The TomTom XXL 540TM is a midrange personal?GPS?navigation device that offers good value. You get all the usual features that are expected nowadays, such as text-to-speech, a 3D map view, and a 480-by-272-pixel, 5-inch resistive touch screen with animated map graphics.
The XXL 540TM measures 3.1 by 4.7 by 1.0 inches (HWD); note that the depth figure looks high but includes the EasyPort mount. The XXL 540TM?comes complete with free lifetime map updates and traffic reports.
As a rule,?TomTom devices also offer informative displays during navigation, as well as accurate, adaptive routing thanks to TomTom's IQ Routes feature. POI search is a little clumsier than with Garmin units, though. We didn't review the XXL 540TM specifically, but we did test the very similar XXL 550TM; we found it to be a great deal for the price, which has fallen even further since the time of our original review.
More GPS Device reviews: ??? TomTom GO LIVE 1535M ??? Garmin StreetPilot Onboard 1.0 (for iPhone) ??? OnStar FMV ??? TomTom 1.8 (for iPhone) ??? TeleNav GPS Plus (for iPhone) ?? more
ATLANTA ? A defiant Herman Cain suspended his faltering bid for the Republican presidential nomination Saturday amid a drumbeat of sexual misconduct allegations against him, throwing his staunchly conservative supporters up for grabs with just one month to go before the lead-off caucuses in Iowa.
Cain condemned the accusations as "false and unproven" but said they had been hurtful to his family, particularly his wife, Gloria, and were drowning out his ability to deliver his message. His wife stood behind him on the stage, smiling and waving as the crowd chanted her name.
"So as of today, with a lot of prayer and soul-searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distractions and the continued hurt caused on me and my family," a tired-looking Cain told about 400 supporters.
Cain's announcement came five days after an Atlanta-area woman, Ginger White, claimed she and Cain had an affair for more than a decade, a claim that followed several allegations of sexual harassment against the Georgia businessman.
"Now, I have made many mistakes in life. Everybody has. I've made mistakes professionally, personally, as a candidate, in terms of how I run my campaign. And I take responsibility for the mistakes I've made, and I have been the very first to own up to any mistakes I've made," he said.
But Cain intoned: "I am at peace with my God. I am at peace with my wife. And she is at peace with me."
White's attorney said a in statement after the announcement that Cain had disparaged his client and should apologize. Cain had called her a "troubled Atlanta businesswoman" whom he had tried to help.
"We continue to encourage Mr. Cain to retract these statements and apologize for the way he has characterized these women in the media," Buckley said. Cain's campaign had no immediate response.
Cain's announcement provides a new twist in what has already been a volatile Republican race. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has, so far, been the biggest beneficiary of Cain's precipitous slide. Polls show Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney atop the field in what is shaping up as a two-man race heading into early voting states.
But others, such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, will likely make a strong play for Cain's anti-establishment tea party backing as they look to rise as a viable alternative to Romney, whose conservative credentials are suspect in some GOP circles.
Cain said he would offer an endorsement, and his former rivals were quick to issue statements on Saturday praising his conservative ideals and grassroots appeal.
At a tea party rally in Staten Island, Gingrich praised Cain for bringing optimism and big ideas to the race.
"He had the courage to launch the 9-9-9 plan, which, whether you liked it or disliked it, was a big idea and started to elevate the debate toward big solutions and not the usual nitpicking, consultant-driven negativity," Gingrich said. He was referring to Cain's catchy but controversial plan to scrap the current tax code for a 9 percent tax on personal and corporate income as well as a new 9 percent national sales tax.
Some disappointed Cain supporters were clearly in search of a candidate on Saturday following his withdrawal.
"I don't know where I will go now," Janet Edwards, 52, said following Cain's announcement. "I guess I have to start looking at the rest of them."
Cain told supporters he planned to continue his efforts to influence Washington and announced "Plan B" ? what he called a grassroots effort to return government to the people.
"I am not going to be silenced, and I am not going away. And therefore, as of today, Plan B," he said.
Plan B includes formation of TheCainSolutions.com, which he described as a grassroots effort to bring government back to the people. It would also continue to push his signature 9-9-9 plan.
Cain's announcement was a remarkable turnabout for a man that just weeks ago vaulted out of nowhere to the top of the GOP field, propelled by a populist, outsider appeal and his tax overhaul plan.
Saturday's event was a bizarre piece of political theater even for a campaign that has seemed to thrive on defying convention.
Cain marked the end of his bid at what was supposed to be the grand opening of his new campaign headquarters in Atlanta. Minutes before he took the stage to pull the plug, aides and supporters took to the podium to urge attendees to vote for Cain and travel to early voting states to rev up support for his bid.
"Join the Cain train," David McCleary, Cain's Georgia director, urged the audience.
Volunteers had been up through the night preparing the former flooring warehouse to open as the new hub of Cain's early-state outreach.
He marveled at rising from a childhood in Atlanta marked by segregated water fountains and poverty to what he called "the final four" of the presidential contest.
The former Godfather's Pizza chief executive, who has never held elective office, rose just weeks ago to lead the Republican race. But he fumbled policy questions, leaving some to wonder whether he was ready for the presidency. Then it was revealed at the end of October that the National Restaurant Association had paid settlements to two women who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was president of the organization.
A third woman told The Associated Press that Cain made inappropriate sexual advances but that she didn't file a complaint. A fourth woman also stepped forward to accuse Cain of groping her in a car in 1997.
Cain has denied wrongdoing in all cases and continued to do so Saturday.
Polls suggest his popularity had suffered. A Des Moines Register poll released Friday showed Cain's support plunging, with backing from 8 percent of Republican caucus goers in Iowa, compared with 23 percent a month ago.
Were you one of the eager beavers who pre-ordered ASUS' new superslate, the Transformer Prime, from Amazon? It turns out, demand for the tablet was so great that it's outstripped the retailer's supply, so Bezos' business is apparently canceling orders placed on or after November 22nd and issuing refunds. Sad news for those who had their hearts set on getting the Prime this holiday season, but maybe it's a blessing in disguise -- the delay gives you the opportunity to size up the competition before taking the quad-core plunge.
Spain's David Ferrer celebrates defeating Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro on the second tennis match of the Davis Cup Final, in Sevilla, Spain, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Miguel Angel Morenatti)
Spain's David Ferrer celebrates defeating Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro on the second tennis match of the Davis Cup Final, in Sevilla, Spain, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Miguel Angel Morenatti)
Spain's David Ferrer celebrates defeating Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro on the second tennis match of the Davis Cup Final, in Sevilla, Spain, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Miguel Angel Morenatti)
Spain's David Ferrer celebrates defeating Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro on the second tennis match of the Davis Cup Final, in Seville, Spain, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Miguel Angel Morenatti)
Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates defeating Argentina's Juan Monaco after the first match of the Davis Cup Final, in Sevilla, Spain, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro reacts during the second tennis match of the Davis Cup Final against Spain's David Ferrer, in Seville, Spain, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Miguel Angel Morenatti)
SEVILLE, Spain (AP) ? Rafael Nadal barely needed to break a sweat in another dominant performance on clay. David Ferrer then needed one of the best matches of his career to put Spain on the brink of another Davis Cup title.
Ferrer rallied for a grueling 6-2, 6-7 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Juan Martin del Potro on Friday to give the host Spaniards a 2-0 lead over Argentina in the final.
After Nadal brushed aside Juan Monaco in the first match, Ferrer looked to be in trouble after Del Potro went ahead 2 sets to 1. But the Argentine seemed to struggle with fatigue and nerves down the stretch, double-faulting on set point in the fourth to force a decider.
Ferrer then jumped out to a 5-1 lead before clinching the victory with his 28th forehand winner to close out a match that lasted nearly 5 hours.
"Maybe today was the best match of my career," Ferrer said after leaving Spain on the verge of a third title in four years.
Earlier, Nadal eased to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win over Monaco, and Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco can close out the series for four-time champion Spain against David Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank in Saturday's doubles.
The United States is the only nation to have rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the final, in 1939 at Australia.
"We're still alive, of course, and we have another chance tomorrow," Del Potro said. "(But) you see that even if you play unbelievable tennis against Spain you can lose."
Ferrer dropped to his knees and let out a long scream after putting the South Americans on the verge of failing for the fourth time in a final. They also lost to Spain in their last appearance in 2008.
"I expected a tough match but maybe not that tough," said Ferrer, who made amends for losing his one singles match in the final at Mar del Plata three years ago. "I was nearly perfect, if not I wouldn't have won."
Ferrer's comeback looked unlikely after Del Potro took control in the second and third sets, with the former U.S. Open champion's booming forehand dictating many of the rallies. Of Del Potro's 71 total winners, 39 came from his forehand as the cold conditions favored the lanky Argentine's game.
But with Nadal and Spain's team willing him on, Ferrer capitalized on Del Potro's errors as the Argentine followed up one of his 10 aces with his fifth double-fault to take it to a decisive set.
The fifth-ranked Ferrer carried the momentum and the support of the majority of the 26,000 spectators into the decider, and broke in the fourth and sixth games for a 5-1 lead.
"We knew (Del Potro) was the best chance to give Argentina one point, and he was very close so we're disappointed," Argentina captain Tito Vazquez said.
Nadal returned to the comfort of clay after a disappointing performance at last week's ATP World Tour Finals in London, and his best play followed as he broke Monaco seven times.
Monaco struggled to repel Nadal as the Spaniard converted the first of 14 break chances with a forehand passing shot for a 2-1 lead.
Nadal's impressive selection of winners ? he hit 26 in all ? kept Monaco off-kilter during many long and remarkable rallies, including in the fourth game of the second set when Nadal curled a backhand down the line after repeatedly chasing down Monaco's forehand.
"I felt like I was playing well but, frankly, it's Rafa Nadal," said Monaco, playing in his first final against one of his best friends. "Where can you win a point off this kid, is what you're left wondering a lot of the time."
___
Paul Logothetis can be reached at: www.twitter.com/PaulLogoAP
BEIJING ? A former monk has been hospitalized after setting himself on fire in Tibet, a rights group said, in the latest in a series of apparent self-immolation protests against Chinese rule.
The Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said Tenzin Phuntsog, a former monk in his 40s, set himself on fire Thursday. The self-immolation reportedly occurred near the Karma monastery in Tibet's Chamdo region.
The group cited exiled Tibetans in India that it did not identify by name.
If confirmed, at least 12 monks, nuns, and former monks have now set themselves on fire this year in what are seen as acts of desperation in the face of tightening Chinese controls over Tibetan life and culture. All but the latest occurred in heavily Tibetan areas of China's Sichuan province.
Most set themselves on fire while calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India during an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
China says Tibet has always been part of its territory, but many Tibetans say the Himalayan region was virtually independent for centuries.
Chinese authorities routinely deny Tibetan claims of repression, although they have confirmed some self-immolations and accused supporters of the Dalai Lama of encouraging such acts. The Dalai Lama and representatives of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile in India say they oppose all violence.
Study: Working moms multitask more and have worse time doing so than dadsPublic release date: 1-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Daniel Fowler pubinfo@asanet.org 202-527-7885 American Sociological Association
WASHINGTON, DC, November 28, 2011 Not only are working mothers multitasking more frequently than working fathers, but their multitasking experience is more negative as well, according to a new study in the December issue of the American Sociological Review.
"Gender differences in multitasking are not only a matter of quantity but, more importantly, quality," said Shira Offer, the lead author of the study and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. "Our findings provide support for the popular notion that women are the ultimate multitaskers and suggest that the emotional experience of multitasking is very different for mothers and fathers."
In terms of quantity, the study found that working mothers spend about 10 more hours per week multitasking than do working fathers, 48.3 hours per week for moms compared to 38.9 for dads.
"This suggests that working mothers are doing two activities at once more than two-fifths of the time they are awake, while working fathers are multitasking more than a third of their waking hours," said study coauthor Barbara Schneider, the John A. Hannah Chair and University Distinguished Professor in the College of Education and Department of Sociology at Michigan State University.
But the authors said an even bigger issue than the time discrepancy is the difference in the way multitasking makes working mothers and fathers feel. "There is a considerable disparity in the quality of the multitasking experience for working moms and dads," Offer said. "For mothers, multitasking ison the wholea negative experience, whereas it is not for fathers. Only mothers report negative emotions and feeling stressed and conflicted when they multitask at home and in public settings. By contrast, multitasking in these contexts is a positive experience for fathers."
The Offer-Schneider study relies on data from the 500 Family Study, a multi-method investigation of how middle-class families balance family and work experiences. The 500 Family Study collected comprehensive information from 1999 to 2000 on families living in eight urban and suburban communities across the United States. Most parents in the 500 Family Study are highly educated, employed in professional occupations, and work, on average, longer hours and report higher earnings than do middle-class families in other nationally representative samples. Although the 500 Family Study is not a representative sample of families in the United States, it reflects one of the most time pressured segments of the population. The Offer-Schneider study uses a subsample of 368 mothers and 241 fathers in dual-earner families from the 500 Family Study.
According to Offer and Schneider, their study shows that at least some of the difference in the way multitasking makes working mothers and fathers feel is related to the types of activities they perform.
"When they multitask at home, for example, mothers are more likely than fathers to engage in housework or childcare activities, which are usually labor intensive efforts," Offer said. "Fathers, by contrast, tend to engage in other types of activities when they multitask at home, such as talking to a third person or engaging in self-care. These are less burdensome experiences."
The study found that among working mothers, 52.7 percent of all multitasking episodes at home involve housework, compared to 42.2 percent among working fathers. Additionally, 35.5 percent of all multitasking episodes at home involve childcare for mothers versus 27.9 for fathers.
The authors also believe that multitaskingparticularly at home and in publicis a more negative experience for working mothers than for fathers because mothers' activities are more susceptible to outside scrutiny.
"At home and in public are the environments in which most household- and childcare-related tasks take place, and mothers' activities in these settings are highly visible to other people," Schneider said. "Therefore, their ability to fulfill their role as good mothers can be easily judged and criticized when they multitask in these contexts, making it a more stressful and negative experience for them than for fathers."
Working fathers don't typically face these types of pressures, the authors said. "Although they are also expected to be involved in their children's lives and do household chores, fathers are still considered to be the family's major provider," Offer said. "As a result, fathers face less normative pressures and are under less scrutiny when they perform and multitask at home and in public."
So, what can be done to improve the situation for mothers? It's pretty simplefathers need to step up.
"The key to mothers' emotional well-being is to be found in the behavior of fathers," Offer said. "I think that in order to reduce mothers' likelihood of multitasking and to make their experience of multitasking less negative, fathers' share of housework and childcare has to further increase."
Policymakers and employers can help facilitate this, the authors said. "Policymakers and employers should think about how to alter current workplace cultures, which constitute serious obstacles when it comes to getting fathers more involved in their families and homes," Offer said.
"For example, I think that fathers should have more opportunities to leave work early or start work late, so they can participate in important family routines; to take time off for family events; and to limit the amount of work they bring home, so they can pay undivided attention to their children and spouse during the evening hours and on weekends. The goal is to initiate a process that will alter fathers' personal preferences and priorities and eventually lead to more egalitarian norms regarding mothers' and fathers' parenting roles."
###
About the American Sociological Association and the American Sociological Review
The American Sociological Association (www.asanet.org), founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society. The American Sociological Review is the ASA's flagship journal.
The research article described above is available by request for members of the media. For a copy of the full study, contact Daniel Fowler, ASA's Media Relations and Public Affairs Officer, at (202) 527-7885 or pubinfo@asanet.org.
[ | 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.
Study: Working moms multitask more and have worse time doing so than dadsPublic release date: 1-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Daniel Fowler pubinfo@asanet.org 202-527-7885 American Sociological Association
WASHINGTON, DC, November 28, 2011 Not only are working mothers multitasking more frequently than working fathers, but their multitasking experience is more negative as well, according to a new study in the December issue of the American Sociological Review.
"Gender differences in multitasking are not only a matter of quantity but, more importantly, quality," said Shira Offer, the lead author of the study and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. "Our findings provide support for the popular notion that women are the ultimate multitaskers and suggest that the emotional experience of multitasking is very different for mothers and fathers."
In terms of quantity, the study found that working mothers spend about 10 more hours per week multitasking than do working fathers, 48.3 hours per week for moms compared to 38.9 for dads.
"This suggests that working mothers are doing two activities at once more than two-fifths of the time they are awake, while working fathers are multitasking more than a third of their waking hours," said study coauthor Barbara Schneider, the John A. Hannah Chair and University Distinguished Professor in the College of Education and Department of Sociology at Michigan State University.
But the authors said an even bigger issue than the time discrepancy is the difference in the way multitasking makes working mothers and fathers feel. "There is a considerable disparity in the quality of the multitasking experience for working moms and dads," Offer said. "For mothers, multitasking ison the wholea negative experience, whereas it is not for fathers. Only mothers report negative emotions and feeling stressed and conflicted when they multitask at home and in public settings. By contrast, multitasking in these contexts is a positive experience for fathers."
The Offer-Schneider study relies on data from the 500 Family Study, a multi-method investigation of how middle-class families balance family and work experiences. The 500 Family Study collected comprehensive information from 1999 to 2000 on families living in eight urban and suburban communities across the United States. Most parents in the 500 Family Study are highly educated, employed in professional occupations, and work, on average, longer hours and report higher earnings than do middle-class families in other nationally representative samples. Although the 500 Family Study is not a representative sample of families in the United States, it reflects one of the most time pressured segments of the population. The Offer-Schneider study uses a subsample of 368 mothers and 241 fathers in dual-earner families from the 500 Family Study.
According to Offer and Schneider, their study shows that at least some of the difference in the way multitasking makes working mothers and fathers feel is related to the types of activities they perform.
"When they multitask at home, for example, mothers are more likely than fathers to engage in housework or childcare activities, which are usually labor intensive efforts," Offer said. "Fathers, by contrast, tend to engage in other types of activities when they multitask at home, such as talking to a third person or engaging in self-care. These are less burdensome experiences."
The study found that among working mothers, 52.7 percent of all multitasking episodes at home involve housework, compared to 42.2 percent among working fathers. Additionally, 35.5 percent of all multitasking episodes at home involve childcare for mothers versus 27.9 for fathers.
The authors also believe that multitaskingparticularly at home and in publicis a more negative experience for working mothers than for fathers because mothers' activities are more susceptible to outside scrutiny.
"At home and in public are the environments in which most household- and childcare-related tasks take place, and mothers' activities in these settings are highly visible to other people," Schneider said. "Therefore, their ability to fulfill their role as good mothers can be easily judged and criticized when they multitask in these contexts, making it a more stressful and negative experience for them than for fathers."
Working fathers don't typically face these types of pressures, the authors said. "Although they are also expected to be involved in their children's lives and do household chores, fathers are still considered to be the family's major provider," Offer said. "As a result, fathers face less normative pressures and are under less scrutiny when they perform and multitask at home and in public."
So, what can be done to improve the situation for mothers? It's pretty simplefathers need to step up.
"The key to mothers' emotional well-being is to be found in the behavior of fathers," Offer said. "I think that in order to reduce mothers' likelihood of multitasking and to make their experience of multitasking less negative, fathers' share of housework and childcare has to further increase."
Policymakers and employers can help facilitate this, the authors said. "Policymakers and employers should think about how to alter current workplace cultures, which constitute serious obstacles when it comes to getting fathers more involved in their families and homes," Offer said.
"For example, I think that fathers should have more opportunities to leave work early or start work late, so they can participate in important family routines; to take time off for family events; and to limit the amount of work they bring home, so they can pay undivided attention to their children and spouse during the evening hours and on weekends. The goal is to initiate a process that will alter fathers' personal preferences and priorities and eventually lead to more egalitarian norms regarding mothers' and fathers' parenting roles."
###
About the American Sociological Association and the American Sociological Review
The American Sociological Association (www.asanet.org), founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society. The American Sociological Review is the ASA's flagship journal.
The research article described above is available by request for members of the media. For a copy of the full study, contact Daniel Fowler, ASA's Media Relations and Public Affairs Officer, at (202) 527-7885 or pubinfo@asanet.org.
[ | 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.
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Public release date: 1-Dec-2011
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