Memphis Business Daily

Could you do a Double major in Law school? I wanna do International law but also Creative writing. Any sugge- suggestions? I want to be an Activist through the arts internationally raising awareness and coming up with solutions in struggling communities through the arts such as documentaries, theater, spoken word and writing books. I also want to become a world renowned writer while doing it. I started my first book already. My current major is Poli Sci and Eng.

What do you think of the concept for Mr. Lif's next album "I Heard It Today"? The voice of the people is back!!! Mr. Lif returns with more cutting edge political commentary in his new series titled I Heard It Today. Presented in a completely unprecedented manner, Mr. Lif will write and release 1-2 songs every three weeks until Election Day (November 4), following which Mr. Lif will release one more single based on his post electoral thoughts. This single will preface the release of the I Heard It Today (Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises) full length on Inauguration Day (January 20, 2009). The album will feature additional unreleased tracks and corresponding artwork. Mr. Lif has his hands on the pulse of American society as he rhymes uncompromisingly about important issues that currently affect us. We are looking toward perhaps the most anticipated administration change in American history, and I Heard It Today boldly holds a mirror to the face of the society we have created and perpetuated. As one of the most versatile voices in the game, Mr Lif has enlisted some of hip-hops most talented producers (J Zone, Edan, and Illmind, among others) to create awareness on current political issues and agendas for Americans and the global community. Mr. Lif adds, "With a new administration on the horizon, many of us are hoping things will change for the better. We are all hoping our voices will be heard and our concerns met with solutions. This project allows me to voice and magnify the all too often ignored opinions of the American people. My research has led me to speak with so many citizens nation wide, and the stories of your struggles combined with the knowledge of my own struggles have given birth to the project now known as I Heard It Today. " In addition, Mr. Lif will be issuing regular "Presidential Reports" commenting on recent events in national and world politics. "The Presidential Report, Vol. 1" tackles tension between Obama and McCain and the recently erupted conflict between Russia and Georgia, and can currently be heard on Mr. Lif's MySpace page (www.myspace.com/mrlif). Stay tuned as more "Presidential Reports" are sure to follow, connecting the dots between each new installment of I Heard it Today. AllHipHop.com will host exclusive streams of the tracks one day prior to release. They will then become available to fans worldwide, via The Orchard, through hundreds of digital music store and wireless carriers, including HipHopSite.Com. (Press Release) http://news.hiphopsite.com/blogs/newsonthedl/archive/2008/08/21/mr-lif-plays-political-commetator-on-new-lp-i-heard-it-today.aspx @ Chuck...It's summarized in the first paragraph. @ Bonnie...sure I'll post the tracks as they're released @ Omega...I am saying to check this out

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Do you think the local news paper would run an article? At school in a class called Social Justice, we needed to come up with action plans. These are solutions/fundraisers for a current social problem. I have chosen the BC Children's Hospital which needs to raise another $100M to build a new facility. So my problem is, I'm thinking we could raise about $3,000-4,000, however, that is nothing compared to what is needed. So I'm thinking about asking the local news paper if they would run an article about our efforts, in hopes that it would raise awareness in the community, so that they would donate too. So, do you think the paper would print a story like that?

IPTV survey in the UK? Dear respondent, This survey is part of my dissertation study regarding IPTV challenges and solutions in the UK market and being carried out to find out about main factors influencing consumer behaviour towards adopting IPTV such as their awareness about IPTV, willingness to purchase it, customers opinions and current users problems. The questionnaire should take you about 10 minutes to complete. Please complete and return the survey to me within two weeks. Your answers are important to provide an accurate and reliable result and may help providers better understand customers’ needs and preferences in the UK IPTV market in order to improve and extend their services. All information you provide will be treated as private and confidential. I hope you find completing the questionnaire enjoyable. The summary of this survey will be published in my dissertation. If you have any question regarding this survey or would like to have a copy of the finding of this survey, please email me at azadeh.aboutalebi@gmail.com Please click on the following link http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/156472/iptv-challanges-and-solutions-in-the-uk to take the survey. Thanks for your help. Sincerely Azadeh Aboutalebi

Not-for-profit organizational structure questions? Hello everyone, I am wanting to start a not-for-profit company to help other nonprofit companies with their information technology needs so that they may be better serve those in need. I want to provide low or no cost information technology services and solutions to nonprofit organizations. •Donated software from software developers and development companies •In house custom developed software •Open source software •Donated computer and network related hardware •Give current and future needs assessment to provide low cost, yet viable and quality solutions •Technical support by qualified computer and/or network technicians and/or engineers, by employed and volunteer support specialists •Network infrastructure build, planning and/or migration, including software and hardware for workstations, servers, network appliances and security as well as cabling •Software and/or hardware from donations •IT related training •Give computer and/or network security assessment What type of organizational structure do I want? •I want to be able to accept donations and for those donations to be tax deductible •I want to be able to charge a flexible or no cost fee for products and/or services, perhaps some sort of sliding scale??? •I want to be able to pay full time employees as well as have volunteers •I want to have decision making ability •I would like to have others, with different backgrounds, business owners, to be a part of the organization, to help with ideas, donation finding and organization awareness •I want to be able to determine who those other people are that involved with the organization, on all levels •Can I be a CEO or Executive Director or something similar and also be a consultant/support specialist? Somehow I need to be able to make a little bit of money when there is some… Some of the areas that have me confused the most are: Public or mutual benefit, CEO or Executive Director, Board of Directors or Board Members or Board of Trustees Just to clarify,... I am not in this for the money... My wife works and supports the family on her income,... I currently have a "for profit" IT consulting business that is not flourishing and my wife and I decided that we want to give back to those organizations that help others... So I want to use my skills and instead of sitting on them... To make a little bit of money would certainly be an added benefit, but it certainly is not my motivation...

Here is your chance to rip something part? This is not the finished product, but would like some constructive feedback on what I've written so far. This has been re-posted, due to spelling mistakes I made. My understanding of love It is my sole appetence to meticulously conduct an introspective exploration regarding the dynamic nature of those qualities that constitutes the aggregate of love. My current perception relating to this theme transpires from a profound deep-laid sense of intuitive understanding; arbitrary and empirical knowledge. Love is an inherent quality that is intricately sown through the fabric of human nature. Our first nonsensical sense of this energy is projected through the body language of our parents when we were conceived into this world. I purposely use nonsensical as we did not yet possess the capacity to attribute feelings to being Love. All we had was an innate sense that we are safe in the presence of these two people whom evinced warm affections, and in who have grown with us for nine months, while we were cocooned in our mother’s womb. While we were young and still without the ability of speech or the physical power or cognition to defend and protect ourselves from the challenges of this huge world, we were principally dependent on the loving care and protection of our parents. As we grew and developed our ability to communicate, and so choose from a limited number of playful experiences, that were compliant to the consentient boundaries of our parents. We learnt how to engage simple problems through a process of elimination to find solutions to puzzles through playful fun, like pushing shapes into a square box and other toys that induced mental growth, which also helped to expand our ability to independently think and encourage the mind to make more complex connections to slightly more sophisticated playful challenges. As we move forward in our learning and grew a little more mature in our thinking, our simple interests would evolve to the limit of its design and our interests would shift from those toys that have now served their purpose, and new interests are formed and directed onto more stimulating things, which reflects the level of knowledge and understandings that we possess. We learn and emulate our parent’s behaviour patterns, which helps us to develop the fundamental structure of our emotional and mental responses to life. It is through this cumulative process of affectionate acts, where we eventually evolve to understand and formulate our own conclusions, and therefore creating our own concepts and awareness about love. Although, initially while under the supervision of our parents, we were continually assimilating a subliminal understanding through the interactions and observations we made about actions that later on could be ascribed to being love. I haven't a problem with people ripping this work to pieces, I'm just interested in the various responses I receive to this work, based on a deliberate question and over use of flamboyant words. When I use the word nonsensical against the word sense. I use it in the format of being, "having no intellgible meaning." And, "sense," being the wordless sense of feeling. I am fairly confident and accepting of what I am and all that I have become. I am not one to allow feelings alone to dictate my emotional balances. We all experience fear at different levels, but I have done a lot of self-work to be free from those thoughts that create a world of fear. I am in control, although I sometimes have moments, just like any other human-being

For all web developers out there!? School Questionnaire!! Of course I will give you 5 stars to answer these thoroughly! 10 pts!! And also an automatic best answer when you following my question trails THANK YOU SOO MUCH!!! :) General Information 1. What is the name of your company and your current (or intended) URL? 2. Who are the primary contacts from your organization, and who has final approval on the project? Please list names, titles, email addresses, and phone numbers. Current Site (if applicable) 1. Do you feel your current site promotes a favorable user experience? Why or why not? 2. What specific areas of your current site do you feel are successful? Why are they successful? 3. What shortcomings exist with the current site, and what three things would you change on the site today if you could? 4. Have you conducted usability tests or gathered visitor feedback for your current site? If so, how long ago? Please include any reports or findings. 5. How important is it to maintain your current look and feel, logo, and branding? Reasons for Design/Redesign 1. What are the main reasons you are designing/redesigning your site (new business model, outdated site, expanded services, different audience)? 2. What are your primary online business objectives with the site design/redesign? What are your secondary objectives? (Examples include increased sales, marketing/branding awareness, and fewer customer service calls.) Please discuss both long- and short-term goals. 3. What is the main business problem you hope to solve with the site design/redesign? How will you measure the success of the solution? 4. What existing strategy (both on- and offline) is in place to meet the new business objectives? Audience/Desired Action 1. Describe a typical site visitor. How often are they online, and what do they generally use the web for? Give basic demographics: age, occupation, income level, purchasing habits. (Use as much detail as possible in profiling your target user. Profile more than one type if appropriate.) 2. What is the primary “action” the site visitor should take when coming to your site (make a purchase, become a member, search for information)? 3. What are the key reasons why the target audience chooses your company’s products and/or services (cost, service, value)? 4. How many people (as far as you can tell) access your site on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis? How do you measure usage? Do you forecast usage to increase after the site launch and by how much? Perception 1. Use a few adjectives to describe how your site visitor should perceive the new site. (Examples include prestigious, friendly, corporate, fun, forward thinking, innovative, and cutting edge.) Is this different than the current image perception? 2. How is your company currently perceived offline? Do you want to carry the same kind of message through your website? 3. How does your company differentiate itself from competitors? Do you think your current audience differentiates you from your competition? Please list competitor URLs. 4. List the URLs of any sites you find compelling. What specifically do you like about these sites? Content 1. Will this site use existing content from the current site? If so, what is the source, who is responsible for approval, and has the content been audited? If not, will you be creating content in-house or using an outside provider? 2. What is the basic structure of the content, and how is it organized? Is it a complete overhaul of the current site or an expansion? 3. Describe visual elements or content that should be utilized from your current site or marketing materials (logo, color scheme, navigation, naming conventions, etc.) 4. How will the content of this site (along with functionality and navigation) expand or differ from your current site? Do you have an existing sitemap for the outgoing site structure? Do you already have a sitemap or outline for the proposed redesign? Technology 1. What is your target platform and browser? Whom can we talk to in your organization to help respond to technical issues? 2. Are there specific technologies (Flash, JavaScript, DHTML, etc.) that you would like to use in the site? If so, how will they enhance the user experience? Please describe in detail. And I'm not a salesperson!! This is a school task! I have my student ID!!!

Is citizenship in US something that is to be demanded Chicago Organizations Demand Immigration Reform? CHICAGO – Pro-immigrant groups in Chicago are marking U.S. Citizenship Day with a call to local Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez to assume leadership of fair, humane and sensible immigration reform. At the headquarters of the Unite Here union hundreds of people were waiting for the “Party of the ‘Illegals,’” organized by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Javier Salas, host of “Un Nuevo Dia” on La Tremenda 1200 AM (Univision Radio). The aim is to celebrate the contributions made by undocumented immigrants with the presence of personalities from Chicago’s large Mexican-American community who will speak about their experiences before they became U.S. citizens. “We don’t want to injure anyone’s sensibilities, but rather to raise our awareness and awaken the sleeping giant of social justice and see what we’re going to do about not accepting the unacceptable,” ICIRR policy director Artemio Arreola told Efe. “While a great deal of attention has been on health care reform – and rightly so – the urgent need for immigration reform has not diminished,” the ICIRR said in a statement. “If anything, the acrimony, deception and scapegoating of immigrants in the health care debate has underscored the need for a comprehensive solution that resolves the immigration issue.” For that reason, ICIRR and the Chicago-based National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities publicly urged Gutierrez to take the leadership role in the effort. “The scapegoating of immigrants diverts our attention from the urgent need to fix our bankrupt health care system, and the anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric sows hatred, misinformation and fear about who we are as a community,” said Oscar Chacon, the executive director of NALACC. Over the summer, NALACC conducted community consultations in 10 cities around the country to hear directly from the people who are most affected by the current conditions surrounding immigrants, and about what a reform of immigration laws should include. The results highlighted large differences between what the immigrant community understands to be a fair reform of immigration law and what has emerged as “comprehensive” reform within the federal legislative environment. Specifically, the immigrant community favors proposals for immigration reform based on the vision of the immigrant as a benefit to U.S. society and not as a burden or a threat, the organization said. The groups are urging Gutierrez and other congressional leaders to draft a bill that has as its basic principles family reunification, recognition of the contributions made by the immigrant community and respect for their human dignity. Among the points suggested for the new law are permanent residence for all undocumented immigrants with a path toward citizenship that recognizes their contribution and does not punish them with quotas and exorbitant fines. In addition, suggestions have been made to facilitate family and citizens’ requests to promote family reunification and to overturn or abolish the agreements giving state and local law enforcement agencies the authority to enforce immigration laws. “To those among us who are at the receiving end of an incredibly unjust, obsolete and immoral law, reforming it means justice,” NALACC’s Chacon said in a statement. “For as long as the view of immigrants as ‘illegals’ and ‘criminal aliens’ pervades, we will continue with the current misguided policy framework that calls for more enforcement measures that at the end of the day, do not accomplish their aim, while exacting a tremendous human cost on migrant communities, as well as an overall waste of taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. EFE http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=343941&CategoryId=12395

What do you think is the proper solution to bullying? I have had multiple run ins with bullies from elementary school to the workplace. I've never learned how to effectively deal with them. This question isn't necessarily about me as I'm just asking what the nation can do as a whole to raise bullying awareness? How would you punish a bully? The current standard of thinking is that no one cares. My old boss was a bully and many people complained to human resources and yet nothing was changed. The old high school bullies were only giving repeated warnings, but no real punishment. Do we need to have a couple more high school shootings before the world opens up to the real problems faced with bullying. In my opinion there will always be bullying in school, college, or the workplace. I just wonder how many people need to get killed or injured before anything changes. What do you think? I've tried my mothers advice to ignore them, but they just keep doing it. I'm not being bullied at this moment; however, the emotional scars run deep.

help i have no idea wat this means some body explain in short text 10 points best answer in plain explantion? Overview Instant messaging (IM) and chat are technologies that facilitate near real-time text based communication between two or more participants over a network. It is important to understand that what separates chat and instant messaging from technologies such as e-mail is the perceived synchronicity of the communication by the user - Chat happens in real-time before your eyes. For this reason, some people consider communication via instant messaging to be less intrusive than communication via phone. However, some systems allow the sending of messages to people not currently logged on (offline messages), thus removing much of the difference between Instant Messaging and e-mail. Instant Messaging allows instantaneous communication between a number of parties simultaneously, by transmitting information quickly. Some IM systems allow users to use webcams and Microphone which made them more popular than others. Due to this feature users can have a real-time conversation. In addition IM has additional features such as: the immediate receipt of acknowledgment or reply, group chatting, conference services (including voice and video), conversation logging and file transfer. IM allows effective and efficient communication, featuring immediate receipt of acknowledgment or reply. In certain cases Instant Messaging involves additional features, which make it even more popular, i.e. to see the other party, e.g. by using web-cams, or to talk directly for free over the Internet. It is possible to save a conversation for later reference. Instant messages are typically logged in a local message history which closes the gap to the persistent nature of e-mails and facilitates quick exchange of information like URLs or document snippets (which can be unwieldy when communicated via telephone). [edit] History In early instant messaging programs each character appeared when it was typed. The UNIX "talk" command shown in these screenshots was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s.Instant messaging actually predates the Internet, first appearing on multi-user operating systems like CTSS and Multics[1] in the mid-1960s. Initially, many of these systems, such as CTSS'.SAVED, were used as notification systems for services like printing, but quickly were used to facilitate communication with other users logged in to the same machine. As networks developed, the protocols spread with the networks. Some of these used a peer-to-peer protocol (eg talk, ntalk and ytalk), while others required peers to connect to a server (see talker and IRC). During the Bulletin board system (BBS) phenomenon that peaked during the 1980s, some systems incorporated chat features which were similar to instant messaging; Freelancin'_Roundtable was one prime example. In the last half of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the Quantum Link online service for Commodore 64 computers offered user-to-user messages between currently connected customers which they called "On-Line Messages" (or OLM for short). Quantum Link's better known later incarnation, America Online, offers a similar product under the name "AOL Instant Messages" (AIM). While the Quantum Link service ran on a Commodore 64, using only the Commodore's PETSCII text-graphics, the screen was visually divided up into sections and OLMs would appear as a yellow bar saying "Message From:" and the name of the sender along with the message across the top of whatever the user was already doing, and presented a list of options for responding.[2] As such, it could be considered a sort of GUI, albeit much more primitive than the later Unix, Windows and Macintosh based GUI IM programs. OLMs were what Q-Link called "Plus Services" meaning they charged an extra per-minute fee on top of the monthly Q-Link access costs. Modern, Internet-wide, GUI-based messaging clients, as they are known today, began to take off in the mid 1990s with ICQ (1996) being the first, followed by AOL Instant Messenger (AOL Instant Messenger, 1997). AOL later acquired Mirabilis, the creators of ICQ. A few years later ICQ (by now owned by AOL) was awarded two patents for instant messaging by the U.S. patent office. Meanwhile, other companies developed their own applications (Excite, MSN, Ubique, and Yahoo), each with its own proprietary protocol and client; users therefore had to run multiple client applications if they wished to use more than one of these networks. In 1998 IBM released IBM Lotus Sametime, a product based on technology acquired when IBM bought Haifa-based Ubique and Lexington-based Databeam. In 2000, an open source application and open standards-based protocol called Jabber was launched. Jabber servers could act as gateways to other IM protocols, reducing the need to run multiple clients. Multi-protocol clients such as Digsby,Pidgin, Trillian, Adium and Miranda can use any of the popular IM protocols by using additional local libraries for each protocol. IBM Lotus Sametime's November 2007 release added IBM Lotus Sametime Gateway support for XMPP. Recently, many instant messaging services have begun to offer video conferencing features, Voice Over IP (VoIP) and web conferencing services. Web conferencing services integrate both video conferencing and instant messaging capabilities. Some newer instant messaging companies are offering desktop sharing, IP radio, and IPTV to the voice and video features. The term "instant messenger" is a service mark of Time Warner[3] and may not be used in software not affiliated with AOL in the United States. For this reason, the instant messaging client formerly known as Gaim or gaim announced in April 2007 that they would be renamed "Pidgin"[4]. [edit] Cooperation Standard free instant messaging applications offer functions like file transfer, contact lists, the ability to have similtaneous converstations etc. These may be all the functions that a small business needs but larger organisations will require more sophisticated applications that can work together. The solution to finding applications capable of this is to use enterprise versions of instant messaging applications. These include titles like Jabber, Lotus Sametime, Microsoft Office Communicator, etc., which are often integrated with other enterprise applications such as workflow systems. These enterprise applications, or Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), are built to certain constraints, namely storing data in a common format. There have been several attempts to create a unified standard for instant messaging: IETF's SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and SIMPLE (SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions), APEX (Application Exchange), Prim (Presence and Instant Messaging Protocol), the open XML-based XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), more commonly known as Jabber and OMA's (Open Mobile Alliance) IMPS (Instant Messaging and Presence Service) created specifically for mobile devices. Most attempts at creating a unified standard for the major IM providers (AOL, Yahoo! and Microsoft) have failed and each continues to use its own proprietary protocol. However, while discussions at IETF were stalled, Reuters head of collaboration services, David Gurle (the founder of Microsoft's Real Time Communication and Collaboration business), signed the first inter-service provider connectivity agreement on September 2003. This agreement enabled AIM, ICQ and MSN Messenger users to talk with Reuters Messaging counterparts and vice-versa against an access fee. Following this, Microsoft, Yahoo! and AOL came to a deal where Microsoft's Live Communication Server 2005 users would also have the possibility to talk to public instant messaging users. This deal established SIP/SIMPLE as a standard for protocol interoperability and established a connectivity fee for accessing public instant messaging clouds. Separately, on October 13, 2005 Microsoft and Yahoo! announced that by (the Northern Hemisphere) summer of 2006 they would interoperate using SIP/SIMPLE which is followed on December 2005 by the AOL and Google strategic partnership deal where Google Talk users would be able to talk with AIM and ICQ users provided they have an identity at AOL. There are two ways to combine the many disparate protocols: One way is to combine the many disparate protocols inside the IM client application. The other way is to combine the many disparate protocols inside the IM server application. This approach moves the task of communicating to the other services to the server. Clients need not know or care about other IM protocols. For example, LCS 2005 Public IM Connectivity. This approach is popular in Jabber/XMPP servers however the so-called transport projects suffer the same reverse engineering difficulties as any other project involved with closed protocols or formats. Some approaches, such as that adopted by the Sonork enterprise IM software or the Jabber/XMPP network or Winpopup LAN Messenger, allow organizations to create their own private instant messaging network by enabling them to limit access to the server (often with the IM network entirely behind their firewall) and administer user permissions. Other corporate messaging systems allow registered users to also connect from outside the corporation LAN, by using a secure firewall-friendly HTTPS based protocol. Typically, a dedicated corporate IM server has several advantages such as pre-populated contact lists, integrated authentication, and better security and privacy. Some networks have made changes to prevent them from being utilized by such multi-network IM clients. For example, Trillian had to release several revisions and patches to allow its users to access the MSN, AOL, and Yahoo! networks, after changes were made to these networks. The major IM providers typically cite the need for formal agreements as well as security concerns as reasons for making these changes. [edit] Mobile Instant Messaging Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) is a presence enabled messaging service that aims to transpose the desktop messaging experience to the usage scenario of being on the move. While several of the core ideas of the desktop experience on one hand apply to a connected mobile device, others do not: Users usually only look at their phone's screen — presence status changes might occur under different circumstances as happens at the desktop, and several functional limits exist based on the fact that the vast majority of mobile communication devices are chosen by their users to fit into the palm of their hand. Some of the form factor and mobility related differences need to be taken into account in order to create a really adequate, powerful and yet convenient mobile experience: radio bandwidth, memory size, availability of media formats, keypad based input, screen output, CPU performance and battery power are core issues that desktop device users and even nomadic users with connected network. [edit] Friend-to-friend networks Instant Messaging may be done in a Friend-to-friend network, in which each node connects to the friends on the friendslist. This allows for communication with friends of friends and for the building of chatrooms for instant messages with all friends on that network. Emotions are often expressed in shorthand. For example; lol. But a movement is currently underway to be more accurate with the emotional expression. Real time reactions such as (chortle) (snort) (guffaw) or (eye-roll) are rapidly taking the place of acronyms.[citation needed] [edit] Business application Instant messaging has proven to be similar to personal computers, e-mail, and the WWW, in that its adoption for use as a business communications medium was driven primarily by individual employees using consumer software at work, rather than by formal mandate or provisioning by corporate information technology departments. Tens of millions of the consumer IM accounts in use are being used for business purposes by employees of companies and other organizations. In response to the demand for business-grade IM and the need to ensure security and legal compliance, a new type of instant messaging, called "Enterprise Instant Messaging" ("EIM") was created when Lotus Software launched IBM Lotus Sametime in 1998. Microsoft followed suit shortly thereafter with Microsoft Exchange Instant Messaging, later created a new platform called Microsoft Office Live Communications Server, and released Office Communications Server 2007 in October 2007. Both IBM Lotus and Microsoft have introduced federation between their EIM systems and some of the public IM networks so that employees may use a single interface to both their internal EIM system and their contacts on AOL, MSN, and Yahoo!. Current leading EIM platforms include IBM Lotus Sametime, Microsoft Office Communications Server, and Jabber XCP. In addition, industry-focused EIM platforms such as IMtrader from Pivot Incorporated, Reuters Messaging, and Bloomberg Messaging provide enhanced IM capabilities to financial services companies. The adoption of IM across corporate networks outside of the control of IT organizations creates risks and liabilities for companies who do not effectively manage and support IM use. Companies implement specialized IM archiving and security products and services like those from Secure Computing, Akonix, SurfControl, and ScanSafe to mitigate these risks and provide safe, secure, productive instant messaging capabilities to their employees. [edit] Practical Use in Enterprise The popular embrace of IM technology for sharing information has quickly led to organizations adopting IM solutions for the perceived advantages that can be brought by it. As organizations are becoming more information based (McNurlin & Sprague, 2006, p.499) the need for effective knowledge sharing, team working and collaborative environments amongst employees has become vital, especially within more geographically dispersed teams. Typically IM conversations tend to have a certain "character", they are often short and only cover one topic. Media-switching and multitasking are common throughout, however IM might also be used between established coworkers and friends for longer, more intermittent conversation. In their report of IM use at the workplace Nardi et al. (2000) identifies the four primary functions of IM which are often cited in other reports, These primary functions are: Quick Questions and Clarifications Coordinating and scheduling tasks Coordinating impromptu social meetings Keeping in touch with friends and family IM is perhaps best suited to "Quick Questions and Clarifications" as this is the most often mentioned attribute in other reports. A user can "respond rapidly without the overhead of telephone or FTF interaction. For example, IDC reports, "Users see IM as a medium for quick, semi-permanent ‘flashes’ that beg a near-immediate response" (Isaacs et al., 2002). Nardi's second and third observations are enabled in part due to the "Presence Awareness" feature of IM clients in which the user knows who is "available". This is the most relevant for colleagues who share the same physical space as each other and even paves the way for other mediums to take up the task of communication e.g. F2F or Phone. The implication is that viable communication of any sort can in someway be encouraged through IM's "Presence Awareness" feature. (Issacs et al, 2002) supports this view, "IM in business might not be the main tool for of communication, it could just be the meeting point for another type of media e.g. conference calls. Nardi's third and fourth observations focus on the social use of IM, which have also been widely publicized in other report. That IM is used for keeping in touch with friends and arranging social events has led some employers to believe that it is used primarily for this purpose. According to (Issacs et al, 2002) a market study found that "'Fear of losing employee productivity’ was the greatest concern of businesses in regards to instant messaging". The study by (Issacs et al, 2002) goes on to suggest this fear is unfounded as it was found that on average "only 13% of conversations contained personal topics", and "only 6.4% were exclusively personal". [edit] Review of Products "IM solutions can typically be catagorised into two types: Enterprise Instant Messaging (EIM) and Consumer Instant Mesaging (CIM). Enterprise solutions use an internal IM server, however this isn't always feasible, particularly for smaller businesses with limited budgets. The second option, using a (CIM) provides the advantage of being inexpensive to implement and has little need for investing in new hardware or server software. However, in recent years open source IM clients such as Jabber have emerged that provide free EIM grade solutions. (Wikipedia,. 2008) For corporate use encryption and conversation archiving are usually regarded as important features due to security concerns. Sometimes the use of different operating systems in organizations calls for the use of software that supports more than one platform. For example many software companies use Windows XP in administration departments but have software developers who use Linux. Most people have had experience of using online chat and messaging over the internet whether it is with Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger, Skype or e-mail. One form of chat and messaging currently popular is Bebo. It is a non-corporate form of messaging which allows its user to create and maintain a social network. Libraries use chat applications and Morris Messenger is an application commonly used by them. This is a power based instant messenger, which uses Perl, SQL, and small Java. It accepts input from both staff and regular customers and saves important information in an SQL database built for the system. [edit] Risks and liabilities Although instant messaging delivers many benefits, it also carries with it certain risks and liabilities, particularly when used in workplaces. Among these risks and liabilities are: Security risks (e.g. IM used to infect computers with spyware, viruses, trojans, worms) Compliance risks Inappropriate use Intellectual property leakage Crackers (malicious "hacker" or black hat hacker) have consistently used IM networks as vectors for delivering phishing attempts, "poison URL's", and virus-laden file attachments from 2004 to the present, with over 1100 discrete attacks listed by the IM Security Center[5] in 2004-2007. Hackers use two methods of delivering malicious code through IM: delivery of virus, trojan, or spyware within an infected file, and the use of "socially engineered" text with a web address that entices the recipient to click on a URL that connects him or her to a website that then downloads malicious code. Viruses, worms, and trojans typically propagate by sending themselves rapidly through the infected user's buddy list. An effective attack using a poison URL may reach tens of thousands of people in minutes when each person's buddy list receives messages appearing to be from a trusted friend. The recipients click on the web address, and the entire cycle starts again. Infections may range from nuisance to criminal, and are becoming more sophisticated each year. In addition to the malicious code threat, the use of instant messaging at work also creates a risk of non-compliance to laws and regulations governing the use of electronic communications in businesses. In the United States alone there are over 10,000 laws and regulations related to electronic messaging and records retention.[6] The more well-known of these include the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, HIPAA, and SEC 17a-3. Clarification from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") was issued to member firms in the financial services industry in December, 2007, noting that "electronic communications", "email", and "electronic correspondence" may be used interchangeably and can include such forms of electronic messaging as instant messaging and text messaging.[7] Changes to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, effective December 1, 2006, created a new category for electronic records which may be requested during discovery (law) in legal proceedings. Most countries around the world also regulate the use of electronic messaging and electronic records retention in similar fashion to the United States. The most common regulations related to IM at work involve the need to produce archived business communications to satisfy government or judicial requests under law. Many instant messaging communications fall into the category of business communications that must be archived and retrievable. Organizations of all types must protect themselves from the liability of their employees' inappropriate use of IM. The informal, immediate, and ostensibly anonymous nature of instant messaging makes it a candidate for abuse in the workplace. The topic of inappropriate IM use became front page news in October 2006 when Congressman Mark Foley resigned his seat after admitting sending offensive instant messages of a sexual nature to underage former House pages from his Congressional office PC. The Mark Foley Scandal led to media coverage and mainstream newspaper articles warning of the risks of inappropriate IM use in workplaces. In most countries, corporations have a legal responsibility to ensure harassment-free work environment for employees. The use of corporate-owned computers, networks, and software to harass an individual or spread inappropriate jokes or language creates a liability for not only the offender but also the employer. A survey by IM archiving and security provider Akonix Systems, Inc. in March 2007 showed that 31% of respondents had been harassed over IM at work.[8] Companies now include instant messaging as an integral component of their policies on appropriate use of the World Wide Web, e-mail, and other corporate assets. Within the company there is also the risk of employees using instant messaging to release confidential information and project details to an outside source. This issue is best controlled by a combination of written policy and technology. An organization's policies on use of IM in the workplace should be an integral part of the overall computing and network use policies, and should be published and communicated at least annually. In addition to written policy, organizations should implement "gateways" or IM security products to monitor content of inbound and outbound messages. Products from IM security providers (See section on IM security) typically allow administrators to set alerts and enforce policy (i.e. allow or block messages) based on keywords and regular expressions within instant messages. Employees may also misuse IM to communicate on a personal level with friends and family. This is poor use of a business’s time and resources, as the employee’s effectiveness will most certainly decrease due to the added distractions. (Licari, J., May 2005). Businesses often use IM security products to monitor and archive IM conversations for the purpose of minimizing this type of productivity drain. [edit] Security and archiving In the early 2000s, a new class of IT security provider emerged to provide remedies for the risks and liabilities faced by corporations who chose to use IM for business communications. The IM security providers created new products to be installed in corporate networks for the purpose of archiving, content-scanning, and security-scanning IM traffic moving in and out of the corporation. Similar to the e-mail filtering vendors, the IM security providers focus on the risks and liabilities described above. With rapid adoption of IM in the workplace, demand for IM security products began to grow in the mid-2000s. By 2007, the preferred platform for the purchase of security software had become the "appliance", according to IDC, who estimate that by 2008, 80% of network security products will be delivered via an appliance.[9] [edit] User base Note that many of the numbers listed in this section are not directly comparable, and some are speculative. Some instant messaging systems are distributed among many different instances and thus difficult to measure in total (e.g. Jabber). While some numbers are given by the owners of a complete instant messaging system, others are provided by commercial vendors of a part of a distributed system. Some companies may be motivated to inflate their numbers in order to increase advertisement earnings or to attract partners, clients, or customers. Importantly, some numbers are reported as the number of "active" users (without a shared standard of that activity), others indicate total user accounts, while others indicate only the users logged in during an instance of peak usage. Service User count Date/source AIM 53 million active September 2006 >100 million total January 2006 Jabber 40-50 million total January 2007, based on calculations of Jabber Inc 90 million total Based on calculations of Process-One: Process-One uses ejabberd as Jabber server software. If it is assumed that ejabberd has a 40% market share amongst public and private open source server deployments, there are 50 million users using open source servers. With Jabber Inc's numbers, this adds up to the 90 million number stated here. eBuddy 35 million total October 2006, including 4 million mobile users Windows Live Messenger 294 million active worldwide November 2007 Yahoo! Messenger 22 million total September 2006 QQ 20 million peak online (majority in China) 3 June 2006 221 million "active" (majority in China) 3 June 2006 IBM Lotus Sametime 17 million total (private, in enterprises) November 2007 ICQ 15 million active July 2006 Skype 12 million peak online February 2008 309 million total April 2008 Xfire 10 million total May 2008 MXit 7 million total (>560,000 outside of South Africa) 10 August 2007. Note that these users are part of the Jabber user base as MXit federates with the Jabber network. Gadu-Gadu 5.6 million total June 2006 Paltalk 3.3 million unique visitors per month August 2006 IMVU 1 million total June 2007 Mail.ru Agent 1 million active (daily) September 2006 Meebo 1 million total October 2006 PSYC 1 million active (daily) (majority in Brazil) February 2007. Total count cannot be accurately estimated due to the decentralized nature of the protocol. VZOchat >200,000 October 2007 [edit] IM Language Users sometimes make use of internet slang or text speak to abbreviate common words or expressions in order to quicken conversations or to reduce keystrokes. [edit] See also Comparison of instant messaging clients Comparison of instant messaging protocols Instant messaging manager LAN messenger Text messaging it is a question

what is the major controversy? NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT THE PUMP; ARIZ. SHORTCHANGED BY THE HEAT; ACTIVISTS PURSUE FAIRER FILL-UPS Each time drivers fill their fuel tanks in Arizona's simmering summers, they likely see $1 or more evaporate. Because gasoline expands in the heat, that's the estimated dollar amount of energy they purchase but they never receive. Nobody serves hotter gas than stations in the Arizona desert, and after more than a year of discussion, debate over the issue is beginning to boil. The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gas stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation, while consumer advocates are pushing aggressively for changes. When gas heats up, it takes up more space but doesn't provide any more energy. That means there is less energy in a tank full of 105-degree gas than the same tank filled with 70-degree gas. However, stations charge by the volume of gas they sell, not how much energy it contains. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for gas stations to compensate for the temperature of gas they sell. "With the weather Phoenix is experiencing now, every time you fill the tank, you could be losing a dime a gallon. It's an extra penalty for living in the desert imposed on you by the oil companies and oil refineries." Major oil companies and independent station operators argue that retrofitting pumps and compensating fuel sales for temperature won't save consumers money and oppose moves to require such equipment or even allow it in the marketplace. At least 38 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against gas stations and oil companies. Earlier this month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation that would require new and upgraded pumps to use temperature-compensation equipment. But things have heated up even more in Arizona: - The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at stations to get a 12-month average but already has found summer temperatures of about 104 degrees. Based on that data, Valley motorists pay about $1 more for a 15-gallon fill-up than they would for the same amount of energy if the gas were 60 degrees, the industry standard. That figure rises when prices hit the $3 mark they saw earlier this summer. - Exxon Mobil Corp. stations owned by the company, not franchisees, in Arizona and California have begun putting warning stickers on pumps to let people know they don't compensate for temperature, ostensibly a response to the lawsuits. - A recent report for the U.S. House found Arizona has the highest hot-fuel premium nationwide, based on temperature data collected in 2003. Local lawsuit: Fuel experts have known for decades that gas expands when heated, and that trait can benefit or harm buyers and sellers when not calculated into transactions. The current debate flaredin 2002 when the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) representing truckers got involved. OOIDA began investigating the mileage variances in diesel fuel when truckers suspected fraud. The group found that temperature accounted for the different mileage truckers were experiencing, even though diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline when heated. Their research and subsequent news coverage prompted dozens of class-action lawsuits on behalf of independent truck drivers and motorists, all of which are being consolidated in Kansas. Among the 38 cases with more than 150 plaintiffs and defendants is James Anliker, owner of Jim's Trucking Inc. in Tolleson. He and another Arizona motorist, Christopher Payne, filed their suit in May on behalf of everyone who has bought fuel warmer than 60 degrees in the state from the nine defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Flying J and Chevron. "The defendants have resisted all efforts to change their deceptive marketing practices and retrofit service-station fuel pumps with temperature-correction devices because the petroleum industry profits from the sale of motor fuel to consumers and non-standard, non-temperature-adjusted gallons," their complaint says. It also criticizes the fact that stations don't report the temperature of fuel being sold so consumers can calculate the purchase themselves. The complaint also alleges the companies pay taxes on the amount of fuel they purchase at the industry standard of 60 degrees and could collect more taxes than they remit on the fuel when it is sold hotter and, therefore, "obtain a tax windfall at the expense of the consumers." Solution debated: Hot-fuel critics see a double standard, with Canadian gas stations compensating for temperature to prevent being left short when chilly weather reduces the volume of gas they sell. Not to mention the temperature calculations oil companies often use when making shipments and major sales in the U.S. For those large transactions, the industry standard is 60 degrees. That way, companies get an even trade when exchanging 5,000 temperature-compensated gallons of fuel in California, where it is 90 degrees, for 5,000 gallons of temperature-compensated of fuel in Minnesota, where it is 60 degrees. Too costly, industry says: But industry representatives say that's not needed at pumps. And spending $2,000 or more per pump to add temperature-compensating equipment will only hurt consumers, said Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, representing the 93 percent of the state's 2,000 stations who are independent. "Consumers likely will see a price increase," Martincic said. She represented her views in Chicago this week during a National Conference on Weights and Measures meeting on the possible pitfalls of introducing temperature compensation in the U.S. "The advocates for this are assuming the stations will sell fuel at the same price with the new equipment," she said. "It's a little misleading to say consumers are losing a dollar or whatever per sale. A gallon is a gallon." Temperature adjustment also could require more state inspectors, increasing fees on stations that could be passed on to consumers. And if temperature adjustment is simply allowed, not required, it could create unfair competition among stations, she said. "There is a risk in rural communities or at older stations, where potentially owners just say it's not worth it," she said. "If we don't know it will help consumers, then why would you move forward with it?" Industry opposition: Oil companies such as Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil also have argued that the cost of adding the equipment to gas pumps would only hurt the business owners who run most of their franchises. And temperature compensation won't mean they get more gas to fit in their tanks or that stations will lower prices, they said in testimony before a special committee of the U.S. House last month. "Shell believes that making automatic temperature adjustment permissive throughout the United States would not be a good idea," said Hugh Cooley, Shell's vice president and general manager for national wholesale and joint ventures. "First, if in any given area some stations adopted the technology and others did not, consumers would be confused over how to compare prices." Exxon Mobil provided similar comments but would only reply via an informal e-mail when asked by The Republic about the new stickers on Arizona pumps. And then the company wouldn't answer why just two states were singled out. "(The stickers are) simply a reminder that the dispenser sells motor fuel by volume," spokeswoman Prem Nair wrote. "This is how fuel has traditionally been sold at retail in the continental United States." Awareness limited: Most drivers haven't yet heard of the issue, even those who take fuel seriously. "I didn't know that," 18-year-old Tim Senzee said while filling his pickup this month at a Phoenix QuikTrip as the mercury hit 109 degrees. "And I drive for a job, and have to pay for my own gas." Senzee can write off his delivery-service mileage on his taxes but still watches spiking prices. "It definitely is a problem," he said. "It can be pretty annoying." Other consumers were a bit cynical about hot-fuel regulation. "I don't think they'll do it unless there is a law changed," Kay Averkamp said as she pumped $27.86 worth of gas into her Honda Prius at a Phoenix am/pm station. "I don't think they'll do it out of the goodness of their hearts." But truckers say they see the impact, even though major trucking companies such as Phoenix-based Swift Transportation have stayed out of the fray. "When you don't get a real gallon of fuel, that's when it hurts my wallet," independent driver Sam Battaglia of Louisville, Ky., said recently after putting $170 worth of diesel into his International 9900 near Nashville. "You notice when you fill up, then park overnight and the gauge reads less than full in the morning," said Battaglia, a member of the independent-truckers group pushing for temperature compensation. The state Department of Weights and Measures investigates about 1,000 complaints a month regarding gas pumps, but it hasn't taken a stance on hot fuel, spokesman Steve Meissner said. "The oil industry says it's too expensive," Meissner said. "So we could say, 'OK, how about a voluntary system where the pump is labeled (as compensating for temperature),' and if they have to charge an extra nickel a gallon or so, fine, they could let the market decide if it's worth it." --------------

how it relates to chemistry? NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT THE PUMP; ARIZ. SHORTCHANGED BY THE HEAT; ACTIVISTS PURSUE FAIRER FILL-UPS Each time drivers fill their fuel tanks in Arizona's simmering summers, they likely see $1 or more evaporate. Because gasoline expands in the heat, that's the estimated dollar amount of energy they purchase but they never receive. Nobody serves hotter gas than stations in the Arizona desert, and after more than a year of discussion, debate over the issue is beginning to boil. The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gas stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation, while consumer advocates are pushing aggressively for changes. When gas heats up, it takes up more space but doesn't provide any more energy. That means there is less energy in a tank full of 105-degree gas than the same tank filled with 70-degree gas. However, stations charge by the volume of gas they sell, not how much energy it contains. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for gas stations to compensate for the temperature of gas they sell. "With the weather Phoenix is experiencing now, every time you fill the tank, you could be losing a dime a gallon. It's an extra penalty for living in the desert imposed on you by the oil companies and oil refineries." Major oil companies and independent station operators argue that retrofitting pumps and compensating fuel sales for temperature won't save consumers money and oppose moves to require such equipment or even allow it in the marketplace. At least 38 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against gas stations and oil companies. Earlier this month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation that would require new and upgraded pumps to use temperature-compensation equipment. But things have heated up even more in Arizona: - The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at stations to get a 12-month average but already has found summer temperatures of about 104 degrees. Based on that data, Valley motorists pay about $1 more for a 15-gallon fill-up than they would for the same amount of energy if the gas were 60 degrees, the industry standard. That figure rises when prices hit the $3 mark they saw earlier this summer. - Exxon Mobil Corp. stations owned by the company, not franchisees, in Arizona and California have begun putting warning stickers on pumps to let people know they don't compensate for temperature, ostensibly a response to the lawsuits. - A recent report for the U.S. House found Arizona has the highest hot-fuel premium nationwide, based on temperature data collected in 2003. Local lawsuit: Fuel experts have known for decades that gas expands when heated, and that trait can benefit or harm buyers and sellers when not calculated into transactions. The current debate flaredin 2002 when the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) representing truckers got involved. OOIDA began investigating the mileage variances in diesel fuel when truckers suspected fraud. The group found that temperature accounted for the different mileage truckers were experiencing, even though diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline when heated. Their research and subsequent news coverage prompted dozens of class-action lawsuits on behalf of independent truck drivers and motorists, all of which are being consolidated in Kansas. Among the 38 cases with more than 150 plaintiffs and defendants is James Anliker, owner of Jim's Trucking Inc. in Tolleson. He and another Arizona motorist, Christopher Payne, filed their suit in May on behalf of everyone who has bought fuel warmer than 60 degrees in the state from the nine defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Flying J and Chevron. "The defendants have resisted all efforts to change their deceptive marketing practices and retrofit service-station fuel pumps with temperature-correction devices because the petroleum industry profits from the sale of motor fuel to consumers and non-standard, non-temperature-adjusted gallons," their complaint says. It also criticizes the fact that stations don't report the temperature of fuel being sold so consumers can calculate the purchase themselves. The complaint also alleges the companies pay taxes on the amount of fuel they purchase at the industry standard of 60 degrees and could collect more taxes than they remit on the fuel when it is sold hotter and, therefore, "obtain a tax windfall at the expense of the consumers." Solution debated: Hot-fuel critics see a double standard, with Canadian gas stations compensating for temperature to prevent being left short when chilly weather reduces the volume of gas they sell. Not to mention the temperature calculations oil companies often use when making shipments and major sales in the U.S. For those large transactions, the industry standard is 60 degrees. That way, companies get an even trade when exchanging 5,000 temperature-compensated gallons of fuel in California, where it is 90 degrees, for 5,000 gallons of temperature-compensated of fuel in Minnesota, where it is 60 degrees. Too costly, industry says: But industry representatives say that's not needed at pumps. And spending $2,000 or more per pump to add temperature-compensating equipment will only hurt consumers, said Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, representing the 93 percent of the state's 2,000 stations who are independent. "Consumers likely will see a price increase," Martincic said. She represented her views in Chicago this week during a National Conference on Weights and Measures meeting on the possible pitfalls of introducing temperature compensation in the U.S. "The advocates for this are assuming the stations will sell fuel at the same price with the new equipment," she said. "It's a little misleading to say consumers are losing a dollar or whatever per sale. A gallon is a gallon." Temperature adjustment also could require more state inspectors, increasing fees on stations that could be passed on to consumers. And if temperature adjustment is simply allowed, not required, it could create unfair competition among stations, she said. "There is a risk in rural communities or at older stations, where potentially owners just say it's not worth it," she said. "If we don't know it will help consumers, then why would you move forward with it?" Industry opposition: Oil companies such as Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil also have argued that the cost of adding the equipment to gas pumps would only hurt the business owners who run most of their franchises. And temperature compensation won't mean they get more gas to fit in their tanks or that stations will lower prices, they said in testimony before a special committee of the U.S. House last month. "Shell believes that making automatic temperature adjustment permissive throughout the United States would not be a good idea," said Hugh Cooley, Shell's vice president and general manager for national wholesale and joint ventures. "First, if in any given area some stations adopted the technology and others did not, consumers would be confused over how to compare prices." Exxon Mobil provided similar comments but would only reply via an informal e-mail when asked by The Republic about the new stickers on Arizona pumps. And then the company wouldn't answer why just two states were singled out. "(The stickers are) simply a reminder that the dispenser sells motor fuel by volume," spokeswoman Prem Nair wrote. "This is how fuel has traditionally been sold at retail in the continental United States." Awareness limited: Most drivers haven't yet heard of the issue, even those who take fuel seriously. "I didn't know that," 18-year-old Tim Senzee said while filling his pickup this month at a Phoenix QuikTrip as the mercury hit 109 degrees. "And I drive for a job, and have to pay for my own gas." Senzee can write off his delivery-service mileage on his taxes but still watches spiking prices. "It definitely is a problem," he said. "It can be pretty annoying." Other consumers were a bit cynical about hot-fuel regulation. "I don't think they'll do it unless there is a law changed," Kay Averkamp said as she pumped $27.86 worth of gas into her Honda Prius at a Phoenix am/pm station. "I don't think they'll do it out of the goodness of their hearts." But truckers say they see the impact, even though major trucking companies such as Phoenix-based Swift Transportation have stayed out of the fray. "When you don't get a real gallon of fuel, that's when it hurts my wallet," independent driver Sam Battaglia of Louisville, Ky., said recently after putting $170 worth of diesel into his International 9900 near Nashville. "You notice when you fill up, then park overnight and the gauge reads less than full in the morning," said Battaglia, a member of the independent-truckers group pushing for temperature compensation. The state Department of Weights and Measures investigates about 1,000 complaints a month regarding gas pumps, but it hasn't taken a stance on hot fuel, spokesman Steve Meissner said. "The oil industry says it's too expensive," Meissner said. "So we could say, 'OK, how about a voluntary system where the pump is labeled (as compensating for temperature),' and if they have to charge an extra nickel a gallon or so, fine, they could let the market decide if it's worth it." --------------

what is the major constroversy? NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT THE PUMP; ARIZ. SHORTCHANGED BY THE HEAT; ACTIVISTS PURSUE FAIRER FILL-UPS Each time drivers fill their fuel tanks in Arizona's simmering summers, they likely see $1 or more evaporate. Because gasoline expands in the heat, that's the estimated dollar amount of energy they purchase but they never receive. Nobody serves hotter gas than stations in the Arizona desert, and after more than a year of discussion, debate over the issue is beginning to boil. The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gas stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation, while consumer advocates are pushing aggressively for changes. When gas heats up, it takes up more space but doesn't provide any more energy. That means there is less energy in a tank full of 105-degree gas than the same tank filled with 70-degree gas. However, stations charge by the volume of gas they sell, not how much energy it contains. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for gas stations to compensate for the temperature of gas they sell. "With the weather Phoenix is experiencing now, every time you fill the tank, you could be losing a dime a gallon. It's an extra penalty for living in the desert imposed on you by the oil companies and oil refineries." Major oil companies and independent station operators argue that retrofitting pumps and compensating fuel sales for temperature won't save consumers money and oppose moves to require such equipment or even allow it in the marketplace. At least 38 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against gas stations and oil companies. Earlier this month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation that would require new and upgraded pumps to use temperature-compensation equipment. But things have heated up even more in Arizona: - The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at stations to get a 12-month average but already has found summer temperatures of about 104 degrees. Based on that data, Valley motorists pay about $1 more for a 15-gallon fill-up than they would for the same amount of energy if the gas were 60 degrees, the industry standard. That figure rises when prices hit the $3 mark they saw earlier this summer. - Exxon Mobil Corp. stations owned by the company, not franchisees, in Arizona and California have begun putting warning stickers on pumps to let people know they don't compensate for temperature, ostensibly a response to the lawsuits. - A recent report for the U.S. House found Arizona has the highest hot-fuel premium nationwide, based on temperature data collected in 2003. Local lawsuit: Fuel experts have known for decades that gas expands when heated, and that trait can benefit or harm buyers and sellers when not calculated into transactions. The current debate flaredin 2002 when the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) representing truckers got involved. OOIDA began investigating the mileage variances in diesel fuel when truckers suspected fraud. The group found that temperature accounted for the different mileage truckers were experiencing, even though diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline when heated. Their research and subsequent news coverage prompted dozens of class-action lawsuits on behalf of independent truck drivers and motorists, all of which are being consolidated in Kansas. Among the 38 cases with more than 150 plaintiffs and defendants is James Anliker, owner of Jim's Trucking Inc. in Tolleson. He and another Arizona motorist, Christopher Payne, filed their suit in May on behalf of everyone who has bought fuel warmer than 60 degrees in the state from the nine defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Flying J and Chevron. "The defendants have resisted all efforts to change their deceptive marketing practices and retrofit service-station fuel pumps with temperature-correction devices because the petroleum industry profits from the sale of motor fuel to consumers and non-standard, non-temperature-adjusted gallons," their complaint says. It also criticizes the fact that stations don't report the temperature of fuel being sold so consumers can calculate the purchase themselves. The complaint also alleges the companies pay taxes on the amount of fuel they purchase at the industry standard of 60 degrees and could collect more taxes than they remit on the fuel when it is sold hotter and, therefore, "obtain a tax windfall at the expense of the consumers." Solution debated: Hot-fuel critics see a double standard, with Canadian gas stations compensating for temperature to prevent being left short when chilly weather reduces the volume of gas they sell. Not to mention the temperature calculations oil companies often use when making shipments and major sales in the U.S. For those large transactions, the industry standard is 60 degrees. That way, companies get an even trade when exchanging 5,000 temperature-compensated gallons of fuel in California, where it is 90 degrees, for 5,000 gallons of temperature-compensated of fuel in Minnesota, where it is 60 degrees. Too costly, industry says: But industry representatives say that's not needed at pumps. And spending $2,000 or more per pump to add temperature-compensating equipment will only hurt consumers, said Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, representing the 93 percent of the state's 2,000 stations who are independent. "Consumers likely will see a price increase," Martincic said. She represented her views in Chicago this week during a National Conference on Weights and Measures meeting on the possible pitfalls of introducing temperature compensation in the U.S. "The advocates for this are assuming the stations will sell fuel at the same price with the new equipment," she said. "It's a little misleading to say consumers are losing a dollar or whatever per sale. A gallon is a gallon." Temperature adjustment also could require more state inspectors, increasing fees on stations that could be passed on to consumers. And if temperature adjustment is simply allowed, not required, it could create unfair competition among stations, she said. "There is a risk in rural communities or at older stations, where potentially owners just say it's not worth it," she said. "If we don't know it will help consumers, then why would you move forward with it?" Industry opposition: Oil companies such as Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil also have argued that the cost of adding the equipment to gas pumps would only hurt the business owners who run most of their franchises. And temperature compensation won't mean they get more gas to fit in their tanks or that stations will lower prices, they said in testimony before a special committee of the U.S. House last month. "Shell believes that making automatic temperature adjustment permissive throughout the United States would not be a good idea," said Hugh Cooley, Shell's vice president and general manager for national wholesale and joint ventures. "First, if in any given area some stations adopted the technology and others did not, consumers would be confused over how to compare prices." Exxon Mobil provided similar comments but would only reply via an informal e-mail when asked by The Republic about the new stickers on Arizona pumps. And then the company wouldn't answer why just two states were singled out. "(The stickers are) simply a reminder that the dispenser sells motor fuel by volume," spokeswoman Prem Nair wrote. "This is how fuel has traditionally been sold at retail in the continental United States." Awareness limited: Most drivers haven't yet heard of the issue, even those who take fuel seriously. "I didn't know that," 18-year-old Tim Senzee said while filling his pickup this month at a Phoenix QuikTrip as the mercury hit 109 degrees. "And I drive for a job, and have to pay for my own gas." Senzee can write off his delivery-service mileage on his taxes but still watches spiking prices. "It definitely is a problem," he said. "It can be pretty annoying." Other consumers were a bit cynical about hot-fuel regulation. "I don't think they'll do it unless there is a law changed," Kay Averkamp said as she pumped $27.86 worth of gas into her Honda Prius at a Phoenix am/pm station. "I don't think they'll do it out of the goodness of their hearts." But truckers say they see the impact, even though major trucking companies such as Phoenix-based Swift Transportation have stayed out of the fray. "When you don't get a real gallon of fuel, that's when it hurts my wallet," independent driver Sam Battaglia of Louisville, Ky., said recently after putting $170 worth of diesel into his International 9900 near Nashville. "You notice when you fill up, then park overnight and the gauge reads less than full in the morning," said Battaglia, a member of the independent-truckers group pushing for temperature compensation. The state Department of Weights and Measures investigates about 1,000 complaints a month regarding gas pumps, but it hasn't taken a stance on hot fuel, spokesman Steve Meissner said. "The oil industry says it's too expensive," Meissner said. "So we could say, 'OK, how about a voluntary system where the pump is labeled (as compensating for temperature),' and if they have to charge an extra nickel a gallon or so, fine, they could let the market decide if it's worth it."

how it relatives to chemistry? NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR AT THE PUMP; ARIZ. SHORTCHANGED BY THE HEAT; ACTIVISTS PURSUE FAIRER FILL-UPS Each time drivers fill their fuel tanks in Arizona's simmering summers, they likely see $1 or more evaporate. Because gasoline expands in the heat, that's the estimated dollar amount of energy they purchase but they never receive. Nobody serves hotter gas than stations in the Arizona desert, and after more than a year of discussion, debate over the issue is beginning to boil. The state Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at gas stations and considering voluntary temperature compensation, while consumer advocates are pushing aggressively for changes. When gas heats up, it takes up more space but doesn't provide any more energy. That means there is less energy in a tank full of 105-degree gas than the same tank filled with 70-degree gas. However, stations charge by the volume of gas they sell, not how much energy it contains. "Arizona is the epicenter of hot-fuel rip-offs," said Judy Dugan, a founder of OilWatchdog.org, which is calling for gas stations to compensate for the temperature of gas they sell. "With the weather Phoenix is experiencing now, every time you fill the tank, you could be losing a dime a gallon. It's an extra penalty for living in the desert imposed on you by the oil companies and oil refineries." Major oil companies and independent station operators argue that retrofitting pumps and compensating fuel sales for temperature won't save consumers money and oppose moves to require such equipment or even allow it in the marketplace. At least 38 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against gas stations and oil companies. Earlier this month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation that would require new and upgraded pumps to use temperature-compensation equipment. But things have heated up even more in Arizona: - The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures is taking fuel temperatures at stations to get a 12-month average but already has found summer temperatures of about 104 degrees. Based on that data, Valley motorists pay about $1 more for a 15-gallon fill-up than they would for the same amount of energy if the gas were 60 degrees, the industry standard. That figure rises when prices hit the $3 mark they saw earlier this summer. - Exxon Mobil Corp. stations owned by the company, not franchisees, in Arizona and California have begun putting warning stickers on pumps to let people know they don't compensate for temperature, ostensibly a response to the lawsuits. - A recent report for the U.S. House found Arizona has the highest hot-fuel premium nationwide, based on temperature data collected in 2003. Local lawsuit: Fuel experts have known for decades that gas expands when heated, and that trait can benefit or harm buyers and sellers when not calculated into transactions. The current debate flaredin 2002 when the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) representing truckers got involved. OOIDA began investigating the mileage variances in diesel fuel when truckers suspected fraud. The group found that temperature accounted for the different mileage truckers were experiencing, even though diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline when heated. Their research and subsequent news coverage prompted dozens of class-action lawsuits on behalf of independent truck drivers and motorists, all of which are being consolidated in Kansas. Among the 38 cases with more than 150 plaintiffs and defendants is James Anliker, owner of Jim's Trucking Inc. in Tolleson. He and another Arizona motorist, Christopher Payne, filed their suit in May on behalf of everyone who has bought fuel warmer than 60 degrees in the state from the nine defendants, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Flying J and Chevron. "The defendants have resisted all efforts to change their deceptive marketing practices and retrofit service-station fuel pumps with temperature-correction devices because the petroleum industry profits from the sale of motor fuel to consumers and non-standard, non-temperature-adjusted gallons," their complaint says. It also criticizes the fact that stations don't report the temperature of fuel being sold so consumers can calculate the purchase themselves. The complaint also alleges the companies pay taxes on the amount of fuel they purchase at the industry standard of 60 degrees and could collect more taxes than they remit on the fuel when it is sold hotter and, therefore, "obtain a tax windfall at the expense of the consumers." Solution debated: Hot-fuel critics see a double standard, with Canadian gas stations compensating for temperature to prevent being left short when chilly weather reduces the volume of gas they sell. Not to mention the temperature calculations oil companies often use when making shipments and major sales in the U.S. For those large transactions, the industry standard is 60 degrees. That way, companies get an even trade when exchanging 5,000 temperature-compensated gallons of fuel in California, where it is 90 degrees, for 5,000 gallons of temperature-compensated of fuel in Minnesota, where it is 60 degrees. Too costly, industry says: But industry representatives say that's not needed at pumps. And spending $2,000 or more per pump to add temperature-compensating equipment will only hurt consumers, said Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, representing the 93 percent of the state's 2,000 stations who are independent. "Consumers likely will see a price increase," Martincic said. She represented her views in Chicago this week during a National Conference on Weights and Measures meeting on the possible pitfalls of introducing temperature compensation in the U.S. "The advocates for this are assuming the stations will sell fuel at the same price with the new equipment," she said. "It's a little misleading to say consumers are losing a dollar or whatever per sale. A gallon is a gallon." Temperature adjustment also could require more state inspectors, increasing fees on stations that could be passed on to consumers. And if temperature adjustment is simply allowed, not required, it could create unfair competition among stations, she said. "There is a risk in rural communities or at older stations, where potentially owners just say it's not worth it," she said. "If we don't know it will help consumers, then why would you move forward with it?" Industry opposition: Oil companies such as Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil also have argued that the cost of adding the equipment to gas pumps would only hurt the business owners who run most of their franchises. And temperature compensation won't mean they get more gas to fit in their tanks or that stations will lower prices, they said in testimony before a special committee of the U.S. House last month. "Shell believes that making automatic temperature adjustment permissive throughout the United States would not be a good idea," said Hugh Cooley, Shell's vice president and general manager for national wholesale and joint ventures. "First, if in any given area some stations adopted the technology and others did not, consumers would be confused over how to compare prices." Exxon Mobil provided similar comments but would only reply via an informal e-mail when asked by The Republic about the new stickers on Arizona pumps. And then the company wouldn't answer why just two states were singled out. "(The stickers are) simply a reminder that the dispenser sells motor fuel by volume," spokeswoman Prem Nair wrote. "This is how fuel has traditionally been sold at retail in the continental United States." Awareness limited: Most drivers haven't yet heard of the issue, even those who take fuel seriously. "I didn't know that," 18-year-old Tim Senzee said while filling his pickup this month at a Phoenix QuikTrip as the mercury hit 109 degrees. "And I drive for a job, and have to pay for my own gas." Senzee can write off his delivery-service mileage on his taxes but still watches spiking prices. "It definitely is a problem," he said. "It can be pretty annoying." Other consumers were a bit cynical about hot-fuel regulation. "I don't think they'll do it unless there is a law changed," Kay Averkamp said as she pumped $27.86 worth of gas into her Honda Prius at a Phoenix am/pm station. "I don't think they'll do it out of the goodness of their hearts." But truckers say they see the impact, even though major trucking companies such as Phoenix-based Swift Transportation have stayed out of the fray. "When you don't get a real gallon of fuel, that's when it hurts my wallet," independent driver Sam Battaglia of Louisville, Ky., said recently after putting $170 worth of diesel into his International 9900 near Nashville. "You notice when you fill up, then park overnight and the gauge reads less than full in the morning," said Battaglia, a member of the independent-truckers group pushing for temperature compensation. The state Department of Weights and Measures investigates about 1,000 complaints a month regarding gas pumps, but it hasn't taken a stance on hot fuel, spokesman Steve Meissner said. "The oil industry says it's too expensive," Meissner said. "So we could say, 'OK, how about a voluntary system where the pump is labeled (as compensating for temperature),' and if they have to charge an extra nickel a gallon or so, fine, they could let the market decide if it's worth it."

Winners & Losers of the Economy? Here're my opinions on the current economy... The economy isn't a zero-sum game. As long as resources (tangible & intangible) continue to be utilized, recycled & re-utilized again, value will continue to be created & net economic wealth will always increase. Yet, it's still a win-lose game where there's rich, there's poor. In the end, the theory of demand & supply still determine all, including wealth distribution, production & buying power. Even though the wealth pie continue to increase consistently through value creation, the way it's distributed continue to create winners & losers. And true enough, where there're winners there're losers. And all these lie in wealth distribution. Unequal wealth distribution can't create all-winners situation. There won't be equilibrium in demand & supply. Imagine world production is at $1 trillion & yet world buying power is only at $0.5 trillion, how will there be prosperity with $0.5 trillion difference? This difference is possible when companies around the world continue to restructure & people continue to be laid off. The idea behind this is to cut costs & increase productivity. The best solution is to replace human labor with new technologies. The result is increasing productivity with decreasing market buying power. Ironically, while many continue to get laid off, high-level executives continue to get fat bonuses & other financial rewards. Rich-poor gap gets severe. When there's not enough buying power to cover production, overproductivity occurs. Consumer debt is created as a short-term solution which later result in bankruptcies. Inflation doesn't provide a fair & level playing field here. Governments around the world urge us to spend to save the ailing economy & yet major companies around the world are the biggest savers by cutting costs through layoffs, sub-standard employments & reduced benefits. Increasing productivity doesn't necessarily come with increasing value as the motive is to increase profits & most "values" created aren't what everyone wants or else no advertising or promotion will be needed since people will automatically go out & spend on every product/service produced. And I'm well aware of advertising used to instill awareness & another used to instill perceived values & needs to generate spending. When these happen (creating false values & generate the needs to accept these values), a lot of resources would have gone to waste. The market can never be efficient no matter whoever genius say otherwise as long as self-interest continue to be at stake. Or else no company advertising & promotion to instill consumer spending will work because everyone will know what's good for them without being impulsive buyers, as a reason. New job creation from the tech & knowledge-based industry is a bullsh*t excuse if the cost incurred from these jobs are less than the cost of retaining traditional jobs. These new jobs don't retain/increase net market buying power or else there won't be cost-saving from restructuring. And if market buying power decrease, overproduction occurs, consumer debt be promoted as short-term cure & the economy get into recession. Healthy competition isn't relevant here because in creative destruction only capital & resources change hands while everything else remain the same. Creative destruction producing competitive companies being effective, efficient, generous, benevolent & look after the market remain just a theory only kids will fall for as truth. In fact, there's no such thing as creative destruction in the current state of the world's economy. That means while a lot of values & more "values" continue to be created, a lot of resoures continue to be utilized as well as wasted. That leaves some doubt on whether the economic system is really not a zero-sum game. There's no such thing as win-win solution or else no one will be motivated to work, innovate & contribute. Imagine everyone has $1 million. While there won't be poor guys, neither will there be rich guys because there won't be differences to compare to. And being equal isn't an interesting thing for everyone. So if we want to be rich & well off, others must be made poor & lose. There's no other way even if the economy isn't a zero-sum game. Now, is the economy a great system or what?

Do you think the earth would be better off with 90 percent of human population dead? AUSTIN A University of Texas professor says the Earth would be better off with 90 percent of the human population dead. Every one of you who gets to survive has to bury nine, Eric Pianka cautioned students and guests at St. Edwards University on Friday. Pianka's words are part of what he calls his doomsday talk a 45-minute presentation outlining humanity's ecological misdeeds and Pianka's predictions about how nature, or perhaps humans themselves, will exterminate all but a fraction of civilization. Though his statements are admittedly bold, he's not without abundant advocates. But what may set this revered biologist apart from other doomsday soothsayers is this: Humanity's collapse is a notion he embraces. Indeed, his words deal, very literally, on a life-and-death scale, yet he smiles and jokes candidly throughout the lecture. Disseminating a message many would call morbid, Pianka's warnings are centered upon awareness rather than fear. This is really an exciting time, he said Friday amid warnings of apocalypse, destruction and disease. Only minutes earlier he declared, Death. This is what awaits us all. Death. Reflecting on the so-called Ancient Chinese Curse, May you live in interesting times, he wore, surprisingly, a smile. So what's at the heart of Pianka's claim? 6.5 billion humans is too many. In his estimation, We've grown fat, apathetic and miserable, all the while leaving the planet parched. The solution? A 90 percent reduction. That's 5.8 billion lives lives he says are turning the planet into fat, human biomass. He points to an 85 percent swell in the population during the last 25 years and insists civilization is on the brink of its downfall likely at the hand of widespread disease. [Disease] will control the scourge of humanity, Pianka said. Were looking forward to a huge collapse. But don't tell local citizen scientist Forrest Mims to quietly swallow Pianka's call to awareness. Mims says its an abhorrent death wish and contends he has no choice but to take a stand. Mims attended the educators doomsday presentation at the Texas Academy of Sciences annual meeting March 2-4. There, the organization honored Pianka as its 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist another issue Mims vocally opposes. This guy is a loose cannon to believe that worldwide genocide is the only answer, said Mims, who filed two formal petitions with the academy following the meeting. Joining the crusade, James Pitts, who received a Ph.D. in physics from UT-Austin, became the second to publicly chastise Pianka when he filed a complaint Saturday with the UT board of regents. He insists a state university is no place to disseminate such views. He writes: Pianka's message does not fall within the realm of his professional competence as a biologist, because it is a normative claim, not a descriptive one. Pianka is encouraged to use his ecological expertise to predict the likely consequences of certain technological and reproductive strategies, but to evaluate some as good, bad, or worthy of prevention by genocide is the realm of philosophy or political science, not science. His message falls no more within his professional competence than it would for a physicist to teach religion in class or a musician to encourage racism. But Pianka, a 38-year UT educator, maintains hes not campaigning for genocide. He likens mankind's story to an unbridled party on a luxury cruise liner. The funs going strong on the upper deck, he says. But as crowds blindly absorb the festivities, many fail to notice the ship is sinking. The biggest enemy we face is anthropocentrism, he said, describing the belief system in which humans are the central element of the universe. This is that common attitude that everything on this Earth was put here for [human] use. To Pianka, a human life is no more valuable than any other a lizard, a bison, a rhino. And as humans reproduce, the demand for resources like food, water and energy becomes more than the Earth can sustain, he says. Ken Wilkins, a Baylor University biology professor and associate dean, agrees the inevitability of a crashing point is unarguable. The human population is growing, he said. We will see a point when we reach the carrying capacity there aren't enough resources. But resources arent the only threat, Pianka says. Its the Ebola virus he deems most capable of wide scale decimation. Humans are so dense (in population) that they constitute a perfect substrate for an epidemic, he says. He contends Ebola is merely an evolutionary step away from escaping the confines of Africa. And should an outbreak occur, Pianka assuredly says humanity will quickly come to a grinding halt. The professors not the only one who can articulate this concept. Because Pianka includes his doomsday material in his coursework, Ebola and its potential play a notable role in some students studies. A syllabus for one course reads: Although [Ebola Zaire] Kills 9 out of 10 people, outbreaks have so far been unable to become epidemics because they are currently spread only by direct physical contact with infected blood. However, a closely-related virus that kills monkeys, Ebola Reston, is airborne, and it is only a matter of time until Ebola Zaire evolves the capacity to be airborne. It is here that some say Pianka ventures from provocative food for thought to, as Wilkins said, very extreme material that violate many peoples views including his own about the treatment of human life. While many praise Pianka's boldness and scientific know-how, others say he crosses an ethical line in his treatment of Ebola's viability as a killer. In an evaluation of Piankas course performed anonymously in keeping with university policy one student offered: Though I agree that conservation biology is of utmost importance to the world, I do not think that preaching that 90 percent of the human population should die of Ebola is the most effective means of encouraging conservation awareness. Mims says hes seen countless doomsday predictions come and go. But Pianka's is different, Mims said. Pianka, he insists, exhibits genuine cause for alarm. Mims worries fertile young minds with a thirst for knowledge may develop into enthusiastic supporters of a deadly disease, advocating the fall of humanity. He recommended airborne Ebola as an ideal killing virus, Mims said. He showed slides of the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse and human skulls. He joked about requiring universal sterilization. It reminded me of a futuristic science fiction movie with a crazed scientist planning the death of humanity. But as confident as Mims is in his assessment, he faces one unarguable fact: Most of Pianka's former students are bursting with praise. Their in-class evaluations celebrate his ideas with words like the most incredible class I ever had and Pianka is a GOD! Mims counters their ovation with the story of a Texas Lutheran University student who attended the Academy of Science lecture. Brenna McConnell, a biology senior, said she and others in the audience had not thought seriously about overpopulation issues and a feasible solution prior to the meeting. But though McConnell arrived at the event with little to say on the issue, she returned to Seguin with a whole new outlook. An entry to her online blog captures her initial response to what's become a new conviction: [Pianka is] a radical thinker, that one! she wrote. I mean, he's basically advocating for the death for all but 10 percent of the current population. And at the risk of sounding just as radical, I think hes right. Today, she maintains the Earth is in dire straits. And though she's decided Ebola isnt the answer, she's still considering other deadly viruses that might take its place in the equation. Maybe I just see the virus as inevitable because its the easiest answer to this problem of overpopulation, she said. Though listeners like McConnell may walk away with a deadly message, Pianka maintains this is inconsistent with his lecture. One UT official said Pianka is likely well within his rights as a tenured educator. The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure a set of guidelines recognized nationwide guarantees college professors vast classroom liberties. But Neal Armstrong, vice provost for faculty affairs at UT, said even this freedom is not without limits. Faculty members have the right of free speech like anyone else, he said. In the classroom, they're free to express their views. There is the expectation, though, that in public especially when speaking on controversial topics they must make every effort to be clear that they are not speaking on behalf of the university. Students should be able to discern on their own the validity of views like Pianka's, Armstrong said. But if allegations of Pianka actively advocating human death were to be confirmed, he said there might be some discussion about the appropriateness of that subject. I would hope that's not what's intended, he said. I don't think that's appropriate for the classroom, but that's my personal statement. Robert K. Jansen, chair of the section of integrated biology under which Pianka is classified, said his understanding of the doomsday material left no cause for concern. Its important for students to get all opinions, and they have to do that on a daily basis, he said. To hold a classrooms attention, Jansen says educators must often speak their mind in a fashion bold enough to garner a bit of shock. The Texas Academy of Science uses a similar approach in defending its decision to honor Pianka with the Distinguished Scientist award. Though TAS offered no direct comment to the Gazette-Enterprise, an email sent from TAS President David Marsh to Mims in response to Mims first letter of protest reads: We select the DTS speaker based on his/her academic credentials and contributions to science. We do not mandate the subject he/she decides to address, nor will we ever. I would suggest that one of the purposes of any such presentation is to stimulate discussion which indeed it did. In his petitions, Mims inquires about the groups stance on Pianka's talk, asking if the recent honor should be interpreted as an endorsement by TAS. Marsh responded firmly, saying the award does not represent any formal backing of Pianka's ideas. But despite the academy's flat denial of any wrongdoing, Mims maintains his stance. He said thus far, he's seen no response to the second petition. I completely agree with one assertion made several times by Dr. Pianka: The public is not ready to hear that he hopes 90 percent of them will be exterminated by disease, Mims said. McConnell said the TAS audience, unlike Mims, was in awe of Pianka's words. They offered a standing ovation, and enthusiastically applauded Pianka's position, Mims said. There was a good deal of shock and just plain astonishment at what he had to say, the student said. Not many folk come out and talk about the end of the human population in as candid of a manner as he did. Dr. Pianka received a standing ovation at the end of his talk, if that says anything. What he had to say was radical, no question about it, but that is not to say that at least some of what he had to say is not true. Though Pianka turned down requests for a sit-down interview, he maintains he is not advocating human death. Does he believe nature will bring about this promised devastation? Or is humanitys own dissemination of a deadly virus the only answer? And more importantly, is this the motive behind his talks? Responding to these very questions, Pianka said, Good terrorists would be taking [Ebola Roaston and Ebola Zaire] so that they had microbes they could let loose on the Earth that would kill 90 percent of people. As of press time, Pitts who sent his appeal via email Saturday had received no response from the university, but he says, Its too early for any responses to have been made. Meanwhile, Pianka urges humanity to heed his call to be prepared, saying were going to be hunters and gatherers again real soon. This is gonna happen in your lifetime, he told his St. Edwards audience. Do you wanna go there? Weve already gone there. We waited too long.

Wow isn't this scary???? How open borders turn Americans into roadkill Illegals drive up highway deaths as U.S. hits new highs for unlicensed, uninsured motorists -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: August 25, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com Vitalina Bautista Vargas bids farewell to husband in court (courtesy Chattanooga Times Free Press) WASHINGTON – Marcos Ramos Medina was driving his 1997 Chevrolet Lumina erratically, according to witnesses, swerving several times across the center line, causing a tractor-trailer rig to jackknife in Yakima, Wash., Aug. 4, 2005. That was before his car plowed into the 2000 Lexus driven by Peggy Keller, 53, dean of distance education at Yakima Valley College, who was killed in the head-on crash. Prosecutors in his vehicular homicide trial contended Medina was coming down from a methamphetamine high. When Russell T. "Todd" Sharpe, a six-year Washington State Patrol officer, testified that Medina fought against his restraints while being taken to the hospital for a blood alcohol test and refused to answer questions, the case against the Mexican national with a criminal record who had twice been deported was declared a mistrial because his constitutional right to remain silent had been violated. "It pains me greatly, but in this case I must exercise an abundance of caution," explained Judge James P. Hutton. Little caution, critics say, is being exercised when it comes to preventing mayhem on America's highways as the country witnesses record high numbers of unlicensed, unregistered, uninsured drivers – millions of whom are illegal aliens like Medina. While no one – in or out of government – tracks traffic accidents caused by illegal aliens, the statistical and anecdotal evidence suggests many of last year's 42,636 road deaths involved illegal aliens. A report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study found 20 percent of fatal accidents involve at least one driver who lacks a valid license. In California, another study showed that those who have never held a valid license are about five times more likely to be involved in a fatal road accident than licensed drivers. Statistically, that makes them an even greater danger on the road than drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked – and nearly as dangerous as drunk drivers. While police do not routinely ask drivers about their immigration status, New York's Rockland County District Attorney Michael Bongiorno – who has prosecuted more than 20 felony cases this year involving people accused of both unlicensed driving and drunken driving – estimated that two-thirds of about 70 drivers charged in Spring Valley with misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated and unlicensed driving were illegal immigrants. "Unfortunately, the undocumented drivers here do that (drive unlicensed) more than the natives,'' said California Highway Patrol Officer Wendy Hahn. "If they've been involved in an incident, they flee because they don't want to deal with immigration.'' Federal immigration officials typically do not get involved when an undocumented person is charged with drunken driving or driving without a license, said Bongiorno and police officials around the country. While the Census Bureau estimates there are 9 million illegal aliens living in the U.S., other sources put the figure closer to 20 million. Running parallel to those estimates are the best guesses on the number of unlicensed motorists – 17 million. In addition, the states with the most illegal aliens also have the most unlicensed drivers. Those states are also in the lead for the most hit-and-run accidents, according to reports issued by the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the Pew Hispanic Center. California ranks at the top with 24.1 percent of the known 11.1 million illegal aliens. The proportion of unlicensed drivers varies widely state-by-state, with 6 percent in Maine and 23 percent in New Mexico. Many of those advocating allowing illegal aliens to get driver's licenses make the case by suggesting most unlicensed drivers are so because they cannot get a license. In California, for instance, the Legislature is considering several proposals that would help illegal immigrants drive. One of them is a bill that would prevent police from seizing vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers. Senate Bill 626 by Sen. Nell Soto, D-Ontario, would apply to all drivers who have never obtained a California license. Opponents point out those favoring the bill are the same people promoting licenses for illegals. 'Under current state law, police can seize vehicles for up to 30 days if the driver is unlicensed. Under the new bill, if the driver never had a license, the vehicle could be seized for only 24 hours; those who had licenses suspended or revoked would still have the vehicles impounded for up to 30 days. Who are the people who have never had a license? Disproportionately, critics of the bill say, they are illegal immigrants. In the Maryland Legislature, Delegate Luiz R.S. Simmons, D-Montgomery, is drafting legislation that would stiffen penalties for unlicensed drivers. His bill requires them to appear before a judge and would make them subject to up to 90 days in jail for a first offense and as much as a year for a second offense. In addition, cars belonging to unlicensed drivers could be impounded for up to a month or forfeited if they were involved in an accident that caused an injury. Though there is absolutely no government data on the identity of Maryland's unlicensed drivers – or those in any other state – Simmons's bill has been attacked by immigrant rights' activists, who say it targets Latinos. Whether they are mostly illegal aliens or not, one thing is certain – there are more unlicensed drivers on the road than ever before. So prevalent is the trend that many police departments have cut back on sobriety checkpoints in favor of checkpoints to check the documentation of drivers. A WND statistical study of police reports of dozens of such checkpoints around the country show that close to 10 percent of drivers stopped are either unlicensed or have suspended licenses. Even at sobriety checkpoints, far more drivers are found to be unlicensed than intoxicated. While some say the answer to the illegal alien-unlicensed driver crisis is permitting illegals to get licensed, others say the solution is decreasing the number of illegal immigrants living in the United States. Rules determining who is eligible for a driver's license vary by state. Eleven states do not require legal immigration status to obtain a license. The rest do require proof of legal status, either by state law or the documents required to apply. The eleven states are: Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. Tennessee and Utah have introduced a separate "certificate for driving" for state residents who cannot prove they are lawfully present in the United States. But Tennessee stopped issuing the certificates in February after reports that undocumented immigrants were coming from out of state and using false documents to apply. The Real ID act, scheduled to take effect in 2008, will prohibit all states from issuing licenses to illegal aliens or the licenses will not be accepted as identification for federal purposes. In addition to being unlicensed, most illegal alien drivers are uninsured – making the accidents they cause even more injurious. Statewide, more than one-third of California drivers are without insurance, according to the California Department of Insurance. In some low-income and minority neighborhoods, the rate is over 50 percent. In San Jose, for instance, 55 percent of all drivers on the road have no auto insurance. In some parts of Los Angeles, Imperial, San Diego and Alameda counties, the rate reaches as high as 90 percent. The situation isn't much better in other states with high populations of illegals. In Texas, 27 percent of drivers are uninsured. In Florida, the estimates are between 15 and 25 percent. In Colorado, 32 percent. Even though citizens and legal residents are victimized by the high percentage of uninsured drivers, illegal aliens themselves are often immune to the pain. Take the case of Victor Manuel Caballero. Even though he entered the country illegally from Mexico five years ago, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that he could collect damages for being hurt in an auto accident from a special state fund set up to benefit those hurt in accidents with uninsured drivers. Caballero would hitch a ride to his computer job with a co-worker, 19-year-old Ricardo Martinez. One morning, Martinez fell asleep at the wheel, veered off the road and struck a parked tractor trailer. Martinez walked away from the accident, but Caballero was badly hurt. Surgeons repaired injuries to his abdomen and intestines over a week in the hospital at a cost of $38,300 in medical bills and $1,482 in lost wages. He had no medical insurance. The driver, Martinez was not only unregistered, he had no auto insurance. It turns out he was illegal, too. The $38,300 in hospital bills was paid by a special hospital charity fund. And because of his successful lawsuit that went all the way to the state Supreme Court, Caballero was eligible for up to $15,000 for "pain and suffering." There are no official statistics about highway carnage and illegal aliens. But there is an increasing awareness among law enforcement officials – and victims of traffic accidents – that illegal aliens are playing a disproportionate role in the road mayhem. Earlier this month, a court in Chattanooga, Tenn., heard the case of an illegal alien convicted of running her car into a house and killing a 91-year-old woman. A judge ordered Vitalina Bautista Vargas deported. Amazingly, the family of the victim remained compassionate and merciful. "They wanted one of the conditions to be that she learn how to drive," prosecutor Jay Wood said. Prosecutor Wood said federal officials insisted that she be deported. He said as a convicted felon, she will not be allowed to apply to re-enter the country for at least 10 years. Louella Winton, the victim, was asleep in her bed when the car crashed into her house. The vehicle knocked the victim through the bedroom wall and threw her against the wall of the house next door.