I was born into a devout Catholic family, the fifth of nine children. And one of my earliest memories is learning the catechism from my father, a sales executive who was in the habit of going to church every day before work.
He read me stories about the adventures of a boy who was nicknamed ?Raggie? because his family was too poor to buy new clothes. Each story had the same basic lesson ? good Catholics look after those in need, just as Jesus did. And there is no shame in being poor.
Sign me up. I memorized the prayers, received the sacraments and felt ecstatically cleansed after monthly confessions. I was all in.
In the decades since, I have fled a million miles from the church, and have never found a new religious home. I am a spiritual refugee.
One in three American adults was raised in a Catholic family, but fewer than one in four identify as Catholic today. No other church has shed so many followers, according to surveys by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
So if I am a refugee, I am walking on a road that is crowded with others who feel the same way.
Which brings us to my recent conversation with Newark Archbishop John Myers, and his attempt to sway the election to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
He didn?t say that, of course. But he wrote a letter last week saying Catholics have a ?duty? to cast their vote based on opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
Gay sex, he wrote, is a purely ?selfish enjoyment? because it ?lacks openness to the procreative meaning of human sexuality.?
Gay parents are bad for children. And if the government grants equal marriage rights to homosexuals, it will soon invade families and churches to impose its moral views, stepping between a parent and child, between a pastor and his flock. Same-sex marriage is a threat to religious freedom.
Finally, he said, all Catholic must embrace his views. And those who refuse should not take Holy Communion.
I?ve gone through stages when it comes to the church, bouncing between anger, estrangement and exasperation. It started when one of my six sisters, at age 10, wrote the Vatican a letter asking why she couldn?t be an altar girl. She never heard back. But the dinner discussions on that planted seeds of revolt in all of us.
They flowered as I began to understand the church?s views on birth control and divorce, which put even my mother on the wrong side of the law, and taught us how Catholics cope with the hierarchy.
A decade after my father died, she married a divorced man, which should have barred her from receiving Holy Communion. Her local priest saw that she would be crushed by that and quietly told her that she was free to take Holy Communion in his church any time she wanted.
?That local priest was wrong,? Myers said when I told him the story last week.
But my mother had no hesitation. Nor did she feel she was sinning by using birth control when she was knocked low by migraine headaches after bearing the nine of us. When she saw same-sex couples raising AIDS babies, she saw no threat to the moral order; she saw Christ?s love at work. She supported same-sex marriage before the New York Times did.
Her obedience to the church hierarchy was not blind, especially after it was exposed as complicit in the sexual abuse of so many children. She trusted her own compass, and in that way, she was a typical Catholic.
Most Catholics, like her, will never leave the church. They will sidestep the land mines and hope for change. They see the altar girls today and hope for female priests tomorrow.
In the meantime, though, men like Myers will drive millions more onto the refugee highway. He had his own small share of complicity in the sex abuse scandal, transferring a priest who had confessed to abuse to St. Michael?s Hospital in Newark without telling the staff. He refuses to release the names of priests who have been credibly accused, as some New Jersey dioceses do.
But the fixation on same-sex marriage may do even more damage in the long run. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that 53 percent of Catholics support same-sex marriage, a number that rises to 72 percent among those between ages 18 and 34. Remember, they shouldn?t be taking Holy Communion.
Myers swears that his letter was released during the heat of this campaign by pure coincidence. But he did much the same thing a few weeks before the 2004 election. Imagine the odds.
What?s shocking to me is that this 15-page letter, single-spaced, brushes by the problem of poverty and says nothing of Romney?s plan to savage the safety net.
?Catholic citizens must exercise their right to be heard in the public square by defending marriage,? Myers wrote.
I doubt most Catholics will see this election in such pinched terms. They know how to sidestep this land mine, too.
Because if you visit any poor neighborhood in New Jersey, you can see a more vibrant Catholicism at work in schools, hospitals and food pantries. I?m pretty sure Raggie would see this election through their eyes.
His was the Catholicism I was taught. And it was all about love.
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Has the Maps fiasco shaken your confidence in Apple?
Cast your vote in "Today's Poll..." in the left column below or go straight to the results here.
Saturday Highlights: US appeals court sends Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales ban decision back to lower court endangering Apple's victory?more in our Apple/Macintosh section; interesting analysis over at Fortune ponders the man in charge of Siri and the new Maps: Scott Forstall; Louie Herr of Digital Trends says we haven't learned the lesson from Antennagate with regards to Maps, saying we've overreacted to the ordeal; Andy Ihnatko says Tim Cook's letter to consumers was the "perfect response", but that Apple's mistake was pushing Maps right into the deep end when they should have approached it like they did Siri; meanwhile, Jim Dalrymple believes this is a simple "black eye, nothing more"; curious question arises out of the Maps issue: "should Apple let users select alternate default apps?"; Consumer Reports not too hard on Maps; some ex Apple and NASA engineers make a pricey coffee maker; Jack Purcher analyzes Intel's computing direction toward "transparent computing"; over at TidBITS, Glenn Fleishman probes mysterious cellular data usage occurring on iOS 6 devices; Apple removes "the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever" from Maps description on Apple.com; InformationWeek's Eric Zeman reviews his iPhone 5 experience, while Mark Crump provides a view of the iPhone 5 from a photographer's perspective, and over at iDownload Blog, Sebastien Page presents a course on B&W iPhone photography.
Friday Highlights: Tim Cook apologizes to customers for Map errors, says Apple doing everything they can to make it better, in the mean time he recommends Bing, Waze, others as alternatives?numerous reports in our Apple/Macintosh, and Op/Ed sections, Jonny Evans believes the message hints that Apple is working to make their mapping service best in the world, not just better; Chris Ciaccia at The Street calls the apology a grand slam saying "no company on Earth...knows how to spin a negative story into good positive vibes better than Apple"; Tim Bajarin says the real reason Apple jettisoned Google Maps had to do with giving valuable customer data to Google, which would help Android; iPhone 5 available for sale in 22 countries starting today; Macworld reviews Parallels Desktop 8, VMware Fusion 5; US Air Force uses iPads saving more than $5 million/year; court in China says Apple must pay $82,000 to encyclopedia company due to App Store piracy; report says iPhone 5 prices are least in United States, most in Italy; ABC News report on TSA official theft of iPad; Sharp says they are not the cause iPhone 5 shortages, pumping out "adequate volumes of display[s]"; TechInsights analysis of A6 chip; Macotakara blog posts mock-up of apparent iPad mini; San Jose Mercury News's Larry Magid reviews iPhone 5, says is "a worthy upgrade, but nothing to get excited about"; however, Dwight Silverman at the Houston Chronicle is "even more sold on it" now that he's tested his iPhone 5 with LTE finding a big difference from pre-LTE iPhones; Mactuts+ shows you how to upgrade RAM in your MacBook Pro; Mac OS X Hints has a tip that could solve WiFi woes on your iPhone, as well as a tip to arrange icons on your Apple TV menu; New York Times's J.D. Biersdorfer answers reader question on asking Siri questions the right way.
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Sat Sep 29
"Microsoft slammed for Windows 8's games strategy" The Times of India
9:14 AM
"Apple vs. Samsung: Galaxy Tab 10.1 ban could be lifted"?Bloomberg News?12:20 PM
"Samsung wins reconsideration on Galaxy Tab sales ban in US"?Crave @ CNET?9:02 AM
"Sales ban on Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be reconsidered"?Ars Technica?2:50 PM
"Apple's Mapping Strategy: Today China. Tomorrow the World"?Forbes?2:34 PM
"Apple's Maps Is A Black Eye, Nothing More"?TechCrunch?10:08 AM
"Apple seems to have gotten a little bit lost"?CNN?2:34 PM
"Apple issues full apology over iOS 6 maps cartastrophe"?Wired UK?12:27 PM
"Judging From Apple's Apology, Maps Matter and Nokia Has Maps That Work"?Forbes?8:10 AM
"iOS 6 Map Flap: Should Apple Let Users Select Alternate Default Apps?"?Forbes?8:15 AM
"Tim Cook: 'So sorry for Apple's crap maps app - try Bing or Nokia'"?The Register?8:59 AM
"Apple's excessive work hours progress: tracking 800k, 97% 60-hour work week compliance"?The Next Web?10:31 AM
"'Weak' Apple iPhone 5 Sales Are A Glitch"?Seeking Alpha?8:11 AM
"Apple sued again, this time over Numbers spreadsheet tech"?Crave @ CNET?9:02 AM
"Apple's Cook sorry for Maps errors, suggests rival services"?Reuters?9/28
"Apple apologises for Maps switch 'frustration'"?BBC?9/28
"Apple Maps Apology: There is no company on Earth that knows how to spin a negative story into good positive vibes better than Apple, and the company did it again on Friday."?TheStreet?9/28
"Apple's Tim Cook apologises for iOS 6 Maps in open letter, suggests users try Google, Nokia and other mapping apps"?The Next Web?9/28
"Apple CEO 'Extremely Sorry' for IPhone Maps Frustration" [Video Report]?Bloomberg?9/28
"Tim Cook Apologizes for Apple's Maps"?New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required]?9/28
"Apple CEO Apologizes for Maps App"?WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required]?9/28
"Apple CEO: 'We are extremely sorry' for Maps frustration"?CNNMoney?9/28
"Tim Cook apologizes for Apple's new Maps app"?Fortune?9/28
"Music publisher blocked iPhone 5 music service, report says: Sony/ATV and Apple couldn't agree on licensing fees and that's why we didn't see a Pandora-like music service from Apple, according to a story in the New York Post."?CNET News?9/28
"Apple iPad dominates tablet web traffic: An analysis of traffic from tablet computers to more than 1,200 websites found that 98.1 per cent of the traffic came from the Apple iPad."?Telegraph?9/28
"Gene Munster: iPhone 5 stockouts in 16 of 20 stores/Only 4 stores in smaller cities had iPhones 5s available for sale, and only for Sprint"?Fortune?9/28
"Appeals court sends Galaxy Tab injunction back to trial judge"?Reuters?9/28
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AppleCare/Troubleshooting
"OS X Server: Packet filter rules do not load"?Apple Support?9/28
Reviews/How-To/Tips
"Review: Parallels Desktop 8 vs. VMware Fusion 5"?Macworld?9/28
"Review: Adobe Premiere Elements 11 offers an easy, fast, and simple take on video editing"?TechHive?9/28
"Review: Things 2.0 makes managing to-do lists manageable"?Macworld?9/28
"MacMost Now 767: Using Text Columns in Pages"?MacMost?9/28
"Add New iOS Style Widgets To Mountain Lion Dashboard [OS X Tips]?Cult of Mac?9/28
"An Easy Way To Generate The Toughest, Coolest, Longest Passwords Right On Your Mac"?BohemianBoomer?9/28
"How Many Ways Can You Listen To Music On Your Mac? Here's Another One!"?TeraTalks?9/28
"Is Your Life Worth A Journal? 2 Ways To Journal Your Day On A Mac (one is free, one is not)"?Mac 360?9/28
"How To Control iTunes, Spotify, And Rdio From Your Mac's Menubar (and what's missing in the mix)"?NoodleMac?9/28
"It's Baaack! The Compression And Archive Tool That Mac Users Love To Hate"?Mac 360?9/28
"How To Get Free Music, TV Shows, Movies, And Apps Delivered To Your Mac"?Mac 360?9/28
"Free: The Top 10 Add On Features For Safari That Apple Forgot To Include On The Mac's Favorite Browser"?McSolo?9/28
Op/Ed
"AirPlay Mirroring A Killer Feature In Mountain Lion"?MacNews?9/28
Press Releases
"Blinq Turns Your PC Or Mac Into A Server For Sharing Photos"?AddictiveTips?9:04 AM
"MOTU ships Digital Performer version 8"?Electronista?9/28
"OmniGrowl Updated for Growl 2, CaliBrate Also Updated"?prMac?9/28
"FCP Editors Go Retro with New Slide Pop Special Effects Package"?prMac?9/28
"Report: Apple Maps usage down to four percent"?Electronista?2:35 PM
"Original 2007 Google-powered iPhone maps app reportedly built by 2 engineers in 3 weeks"?iMore?8:01 AM
"Weekly Wrap: iPhone 5 review, iOS 6 annoyances, and a Tim Cook Maps apology"?Macworld?2:34 PM
"Consumer Reports: Apple's Maps App Still Provides a Good Solution for Standard Software"?ModMyi?10:30 AM
"U.S. regional carriers undercut major carries with iPhone 5 discounts"?BGR?10:29 AM
"Former Apple, NASA Engineers Make $11,111 Coffee Maker"?ABCNews?8:12 AM
"Steve Jobs (Action Figure) Returns From the Dead"?PC Magazine?7:31 PM
"Artist Creates Sculpture Made Using Steve Jobs' Recycled Trash"?technabob?9:05 AM
"Urban Outfitters drops cash registers for Apple's iPad in 400 stores"?AppleInsider?9/28
"Apple Launches New App Store Feature Section for Alternative Maps"?MacRumors?9/28
"Global iPhone 5 Rollout Continues, Tight Supplies Be Damned"?AllThingsD?9/28
"iPhone 5 dials up discount for regional carrier debut: Some smaller carriers will trim $50 off the normal retail price for Apple's next-generation smartphone when they begin selling it tomorrow."?CNET News?9/28
"Videos: Queuing up for Apple's iPhone 5 in 22 languages"?Fortune?9/28
"The iPhone 5 goes on sale in 22 more countries today"?iDownload Blog?9/28
"Apple's iPhone 5 Availability Expands: What It Means To Regional Carriers"?TechCrunch?9/28
"Most iPhone 5 Customers Will Buy in Next 6 Months" [Video Report]?Bloomberg?9/28
"Survey: Younger Shoppers Increasingly Using Mobiles To Buy And Compare"?TechCrunch?9/28
"As Apple says sorry, Google Maps gets a little better"?CNET News?9/28
"Apple Clears First Hurdle, Possible iPhone 5 Launch In China Before The Year-End"?Forbes?9/28
"iPhone 5 lights up China's gray market"?CNET Asia?9/28
"US Air Force Electronic Flight Bag Team fought Windows bureaucracy and deployed iPads?[Video]?9 to 5 Mac?9/28
"Thanks to the iPad, The Air Force is Saving More Than $5 Million Per Year"?PadGadget?9/28
"Google's Answer to Siri Thinks Ahead: The company's data stockpile and investment in AI means a smartphone helper that answers queries before you even ask them."?Technology Review?9/28
"Company Alleges that Apple's 'Numbers' Infringe on Borland Patent"?Patently Apple?9/28
"Apple sued over spreadsheet technology"?CNET News?9/28
"Chinese court rules Apple must pay over $82K to encyclopedia publisher over App Store piracy"?AppleInsider?9/28
"Apple music logo trademark rejected"?TG Daily?9/28
"Italians Pay The Most, Americans The Least For iPhone 5"?App Advice?9/28
"Apple iPhone 5 proves a hit with V3 readers"?V3?9/28
"Need a bit of Bible? There's an app for that"?CNN?9/28
"ABC News Tracks Missing iPad To Florida Home of TSA Officer"?ABCNews?9/28
"Find My iPad Catches Thieving TSA Officer Red-Handed [Video]?Cult of Mac?9/28
Non-Apple News
"Cellphones Take a Big Bite Out of Budgets"?WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required]?9:12 PM
"What happens if smartphones become commodities?"?Reuters?7:22 PM
"Google rolls out more improvements to its mapping tools following Apple's Maps apology"?Digital Trends?8:04 AM
"Neil Young reveals Pono music player, promises 'the best sound anyone can get'"?The Verge?9/28
"Amazon unlikely to launch color e-book readers in 4Q12"?DigiTimes?9/28
"Move over iPhone: In China, it's cool to call on 'Xiaomi'"?CNN?9/28
Publications/Podcasts
"Podcast: iPhone 5, one week later ? early users weigh in"?GeekWire?9:04 AM
"The Critical Path #56: Strategic Disadvantages: A discussion with James Allworth"?asymco?7:59 AM
"Gene Steinberg meets commentator Daniel Eran Dilger, of AppleInsider, and Avram Piltch, of Laptop magazine, this week on the Tech Night Owl LIVE!"?The Tech Night Owl LIVE?9/28
"Bj?rn Adamski of Telestream Demonstrates the New Flip4Mac"?MacVoicesTV?9/28
"TUAW Origin Stories: PDF Cabinet"?TUAW?9/28
"Ted Landau's iPhone 5 and iOS 6 Experiences and Opinions"?MacNotables?9/28
"Commutist podcast: Apple's iO-mess, dirty data centers and Tesla"?GigaOM?9/28
"What's Behind Mysterious Cellular Data Usage in iOS 6?"?TidBITS?12:31 PM
"Apple's iOS 6 stumbles on basic connectivity: Wi-Fi"?CNET News?9:08 PM
"SK Telecom Gains Unprecedented iPhone 5 Feature While Apple Files for Passbook Trademark and Much More"?Patently Apple?6:46 PM
"Apple no longer calls iOS6 Maps 'the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever'"?9 to 5 Mac?9:04 AM
"Apple removes superlatives from Maps description"?iDownload Blog?10:08 AM
"Apple iPad Mini debut reportedly imminent"?CNBC?8:13 AM
"iPhone 5 Display Vs. Spectroradiometer"?MacStories?12:50 PM
"iPad mini Video, Photos Leak"?Tapscape?8:05 AM
"Sharp says making adequate volumes of display used in iPhone5"?Reuters?9/28
"Sharp: Our iPhone 5 display production is 'adequate'"?CNET News?9/28
"It's Now Pretty Clear This Screen Is The Reason iPhone 5 Sales Were So Disappointing"?Business Insider?9/28
"Turret Commander For iPhone and iPad Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $2.99)"?Apple Sliced?8:54 AM
"Alien Booth For iPhone and iPad Is Free Today (Was $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?8:54 AM
"Leave Devil Alone For iPhone Is Free Right Now (Previously $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?8:54 AM
"Deal Alert: Apple 11.6" Dual-Core i5 MacBook Air MC968LL/A $759.99"?Run Around Tech?7:55 AM
"Woot! has 2011 Dual-Core i5 MacBook Air ? New in box (Update: $749)"?9 to 5 Mac?7:55 AM
"Mac Compatible Printers... Prices Range From $70 To $400 -Best Selling -Prices, Deals, Reviews And Information"?MacReviewZone?2:36 PM
"Best Selling Mac Scanners -From $88 To $496 -Prices, Reviews And Information"?MacReviewZone?2:42 PM
"Space Station: Frontier HD For iPad Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $2.99), The iPhone Version Is Also Free"?Apple Sliced?9/28
"The Magician's Handbook: Cursed Valley HD (Full) For iPad Is Free Right Now (Previously $4.99)"?Apple Sliced?9/28
"Radballs For iPhone and iPad Is Free Today (Was $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?9/28
"iPad (2012) Prices & Sales"?MacPrices?9/28
"MacBook Air Prices & Sales"?MacPrices?9/28
"MacBook Pro Prices & Sales"?MacPrices?9/28
"Apple refurbs: 5 Macs $999 or less"?MacNN?9/28
"Mac Software Deals: Photoshop Elements 11, $84; Photoshop Elements 10, $49"?FairerPlatform?9/28
Deal Brothers Daily Deal: Mac mini 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5:? $1189.00 Delivered
Reviews
"iPhone 5: My First Week/After spending a week with the Apple iPhone 5, I have a clear picture of what has improved, evolved, and gone sideways."?InformationWeek?9:08 AM
"A photographer's view of the iPhone 5"?GigaOM?12:20 PM
"CruxSkunk iPad Keyboard Exposes the Mirage of Kickstarter [Review]?Mashable?12:19 PM
"Review: Case-Mate Barely There Case for iPhone 5"?Run Around Tech?12:19 PM
"PowerSkin Battery Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 review"?iMore?10:08 AM
"Review: Speck PixelSkin HD case for iPhone 5"?M.I.C. Gadget?9:52 AM
"Review: Wahoo Blue HR Heart Rate Strap for iPhone 4S/5"?iSource?7:55 AM
"iPhone 5 vs. the VPI Traveler turntable: The iPhone 5 may be the star of the moment, but the VPI Traveler could stay in your life for decades."?CNET News?10:07 AM
"Magia Zip For IPad Has One Sticky Problem"?MacNews?9/28
"GLAS.T iPhone 5 screen protector from Spigen SGP (Video Review)"?Insanely Great Mac?9/28
iPad/iPhone/iPod touch Apps
"6 cool little features you didn't know iOS 6 had"?VentureBeat?12:23 PM
"Top Tier Alternatives To Apple Maps For iOS 6"?Apple'n'Apps?7:56 AM
"Don't Like Facebook? Then You'll Like Voicepic Even More"?App Advice?12:50 PM
"Flurry for Twitter for iPhone review"?iMore?8:01 AM
"9 home theater apps to improve your big screen with a small screen"?Digital Trends?8:04 AM
"Arrow Mania Review"?148Apps?2:35 PM
"Little Conquest Review"?148Apps?12:49 PM
"Project: Mayhem Review"?148Apps?12:23 PM
"iOS 6 Maps vs. iOS 5 Maps vs. maps.google.com: Location data shootout!"?iMore?9/28
"Create Your Own Passbook Cards, Coupons, & Tickets"?Apple Gazette?9/28
"Brewster: Merge iPhone Contacts With Facebook, Twitter, Gmail & Others"?AddictiveTips?9/28
"Bad Piggies for iPhone and iPad review"?iMore?9/28
"Bad Piggies ? Review: Feels like Angry Birds, but plays in a fresh new way"?What's on iPhone?9/28
"Appidemic: GridBlock for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch"?AppleTell?9/28
"'Lunar Silver Star Story Touch' Review - The Classic RPG in Your Pocket"?Touch Arcade?9/28
"'Infectonator' Review - Ending the World, One Zombie at a Time"?Touch Arcade?9/28
"Score! Classic Goals for iPad and iPhone review"?Macworld UK?9/28
"Carbonite Mobile Review"?148Apps?9/28
"Note Anytime Review: A free note taking and sketching app for the iPad that's packed with many features to give users creative flexibility."?148Apps?9/28
"Find the Way Review: Find the Way is a short maze game that pits players against a clock as they race to find a way out."?148Apps?9/28
"'Super Monsters Ate My Condo' Review and TA Plays - Not Just a Sequel, a SUPER Sequel"?Touch Arcade?9/28
How-To/Tutorial
"Use Siri The Right Way On Your iPhone And iOS 6 [Feature]?Cult of Mac?12:49 PM
"A course on black and white iPhone photography"?iDownload Blog?7:56 AM
"How to Use the Panorama Camera to Take Amazing Panoramic Pictures with iPhone"?OS X Daily?9/28
"How to Upgrade the RAM in Your MacBook Pro"?Mactuts+?9/28
Tips
"How to Assign a Passcode with More than Four Digits to Secure Your iOS Device"?The Mac Observer?10:08 AM
"How to choose an Apple Maps alternative"?USA Today?9:53 AM
"Ask Maggie is back! Which iPhone 5 is right for you?"?CNET News?9:00 AM
"Here's a neat tip to help make sure you get your iPhone back should you ever lose it"?The Next Web?8:00 AM
"One possible solution to iPhone Wi-Fi problems"?Mac OS X Hints?9/28
"Apple explains how to create home screen shortcuts to Google and Nokia maps on the web"?iDownload Blog?9/28
"Q&A: Asking Siri ? the Right Way"?New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required]?9/28
"How To Buy A Smartphone: Which Is Better, Android or iPhone?"?ReadWriteWeb?9/28
Tim Cook's Maps Apology
"Old Maps vs. New Maps"?Vore?6:50 PM
"Tim Cook's apology shows that Apple cares, but still needs to fix problem"?TUAW?12:18 PM
"The Macalope Weekly: From bad to worse"?Macworld?10:08 AM
"NYT: iOS Maps another internet services blunder for Apple"?AppleInsider?8:00 AM
"MacOS KenDensed: iPhone 5's First Week & that Maps Thing"?The Mac Observer?7:59 AM
"Hate to Say 'I Told You So', Where by 'Hate' I Mean 'Draw Great Satisfaction From'"?Daring Fireball?9/28
"Apple's genius Maps jiu-jitsu: the enemy of my enemy is my friend"?VentureBeat?9/28
"Examining Maps in the Wake of Tim Cook's Apology"?TidBITS?9/28
"Tim Cook's 'Mapology': No explanation of premature Maps launch"?CNET News?9/28
"Did Apple's Apology Scare Off iPhone 5 Buyers?"?CNBC?9/28
"Well Played On Maps, Apple. Your Move,?Google."?TechCrunch?9/28
"Apple Losing Its Sense of Direction"?WSJ Blogs?9/28
"Leaders Apologize"?Forbes?9/28
"Tim Cook open letter: We fell short with new Maps app; we are extremely sorry"?MacDailyNews?9/28
"Apple CEO Cook Posts Letter Apologizing For Buggy Maps"?Forbes?9/28
"CEO Tim Cook apologizes for 'falling short' on Apple Maps"?GigaOM?9/28
"Apple apologizes for iOS 6 maps"?BetaNews?9/28
"Tim Cook on Apple Maps: 'We Are Extremely Sorry'"?AllThingsD?9/28
This weekend, Microsoft launched four more permanent Microsoft Store locations; two in New York and one in New Hampshire and Delaware. Microsoft will keep the ball rolling on its retail store strategy in November with the official announcement of two more opening dates and locations.
The official Microsoft Store Facebook page has confirmed that the Microsoft Store in San Juan, Puerto Rico will open its doors on Thursday, November 1st. Microsoft will also open a new retail location in Cincinnati, Ohio one week later on Thursday, November 8th. Microsoft previously announced it would open a store in Toronto on November 16th, making it the first such store outside the US; Microsoft has a goal of opening 44 of these kinds of stores by mid-2013.
Earlier this month, Microsoft announced plans to open over 30 temporary retail stores across the US and Canada in order to sell Microsoft-based products for the 2012 fall and holiday shopping season. So far, there's no word from Microsoft on when any of these temporary "pop up" stores will launch or what products they will have on sale, although we would suspect the Surface tablet will be one of them.
Source: Microsoft Store Facebook page | Image via Microsoft
The iPhone app for Digg v1 has been updated to be a universal app for both iPhone and iPad. The iPad version offers the same version as the iPhone, just offers a more pleasant reading experience on the iPad's larger screen. Speaking of larger screens, this update does not include support for the iPhone 5's bigger display.
In addition to iPad support, Digg has added a "Reading Sync" feature that allows you to close the app in the middle of a store on one device and pick up where you left off on your other devices. You can also share articles via text and some of the UI elements have been simplified.
Have you used Digg for iPad, yet? The first thing I noticed is that scrolling through thumbnails of stories is a bit laggy. I'm snob when it comes to polished scrolling in apps, so this was enough for me to be turned off and close the app.
I?m back at Western Washington University for the year, and as some of you know, I?m studying industrial design.
For our first assignment we?re doing a project with a local bike company (you have two guesses). First step is researching how people store equipment while mountain biking. Classmates and I made a short survey about what riders carry with them, etc. Although this is WildSnow, it?s still kinda summer (and we?re still riding around here), so I figured some of you might be interested. It would be a great help if you would fill out our survey (it?s super short, I promise). I?ll post the results in a week or so.
If the embeded survey below isn?t working, click here to get to the same survey.
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2012 file photo, fisherman Renato Grbic steers his boat under the Pancevo Bridge over the Danube river in Belgrade, Serbia. Grbic has saved the lives of 25 people who attempted to kill themselves by jumping from a nearby bridge. Over the years, Grbic has rescued people of all ages, social background and gender. There were young girls, middle-aged women, younger or older men. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2012 file photo, fisherman Renato Grbic steers his boat under the Pancevo Bridge over the Danube river in Belgrade, Serbia. Grbic has saved the lives of 25 people who attempted to kill themselves by jumping from a nearby bridge. Over the years, Grbic has rescued people of all ages, social background and gender. There were young girls, middle-aged women, younger or older men. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
In this Sept. 18, 2012 photo fisherman Renato Grbic steers his boat near the Pancevo Bridge over the Danube river in Belgrade, Serbia. Grbic has saved the lives of 25 people who attempted to kill themselves by jumping from a nearby bridge. Over the years, Grbic has rescued people of all ages, social background and gender. There were young girls, middle-aged women, younger or older men. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
In this Sept. 18, 2012 photo fisherman Renato Grbic feeds swans near the Pancevo Bridge over the Danube river in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Sept 18, 2012. Grbic has saved the lives of 25 people who attempted to kill themselves by jumping from a nearby bridge. Over the years, Grbic has rescued people of all ages, social background and gender. There were young girls, middle-aged women, younger or older men. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
In this Sept. 18, 2012 photo fisherman Renato Grbic steers his boat near the Pancevo Bridge over the Danube river in Belgrade, Serbia. Grbic has saved the lives of 25 people who attempted to kill themselves by jumping from a nearby bridge. Over the years, Grbic has rescued people of all ages, social background and gender. There were young girls, middle-aged women, younger or older men. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
In this Sept. 18, 2012 photo fisherman Renato Grbic throws a net under the Pancevo Bridge over the Danube river in Belgrade, Serbia. Grbic has saved the lives of 25 people who attempted to kill themselves by jumping from a nearby bridge. Over the years, Grbic has rescued people of all ages, social background and gender. There were young girls, middle-aged women, younger or older men. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) ? On a bright autumn day, Renato Grbic was out fishing on the Danube with his brother when he heard a big splash. At first, he thought somebody had thrown something off the bridge.
Then he saw a man flailing in the water.
"We hurried and pulled the man out," Grbic recalls. "I remember telling him: Such a glorious day and you want to kill yourself!"
It was the first time Grbic saved a life. From that day 15 year ago, his own life would never be the same. The bright-eyed, tattooed restaurant owner from a shabby industrial zone on the outskirts of Belgrade has rescued 25 people who tried to kill themselves by jumping off the tall bridge over the Danube.
Always on alert in his little wooden motor boat, the burly 51-year-old has pulled people out of the river's muddy waters without asking for anything in return.
"I couldn't turn my back on them," Grbic said. "They are desperate people."
Grbic has been dubbed the "Superman of the Danube" by his admirers and awarded a hero's plaque by Belgrade city authorities. But even "Superman" can't save everybody who jumps off the 18-meter- (60-foot-) high bridge: At least as many as he had saved have killed themselves at the spot since Grbic's first rescue.
"When I hear that someone has jumped and I wasn't there I really feel bad," he said. "My eyes are always on the bridge."
The Pancevo bridge became a favored suicide spot because it's Belgrade's only bridge over the Danube, which is bigger and colder and has stronger underwater currents than the city's other river, the Sava.
The first person Grbic pulled out of the Danube turned out to be mental patient. Grbic took him ashore, gave him dry clothes, hot tea and cigarettes. Later, an ambulance came and took the man away.
"That was it," Grbic says. "He didn't speak, they never do."
Over the years, Grbic has rescued men and women of all ages and social backgrounds. Grbic remembers them all, but "they never return or call, they hardly ever say thank you."
Goran Penev, a researcher with Serbia's Institute of Social Sciences, said Serbia's suicide rate is at the upper side of the European average. Penev noted there was a sharp rise in the early 1990s, at the beginning of the wars in the former Yugoslavia, but the situation has been relatively stable ever since. In 2011, nearly 1,300 people in Serbia ? a country of 7 million people ? took their lives.
Grbic has found that some of the people he rescued suffered from cancer or other terminal illnesses, while others cited poverty or unrequited love.
All, he said, felt lonely.
"It is a cry for help," he said. "They often do it in daytime so they would be seen, they want attention, love."
Only a couple weeks ago, a 22-year-old girl threw herself off the bridge near Grbic's restaurant. He was there to pick her up and ask: "Why did you do it?"
"For my boyfriend," she replied. "Do you think he would do it for you?" he asked in return.
Grbic said the girl was conscious and clear-minded when he plucked her out of the water. In winter, however, it is a question of minutes before people will lose consciousness in the freezing Danube and drown.
On one of those days, in mid-January about seven years ago, Grbic was just preparing to turn his boat to the shore and go home ? when he heard a scream.
An 18-year-old woman going through a mental crisis had burst out of her parents' car at the bridge, taken off her jacket and jumped, shouting: "Goodbye mom!"
Grbic said something had made him stick around: "It was a very windy day, a few minutes later and I would have gone."
The girl, Grbic said, is the only one who has stayed in touch.
Every January she comes to his fish restaurant to celebrate her "second birthday." She is married now and has a child. Grbic was invited to the wedding reception.
"My heart leaps every time I see her," he said.
Grbic has little or no track of the others he saved. It would be nice, he says, if they came to tell him how they were over a brandy at his restaurant.
"I gave them a second chance and it was up to them to use it well."
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Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks with reporters in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. Patrick says he expects criminal charges will be brought in an investigation of misconduct by a state lab chemist who admitted faking drug sample results, forging signatures and skipping proper procedures. Patrick said he shut down the drug lab soon after learning of admissions chemist Annie Dookhan made during an interview with state police at the end of August. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks with reporters in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. Patrick says he expects criminal charges will be brought in an investigation of misconduct by a state lab chemist who admitted faking drug sample results, forging signatures and skipping proper procedures. Patrick said he shut down the drug lab soon after learning of admissions chemist Annie Dookhan made during an interview with state police at the end of August. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks with reporters in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. Patrick says he expects criminal charges will be brought in an investigation of misconduct by a state lab chemist who admitted faking drug sample results, forging signatures and skipping proper procedures. Patrick said he shut down the drug lab soon after learning of admissions chemist Annie Dookhan made during an interview with state police at the end of August. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks with reporters in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. Patrick says he expects criminal charges will be brought in an investigation of misconduct by a state lab chemist who admitted faking drug sample results, forging signatures and skipping proper procedures. Patrick said he shut down the drug lab soon after learning of admissions chemist Annie Dookhan made during an interview with state police at the end of August. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
BOSTON (AP) ? Chemist Annie Dookhan was "Superwoman," a colleague at a Massachusetts state crime lab used to joke. She seemed unstoppable in her quest to please prosecutors, police and her bosses, testing two to three times more drug samples than anyone else, working through lunch and not bothering to put in for overtime.
"The kind of person, if you owned your own business, you would want to hire her," a supervisor would later tell police.
At least as far back as four years ago, some colleagues and higher-ups had their suspicions about the way she seemed to plow through so many cases so fast. One supervisor complained he never actually saw her in front of a microscope. But her superiors let her work on.
Now, the startling explanation has come spilling out: Dookhan told investigators she faked test results on drug samples and cut other corners.
The scandal has created a legal morass of monumental proportions, with tens of thousands of drug cases in Massachusetts thrown into jeopardy.
Dookhan, 34, is still under investigation by the state attorney general and has not been charged, and investigators have offered no motive for the fakery. She has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
The fallout could be huge.
Gov. Deval Patrick ordered a shutdown last month of the Boston lab, and the scandal has led to a firing and two resignations, including that of the state public health commissioner, whose department oversaw the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute before it was transferred to the Massachusetts State Police over the summer.
A war room of sorts is being assembled to pick through Dookhan's cases and determine which ones have been compromised.
Law enforcement officials say Dookhan tested more than 60,000 drug samples involving 34,000 defendants in her nine years at the lab. More than a dozen defendants are already back on the streets as authorities try to determine whether Dookhan's actions tainted the evidence in their cases, and more could be sprung. Authorities say more than 1,100 inmates are doing time based at least in part on Dookhan's work.
"It's incalculable the damage she's done ... not to say all the time, money and energy it's going to take the commonwealth," said defense attorney Bernie Grossberg, who has already had one client get out of prison and is being inundated with calls from others.
It remains to be seen if any lab supervisors face criminal consequences.
The governor said Thursday it was troubling that Dookhan and her supervisors "did not seem to understand the gravity" of her actions.
"I fully expect, and indeed I will say I hope that there are charges, and I think that all of those who are accountable for the impact on individual cases need to be held accountable," Patrick said.
The governor has not said how much money he expects the state will have to spend dealing with the crisis, but on Thursday his budget chief, Jay Gonzalez, wrote to district attorneys, court administrators and other state officials asking for an initial estimate of the costs expected as a result of the lab breach.
The letter also seeks a description of the "scope, nature and timing" of the anticipated work.
Dookhan's alleged confession and the missed warning signs were detailed in state police reports obtained this week by The Associated Press.
As early as 2008, a supervisor noticed Dookhan's testing numbers were high. He spoke to her superior, but nothing happened. In 2009, the supervisor took his concerns to another superior, saying he never saw Dookhan in front of a microscope.
In 2010, a supervisor did an audit of Dookhan's paperwork but didn't retest any of her samples. The audit found nothing wrong. The same year, a fellow chemist found seven instances where Dookhan incorrectly identified a drug sample as a certain narcotic when it was something else. He told himself it was an honest mistake.
In one incident detailed by state police, a lab employee witnessed Dookhan weighing drug samples without doing a balance check on her scale.
Dookhan was handling a staggering number of samples. An average chemist could test 50 to 150 samples a month, but Dookhan was doing more than 500, according to monthly reports, a lab employee told police later.
At one point in 2011, a top official even gave Dookhan a special project to try to slow her down.
Other lab employees worried about their own jobs and their prospects for promotion because their productivity wasn't as high as Dookhan's.
She was eventually suspended from lab duties after getting caught forging a colleague's initials on paperwork in mid-2011. Dookhan resigned last March as the Public Health Department investigated.
Over the summer, police interviewed Dookhan at her home, and she admitted faking test results for two to three years, forging signatures and skipping proper procedures, according to the reports.
Dookhan said she cheated by "dry labbing," or identifying a drug sample as a narcotic by looking at it instead of testing it. She said she routinely tested only five out of every 25 samples, and deliberately turned a negative sample into a positive for narcotics a few times.
At least one defense attorney has also accused her of overstating the weight of some of the seized drugs to expose defendants to heavier penalties.
Dookhan told police she just wanted to the get the work done and never meant to hurt anybody.
"I screwed up big-time," she was quoted as saying. "I messed up bad, it's my fault. I don't want the lab to get in trouble."
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