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Overheard in Fog City: Is Mirkarimi Guilty
of Official Misconduct?

Written by Luke Thomas. Posted in News, Politics

Tagged: , , , ,

Published on March 14, 2012 with 1 Comment

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi. File photo by Luke Thomas.

By Luke Thomas

March 14, 2012

Though Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has admitted guilt to one misdemeanor count of false imprisonment stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident involving his wife on New Year’s Eve, the push to remove him from office is likely to fall flat.

Per the definition of official misconduct under the city charter, “Official misconduct means any wrongful behavior by a public officer in relation to the duties of his or her office, willful in its character, including any failure, refusal or neglect of an officer to perform any duty enjoined on him or her by law, or conduct that falls below the standard of decency, good faith and right action impliedly required of all public officers and including any violation of a specific conflict of interest or governmental ethics law. When any City law provides that a violation of the law constitutes or is deemed official misconduct, the conduct is covered by this definition and may subject the person to discipline and/or removal from office.” (emphasis added).

Because the incident occurred during an alleged argument between Mirkarimi and Lopez at the couple’s home, the “any wrongful behavior by a public officer in relation to the duties of his or her office” test, fails.

Which leaves the second clause, “conduct that falls below the standard of decency, good faith and right action impliedly required of all public officers,” as the only available basis left for consideration, a basis so broad that, as one observer put it, “You can drive a truck through.”

Mayor Ed Lee, who has yet to decide if he will charge Mirkarimi with official misconduct, said Monday his assessment of Mirkarimi’s admission of guilt includes consideration of whether his actions constitute an act against the public.

“Is it something against the public?” Lee said to a flock of reporters. “I mean, that is part of the determination of official misconduct is having done something in that office that would degrade the functioning of that office or the functioning of that position. So, I have to be very careful about this but, you know, amongst the earlier charges, you can kind of separate in the past the issues of domestic violence as well as the function of the office – there kind of was a little separation. In this case, I’m not so sure about that separation.”

Mayor Ed Lee.

Lee said he will make a decision after Mirkarimi is sentenced Monday. Following his sentencing, Mirkarimi is expected to explain in full exactly what happened on New Year’s Eve, a narrative that may go some distance in assuaging the bloodthirsty.

Haaland hasn’t ruled out a run in D5

Gabriel Haaland.

SEIU organizer Gabriel Haaland has not ruled out a possible run for the open District 5 seat in November, Fog City Journal can relay.

Haaland, who ran for D5 supe in 2004 but narrowly lost to Ross Mirkarimi, said Monday he would consider running if appointed D5 Supervisor Christina Olague, considered a progressive, strays from her progressive roots.

The question of whether Olague, a former Green Party registrant turned Democrat, can remain independent following her appointment by Mayor Ed Lee in January, was raised most recently with her pivotal support for a charter amendment proposal, introduced last week by Supervisor Mark Farrell, that aims to repeal Ranked Choice Voting in all San Francisco citywide races.

Asked if he has ruled out a possible run, Haaland told Fog City: “As I said in December and January – I’ve known Christina for 15 years. She’s a good friend. If she remains a progressive… as long as she stays true to who she is, which I think she will… It’s not my intent to threaten her or be the person lurking on the sidelines waiting for her to make a mistake, either. I want to support her, give her a chance to do the right thing because, as you know in San Francisco, there’s a lot of people who lurk on the sidelines waiting for what they perceive to be a mistake and then it’s like, sharks on blood, and there’s a feeding frenzy.”

Haaland said he would support using RCV in a June primary with a runoff decided in November, suggested modifications he said he has discussed with RCV champion Steven Hill and Olague.

“My preference going forward as it relates to Christina is to support her, give her constructive feedback and give her a chance to get her sea legs,” Haaland said. “At the end of the day, my belief is that she is a progressive.”

Luke Thomas

Luke Thomas

Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.

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  • DavidinSF

    Isn’t Haaland a shark?


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Nurses Rally Support for Robin Hood Tax on Wall Street Transactions

Written by Maggie Rose Ortins. Posted in Business, Economy, Labor, News

Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Published on June 20, 2012 with 6 Comments

A man who identified himself as Robin Hood expressed support for a Robin Hood Tax on Wall Street transactions during a rally Tuesday outside JP Morgan Chase in downtown San Francisco. Photo by Rosie Linares.

By Maggie Ortins

June 20, 2012

Dressed in red scrubs and chanting “Wall street says cutback, we say fight back,” members of National Nurses United gathered Tuesday outside JP Morgan Chase in downtown San Francisco to rally support for a “Robin Hood Tax” that aims to tap Wall Street investment transactions to fund social services.

Wearing Robin Hood hats, protesters drew double-takes from passers-by as they demonstrated – some with children in tow.

The tax, commonly known as a financial transaction (or speculation) tax, would apply to trades in stocks, bonds, currencies and derivatives. The tax would generate 50 cents for every $100 traded.  According to a 2009 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the transaction tax, which has not yet garnered political backing, could raise as much as $350 billion per year.

Sue Fendley, a rally organizer, said the tax could make up for the shortfall in national education and health care funding.

“We are very surprised at the push back against this legislation,” Fendley said. “Who is pushing back? Essentially it is the one percent.”

National Nurses United members dance in support of the investment transactions tax. Photo by Shane Menez.

Charles Idelson, director of communications for the California Nurses Association, blames misguided priorities in the political system.

“People have hospital bills they cannot pay, causing patients to self-ration care,” he said.

Bank officials did not return repeated calls for comment.

Travis Majers, an investment banker, declined to disclose the company he works for but said the nurses do not understand  where the money for the tax would come from.

“Whenever you raise taxes on a corporation, that will turn around and hurt the consumer in the end with banks raising fees,” Majers said. “I don’t see anyone getting mad at Apple for their profit margins. Banks are going to walk the fine line of profits. This is a matter of what is fair and right.”

Retired teacher Terry Bailley travelled from Stockton  to show his support for the tax. He said he is appalled at the lack of funding for education and healthcare.

“We’re dying stupid,” Bailley said. “The banks are more often than not getting tax breaks and often get tax money returned.”

Several countries benefit from taxes on financial transactions including the United Kingdom and China – without significant loss to business according to the International Monetary Fund website.

“Such taxes do not automatically drive out financial activity to an unacceptable extent,” the website says.

A concurrent effort to raise revenues from financial transactions is underway in the US.  A bill called the Wall Street Trading and Speculators Tax Act was introduced in November by US Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), but currently remains in committee, according to the Library of Congress.

The legislation aims to raise 3 cents for every $100 traded on most non-consumer financial transactions including stocks, bonds and other debts.

“True deficit reduction in this country must come from a balance of spending cuts and necessary revenue increases,” said Senator Harkin. “This trading tax would help raise necessary funds to invest in our infrastructure and the education of our children, among other priorities, and would do so without hurting job creation.  There is no question that Wall Street can easily bear this modest tax.”

Harkin’s proposed tax would take effect January 1, 2013.

National Nurses United members rally for the Robin Hood Tax outside JP Morgan Chase building in downtown San Francisco. Photo by Rosie Linares.

Maggie Rose Ortins

Maggie Rose Ortins

Maggie Rose Ortins is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. She is a student at San Francisco State University.

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  • Richmondman

    “True deficit reduction in this country must come from a balance of spending cuts and necessary revenue increases,” said Senator Harkin  – What are the spending cuts that are proposed by Sen Harkin?  Ill bet they don’t come from “entitlements”.  More “free” services and open borders are the recipe for default, and for the USA to turn into another Greece.

  • Aortins

    What planet does Richmondman live on? We’ve already had spending cuts. Cuts to schools, health care, law enforcement, local governments, furloughs to state workers, state parks closed, mental health care is gutted, but where is the revenue? Oh yeah, lets not ask the richest people in the country to kick in pennies on the dollar since they are creating so many jobs.

  • Danielleoritns

    Looks like it was a well planned and organized event

  • CBR

    It’s always amusing when I hear the canard of “they’re starving education of funds.”

    Here are the facts:

    is only up 8.5% since 1970, whereas employment is up 96.2%. In other words, the
    public school workforce has grown 11 times faster than enrollment over the past
    40 years.
    we went back to the staff-to-student ratio we had in 1970, we’d be saving… $210
    billion… annually.
    a per pupil basis, a K-12 education has gone from about $55,000 to about
    $150,000 in real, inflation-adjusted terms

  • marcos

    We pay forward for our “entitlements,” that’s why we’re entitled to get the money back that we put into them, any change to that is theft on a massive scale.

    That said, the Democrats and Republicans alike use government to further enrich their 1% patrons.  There is no evidence that more resources for government run by these corrupt parties will translate into more services and stable health and retirement security for seniors.

    The Republicans might have been banging the drum on tax whining for three decades now, wanting to starve the beast.  But the Democrabs are right behind them in proving that what we give them they will use to further empower the 1% while screwing the 99%.

    The progressive answer is to actively deny resources to this font of corruption so that it can no longer be used to empower the 1% and screw the 99%.  The hope is that once the host is weakened by starvation that the parasites will fall off and we can save the patient prior to death.  The alternative is being kept alive only as a source of enrichment for those keeping us alive for their enrichment.

    Those living under such virtual imprisonment will envy the dead.

  • Richmondman

    “Entitled to get the money back that we put into them”?  50% of the people in America pay ZERO income tax.  That is also theft on a massive scale.  Perhaps the rich don’t pay enough (tax rates for the wealthy are at historical lows), but they pay 70% of all entire Federal tax revenues.  So as long as progressive whine about entitlements and the 1%, if the rich pay a low % in taxes, perhaps the 50% who pay NOTHING would be willing to put up the same %.  That would provide additional revenues also.

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HTC Butterfly Review

The HTC Butterfly is the Taiwanese company’s first 5” smartphone. It stands on the border in between smartphone and phablet territory. However HTC markets this as a smartphone rather than a phablet.

When it’s classified as a phablet, it becomes a niche product with a smaller customer base. It is also one of the first smartphones to hit the market packing a full HD screen. Here is our review on the HTC Butterfly, HTC’s first smartphone to feature a 1080p display.

Other phones with full HD screens include Oppo Find 5 and Sony XPERIA Z/ZL both of which also have 5 inch screens. HTC first launched the J Butterfly in Japan and then the DROID DNA in USA (Verizon Exclusive). The Butterfly is the international version. Along with the names, there are a few other differences as well in the variants as highlighted below:

J Butterfly

  • microSD Card Slot
  • Wireless Charging
  • Waterproof Display
  • LTE (Full Support)

  • LTE (Only 700 MHz)
  • Wireless Charging
  • Lacks
  • Waterproof Display
  • microSD Card Slot

  • microSD Card Slot
  • Waterproof Display
  • Lacks
  • LTE
  • Wireless Charging

Note : The HTC Butterfly will be released under the name of HTC Deluxe in certain regions.

Thus on paper it seems like the HTC J Butterfly is the best among the three. It has all the features while the DROID DNA and Butterfly have features the other lacks. But even then the Butterfly and the DROID DNA are quite capable devices. HTC is rumored to be making a smartphone that build’s further on the Butterfly. It will have the same Full HD screen and many same characteristics but will be more powerful and better equipped. HTC is looking to learn how customers receive the Butterfly and incorporate changes accordingly into the new model. Their recent financial reports haven’t been uplifting and they realize it’s time to make a few changes. So let’s take a look at the Butterfly and see if HTC is headed in the right direction.

The HTC Butterfly comes in a rectangular box with graphics similar to the ones found on their recent packaging’s. Here’s a quick unboxing video to show you the box contents.

Inside the box we find the basic accessories

  • Documentation
  • microSIM Tray Ejector Pin
  • Earphones
  • microUSB Cable
  • Wall Adapter

Despite having Beats branding, the Butterfly does not come with a Beats branded earphone. But this was the case with the One X and the One S as well. Nothing to complain about here HTC provide just about everything their competitors do in their packaging.

Design and Build Quality

In terms of design, HTC have followed their recent trend. The Butterfly simply builds on where its predecessors left off. It has a unibody design similar to the HTC One X. The curved body is gone however we still have tapered edges. The phone is 9.1mm at its thickest point and it gets thinner at the edges. This makes the phone easier to hold and also gives us an impression that it is much thinner than it actually is. The sides are flat and not curved like the One X or the Sensation. This however makes it easier to grip the phone.

The phone feels great in the hand. Despite having a primarily plastic construction, it doesn’t have bad build quality. Everything feels solid and there are no creaks or loose parts. It definitely gives you a premium feel when you handle it. The handset fits surprisingly well in the hand making it a joy to carry around. Despite housing a 5 inch screen, the device is no wider than the S III. In fact if you compare the specifications, the Butterfly is actually 0.1 mm narrower than the S III. This is one of the facts that support HTC’s decision to market this as a smartphone instead of a phablet. Despite packing a 5” screen, the device has more in common to smartphones such as S III especially in terms of size even though the Galaxy Note which had a 5.3 inch screen was considered to be a phablet. Although practically speaking it doesn’t make a difference. The phone feels quite comfortable to hold in the hand. The phone weighs 140 grams which is 9 grams heavier than the S III but much lighter than the Note II that weighs in at 183 grams. However because of the larger surface area and good weight distribution, the device feels lighter than the S III. Although the device is a bit long, it will easily slide into most pockets thanks to its slim profile.

Another important thing to note is the camera. It seems HTC have learnt from their mistakes. The One X camera unit was raised quite a bit from the body. This made it quite prone to scratches and smudges. The butterfly on the other hand has the camera lens flush with the body and is surrounded by a chrome ring that is slightly raised. Thus it reduces chances of getting scratched.

The battery is non-removable as in the case of most unibody designs. This poses a lesser worry as compared to the battery capacity of 2020 mAH. We will discuss more about this later on.

The Butterfly is available in 2 colour variants – A black version with red accents (the grille on the sides of the device and the earpiece are red in color) and the black and white version that we are reviewing. The finish is glossy and fingerprints are quite evident on the screen. One the back however fingerprints aren’t really visible unless you look carefully due to the white color. The finish is very similar to what Samsung calls Hyper Glazing. The black variant however, has a matte finish on the back. There might also be a 3rd color variant, a red version like the J Butterfly. However it’s not been confirmed whether the international version will get this color.

Keys and Controls

The front side of the device is dominated mainly by the 5” display. Below the display are the three touch sensitive keys. The one on the left is the return key, the one in the middle is the home key and the one on the right is the recent-apps key (which can also be used as a menu key depending on your settings). I prefer to have some form of physical keys or the other rather than to have on screen controls. On the downside, this leads to larger devices but the Butterfly gives you the best of both worlds. Physical keys at the cost of minimum extra space. They are easily accessible and the backlighting is good and even. Above the display you have the front facing camera on the left. Next to it is the earpiece which is placed below a silver strip. At the right end of the earpiece, you will find the first notification light. It’s quite small and isn’t that noticeable unless you look carefully or you are in a dark environment. Below that you have the proximity sensor and the ambient light sensor.

The right side of the device contains the volume up/down key. There is no dedicated camera shutter key so you will have to rely on on-screen controls to get the job done. The left side is devoid of any keys or controls. Both the sides have a grille mesh pattern that was said to have been inspired by race cars. At the bottom, you have the microUSB port and the primary microphone. The port is covered with a plastic cover which some find useful but others may find it annoying. We find it to be useful to protect dust and dirt from getting in especially since it’s on the bottom. The cover is quite easy to open in case you need to use the port. It is also attached to the body so that you don’t have to worry about losing it.

On the top is where you will find most of the keys, ports and controls. At the left most, you have the secondary microphone that is used for noise cancellation. Next to it is the 3.5mm audio jack. This isn’t protected by a cover. But considering that it is a port, that is very frequently accessed, we stand by their decision of not having one. To the right of the audio jack is the lock/unlock key which also doubles as the power key when pressed and held. We prefer to have the lock key on the right side of the device rather than on the top especially in devices with larger screens since this makes it easier to operate with one hand. However, in this device, it isn’t that difficult. I personally found that the One X was more difficult to lock or unlock. This is because the One X had the key on the top right side while the Butterfly has it in the middle. So the One X key is more difficult to access and puts your finger in a weirder position. The Butterfly however makes the key easier to access and also allows proper control using both left and right hands.

Next to that is the microSIM slot which also houses the microSD card slot. I made a complete fool out of myself by trying to find the microSD card slot only to find out later that it was cleverly placed next to the microSIM slot. They are also protected by a cover which for some reason is really difficult to open unlike the microUSB cover. Granted that we won’t be accessing them as often as the microUSB but there’s no reason to make it difficult to open. We are not sure if this is a problem with the device we have but we will update you as soon as we get our hands on another one.

Inserting the SIM in the device is a bit complex on this. Since the same location houses the microSD card slot as well, HTC were not able to fix the SIM tray onto the plastic cover as seen in the One X or Nokia Lumia 920. Instead you have a cover that opens up. It is still attached to the body so don’t worry about losing it. Then you need a SIM ejector to push the tiny hole. Once this is done the SIM tray gets unlocked and moves upwards. Now getting the tray out of the socket is a bit difficult unless you have long nails. I had to use the ejector itself to pull out the tray. Once you place the SIM on the tray, you’ve to insert the tray back in and push to lock it in place. The microSD is much simpler to insert. Just place the card in the right way and push it in. Just push it again to remove it.

On the back of the device, you have the 8 Megapixel camera. I quite liked the placement of the camera. Especially since the device is longer rather than wider, it’s not easy to accidentally place your fingers over the camera. Thus it has lesser chances of getting smudged by your fingers. To its right is the LED flash and to its left is the second notification light. This light is more prominent and easier to see as compared to the one on the front that sits along with the earpiece. Below it, you have the silver HTC logo that has been embedded onto the body. At the bottom, you have the beats branding and the loudspeaker grille.

Now we come to the main selling point of the device. Its 5 inch Super LCD3 Display with Full HD 1920×1080 pixels resolution. A display of that size and that resolution results in a pixel density of 441ppi. This gives us super crisp text and images. You might not notice it much until you compare it side by side with a 720p display. Once you do so, you immediately notice the blurring of the edges on the text in the 720p display and then on the difference becomes clear. Since the density crosses the limit at which human beings can distinguish the pixels, everything looks really sharp.

Sharpness is the main attraction here. It’s really good for people who like to read a lot. In terms of contrast however, this being an LCD, it isn’t as good as its competitors such as Samsung. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t good. Just that its contrast isn’t the best we have seen. However with that said, I would go for the resolution over sharpness any day.

Brightness is really good and it’s one of the brighter displays we have seen. Legibility under sunlight is pretty good as well. Anything that is set above 1/3rd of the brightness level is visible under sunlight properly. For those who prefer to use auto brightness, you would be pleased to know that the ambient light sensor works very well and fast in adjusting the brightness for you.

The display is extremely smooth and feels great to use especially with the curved edges. Everything on the front except the earpiece and the strip is covered with Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass 2 to be exact. You can expect that the newer smartphones being launched next month at MWC (Mobile World Congress) to feature the newly announced Gorilla Glass 3. We have not performed any tests with the screen yet but we noticed a small hairline scratch on the screen after a day of use. Doesn’t affect screen viewing and it’s barely noticeable unless you look closely, but it’s there. We aren’t sure what caused this or when it occurred. Just something worth mentioning.

Calling and Reception

Opening the telephony app presents you with 4 tabs; Phone, People (Contacts), Groups and Call History. The phone tab brings up the dial-pad and the recent call history.

The size of the dial pad is comfortable even with people with large fingers. However if it isn’t enough, you can choose to bring up the full screen keypad as well. Keying in the number or the name brings up suggestions and you can choose one among them to place a call or send a message.

You can choose sources from where the contacts are to be displayed from. These include phone, SIM, your email account, Facebook, Whatsapp etc. You can also display your contacts according to groups. Finally you have call history where history regarding calls you made and received are stored.

Call quality is great on the HTC Butterfly. We had no issues with noise or loudness. The earpiece provides more than enough loudness without distortion. Same goes for the loudspeaker. We were able to hear the person on the other end fine even in noisy environments and the other party was able to hear us also thanks to the noise cancellation technology. The reception is brilliant as well and there were no issues such as death grip.

A few call related features can be enabled or disabled from the settings. The phone allows you to change to loudspeaker mode just by turning it upside down during a call. You can choose for the phone to ring louder when it is inside your pocket or bag. You can also set it to reduce the volume once you pick the phone up in your hands. All these options can be disabled as well if you choose not to use them.

Software and UI

The Butterfly comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box along with HTC Sense UI 4+. The phone will receive an update to 4.2 Jelly Bean soon although an exact date isn’t available yet.

Sense UI has always been visually stunning. Now Sense UI 4+ makes the experience even better with the help of Jelly Bean. Transitions are really smooth since Project Butter supports 60fps. Couple that with the Full HD screen and you’re golden. Every time I unlock the phone, the weather widget animation just amazes me.

You can of course customize the lock screen to your liking. It supports 10 different lock screen apps such as weather, people, music, photo album etc. You get 4 shortcuts that are customizable to your liking. Just drag and drop the icon of the application you wish to start into the circle and it will automatically launch it for you.

You can choose to have upto 7 different home screens with different widgets, icons and folders in each customizable to your liking. There are already a bunch of preloaded widgets and you can get additional widgets from the Play store. At the bottom you have the dock which has 5 shortcuts out of which four are customizable. The one in the center that opens up the app drawer cannot be changed.

Bringing down the notification area shows you the recent messages, calls and alerts from different application. There is a shortcut to the settings and also a toggle button for the power saver. It also displays the date and time.

Pressing the app viewer button brings up a 3D cover flow like interface that names and displays thumbnails of applications that you used most recently. You can swipe through them and select whichever one you want simply by selecting one. If you wish to close any particular application, all you have to do is swipe the corresponding thumbnail upwards. If you require a more advanced way of displaying the applications that are running, you can open the task manager. It shows you the list of all the applications that are open and the amount of RAM each one is consuming. You can end each application individually or choose to close them all.

At least 1GB of RAM seems to be in use by the OS even when no other applications are open. While this does seem like a lot, it didn’t cause any freezing or didn’t slow down the device even when we had multiple applications open.

Connectivity and Storage

The device takes microSIM which has pretty much become the standard of most phones that are released today so you should be able to get one from your operator as well. In the case, your operator doesn’t carry microSIMs, you can cut it to size and the Butterfly will read them just fine. The Butterfly supports GSM 850/900/1800/1900; HSDPA 850/2100. LTE support is available in the DROID DNA (US Variant Available Exclusively on Verizon) and the J Butterly (Japan Variant).

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n are supported and we did a few speed tests on both Wi-Fi and cellular data network to check the performance and we were quite satisfied with the results. Wi-Fi works perfectly well and the device isn’t affected by any death grip issues like in the HTC Sensation. The phone can be used to convert your cellular data connection into a Wi-Fi hotspot and that works fine as well. It also supports Wi-Fi direct and DLNA.

Cellular Data

The phone has Bluetooth 4.0 and A2DP profile for those of you who like listening to music on their wireless headphones or speakers. It has a microUSB 2.0 that can be used to transfer data between devices and is also the charging port for the phone. Since there is no mini HDMI or micro HDMI port, HTC have been kind enough to make the microUSB port MHL enabled. Thus you can use an MHL HDMI adapter (sold separately) in case you want to stream content through an HDMI cable to your TV.

There’s 16GB of built-in storage out of which 11GB is available to the user. Thankfully HTC learnt from their previous mistake with the One X. The One X which had 32GB (26GB Available to the user) built in memory however it lacked a card slot. A card slot comes better in handy. Gives you more freedom of space, with a 32GB card, your total space on the Butterfly comes up to 48GB and while you don’t get the entire 48GB, it still is a lot more than built in 32GB alone. If you wish, you can have more than one card as well and it also gives you another option to transfer data. HTC states that the Butterfly supports SD cards of upto 32GB. However we managed to get a 64GB card working fine on it. Effectively you get 59.46GB on top of the 11GB built in memory giving you a total of 70.46GB. We aren’t sure why HTC advertised it as just 32GB. Perhaps all cards above 32GB might not work or perhaps it slows down the device. But when we used it, the device worked fine. Either way it’s a good thing to have.

Music and Sound Quality

Beginning with formats, the Butterfly supports most common audio formats such as MP3, eAAC+, WMA and WAVs. Once you open up the music player, you are presented with 4 options/sources of music to choose from. First being music that you have transferred onto your phone, the second is Soundhound and then you have 7digital and TuneIn Radio.

TuneIn Radio and 7Digital are both online radios that allows you to choose from a wide range of channels. Soundhound is a music recognition software. Whenever you want to know the name of a song or the artist, just start it up and hit the button. In a few seconds, Soundhound records the sound and searches online for any matches. If it does find a match, it gives you the details of the track and also lists out sources where you can listen to it. If you do not have an internet connection at the time, you can still record a sample of the track. Soundhound will store it in its database and you will be able to search for a match later on when an internet connection is available.

Once you click my phone, you launch the music player and have access to all your music. There are several different ways in which you can group the tracks. You can choose to view them in terms of Genre, Albums, Artist, Playlist, Songs or Folders. You have the ability to create your own playlists. Alphabetical scrolling is supported to make it easier to find a track. You can also search for the title you are looking for. The now playing screen shows you the album art along with rewind/previous, play/pause and fast forward/next controls. You also have shortcuts to enable shuffle and repeat all/repeat one.

Hitting the options button allows you to view album details, add the track to a playlist, share the track, set it as a ringtone or search. There’s a shortcut to Soundhound that allows you to get more information on the particular track if you need it. The menu allows you to add the song to a queue, update the album art, see the track details and even select a player over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. You can choose whether to update the album art for just that particular track or for your entire collection. You can also enable auto updating of album art.

If you lock the phone, while the music is playing or music player is active, the music player widget automatically appears in the lockscreen. This happens regardless of the lockscreen you have set it to as default. Thus allowing you to control the music player without the need to unlock the phone. If you find this option unnecessary, you can disable it from the settings.

The Butterfly carries the beats audio branding. This is more of a software thing. Beats audio can be enabled when you use headphones. Enabling it boosts the volume and bumps up the bass. Audio quality is pretty good while listening it through earphones or headphones. The loudness levels are more than sufficient as well. However the loudspeaker fails to impress, both in terms of loudness and clarity. We found the speakers in the Note II or more recently the Lumia 920 was much louder and cleaner. This was a problem in the One X as well and it seems that the Butterfly has carried this over. Even the positioning of the loudspeaker isn’t ideal. Placing it on a flat surface blocks the speaker and muffles the sound.

Specification wise, the camera is pretty similar to the One X. 8 megapixels with a maximum resolution of 3264×2448 pixels with autofocus and LED flash. Video recording tops out at 1080p resolution 30 fps with stereo sound and video stabilization. Launching the camera application automatically bumps ups the screen brightness so that you can see everything clearly and won’t have to squint at the screen if the surroundings are bright.

Even the interface hasn’t changed much, you’ll get the following on the left side:

  • Flash Auto/On/Off Toggle
  • Camera Switcher (To switch between front and back cameras)
  • Settings
  • Shot Mode

And on the right side:

  • Effects
  • Shutter Key
  • Record Key
  • Gallery Shortcut

You can hold the phone in any orientation and the icons will rotate to fit accordingly. You cannot use the volume rocker to zoom in/out. Instead, you have to zoom in and out by using the zoom slider on screen.

To take a photo, you either tap on a point in the picture to focus on it and then click the shutter button. You can also press the shutter button and the camera will take the photo automatically after focusing. If you press the shutter button and hold it, you’ll shoot images in burst mode. If you hit the record button, video recording will start but the shutter button remains active. So you can click photos as the video is being captured too.

There are two more methods to capture a photo too. You can enable them within the settings. The first one enables touch to capture. In this method, the camera automatically takes a photo after focusing on a point within a frame you selected. The second is smile activated shutter, this takes a photo after your subject smiles.

The gallery button takes you to the photo that you captured last. Effects button gives you access to a wide range of special effects to apply to your photos. This makes it easier rather than editing the photo and adding the effects later. Effects include:

  • Vignette – Adjustable
  • Distortion
  • Depth of Field – Adjustable
  • Dots
  • Mono – The Hue is Adjustable
  • Country
  • Vintage (Regular, Warm or Cold)
  • Greyscale
  • Sepia
  • Negative
  • Solarise
  • Posterise
  • Aqua

Flash can be turned on or off or left on auto allowing the phone to choose when to use the flash depending on the conditions. The camera switch changes between front and back cameras.

Under the settings menu, you have a wide range of customizations. Starting with:

  • Self Timer – Upto 10 seconds
  • Aspect and Resolution – If you need to get the photo at maximum resolution, then you need to choose 4:3 aspect ratio. However if you prefer widescreen, you can take photos at a maximum of 3264×1840 pixels.
  • Video Quality – Full HD (1920×1080 pixels), HD Ready (120×720 pixels) and other smaller sizes
  • Review Duration – You can choose whether you would like to review the picture you clicked automatically or whether to manually check them through the gallery.
  • Image Adjustments – Allows you to tweak exposure, contrast, sharpness and saturation. (A range from – 2 till + 2)
  • ISO – From 100 – 800 or Auto
  • White Balance – Incandescent, Fluorescent, Daylight, Cloudy or Auto
  • Continuous Shooting – You can choose to turn this option on/off in case you want to prevent accidentally taking many photos. You can also choose whether to apply a limit of 20 photos at a single burst and whether or not to review them after they’re taken.
  • Camera Options – Allow you to toggle features such as touch to capture, face detection, Smile capture and Geo-tagging of photos.
  • Video Options – Toggle video stabilization, audio and stereo recording.
  • Camera Interface – To display a grid to assist you with placing your subjects and objects. Also to enable or disable shutter sounds.

Note – The feature to disable might not be available everywhere. It depends on your country’s rules and regulations.

One issue that we faced is recording a video when the image aspect ratio is set to 4:3. Since the interface does not switch to a separate video recording mode, you are still able to see the image in 4:3 aspect ratio while the video you’re recording is in 16:9. This causes problems when you are framing the video. So if you want to avoid this issue, you will have to set image aspect ratio to 16:9 before recording.

The image quality is pretty good and with good detailing. Having an aperture of 2.0 means the lens lets in more light. This also helps for night time/low light photos. However even though there’s adequate amount of light, the pictures do turn out a bit noisy. Nothing close to what the Lumia 920 can achieve. Here are some samples that we have taken using the camera in auto.

And here is one taken with a few adjustments ie tweaking the sharpness, saturation, exposure and contrast.

HDR mode allows you to take images with a good dynamic range if you like photos to be vivid and colorful. However we noticed that it can get a bit slow at times and thus resulting in a blurry image. Take the images below for example. The photo on the left was taken with HDR turned off and as a result the image is fine and sharp. But the one on the right is blurry. Granted that this particular image was taken at night with less light, we still had problems even when taken during the day.

However if you do have a steady hand, it should be fine like the image below.

Here are a few samples taken using different effects.

Here is a video sample taken at night :

Battery Life

This was one of my main concerns when I saw the spec sheet. The One X had an issue with its battery capacity and as a result its battery life wasn’t very good. The One X had just 1800 mAH and HTC later addressed this issue among other things when it launched the One X+. Battery capacity was increased to 2100 mAH. So seeing as how the Butterfly had just 2020 mAH to power itself, it was quite worrying especially considering the bigger screen with a much higher pixel density.

Of course battery capacity isn’t everything; optimization is a key factor too. I didn’t believe it would do well until I actually used it. Surprisingly, the Butterfly provides quite good battery. When I describe my times in terms of hours, do not compare it to the times you get. You might get more or less depending on your use, your settings and also your network. Even with the same use and same handset, I get different battery life depending on the location and network. So I’ll give a comparison between different phones and the battery life I got from them on the same network.

These times are with 3G or higher enabled all the time with occasional Wi-Fi usage. Brightness set to minimum indoors and maximum outdoors. I got around 11-13 hours of battery life from the One X. Anything that provides over 16 hours of use is good in my book. S III lasted between 16-18 hours. The Note II gives 18+ hours easily. The Butterfly provides around 15 hours and it still has juice to last you for a while longer. Although it’s not as good as the Note II or the DROID RAZR MAXX, it’s very similar to the Galaxy S III and that’s quite a good achievement. Despite having a larger screen, more pixel density and a smaller battery, the Butterfly yields similar results. Of course the S III is using a Super AMOLED whereas the Butterfly uses a Super LCD3 but the battery usage has been optimized quite well.

The HTC Butterfly is one of the first smartphones in the world to sport a full HD display and that will remain its main selling point. But apart from that it’s also proven to be a decent all rounder. It does have a few shortcomings but its advantages outweigh them. It won’t be HTC’s flagship model for the year since newer models particularly the M7 is rumored to be announced next month. But it still is one of the most feature packed and best performing smartphone in the market today and just shows us that HTC is on the right track. If you’re looking for a high end smartphone that performs well and has a great screen, this might be your best bet.

  • Sense UI 4+
  • Fast Performance
  • Brilliant Full HD Screen with Great Sharpness and Outdoor Legibility
  • Aesthetical Design
  • Build Quality
  • Dual Notification Lights
  • Covered Ports
  • Call Quality and Reception
  • Audio Quality (Through 3.5mm Audio Jack)
  • Battery Life

  • Complex SIM Tray
  • Average Loudspeaker
  • Noisy Low Light Camera Performance
  • Slow HDR Mode

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Author: Sandeep Sarma

Sandeep Sarma is a blogger and a freelance photographer. Apart from gadgets and phones, he also has a passion for movies and cars. He currently uses the S7 Edge as his main phone. Catch him on twitter at @sandeep9sarma


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Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake. Moist and yummy!

-1 3/4 c. sucanat or cane sugar
-2 c. white spelt flour
-1 c. cocoa powder
-1 1/2 t. baking powder*
-1 1/2 t. baking soda
-1 t. salt
-2 eggs OR 1 T. EnerG Egg Replacer plus 4 T. warm water
-1 c. unsweetened soy milk, rice milk, or regular milk
-1/2 c. canola or safflower oil
-2 t. vanilla extract*
-1 c. boiling water

* - Corn-allergic people need to substitute for these ingredients (double the baking soda, use homemade vanilla sugar for part of the sugar or find non-grain vanilla extract).

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan(s) with soy or canola margarine.
2. Mix sucanat/sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add eggs/egg replacer+water, milk, oil, and vanilla.
4. Beat at medium speed for 2 mins. with hand or stand mixer.
5. Mix in boiling water.
6. Pour into pan(s).
7. For two 9-in. round cakes: bake for 25-30 min. or for one 13 X 9 X 2 pan, bake for 30-35 min. until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

See other recipes submitted by Jennifer Simonds


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Spiced Bread Pudding

Total Time:
9 hr 45 min
45 min
5 hr
4 hr

8 to 10 servings

  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon dried orange peel
  • 15 whole cloves
  • 15 whole peppercorns
  • 1/2 ounce crystallized ginger, chopped
  • 5 cups half-and-half, divided
  • 3 large whole eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 ounces spiced rum
  • 1 (10-inch) stale French boule
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Watch how to make this recipe.
  • Place the cinnamon, nutmeg, dried orange peel, cloves, peppercorns, and ginger into 3 cups of half-and-half in a microwavable container and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Check the temperature of the mixture and microwave in 30 second increments until it reaches 180 degrees F. Cover and steep 15 minutes.

  • Place the eggs and yolks in a blender with an 8-cup carafe. Blend on the lowest speed for 30 seconds. Raise the speed to quarter power and slowly add the sugars and blend until thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 2 cups half-and-half. With the machine still running, pour in the spiced half-and-half through a small hand strainer and add the rum. Use immediately, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours.

  • Preheat the oven on the lowest (or warm) setting.

  • Cut a 7-inch round disk off the top of the boule using a long bread knife or serrated slicer. Tear the disk into pieces and scatter in a large roasting pan. Cut all the way around the inside of the boule just inside the outer wall. Cut downward and across the interior of the bread, first in one direction, then 90 degrees to it to create a grid, the way you would cube mango flesh to remove it from the skin. Remove the plugs of bread and tear into hunks about the size of an egg. Add to the roasting pan and bake until bread is dry, 1/2 to 2 hours.

  • Sprinkle the fruit over the bread, pour in the custard, and press the bread to submerge all the pieces. Cover and soak for 2 hours at room temperature or for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

  • Pour the melted butter into a spray bottle and spritz the inside of the bread shell. Be sure to cover the bottom with a thin layer to prevent the custard from soaking through. Place the bread shell in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven to toast the interior for 30 minutes.

  • Remove the bread shell from the oven and transfer the soaked bread mixture into the shell. Bake until the bread pudding souffles and reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 170 degrees F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove and cool 30 minutes before slicing or scooping and serving.

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text:
Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Total Time:
2 hr 30 min
45 min
1 hr 30 min
15 min

24 to 36 cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Royal icing, for decorating (see right)
  • Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt onto a piece of parchment paper or into a medium bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in 2 batches until just incorporated. Divide between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; shape into disks. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. (The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.)

  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough on a floured surface, dusting with flour as needed, until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes with 2-to-4-inch cookie cutters; arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (If the dough becomes too soft as you work, return to the refrigerator until firm.) Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm; reroll once to cut out more cookies. Chill the cutouts 30 minutes.

  • Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are slightly puffed and just golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely before icing.

  • Basic Royal Icing:

  • Whisk one 1-pound box confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 5 tablespoons water and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 1 more tablespoon water if necessary. Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap until ready to use to prevent the icing from drying out. (Makes about 2 1/4 cups.)

  • How to Ice Sugar Cookies:

  • "Flooding" is a technique used to cover a cookie completely with royal icing. Here's how to do it:

  • Transfer about 1/2 cup of the royal icing to a resealable plastic bag and snip a small corner. Use this icing to pipe a thin border around the edge of each cookie. Let set for a few minutes. Thin the remaining icing with a few drops of water until it's the consistency of syrup.

  • Place half of the thinned icing in a resealable plastic bag and tint the rest with red and/or green gel food coloring. Transfer the colored icing to bags. Snip a corner of the white icing bag and pipe a generous amount inside the border of each cookie.

  • Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the icing to cover the cookie. Decorate with the colored icing while the white icing is still wet. Let the cookies set at room temperature, at least 1 hour.

  • Photograph by Andrew Purcell

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  • Foodwise Articles

    Do You Have Surplus Food Going To Waste?

    It doesn’t matter whether you’re a farm, a manufacturing centre, a distribution hub, a café, a restaurant or a catering ﬁrm…

    there are options available to you that will allow you to donate your surplus food to people who need it most in your local community.

    Examples of surplus food in your business might include:

    • products close to ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date
    • excess and slow moving stock or deleted lines
    • products that are incorrectly labelled or have no label
    • products with damaged packaging
    • sample size and bulk products
    • ingredients and ﬁnished products that fall outside of speciﬁcation
    • surplus food from breakfast, lunch or dinner services eg. salads, sandwiches, mufﬁns and cakes.

    There are a variety of options that can help organisations to reduce the amount of food that they waste – these include smarter and more efﬁcient purchasing practices and the ability to redistribute surplus food, still ﬁt for consumption, before it makes its way to landﬁll.

    The food rescue ‘sector’ has seen exponential growth in recent years. This has led to the development of some very practical options and advice that is speciﬁcally applicable to food businesses.

    Check our post on food rescue charities for information on the kinds of organisations who can help you to redistribute your high quality excess food.

    Business Food Waste Solutions


text:
Every day, WSJ.com publishes a list of stocks whose shares have just hit new 52-week highs. And every day, investors read the list and tremble -- some with greed, others with terror. On our Motley Fool CAPS investing community, these top stocks usually enjoy favorable ratings, since everyone loves a winner.

But not always ...

52-Week Low

Recent Price

CAPS Rating
(out of 5)

Anadarko Petroleum  (NYSE:APC)

Coach (NYSE:COH)

Wyeth  (NYSE:WYE)

Target (NYSE:TGT)

International Business Machines

Companies are selected from the "New Highs & Lows" lists published on WSJ.com on Friday last week. 52-week low and recent price provided by Yahoo! Finance. CAPS ratings from Motley Fool CAPS.

Morning in America
My, how time flies. Just a few short months ago, the markets were imploding, with scores of stocks hitting new 52-week lows with each passing day. But the tide seems to have turned; last week, no fewer than 283 NYSE-listed stocks closed out the trading week Friday at their highest prices in a year.

Fools are taking the good news in stride, giving only average, three-star ratings to most of the 52-week winners named above. The exception to this trend is Anadarko Petroleum. Let's find out why CAPS members think this one has further to run as we drill down into ...

The bull case for Anadarko Petroleum
Last month, my fellow Fool David Lee Smith told you about Anadarko's oil strike off Africa's Gold Coast -- a find that could increase the size of the 1.8 billion-barrel field Anadarko already knew to be there. CAPS member wishlist3410 believes this is only the beginning, and that the company will "discover several more huge oil fields [in the region] over the next five years."

Nor is Africa -- or even oil -- the only trick Anadarko has up its sleeve. CAPS All-Star kkconway argued in May that Anadarko "has the cash to exploit some of the one trillion plus cubic feet of gaseous "gold" (natural gas) in the Appalachian foothills. Almost all of West Virginia, and half of Pennsylvania and Ohio are sitting on top of Devonian shale that has gas for many years of high output thanks to new, affordable extraction technology."

And while some might argue that high natural gas inventories will put a lid on its profit potential, fellow All-Star investor bobbyvee begs to differ: "Even with inventories so high, natural gas is a long term winner for the producers. Demand will grow globally faster than in the US."

Now, unlike several of the near-pure-play natural gas companies we've examine in recent weeks -- Quicksilver Resources, Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK), or PetroQuest -- Anadarko's business is much more of a hybrid; the company's hydrocarbon assets break down roughly 60-40 in favor of natural gas. So we're going to value this one in two steps, beginning with ...

At last report, Anadarko's proven reserves of oil totaled 926 million barrels. Valued at their spot price of $73.30 per barrel, that equates to $67.9 billion in asset value for Anadarko's oil assets.

As I've described in past columns, the calculation for valuing natural gas assets is a bit more involved. But basically, what we're looking at for this class of reserves works out to: 8.1 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves times 1,030 BTUs per cubic foot, divided by 1 million, times a spot price of $3.94 per million BTUs, which works out to $32.9 billion in asset value on the natural gas. Combined with the value of Anadarko's oil, therefore, the assets of this company carry a current market value of $100.8 billion. Yet Anadarko itself boasts an enterprise value of just $42.7 billion.

Now admittedly, there's a big difference between oil and gas in the ground and oil and gas already bottled and ready for the breakfast table. (Namely, the latter costs a pretty penny to produce.) Still, the 134% price differential we're seeing at Anadarko today looks mighty intriguing. It wasn't so long ago that oil was trading for twice today's price, and natural gas for more than three times as much. In a Peak Oil world, I think the chances are good that we'll eventually revisit those prices -- making Anadarko an even more attractive buy today.

Time to chime in
Of course, that's just my opinion. And if you hunt around in the oil patch, you're bound to find even bigger bargains. ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), for example. Run the same kind of valuation I performed on Anadarko above, and you'll find this $333 billion market-capped monster possesses an apparent $1.1 trillion in assets.

Does this mean Exxon is a better buy than Anadarko? Does it mean these assets aren't worth as much as they seem? Or does it, perhaps, simply mean there are bargains aplenty in the oil patch? Click over to Motley Fool CAPS now, and cast your vote.


text:
Wednesday August 20 2014
2014-15: Cesena, Inter, Palermo, Torino

Cesena, Inter, Palermo and Torino all begin 2014-15 with different objectives, but the same air of optimism, as Football Italia previews.

A time of year when every Serie A side has hope of what's to come, Football Italia profiles every Serie A side heading into the 2014-15 campaign, at a time of the year when every Coach, player and President should hold hope of what's to come...

On Monday we analysed Atalanta, Fiorentina, Milan and Sampdoria and yesterday we previewed Cagliari, Genoa, Napoli and Sassuolo's respective campaigns. Today we look at Europa League hopefuls Inter and Torino and newly-promoted duo Palermo and Cesena.

Has a return to the big time come too soon for Pierpaolo Bisoli and his Cesena? Rossella Marrai considers the challenges they face this year. Read more

Another summer of change has occurred at Inter, but it has Varun Mathure hopeful of what may be in store for 2014-15. Read more

Back in the top flight at the first time of asking, Lorenzo Vicini profiles Palermo's intentions of staying in Serie A this time around. Read more

A strong pre-season and transfer campaign has Alasdair Mackenzie optimistic for Torino's chances of building on last year's success. Read more

Keep up to date with the latest news and action from Spain's Primera Division with Football Espana - from the team behind Football Italia.

Have your say...
Sure that Palermo can stay in Serie A!
on the 6th October, 2014 at 1:59pm
Even though I believe Inter needs to make a major signing this Window, I really think Inter would be a surprise package this season. Won't be surprised seeing them competing for the scuddeto come July
on the 22nd August, 2014 at 7:39am
Inter have a great young squad with the right balance of experience to do great things this year. Hoepfully as the season progresses they can abort 3-5-2 and switch to a back 4.

maybe one more buy and some sales and they will have had a very good transfer window in my opinion. Really happy that Thohir didn't just splash all his money and spend big. He's doing it right both business wise and in terms of football development.
on the 21st August, 2014 at 3:38pm
snakeskin, in my eyes the current team is not particularly better than last seasons, lost big dressing room characters (Zanetti,Cambiasso) and haven't really strengthened (Vidic, Medel and Osvaldo?!).My point was that Inter are more than often bigged up pre-season and they subsequently fail to deliver when the talking is over.p.s.I like the way you make out that finishing 5th is a success and the 'transfer window is still open' can be used as an excuse for fans of every club to speculate with!
on the 21st August, 2014 at 12:38pm
Here's hoping it will be a positive season for Inter, not just domestically but in the Europa League too. We all know that Italian football needs them to for the sake of regaining some prowess as a major European league.

Wouldn't hold my breath with Milan and their transfer policy. About to sell Balotelli!?!?
on the 21st August, 2014 at 10:32am
Please Rod explain these problems with a weaker version of this side they finished fifth every position has a cover except palacio's the window is not closed yet thohir will make one big buy but first its sales time.
on the 21st August, 2014 at 3:55am
I see Inter as a surprise of the season and I don't think 3rd is out of reach for them.
on the 21st August, 2014 at 12:35am
Inter finishing 4th seems very optimistic. Can't understand why a lot of their problems seem to be glossed over while some other teams problems, not to mention any names, are constantly emphasised and discussed!
on the 20th August, 2014 at 2:47pm

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FIVE of the biggest refereeing blunders in football

Following Premier League referee Andre Marriner’s inexplicable confusion between Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs during the Chelsea vs Arsenal, we felt it was worth a look at some other memorable refereeing cock-ups.

Most people are appreciative of the pressure referees are put under during the heat of the game, but some of these are just inexcusable.

Graham Poll’s triple yellow

Where better to begin than Graham Poll’s moment of stardom in the 2006 World Cup. England’s number one referee (or so according to FIFA) took charge of the Group F tie between Croatia and Australia. An hour in and Poll chose to book Croatian Josep Simunic, following that up in the 90th minute with a second yellow card.

However, Poll failed to implement the rules by forgetting to send the Croatian off for his second bookable offence. Poll did go on to dismiss Simunic, but not until he issued him with a third sanction. Sepp Blatter later confirmed that had Croatia gone on to claim victory, Australia would have had grounds for appeal. Luckily for Poll, the game finished 2-2. The Englishman was sent home from the tournament in shame, and became a laughing stock worldwide.

“I don’t find you funny, Gazza”

Anyone who says that referees have no sense of humour need only cite this to make their point. Referee Dougie Smith was officiating Rangers’ final home game of the 1994-95 season, and he didn’t take kindly to Paul Gascoigne’s antics. 7-0 up and the England star handed the referee back his cards after dropping them by brandishing the yellow card in the fashion of the official.

As opposed to laughing it off as any self-deprecating person would do, Smith stopped Gazza in his tracks and showed him a yellow card in return. Congrats to Smith for taking the pressure of the Hibs players though.

Watford vs Reading – ‘Ghost goal’

This Championship tie in 2008 saw one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of English football. 13 minutes into the match and Reading were awarded a goal, courtesy of Watford defender John Eustace. A brief goal-mouth scramble following a Reading corner was eventually cleared out of the box only for referee Stuart Attwell to blow for a goal.

After a consultation with linesman Neil Bannister, the goal was given, seemingly after the first touch from the Watford defender. Despite a lack of acknowledgement from any player on the field, the referee allowed the goal to stand.

Australia vs Equitorial Guinea – Women’s World Cup

This particular incident is the kind of thing you may see down the park with seven-year-olds when the manager screams ‘pick the ball up’ at his kids. Australia, already 1-0 up, hit the post after a cross.

Instead of taking possession of the ball, or simply clearing it, Equitorial Guinea defender Bruna catches the ball and turns towards the referee before dropping it and running off. You can only assume the ref was as confused as everyone observing the game was and somehow allowed play to resume.

Crystal Palace vs Bristol City – Freddy Sears disallowed goal

The introduction of goal-line technology means that this type of controversy will likely never occur again in at top-level football. Frank Lampard vs England was bad. Pedro Mendes vs Manchester United was worse.

But Freddy Sears vs Bristol City is quite literally unbelievable. Neil Warnock has never been one to shy away from public criticism of anyone, but he was fully justified in his outrage after his on-loan striker had the ball practically hit the back of the net. In bundling the ball over the line Sears managed to hit the stanchion resulting in the ball rebounding straight back out of the goal.

Crystal Palace players wheeled away in jubilation while Bristol’s defenders trudged away in disappointment, only to find out that the referee, on advice from his linesman, disallowed the goal.

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America's Best Colleges

#178 University of Washington

08.13.08, 6:00 PM ET

< Previous: University of Georgia Next: Augustana College >

Cost: $18,391/year *

Class Size: 5,325

Student to Faculty Ratio: 12 to 1

SAT Range: 1090-1320 **

ACT Range: 23-29

% of applicants admitted: 60.8%

Application deadline: Jan. 15

Early admission:

What is the best reason for a prospective student to choose your school?
"The region. Because within a half-hour drive you have beautiful mountains, the ocean, a thriving city—and you don't ever need to leave that half-hour range."
Jono Hanks, Class of 2009
"To have a rich and transforming educational experience in one of the most beautiful and vibrant places in the nation."
Mark Emmert, President
Sources: University of Washington, U.S. Department of Education, The College Board

*Cost includes tuition, room and board, books, fees, and other expenses.
**Range for Critical Reading and Mathematics sections. Does not include writing score.
Courtesy of University of Washington

1400 NE Campus Parkway,
Seattle, Washington 98195-4550
(206) 543-2100
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America's Best Colleges

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The screen on Apple's tablets or smartphones can pick up subtle identifying gestures as unique as a signature on a check. So why, when we log into those devices or use them to verify our identity to apps and Web services, do we still have to pretend we're using a primitive keyboard?

According to a group of researchers at New York University's Polytechnic Institute, we don't. For the last few years, they've been working on gesture-based systems for logging into those devices and their apps that they hope can abolish cumbersome passwords and make logging in nearly as simple as the finger swipe that unlocks iOS gadgets and far harder to crack than Android's nine-point pattern authentication. With a multitouch gesture system that captures enough variables unique to users like hand size, finger placement, and speed of movement, they say they're getting close.

"When you have a touch interface, it's silly to use a password. If I make a gesture of a certain sort, there should be enough biometric information in that gesture to differentiate me." says Nasir Memon, director of NYU-Poly's cybersecurity program. "It may not distinguish me from the all the other seven billion people in the world, but it will identify me, and the chances that you will be able to do it too are very small."

The group's latest prototype is modeled on a combination lock. But instead of merely turning the lock to certain numbers, the user first forms the lock with a pinching motion that creates a circle outline. The time-sensitive pattern created by that pinch-circle motion, along with the motion involved in rotating the dial, are complex enough that Memon says a study of about 100 users has shown it can identify users with about 2% false positives and 2% false negatives. "And we think we can still do better," Memon says.

Here's a video of that login function in action.

The first hand in the video is that of Napa Sae-Bae, the doctoral student who developed the prototype. The spinning dial represents a successful login. When another user tries to copy the motion, the app spots enough differences to reject her, even though the lock's "combination" is only one number and the would-be intruder already knows that combination.

Memon admits that the group hasn't done enough testing to know whether that biometric test can match the security of a well-chosen password. But he suggests that it already matches the security of a poorly-chosen one, and that it could even be combined with "quick and dirty" face recognition from the device's front-facing camera to make it harder to crack.

The group plans to develop similar gesture logins for Microsoft's Surface tables. But notably, the group isn't working on Android. They say they've found that devices running Google's mobile OS don't yet have touchscreens reliably sensitive enough to capture the detail needed for their tests.

The combination lock model will likely never replace Apple's initial login--that would require Apple itself integrating the function into iOS. And the gesture-based system is still likely weeks or months away from debuting.

But the pinch-and-rotate dial isn't Memon's first attempt at a gesture-based login. Apple's App Store already offers another of his apps called iSignOn, which uses the motion of a person's actual written signature to authenticate him or her. After signing the screen with a finger five times, the app can reliably distinguish the speed and pattern of the user from forgers.

Here's another video that shows how iSignOn works. (It makes more sense when an actual signature is used instead of the print characters the demonstrator writes below.)


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Making the claim that the costs have doubled is like reading an accounting ledger and only looking at the liabilities side of the equation to inform your opinion.If you read a net worth statement that reveals $1 million in debts —and you go no further—you get a very different picture of someone’s financial situation than you would if you also took a look at the asset side of the ledger where you find $10 million in real estate holdings and $500,000 cash in the bank.

That is what is the Angry Americans are seeking to do here.

How do you know I’m telling you the truth? Read the report.

Here’s a bit of what you are going to find –

CBO and JCT now estimate that the insurance coverage provisions of the ACA will have a net cost of just under $1.1 trillion over the 2012–2021 period—about $50 billion less than the agencies’ March 2011 estimate for that 10-year period.

CBO Report  March 12, 2012

How can this be? How could anyone take a $50 billion improvement in the projections over last year and turn it into an alleged doubling of costs?

Here’s how. You pick a big number and then use it to either tell the world you do not possess the most basic understanding of the actual  math or you just out-and-out lie about what the number means. I'll leave it to you to decide which is at work in this instance.

And then you simply ignore the CBO estimate projecting that the 'hit' to the deficit is actually lower than anticipated last year-

Over the 10-year period from 2012 through 2021, enactment of the coverage provisions of the ACA was projected last March to increase federal deficits by $1,131 billion, whereas the March 2012 estimate indicates that those provisions will increase deficits by $1,083 billion. The net cost was boosted by an additional $168 billion in estimated costs for Medicaid and CHIP and $8 billion less in estimated revenues from the excise tax on high-premium health insurance plans. But those increases were more than offset by a reduction of $97 billion in the projected costs for the tax credits and other subsidies for health insurance provided through the exchanges and related spending, a reduction of $20 billion in the projected costs for tax credits for small employers, and a reduction of $107 billion in deficits from the projected revenue effects of changes in taxable compensation and penalty payments and from other small changes in estimated spending.

CBO Report, March 12, 2012

If you will, just this once, read the actual CBO report, it will be an eye opening experience. After you do, and have satisfied yourself that maybe those who you have counted on to inform your own opinion might be misleading you—ask yourself why they would do that.

And then ask yourself why anyone would take a proposed, one-time free visit with your physician to discuss how you want your medical treatment to be handled when you reach the end of your life— thereby taking the burden from your family—and turn such a proposal into the “death panels”. We all know that the end of life is when the big bucks are spent in health care just as we know that, when given a catalyst to face the issue, people will make decisions for themselves that will prevent a terrible waste of money as children try to save a parent’s life that cannot be saved or that would be something other than what that parent would have wanted.

If you don’t begin to see the extraordinary effort that has—and is—being made to distract you from the benefits of the Affordable Care Act—all in the name of the special interests who stand to lose—and begin to question whether you have given this law a fair chance, then you are not going to be reached.

But, if you will take just a moment to read the CBO estimate, you will at least know that you are not being told the truth by those whom you believe have your best interests at heart.

Read the report.

contact Rick at

Twitter @rickungar


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Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel Bangkok set for full opening with two trendy rooftop venues

Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel Bangkok set for full opening with two trendy rooftop venues ( BANGKOK, Thailand - Having soft-opened in April with full rooms availability and essential facilities, Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel Bangkok will be fully open from October 14, 2013 and featuring its Chili Hip and Walk outlets that will add two new dining and entertainment venues to the Pratunam fashion and shopping district.

The newly-built hotel, which comes under the core brand portfolio of Centara Hotels&Resorts, is integral to the Watergate Pavillion Fashion Mall.

“We have had an enthusiastic response from our guests and visitors during the soft opening period, and now we are delighted to be opening fully with a great range of facilities and restaurant outlets in this very busy and trendy part of Bangkok,” says Wim NM Fagel, general manager of the hotel.

The hotel has 281 rooms and suites and is designed for both business and leisure travelers.

“Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel is in one of the best locations in the city, being perfectly sited for both business and consumer visitors to the Pratunam fashion and garments district, and for those visiting the Rajaprasong shopping district,” says Chris Bailey, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Centara Hotels&Resorts.

“We believe it will be popular amongst visitors who require a four-star hotel in this neighborhood, just five minutes’ walk from the Airport Rail Link."

Mr. Fagel says that the hotel’s restaurants are an important attraction that will be a natural choice for local residents and tourists alike.

“Cafe 9, the all-day restaurant, is already proving very successful as it is an ideal place to relax during a shopping trip, and to rendezvous with friends in this bustling district," he says.

“Our two new venues, Chili Hip on the 20th floor and Walk, our rooftop open-air sky lounge on the 21st floor, will we believe add very much to the trendy local entertainment scene and become major attractions in their own right."

Chili Hip is a Thai restaurant offering authentic Thai cuisine and selected Asian specialties, served in a contemporary manner with a casual, fun ambience for guests of all ages. The restaurant, which includes a private room, is an evening-only venue. One floor above, on the rooftop level with spectacular city views, Walk is a great place to enjoy drinks before or after dinner, or to party, as it opens at 1700 hrs. and goes through to 0100 hrs. The bar serves a selection of signature drinks along with wines and champagnes by the glass, there is a DJ station with music each night, and snacks and light meals are served from Chili Hip.

Cense by Spa Cenvaree provides spa services that will be welcomed by the tired shopper, there is a fitness center, and Moom Sabai is an outdoor relaxation area on the 9th floor that provides comfortable sun loungers.

Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel Bangkok is designed for functions and has two meeting rooms of 90 square meters each, supported by fully adaptable conference and presentation equipment such as video teleconferencing, LCD projectors and screens together with wireless internet access, all complemented by a professional secretarial service.

Centara Hotels&Resorts is Thailand’s leading operator of hotels, with 42 deluxe and first-class properties covering all the major tourist destinations in the Kingdom. A further 18 resorts in the Maldives, Vietnam, Shanghai, Bali Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Mauritius Indian Ocean, Ethiopia brings the present total to 60 properties. Brands and properties within Centara ensure that specific categories such as couples, families, individuals, and meetings and incentives groups will all find a hotel or resort that is appropriate to their needs. Centara operates 27 branches of Spa Cenvaree, one of Thailand’s most luxurious and innovative spa brands, together with its newly-launched value brand Cense by Spa Cenvaree, which provides core spa services for busy travelers. The company’s Kids’ Club is available at all the family-friendly resorts to ensure that the youngsters and teens are taken care of. Centara Hotels&Resorts also operates three state-of-the-art convention centers in Bangkok, and two in northeastern Thailand, one being located in Udon Thani and the other in Khon Kaen. The latest Centara brand is named COSI Hotels, an economy brand designed for travelers who predominantly make their bookings via the Internet and who want comfort and convenience at the most friendly prices available, which is under development with the first property due to open in 2015.

For more information and reservations, please contact tel. +662 625 1234 ext. 4407 or e-mail to href="">

MEDIA CONTACT: Wilasinee Jinaut, Centara Hotels & Resorts, 999/99 Rama 1 Road, Pathumwan Bangkok 10330, Thailand, Tel: +66 (0) 2 769 1234, Fax: +66 (0) 2 769 1235, Email:

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