Less than a week after Amazon announced that its Prime Instant Video service was arriving for Apple?s iPhone and iPod touch, the Internet giant has revealed it has inked exclusive licensing deals with Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution for two TNT?s series.
The series in question are Falling Skies (Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood) via Turner, and The Closer (Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Tenney) courtesy of Warner.
Amazon Instant Video is a digital video streaming and download service that lets users rent, buy or subscribe to a range of video content. Launched in April last year, Prime Instant Video is its video subscription service which makes tens of thousands of movies and TV shows available to stream. It?s free to those who subscribe to its 2-day shipping service Amazon Prime, charged at an annual rate.
Over the past 12 months, Amazon has announced a slew of content agreements with every major Hollywood studio, as well as some of the major cable networks. And back in September it brought EPIX on board, which will see thousands of new titles added to its arsenal ? including?The Avengers, Iron Man 2, The Hunger Games, Transformers, Dark of the Moon, Thor and Rango.
What?s interesting about this latest deal with Turner and Warner, however,? is the exclusive aspect of it. It seems more operators in the space are moving towards trying to secure exclusive access to content, as they try to set themselves apart from the competition. Indeed, only recently Netflix scored a US subscription exclusive to Disney?s first-run films in a multi-year deal, and we can expect to see the word ?exclusive? appear in many more content deals moving forward.
?Amazon has proven to be a terrific distribution platform for our popular television titles and we are confident that The Closer will also meet with that same success,? says Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. ?There will be 109 episodes of this riveting drama available for fans to enjoy for the very first time or to rewatch their favorite episodes from TNT.?
Prime Instant Video now features more than 30,000 movies and TV episodes for Amazon Prime members to stream on Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii U.
Student-athletes could lose eligibility, scholarships with tweet missteps, Baylor research showsPublic release date: 17-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Terry Goodrich terry_goodrich@baylor.edu 254-710-3321 Baylor University
With a single social-media misstep, student-athletes could lose athletic eligibility or a scholarship. But that's not stopping them from using Twitter sometimes even during games, when they may see harsh criticism of their performances from fans, according to a study by Baylor University and Clemson University researchers.
While many college athletic teams prohibit student-athletes from using social media during games, some breach the rules to get a "real-time" commentary on how they are doing during the game, said Blair Browning, Ph.D., an assistant professor of communication in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences and lead author of the study.
The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Communication, was based on interviews with 20 student-athletes in an NCAA Division I university.
Student-athletes said that they used Twitter to keep in contact with family and friends, communicate with their followers and access information about the games and their athletic performances.
The study, co-authored by Jimmy Sanderson, Ph.D., an assistant professor of communication studies at Clemson University, is called "The Positives and Negatives of Twitter: Exploring How Student-Athletes Use Twitter and Respond to Critical Tweets."
Twitter is ingrained into student-athletes' daily routine, with one athlete saying that "I mean, the kickers and snappers and me are kind of in the corner of the locker room . . . so I'll get on Twitter and I'm like, 'Great first half' . . . "
Other athletes said they wait until after games to use Twitter. In any case, comments often are critical or even abusive about the student-athlete both performance-wise and personally.
"It is tweet-worthy when fans show support because the alternative is obviously the norm," the researchers wrote.
While athletes know that criticism comes with the turf, Twitter critics are especially brutal because "brazen confidence stems from the protection users have behind the phone or computer screen," researchers noted. Even when the critics messages are blocked by an athlete, some followers "somehow find another name and get on and do it again," one athlete said.
Student-athletes' responses can be risky to their university athletic career if they respond in kind to abuse. Some choose to shrug off or delete insults -- or even using them constructively as challenges to improve.
Others are finding an effective way to cope is through "sub-tweeting" referring to a detractor as "OOMF" ("one of my followers") and responding to a remark indirectly rather than using the critic's Twitter ID to spar online.
Some players see Twitter as a chance to brand themselves. But at the university level, they're also operating under the brand of the institution themselves, so "there are tensions," Browning said.
Student-athletes also are subject to stricter monitoring and penalties than professional athletes for a social-media blunder. While professionals may be fined or censured, they maintain their ability to play. But student-athletes stand to lose athletic eligibility or scholarships.
"Student-athletes are in a precarious position because they are amateurs, are managing educational pursuits while holding essentially a full-time job with their athletics demands," the researchers wrote.
While a coach may welcome the idea that "20,000 eyeballs" are following an athlete, "at the same time, they'll probably wake up in a cold sweat" about a tweet misstep, Browning said.
Despite how student-athletes handle the messages, critical tweets "are at their core an identity hit," the authors wrote.
One athlete said he felt "low-balled, disrespected . . . It was horrible, and you know, my family was sick on top of that so there was nothing I could do."
Sanderson said that educational institutions should embrace training in social media for student-athletes, including helping them manage critical tweets.
"Ironically, schools spend a lot of time on the surveillance of athletes (on social media) rather than spending time on the front end training," Browning said. "It comes down to ambiguous statements like, 'Don't tweet anything inappropriate.'
"But what's inappropriate to a 50-year-old may be vastly different from what an 18- to 22-year-old thinks is inappropriate."
###
*Note: The study has been cited as a Distinguished Paper and will be presented at the Summit on Communication and Sport Feb. 22-24 in Austin.
Note: Two videos of comments by Blair Browning may be viewed at: http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=125858
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Student-athletes could lose eligibility, scholarships with tweet missteps, Baylor research showsPublic release date: 17-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Terry Goodrich terry_goodrich@baylor.edu 254-710-3321 Baylor University
With a single social-media misstep, student-athletes could lose athletic eligibility or a scholarship. But that's not stopping them from using Twitter sometimes even during games, when they may see harsh criticism of their performances from fans, according to a study by Baylor University and Clemson University researchers.
While many college athletic teams prohibit student-athletes from using social media during games, some breach the rules to get a "real-time" commentary on how they are doing during the game, said Blair Browning, Ph.D., an assistant professor of communication in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences and lead author of the study.
The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Communication, was based on interviews with 20 student-athletes in an NCAA Division I university.
Student-athletes said that they used Twitter to keep in contact with family and friends, communicate with their followers and access information about the games and their athletic performances.
The study, co-authored by Jimmy Sanderson, Ph.D., an assistant professor of communication studies at Clemson University, is called "The Positives and Negatives of Twitter: Exploring How Student-Athletes Use Twitter and Respond to Critical Tweets."
Twitter is ingrained into student-athletes' daily routine, with one athlete saying that "I mean, the kickers and snappers and me are kind of in the corner of the locker room . . . so I'll get on Twitter and I'm like, 'Great first half' . . . "
Other athletes said they wait until after games to use Twitter. In any case, comments often are critical or even abusive about the student-athlete both performance-wise and personally.
"It is tweet-worthy when fans show support because the alternative is obviously the norm," the researchers wrote.
While athletes know that criticism comes with the turf, Twitter critics are especially brutal because "brazen confidence stems from the protection users have behind the phone or computer screen," researchers noted. Even when the critics messages are blocked by an athlete, some followers "somehow find another name and get on and do it again," one athlete said.
Student-athletes' responses can be risky to their university athletic career if they respond in kind to abuse. Some choose to shrug off or delete insults -- or even using them constructively as challenges to improve.
Others are finding an effective way to cope is through "sub-tweeting" referring to a detractor as "OOMF" ("one of my followers") and responding to a remark indirectly rather than using the critic's Twitter ID to spar online.
Some players see Twitter as a chance to brand themselves. But at the university level, they're also operating under the brand of the institution themselves, so "there are tensions," Browning said.
Student-athletes also are subject to stricter monitoring and penalties than professional athletes for a social-media blunder. While professionals may be fined or censured, they maintain their ability to play. But student-athletes stand to lose athletic eligibility or scholarships.
"Student-athletes are in a precarious position because they are amateurs, are managing educational pursuits while holding essentially a full-time job with their athletics demands," the researchers wrote.
While a coach may welcome the idea that "20,000 eyeballs" are following an athlete, "at the same time, they'll probably wake up in a cold sweat" about a tweet misstep, Browning said.
Despite how student-athletes handle the messages, critical tweets "are at their core an identity hit," the authors wrote.
One athlete said he felt "low-balled, disrespected . . . It was horrible, and you know, my family was sick on top of that so there was nothing I could do."
Sanderson said that educational institutions should embrace training in social media for student-athletes, including helping them manage critical tweets.
"Ironically, schools spend a lot of time on the surveillance of athletes (on social media) rather than spending time on the front end training," Browning said. "It comes down to ambiguous statements like, 'Don't tweet anything inappropriate.'
"But what's inappropriate to a 50-year-old may be vastly different from what an 18- to 22-year-old thinks is inappropriate."
###
*Note: The study has been cited as a Distinguished Paper and will be presented at the Summit on Communication and Sport Feb. 22-24 in Austin.
Note: Two videos of comments by Blair Browning may be viewed at: http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=125858
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Gary McKinnon, the British man who hacked into U.S. government files to search for evidence of UFOs, will not face prosecution in the United Kingdom. In October, UK officials rejected the United States' extradition request in the decade-old case. Naked Security reports that the UK's most recent decision will apparently end the McKinnon controversy.
Recently, my daughter turned 4 years old. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. It feels like it was only yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital, all 8.6 pounds of her. I still remember the newness of those early days. The Olympics had just finished, and the 2008 presidential election was under way.
Back then, four years felt like the distant future, and yet here we are. As one friend shared, once you have a child, ?The days are long, but the years
Juli Fraga, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist. She has a private practice in San Francisco, California where she practices at the ?Root and the Branch,? a holistic health and wellness clinic. Here, she specializes in women?s health concerns especially as they relate to maternal and reproductive health. Juli also facilitates postpartum support groups for the Great Expectations program at UCSF, and is currently co-developing a 4-week group, ?The Afterglow,? which will be held at UCSF in January 2013. Clinically, she integrates mindfulness-based practices and psychoanalytic theories into her work. She focuses on mind/body wellness with deep attention to each individual?s physical and emotional well-being. Visit her online and on Twitter.
Like this author? Catch up on other posts by Juli Fraga, PsyD (or subscribe to their feed).
This is an announcement only, so there are no comments.
????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 16 Dec 2012 ????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
APA Reference Fraga, J. (2012). 4 Lessons I Learned From My Daughter. Psych Central. Retrieved on December 17, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/16/4-lessons-i-learned-from-my-daughter/
A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.
Home ? Blog ? News ? Paula died last week: Who cares?
Paula died last week: Who cares?
Paula on her street corner on Aurora Avenue. (Photo by Mike)
By Harry Gatjens
While the world mourns the loss of children in a senseless tragedy, there are others to be mourned for, too. This is the story of a woman who few would have noticed having passed away, even before the tragedy in Connecticut.
Paula Gomez died last week. She had a stroke on Thursday and ended up dying on Saturday. She was 40 years old and had no family and few friends to speak of. I found out what happened when her boyfriend Mike saw my number on her phone and called to tell me she had died. He said she had spoken of me positively as a friend.
I had the opportunity to meet Mike and interview him to get a better understanding of Paula?s life. He said she had been living with him and he was trying to arrange her final effects. He said he needed to raise $200 for the balance of her cremation and that he had arranged with a local priest to hold a small service. I was skeptical of the story at first, but then he told me if I wished to help out I could just call the funeral home and make a donation in her name.
I met Paula a couple of years ago at the restaurant in a local Shoreline casino. She looked worn out and disheveled but was gulping down a meal. I spoke with her to learn her story and found out that she was a local Aurora Avenue prostitute.
She had been addicted to drugs, had bad teeth, was not particularly attractive and just looked like she had lived a very hard life. She was quite open about her lifestyle and seem to be, overall, a nice person.
The food at the restaurant was cheap and the location convenient for where she plied her trade. I came to talk to her whenever I saw her and always showed concern and respect. She seemed to appreciate my concern even though I wasn?t a customer.
One time she asked for money as she claimed to be short for what she needed for a room for the night. When I saw her later that night she said she had spent some of the money on ?a toot,? as she needed to do something to deal with her ordeal.
Another time, someone broke out the window of my car in the parking lot and stole my iPad. I knew that Paula knew most of the street people in the area, so I called and asked if she could be on the lookout for it. The next day she called and told me that she had found who had taken it and told them that it belonged to a friend of hers and she wanted it back. These are not nice people she was dealing with, but she convinced them to give it to her and she brought it back to me.
I tried to work with her to help her figure out how to beat her drug problem. I never again gave her cash but would instead bring her a meal or groceries or actually make a payment toward a room for her.
Unfortunately, I didn?t have the skill set to provide her the help she needed to resolve her addiction. I attempted to put her in communication with services that could help, but until she was ready to make her own effort my attempts proved futile.
As we talked, I learned a bit about her background. Abused as a child and deserted by her parents and family, she ended up on the street at age 17. Drugs became a part of her life not long after, and she made a long downhill journey from that point forward.
Ostracized for profession, she made a few friends who would make an effort to help her change her life. Combined with the lack of a family to provide support Paula was left with no place to go.
Mike came across her and tried to help. However, with her background she couldn?t comprehend why anyone would care about her. They continued their relationship for several years but she could never truly believe in him until just recently.
Mike?s life was no bowl of cherries either. His wife had died when he met Paula, and he was suicidal. He saw Paula across the room in a restaurant and went up to talk to her and befriend her, similar to me. However, in his state, he fell for her and tried to create a relationship. At this point she had been treated like dirt by everyone who knew her and she didn?t believe anyone could care for her.
When Mike told me that they had been living together for the past several months, I was pleased. Then he told me they had been living in his car. He didn?t like her lifestyle and says that she wanted out of it too. But since that was the only thing she had done, she had little marketable skills. She needed money to live, and working the streets was the only practical way to raise it. They lived not paycheck to paycheck, but day to day ? literally.
As I got to know Paula, I could see that she wanted things to change but had neither the resources nor the support to make those changes. She talked of programs from the state to help her get her teeth fixed and deal with some of her other health issues. One day she got hit by a car and suffered severe bruising on her leg. However, she didn?t go to the hospital as she couldn?t deal with the psychological treatment of being indigent and therefore missed out on the physical treatment as well. The driver who hit her just drove away.
Paula worked on the same corner for the last 20 years. She tried to get customers who she knew and would call her, but if no one called she had to go out onto Aurora.
I saw her there several times and for the most part just drove by. Sometimes, when it was cold and dark and rainy, I would pull over and tell her she needed to get off the street. Her normal response was that she needed money to get a room. If I could, I would drive her to a motel and give her some money to pay for the room. I couldn?t stand seeing her out on that corner shivering.
She didn?t often come to the casino, so if I hadn?t seen her for a while I would call just to check out how she was doing. She always told me that she ?was a survivor and not to worry.? Still, if I had the chance I would bring her some food or something else to help out.
Her death brings me great sadness. You never want someone you know to die, but more important it seemed like no one ? outside of Mike ? would notice that she was gone outside or even care.
On one hand, I was considering that it wouldn?t be a good idea for me to attend the funeral service for a prostitute. Luckily, my heart kicked in and told me Paula was a real person and she deserved to be honored. I will go and be there to honor her memory.
The more disturbing thing I think about is, how many other women are there out in the world facing a similar situation ? drug addicted, selling bodies for day-to-day living expenses and with no support group? Paula recently told me that I was one of only one or two people who actually cared and treated her like a real person. Almost everyone else only cared about her for what they could get from her. It made me feel good that she felt that way about me, but it made me feel awful that I couldn?t and didn?t know what more I could do to help.
The point of this story is that we need to worry about people in Paula?s situation. There must be some way to prevent people from falling through the cracks. I am not quite sure what to do, but I am going to figure this out. Several friends have told me that it was her own fault, that she could have chosen a different life if she weren?t so weak. I don?t believe that people who have been raised in an upper-middle-class lifestyle can comprehend what it?s like to grow up in a situation with abuse and no loving relations.
Despite all of her choices and problems, Paula Gomez was a good person.
I am sorry she is gone, and I do care.
Edmonds resident Harry Gatjens is a contributing writer to My Edmonds News.
I just had a lecture on Class last Thursday at Enderun Colleges in Nuffnang's Country Manager's dinner. Abe Olandres, Country Manager for Nuffnang Philippines and blogger at Yugatech, and the awesome gang of Nuffnang had invited their talents to a night overflowing with fun and of course, wine.
This is a nice informational post and I hope you'll enjoy learning as much as I did. :)
?Our appetizer for the night wasn't the usual salad, bread, or croquettes but instead, we had Wine and Cheese which to me, was great. Mom and I would always indulge in wine and cheese every weekend as a treat simply because we love this food and drink.?
?The rule of thumb in wine and cheese combination is: Light Cheese is to Light Wine, and Strong Cheese is to Strong Wine. It will help you appreciate both the flavors of the wine and cheese, and you won't go wondering what the other tastes like.
I went for the Light Wine and Light Cheese combination: I had Gruyere, a semi- hard cheese with a light, milky flavor and Terra Vega, a mellow Merlot. FYI, Merlot is a medium- bodied wine in terms of acidity and flavor. Terra Vega Merlot also happened to be my most favorite wine of the night!
?Our menu for the night. The buffet of wine was provided by Ralph's Wine and Spirit. Click READ MORE and learn more about wine and food combinations!
?Right at our tables are goblets placed atop a paper with the kinds of wine to be served written all over it. I have never tasted some of these wines before, and it just made the experience all the more exciting.
?First off, we had Tanigue Tartare paired with Bolla Soave Classico '11 and Mont Gras Sauvignon Blanc '12. Fish goes great with White Wine, by the way. However, I'm not really into White Wines but I had no choice because after all, it was Wine Appreciation Night! Between the two wines, I prefer Bolla Soave Classico more because it has a refreshing citrusy taste and the right touch of alcohol, whereas Mont Gras Sauvignon Blanc is a full- bodied wine with a strong Passionfruit-Grape smell and taste. Not a fan of Passionfruit though. :p
Here's an interesting fact: The recipe of Bolla Soave is the same as the wines during Jesus Christ's time!
?Next on our table was Potato Soup with Mushroom Foam and Bacon Bits paired with Terra Vega Merlot '11 and Bolla Soave Classico '11. Both wines were repeatedly served, as I already had them in the Wine and Cheese and Tanigue Tartare portions. The soup was light and what better way to eat it than with light wines. As I said, Terra Vega Merlot was my favorite and you know now which of the two wines I liked best. :)
The Bacon Bits were served separately, and we were asked to drink white wine with the soup first, then red wine with the soup plus bacon bits after. I like the second combination best because the saltiness of the Bacon Bits and Terra Vega Merlot have balanced each other out, and gave the soup a smoky flavor.
?For our main course, we had Salmon with Leek and Citrus Butter paired with Mont Gras Sauvignon Blanc '12 and Terra Vega Sauvignon Blanc '09. If you may recall, I said at the top part of this post that I didn't like the Passionfruit-y taste of Mont Gras Sauvignon Blanc. Terra Vega won my heart once again with its ultra light, watery taste with a hint of citrus.
?To cap off our meal, we had this decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake paired with Mont Gras Cabernet Sauvignon '10/''11 and Bolla Valpolicella Soave- Classico '10/'11. Ah, chocolate and red wine--a match made in heaven! Mont Gras Cabernet Sauvignon was a little too strong and alcoholic for my liking, and Bolla Valpolicella Soave-Classico's smoky taste and aroma went so well with this cake. Every time I'd eat the cake and sip the Bolla wine, I was having a beautiful explosion of flavors?on my tongue!
There you have it! I hope you've learned a thing or two about pairing wine with food, and the types of wines. If you're interested with my favorites, Terra Vega and Bolla Soave or any of the wines I've listed above, please visit a Ralph's Wine and Spirit branch near you. Remember, expensive wines don't necessarily taste good in the same way as cheap wines don't necessarily taste bad! Proof? My favorite, Terra Vega Merlot, is only P285.00!
The best part of the night? I got drunk! I don't drink alcoholic beverages on a weekly basis--not even monthly, and it was just so nice to experience that feeling of being drunk again. What's even better is that I got drunk with a good company, made so much new friends, (thank you alcohol, for making me sociable) finally talked with a couple of bloggers whom I know but didn't really have a chance to talk with, and I was finally drafted into Nuffnang's Talent Program!
Photo credits: Arjohn Yabut
Thank you so much Nuffnang for this wonderful night and for the opportunity! I am so happy to be with this group of achievers in the world of blogging!
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Public release date: 17-Dec-2012
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Recently, my daughter turned 4 years old. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. It feels like it was only yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital, all 8.6 pounds of her. I still remember the newness of those early days. The Olympics had just finished, and the 2008 presidential election was under way.