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SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office will host an AARP Smart Driver Safety Program for older adults.
According to AARP, it’s important for senior drivers to know and understand how to adjust for slower reflexes, weaker vision and other changes. As a group, senior drivers are at a higher risk of having a serious collision per mile driven than any other age group except for those under age 25.
The class will take place on Friday, Feb. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Northwest Regional Re-Entry Facility located at 1123 Forum Drive in Shreveport.
This 4-hour refresher course is for drivers 50 and over and may qualify participants for an automobile insurance premium discount.
The cost of the class is $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-members. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required.
To register for the class, contact Deputy McGraw at (318) 681-0869.
“These bonds will fund critical facility needs for both Iredell-Statesville and Mooresville Graded School Districts as well as for Mitchell Community College,” Earnhardt said in the ad.
The bonds would provide nearly $80 million for five Iredell-Statesville projects, $40 million for improvements to Mooresville High School, its gym and auditorium, and $12 million for a two-story Allied Health building at Mitchell Community College’s main Statesville campus.
The bonds would require a tax increase of 4.25 cents per $100 assessed valuation, from 48.50 cents at present. The owner of a home valued at $200,000 would see an $85 annual increase, from $970 to $1,055.
Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard was so confident the Atlanta Falcons had Super Bowl LI in the bag that she bet a random fan on Twitter that she would go on a date with him if the New England Patriots somehow pulled off the win.
Of course, we all know how that Super Bowl ended.
Which resulted in Bouchard’s realization that she was on the losing end of that bet.
But 22-year-old Montreal native Bouchard stayed true to her word. And on Wednesday, met Mizzou student John Goehrke from Chicago to see the Brooklyn Nets take on the Milwaukee Bucks in New York.
And also to maybe stay away from wagering at big entertainment events.
Fans like John, on the other hand, may be emboldened to raise their ante with stars in the Twitterverse with the hopes that it, too, will land them on a date with a SI Swimsuit model.
Copenhagen’s waste-to-energy power plant lets you ski on its roof, while it converts 400,000 tons of trash into electricity and heating. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, Copenhill hosts one of the world's largest artificial ski slopes. It will soon be welcoming guests to hit its slopes with or without snow, 365 days a year.
We've talked plenty about how much we like the new 3DS strategy role-playing game Fire Emblem: Awakening here at Kotaku. Among other things, we like the romance, the permanent death and the even more permanent marriage. And all this despite the fact that no one in the game has feet.
But while I've talked a little about how much I like Hiroki Morishita and Rei Kendoh's music, today I wanted to focus on something a bit more specific: what I can only call the game's "aural milieu." It's a combination of the music, the sound effects, the shouted dialogue, and the menu noises… it's really something else, and it's a big part of what makes the game so memorable for me.
It's a seamless bit of musical sleight-of-hand, and keeps battles moving forward with a wonderful sense of musical momentum. On top of that, the sound effects themselves are top-notch, video-gamey skriings and cachunks that mix perfectly with the dramatic attack animations. And the voice-acting kills me—every time Frederick prepares for a critical strike by telling the enemy, "Pick a god and pray!" I do a fist-pump.
It's difficult to convey the way the whole thing works when you're playing, particularly since capturing video from a 3DS is such a dicy proposition. I thought I'd just share some audio I recorded from the game, since the game's soundtrack alone doesn't really convey the way it changes on the fly in the game.
Here's some music from a recent battle, with the sound effects turned off. The first switch from wide-view to closeup happens at 0:40.
Now, listen to another battle I recorded with all of the audio, and just take in the sound effects, taunts and music, and listen to how it all fits together.
You can also hear the occasional "hooray!" music that plays when you pick up a new item.
We get so used to seeing and hearing video games at the same time that it can be a bit discombobulating (and cool) to listen to a game without viewing it. The rhythm of a battle in Fire Emblem: Awakening isn't quite like any other tactical role-playing game I've played. It manages to take a genre of game that isn't always inherently seat-of-your-pants exciting and add drama, tension, and a hugely pleasing sense of flow. Fire Emblem: Awakening is a great game for a number of reasons, but its sonic identity is one of the most distinctive.
WHITTIER — The Burroughs High football team ran into a buzz saw when it faced a relentless offense and suffocating defense in its first round CIF Southern Section Southeast Division playoff game Friday evening.
Both strengths proved to be too much for the Indians, who were overwhelmed and outmatched in a 55-7 loss to No. 3 seed La Serna at California High.
The defeat ends the season for a Burroughs squad that improved from last season's 4-6 overall record to finish 6-5. The Indians also had 5-2 record the Pacific League for third place — just two years removed from capturing a share of the league title.
"We finished above .500, played some good football and did some things well," Burroughs Coach Keith Knoop said. "We started the season a little slow, but once league started we were off and running. The last two games haven't been well played, though."
Knoop is referring to the team's 47-21 loss to Burbank that gave the Bulldogs the second seed in the Pacific League, and also pitting Burroughs in a road game against a La Serna team that won five straight games to close out the season, outscoring opponents, 233-36.
The solid play of La Serna on both sides of the ball was on full display at the expense of the Indians in the first-round playoff contest. La Serna (9-2) scored a touchdown on all but two of its drives, and both drives being halted because time ran out in each half.
The Lancers accumulated 377 yards of total offense, led by quarterback Frankie Palmer who completed seven passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. The senior also ran for two touchdowns and paced the team with 94 yards on the ground.
On the flipside, Burroughs managed 129 yards of the total offense, and struggled to maintain possession to the tune of five turnovers.
"Against a team like this, we couldn't afford to not play at our best," Knoop said. "You can't fumble on the first snap. They are so well coached and their players are so disciplined."
After the Lancers scored on the game's opening drive in just over a minute, a miscommunication on a hand-off resulted in a Burroughs fumble that gave the ball back to the Lancers on the Indians' 7-yard line.
Two plays later, La Serna held a 14-0 lead with only 1:26 elapsed in the game.
Burroughs didn't get into La Serna territory until midway through the second quarter. A holding penalty on the Lancers gave the Indians the ball on the 34. The next play saw backup quarterback Angel Manzanero's pass get picked off.
The interception led to an 18-yard touchdown from Palmer to give the Lancers a 41-0 cushion.
A running clock in the second half allowed for five combined possessions, but two more turnovers resulted in 14 points for the Lancers.
Manzanero's six-yard touchdown pass to Max Chamberlain capped off a nine-play, 52-yard drive and put the Indians on the scoreboard with less than five minutes remaining in the contest. Manzanero also rushed for 41 yards, including nine on a fourth down play on the scoring drive.
Manzanero is one of 36 seniors on Burroughs. Junior Michael Ospina led the Indians with 61 yards in 10 carries.
"I'm disappointed we couldn't play with some of our best kids," said Knoop, who was without defensive end Hawkins Mann, among others. "I hope the seniors can erase the previous two games from their minds."
Where can you get the iPhone other than AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint? Plenty of places, as long as you're not on T-Mobile.
A host of regional wireless carriers announced Wednesday that they will carry the iPhone in a move that may surprise some industry watchers. This includes Waynesboro, Va.-based nTelos, Green Bay, Wisc.-based Cellcom, and Anchorage, Alaska's Alaska Communications. The regionals will offer the iPhone 4 and 4S at a $50 discount to the major carriers, and join southern US regional carrier C Spire, who has offered the iPhone since October of last year.
As a tech writer, there are two things that I avoid like the plague: iPhone cases and iPhone cases. I say this as two separate instances because there are so freaking many of the things that avoiding them is a full-time job. Marketers indiscriminately shower me with information about various cases even though I have never displayed an interest in them, nor do I even own an iPhone.
I'm appalled by the sudden feeding frenzy about the Siri lawsuit, which was filed last week but only big-time hit the mainstream news yesterday. Now the damn thing is everywhere, and I've been asked to jump on the meat wagon and write something, too. Siri is the iPhone 4S "personal assistant".
It's all so pointless, going after Apple for beta software, about which advertising states "sequences shortened" for Siri's responses. New Yorker Frank M. Fazio is suing Apple because he bought a 32GB iPhone 4S from a Best Buy in Brooklyn on Nov. 19, 2011. Gasp, "plaintiff was exposed to Apple's representations regarding the Siri feature" -- that is according to the legal filing. Siri's alleged crimes: Failing to understand Fazio and giving him the "wrong answer". Apple's alleged misdeed: Misleading and false advertising.
In October 2009, I explained why "iPhone cannot win the smartphone wars". Many of the reasons then still hold true today. But I wrote that analysis before Apple released iPad. So, 10 months later I followed up with "Apple can still win the mobile platform wars, but it won't be easy". Now, 18 months later, as Mobile World Congress starts in Barcelona, Spain, I claim: Apple is winning the mobile platform wars, but achieving ultimate supremacy won't be easy.
In August 2010, I observed: "Pundits already are predicting iPhone's death brattle before the great Android god. I wouldn't write off Apple just yet. The mobile wars are bigger than smartphones, as Apple already has shown". Little has changed since. Android apologists still predict victory over iOS, while ignoring fundamental platform gains that put Apple in front.
Who wins if Android and iPhone lose the smartphone wars?
Finally, an analyst firm comes clean about the cell phone market's volatility. Gartner and IDC continue to make outrageous predictions -- like Windows Phone as No. 2 smartphone operating system in 2015 -- despite many earlier forecasts being drop-dead wrong. But comScore says pretty much anything can happen and likely will.
That's a stunning assessment, considering Androids' and iPhone's 2011 success, as highlighted in comScore's "2012 Mobile Future in Focus" report. iPhone 4 -- right, not 4S -- was the top-acquired phone in the United States and five combined Euro countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom) last year. Android led among smartphone operating systems.
"Smartphone volumes during the quarter rose due to record sales of Apple iPhones". That's a helluva statement -- from Gartner's press release on Q4 2011 handset sales today. Emphasis on sales, which is what the analyst firm measures, not shipments into the channel like its competitors. One hundred-forty nine million smartphones sold globally during the quarter, up 47.3 percent year over year, 35.46 million from Apple.
Last month, Apple claimed 37.04 million iPhone sales, which, of course, really means shipments. Apple's stunning fourth quarter raised its ranking. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company passed LG to take third place in overall handset sales for all 2011 -- not just smartphones -- 5 percent to 4.9 percent share, respectively. In smartphones, Apple claimed top spot for the quarter and all 2011, with 23.8 percent and 19 percent market share, respectively. Apple sold 89.7 million handsets last year.
Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it -- as the old adage goes. Sprint wanted iPhone and got it, and paid dearly during the first quarter of sales.
This morning, before the opening bell, the nation's third-largest carrier announced holiday quarter results and another big operating loss. There, iPhone heavily contributed. The carrier reported a $1.3 billion loss, or 43 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $8.7 billion. Profit margins plummeted to 9.5 percent from 16 percent a year earlier, and iPhone largely accounted for the decline. Sprint loses would actually have been more, but the carrier gained fewer new subscribers than Wall Street expected.
In fourth quarter, that would be iPhone 4S, 4 and 3GS, in order from one to three, according to NPD. But before the Apple Fanclub does high-fives, Android share among first-time buyers outpaced iPhone, as measured by smartphone operating system, contradicting some other analyst data.
"iPhone 4S outsold the iPhone 4 by 75 percent, and outsold the iPhone 3GS, available for free on AT&T, five to one", Ross Rubin, NPD executive director, says. Well, so much for my theory older, discounted iPhones was a brilliant Apple strategy. Which again raises questions about the power of brand, considering iPhone isn't LTE, while AT&T and Verizon offer real 4G smartphones -- all Androids.
iPhone's remarkable fourth-quarter surge -- 37 million units -- lifted the handset ahead of the two previous smartphone leaders, according to Canalys. For full year 2011, Apple shipped 93.1 million smartphones, compared to Samsung's 91.9 million and Nokia's 77.3 million. Nokia, the company that invented the smartphone, has bled share since iPhone launched nearly 5 years ago, but artery versus vein since announcing the switch to Windows Phone from Symbian in February 2011.
Apple's climb to the top followed October's iPhone 4S launch and availability of older 3GS and 4 models for free and $99, respectively. Samsung shipped 35.3 million smartphones in Q4, behind Apple, while Nokia shipped 19.6 million -- a stunning 31 percent decline. By comparison, iPhone shipments surged 128.1 percent for the quarter and 96 percent for the year.
Just weeks ago the Apple Fanclub of bloggers and journalists giddily posted about how iPhone had reversed Androids' gains. But new data from comScore shows that, in the United States at least, Android is doing just fine, despite iPhone's remarkable fourth-quarter sales surge (more than 37 million units).
As measured by smartphone OS among cellular subscribers 13 and older, Android share grew to 47.3 percent at the end of December from 44.8 percent three months earlier. During the same time period, iPhone/iOS rose 2.2 points to 29.6 percent share. More broadly, for all handsets, Apple was the only manufacturer to gain share during fourth quarter -- up 2.2 points to 12.4 percent, or twice free-falling Research in Motion. Samsung firmly held its lead, 25.3 percent, which is the same as end of September.
This morning, before the opening bell, AT&T announced calendar fourth-quarter earnings and record iPhone sales -- 7.6 million. Combined with Verizon's number that works out to 32 percent of iPhones sold during the quarter. Sprint will announce earnings results on February 2, conceivably pushing the number close to 40 percent. Apple CEO Tim Cook has called China Apple's second-most important market. Want to guess which is first?
For AT&T, iPhone was huge during fourth quarter. The carrier sold 9.4 million smartphones, and 80.5 percent of them were iPhones. The number was smaller, but still substantial, for Verizon: 54.4 percent. While Android sales paled by comparison, AT&T doubled them year over year -- not surprising with Samsung's aggressive marketing campaign for Galaxy S II and mid-quarter's introduction of LTE models HTC Vivid and Galaxy S II Skyrocket.
Today, after the closing bell, Apple answered the question analysts have asked for weeks: How many iPhones sold during the holiday quarter? The answer: A colossal number -- 37.04 million.
Apple also shipped 5.2 million Macs and 15.43 million iPads during fiscal 2012 first quarter. Analyst consensus was around 5 million and 14 million, respectively, and 32.5 million iPhones. During today's earnings conference call, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer revealed 315 million cumulative iOS device sales. Apple's App Store has 550,000 applications -- 150,000 for iPad. Developers will have earned $4 billion cumulatively by the end of the month, he said.
Since buying Galaxy Nexus last month, I haven't paid as much attention to Samsung's stunningly clever "The Next Big Thing is Already Here" advertising campaign that slaps around the iPhone hipster set. There's a new TV commercial that begins with a group of iPhone want-to-haves camped out, literally, by an Apple Store.
"Ah that looks like last year's phone" is the killer line, says a guy rising from his sleeping bag to look at an unboxing video of, presumably, iPhone 4S. Samsung snark already has soured perceptions of iPhone and boosted those of Samsung brands, according to YouGov BrandIndex. The attack ads, which never specifically mention iPhone, marks one of the most iconic marketing campaigns since Apple's "Get a Mac".
Brewing tensions between Canada and China following the arrest of a Huawei Technologies Co. executive have some exporters worried they could be caught in the crosshairs if the Asian nation decides to retaliate.
China is one of Canada’s biggest buyers of agricultural products from oilseeds to softwood lumber and is a growing market for the nation’s banks, insurers and luxury-good makers. Escalating tensions have stoked concern that some companies could see their markets upended after the Chinese threatened “severe consequences” following the arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities.
While Meng has been released on bail, China’s spy agency detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig during a visit to Beijing on Monday. Neither Canada nor China has formally linked the cases.
“Everyone in the farm community is worried there might be some retaliation and the retaliation might involve canola,” Neil Townsend, a senior analyst at FarmLink Marketing Solutions in Winnipeg, Manitoba, said by phone.
Canada exported $21.8 billion dollars in merchandise to China last year, over half of which was agricultural products or natural resources. China is the biggest buyer of Canadian canola, an oilseed used in everything from salad dressing to french fries, and could be vulnerable to trade action, Townsend said.
Canadian canola shipments to China surged 6.8 per cent between August and October, government data show. Canada has also been able to grab a bigger slice of China’s wheat and soybean market as the Asian nation feuds with the U.S. Soybean shipments have nearly doubled to 1 million tons between August and October while wheat exports rose 97 per cent to 397,200 tons, Canadian Grain Commission data show.
“This is a situation we are watching closely as the political environment is unpredictable and could have significant negative consequences,” Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada, an industry group whose members include grain handlers Richardson International Ltd., Cargill Inc., and Glencore Plc’s Viterra unit, said in an email.
The move to grant Meng bail and stay in her Vancouver home as she awaits a possible extradition will hopefully “lead to a little lower heat” between the two nations, said Ron Davidson, executive director of Ottawa-based industry group Soy Canada. The drama has so far not had an impact on the soybean trade and Canadian exports to China are expected to reach a record of more than 2 million tons this year as China seeks out alternative sources to the U.S., he said.
China is the second-biggest buyer of softwood lumber products and companies have increasingly looked to the Asian market as a destination for shipments amid Canada’s ongoing softwood lumber dispute with the U.S.
Earlier this week, British Columbia’s forestry ministry suspended the China leg of its Asian forestry trade mission due to the “international judicial process” at Huawei, according to a government statement. But three executives from Vancouver-based Canfor Corp., including Chief Executive Officer Don Kayne, have decided to continue with the China portion of the trade mission, according to spokeswoman Michelle Ward.
The Huawei fallout also impacted shares of luxury parka maker Canada Goose Holdings Inc., which has been vying for a share of the Chinese market and this year opened a regional headquarters in Shanghai. The Toronto-based company, which has a store in Hong Kong, one to come in Beijing, and also sells online on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Tmall, has tumbled more than 12 per cent so far this month.
Vancouver-based yoga brand Lululemon Athletica Inc. had 17 locations in China as of Oct. 28, while e-commerce sales there grew 76 per cent in the third quarter. New Chief Executive Officer Calvin McDonald, who visited stores in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing on a recent trip, told analysts last week that he saw “enthusiasm” for the brand first-hand.
Neither company immediately responded to emails seeking comments.
Some of Canada’s biggest banks and insurers have operations in China, with some ties going back 200 years, including Bank of Montreal, which has a 28 per cent stake in a Chinese money manager. Bank of Nova Scotia also has operations in the Asian nation. Manulife Financial Corp., Canada’s largest insurer, has operated in mainland China since 1897, while Sun Life Financial Inc. has a 25 per cent stake in Sun Life Everbright, a partnership with the China Everbright Group.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely, but haven’t implemented any formal travel restrictions or other changes,” Sun Life spokesman Simon Townsend said.
Students may obtain academic advising information from our staff as well as from peer advisers. All e-mail inquiries must be submitted to cmnadvising@ucdavis.edu.
If you're considering pursuit of an advanced degree, begin preparing for graduate school as soon as possible.
At the last hearing in the case on September 17, the top court had said it might order a probe by a special investigating team (SIT) if it found that the evidence had been "cooked up".
Supreme Court will continue with the hearing on Thursday on the plea filed by historian Romila Thapar and four others.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended the house arrest of five rights activists who were arrested from several cities in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case by a day. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud will continue with the hearing on Thursday on the plea filed by historian Romila Thapar and four others.
At the last hearing in the case on September 17, the top court had said it might order a probe by a special investigating team (SIT) if it found that the evidence had been “cooked up”. It had also said that the material, supporting the arrest of the five activists in the case, needed to be examined.
The City of Ennis is suspending all water use restrictions in light of recent area rainfall, according to City Manager Chuck Ewings.
According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s website, Ennis has limited water use in some form since Aug. 27. 2013. As of Tuesday morning, Lake Bardwell’s elevation rests at 420.58 feet, less than half a foot from normal elevation.
Posted by publisher on Jun 18 2014. Filed under City news, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
May 30, 2017 Books, Music, Podcasting, Statesman Shots episodes, Technology, Television.
Prepare your champagne corks: we turn 100 this week, y’all!
To celebrate, we talk to one of our very favorite people on the planet, Statesman’s music writer / resident hip hop expert Deborah Sengupta-Stith, about SXSW 2016 rumors, band announcements, and “brand experiences,” as well as Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo.” It’s an ultralight beam of a show.
In our second discussion segment, we talk about “The Life of Pablo” as an artistic statement, its merits and flaws, and (#realtalk) how we are to receive art from a trickster/perhaps genuinely unhinged individual like Kanye West.
In A Toast, we raise our glasses to the luscious sounds of Mama K and the Shades, “Horace and Pete‘s,” the new, dramatic, show from Louis C.K., and “Hail Ceasar,” the love letter to old Hollywood movie-making from the Coen brothers.
48:19: Coloring Contest Update: Winner revealed!
Deborah and Peter Blackstock’s blog, Austin Music Source, to keep track of SXSW Music updates.
The “Mr. Robot” ferris wheel.
Deborah on SXSW branded events. (Snicker.) No word yet on the Red Lobster Beyhive Homebase.

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