Mobile - just don't ring or text - Stuff

Councillors refuse to use cellphones

TRACY NEAL

COLIN SMITH/FAIRFAX NZ

HANDS-FREE: Nelson city councillors Mike Ward left, Gail Collingwood and Derek Shaw do not own cellphones.

In a society which has forced dependence on cars and cellular communications, three city councillors refuse to succumb.

Perhaps they do not know what they are missing, or maybe that is the point.

Councillors Mike Ward, Derek Shaw and Gail Collingwood do not own cellphones, and the first two do not hold a driver's licence. Pedal-power or walking has long been the preferred mode of transport, while email has become the communications mode of choice for all three.

As a former parliamentarian Mr Ward once had a cellphone. An attempt to switch it to a private plan might have worked had he held a driver's licence.

"I went to the store in Nelson to renew the contract but they said I needed photo ID. I said, ?what do you mean, I was only drinking coffee with you the day before'.

"Because I don't have a licence, I took a clipping of a newspaper article that had a photo of me in it but they wouldn't accept it."

The final blow was when Mr Ward dropped the Blackberry in a puddle, and drowned it.

"I don't find it inconvenient. I'll always stop what I'm doing to talk to people if they want to drop into my studio.

"Because I don't have a cellphone I do what I've done forever - I let people know where I'm going."

The Hardy St studio is where Mr Ward now spends large parts of each day as a jewellery artist and preparing for council. Unlike Mr Shaw, he does have an answering machine on his home phone, but hardly ever clears his messages.

Mr Ward said he never got around to learning to drive.

"I once had a lesson with my mother when I was young but it was a bit chaotic. It wasn't much fun - maybe I was poorly co-ordinated or something.

"My younger brother went to sea and he owned a Morris 8 which he said I could drive, but I just never got around to it."

Mr Shaw chose not to have a cellphone because he does not need one. He said people got by without them before, but accepted they were good for keeping in touch with the children. If his partner did not have one then he probably would.

"Everyone else in the household has one so I figured I don't need one. I spend enough on communications, with two landlines, broadband and facsimile.

"Most people either fax or email me - I prefer email so I can respond in my own time."

Mr Shaw does not drive either. The family car is driven by his partner.

As a student Mr Shaw once held a motorbike licence, but let it lapse.

"I did resolve once to get a licence when there was a particular time I needed one when it proved inconvenient not to have one."

Those were the days of young children. "I decided I'd sit the test in Southland when we were down there on holiday, but when I got there the office was closed for a time and not open until after we were due to leave Invercargill.

"I took that as a sign I could do without it."

He takes their youngest son to athletics at Saxton Field on the tandem pushbike, but on the whole he did not think their children had been too disadvantaged. The elder two do not drive either.

"I admit it would be handy being able to share the drive to and from Invercargill though."

Mrs Collingwood felt she managed fine without a cellphone, as people seemed to prefer to use email anyway.

"I just felt I could manage without one. I have friends who have one in the event they're needed in an emergency, but they never switch them on. If there was an emergency no-one would be able to contact them."

Mrs Collingwood said she was "not a complete luddite", and rattled off the things she did like about mobile phones, like all the apps.

Tasman district counterparts all had cellphones and all drove a vehicle, which was essential because of the distances involved in getting around the district. Cellphones were also an essential tool in their roles, spokesman Chris Choat said.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/8125242/Mobile-just-don-t-ring-or-text

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Survey finds increase in e-reading, drop in paper

NEW YORK (AP) ? The tastes of the reading public are turning digital.

A Pew Internet Research Center survey released Thursday found that the percentage of Americans aged 16 and older who read an e-book grew from 16 percent in 2011 to 23 percent this year. Readers of traditional books dropped from 72 percent to 67 percent. Overall, those reading books of any kind dropped from 78 percent to 75 percent, a shift Pew called statistically insignificant.

Those owning an e-book device or tablet jumped from 18 percent to 33 percent, with much of that increase coming from last year's holiday season, when millions received Kindles, Nooks and other e-readers as gifts.

Awareness that libraries offer digital texts grew from 24 percent to 31 percent.

The telephone survey of 2,252 people aged 16 and older was conducted from Oct. 15 to Nov. 10. It has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-27-E-Book%20Survey/id-5f0516e078dc4a2e865d9f20e543ddfb

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Source: http://caramelize-paten.blogspot.com/2012/12/health-and-fitness-back-pain-some-clues.html

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New laws intend to stop online exploitation

The Obama administration has announced changes in the regulations that protect children under 13 who use the internet. The new laws intend to improve data protection and stop companies from exploiting the information children post on social media, gaming and networking sites.

The new laws will take effect in July, and will amend the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, with regulations that surround cellphones, tablets, networking services and mobile applications.

Advertisers and marketers can reap significant profits by gaining information on the activities of child consumers, but at present, the Federal government believes businesses have too much access to information that could give away physical location, contact data or names of persons under 13. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has continued with plans to add new privacy rules for children, despite claims that it would stifle growth in the tech industry.

Small businesses developing and distributing children's software, much of which is social in nature or includes social gaming components, also occasionally syphon data to third parties operating on these applications. When a child enters a name and email address for a real-life friend with whom he or she would like to play mobile games, some of this information is often taken away and used for advertising or marketing purposes. New regulations would make this activity illegal in order to improve privacy protection as well as messaging security.

According to Research and Markets, changes in payment technology are also making it easier to purchase products on mobile devices. Whereas before, a child would have to walk up to a cash register, a son or daughter who gets a hold of a parent's credit card could wreak havoc on a smartphone or tablet. New laws may also extend to purchases on mobile devices, making it harder for children to buy online goods without parental consent.

Source: http://www.proofpoint.com/about-us/security-compliance-and-cloud-news/articles/new-laws-intend-to-stop-online-exploitation--800933618

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Earnings View: Why Investors Look at Stocks Differently

I?ve been meaning to write this article for a while now because I
think it?s the sort of subject little discussed in mainstream
journalism. Essentially, most investment journalism focuses on buying or
selling this stock or other with a forthright opinion expressed either
way. I understand why this formula works (not least because readers want
this), but there is usually very little discourse over how or where the
stock should fit in your portfolio. In addition, there is never any
discussion of the investment approach of the author, how it might affect
a decision over a stock or even the positioning of that stock within a
portfolio.

In terms of portfolio construction, I have discussed the matter in an article linked here.?In this piece I want to focus on how different investors might view stocks differently.

Same Stock, Different View

It's important for investors to understand that there is no absolute truth to investing. The key thing is to find a strategy or tactic that works for you and then implement it in a way that works for you. Then try to make sure that it works across market cycles and conditions. For the record, with me, this has always meant a diversified stock picking, growth at reasonable price (GARP) based approach. I tend to buy quality stocks that I think are 15-20% undervalued and in a position in the economy that I think has upside potential.

I?m not saying it is a perfect strategy, but I am saying it works for me. I?m also pointing out that sometimes I might look at a stock from this perspective and reject it because it doesn?t fit the model (Cue howls of derision and contempt in the comments section when a writer dares to mention that he doesn?t fancy a stock for his portfolio). The point is, it might not work for me but other investors who follow, say, a value or special situations based approach, might love the stock.

You have to do what works for you.

Some Examples

I want to give some brief examples of what I mean here.

I?ve written about Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) quite a bit and I think neither stock fits the bill for a GARP based investor. I last covered Cisco here and Intel here. They share similar characteristics. Both are seeing growth slowing but present good long term value. Intel offers a very high dividend, and Cisco is turning itself into a value play by returning cash to shareholders. What both are not is companies that have much upside surprise (in my opinion) over the next six to twelve months. The semiconductor industry continues to downgrade expectations and the telcos remain reluctant to spend. Growth orientated investors like me don?t tend to buy such things, but that doesn?t mean that value players won?t make money from them!

Another example is Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK), which I covered in an article linked here. This is a company facing very difficult market conditions and a lot of near term risk combined with the execution risk inherent in its shift towards software as a service based sales.? Again this is not the sort of stock that a GARP based investor would buy, but why should that matter to a special situations investor? ?The latter tend to buy a lot of these sorts of stocks and hit a few huge home runs with them while missing with a lot of stocks elsewhere. Just because it doesn?t suit my portfolio profile, it doesn?t mean that it might not fit yours.

The last two examples are of stocks that I like but appreciate won?t fit other styles of investing are Allergan (NYSE: AGN) and Wabtec (NYSE: WAB). I hold both and wrote about them here and here. Now, I can understand why value investors won?t fancy Allergan on nearly 27x current earnings or Wabtec on 17x earnings.? However, both have relatively secure mid and long term growth prospects. Allergan has the opportunity to get Botox indications expanded, and its eye care division is well placed for stable growth amidst favorable demographic changes.

As for Wabtec , it has near term catalysts from positive train control (PTC) revenues and shale gas rail, while longer term there are geographical opportunities for expansion, and rail is seen as an energy efficient and cost effective way to transport goods.

Both stocks convert earnings into cash flow well, and despite the high rating, a GARP investor will be attracted to them while a value investor will simply balk at the evaluation.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, there is no right or wrong way to invest. The only wrong way is to not stay true to your principles, and the only right way is to try to keep those principles flexible. In the end, the aim is to generate favorable risk adjusted returns over the long term.

Sometimes writers don?t articulate why they favor certain stocks over others. They are afforded that regrettable luxury* because many of them don?t own anything they write about, so getting it wrong or right doesn?t really matter. For private investors, this luxury doesn?t exist, so the next time you read a stock write-up try to consider how the stock fits into your style of investing or your portfolio.

*For the record I do try to self impose a discipline of monthly write-ups and I do invest in stocks I write about

Source: http://earningsview.blogspot.com/2012/12/why-investors-look-at-stocks-differently.html

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Video: Dog reunited with 7-year-old owner

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50300442/

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Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office West Bank crime report, Dec. 25 ...

This information reflects initial calls for service reported by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office for the west bank of Jefferson Parish. Locations are approximate due to automated location methods and address inconsistencies, the Sheriff's Office says. Burglar alarm calls are excluded.

Abbey Road and Old Compton Road - Dec. 25, 3:11 p.m., suspicious person.
1100 block of Aberdeen Drive - Dec. 25, 11:34 p.m., battery.
2000 block of Ames Boulevard - Dec. 25, 11:39 a.m., suspicious person.
Ames Boulevard and Rue Louis Phillipe - Dec. 25, 5:41 p.m., vehicle wreck.
5200 block of August Avenue - Dec. 25, 1:06 a.m., disturbing the peace.
800 block of Avenue B - Dec. 25, 1:00 p.m., theft.
Avenue D and 6th Street - Dec. 25, 10:58 a.m., vehicle wreck.
Avenue D and Westbank Exp - Dec. 25, 4:11 p.m., suspicious person.
400 block of Avenue G - Dec. 25, 12:14 a.m., disturbing the peace.
400 block of Avenue G - Dec. 25, 3:24 a.m., burglary.
Avenue M and Barataria Boulevard - Dec. 25, 4:58 p.m., suspicious person.
1700 block of Barataria Boulevard - Dec. 25, 6:43 p.m., vehicle wreck.
5800 block of Bienvenue Avenue - Dec. 25, 10:35 a.m., battery.
300 block of Blk Barataria Boulevard - Dec. 25, 8:01 p.m., suspicious person.
7400 block of Blk Barataria Boulevard - Dec. 25, 9:10 p.m., suspicious person.
1700 block of Blk Betty Street - Dec. 25, 9:37 p.m., suspicious person.
1000 block of Blk Brown Avenue - Dec. 25, 11:42 a.m., suspicious person.
1100 block of Blk Cohen Avenue - Dec. 25, 1:36 p.m., suspicious person.
600 block of Blk Morningside Drive - Dec. 25, 6:33 p.m., illegal discharge of weapon.
3800 block of Blk Shannon Drive - Dec. 25, 12:20 a.m., battery.
1600 block of Blk Westminster Boulevard - Dec. 25, 8:15 p.m., disturbing the peace.
2100 block of Browning Lane - Dec. 25, 7:55 p.m., residence burglary.
1800 block of Buccola Avenue - Dec. 25, 11:29 a.m., vehicle burglary.
900 block of Carmadelle Street - Dec. 25, 11:44 a.m., disturbing the peace.
1600 block of Carol Sue Avenue - Dec. 25, 12:17 p.m., auto theft.
Carol Sue Avenue and Deerfield Road - Dec. 25, 10:59 a.m., vehicle wreck.
700 block of Carrollwood Village Drive - Dec. 25, 10:47 a.m., battery.
3200 block of Chimney Lane - Dec. 25, 8:04 p.m., drug law violation.
2700 block of Conor Court - Dec. 25, 10:51 p.m., disturbing the peace.
600 block of Deerfield Road - Dec. 25, 10:02 a.m., assault.
3800 block of South Deerwood Drive - Dec. 25, 5:05 a.m., criminal damage.
1600 block of Dogwood Drive - Dec. 25, 6:39 p.m., battery.
1600 block of Dogwood Drive - Dec. 25, 7:31 p.m., battery.
Ehret Road and Ehret Place - Dec. 25, 1:17 a.m., illegal discharge of weapon.
1900 block of Faith Place - Dec. 25, 5:32 a.m., suspicious person.
100 block of Friedrichs Road - Dec. 25, 11:30 a.m., battery.
100 block of Friedrichs Road - Dec. 25, 12:08 p.m., battery.
1800 block of Hector Avenue - Dec. 25, 2:07 a.m., disturbing the peace.
1800 block of Jean Lafitte Boulevard - Dec. 25, 9:41 a.m., suspicious person.
Judith Street and James Street - Dec. 25, 12:46 p.m., vehicle wreck.
600 block of Justice Place - Dec. 25, 11:16 p.m., battery.
4200 block of Lac Du Bay Drive - Dec. 25, 3:30 p.m., theft.
1500 block of Lapalco Boulevard - Dec. 25, 7:55 a.m., suspicious person.
2100 block of Lapalco Boulevard - Dec. 25, 5:25 a.m., disturbing the peace.
Lapalco Boulevard and Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 25, 5:17 a.m., disturbing the peace.
Lapalco Boulevard and Wall Boulevard - Dec. 25, 5:00 p.m., vehicle wreck.
1400 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 25, 2:46 p.m., suspicious person.
2300 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 25, 5:57 a.m., vehicle wreck.
2300 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 25, 6:27 a.m., vehicle wreck.
2400 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 25, 8:23 a.m., burglary.
2700 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 25, 9:44 a.m., disturbing the peace.
Manhattan Boulevard and 9th Street - Dec. 25, 11:27 a.m., suspicious person.
Manhattan Boulevard and Stall Drive - Dec. 25, 3:09 p.m., suspicious person.
1500 block of Mansfield Avenue - Dec. 25, 9:24 p.m., disturbing the peace.
400 block of Maple Avenue - Dec. 25, 2:16 a.m., robbery.
100 block of Marie Drive - Dec. 25, 10:27 a.m., criminal damage.
Morningside Drive and Guardian Avenue - Dec. 25, 7:18 p.m., vehicle wreck.
5100 block of Mt Jura Court - Dec. 25, 10:10 p.m., disturbing the peace.
5100 block of Mt Whitney Drive - Dec. 25, 11:11 p.m., theft.
5500 block of Niagara Drive - Dec. 25, 1:56 p.m., theft.
West Nine Mile Point Road and U South 90 Highway - Dec. 25, 6:13 p.m., vehicle wreck.
Nine Mile Point Road and Westbank Exp - Dec. 25, 3:23 p.m., vehicle wreck.
Nine Mile Point Road and Westbank Exp - Dec. 25, 5:38 p.m., vehicle wreck.
Oak Alley Boulevard and Barataria Boulevard - Dec. 25, 2:06 a.m., suspicious person.
North Oak Drive and Ames Boulevard - Dec. 25, 8:26 p.m., illegal discharge of weapon.
2400 block of Oxford Place - Dec. 25, 12:05 a.m., disturbing the peace.
2100 block of Pine Street - Dec. 25, 6:49 p.m., disturbing the peace.
Post Drive and Oakmere Drive - Dec. 25, 10:22 p.m., disturbing the peace.
4200 block of River Road - Dec. 25, 12:44 a.m., suspicious person.
6200 block of River Road - Dec. 25, 7:05 p.m., illegal discharge of weapon.
200 block of Southwood Drive - Dec. 25, 7:34 a.m., vehicle burglary.
1800 block of Stumpf Boulevard - Dec. 25, 10:14 a.m., theft.
Terry Parkway and Holmes Boulevard - Dec. 25, 12:46 a.m., suspicious person.
Terry Parkway and Westbank Exp - Dec. 25, 11:31 p.m., vehicle wreck.
Terry Parkway and Westbank Exp - Dec. 25, 11:57 p.m., suspicious person.
Terry Parkway and Wright Avenue - Dec. 25, 11:35 p.m., vehicle wreck.
6600 block of Wallace Street - Dec. 25, 7:38 p.m., suspicious person.
5200 block of Westbank Exp - Dec. 25, 9:23 a.m., suspicious person.
6600 block of Westbank Exp - Dec. 25, 7:25 p.m., disturbing the peace.
1500 block of Westminster Boulevard - Dec. 25, 9:37 p.m., battery.
500 block of Wilson Street - Dec. 25, 10:34 p.m., suspicious person.

Source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/12/jefferson_parish_sheriffs_offi_1228.html

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