.

“You may not get much, or any of these things on the first go-around,” said the Rev. Herbert Daughtry, a longtime civil rights activist who has participated in protests for decades. “But it’s the long haul that matters.”

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This utility company wants to collect their past due amount and they want it now!

Source: HappyPlace

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The Bank of America website crashed yesterday after being overwhelmed by angry customers following the decision to charge them to use $5 a month if they use their debit cards.

The site went down for hours in the morning and hours later service was still intermittent.

Posted to WIDK by Emily Moore

(Daily Mail Reporter) — The breakdown came less than 24 hours after the bank revealed it will roll out the fee  early next year.

Though the bank, like several others who instated similar fees, will use the revenue to help increase revenue, the move is seen as biased against less wealthy clients as they are more likely to use a debit card because they are often denied credit.

U.S. banks have been looking for ways to increase revenue as regulations introduced since the financial crisis limited the use of overdraft and other fees.

In spite of hesitations about the new fee, Bank of America’s stock price was up at the close of business Thursday, coming in at 6.35.

The new fee will go into effect next month when portions of the Dodd-Frank Act, created in response to the financial crisis, begin.

Paying to use a debit card was unheard of before this year and is still a novel concept for many consumers. But several banks have recently introduced, or said they are testing, debit card fees. That’s in addition to the spate of other unwelcome changes checking account customers have seen in the past year.

Bank of America’s announcement carries added weight because it is the largest U.S. bank by deposits.

Customers will only be charged the fee if they use their debit cards for purchases in any given month as opposed to simply withdrawing cash from ATMs, said Anne Pace, a Bank of America spokeswoman.

The fee will apply to basic accounts, which are marketed toward those with modest balances, and will be in addition to any existing monthly service fees. For example, one such accounts charges a $12 monthly fee unless customers meet certain conditions, such as maintaining a minimum average balance of $1,500.

The debit card fee is just the latest twist in the rapidly evolving market for checking account.

A study by Bankrate.com this week found that just 45 percent of checking accounts are now free with no strings attached, down from 65 percent last year and 76 percent in 2009. Customers can still get free checking in most cases, but only if they meet certain conditions, such as setting up direct deposit.

The study also found that the total average cost for using an ATM rose to $3.81, from $3.74, the year before. The average overdraft fee rose slightly to $30.83, from $30.47.

An increasing reliance on credit cards would be particularly beneficial for big institutions like Bank of America, which have large credit card portfolios, notes Bart Narter, a banking analyst with Celent, a consulting firm.

‘It’s become a more profitable business, at least in relation to debit cards,’ Narter said.

This summer, an Associated Press-GfK poll found that two-thirds of consumers use debit cards more frequently than credit cards. But when asked how they would react if they were charged a $3 monthly debit card fee, 61 percent said they’d find another way to pay.

With a $5 fee, 66 percent said they would change their payment method.

Several banks are nevertheless moving ahead with debit card fees.

SunTrust, a regional bank based in Atlanta, began charging a $5 debit card fee on its basic checking accounts this summer. Regions Financial, which is based in Birmingham, Alabama, plans to start charging a $4 fee next month.

Chase and Wells Fargo are also testing $3 monthly debit card fees in select markets. Neither bank has said when it will make a final decision on whether to roll out the fee more broadly.

The growing prevalence of the debit card fee is alarming for Josh Wood, a 32-year-old financial adviser in Amarillo, Texas.

Wood relies entirely on debit cards to avoid interest charges on a credit card. If his bank, Wells Fargo, began charging a debit card fee, he said he would take his business to a credit union.

Original Article

Residents in Ohio will now be permitted to carry a firearm into their local drinking establishment following the revision of the state’s gun law.

The new regulations, now in effect, allows those with gun licenses to carry a weapon to restaurants, nightclubs, shopping centers, hotels and museums - so long as the firearm remains concealed.

(Daily Mail By DAVID GERGES) — Bill Seitz, a member of the Ohio Senate, who advocated for the change said: ‘An undischarged concealed weapon never hurt anybody in history. And using a gun is not allowed under this bill.’

‘All we’re saying is they can have a piece of equipment on their body.’

The new law will also benefit drivers who are no longer required to keep their guns in a holster, case or in plain sight while at the wheel.

However, those licensed to hold a fire arm are under a strict ‘no drinking’ policy and must keep from businesses that display a gun-free premise signpost.

The new law has divided opinion, with some bar owners admitting to making no special dispensation.

Bar manager Paul Goebel insisted his tavern is continuing with its ‘business-as-usual’ approach.

He said: ‘We’ve made no plans for it.’

However, Steve Minnielli, owner of Rick’s Tavern and Grill, insisted he won’t allow guns into his own bar and believes other establishments will follow suit.

Minnielli said: ‘I would think that everyone would follow suit, I really would.’

‘Because it is just going to take that one time, just one guy, one girl pulling out their gun shooting it in the air and they are going to wonder what the world have we done.’

Senator Seitz pointed to the implementation of the law in other states that has not ‘unleash(ed) a new era of wild, wild West violence,’ as one of the reasons behind the change in the Midwestern state.

Yet the Ohio Restaurant Association is adamant that many eateries will continue to enforce the ban.

Jarrod Clabaugh, association spokesman revealed that more than 2,400 members who operate more than 5,000 restaurants in the state, had opposed the change in law after expressing a grave concern that ‘alcohol and guns do not mix.’

However, Todd Heimann, a manager at a gun store and indoor shooting range, believes the stringent rules in place in order to obtain a license, serve as a deterrent for most citizens.

He said: ‘If I go through the hassle and trouble of getting a permit, I’m not the person you have to worry about. You have to be pretty squeaky clean in order to get one.’

In order to be granted an Ohio gun license, a person must be at least 21 years old, with no previous criminal convictions.

Further, they must complete at least 12 hours of training, including two hours on a firing range, pass a criminal background check and pay various fees.

Original Article

Want An Oil Change?  You Must Quote Verse in BIBLE (WIDK)

PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) – A Collin County business offering customers a break on the price of an oil change is requiring a little more than just bringing in a coupon.

Customers are being asked to quote a Bible verse, and some of them are finding out that if they won’t it will cost them.

Resident Marshall Wei, who had been to the Kwik Kar on Custer Road in Plano before, was happy to find the coupon hanging on his door last week.

Above the promised $19.99 price though, the coupon says customers must quote the New Testament verse John 3:16 to get the deal.

“I think maybe I forgot exactly what it is, and I needed to go look it up online,” Wei said

With the verse in hand, Wei drove to the store and pulled into the garage, but as he waited he started having second thoughts about the offer.

“Why should I be compelled to quote something I do not feel comfortable to quote?” he asked.

After a short discussion with a store manager about the verse, he declined to recite it, and ended up paying more than $46 for the service, more than twice what he expected.

“I’m paying you,” Wei said. “Why can’t you treat me like others?”

Store owner Charlie Whittington is standing by what he asking customers to do for a deal.  “If I’m standing for what I believe, so be it,” he said. “Bring it on.”

The verse is popular for containing the central beliefs of traditional Christianity:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV)

Whittington said he did it as a conversation starter in an effort to talk to people about what he believes.

“It’s one thing about America,” he said. “You can go and do what you want. I’m not making you do anything and I’m tired of people making me do something.”

Whittington may be right that he can make the offer if he wants to.  The state attorney general had no comment on the issue and couldn’t point out any laws the coupon is breaking.

Dallas attorney Andy Siegel, who has handled discrimination and denial of service cases before, said with no connection to federal funds, or federal highways, the discount appears to be within the law, though he said the conversation could have been started a different way.

“The study of the Bible has many rewards. I’m not sure that God intended a lube discount to be among its many riches.”

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Fuck Comcast (WIDK)

(WIDK) — Customer discusses bill with Comcast.

Source: Reddit

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