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Steven Seagal’s under siege and up a creek: Five more women have reportedly come forward to accuse the star of sexual harassment after his former assistant Kayden Nguyen sued Seagal in a Los Angeles courtroom this week for treating her like a sex slave.

Kayden Nguyen, a 23-year-old model, sued Seagal for $1 million on Monday in Los Angeles, alleging he sexually harassed her and engaged in sex trafficking. Nguyen says Seagal, 58, sexually assaulted her twice and hired sex slaves who were on call 24 hours a day. She claims that her famous boss demanded she give him massages alongside a naked “attendant” before she fled his Louisiana home last fall.

“Ms Nguyen’s claims are not going away. Five other victims called me yesterday,” William Waldo, an attorney for the first accuser, remarked to London’s The Sun Thursday.

Seagal’s lawyer calls the sex abuse claims “absurd.”

On Wednesday, Seagal’s reality TV show — Steven Seagal: Lawman — was suspended as the actor faces the sexual harassment allegations.

Something’s rebounding — Japanese steel product orders soar 56.3% in February.

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If you’re health conscious and worried about putting on wait on your next Scandinavian visit, make sure you reside at the Danish hotel, The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers; you’ll probably help generate some electricity by doing so. Confused are you? The hotel had an innovative brainwave and installed to exercise bikes that guests are invited to use after meals or whenever they feel the need to exercise. These bikes are hooked up to an energy generation system to generate electricity.

That’s not all. Produce 10 watts or more of power, and you win yourself a free meal, probably so that you hop on the bike after your meal again to burn off calories and produce more energy. And no, they weren’t talking about a snack bar meal. The meal you could win yourself is worth $44, according to hotel spokeswoman Frederikke Tommergaard, though only offered to people residing at the hotel and not passers-by. Sounds like an innovative vicious trick to get the health conscious produce electricity.

[Reuters]

You may be asking yourself: do I really need a golf cart that costs more than most cars? The answer is no, but don’t you feel better knowing that you live in a world that has a golf cart priced at a cool $52,000?

Designed exclusively for the world’s greatest luxury show Top Marques Monaco 2010, The Garia Soleil de Minuit is the most expensive golf car ever made by a manufacturer.

Made at the same factory as the Porsche Cayman and the Porsche Boxster, the Garia is the ultimate European luxury golf cart.

The Garia Edition Soleil de Minuit features a carbon roof, one-of-a-kind custom paint tailored to enhance all design features on The Garia, two-colored hand-stitched luxury seats, alcantara roof lining and numerous hand-made details to create a truly unique luxury golf car.

The base price for a Garia starts at $17,499 (excl. delivery and taxes). Luxury upgrades include a built-in refrigerator and an exclusive personalization program where you can choose to have The Garia painted in your favorite color or matched to your other cars. Add up all the luxury upgrades and you’re looking at over $50,000.

The Garia features a double wishbone front suspension similar to those found in sports cars and inspired by Formula 1. The drive train is built by an Italian company that also produces Ducati gearboxes, and the aluminum profiles in the frame are made by the same company that supplies aluminum profiles to Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo.

Related posts:

1. Golf Ball Launcher Turns You Into Tiger Woods (Sort Of)
2. Bra Doubles As Golf Putting Green
3. The $12 Million Car

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010

In the morning, the President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing the Oval Office. This briefing is closed press. The President will then meet with Secretary of Labor Solis and Mine Safety and Health Administrator Main in the Oval Office. This meeting is closed press. Following the meeting, the President will deliver remarks on mine safety in the Rose Garden. This event is open press.

The President will later travel to Cape Canaveral, Florida, where he will tour a commercial rocket processing facility at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and deliver remarks on the bold new course the Administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human space flight at the Kennedy Space Center. There will be travel pool coverage of the tour. The President’s remarks are open press.

In the evening, the President will travel to Miami, where he will attend a DNC fundraiser at a private residence and deliver remarks at a DNC fundraiser at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. There will be travel pool coverage of the President’s remarks at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The President will return to Washington, DC at night. The arrival on the South Lawn is open press.

Also tomorrow, the White House will post the 2009 tax returns of the President and First Lady and Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden. The tax returns will be posted on the White House blog at www.WhiteHouse.gov/blog and released midday tomorrow.

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: NBC
Print: Politico
Radio: CBS

Out-of-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: NBC
Print: Washington Post
Radio: NPR

EDT

9:30AM In-Town Travel Pool Call Time

9:30AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:15AM THE PRESIDENT meets with Secretary of Labor Solis and Mine Safety and Health Administrator Main
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:50AM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on mine safety
Rose Garden
Open Press (Pre-set 9:50AM – Final Gather 10:20AM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

11:20AM THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route Andrews Air Force Base
South Lawn
Open Press (Pre-set immediately following Rose Garden remarks – Final Gather 11:10AM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

11:35AM THE PRESIDENT departs Andrews Air Force Base en route Cape Canaveral, Florida
Out-of-Town Travel Pool (Call Time 10:15AM – Virginia Gate, Andrews Air Force Base)

1:30PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Cape Canaveral, Florida
NASA Shuttle Landing Facility
Open Press

1:55PM THE PRESIDENT tours a commercial rocket processing facility
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Travel Pool Coverage

2:50PM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on the bold new course the Administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human space flight
Kennedy Space Center
Open Press

3:45PM THE PRESIDENT departs Cape Canaveral, Florida en route Miami, Florida
NASA Shuttle Landing Facility
Open Press

4:40PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Miami, Florida
Miami International Airport
Open Press

5:00PM THE PRESIDENT attends DNC fundraiser
Private Residence
Closed Press

7:10PM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at DNC fundraiser
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
Travel Pool Coverage

7:50PM THE PRESIDENT departs Miami, Florida en route Andrews Air Force Base
Miami International Airport
Open Press

9:55PM THE PRESIDENT arrives at Andrews Air Force Base
Out-of-Town Travel Pool

10:10PM THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House
South Lawn
Open Press (Pre-set 9:40PM – Final Gather 9:55PM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

Briefing Schedule

Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton will gaggle aboard Air Force One

##

Former adult film star Jenna Jameson is recording her debut album. In a new interview with Ladiez Night, the mother of two revealed her plan to take the pop charts by storm and hopes the fans that are more used to hearing her moan on video than croon on wax will be able to embrace her as a singer.

She can’t be worse than Heidi Montag!

“I got involved with singing early on while living in Vegas. I was a member of a play company that required everyone to sing and dance. I always loved dancing, and was classically trained, but singing was something I really never pursued. Now that I am finally pursuing it, I am extremely excited, and a little nervous. I do my best work when I’m nervous…I’m not sure if this is going to be a second career, I think that depends on whether my fans accept me as a singer, and by my music. So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

I contend, as readers of these posts know, that being a Red Sox fan is helpful training for the profession of arms control. So, too, is gardening.

At the ripe old age of 68, Thomas Jefferson wrote,

I have often thought that if heaven had given me a choice of my position and calling, it should have been on a rich spit of earth, well watered, and near a good market for the productions of the garden. No occupation is as delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden. Such a variety of subjects, some one always coming to perfection, the failure of one thing repaired by the success of another… But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.

Arms control, like gardening, is a deeply imperfect enterprise, riddled with false hopes, less-than-anticipated results, and endless frustration. Success, when it occurs, can be fleeting; real triumphs build up over time, and are greatly cherished. Positive outcomes are balm for the soul. But one can’t be in this line of work for the percentages.

Spring evokes great possibilities for the garden. The weeding comes later. Optimism and perseverance are keys to the twin enterprises of arms control and gardening; when mulched with pragmatism and experience, the results become more rewarding. Cynicism and defeatism do not improve soil quality, nor do they reduce nuclear dangers.

I am beholden to Janet Lembke for introducing me to Jefferson’s quote. Her book, Touching Earth, ends with the following lines:

Touching earth is a potent metaphor for renewing strength in all endeavors… It is also an act capable of restoring vitality, of healing … What Jefferson says is gospel. The body ages, but the spirit retains a youthful resilience. Touching earth is more effective than any fountain of youth or cucumber poultice for keeping the senses vigorous and encouraging the sweet rage of imagination. As he says, perfection is ever imminent, and success does repair failure. Best of all, hope springs ever green, ever seductive in the gardener’s heart.

I am living proof of the restorative powers of touching earth, here at the base of Tom Mountain in the Blue Ridge. We have cows for neighbors across the road.

MIAMI-  In the most accurate snap-shot yet of one of America’s most watched  2010 races, a new Quinnipiac poll out this morning solidifies Marco Rubio’s large lead in the Florida GOP primary, but shows that Gov.Charlie Crist’s best chance at winning the Senate seat may be as an independent.

Rubio has opened up a wide, 23-point lead over his opponent Crist with 5 months to go to the Republican primary, according to the survey. However, in a 3-way race with Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek, Crist — running as an independent –would edge out both  Rubio, and Meek. If Crist were to file as an independent for the general election, he would get 32 percent of the vote, compared to Rubio’s 30 percent and Meek’s 24 percent, according to Quinnipiac.

FULL QUINNIPIAC RELEASE:

RUBIO TOPS CRIST BY 23 POINTS IN FLORIDA GOP SENATE RACE, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS; CRIST AS INDEPENDENT HAS SLIGHT EDGE IN 3-WAY RACE

Marco Rubio has opened up an elephant-sized 56 – 33 percent lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida’s U.S. Senate Republican primary, but in a three-way general election with Rubio on the GOP line, Crist as an independent and Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, Crist has a razor-thin edge, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Gov. Crist leads Meek 48 – 34 percent in a general election matchup, while Rubio’s margin over the Democrat is just 42 – 38 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. If Crist were to file as an independent for the general election, he would get 32 percent of the vote, compared to Rubio’s 30 percent and Meek’s 24 percent. Rubio, the former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, has virtually reversed the numbers from last June when he trailed Gov. Crist 54 – 23 percent. He has increased his lead 20 points from a January 26 poll when he edged Crist 47 – 44 percent.

“Anything is possible in politics and we have a long way to go until the August primary, but Rubio’s surge against a sitting governor from his own party is similar to Ned Lamont’s Democratic primary win over Sen. Joseph Lieberman in Connecticut in 2006,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

“A year ago, many observers questioned Rubio’s sanity for potentially risking his bright future by what most at the time considered a quixotic quest. “Gov. Crist appears a great deal more viable in a November three-way than he is against Rubio in a Republican primary. But having already ruled out an independent candidacy, he would have to reverse himself by the end of the month due to the filing deadline,” said Brown.

“Such a public reversal might be politically harmful to the governor, but perhaps not compared to his chances against Rubio at this point,” Brown added. In a three-way general election:

• Crist would get 30 percent of Republicans, 27 percent of Democrats and 38 percent of independent voters;

• Rubio would receive 64 percent of GOP votes, 5 percent from Democrats and 29 percent of independents:

• Meek, a congressman from South Florida, would get 55 percent of Democratic votes, 15 percent of independents and no Republicans. Meek is much less known than either of the Republicans with 73 percent of voters not knowing enough about him to rate him either favorably or unfavorably.

•Rubio is rated favorably by 36 percent; unfavorably by 22 percent and 41 percent don’t have an opinion. Crist is viewed favorably by 48 percent, unfavorably by 35 percent and just 13 percent don’t know enough about him to have an opinion. The size of Rubio’s lead over Gov. Crist in a GOP primary is buttressed by a number of other questions. By 54 – 30 percent, registered Republicans, who are the only ones allowed to vote in a GOP primary, say they trust Rubio more than Crist to do in office what he promises in the campaign. By 56 – 32 percent, they say Rubio more than Crist shares their values and by a 59 – 27 percent margin, they cite Rubio as more consistently conservative than Crist.

“If Crist remains in the GOP primary, and absent the type of game-changing scandal of which there is no sign, the Governor faces the political equivalent of climbing a 90-degree mountain,” said Brown. “But in a three-way, he has a possible path to the U.S. Senate.” Florida’s two sitting U.S. Senators, Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican George LeMieux, get job approval ratings of 43 – 30 percent and a split 20 – 21 percent respectively.

From April 8 – 13, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,250 Florida voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points. The survey includes 497 Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points.

In the next few decades, by the year 2050, you probably won’t see fossil fuel plants and nuclear energy plants in Europe anymore that currently satisfy 55% and 30% of electricity needs respectively. What you probably will come across though are vast solar plants in Southern Europe and Africa’s arid desserts, hydro energy plants of Scandinavia and the European Alps, onshore and offshore wind farms in the Baltic and North Sea and biomass generation across Europe.

This overhauling of the European grid, a plan referred to as the SuperSmartGrid, will have Europe completely powered by renewable energy sources in the next few decades. If all works out as planned, the continent of Europe will go a shade greener and will be a truly eco-friendly place to live in.

[Techvert]

Methinks Michael Lohan has Twitter confused for one of those websites where gay gentlemen go for hookups. Grindr.com anyone? Why else would Lindsay Lohan’s dad post these shirtless pics to his account.

Which one is making us squeal in horror more – the shirtless pic or the shirt itself?

And even funnier than the pics themselves are the comments from Michael’s followers. Gotta love The Lohans, they just make it so easy to make fun of them.

	Aptera 2e moves forward, eyes set on X Prize Silence is broken.		SAE 2010: General Motors investigating battery electric urban commuter for 2015 and beyond Megacities need love, too.
	Honda unveils EV-neo, promises Japanese sales in 2010 We wish it were the electric Cub instead, but nobody asked us for our opinion.	Other news: Coda confirms Los Angeles county as site for electric sedan’s final assembly Envision Motor Company to launch with trio of electric vehicles GM invests $8 million to double size of high-tech battery lab

AutoblogGreen for 04.15.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[JURIST] Italy’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of the country’s ban on same-sex marriage. After hearing arguments from several same-sex couples who had been denied marriage licenses, courts in Trento and Venice asked the high court to resolve whether provisions in the Italian Civil Code banning same-sex marriage conflict with Articles 2 and 117 of the Italian Constitution. Following a closed session Wednesday morning, the court issued a brief statement declaring the question ineligible with regard to Articles 2 and 117 and unfounded with relation to Articles 3 and 29. The court is expected to issue a detailed judgment soon.
In 2007, Italy’s Cabinet approved a controversial proposal to grant a number of legal rights to unmarried couples, including those of the same sex. The proposal, harshly criticized by the country’s justice minister and bishop, ultimately failed. Italy is one of few Western European nations that does not offer legal recognition to same-sex couples. Most recently, the Portugese Parliament legalized same-sex marriage in January. Prior to that, the Swedish Parliament enacted similar legislation in April 2009.

Ed Kelley doesn’t have your typical desk job. He’s got a computer, yes, though he readily admits he doesn’t much care for it. And he has a window, though it’s not for glimpsing the incoming spring, but rather the thousands of visitors to the Malkin Athletic Complex (MAC) or Hemenway Gym, where Kelley is dually employed. Those fitness seekers aren’t just strangers passing by. They’re his friends.

“You call this a job?” says Kelley, who swipes IDs, makes sure the towels are folded and stacked, and opens the gyms most mornings at daybreak. “My main job is to tease everyone.”

And he does. “I just want to warn you,” Kelley tells an incoming swimmer, “the water is wet.” Someone asks for a Band-Aid. “Fifty cents,” he says seriously, and then quips, “Harvard needs the money.”

Kelley, who turned 78 on April 12, has a mind that’s sharp as a whip — “like a computer,” he says of his memory. “You remember all the good things and let the bad things fade away.”

He greets everyone, remembers their names, jobs, and concentrations; he asks about newborn babies, family members. Gym-goers sometimes bring their children in to meet him.

Kelley has worked at Harvard since 1959, where he started out running linotype machines on a job that was supposed to last just 90 days. But Kelley, it seems, was meant for Harvard. He quickly became full time, and then the computer came along.

That milestone, according to Kelley, happened in 1982, when he was given the choice to leave or pursue something else. He became a foreman, overseeing Harvard’s grounds. That was a pivotal point in Kelley’s life. “Doing linotype, I didn’t see or talk to people,” he recalls. “When I came out on the grounds, it was a different world.” Kelley met students, faculty, and community members, and enjoyed talking to them until he retired in 1999.

But then he got bored. “Real bored,” he says. And he couldn’t stay away from campus. One chance day strolling through Hemenway, Kelley was offered a job opening the gyms in the morning. He couldn’t refuse.

“To me, it’s not a job, it’s an education. I talk to different people from all over the world every day. We have a saying over at the Hemenway Gym: When the kids come in the morning, we have to get a smile out of them to get them going.”

Around the five o’clock hour each morning, you can find Kelley walking to work. “A mile and a half to the MAC” from his home in Somerville, he points out, “but it’s a mile and a quarter to Hemenway.”

“I walk in the snow, rain — doesn’t matter to me,” he says. “When you get to be my age and these eyes open up in the morning, it’s a good day.”

Kelley says all his earnings from his gym gigs go to spoiling his eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He has been married to the same woman for 55 years, a fact he proudly proclaims. Each summer the pair travel to Maine, and come September they jet away to Aruba, where they own a timeshare.

“My wife always tells me to be quiet,” he laughs. “But no matter where I go, I talk to everyone.”

It’s Tax Day!

Accountants everywhere are rejoicing that they can see the light at the end of the tunnel of their busy season.

But if you’re one of the people who still hasn’t finished their taxes, you’re probably scrambling to make sure everything is done and filed by today’s deadline.

If you don’t get your taxes paid on time, you could be fined or get hit with failure-to-pay penalties. The IRS offers some great tips on how to avoid that, including electronic and installment payment options.

You can also request an extension to file through the IRS e-file system. That extension will give you until October 15 to file your tax return. The catch is that if you owe money, your payment is due today.

I put my tax stuff in the mail a few weeks ago, but I have some friends who are still tying up the loose ends on their returns.

Are you an early tax filer or do you wait until the last minute?

Might We Suggest…

• Rumor: Nexus One getting major OTA update soon?
  Phandroid has pointed out a very interesting rumor circulating amongst the French. According to Smartphone France, the Nexus One is set to receive an over-the-air update in the coming days. The site s…

The Hills’ Heidi Montag is plotting a lawsuit against Adam DiVello, the creator of the MTV docu-soap who stands accused of sexually harassing the aspiring actress and singer.

Montag claims she was inappropriately groped by DiVello following the 10 plastic surgery procedures she underwent to change her figure and her face last year. The alleged incident took place during a cast photo shoot to promote the sixth and final season of The Hills approximately two weeks ago, an insider close to Heidi tells Life & Style Magazine.

“Adam came up to her from behind and grabbed her with one hand on her stomach and one hand directly on her butt cheek,” the insider claims. “Heidi had six bodyguards with her. They took his hand off her and moved him away from the situation.”

Snoops say Heidi has been “creeped out” by DiVello for a while and has vowed to exhaust all legal options against her boss. Of course, her Hills co-stars — including former bestie Lauren Conrad — have placed their support firmly behind Adam.

Conrad, who The Hills was built around before she left the reality show at the end of its fifth season, issued a statement in support of DiVello on Wednesday:

“Similar to most of my fellow MTV castmates, I am in utter shock at the allegations made against Adam DiVello. Not only are they completely absurd but they are 100% without merit. Adam is a true professional and a wonderful person to work for.”

MTV is also standing by the producer: “We have looked into this matter and the allegations made against Adam DiVello are completely false and without merit. Adam not only created ‘The Hills’ and ‘The City,’ launching the careers of several cast members, but has worked diligently to maintain a respectful and appropriate production environment.”

Fellow Hills star Lauren “Lo” Bosworth took to her Twitter account to blast Heidi’s story:

“I’ll repeat it: no one is/has ever been assaulted during filming of our show. hey spiedi, do you know the definition of slander? NOT OKAY,” she wrote.

With 55 million new tweets every day, there is starting to be a need to preserve the increasing amount of data that Twitter generates. Now, you’re probably thinking that the vast majority of tweets can’t possibly be worth preserving, but it’s not just the value of the individual tweets that’s importa… (read more)

Production on Steven Seagal’s popular A&E reality show, Steven Seagal: Lawman has been halted as the actor-turned-cop fights allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him by a lesbian who uses “sex appeal to manipulate men.”

Lawman follows the Under Siege actor in his work as a reserve police deputy in suburban Louisiana, but Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand believes the series would be a “distraction for the department” in light of allegations made against the action star in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles this week.

“I did not think it would be in our best interest to continue filming at the present time,” Normand said.

Kayden Nguyen, 23, claims the Steven sexually harrassed her and engaged in sex trafficking while she worked as an assistant for him in 2009. Nguyen, who was flown to live in Seagal’s house in Louisiana, claims the actor repeatedly fondled and groped her without permission. She also alleges two other women were kept at the house and were used by the actor for sexual purposes.

In related news, Nguyen appeared on The Tyra Banks Show last winter, where she admitted that she uses her body “to trick men.”

Article Tags: ClimateGate

CLIMATE scientists who are accused of ­manipulating research to prove that global warming is caused by man, failed to get their data analysed by experts, an inquiry has found.

An international panel of scientists reviewing the “climategate” scandal at the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit said it was “very ­surprising” the team had not collaborated with professional statisticians despite relying on statistical methods.

The review was ordered after leaked emails appeared to show scientists exaggerating data to support the ­theory of man-made climate change.

Climate-change sceptics also accused the unit’s director, Professor Phil Jones, of trying to hide the data by refusing to answer requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

The review, led by Lord Oxburgh, said the potential for misleading data was “very great” and recommended the unit improved its record-keeping.

It said: “It is very surprising that research in an area that depends so heavily on statistical ­methods has not been carried out in close collaboration with professional statisticians.”

Source: express.co.uk

Read in full with comments »   

AT&T is apparently “miffed” that a recent report from a research firm said that it carries less data traffic on its mobile network than either Verizon or Sprint. Meanwhile, the rest of us are trying to figure out exactly why the company cares so much. AT&T has been much maligned for its network’s inability to keep up with iPhone users’ data (and sometimes, voice) demands; perhaps the company is concerned that ranking third in overall data traffic will somehow push the perception that its network is underpowered even further. AT&T’s own analysis of mobile data traffic shows it carries more than half of US mobile users’ data, it says — which is great. But that figure doesn’t matter much to an iPhone user who can’t connect to the network or whose device doesn’t live up to their expectations because of spotty coverage. And those users’ stories are probably much more persuasive among consumers than some pretty meaningless stats.

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