Welcome 2 News, Views and Images!

Best Video Website

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:02:19 PST

World Best Video Website!

email blunder

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:04:57 PDT

Countrywide’s email blunder

After all, if you google “email blunder” you get well over a million hits — most of them telling embarrassing stories of how a mistyped or misaddressed email put the sender in a precarious position. But of course this isn’t any Tom, …

Compassion Just Ain’t Mozilo’s Thing

After all, if you search on the Web for “email blunder” you get well more than a million hits — most of them telling embarrassing stories of how a mistyped or misaddressed email put the sender in a precarious position. read more.

Reducing those HORRIFIC email marketing mistakes!

If you conduct many email campaigns it will eventually happen to you. And, YES?it?s even happened to us?THE EMAIL BLUNDER. You know, the broken link, missing or incorrect text, and/or sent to the wrong list.

email blunder

Microsoft fresh Yahoo deal

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:35:35 PDT

Microsoft fresh Yahoo deal -Microsoft has said it is considering a deal with Yahoo which would not involve a full buyout of the company.
Microsoft's previous offer to buy Yahoo for $33 a share - a figure which valued the company at $47.5bn (£24.36bn) - was turned down.
Last week Yahoo rebuffed billionaire investor Carl Icahn's plan to oust the current board over the failed merger.
Now Microsoft says it is discussing with Yahoo an alternative transaction, but did not provide any detail.
'Stockholder value'
In a statement, Microsoft said it "is not proposing to make a new bid to acquire all of Yahoo at this time, but reserves the right to reconsider that alternative".
It issued the statement, it said, "in light of developments" since the company withdrew its bid two weeks ago.
Microsoft stressed that a deal may or may not follow from Sunday's statement.
After Microsoft's statement, Yahoo confirmed it was looking at a number of "value maximising" alternatives with Microsoft, and would assess offers made by the firm.
The internet firm said its board would evaluate each of the alternatives "including any Microsoft proposal... with a focus on maximising stockholder value".
Analysts say any agreement could save Yahoo from having to fight a battle with Mr Icahn, who is amassing a stake in the company in an attempt to force out the current board.
Mr Icahn's manoeuvre on Thursday followed much criticism over Yahoo's decision, led by co-founder and chief executive Jerry Yang, to turn down Microsoft's offer earlier this month to buy the company.
Yahoo had wanted Microsoft to increase its bid of $33 a share to $37.
Yahoo has also been looking into an alliance with internet giant Google, and the firms recently tested an advertising partnership for two weeks.
If they were joined together this would make Yahoo a less likely target for acquisition, analysts say.

Courtesy BBC

Microsoft fresh Yahoo deal

ashlee simpson wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:17:16 PDT

ashlee simpson wedding-It should be just about time for Ashlee Simpson to walk down the isle. Rumor has it that she is getting married tonight to musician Pete Wentz. Word also has it that she will not being wearing a white wedding dress but instead will be wearing a black gown! Definitely an interesting fashion choice for such a special occasion. One has to wonder if this is just a choice based on gaining publicity. It should be interesting to read where the newlyweds head on their honeymoon and if they will need a passport to get there. I am guessing that they will have chosen some unorthodox location to begin their lives together like Greenland or something. It should also be fun to see how the pregnancy rumors swirling around this couple play out over the coming months.

ashlee simpson wedding

quinton reynolds

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:05:26 PDT

quinton reynolds-The ceremony was attended by friends and family, including son Quinton Reynolds, who walked the The ceremony was attended by friends and family, including son Quinton Reynolds, who walked the old eyes, I experienced something beautiful, timeless, wondrous and profound . Though at the last minute he removed chapters about Anderson that he believes might have been damaging to Quinton, Reynolds doesn The admissions department is excited to announce that Quinton Reynolds, the son of Burt Reynolds, has officially accepted . Burt Reynolds later named his son, Quinton. His college required internship led him to become a Music Video Host The ceremony was attended by friends and family, including son Quinton Reynolds, who walked the publicized debacle. . California, and a son, Quinton Reynolds, whom she and Burt Reynolds adopted. . Quinton Reynolds news stories, articles, Quinton Reynolds information, related news and more on www.daytondailynews.com He quinton reynolds shot Quinton Reynolds which caused the death of . AGGRAVATED BATTERY WITH A FIREARM For at vise dig de mest relevante resultater, har vi udeladt nogle af de resultater, der i meget h The ceremony was attended by friends and family, including son Quinton Reynolds, who walked the The Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized . and a son, Quinton Reynolds, whom she and Burt Reynolds adopted. The ceremony was attended by friends and family, including son Quinton Reynolds.

quinton reynolds

Bob flick

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:41:17 PDT

BOB Flick

Blessed Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:09:45 PDT

Blessed Hope-Where are you planning to be for Thanksgiving this year? Personally held as my favorite holiday, I love the aromas of traditional foods blending with the feast of friends and family gathered to share good company, good food and lots of stories.

I am also not delusional. Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday by President Lincoln during the middle of the Civil War. Many families, with no Christmas gifts to distract their attention, have annually reenacted that dark time in our country’s history at their holiday tables and will probably give it another go around this year. Traditional behavior patterns sometimes are part of the family festival landscape and are even more difficult to adjust than the menu.

Nonetheless, here we are. Thanksgiving is two days away. Last year at this time President Bush, with extraordinarily low approval ratings, was talking troop withdrawals while he pardoned a turkey from certain death-for-dinner. This year, that low presidential approval rating was brought home at the polls in a midterm election that handed the House and the Senate back over to Democratic control. As a result, the reality of dialogue between the White House and Congress is at hand, and U.S. involvement in the deteriorating situation in Iraq is already poised to be reconsidered and redirected. My assumption is that last year’s pardoned turkey will be joined by a similarly-saved buddy. Each will have their chance to live a peaceful life of solitude down on the farm.

Things have changed a bit here in the United States this past year. We have mutually agreed to keep a few things in place, including the turkey pardoning, but mostly, our voice has said, “No More.” If we want to move forward as a country and make a positive impact on the world, we must change our perception of ourselves, our agenda with other countries and accept the reality that we don’t have the right to do as we please, whenever we please.

What I am most grateful for this year, as I prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and friends, is the blessing of hope. This majestic turn of events in our government means people are paying attention, making conscious choices, and for that I can only breathe a prayer of gratitude to God. If we can begin to govern ourselves more sensibly, I hope and I believe that we can offer that same consciousness to supporting the people in the world who need us most. We have great wealth, we have great influence, and we can implement this blessing of hope to protect the people of Darfur, heal the HIV/AIDS victims in Malawi, Kenya and Zimbabwe, and help rebuild Granada, Indonesia and Pakistan, countries who still suffer the effects of hurricane, tsunami and earthquake. Our blessing of hope can be realized as resurrection in the lives of people who are most yearning for new life.

Advent is about to welcome us to prepare for the coming of the Christ among us. But, before we begin that journey to Bethlehem, for a moment we have the chance to pull back from our tables of abundance filled with food, love, joy and laughter, and take hold of what we already have. We are blessed as a country, we are blessed as many communities, we are blessed as individuals. Remembering all that we have sets forth the path of faithful gratitude to God, who blesses us with all good things. Knowing this, we must seek to embody our hope as justice for all of God’s people. “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for God who has promised is faithful.

Blessed Hope

Parvati Shallow

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:52:46 PDT

Parvati Shallow-

Born on September 21, 1982 and raised in Vero Beach, Florida, Parvati Shallow and her family moved to Atlanta when she was 11 years old. She was later educated at University of Georgia, where she received an arts degree in journalism with minors in French and Italian.

An outdoor person, Parvati enjoys being around nature and spending most of her time camping and hiking through North America's state parks such as the Tetons and Yellowstone. A true adventurer even in college, she organized a two-month backpacking trip through Europe where she and two friends visited 13 countries, sleeping in youth hostels, train stations, on beaches and park benches.

Parvati's cheap thrills include good sushi, wearing oversized jerseys, karaoke and cheering on The Dawgs. A couple of years ago, she found another of her talents in the form of boxing, and began competing in 2004. Passionate about the sport, she teamed up with some fellow boxers and formed the non-profit organization, Knockout for girls, which provides scholarships and boxing lessons for underprivileged girls. The organization recently held their first fundraised event which featured boxing matches and a fashion show. Parvati intends to carry on her mission in the organization and hold another fundraiser in February 2008.

It was a season with more backstabs, blindsides, evacuations and eliminations than ever before as Survivor Micronesia paired ten fans of the show against ten returning favorites. In the end, after 39 days and 20 castoffs, sexy flirt Parvati Shallow became the soul survivor of perhaps the most entertaining season of the hit reality show yet.

After 16 seasons of the CBS reality series, it seemed as though everything had already been done, but the producers decided to bring back some of the most beloved and infamous players of previous seasons to go head to head against die hard fans who vowed to spoil their game.

Early on, Shallow, who was a returning player from Survivor Cook Islands, joined forces with Panama alum Cerie Fields and last season's Amanda Kimmel to create a dominant force in the game. The three women used their brains and their skills of persuasion to pull off some of the most impossible strategic moves ever by eliminating the powerhouse men from the competition.

After blind-siding former ally Ozzy Lusth, the three women, along with new recruit Natalie Bolton, went on a backstabbing spree, sending man after man to the jury box.

Fields, the lovable mother of three who provided most of the comedy of season, orchestrated the demise of her fellow teammates, but after losing an unexpected final immunity to Kimmel, she was voted out, leaving only Kimmel and Shallow in the final two.

While Kimmel played a strong physical game, Shallow used her womanly charms to beguile both the men and the women of the show and wound up earning the most votes at the final tribal council.

Next season of Survivor will return to Africa and 18 new castaways will once again try to outwit, outlast and outplay each other for a chance at a million dollar prize.

Parvati Shallow

ooyala.com

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:46:21 PDT

http://www.ooyala.com

'Bold' With 3G BlackBerry 9000

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:32:36 PDT

'Bold' With 3G BlackBerry 9000-

Sweepstakes Monday and the familiar business-oriented BlackBerry design is crammed with improved features and includes new consumer elements that will place it in competition with Apple's iPhone. RIM is calling the device the BlackBerry Bold, although a few users already know it as the BlackBerry 9000.

AT&T already has exclusive U.S. rights to Apple's iPhone and a new high-speed version of the Apple handset is expected to be unveiled next month. Both devices are slated to operate on 3G high-speed UMTS/HSDPA networks.

RIM trumpeted the consumer features of the Bold, noting its 2 megapixel camera and video recording capability.

"While it is designed to meet the extensive requirements of the business professional during the day, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone also caters to the business person's consumer side," RIM's announcement stated. In a nod to Apple, RIM observed that BlackBerry Bold Media Sync users can sync with Apple's iTunes. The RIM handset also features several multimedia elements. The handset has dual stereo speakers and includes Roxio Media Manager and Roxio PhotoSuite 9 LE.

'Bold' With 3G BlackBerry 9000

msi soccer

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:36:48 PDT

msi soccer -
Welcome to MSI!

Montgomery Soccer is a great place to learn the awesome game of soccer and play with some of the best youth teams in the greater Washington metropolitan area. It is our mission to promote this exciting game of soccer to the youth of Montgomery County through programs that emphasize each child’s soccer skill development, personal growth, enjoyment, passion of the game of soccer, and team experience, through excellent leadership, fair play and good sportsmanship. We welcome all children who want to play soccer, whether their goals are simply to have fun or to compete at the highest level possible. MSI offers a level of play for everyone!

MSI in the Community

MSI takes its role as a member of the community very seriously. A variety of MSI programs contribute significantly to the quality of life for all citizens of Montgomery County. Except for the use of County-owned ball fields (school and park locations), MSI does not receive financial support from any government agency. MSI provides services on an equal-access basis to all residents of Montgomery County with no direct expense to the taxpayers.

Recreational Services for 15,000 Montgomery County Youth

MSI is the largest youth sports organization in Montgomery County, and is the only soccer club with a mission to provide recreational opportunities for all youth in the County, regardless of age, location, income, or physical ability. Every year, MSI provides soccer participation opportunities for 15,000 Montgomery County youth, nearly 90% of whom participate in both Fall and Spring seasons of league play, and many of whom participate in additional MSI programs.

Recreational Services for Disabled Montgomery County Youth

MSI sponsors programs for disabled youth in Montgomery County, via our TOP Soccer program. Our program has been recognized nationally, and our program coordinator, Pam Yerg, has been asked to take over the development and implementation of this program Statewide within Maryland. The MSI TOP Soccer program culminates with a very special TOP Soccer Festival, held each year at the Maryland SoccerPlex. This program not only provides opportunities for disabled youths, but also for those children and adults who volunteer as “buddies”, participating each week to make this program possible.

$30,000 Annual Financial Aid for Montgomery County Youth with Financial Need

MSI has an aggressive financial aid program, designed to ensure that all children are able to participate in recreational programs without regard to ability to pay. Each year, MSI provides approximately $30,000 in financial aid to Montgomery County youths, enabling these children to participate in recreational programs that they may otherwise not be able to participate in.

$55,000 Annual MCPS Ball Field Maintenance and Improvements

MSI has partnered in the development, maintenance, and improvement of County fields for 30 years. That participation became a formal partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) via the Adopt-a-Field program. During the past 3 years, MSI has expended more than $155,000 on maintenance and improvements to MCPS fields. Typically, MSI has accepted financial responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of ballfields at approximately six (6) school locations per year.

$264,000 Annual S. G’town Rec Pk/MD SoccerPlex Field Maint/Improvements

MSI has provided more than $250,000 each year for the past three years for the development of M-NCPPC fields located at South Germantown Recreational Park, managed by the Maryland Soccer Foundation. MSI contributions are expected to increase to $350,000 for the current year.

Employment and Personal Growth Opportunities for Montgomery County Youth

MSI provides employment and personal growth opportunities for the youth of Montgomery County. Specifically, MSI employs several hundred students as clinicians in support of our Player Development Program for 1st Graders, and as junior referees in support of our 3rd and 4th grade leagues. These programs provide opportunities for our young people to gain employment experience, earn income or Community Service credits, and develop their leadership skills.

msi soccer

HP OFFICEJET 5610 ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER/FAX/SCANNER/COPIER (Q7311A#ABA)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:28:15 PDT

Put pace and efficiency into endeavor in your bag duty with the machine and sure HP Officejet 5610 All-in-One. Highlights allow a fling copier barrier, a legal-size render opencast for accumulated flexibility, and a 25-sheet semiautomatic writing feeder. Get first-rate black and colouration faxing fast, at 33.6 Kbps, with or without a PC unification Save money with HP inkjet cartridges, which are fashioned for best ink practice Professional-looking reports, brochures, photos Print and double book in laser quality, nonnegative intend true-to-life-color photos in nonmandatory six-ink colouration Automatically vanish flushed receptor and compound discourse in Stygian areas of photos with HP’s Real Life technologies Print and double 4 x 6 borderless prints or with borders in some filler up to 8.5 x 11 Use the one-touch buttons to fax, copy, and construe without your machine Automatically country junk-fax drawing displayed on your speaker ID1 E-mail photos without super attachments with HP Instant Share4 Enhance photos and image-rich brochures with HP Image Zone Award-winning HP assist and hold Paper direction 100-sheet signaling tray, 25-sheet semiautomatic writing branch Recommended monthly intensity - Up to 1500 pages Connectivity - 1 USB Compatibility - Windows 98, 98 SE, 2000, Me, XP Home, XP Professional (Windows 98 is not based in Asiatic or Traditional Chinese); Mac OS X v 10.2.8, 10.3, 10.4 Dimensions - 17.13 x 16.46 x 9.25 in
Electronics: Color prints, copies, scans, and faxes, Up to 20 black ppm indicant speed, 13 colouration ppm, 4,800 x 1,200 optimized dpi resolution, 2,400 dpi construe resolution, 48-bit color; 25-page machine writing feeder, Built-in USB interface; PC and Mac compatible.

Asian Luv

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:18:57 PDT

Asian Luv-

Asian Luv

Marriage, Individual and Family Counseling

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:15:44 PDT

marriage counseling golden colorado -When you call ACC, we will take some basic personal information and help you select a therapist based on your preferences. If you like, you can also review the photos and brief biographies below to see which counselor feels like the best fit. You will also find articles written by several of our therapists on the Helpful Information page. These may give you a better understanding of their approaches.
Please be aware that our therapists are each independent mental health professionals, with their own private practices. While we have carefully selected our team of counselors, they do not work FOR ACC. They are in business for themselves, and you are contracting with the therapist and not with ACC, which is simply a referral service.

marriage counseling golden colorado

WCAG 2.0: The New W3C Web Accessibility Guidelines Evaluated

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:22:58 PDT

WCAG 2.0: The New W3C Web Accessibility Guidelines Evaluated-

The second version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is in final working draft and will soon be officially released. Version 1 of the guidelines ( http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/full-checklist.html ) came under much criticism for being vague, full of jargon and extremely difficult to use.

The W3C has been working on version 2.0 of the guidelines ( http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/appendixB.html ) for over 5 years now, but has it been worth the wait?

What’s good about WCAG 2.0?

There have certainly been a number of improvements made to the new guidelines. This is of course to be expected - after 5 years you would expect some improvement! Some of these improvements include:

1. Outdated guidelines removed

A number of guidelines from WCAG 1.0 are well out-of-date. Unfortunately, web developers still implement these out-dated guidelines because they don’t know otherwise. Rather than go on an accessibility training course and learn ‘real-world’ accessibility, many web developers and manager tick boxes against guidelines.

Some of the out-of-date WCAG 1.0 guidelines, which have been removed from WCAG 2.0 include:

* 1.5 - Provide equivilent text links for links within client-side image maps
* 5.6 - Provide abbreviations for table header labels, if you use these
* 9.5 - Use accesskeys (keyboard shortcuts) for important links
* 10.3 - Don’t use tables with more than one column for layout
* 10.4 - Make sure form fields aren’t empty by default
* 10.5 - Ensure different links have non-link text between them

(Please note, the above isn’t the exact wording of the guidelines - each of the original guidelines has been translated from the official W3C guideline into more easy-to-understand language.)

The above guidelines have all been removed from WCAG 2.0, so shouldn’t be adhered to.

2. Good real world techniques provided

The document, Techniques for WCAG 2.0 ( http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-WCAG20-TECHS-20060427/Overview.html )replaces the previous techniques document, and is actually much better. It provides a list of common failures, which the previous version didn’t, and actually offers some excellent examples of common errors.

The other major improvement in this techniques document is that the examples provided are far more real-world. The WCAG 1.0 techniques document used text such as PortMaster 3 with ComOS 3.7.1 in their examples, but who has any idea what this means? The new document is far better in this respect, using examples such as phone numbers and calendars, for example.

The techniques document also provides some clever recommendations, which accessibility guideline box-ticking developers wouldn’t perhaps have thought have. For example:

* How to open a link in a new window using unobtrusive JavaScript
* Displaying decorative images through CSS
* Combining text and its adjacent image image in the same link
* Providing a heading at the beginning of each section on the page

..And many more! Do have a good look at the WCAG 2.0 techniques document as there’s lots of useful guidance here using quite easy-to-understand examples.

3. New guidelines included

A number of new guidelines have been brought into WCAG 2.0. Some of these guidelines are totally new whereas others were hinted at, but not specifically stated, in WCAG 1.0. Some examples include:

* Providing text-based error messages for forms
* Ensure all pages have a descriptive title
* Background noise can be turned off

For a full list of brand new guidelines that don’t map to any version 1 guidelines, have a look at the W3C’s Comparison of WCAG 1.0 checkpoints to WCAG 2.0 ( http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/appendixD.html#newl1 ).

What’s not good about WCAG 2.0?

So there certainly have been some improvements made to the W3C accessibility guidelines. But is it all good news? Have the problems associated with WCAG 1.0 been eliminated for this version 2 of the guidelines? Well not quite, as there are still a number of problems…

1. Verbose and jargon-filled language

One of the main criticisms aimed at WCAG 1.0 was the complexity of the language used. Have things improved? Hardly! Pretty much every paragraph is littered with jargon that the average web developer or web manager would be left with no clue as to the meaning.

Clearly aware of the level of jargon, the W3C have made complex terms green underlined links, linking to definitions. This is all well and good in theory, but when most sentences are broken up with one or two links it makes reading these sentences quite difficult.

Even worse though, is that the definitions are just as jargon-filled and difficult to understand as the term being defined! For example:

* Authored unit - Set of material created as a single body by an author
* Programmatically determined - Determined by software from data provided in a user-agent-supported manner such that the user agents can extract and present this information to users in different modalities
* Specific sensory experience - A sensory experience that is not purely decorative and does not primarily convey important information or perform a function
* Web unit - A collection of information, consisting of one or more resources, intended to be rendered together, and identified by a single Uniform Resource Identifier (such as URLs)

Ironically, there’s even a definition provided for the word ‘jargon’!

Furthermore, it seems that some jargon used in WCAG 1.0, which webmasters have gotten used to, has been replaced with equally incomprehensible words. For example, we no longer have Priority 1, 2 and 3 to aim for - instead we now have success criteria level 1, 2 and 3.

2. Awful usability

Another major criticism of the WCAG 1.0 guidelines was how difficult it is to find specific guidance and answers. It doesn’t take too long to discover that the WCAG 2.0 guidelines quite clearly offer the same low level of usability.

Reasons for this poor usability include:

* The level of jargon and complexity of language is truly phenomenal (as outlined above)
* The text is littered with links making it very difficult to read
* The two main documents, Understanding WCAG 2.0 ( http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/ ) and Techniques for WCAG 2.0 ( http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-WCAG20-TECHS-20060427/Overview.html ) are 164 and 363 pages long in total (when doing a print preview)

If only the W3C carried out basic usability testing of how people actually use (or are unable to use) these guidelines! What they’d undoubtedly find is that users won’t understand most guidelines and will end up blindly clicking links to find out how to meet these guidelines.

As with WCAG 1.0, clicking on most links from the WCAG 2.0 guidelines simply takes users into the middle of massive pages full of difficult-to-understand text. The text, of course, is densely littered with links. Users will probably click on a link again in the desperate hope that they’ll somehow find some text that clearly and succinctly explains what they need to do. They’ll usually be disappointed.

Organising the massive amount of content available is certainly not an easy task - but why not, as a start, split up these massive documents into more manageable and less intimidating sets of smaller documents? Then, carry out some usability testing, refine, and test again.

3. Useful guidelines gone

Although there are a number of useful, new guidelines in WCAG 2.0, a number of important guidelines from WCAG 1.0 have been removed or are only vaguely referred to. These include, but aren’t limited to:

* 3.1 - Avoid embedding text within images.
* 3.2 - Create documents that validate.
* 3.3 - Use CSS and not tables for layout.
* 3.4 - Ensure text is resizable.
* 12.3 - Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.
* 13.8 - Place distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.
* 14.1 - Use clear and simple language.

(Please note, the above isn’t the exact wording of the guidelines - each of the original guidelines has been translated from the official W3C guideline into more easy-to-understand language.)

Particularly worrying is the removal of the final three guidelines, all of which relate to the accessibility of content. A major part of any website’s accessibility, and one that’s often overlooked, is the site’s usability and how the content is written and structured.

Accessible content is crucial for all special needs users, particularly those with learning difficulties and dyslexia. Perhaps the reason these guidelines have been removed is because content guidelines are fluffier and harder to measure than technical accessibility guidelines. Whatever the reason, this is not a good step for accessibility.

4. Technology neutral and the concept of the baseline

WCAG 1.0 states quite clearly that alternatives to JavaScript, PDFs and Flash must all be provided, as assistive technologies such as screen readers can’t access these. Although this was generally true in 1999, it’s not the case now, and nowadays JavaScript, PDFs and Flash can all be made accessible to most assistive technologies. (Remember, ‘can be’ is not the same as ‘are’.)

Version 1 of the accessibility guidelines became quite outdated rather quickly. To prevent this from happening to version 2 of the accessibility guidelines, the W3C have attempted to make WCAG 2.0 technology-neutral. Sounds sensible as now the guidelines won’t become outdated so quickly, right?

In practice, what this means is that the WCAG 2.0 guidelines are extremely vague. So vague, in fact, that they’re almost unusable as they talk in such generic terms.

Additionally, the concept of the baseline has now been introduced, where by webmasters can claim which technologies they assume are supported by site visitors’ browsers. So, if you build a website entirely in Flash and say that Flash is part of your baseline, your website can conform with all the guidelines despite the fact that some people won’t be able to access your site at all!

Discussion

So, was the wait worth it? We’ve waited over 5 years for WCAG 2.0 and certainly a number of improvements have been made. Worryingly though, the guidelines continue to be very difficult to actually use, further discouraging webmasters from reading them. The extra vagueness of these new guidelines certainly doesn’t help either.

The W3C just doesn’t seem to get it: People don’t generally want to read through hundreds of pages of text to find out how to implement accessible solutions - they just want answers and specific guidance. For most people, accessibility is just one small part of their job and they don’t have time for all this.

Webmasters are also now being asked to choose a baseline for their website but how do they even begin to go about doing this!? How would you as a web developer explain the concept of a baseline to senior management? How do you decide what you should do so as to comply with any legal requirements? Unfortunately there’s no correct answer to either of these questions.

Solution?

A solution could be that the W3C simply provides specific guidelines for what web developers and managers actually have to do. Much of this information is already there on their website, but it’s hidden away in the enormous and intimidating Techniques for WCAG 2.0 document. This document could be broken down into manageable chunks, added to and refined, and focus on providing specific, real world guidelines.

Guidelines should be relevant and specific to today’s technology, but would be updated on an on-going basis so as to make sure they don’t become too dated. Why did we have to wait over five years for version 2.0? Why couldn’t we have received versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and so on during this time? This would surely have prevented WCAG 1.0 becoming out-dated as quickly as it did?

Most importantly though, the whole WCAG 2.0 section on the W3C website needs to have usability testing carried out on it. The benefits of usability testing are pretty well known by now, and it’s quite clear that the W3C has very little idea how real users are interacting with the website. By carrying out ongoing usability testing, the W3C can learn about its users and ultimately aim for an easy-to-understand and intuitive website.

WCAG 2.0: The New W3C Web Accessibility Guidelines Evaluated

Tantara

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:18:26 PDT

Tantara-

Tantara

Sheik Palazzi warns President Bush and PM Sharon

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:16:07 PDT

Sheik Palazzi warns President Bush and PM Sharon-
Courtesy :David Ben-Ariel

It’s pretty bad when a Zionist Muslim - one in a million - has to be used of God to warn

our professing Christian president who is sinning against God, Israel and the United States

with his wicked enabling of the dismembering of the Promised Land of Israel, preparing the

way for it to be perverted into “Palestine,” and clearing the way for EU “peacekeepers” who

will brutally betray both Arabs and Jews! - DBA

(Used with permission)

Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi Final Warning to U.S. President Bush and Israeli Prime

Minister Sharon:

Your Gush Katif Juden Expulsion and Pogrom-in-Progress now underway are “Serious Crimes”

and “Severe Sins” rapidly calling down Divine Wrath on the United States and Israel, and on

the “Quartet”/”Sextet” Road Map Nations (Egypt, E.U., Russia, “Saudi” Arabia” & U.N. member

countries) collaborating with You in this Act of Global Rebellion Against God

(P.S. Stop sponsoring Israel Government Instigated Massacres of Arabs such as the Potemkin

Village Atrocities in Shfaram and Shilo to draw Attention away from Israel Government

Aktions now underway against Your Own People in Gush Katif. As U.S. President Abraham

Lincoln said, “You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all

of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time” — even in Israel. And

you don’t fool me.)

LIBERATED YERUSHALIYIM, D.C. (David’s Capital), Liberated Israelite Tribal Territories of

Yehudah and Binyamin, Kingdom of David and Shlomo, United Israelite Kingdom of Yehudah and

Yosef, Yom Chamishi, 13 Av, 5765, (Gregorian Date: August 18th, 2005), (Hijri Date: 12

Rajab, 1426), Root & Branch Information Services [www.rb.org.il]:

“Severe Sin” — Bush/Sharon Gush Katif Pogrom and Juden Deportation “Serious Crimes” and

“Severe Sins”.

“Open Rebellion” — Deportation Rubber Stamping U.S. Congress and Israeli Knesset in State

of “Open Rebellion” against God of Israel.

“Never Again”? — Legalized Asset Theft of billions of dollars of Currently-Being-Deported

Gush Katif Jewish Pioneer homes, farms and businesses, compensation (if at all) of owners

forced to sell assets at fraction of real value and transfer of those assets to World Bank

for sale to prospective buyers (such as Wye Plantation owning Aspen Institute) replay of

early 1930’s Nazi German Legalized Asset Theft (Arianisierung Gesetze/Arianization “Laws”)

forcing To-Be-Deported German Jews to “sell” assets at fraction of real value.

“$.$. $piritual Heirs” — World Bank (founded 1944; headquarters, Washington, D.C.) $.$.

$piritual Heirs of Bank for International Settlements (B.I.S.) (founded 1930; headquarters,

Basel, Switzerland), which operated during World War Two with a U.S. President (Thomas

McKittrick) and Nazi German General Director (Paul Hechler) “legally” transferring stolen

Jewish assets out of Nazi Germany to Argentina and other countries (including gold from

teeth of Jews, mass murdered in Nazi Death Camps, melted down to ingots by Nazi German

Reichsbank).

“Nazi German/Saudi Wahhabi Collaborators” — Nazi German Collaborating Union Banking

Corporation Director Grandpa Prescott Bush betrayed the Jews of Germany and Europe (and all

Americans fighting Hitler) for profits during World War Two. Grandpa Prescott’s son, Saudi

Wahhabi Collaborating U.S. Shadow President George H.W. Bush and Grandson, U.S. President

George W. Bush, betray the Jews of Israel (and all Americans fighting Saudi sponsored Al

Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood) today for almost 100% U.S. tax free Saudi oil profits.

“Fallen Vichy Israel?” — Israeli “leader”ship today starting to smell like French

“leader”ship of late 1930s. Will Prime Minister Ariel Sharon soon star as Modern Marshal

Henri Philippe Petain (with Shimon Peres playing Pierre Laval) in “Fallen Vichy Israel”?

“Divinely Decreed Devastation” — Divinely Decreed Devastation “rapidly accelerating

descent” on nations — and their “leaders” — supporting current Gush Katif Juden

Deportation and Legalized Asset Theft as punishment for these sins.

“Thus says the Lord” — “Thus says the Lord God: It shall come to pass in that day, that

things shall come into your (Gog’s) mind, and you shall device an evil device

[Quartet/Sextet Roadmap]; and you shall say: ‘I will go up against the Land (of Israel) of

unwalled villages; I will come upon them who are at quiet, who dwell safely, all of them

dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates; to take the spoil and to take

the prey’; to turn your hand against the waste places (Gush Katif currently, Judea and

Samaria soon) which are now inhabited, and against the People (of Israel) who are gathered

out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, who dwell in the middle of the earth.

Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the magnates thereof, shall say

to you (Gog): ‘Do you come to take the spoil? Have you assembled your company to take the

prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?’”

Sheik Palazzi warns President Bush and PM Sharon

The Gun Control Debate

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:11:15 PDT

The Gun Control Debate-

The gun control debate in America is a battle between personal freedom and public safety.

For nearly 160 years, there were no limits to the Second Amendment, which guarantees “the

right of the people to keep and bear arms.”

In 1934, however, and especially in the last

four decades, Americans have begun to proscribe and debate the extent of that right. The

National Firearms Act of 1934 was the first restriction on gun rights in American history.

As a result, fully automatic weapons are available only after an extensive background check

on the owner.

In 1968, the term “gun control” gained new meaning with the passage of the federal Gun

Control Act. Ratified in the wake of two important political assassinations — Robert

Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. — the Act requires that all guns carry serial numbers

forever tied to the original purchaser. Additionally, it prohibited gun ownership by

convicted felons and, as a result of a 1990s amendment, it requires a criminal background

check for purchasers at the time of sale.

Certain states have their own gun control legislation, although all are governed by the

federal Act of 1968. Individual states can deem their own levels of restriction on

concealed weapons and open carry, or the visible transporting of a weapon. And restrictions

vary widely by state, with New York and Illinois seen as the most restrictive and Arizona

and Texas, the most relaxed.

The latest incarnation of the gun control debate has been in the form of the Assault

Weapons Ban of 1994, which Congress failed to uphold in its latest session. The law

prohibited the sale of any semi-automatic assault weapons manufactured after 1994.

Supporters of the ban said it helped keep violent weapons off the street, while opponents

claimed it imposed a confusing classification system, was overly restrictive and had little

effect on controlling violent crime.

Gun rights advocates argue that a well-armed public helps prevent crime and ensure personal

safety. Gun control proponents, on the other hand, fear that widespread gun ownership

actually increases crime rates and leads to other negative outcomes, both public and

private. Is the Second Amendment out-of-date, or does it guarantee an integral right?

The Gun Control Debate

Edward Abington: Political Prostitute

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:07:08 PDT

Edward Abington: Political Prostitute"-

The American Diplomat in Arafat’s Corner,” published in The Jerusalem Report, came as no

surprise to me. It was referring to Edward Abington, Jr., the United States’ former consul

general in Jerusalem who is now “guiding the Palestinians through the labyrinths of

Washington. And his firm is being paid $2.25 million for his expertise.”

Allow the following information to shed light on his less than faithful service to American

taxpayers:

“Dear Congresswoman Kaptur: Thank you for your valuable assistance in my pursuit of

justice! It’s wonderfully refreshing to see some public servants truly helping out their

fellow Americans.

It’s obvious from Mr. Abington, Jr.’s letter to you that he has strongly held political

views that prefers the continued occupation of JUDAISM’S MOST HOLY SITE - the Temple Mount

- by militant Muslims. Such radical views enable the Muslim extremists to continue to pose

a threat to religious Jews and Christians who merely hope to pray on the site…

However historically or biblically inaccurate Mr. Abington, Jr’s views are, I believe he is

entitled to them. I do not believe his personal views ought to interfere with his public

duty. It appears he has DELIBERATELY IGNORED every relevant FACT that PROVED my arrest

amounted to political and religious PERSECUTION.

As honestly reported in The Jerusalem Post article he referred to, I wasn’t

interrogated…by 6 different SECRET SERVICEMEN about the TEMPLE MOUNT because of an

“expired visa!” I charged Ms. Leech (his assistant) with complicity in their unjust actions

against me for going along with their lie that my visa was expired and for turning a blind

eye to their undemocratic ways. I’d given her a letter for Mr. Abington, Jr. to PROTEST MY

POLITICAL ABUSE AND RELIGIOUS MISTREATMENT. Since he never bothered to respond, I’m not

sure he even received it.

It was difficult to deal with Ms. Leech…since she was quite antagonistic, contending that

Israel wanted to deport me because “you wanted to blow up the mosque.” When I protested

that simply was NOT TRUE, she angrily ordered her assistant, “Go see what he’s charged

with.” He came back and said, “Visa violation.” So she KNEW the real reason I was in jail

was for being a member of the Temple Mount Faithful, but later went along with their LIE

about my visa…

Mr. Abington, Jr. falsely accused me of being proud about my imprisonment. I’m not proud of

it nor ashamed, but I do believe in making the most out of a bad situation…Why shouldn’t

I use my horrible experience to underscore and further the JUST CAUSE of the Temple Mount

Faithful? How could anyone fail to understand this?…After all, it’s the TEMPLE Mount, not

the mosque mount!

Is it too much for an INNOCENT AMERICAN to expect his government to stand up for him? All

I’ve requested from the beginning is for the Consul General to STRONGLY PROTEST my unjust

imprisonment and deportation. They know what I say is the truth, but because of their

hostile views, they’re playing deaf, dumb and blind to the fact that I was a

POLITICO-RELIGIOUS PRISONER.

Frankly, they’re upset that I refused to go like a lamb to slaughter, but roared like a

lion instead - exposing Peres’ corruption and their complicity. I will continue to seek

justice until it is found….”

Edward Abington: Political Prostitute

Eddy Arnold has done in our world?

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:59:25 PDT

Eddy Arnold has done in our world?-He was one of country's first crossover stars, but it's likely that none who follow Eddy Arnold will match his longevity.

Arnold brought an urbane approach to country music during an era dominated by folksy sounds. In the '40s, he adapted the pop crooning of Bing Crosby and Perry Como for country audiences. In the '60s, he helped usher in "countrypolitan." He reached unprecedented career heights for a country act of his day, appearing in films, hosting TV shows and headlining Vegas.

In 1948, six Arnold singles spent 49 of the year's 52 weeks atop at least one of Billboard's country charts. "For a few weeks, I also had the top five (singles)," he told USA TODAY in 2002. "I can't tell you why. I guess I just came along at the right time."

Like many country artists, his hits slowed during rock 'n' roll's formative years. But Arnold came back strong in the mid-'60s, when he added string sections to records like What's He Doing in My World.

"I had the radio on," he recalled, "and I was thinking, 'Heck, why don't I just add violins to my records and do pretty much the same kind of song? Do love songs, not morbid country songs.' Pretty much the same kind of songs I was singing."

Eddy Arnold has done in our world?

San Jose sharks Win Game

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:43:08 PDT

San Jose sharks Win Game-

San Jose sharks Win Game

Moss Phlox Flower

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:34:02 PDT

Moss Phlox Flower-The dogwoods and redbuds are creating a beautiful background as you drive the highways and byways of Kentucky. Across the Commonwealth, this will probably be the peak wildflower week. Enjoy the weekend with family and friends and attend one of the many festivals and special activities held across the state.
Eastern
At Carter Caves State Report Park in Olive Hill the redbuds are in full bloom and the dogwoods are starting to show their blooms. They are seeing many flowers coming up but the blooms are a little behind from previous years. In bloom you will see the white trillium covering the hillsides while entering the park. New this week is the star chickweed, yellow violet, wood betony and columbine. Hoary pucoon should be in full bloom over the next couple of days. There are many flowers that will be blooming around the park over the next two weeks. These include the crested iris, shooting star, pink lady-slipper, yellow lady-slipper, May-apple and squawroot. There is still plenty of color out there just in time for our Annual Wildflower Weekend.
This weekend (April 25-27) is the annual Wildflower Pilgrimage and Campers Appreciation Weekend. Those camping this weekend will get two nights camping for the price of one. Special rates will apply to campers for mini-golf and cave tours. Some of the recreation programs include a Smokey Lake canoe trip, crafts, homemade ice cream and a live performance on Saturday night. For Wildflower Weekend we will have several wildflower walks and programs to show the guest the beautiful array of the wildflowers of Carter Caves. Plan to participate in the programs that will identify many of the beautiful flowers growing in the park.
It is peak wildflower season at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park in Greenup this week. The redbuds and dogwoods are in full bloom all around the park. Flowers blooming along the trails and roadsides include large white trilliums, blue phlox, bluets (Quaker ladies), purple cress, spring beauty, wild geranium, fire pink, May apple, bloodroot, foam flower, pussytoes, blue and yellow violets, dwarf cinquefoil, pennywort, false rue anemone, star chickweed, cut-leaf toothwort, golden ragwort, small-flowered crowfoot and yellow corydalis. The crested dwarf iris has leaves up and will be blooming on the hillsides soon.
The wildflowers at Natural Bridge State Resort Park in Slade are beginning peak bloom. The early wildflowers such as hepatica and bloodroot are fading while the purple phacelia and wild geranium are just beginning to “pop.” Wildflowers currently in or near peak bloom include: miterwort, long-spurred violet, halberd-leaved violet, star chickweed, large-flowered trillium, red trilliums, wood vetch, foam flower, wild ginger, columbine and bellworts. Those flowers that have buds or have just begun to bloom include: wild geranium, purple phacelia, wood betony, stonecrop, Solomon’s seal, May apple, mandarin and dwarf-crested iris. The following trees and shrubs are displaying showy flowers: service berry, spicebush, redbud and dogwood. Two of the best trails at Natural Bridge for observing spring wildflowers are the Rock Garden and Whittleton Trails.
Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg is awash with spring colors. Here are some of the wildflowers you can observe on the hiking trails or along the roadway leading to the two-bedroom cottages: rue anemone, dwarf cinquefoil, cut-leafed toothwort, Kentucky bluets, common purple violet, smooth yellow violet, long spurred violet, pussy toes, chickweed, large flowered trillium, wild geranium, golden ragwort, black mustard, May apple, stonecrop, blue phlox, fleabane, lyre-leafed sage, wood vetch, fire pink, purple phacelia, fringed bluets, goldenseal, violet wood sorrel, lavender water leaf, bird’s foot violet, dwarf larkspur, moss phlox, foam flower and pennywort.
Several migratory songbirds have returned to the park this week. They include: American redstart, hooded warbler, yellow warbler, Louisiana water thrush, common yellowthroat, yellow-throated warbler, black and white warbler, cerulean warbler, black throated green warbler, ovenbird, yellow throated vireo, solitary vireo, red-eyed vireo, prairie warbler, wood thrush, northern rough-winged swallow, barn swallow, eastern meadowlark, horned larks and indigo bunting. Other birds observed include common resident songbirds like the northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, eastern bluebird, Carolina chickadee, song sparrow, eastern phoebe, Carolina wren, eastern towhee, and wild turkey. Woodpeckers include red headed, red bellied, pileated, downy, hairy, and northern flicker.
April 25-26 is Camper’s Appreciation Weekend at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park. Camp Friday night; get Saturday night free!
The dogwoods and redbuds are spectacular at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Corbin and there are numerous wildflowers on the various hiking trails. Trilliums, wild blue phlox, pink lady slippers, showy orchis, crested dwarf iris, fire pink, bluets and several species of violets are some of the flowers you can observe.

Moss Phlox Flower

Cranford Air-times on PBS Masterpiece

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:25:39 PDT

Cranford Air-times on PBS Masterpiece-Synopsis: A three-part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s “Cranford,” about life in an 1840s Cheshire village. Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins star as sisters Matty and Deborah Jenkyns who, in the opener, welcome an old friend (Lisa Dillon) to live with them. Also, the town’s new doctor (Simon Woods) introduces new medical procedures and causes hearts to swoon; and a railroad headed Cranford’s way causes some concern.

Cranford Air-times on PBS Masterpiece

NHL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS 2007-2008

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:21:21 PDT

NHL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS 2007-2008-

NHL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS 2007-2008

justine bateman

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:19:20 PDT

Justine bateman-Bateman was born in Rye, New York, to Victoria, a flight attendant, and Kent Bateman, an acting coach, film and television writer/director, and founder of a repertory stage in Hollywood. Her younger brother is actor Jason Bateman. She attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California, and graduated in 1984.In 1984, Bateman starred on the Tales from the Darkside television series in the episode "Mookie and Pookie." She played the role of superficial Mallory Keaton on the television sitcom Family Ties from 1982 to 1989. Mallory was presented as a vacuous airhead, which was fodder for jokes and teasing from her brother Alex (Michael J. Fox). Bateman hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1988. That year, she starred in the lead role of Satisfaction, a film about an all-girl band that also starred Julia Roberts and Liam Neeson. Bateman starred as the lead vocalist and also performed the vocals on the soundtrack.Bateman made a brief comeback in the 1996-97 NBC sitcom version of the British TV comedy Men Behaving Badly with Rob Schneider and Ron Eldard, but left after a contract dispute. She has appeared in several made-for-TV movies and in the Showtime series Out of Order, which included her only known nude scene.In "Family Ties", a third-season Arrested Development episode, her character is initially believed to be Jason's character's sister, but she turns out to be a prostitute taken advantage of by his father and pimped by his brother.Bateman revealed to TV Guide in its November 9, 1996, issue that she had struggled with anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating while making Family Ties. " I can have one more cookie if I go throw it all up later," she said. "Or I can have this now if I skip lunch later." She was able to overcome her eating disorder through a 12-step program and turning to Christianity.Bateman is married to Mark Fluent and has two children, Duke Kenneth, Olivia, Gianetta. She also runs her own fashion design company and serves on the National Board of Directors of Screen Actors Guild.

justine bateman