C. Michael Sturgeon, PhD

Book Review of The Final Summit; by Andy Andrews

cmsturgeon — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:45:14 +0000

The Final Summit is presented as a story of one that travels back in time. This person, the time traveling character, goes by the name of David Ponder. This character is also in the book, “The Traveler’s Gift.” David Ponder, now in “The Final Summit,” meets some of the world’s most amazing and brilliant people that many refer to as heroes or game changers. There is a need for a solution to the problems that the world has created and Ponder meets these heroes of a long time past to possible find the way out of the situation(s) the world is in, and he only has a certain amount of time. So as to not spoil the story, it is best to stop sharing the details. The Final Summit is well written and holds attention especially for those into historical characters. As mankind’s last chance, only one solution can “fix” the circumstances. As time is running out, David Ponder and numerous historical characters seek to find this answer before it is too late.

Readers encounter Andrews enthralling description with history in order to show the one thing that must take place when one simply does not know what to do. As things are looking their darkest, Ponder is informed through divine channels that he is needed. The Final Summit brings the reader to a point of self-exploration through the looking glasses of the historically confirmed values that have guided some of the greatest leaders known. For some, this read may help ask and evaluate the question, “how might we restore the principles once held high, in our own lives?”

Trusting PayPal

cmsturgeon — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:38:14 +0000

This is a clipping of a site that contains many complaints and horror stories of PayPal.
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According to the San Francisco Chronicle, there are approx. 100,000 complaints outstanding at PayPal (Are any of these yours?). In many instances disputes can run on for months leaving people frustrated and out of pocket as they are unable to access their accounts. So what happens to the millions of dollars tied up in frozen accounts and disputes? Well, here is a clip from the San Francisco Chronicle that basically sums it up:

U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel of San Jose refused to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks class-action status on behalf of thousands of PayPal customers nationwide. A common allegation is that the company brushes off or stalls customer grievances for months and meanwhile freezes the customer’s account and pockets the interest (So that’s how they make their money!). No wonder they freeze so many accounts!

The Lawsuit You Need To Know About

As you will come to discover while browsing through the many horror stories posted on this site by current and former PayPal users, PayPal has some tough allegations to deal with. Allegations of mishandling money, unnecessarily locking funds, not providing adequate customer support, freezing accounts with no explanation and disregarding customer complaints, just to name a few.

In early 2002, Plaintiffs Roberta Toher and Jeffrey Resnick filed separate lawsuits against PayPal, Inc. These two cases were later consolidated into one lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

The lawsuit alleges, among several other issues, that PayPal has placed inappropriate restrictions or other limits on customers’ accounts and engaged in several other improper practices. Based on these improper practices, the lawsuit sought damages for money unjustly held, negligence, and violations of consumer protection statutes.

Rather than dealing with a lengthy public trial and being forced to clean up their act, PayPal decided to settle out of court and pay $9.25 Million Dollars to Tens of Thousands of PayPal merchants who processed with PayPal between October 1, 1999 and January 31, 2004. (A mere slap on the hand for a company this size)

Instead of a Judge forcing PayPal to change their questionable business practices, PayPal agreed to pay the settlement and walk away from the entire allegation.

So what does this mean to current PayPal merchants? Unfortunately, this means that PayPal is free to continue operating in the exact same way it always has. Judging by the number of PayPal horror stories we receive every single day, it appears that the situation has only gotten worse since the settlement.

We highly suggest getting a Real Merchant Account to avoid becoming another PayPal horror story.
Read more here http://www.paypalwarning.com/

ERIC – Education Resources Information Center

cmsturgeon — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:48:46 +0000

Shared ERIC Search

Since its creation in 2004, Facebook has become one of the most frequently visited websites on college campuses. Because of this rise in popularity, the subject of social networking has grown as an idea and concern for both faculty members and students. At Lee University, it has been…

via ERIC – Education Resources Information Center.

Windows 8 Screenshots Leak New Features | Windows 8 News

cmsturgeon — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:34:55 +0000

Windows 8 Screenshots Leak New Features

The leaked screenshots of the Windows 8 operating system so far did not reveal new features. Most showed build numbers, some minor user interface corrections. New screenshots have been leaked today by the Chinese news site Win7China which for the first time displayed new elements and features of the upcoming operating system.

A total of three screenshots have been posted. Two show the taskbar and system tray, the remaining one part of the user profile directory. Lets take a closer look at each of the screenshots. Please note that we tried our best to identify the features by carefully examining the screenshots and using machine translation of the news post on the Chinese website.

The first screenshot shows the Windows 8 system tray area. The core addition is the profile picture next to the system tray. According to the information on the Chinese site, these can be local or Windows Live ID accounts. It basically means that users can make use of their Windows Live ID to log into Windows 8. It is likely that additional features of the integration will be revealed at a later time. One possible scenario is to link backup or cloud based storage with a user’s Live ID.

via Windows 8 Screenshots Leak New Features | Windows 8 News.

5 Unique Ideas for Portrait Photography – Take the Best Portrait Pictures with These Tips!

cmsturgeon — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 03:05:35 +0000

Think there is already “enough” digital portrait photography in the world? Well there’s more than enough room for at least two more digital portrait photographers – me and YOU. The “catch” is though, that you’ll have to come up with some unique, seldom-seen ways to do the portraits. If your portrait photography is even just a bit “different” from the rest of the “photogs” around town, then – Bam!, you’ve carved out a niche for yourself and your camera.

How about trying a few of these unique slants on your digital portrait photography for starters?

via 5 Unique Ideas for Portrait Photography – Take the Best Portrait Pictures with These Tips!.

Welcome to the Doc’s Site

cmsturgeon — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:19:27 +0000

This site is my personal and somewhat yet professional site. This site entails information about my works, my areas or research interest, my curriculum vita, and courses that I teach at Lee University. Quite often, I find that either my students or those I meet at conferences seek to find more information pertaining to my studies and/or teaching. I want this site to fulfill those needs, and yet have a place where I can link to my photography work, my personal interests and family, and simply a place to blog / journal. Please take your time and check out my site. Enjoy !