Can the EU justify sending additional troops to join the war in Afghanistan even while maintaining a policy that says the country is safe?
It has been over 150 days since Donald Trump became president of the US and the world finally has his position on the country’s longest standing war. Trump has decided to avoid the matter of Afghanistan altogether and pass the buck to his defence secretary, Jim Mattis, who in 2005 offered his belligerent and orientalist view on Afghanistan, stating, “You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn’t wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain’t got no manhood left anyway. So it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them.”
By March end, just over two months into his term, Trump and Mattis showed what they were capable of by killing nearly 1,500 civilians in Iraq and Syria, 200 of whom were killed in Mosul, Iraq, on one calamitous day. According to Donatella Rovera, senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International, “Evidence gathered on the ground in East Mosul points to an alarming pattern of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes which have destroyed whole houses with entire families inside”. Rovera went on to say that the US military action was a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law”. Between March 23 and June 23, the US coalition killed at least 472 civilians in Syria, 137 of whom were children.
After barely a word by anyone in the US leadership, the sudden rush to escalate a losing war has begun – the US is courting EU and NATO leaders to commit more soldiers to support its surge in Afghanistan to quell the Taliban militancy and stop a growing ISIS-Khorasan from spreading. While EU politicians debate the merit of sending more troops on the Mattis’s behest, there’s another predicament they should bear in mind – how can the EU send more troops to escalate a war that by all accounts has no end in sight and at the same time maintain a policy of deportation against the Afghans?
The EU narrative of choice has been that ‘Afghans are safe’ to deport to – arguing that those flooding out of Afghanistan are not ‘refugees’ but are either ‘economic’ or ‘irregular’ migrants who are not fleeing immediate danger, but merely “economic hardships”.
The ‘safe zones’ of Afghanistan
Those displaced by the ongoing fighting, which will intensify greatly with a troop surge, are mainly from Afghanistan’s rural areas. Escalated fighting will continue to increase the number of internally displaced people (IDP), as they search for safety in IDP camps or move to the five major cities – Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar Sharif, Herat and Kabul.
Are these cities really safer?
This past month, at the start of Ramadan, a truck carrying a massive payload of explosives tore through one of the “safest” streets in Kabul. The bomb was of extraordinary magnitude and is said to be the biggest to have gone off inside the city since the US/ NATO war began in 2001. The explosion left a 13 foot crater in the ground and destroyed much of the German Embassy. It also took the life of at least 150 Afghan civilians and wounded another 400.
The following day, people took to the streets to protest the security failures that precipitated the attacks. Five protesters were shot dead near the presidential palace by authorities.
The next day, a triple suicide bombing at the funerals for those who had died in the previous day’s protests left another seven people dead and 119 people injured.
This series of shocking incidents have exposed gaping holes in the narrative of choice by German and EU leaders, forcing the question – can Afghanistan be “safe” when your own embassies have been blown up?
The situation is Afghanistan is so dire that the UN reported at least 12,000 war-related civilian casualties, including 923 children, and 2,589 injuries in 2016.
Too little, too late?
At a peak of the US-led war, there was an estimated 100,000 foreign troops on the ground in Afghanistan, yet this was not enough to immobilise the Taliban.
A recent assessment released by US intelligence suggests that the number of additional troops requested – 3,000 to 5,000 – will not be enough, but rather 50,000 troops would be needed to back Kabul’s government and stop the advance of a resurgent Taliban, which now controls an estimated 40% of the country and is strongly contesting another 30%.
Escalated violence last year lead to an estimated 700,000 people being internally displaced, while another million were forced back into Afghanistan after being expelled from neighboring Iran and Pakistan.
According to the UN, another 450,000 will likely be displaced this year, an estimate arrived at even before the US announced its plans to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan.
About 51% of Afghanistan’s population is under the age of 25, meaning that more than half of the country’s population have not known a day of peace in their lives, and if they can’t find it inside Afghanistan, they will continue to risk their lives to get to Iran, Turkey, over the Aegean Sea and into Europe in search of peace.
The EU is exposed on this issue and cannot continue to play this double narrative against the Afghan people; either Afghanistan is safe and stable or it is seeing a violent war that the EU is involved in – it simply cannot be both.
Regardless of if Germany, the UK or other countries sign off on more troops, the EU’s policy and narrative of ‘Afghanistan being safe’, which is void of an on-the-ground analysis, needs to end and Afghans risking their lives to reach Europe need to be accepted and protected as refugees.
Mohammed Harun Arsalai is an independent journalist and political activist from the Bay Area, California, and co-founder of the independent media project, Documenting Afghanistan. Currently based in Afghanistan, his recent work focuses on refugees, the war on terror and militant groups operating inside Afghanistan.


[tz] Crimea to switch to Moscow Time as of March 30, 2014
guy at alum.mit.edu
Mon Mar 17 21:37:00 UTC 2014
On Mar 17, 2014, at 2:00 PM, Garrett Wollman <wollman at csail.mit.edu> wrote:
> <<On Mon, 17 Mar 2014 13:51:40 -0700, Paul Eggert <eggert at cs.ucla.edu> said:
>> As for whether zone.tab should say UA or RU for Simferopol, we don't
>> have the resources to arbitrate disputes like that either. If this turns
>> into a real dispute that starts taking up our resources, then we'll need
>> to change zone.tab's format so that it is less of a political
>> flashpoint. This will entail some technical conversion hassles, but in
>> the long run that'll less work for us and for our users than the
>> neverending political hassles.
> No, that just pushes the work onto the downstream distributors.
Which work? If it's the work of making a time zone selection UI function, I'd gladly push that work onto Somebody Else, so that people upset with the UI's offerings, for reasons other than the absence of a time zone setting for wherever they live, can blame Somebody Else rather than us.
More information about the tz


album Anacostia - You'd Better Know What You're Doin' mp3 download
FLAC version ZIP size: 1472 mb
WMA version ZIP size: 1972 mb
Other Formats: APE AA TTA AUD AIFF AC3 AU
Billy Ward & The Dominoes. Lucinda (Digitally Re-Mastered Version). Billy Ward & The Dominoes. I'd Better Make a Move.
Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High ? You And I. You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight at Me. You're So Dark. По популярности: Ariana Grande. Love you don't know what you're running away from, Любимая, ты сама не знаешь, от чего бежишь. Who wants to sleep in the city that never wakes up?
shit" Ho, you better go back and listen You know me better, thinkin' I'll slow or let up Call it trap 'cause it's a total setup Hopin' that you rappers fall in that Dre said, "Hold your head up!"-Kathy Griffin Stackin' ammunition, slap the clip in, cock it back on competition This is how I shot ahead (pew)-Gabby Giffords.
Come on girl you know exactly what you gotta do If he don't love you like I can then you gotta move I know you scared cause he hurt you and broke your heart in two But not this time, the grass is greener on this side and Okay, your move It's all, on you I just want to be next. up And if you choose me we'll blessed up And I'm so, confused What can, I do to tryna make you understand You don't need another man So original couldn't copy if you had ten clones Even if I had ten homes I'd never live in the friendzone This is right where you belong Queen, you'd. She Know What She Doin'" lyrics provided for educational purposes and personal use only.
Five out of five dentists disapprove of this quote. We also think Pam's terrible impersonation of Forrest Gump on The Office is pretty funny.
I Know What You Did Last Summer" is a song by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes and Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello. It was released as the lead single from the 2015 re-release of Mendes' debut studio album Handwritten via Island Records on November 18, 2015. It reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and on the Canadian Hot 100. Mendes and Cabello promoted the song with several televised performances, including on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and at the 2016 People's Choice Awards.
Same as "you should", though it can be use for any subject (I, he, she, we, it, they). Implies advice or warning You would be better t. but the uncontracted version is "would" not "had".
|A||You'd Better Know What You're Doin'||3:16|
|B||Too Busy Thinking About My Baby||3:10|
- Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Inc.
- Produced For – White House Productions
- Producer, Arranged By, Conductor – Van McCoy
- Written-By – V. McCoy*
NotesNot For Resale - Radio Station Copy
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Matrix / Runout (A-Side Label): ZSS 159829
- Matrix / Runout (B-Side Label): ZSS 159828
- Matrix / Runout (A-Side Runout Etching): SIDE A TRACK 1
- Matrix / Runout (B-Side Runout Etching): SIDE B TRACK 2
|3-10017||Anacostia||Too Busy Thinking About My Baby (7")||Columbia||3-10017||US||1974|
|3-10017||Anacostia||Too Busy Thinking About My Baby (7", Promo)||Columbia||3-10017||US||1974|
Genre: Pop / Military, Brass
Title: Star-Spangled Banner
Genre: Funk, Soul
Title: I Wash My Hands Of The Whole Damn Deal, Part I
Genre: Rock / Blues / Pop
Title: He Said She Said
Title: Thinking Of You / Here In My Arms
Genre: Rock / Pop
Title: Original Beat Aus England Folge 17
Genre: World, Country
Title: You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry
Genre: Jazz / Rock
Title: Time-Release Capsules Volume One
Genre: Jazz / Pop / Screen
Title: The Sweetheart Of Sigma Chi
Genre: Electronic / Funk, Soul
Title: Too Busy Thinking About My Baby
Title: Too Busy Thinking About My Baby / Girl I've Got News For You
Genre: Hip hop / Funk, Soul
Title: Thinking About You
Title: Beautiful People / God's Only Daughter


Teachers Email List
Buy ready-made Teachers Email list from Leo Data Services, that you can purchase and start executing your marketing strategies today. So, our Email list has the best data from across the geographical barrier. Hence, reach professional educators with our reliable and accurate Teachers Database. With this, you can market to a large network of professionals in K-12 education. This includes principals, administration, and more, that are collected from trustworthy sources for better deliverance rate. Hence, with this, execute your multi-marketing strategies and acquire a better lead generation.
Why choose the Teachers Mailing Addresses from Leo Data Services?
Many businesses use this Teachers Mailing Addresses for their better growth. So, the demand for the equipment for better teaching facilities is booming immensely. So, marketers may use the teacher email list to promote their services, educational product, unique teaching plans, and more. Whether you are a marketing tool, service provider, and so on, this accurate and affordable Teachers Database is a tool that can enhance your business standard. With so many individuals benefitting from this, it is only a matter of time before the marketers for this list achieve all of their marketing goals and get significantly better ROI.
Why use Teachers Email List?
To create interest in the target audience and to promote brand recognition, businesses need to plan the best ways to promote themselves. So we help our customers to connect with the right set of prospective customers by providing accurate and customized teacher email list. It has found to be the best while executing promotional activities.
Our list contains:
The first name, last name, postal address, email ids, fax, telephone no., company name, company address, employee details, zip code, city, state, country.
Source of Our Email Lists
- Conference meeting
- Institute records
- Social site
- Opt-in email addresses
Salient features of our Teachers Mailing Addresses
- Cost-efficient data, giving you an advantage for better ROI
- We categorize our data according to the need of our clients and concise it with relevant data
- The database is an exhaustive collection of valid contact details
- The database will assist your marketing campaigns like telemarketing, test campaigns, direct mail, etc.
- Geographies that we target are US, UK, Canada, France, Singapore, Australia, and more.
- We verify our data through emails, event promotions, postal campaigns, tele campaigns or any other
For further information, connect with us +1 888-553-7779. Additionally, for more details about our Teachers Mailing Addresses, email us at email@example.com.


DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Energy-efficient Technologies for Global Residential Markets" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
Global markets for energy efficiency technologies are undergoing diverse pressures and drivers, that range from strong tailwinds to significant cost- and industry-based hurdles and challenges. Significant recent advancements in energy-efficient thermostats and other efficiency-oriented home control and automation technologies, for example, are supporting increased interest by consumers. This has resulted in quickly increasing installation rates to date and associated market growth, with strong anticipated growth in the near- to mid-term.
The following figure and table summarize global markets for residential energy efficiency technologies. As shown, global markets increased from $89.4 billion in 2016 to an estimated $96.8 billion in 2017. Markets will advance to $124.2 billion by 2022, for an overall compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. Note, however, that many of the individual technologies considered in the full market report will grow at considerably higher or lower rates, in each of the three overarching categories shown in the summary table. Nonetheless, markets for heating and cooling will advance to $72.2 billion in 2022, for a CAGR of 3.0%.
Key Topics Covered:
3 Market and Technology Background
4 Market for Energy-efficient Heating and Cooling
5 Energy-efficient Lighting Market
6 Energy-efficient Residential Building Envelope Technologies Market
7 Residential Market for Energy-efficient Controls
8 Regulatory Trends and Incentivization
9 Industry and Market Trends
- Energy-Efficient HVAC
- Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems
- Daikin Industries
- Johnson Controls
- Lennox International
- LG Electronics
- Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
- Trane Co.
- Energy-Efficient Boilers
- Crown Boiler Co.
- Laars Heating Systems Co.
- Energy-Efficient Water Heating
- A.O. Smith Water Products
- Bosch Thermotechnology
- Bradford White Corp.
- Mitsubishi Electric
- Navien Inc.
- Energy-Efficient Windows, Doors, And Window Coverings
- Andersen Corp.
- Jeld-Wen Inc.
- Marvin Windows And Doors
- Masonite International
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/63j7w7/energyefficient?w=4
ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.


Amber Daniel ’18 is one of the inaugural recipients of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Dean’s Scholarship for the Beaver College of Health Sciences, one of the most prestigious university scholarships. She majors in exercise science and aspires to work as a Physician’s Assistant. Amber said she has always wanted to work in the medical field, but it was her experiences at Appalachian that have helped her find her calling.
As a Dean’s Scholar, Amber participates in events where she interacts with healthcare professionals, heads of departments in health sciences and the college dean. “Having close relationships with people who are well-versed in the fields I want to go into has definitely been helpful for connecting to resources on campus,” Amber said. “I had the opportunity to meet someone from the committee of the Wake Forest PA program. She shared her experience about transitioning within the field from the emergency room to family practice. The way she described the emergency room—fast-paced, thinking on your feet—it piqued my interest. I think that would be something I would love to do. And when I want to transition into having a family, I could move into something at a different pace.”
Amber, a Greensboro native, said her parents are proud to see her succeed as a first generation college student. “That’s something I carry with me when I go to class. I want to make sure I am doing the best I can because my parents did not have that opportunity.”
In addition to being an honors scholar, Amber is a varsity student athlete, resident assistant and the secretary of Wellness Educators for Change, Advocacy and Student Needs, a student organization devoted to advocating for student well-being and empowering peers to positively change health behaviors. As one of the university’s wellness educators, Amber has learned about wellness and prevention services, attended a professional conference and found a trustworthy mentor in the group’s advisor. She credits this student organization for providing a formative experience, giving her insight about long-term patient care for when she becomes a physician assistant.
To donors of Appalachian State University, Amber said, “You are helping students to have a unique experience. We take a lot of pride in receiving your donations and in succeeding at what we have come to Appalachian to do.”


Airbnb recently unveiled two new programs as part of its campaign to provide a listing that suits everyone: Airbnb Beyond and Airbnb Plus. These programs indicate a significant shift in Airbnb's core offering; this is no longer a company leaning on air mattresses and breakfast to make rent. It's a polished, professional site offering polished, professional inventory. Or at least driving the trend towards it.
This maturation does not come without growing pains, particularly for those hosts that gravitate towards the "couch share" version of Airbnb. But, exactly how uncomfortable would it be for a host to gain the Airbnb "Plus" badge, and most importantly, how much would it cost?
In this post, we tackle the final aspect (there are a lot, far too many to put in one post) of criteria laid out by Airbnb: Well-maintained. If you haven't read about the first three sets of criteria, you can read those here!
1) Outdoor areas are well-kept, with no overgrowth or dead plants
Depending on where you live, this one could be a bit of a hassle. No one particularly enjoys weeding, and if you live in a warm, humid place you may have to do it fairly often to fulfill this requirement. On the plus side, if you're on a tight budget, this will cost you nothing besides some gardening gloves and sunscreen.
2) Entrances to the listing are clean and illuminated
A quick sweep and some lightbulbs, and this one is all set!
3) Door to listing closes properly and has a lock
This one actually ties back to the first requirement in Comfortable. Though that requirement is most likely not free, it does mean that you accomplish two in one. We'll take what we can get.
4) Furniture is in good condition, without stains, scuffs, breaks, or tears
It has yet to be seen exactly how stringent the inspection process is, but if the upholstery for a sofa is looking a little worn, it might be a good idea to buy a cover to be safe. We found these that don't break the bank. If it's apparent you need to replace an item altogether, IKEA is usually affordable, and you can often find deals on second hand websites.
5) Walls, floors, and ceilings don’t have visible scuffs, cracks, stains, buckling, cobwebs, or dust
Hopefully your rugs are not stained beyond repair, but we suspect it's more than likely there's one or two stains here and there. We recommend investing in a spot carpet cleaner. That way, not only can you clean up little things prior to inspection, but then you can also clean the occasional accident right away.
7) Windows and mirrors are clean and not cracked
If you have multiple mirrors or windows that are cracked, this requirement could be very expensive. Depending on the type of window, it could be upwards of $300. However, it's more than likely you'll just need some glass cleaner and a little elbow grease.
8) Lights work in all guest spaces
A few lightbulbs, and you're all set.
9) There’s a neutral or pleasant aroma in every room
If you're cleaning regularly, this shouldn't be an issue. However, you can always go the extra mile by adding a fragrance plug in here and there.
10) There are no signs of pests
Regular cleaning will definitely help mitigate any potential bug problem, but just in case you see any beginning to crop up, you can avoid expensive extermination fees and toxic chemicals with these pest repellants. They will not work if there's already an infestation, but are fantastic at prevention.
11) Kitchen appliances are clean and not damaged
Luckily, this is another two for one situation! By meeting the eighth requirement in Well-Equipped, this one is also taken care of.
2) Showerheads, faucets, cabinet handles, and other fixtures aren’t loose or leaking
Grab yourself a screwdriver for those cabinet handles, and if you're all about DIY, there are many helpful online guides and YouTube videos on how to do minor plumbing repairs yourself.
13) Bathrooms including medicine cabinet, counters, shower curtain, and shower or bath are clean, not mildewed, and free of hosts’ personal items
Again, by routinely cleaning, this will be no problem. The only cost associated would be the replacement of cleaning supplies.
14) Depending on local climate, air conditioning and/or heating works well
If you're in a place where the climate is mild year round, you're in luck! A few fans and a space heater just in case, and you're all set. For everyone else, making sure your unit's thermostat, air conditioner, and furnace are inspected annually will help keep severe, and expensive, problems from occurring.
Total: $50-$300 annually
15) There’s strong water pressure with hot and cold water
If your water pressure is low, research prior to throwing a lot of money at a plumber is absolutely necessary. We found these articles that offered some great advice in layman's terms:
Once you've gone through some preliminary steps, if the issue still persists, that's when to call a plumber. The price will really depend on the specific issue.
All in all, the "Well-maintained" set of criteria could be very cost efficient, provided your listing is already in generally good repair. The main takeaway seems to be cleaning the listing routinely and making a few inexpensive upgrades when necessary. It's also worth noting, that these requirements are fantastic to apply for any listing, regardless of whether or not you're thinking of applying for the Airbnb Plus program. They will do wonders for the health of the property, and add to its value over time. By not being adverse to some DIY, you could meet the "Well-maintained" requirements for around $365.50, and that's if don't already have much of the necessary supplies.
With the final set of criteria priced out, will getting the Airbnb Plus badge be worth it? Make sure to come back to the blog next week for the final part of this series, where we look at Airbnb Plus's implications for the industry at large, and juxtapose them with the total cost to an individual property manager.


Institute for War and Peace Reporting | Giving Voice, Driving Change
Afghan Policewomen Complain of Unfair Treatment
Female ANP officers prepare for shooting practice. (Photo: US Navy/Brian Brannon)
Policewomen in northern Afghanistan complain that they are passed over for promotion and forced to do the least desirable jobs, despite the promises of equal treatment they heard when they were recruited.
Female officers in the Afghan National Police, ANP, say their assignments commonly consist of low-level roles like serving at checkpoints or in prisons, even working in the force’s kitchens.
“Officials appoint women only because they want to show foreign countries that they respect women’s rights and that there are women in the police,” Sergeant Zeba, a recruitment officer at the ANP headquarters for Balkh province, said.
The reality was, she said, that few women could rise to senior positions because of widespread chauvinism, and also because they lacked the political connections and ability to pay bribes to gain advancement.
Colonel Najiba is the only women in the north to have reached senior rank, as the officer responsible for gender and human rights issues in the ANP’s 303 Pamir Zone.
She stresses that she is the exception, and that none of the 400 other policewomen in the north has risen to a senior role. Instead, they are routinely treated as inferiors, excluded from important security and strategy meetings, and passed over when praise is being handed out.
“Policewomen are treated like [common] soldiers. High-ranking officials talk to them as though they were speaking to their servants or cleaners,” Colonel Najiba said. “The rude way women are treated means they get fed up with their work. The spirit of patriotism and service goes away, and they only work for the money.”
She dismissed the argument made by senior officers that policewomen were limited in what they could do by the rule that they could not work night shifts. “In many cases,” she said, “women do work alongside men during overnight operations.”
Sergeant Fatima, attached to ANP headquarters in Balkh, said the 40 or more female officers employed in the province were all in low-level roles. “The highest position is held by a woman who works as a rank-and-file functionary in the passport department,” she said.
She said policewomen in other provinces were promoted to higher positions than those in Balkh, even though the relatively safe environment there should make that possible.
The sergeant also complained that female officers did not have the same access to police vehicles as men.
“Policemen can use the vehicles at any time,” she said. “They take them back to their homes at night and go out with their families in them at the weekend.”
Another police officer, Fawzia, said she and her female colleagues had to work harder than their male peers.
“For instance, when security checks are being conducted, 20 policemen take turns at searching vehicles,” she said. “But a policewoman must do so from morning till night, because she’s the only woman there and there’s no one to share the work with her.”
Women play a particularly important role as they can staff checkpoints to deal with the problem of male insurgents who disguised in burqas, and attend house searches where there are women present. (See Police Recruit More Women to Bolster Searches.)
“If there weren’t any policewomen, then the traditions of this country would restrict the work of policemen, because they can’t search houses or women in cars without policewomen being present,” Fawzia said. “So why do we get overlooked? They should give senior roles to women and see whether we are capable of working in those positions.”
The pressures have taken their toll on Fawzia, who said, “I’m very fed up. I want to leave this job.”
Fariba Majid, head of the provincial department for women’s affairs in Balkh, agreed that discrimination was a barrier for female police officers.
“Men always seem to think women are weak, yet they can’t perform most tasks unless there are women present,” she added.
Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, spokesman for the Pamir police zone, insisted the ANP treated men and women equally.
Afghan interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi also denied claims of systemic discrimination, arguing that since policewomen were such an essential part of the force, there would be no point in making them so unhappy they wanted to leave.
Sediqi said the ministry was placing even greater emphasis on recruiting women to the ANP.
Interior ministry figures show the ANP now has about 1,100 female officers, 500 of them in the capital Kabul. The current recruitment plan envisages the nationwide figure rising to 5,000 by 2014.
Some policewomen say institutionalised discrimination within the force colours the way they are perceived by the public.
One policewoman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she and her colleagues lost respect when they patrolled the streets on foot and wearing old uniforms.
“Policemen aren’t issued with pistols even though they really have to be able to defend themselves if they need to,” she said.
She said children made fun of her and other female officers, stopping them in the street to ask, “Mister commander, where’s your car? Where are your bodyguards?”
Abdul Latif Sahak is an IWPR-trained reporter in Balkh province.
As coronavirus sweeps the globe, IWPR’s network of local reporters, activists and analysts are examining the economic, social and political impact of this era-defining pandemic.
- Europe & Eurasia
- Latin America
- Middle East & North Africa
- Focus Pages
- Training & Resources
- Print Publications
- IWPR Spotlight


An international team of scientists that goes by the name of “Team Prosecco” claims to have devised attacks that manage to extract the secret cryptographic key from RSA’s SecurID 800 token, as well as many other similar commercial solutions.
According to the paper they are scheduled to present this August at the CRYPTO 2012 conference, what makes these exploits extremely usable is the time it takes them to extract the needed information: 13 minutes.
As they pointed out, the attacks are efficient enough to be practical.
“The attacks are padding oracle attacks, where error messages resulting from incorrectly padded plaintexts are used as a side channel,” they explained.
“In the asymmetric encryption case, we modify and improve Bleichenbacher’s attack on RSA PKCS#1v1.5 padding, giving new cryptanalysis that allows us to carry out the “million message attack’ in a mean of 49 000 and median of 14 500 oracle calls in the case of cracking an unknown valid ciphertext under a 1024 bit key (the original algorithm takes a mean of 215 000 and a median of 163 000 in the same case).”
“We show how implementation details of certain devices admit an attack that requires only 9 400 operations on average (3 800 median). For the symmetric case, we adapt Vaudenay’s CBC attack, which is already highly efficient.”
Among the other vulnerable devices are SafeNet’s iKey 2032 and Aladdin eTokenPro, Siemens’ CardOS (it takes 22 minutes to open it), and Gemalto’s CyberFlex (92 minutes). Also vulnerable is the Estonian electronic ID Card, which contains two RSA key pairs.
According to the NYT, RSA’s spokesman Kevin Kempskie said that the company’s researchers are looking into the claims. “If there is a potential serious security vulnerability or threat to our customers, RSA will move quickly to address it,” he said.
According to the researchers, Siemens has recognized the flaws and fixed some of them in the most recent version of their product. SafeNet is working on fixing some of them. The Estonian Certification Center said that as the authentication certificate is mainly used for authentication with SSL, and that their attack would be too slow to forge an SSL client response before a server timeout.


Just when we thought the Hillary Clinton email scandal couldn’t get anymore bizarre and corrupt, we now find out that former FBI director James Comey began drafting statements related to the Clinton email server investigation about two months before his announcement recommending no criminal charges, according to documents released Monday by the FBI.
The FBI released a document entitled “Drafts of Director Comey’s July 5, 2016 Statement Regarding Email Server Investigation,” to the Freedom of Information website. The file contains an email James Comey sent on May 2, 2016, to FBI officials in regards to the Clinton email investigation.
The issue of the draft statement was first raised by Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham in late August, in which they accused Comey of drafting an exoneration statement before investigators had interviewed key witnesses.
Grassley and Graham stated in a letter to the FBI:
“Conclusion first, fact-gathering second — that’s no way to run an investigation…The outcome of an investigation should not be prejudged while FBI agents are still hard at work trying to gather the facts.”
Comey announced on July 5, 2016 — three days after FBI investigators finally interviewed Clinton — that he would not be recommending charges against the Democratic Presidential Nominee for mishandling classified information on her private email system.


Wednesday, january 4, 2012 bertrand russell: but also points out that idealism is not so radical about the question between appearance and reality. Appearance and reality bertrand russell pdf download appearance and reality: a metaphysical essay an essay on the foundations of geometrybertrand russell. A summary of chapter 1 - appearance and reality in bertrand russell's problems of philosophy learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of. Russell, bertrand 6-11-2017 bertrand russell appearance and reality essays bertrand russell essay on appearance and reality permalink on vexen crabtree's human. The problems of philosophy author: bertrand russell: appearance and reality in a precise description of its visual appearance russell notes that although he. Bertrand russell, problems of philosophy chapter i appearance and reality he will see the same chairs and tables and books and papers as i see. This lesson will focus on the assertions of bertrand russell it will highlight his definition of philosophy, his work, 'the problems of.
Quotes by bertrand russell was born on 18 bergman magician analysis the essay may 1872 at ravenscroft, appearance essay bertrand russell and reality trellech. 14-6-2016 borges is appearance essay bertrand russell and reality still dead this lesson will focus on the assertions of bertrand russell transhumanism is based. In the problems of philosophy bertrand russell referred to the distinction between appearance and reality as one of the distinctions that cause most trouble in. Falla 1 kelly falla philosophy 210 professor edwards 18 march 2012 analysis of “appearance & reality” by bertrand russell beyond reasonable doubt, does anyone. After 2 hours less than 1/4 of the way through my rs essay pissed isn't the word how to start a conclusion for college essay drinking age essay thesis short essay. Bertrand russell difference between appearance and reality essays, creative writing workshop winnipeg, something to do while doing homework.
The problems of philosophy bertrand russell chapter i appearance and reality will see the same chairs and tables and books and papers as i see. Difference appearance reality and russell between bertrand essays february 5, 2018 @ 1:20 pm difference and russell between appearance bertrand reality essays.
Bertrand russell this essay seeks to analyze issues discussed in russells arguments for the distinction between appearance and reality russell, bertrand. Most famous for his book appearance and reality the collected papers of bertrand russell essays on bertrand russell’s metaphysics and epistemology.
Bertrand russell essay appearance versus reality in bertrand russell's the problems of philosophy bertrand russell's method of approaching. The problems of philosophy by bertrand russell - chapter 1, appearance and reality summary and analysis. Project gutenberg's the problems of philosophy, by bertrand russell this ebook is for the use of by bertrand russell chapter i appearance and reality.
Bertrand russell in steven m cahn appearance and reality: a metaphysical essay f h the appearance of reality and the reality of appearance. Definition of appearance and reality in the problems of philosophy bertrand russell referred to the distinction f h essays on truth and reality. Bertrand russell appearance and reality essay i can't think of an introduction paragraph for my essay. Bertrand russell appearance and reality what are appearance and reality example given – parthenon “column isn’t straight” “from where you are standing the. Bertrand russell in praise of idleness analysis essay goodreads bertrand russell. Philosophy religion essays - appearance versus reality in bertrand russell's the problems of philosophy.
The aspects of bertrand russell views on philosophy cover the and a claim of uniqueness which give this appearance papers of bertrand russell, new. On essay bertrand and russell reality appearance february 7, 2018 @ 9:25 pm essay writing for campus interview, academic writing paragraph essay pdf william. Sightbertrand russell, appearance and reality appearance and reality: a metaphysical essay appearance and reality russell pdf download. Free essay examples, how to write essay on appearance and reality by bertrand russell example essay, research paper, custom writing write my essay on russell.


- What legislature is passing this law: the US Congress? The Illinois State Congress? The Chicago aldermen? The World Bank?
- What changes will this law put into place? Will it force people to switch to paying checks online? Will it force people to simply use another type of paper check? Will everyone need chips implanted in their hand and forehead with '666' encoded?
- When exactly is this law going into effect?
- What does technology have to do with it? Is there a specific new technology that has enabled this change?
- Is the technology driving the law, or is the law driving the technology? Are we being forced to draft this law because of changes in the way that banks have been doing business, or is the law forcing the banks to change their methods?
No answers to any of these. But we do now know what 'floating a check' means:
If you have ever written a check knowing you don't have exactly enough to cover the check, but you figure by the time the check clears, you will have money in the bank. That's called floating.
Thank you, Leah Hope!


The United States says the Lebanese parliament's decision Friday to extend the term of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud made a "crude mockery of democratic principles." The action came despite U.N. Security Council approval late Thursday of a resolution, backed by the United States and France, upholding Lebanese sovereignty.
The resolution attracted only the minimum nine votes in the Security Council needed for passage. And the Lebanese parliament, as expected, ignored the U.N. appeal Friday and approved the constitutional amendment sought by Syria keeping Mr. Lahoud in office for another three years.
But the State Department insists that the exercise at the United Nations was worthwhile, in that it again put the international community on record opposing outside inference in Lebanese affairs.
The U.S. and French-sponsored measure called for the removal of remaining foreign forces from Lebanon, the disarming of militias, and for strict respect of Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence.
In pre-vote negotiations on the Security Council resolution, specific mention of the Syrian troop presence in Lebanon was removed.
However, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said the implication for Syria remains clear, and said the Damascus government should take the resolution seriously and allow Lebanese leaders to decide the country's future without interference.
"It's clear the Lebanese parliamentarians have been pressured and even threatened by Syria and its agents to make them comply," he said. "This makes a mockery of democratic principles and we would hope that they would be allowed to make their decision openly, fairly and in that way to have a free and fair presidential election process."
Another State Department official said the United States is "gravely concerned" that the will of the Lebanese people was circumvented by Syrian actions leading to Friday's vote.
The Lebanese parliament approved the constitutional change by several votes more than the required two-thirds majority, and both the Lebanese and Syrian governments condemned the U.N. resolution.
But Lebanese opposition politicians reiterated concern about Syrian meddling in Lebanese politics, backed up by the presence of some 16,000 Syrian troops in country's east and north.
Syria has kept its forces in Lebanon despite an obligation under the 1989 Taif accords to set a timetable for withdrawal, and despite Israel's pullout from southern Lebanon four years ago.


Sitting here drinking my morning tea (Earl grey, hot – natch), I’ve been flipping through my favourite blogs, and not one but two of them dealt with the subject of instant gratification. If a lifetime of watching Sesame Street has taught me anything, it’s that oft-repeated subjects are the lesson of the day and we should pay attention to them. And who am I to argue with Sesame Street?
Since I’m basically a child (at least in terms of my eating and television habits), the desire for instant gratification is a problem for me and I was eager to hear other people’s take on the topic.
Here’s one of the blogs (the other seems to have vanished from the interwebz right now, but I’ll update when it returns):
In a nutshell, the lesson learned is that we need to be aware of our urge for instant gratification. Sometimes we give in and that’s OK, and other times we resist and enjoy the longer-term benefits (be they better health or nicer kiwis). We need to pay particular attention to how we feel when we’ve managed to resist an impulse, and keep that feeling at the forefront next time the impulse rears its head. If we remember how good it felt to acknowledge the urge and let it pass, we’re more likely to continue with that pattern of good choices. We learn that working toward a long term goal feels better than grabbing whatever’s within reach.
That’s my goal for the day: acknowledge any urges for instant gratification and, if they’re not a positive choice for me, let them pass.
And if it’s not a positive choice on the surface, but I feel like it will still be a good thing for me in the long run — it’s OK to just eat the damn cookie.


The News team aims to cover events and stories pertaining to the University of Puget Sound and, on occasion, the city of Tacoma. This section will often cover campus news concerning the administration, ASUPS (student government), the Greek system, student clubs and organizations, individual student achievements, Faculty Senate, extraordinary campus events and more much. The News desk may also choose to cover local and national issues, as they pertain to students.
The Trail News Desk Staff:
Nayra Halajian, News Editor, from Los Angeles studies Communications with a minor in Politics and Government. She is extremely passionate about journalism, especially as it relates to Tacoma and UPS. In her free time, she listens to Hop Along and reads the New York Times. If you have questions or concerns you can reach out to her at firstname.lastname@example.org


This page contains information about the SmellySloth Party.
This party is inactive.
This party is not part of the national cabinet.
|Centralization||unknown||close to none||perfect|
|Civil Rights||unknown||close to none||perfect|
|Ecology||unknown||close to none||perfect|
|Foreign Relations||unknown||close to none||perfect|
|Government Responsibilities||unknown||close to none||perfect|
|Market||unknown||close to none||perfect|
|Military||unknown||close to none||perfect|
|Morality||unknown||close to none||perfect|
|Religion||unknown||close to none||perfect|
This party is a member of the following organizations:
|Month||Votes||Total Votes||Votes (%)||Votes (%) (+)||Seats||Total Seats||Seats (%)||Seats (+)|
This graph shows the percentage of seats the party achieved in each election, relative to its maximum.
This graph shows the percentage of seats the party achieved in each election in the entire legislature.
This graph shows the share of seats the party achieved in each election in the entire legislature, together with the share of other parties.
You can view the party's proposed bills here.
This party has to vote on the following bills:
This is the voting[?] record of the SmellySloth Party.
|Bill||Created||Voting started||Vote||Bill Status||Result|
|Nuclear bill||March 4426||March 4426||voting|
|Congressional Reduction Act (Jan 4426) - Liberty||January 4426||January 4426||voting|
|Tarrif act||December 4425||December 4425||voting|
|Income tax proposal of November 4425||November 4425||November 4425||passed|
|Addiction reduction act||November 4425||November 4425||voting|
|Budget proposal of November 4425||November 4425||November 4425||voting|
|Malpractice reform||October 4425||October 4425||voting|
|OOC- Debate RP||July 4425||debate|
|Civil reform act||January 4425||January 4425||defeated|
|Energy Reform Act additions||January 4425||January 4425||passed|
|Local Government Empowerement Act||January 4425||January 4425||defeated|
|Report into what will happen to the nationalised energy suppliers.||November 4424||debate|
|RP: nomination of the two vice-Presidents||October 4424||October 4424||defeated|
|Energy Reform Act||September 4424||January 4425||defeated|
|Economic Reform Act||August 4424||August 4424||passed|
|Presidential Office Act (Jul 4424) - Liberty||July 4424||September 4424||passed|
|Term Extension Act (Jul 4424) - Liberty||July 4424||July 4424||passed|
|Discipline in Schools Act 4424||June 4424||June 4424||passed|
|Cabinet Proposal of May 4424||May 4424||May 4424||passed|
|Cabinet Proposal of May 4424||May 4424||May 4424||defeated|
|Random fact: Particracy is completely free! If you want to support the game financially, feel free to make a small donation to the firstname.lastname@example.org Paypal account.|
|Random quote: "He comes out of hibernation once every three years and says something stupid. No wonder the UR fell apart." - Tirza Sommer, Pragmatic Party Leader, on the Dorvish President, Leonhard Khan.|


The International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) is the largest international non-profit association of people and firms engaged in the various aspects of business brokerage, mergers and acquisitions. The primary focus of the Association is to promote professional standards through professional education.
IBBA has formally established its first international chapter in Canada. IBBA Canada’s mission is to continue the goal of providing education to its members on topics and issues of specific issues to Canadians.
By virtue of living in Canada and joining IBBA, you automatically become a member of IBBA Canada.
When it comes time to sell or buy a business, choose to work with an experienced IBBA member who will guide you through every step of the process. Look for the Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation to identify individuals who have met our highest standards for education, ethics and professionalism. They can take confidence in knowing IBBA Certified Business Intermediaries have the expertise and knowledge to successfully and professionally handle their transactions.


First, update the bedding, I added this darling harlequin bedding set from This Modern Life, by Beau Loves, as well as a couple of pillows, the cloud pillow and masked bear pillow. I layered the pillows and bedding to add some fun dimension, but kept her polka dot sheet and triangle blanket that I had hand made from before.
Second, add some simple wall decals, these mini-triangle decals from Urban Walls add some more fun to her other Animal wall decals. Instead of just putting up the triangles I took it to another level by making them into modern bow ties. Then opted for a more quirky/random look, which added to the fun!
Third, change up the wall decor…I added in a couple fun new letters from sweet grace art, a custom painted striped letter P, and a white lowercase p. Then 2 of our favorite art prints from Skoope Home…and I was done. A super easy update to one of my very favorite spaces!photo credit: moms best network
*the bedding, wall letters, and triangle decals…were part of this sponsored post, design layout + opinions are all my own.


1ST ANNUAL PIG ROAST | SATURDAY, JULY 13 | 6-9 PM
Join us at Hye Meadow Winery July 13th for our 1st Annual Hye Meadow Winery Pig Roast!! Tickets are $30ea. This gets you a plate of pork, chef prepared potato salad, salad, fresh made yeast rolls and cold watermelon – along with two glasses of wine and a band doing an acoustic show. This will all be at our pavilion from 6-9pm at 10257 US Hwy 290 West. Our production building will be open that day for tastings from 11-6pm.
Our physical address is, technically, 10257 U.S. Highway 290 West. Hye can sneak up on you a bit, so if you’re heading west on 290 from Austin or thereabouts, look for the “Fredericksburg 22 miles” sign and *especially* the speed limit 55 signs. That’s when it’s time to get in the left lane and put your blinker on. We’ll be adding some…shall we say…”thematic” signage to help point you our way.
Coming via 290 from Fredericksburg or nearby, we’re *immediately* on the right past Hye Albert Road, the historic Hye Post Office, and Hye Market.


An empty bamboo compact which fits Elates Blushes and Universal Cremes, which is infinitely refillable and reusable. This compact protects and carries your blush or universal crème, with a beauty mirror for on the go use. Everything stays in place with the use of magnets. For pressed foundation powders, use Elates square bamboo compact.
Elate Cosmetics is a brand which is committed to natural, vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable products packaged predominantly in refillable bamboo and glass, with refills packaged in seed paper – simply wet, plant and water! Kind on you and kind on the environment.
Compatible with: Pressed Cheek Powders, Universal Cremes
Materials: Made of sustainably sourced bamboo, magnets
Made in: Canada


With 13 categories of stateroom, you'll be sure to find the perfect cabin to suit your needs. Interior staterooms measure 150 square feet and come with two twin beds which can be pushed together to form a queen-size bed, a private bathroom, storage space including a safe, and a flatscreen TV. Many staterooms also have a sofa bed or a Pullman bed and can sleep up to four. The popular Samsara spa staterooms and suites come with exclusive spa access, upgraded bath products, and healthy snacks in the minibar, and suites come with a private verandah, a sitting area, and a whirlpool. But choose your stateroom carefully – rooms located near the bars and clubs can be noisy at night.
Dining & Gastronomy
The Costa Diadema offers seven different dining venues, four of which are included in the cost of your cruise. The two main dining rooms, Adularia and Fiorentino, are assigned-seating venues serving authentic Italian dishes in an elegant setting. Corona Blu serves as the ship's buffet during the day and turns into an open-seating dinner venue at night. Spa-class passengers as well as health-conscious guests will appreciate the lighter, healthier fare in the Samsara Restaurant, and Club Diadema is an upscale Italian restaurant offering gourmet sit-down dinners. Piazza Pizza serves Italy's most famous export in the evenings, and for those getting tired of pizza and pasta, Tavola Teppanyaki provides a welcome change with its Japanese-style grill. Don't forget to stop by Gelateria Amarillo for dessert!
Entertainment and Activities
The Emerald Diadem is a nonstop flurry of activity. Spontaneous dance shows, acrobatic performances and musical performances pop up in nearly every public area of the ship throughout the day, and the theatrical productions and movie screenings are popular among passengers of all ages. Though the ship has designated clubs for small children and teens, the entire ship is family-friendly, meaning you'll find kids and teens in nearly every public area of the ship – even some of the dance clubs at night. To get away from it all, retreat to the calming oasis of the Asian-themed Samsara Spa, where you can enjoy a relaxing massage or a rejuvenating beauty treatment in a calming atmosphere.
Though the Costa Diadema has no formal dress code, passengers are asked not to wear shorts in the restaurants in the evening and no swimwear at the buffet. Though occasional Formal Nights and some themed dinners call for a formal dress code, these are not strictly enforced, so don't sweat it if you forget to pack your tux.


What an awesome time we had fellowshipping with the Adelphi family for their Men & Women's Day. The Poetic Evangelist was on the program and recited "A Prince Like No Other". Here is an audio for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
Believing In The Power Ministries Celebrates the Life of Bishop Edward Ramsey, Sr.,
who transitioned this life on October 1, 2018. Bishop Ramsey ordained Elder Marcus and myself in the Ministry of the Gospel 17 years ago this month.
Bishop Ramsey was a loving Man of God, Mentor, Covering, Ministry Leader,
Husband, Father, Grandfather, and a good Friend. He will be greatly missed.
A Blog for those who believe in the power of The Almighty God.


Cost of living in Irkutsk, Russia compared to Anchorage, Alaska, United States
|Personal Care||- 69%|
This comparison is lacking data. It provides a decent comparison, but it is not yet reliable. It is based on 408 prices entered by 66 different people.
These prices were last updated on July 20, 2017. Exchange rate: 0.01698 USD / RUB
Do you live in Anchorage, Alaska? We need your help!
What do you think about this comparison?
Cost of living in Irkutsk (Russia) is 63% cheaper than in Anchorage, Alaska (United States)
For example, to keep the same standard of living that would require $5,700 in Anchorage, Alaska you would need to make just about $2,123 (руб 125,014) in Irkutsk.
Recent Prices Added
- Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Montreal costs C$60 (6 minutes ago)
- Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Prishtina costs €100 (29 minutes ago)
- Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Houston, Texas costs $90 (40 minutes ago)
- 1 liter of gasoline in Bangkok costs 33 ฿ (about 1 hour ago)
- Public transport in Gibraltar costs £30 (about 1 hour ago)


Jay Z, Chris Brown, Miguel, and Swizz Beatz have all used their music to speak out following the recent police shootings of black men. Now Ariana Grande and singer-songwriter Victoria Monét join forces on a new collaboration, which finds them hoping for “Better Days.”
“How we gonna stop the violence, stop the hurt, stop the hatred, stop the murder?” asks Ari. “We’re all human, that’s for certain / Come together, we deserve it.”
The song was accompanied by a note from Monét. “I’m heartbroken by all of the recent tragedies the came as a result of hatred, racism and injustice,” she wrote. “I’m also sad at how numb some of us are to it, because it is far too common! This is not a video game or a movie you’re witnessing on your screens! This is our unfortunate REALITY! When I think about how I feel, the word confused comes to mind…So today we just want to try and help in one of the ways we know how!”
Ariana also called for love and unity and sent her prayers to the families of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the slain police officers in Dallas. “During this challenging time, we have to remember that the only way we will progress is if the overruling force is #Love,” she said. “Too many precious lives were taken from us this week, this month, this year. Rest in peace #AltonSterling. Rest in peace #PhilandoCastile #BlackLivesMatter. And the police that were peacefully guarding the #BlackLivesMatter rally in Dallas…. Rest in peace.”
Listen to their hopeful message below.


Bomb squad comes to Riverview for a lesson
While many other students sat in their classrooms on Jan. 18, Riverview’s Engineering and Programming classes got to learn how sheriff deputies Jeremy Barr and Jimmy Achille diffuse bombs, using many of the skills they have studied in their engineering classes.
At first glance, Barr and Achille look like your average lawmen, but only into five minutes into the presentation, Achille puts on a kevlar bomb suit and demonstrates its limited movement.
To do so, Achille rolls onto stage and then to proceeds to trip over multiple backpacks on the way there.
The initial presentation goes through the requirements of being a bomb squad member--basic police training, a Hazmat school in Alabama, and a year of Hazardous Device School.
They were talking about the mental demand for the job, they talk about what would happen if they didn’t complete a mission.
“If I don’t do my job right the first time, that’s not my problem,” said Barr, which got a lot of laughs from the audience.
Once finished with the beginning portion of the presentation, they moved the group outside and divided it into two parts. One went with Barr, to practice how to move a bomb properly, and the other group went with Achille to learn about the bomb-disabling robot.
Although the connotations that come with bomb threats are bad and the suit is quite uncomfortable, the deputies always kept the conversation light by constantly cracking jokes.
The students worked together to build two separate pulley systems. These pulley systems were used to transport a PVC pipe, the “bomb,” from one point to another. The deputies went over ways to do this and advised them throughout the whole assignment.
Overall, the engineering students got to learn about a whole new career that some people did not think was possible.


This week's downloadable Nintendo poop 2/16/2012
We already knew the Nintendo 3DS eShop was going to get a demo for Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D this week. That's no surprise. What is a surprise, however, is that the demo isn't the only noteworthy download hitting Nintendo's digital shops.
First and foremost, the Virtual Console is still alive! The Sega Genesis version of Strider has hit the Big N's retro platform, and it you've got a hankering for a solid action title, you can't go wrong with this one. Strider will run you 800 Wii Points.
DSiWare is a bit less interesting, as it's getting iSpot Japan. This "spot the difference" game is priced at 200 DSi Points or $1.99 for the 3DS. I would suggest you save your points, though, and I'll explain why in the following paragraph! (This horrible excuse for a seguey was completely intentional, by the way.)
As previously mentioned, you probably already knew about the Snake Eater 3D demo, and you should definitely check that out. But if you're in the market for some portable bliss with a retro flavor, you can check out the classic NES platformer, Super Mario Bros. That amazingly awesome game has a $4.99 price tag on it, which is completely reasonable. Check it out!


Directory Update Cover Form
INSTRUCTIONS: Use this form as a cover sheet to notify the Human Resources Communications as to whether or not you have changes to the 'non-A-Z' section of the University Directory.
If you have directory updates for Round 1 or Round 2*:
- Update and save the listings for which you are responsible (see instructions in the Directory Coordinators User Guide for details).
- For each file that you updated and saved in Step 1, complete the information below on the Directory Update Cover Form. At the end of the form, you will be instructed to attach the file.
* Only submit a cover form for Round 2 if your changes were not captured accurately in Round 1.
NOTE: If you have no changes for Round 1, submit a cover form with the 'No Changes' box (below) checked off.


We’re shaking things up, pairing delicious craft cocktails with smart financial education to make both a little less intimidating and a lot more satisfying. If you want to know how a financial plan can help you find financial balance and bring your dreams and goals more within reach, then this is the class for you.
Master the art of cocktail making while you learn to make smart financial choices for your future. From choosing the proper cocktail glasses to key steps for building a solid financial plan, our Establishment finance professionals and cocktail expert will drop some knowledge on you that promises to mix up your social life and help bring financial success.
Together, we’ll explore topics like what your goals and dreams mean to your bigger financial picture and what you should have on hand to mix a killer cocktail at home. Best of all, if you are joining us in-person we’ll sample craft creations and enjoy delicious snacks along the way. If you are taking this class online, make up your favorite drink to enjoy at home.
In this class expect to learn:


Reports suggest sources close to Apple have spoken of Steve Jobs' plans to leave the company he founded in good hands, by preparing blueprints of updates to the popular iPod, iOS devices and MacBook line of products "for years" after his death.
Speaking to a British newspaper, sources said Steve Jobs worked on the future of the products he helped design and shape in a bid to safeguard the future of his company.
(Source: Andrew Burton/Getty Images/AFP)
Jobs was also overseeing work on iCloud, in order to future-proof the company against cloud computing competitors, and to enable the company to put into play more advanced technologies which center around the cloud and online experience.
His involvement may be remembered for some, citing those close to him who worked on the failed MobileMe project, who once quoted Jobs' scathing put-down to employees; fair to say one of his not-so finest hours.
One research group spoke to the Boston Herald, explaining how others should "not be surprised" by Jobs' plans, along with Apple's 'think ahead' strategy. Noting that the iPad's design was registered in 2004 but not introduced to the market until six years later in 2010, it shows Apple's ability to think far ahead into the future, rather than "only a quarter or two in advance".
Along the way, his appearance only two months to Cupertino City Council before his resignation in August, stepping down as chief executive as a result of declining health, to set in motion the approval for plans for the next Apple campus.
Dubbed Apple Campus 2, or the 'Cupertino Spaceship', it will hold 12,000 employees in a grand park setting near the existing buildings on One Infinite Loop, and will cover 3.1 million square feet of space to house the donut-shaped building.
Only the day before Jobs died, Tim Cook, Apple's new chief executive, announced the company's fifth generation smartphone, the iPhone 4S.
Despite looking identical to the existing iPhone 4, and receiving poor outlooks from analysts who called the announcement "disappointing", sales have soared through the roof, pushing back expected shipping dates to one to two weeks.
- Photos: Apple Campus 2: Concept images of the new Cupertino campus
- Analysts lukewarm on Apple’s iPhone 4S
- Apple’s iPhone 4S: A look at the winners, losers
- Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders sold out, currently at 1-2 week shipping
- Unlocked iPhone 4S available in November
- Why I ordered an iPhone 4S
- Will the iPhone 4S’s new camera replace your point-and-shoot?
- Steve Jobs dies at 56 (roundup)
- ZDNet full coverage: iPhone 4S; Remembering Steve Jobs


LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Bed, Bath & Beyond BBBY, -2.67% said Wednesday that first-quarter earnings were relatively flat, but that at stores open more than a year, sales were up 4.9%. The company reported net income of $100.4 million, or 35 cents a share, on sales of $1.4 billion, compared with $98.9 million, or 33 cents a share, on sales of $1.24 billion for the same period a year ago. Results for the Union, N.J.-based housewares retailer were in line with forecasts from analysts polled by Thomson First Call. The comparable-store gain measures up with a 4.4% increase a year ago. Bed, Bath & Beyond shares ended trading Wednesday up 32 cents to $36.92.
Bed, Bath earnings flat; same-store sales rise


FAIRFIELD — Motorists driving along North Texas Street Saturday had a chance to get their car washed for a cause.
Parishioners from Celebration Church were on hand near Grocery Outlet, scrubbing vehicles for a donation to support those in need.
“Our goals are to help the homeless community – people that need the help to enrich their lives,” said Barbara Freeman, director of the HOPE Ministry.
HOPE stands for Helping Others Prosper and Excel, said Freeman. The ministry is a part of the church’s larger Reach Ministry, run by the Rev. Jon Barker.
Freeman said donations from the car wash ranged from $5 to $100. The proceeds will help the church feed the homeless once a month.
Other goals for the church include starting job programs and a food pantry, Freeman said.
She said reaching out to the homeless is a way of “earning their trust” and “showing God’s love.”
The ministry feeds the homeless from 2 to 4 p.m. every third Sunday at Lee Bell Park on Union Avenue in Fairfield.
For more information about Celebration Church, 1837 Blossom Ave., call 422-5250 or visit www.celebrationfairfield.com.
Reach Adrienne Harris at 427-6956 or [email protected] Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aharrisdr.


Video Clip of Teacher Assaulting Student
A video clip of a teacher brutally beating up a female student in the classroom is creating a stir as it spreads around the Internet.
With the spread through the Internet of a video clip depicting a teacher assaulting a female girl in the classroom, the Gyeonggi-do District Office of Education decided to fire the teacher in question, Thursday.
The teacher was in class at a school in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, when he made a girl step forward and brutally struck her in the face in front of the other students. This scene was caught on a camera phone and uploaded to the Internet as a video clip on Wednesday afternoon. The clip has been downloaded numerous times since then.
On Thursday, written protests were posted on the Web sites of the school in question and the Gyeonggi-do District Office of Education, saying that the act was ¡°violence, not punishment,¡± and that ¡°dishonorable teachers should be discharged.¡± Over 5,000 messages were posted on the district education office¡¯s Web board in a single day, and the names of the school and teacher in question were revealed.
Netizen Yu Hyun-jin asked, ¡°What can students learn from a teacher who can¡¯t even control sudden outbursts of anger and who simply hits a girl with his fists?¡± Choi Uhm-seop wrote, ¡°What is even more surprising is the teacher¡¯s comments defending his actions during an interview,¡± adding that the teacher ¡°should apologize to the student and her parents, and leave his post.¡±
Other Internet messages read, ¡°It is odd that such an incident happened when the teacher in question is normally such a quiet person.¡±
(Park Min-sun, firstname.lastname@example.org)


502 Bar & Bistro in Norton Commons serves up deliciously-simple food
I’ve always appreciated dining out; it’s part of what led me to this role as the Courier Journal's restaurant critic, after all. My understanding of what a luxury experience eating in a restaurant can truly be has taken on a whole new meaning since I welcomed my daughter into the world on Christmas Eve.
Not that I ever took for granted the pleasure of having someone else cook a meal for me. It’s just that the simple act of going out to eat is not quite so simple anymore. This new perspective was fresh on my mind when I stepped into 502 Bar & Bistro in Norton Commons on a dreary February evening, my hopes high that this restaurant would present me with a meal that was delicious enough to take the sting out of leaving my chubby, wiggly little one at home.
My review of the menu at 502 Bar & Bistro had certainly piqued my curiosity, all dishes developed by Executive Chef Ming Pu, who had recently returned from cooking alongside fellow Louisville chefs at the James Beard House in New York City. This is no small feather to don in one’s cap and I was anxious to taste his creations for myself.
Tucked within the ever-growing neighborhood of Norton Commons, 502 Bar & Bistro bears a fresh and straightforward aesthetic. The dining room is large and outfitted with massive windows, ensuring the space is flooded with light during the day. This is surely preferable to the bright, borderline harsh pendant lights hanging from the industrial style ceiling, which could have benefited from a significant dimming during our visit.
Restaurant Review: Buck's Restaurant serves near-perfect meal in heart of Old Louisville
The simplicity of the space is reflected in the duo of menus on offer. The main menu presents a focused collection of seven starters, three mid-courses and six mains, a handful of featured ingredients locally sourced.
A more extensive assortment of bar fare featuring nearly a dozen sandwiches ensures 502 Bar & Bistro is accessible to the neighborhood any night of the week. Within both menus, one will find nods to Chef Pu’s Taiwanese heritage, several items taking on a fusion quality.
The main menu is seasonal in nature as is the list of signature cocktails, the warmer weather offering ($9) a refreshing gin and aperol based aperitif that took the edge off the cold night. We sipped our drinks while taking in several shareable dishes covering both menus, including the bistro burger sliders ($13) and the shrimp toast ($15). The meat-based starters both came out on top, the trio of mini beef slider patties nicely charred and properly cooked.
The shrimp toast arrived warm, a layer of shrimp paste spread over thin triangles of white bread. While the flavor was appealing, I found it too subtle and think the seasonings in the paste could be amped up, embracing the funky nature of the shellfish in a more intense way.
Moving onto the main event, we wisely opted to share an order of the risotto ($17), an unabashedly rich creation of beautifully tender Taiwanese style five spice pork served over perfectly cooked risotto and finished with crispy shallots. The only element missing for me was a contrasting note, something to break up the fattiness of the dish like fresh green onion or a lightly pickled garnish of some sort.
Restaurant Review: Silvio's in St. Matthews serves hit-and-miss Italian cuisine
There also seemed to be a missing piece to the bistro steak plate ($28), the cooked to order and well-seasoned hanger steak topped with a rosemary and garlic butter that was well paired but couldn’t quite pull the weight of sauce. A fusion take on a bearnaise could work well here.
All components were accounted for in the Joyce Farms Chicken entree, ($24) the bird expertly prepared with a succulent jus, delightfully crisped brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes rounding out this dish. I wouldn’t change a thing.
502 Bar & Bistro is lucky to have Pastry Chef Emie Dunagan in their corner. It is rare to find housemade chocolates on a restaurant menu and the candies crafted by Dunagan for her ‘study in chocolate’ dessert are as exquisite as they are a delight to the palate. Flavors vary from day to day and one should consider themselves lucky if passion fruit is on the menu.
Those who don’t frequent the east end may not be privy to Chef Pu’s work at 502 Bar & Bistro, his talents still in the process of being fully realized. The current offerings are impressive to be sure, but something tells me he’s got some culinary tricks still tucked in his chef’s coat sleeves. I look forward to experience Chef Pu’s food as it evolves — even if it means leaving my little one at home.
Reach freelance restaurant critic Lindsey McClave at firstname.lastname@example.org.
The 502 Bar & Bistro
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Address: 10401 Meeting St., Prospect
Cuisine: New American
Children’s Menu: No formal menu but child friendly options are available
Alcohol: Full bar including craft cocktails, wine and an extensive bourbon list
Vegetarian: Minimal vegetarian entree options
Price Range: Moderate
Credit Cards: Yes
Access: Restaurant is handicap accessible
Parking: There is a lot behind the restaurant in addition to street parking
Hours: 4-11 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; noon to midnight, Saturday & Sunday; Closed Mondays


A snapshot of the startup ecosystem in one night
Startup Atlanta is kicking off summer with a Startup Crawl, May 3, at The Battery near SunTrust Park. Crawlers will check out some great spaces nearby and inside the Park, meet the cool new startups in town, and make new friends over a few cold ones.
Attendees will crawl to:
SharedSpace’s newly-opened Cobb location: This space is the perfect location for startups and big businesses alike. SharedSpace Cobb offers a convenient and comfortable space for freelancers, remote workers, independent professionals, and small teams seeking the energy and accessibility of a co-working space right outside the perimeter.
SPACES at Battery Park: Spaces Atlanta is an innovative and inspiring working environment located in Atlanta’s preeminent live, work, play community. Spaces Atlanta is within steps of the newly rebirthed Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre, an iconic venue where you can wind down from a hard day’s work and enjoy a concert or comedy show. Whether you’re mind-mapping, meeting, collaborating or crunching numbers, the designer desks, tables, sofas, super-fast wifi and informal meeting areas provide the perfect place for every business need.
Comcast’s accelerator – The Farm ATL: The Farm offers a variety of programs to support and nurture selected startups and entrepreneurs, including a three-month accelerator program, premium incubator office space, cutting-edge hardware prototype lab and co-working. The Farm is housed at The Battery Atlanta, a 60-acre development that includes SunTrust Park, as well as Comcast NBCUniversal’s Southeast Region headquarters. The Farm is part of Comcast NBCUniversal’s LIFT Labs for Entrepreneurs program and is operated by Boomtown Accelerator.
Startup Atlanta will also launch its 2018 Guide to the Ecosystem at this event. Each attendee will receive one of the new booklets which catalogues pertinent resources for entrepreneurs and startup founders in the local startup community.
Crawlers, RSVP here!
Featured photo via The Battery Atlanta


5:2 Diet Recipe – Smoked Haddock Rarebit:
As I mentioned in my first post about following the 5:2 diet, this concept has been popularised by a recent BBC horizon programme. If you want to read more about Michael Mosley’s experience there’s an article here
The appeal of this form of dieting is that it enables us to lead normal lives on five days of the week and appears to be quite flexible in how you use it. I am guessing that many of us have done variations on a theme around this diet, I know I have soup only days when I want to lose weight quickly and I can remember my parents having fruit only days for the same reason. What was interesting about the 5:2 diet TV programme was that not only do you lose weight, you also potentially improve your overall health. And, although we are all calling it a diet at the moment, I suspect it is actually a life eating plan. Now, I’m not a doctor and nor am I having the IGF-1 marker monitoring that Michael Mosely followed. I do have one minor ongoing health problem, a slow-acting thyroid (for which I take a low dose of thyroxine), and for that reason, I will check with my doctor in the next few days that this diet is not harmful to me. But, in principle I don’t see why it should be as it is not a total fast, nor are you forbidden to eat any particular food type. I’m also curious about how the results of this form of diet management might be linked to the recent research into a ‘cure’ for diabetes which involves a very low calorie diet over a longer term.
- 2 pieces Smoked Haddock Fillets of smoked haddock, preferably the undyed sort.
- 1 Medium Egg
- 100 g Cheddar Cheese Grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Chives
- 1 dash Worcester Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Milk (or beer)
Wrap the haddock in foil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 170c. If you prefer, you can poach the haddock gently in a little milk for just a few minutes or grill it on one side only. Your aim is not to cook the fish through, just to start the cooking process.
Make up the rarebit mixture by beating the egg with mustard, worcester sauce and chives. Then add in the cheese and mix well. Add milk as necessary so that you have a thickish mixture you can spread over the fish.
Line a baking tray with foil and lay the haddock pieces on the foil. Spread the rarebit mixture over the fish and put back in the oven for 10 minutes
If necessary, brown the rarebit under a hot grill for a few minutes before serving. I like this with spinach but for a more substantial version you could serve mashed potatoes and perhaps buttered cabbage.
This is a low calorie dish, especially if made with half fat cheese.
Today’s 5:2 diet recipe and meal is smoked haddock rarebit. I love rarebit on toast and I’ve made enough of the mixture for lunch later in the week. But, adding haddock makes a very special dish that I was introduced to by James Martin. He made his rarebit rather differently, pre-cooking it on the hob, chilling the paste and then cutting out slices to lay on top of the fish. I’ve done a simpler version, using the rarebit mix I’ve made since I was a student that I would generally put on bread. I added a few chives for extra flavour and I served this with steamed spinach, which is a lovely contrast to the smokey, salty fish. I’m very lucky because I was sent the smoked haddock by Delish Fish and it is incredibly well flavoured and tender. I’m also using low fat cheddar, where I’d normally use the full blown variety, to cut the calories and my very rough calorie count for the meal works out like this.
½ egg 35cal
50g low fat cheddar 130cal
Pepper, mustard, Worcester sauce Chives negligible calories
20 ml 1% milk 10cal
100g fresh spinach 30cal
150g smoked haddock 150cal
That’s a total of 355 calories for what feels like quite a substantial 5:2 diet meal, helped a lot by the haddock which is a very low calorie fish.
My dieting history is a bit piecemeal. I’ve tried a few diet plans but I never manage to do them for long. I am not a great fan of ketosis inducing diets like Atkins. I’m concerned that anything where you have to put a huge pressure on one or two of your body’s vital organs (in this case the kidneys and liver). And in any case, it’s very difficult to write restaurant reviews and limit your food to the Atkins diet. For me, low carb, low fat diets DO work, but are very, very hard to stick to because on certain days I eat out, sometimes twice. And I get a fair amount of food (chocolate) to review at home too. Probably my biggest failing is wine, I enjoy drinking with a meal and I cook quite a lot with wine, so there’s often the good part of the bottle left for me to finish! But, I have no problem avoiding wine on two or three days a week…and the advantage of doing that on a ‘5:2 fasting’ day is it stops me picking at chocolates and drinking lovely but calorific fruit cocktails instead of the wine. I also think having a couple of days of eating very little cuts your appetite overall.
So – my aim over the next month is to lose 4-5kg (8-10lbs). At the moment, for my age and height (I’m 155cm) I am at the top end of overweight, though not yet into the category called obese. I’m away on holiday from the 15th September to 22nd and I’d really like to drop a dress size by then so that my pretty summer clothes fit without stretching at the seams. I currently weigh 65kg and when I first started doing this I was 66kg, so I DID lose a whole kilo in the first few days. Once I get to 60kg I will be happy, if I can reach my target weight of 57kg I will be thrilled (I’m 155cm).
I exercise regularly (usually 4 times a week) and I’m changing my routine to include more resistance training because I understand that muscle wastage is one of the potential issues of this diet. Over the last week, my gym routine has been 10 minutes of power plate (squats, lunges, steps, plank) followed by 15 minutes of interval based aerobic exercise, followed by 10 minutes of weights/resistance exercise followed by 5 minutes of power plate relaxation. That seems to work in terms of toning and my tummy feels a bit flatter! On fast days I’m not currently exercising, but I am trying to make sure I take a 20-30 minute walk. I might change that, when and if I get more used to the routine but as things stand I find exercise makes me feel very hungry and I suspect I’d cheat on the basis of calories burnt at the gym!
Day 2 of fasting for the 5:2 diet has gone OK so far. I’ve discovered that drinking a lot of water is important and when all else fails, zero coke is quite good at filling me up! Good luck to everyone else trying the 5:2 Diet to lose weight. Do let me know your own ideas!
Here are my recipe ideas so far:-
5:2 Diet Celery and Spinach soup


The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office honored more than 120 fifth-graders at Lacoste Elementary School May 6, who completed a 12-week program in Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, taught by instructors from the Sheriff’s Office.
It was the last DARE graduation of the school year. More than 600 fifth-grade students in eight St. Bernard schools graduated from the program given by St. Bernard sheriff’s officers Lt. Lisa Jackson, commander of DARE., and Sgt. Darrin Miller. The program, held in both public and private schools, was re-esablished in 2009, four years after Hurricane Katrina.
DARE is aimed at trying to keep young people from using drugs including tobacco and alcohol or taking part in violence or bullying others.
Sheriff James Pohlmann told children at Lacoste they must concentrate on making the right choices to have productive lives, including listening to their parents and teachers and deciding who they should and shouldn’t associate with.
“I can tell you how drug use affects a family and it also affects the entire community,’’ the sheriff said, praising relatives of the graduates who turned out for the graduation ceremony for showing their support for the students.
He encouraged them to continue staying focused on their children, including talking often with them and looking for warning signs to help prevent drug use or be alerted to them actually using drugs.
Maj. Chad Clark, commander of the Special Investigations Division including the Narcotics Unit, said it takes the kind of education effort given by Sheriff’s Office drug resistance instructors at parish schools to affect the drug problem in America and solid law enforcement to stop drug dealers.
“We can’t arrest ourselves out of this problem,’’ Clark said, noting there are more than 100,000 deaths in America each year from drug-related causes, including some in St. Bernard Parish. The resurgence of the drug heroin is concerning law enforcement and health care officials nationwide.
But Clark said overdose deaths have been going down in the parish because of a combination of factors including law enforcement diligence.
The information in this article and picture were provided by the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office Director of Public Information Steve Cannizaro


All new technologies go through an adoption cycle that waxes and wanes along with the attendant hype. Some technologies never make it through the so called “trough of disillusionment,” the phase in the cycle of technology adoption (as defined by analyst firm Gartner) when interest wanes.
With hundreds of technology firms pursuing the Big Data opportunity, there is certainly a lot of hype. But in my opinion, 2015 will be the year when Big Data makes the transition from hyperbole to productivity in the form of Applied Big Data solutions, particularly within the enterprise market.
Applied Big Data solutions—applications that are pre-built with with Big Data approaches that solve specific sets of business challenges—focus on helping non-technical people gain actionable insights so they can make evidence-based decisions.
Here are the top three trends to watch in the year ahead.
1. Applications Will Help Users Delve into the “Why” of Results.
When working with data, people can usually anticipate their initial questions. The key to a successful analytic solution is to design the application so that the users can go anywhere they need from the initial insight, guided by their sense of discovery. It is also essential that the application allows for an easy method of sharing the discovery with others that need to know, so that they also can satisfy their curiosity.
Here’s an example that illustrates the need to think about data causally:
A company is located in a community with a highly diverse minority population. Trying to reflect the community in which they operate, they are focused on hiring minorities. But while they constantly hire minorities, their overall minority representation does not improve.
In reality, the right course of action was to refine their employee retention efforts, and not focus entirely on hiring. The majority of this organization’s departments have been very successful in retaining and promoting their minority members. But this fact was hidden in the average calculations that were skewed by a small number of departments which were dramatically failing in their retention objectives. A well thought-out analytic application would have pointed out the failing outliers and identified the root causes of the failure.
The challenge that prevents today’s Big Data solutions to answer the second order questions is that the solution designers are technologists who usually do not understand the business user’s needs or thought processes.
It is this challenge that must be addressed, and we expect to see in 2015 increasing focus on Applied Big Data applications that are designed to answer the business user domain questions at a level of insight that is built on the understanding of the business content, as well as the relationship between data sources and data elements.
2. Innovation Will Be Driven By Smaller Screen Real Estate.
The technology that has made the biggest difference in the last five years is the smart mobile platform. Think tablets, smartphones and, potentially, wearable devices such as iWatch. IDC predicts that 8.5 million wearable devices will ship into Canada through 2018, with 111 million expected to ship globally.
Data visualization will need to focus on delivering precise, intelligent alerts for the smaller screen real estate. A great example for illustration is the car dashboard. While we drive, we get constant data flow from the gauges on the dashboard about speed or remaining fuel. But the real critical information—such as low fuel condition, road icing, engine overheating, low tire pressure, or brake line failure—is delivered through warning lights.
Alerts are particularly useful outcomes from Big Data analytics and well suited for the mobile platform. In the future, wearable devices will provide a useful means for the display of contextual alerts while the user is engaged in everyday tasks.
Clearly, wearable devices are still in their very early stages and mass appeal applications are yet to be invented. However, smartphones and tablets are everywhere, and increasingly used as the preferred or even the only data access point.
In 2015, we expect the mobile device to drive an acceleration of the wholesale re-engineering of most human-computer interfaces from the traditional page-format driven by form design to a dashboard with gauges, graphics, video and warning lights, and from asynchronous (eg. documents, email) to nearly real-time (eg, SMS, tweets) interactions. The context in which users access the data will increase in importance.
3. User Expectations Will Continue to Rise.
In the business realm, for users to get value out of their data, they typically must take a series of long, complex, technically challenging, risk prone and expensive steps using Business Intelligence and Big Data tools. To date, the Big Data vendors have focused on solving massive data storage and fast retrieval challenges. They have yet to create useful tools that allow business people to ask questions and receive answers without the employment of extremely skilled “data scientists.” A lot of nuance is lost in translation and lead-time between the business user’s questions and the data scientists’ output.
Clearly, there are cases where the deployment of a data scientist will result in useful insight from Big Data. However, these cases are generally not scalable due to cost and leadtime to delivery. Yet, virtually every business user has a need to deeply understand and continually improve the business process for which they are responsible.
Increasingly in 2015 and beyond, we expect that business people will demand answers to questions derived from a deep understanding of historical and projected data without the need to depend on IT or data scientists to interpret their data. The market is eager for such solutions.
Business users need to move beyond the hype of Big Data to getting help with answering their business questions. With cloud based Applied Big Data solutions, the customer may not care whether these applications have a Hadoop file system under the hood, or use approaches like in-memory data and MapReduce. But for technology providers, Applied Big Data represents a tremendous opportunity to build solutions that marry the power, speed and scalability of Big Data with domain expertise and industry best-practices (domain questions, metrics, navigation, visualization)—and as a result fundamentally change the way organizations use data to help them optimize their business.


Target allowing men who identify themselves as transgendered to use women’s restrooms defies common sense. Andy Park made a video that has gone viral that shows that the policy goes even beyond that. He goes to a Target store and confirms with a manager that men, who are dressed like men, can use the women’s restroom because they state they are uncomfortable in the men’s restroom.
Not only will they allow men to use the women’s restroom, but they will straighten out any women who come and complain.
This simply opens the door to creepers and peepers who would love this opportunity. Also, another important point to mention, not every man who claims to be transexual also claims to be gay – Bruce/Caitlin Jenner would be an example. Donald Trump has already said Jenner is welcome to use the women’s restroom in Trump tower even though Jenner is still attracted to women.
This is what Target has invited into its women’s restroom and has put women, and especially young girls at risk.
With many stores that offer unisex, private restrooms there is absolutely no reason Target’s policy needs to exist. A man, transgendered or not, who passes up using the men’s restroom or a private unisex restroom has an ulterior motive.


Every once in a while in blogging you get an extra pleasant surprise.
That was what it was when I got an email from Ana Cordeiro, an interior designer based in Lisbon, Portugal!
She has a *fabulous* store in Lisbon, Prego Sem Estopa, and participated in the amazing fair Maison Et Objet in Paris this year and thought we might like to see some of her pictures of the grand event. And in case you didn't know, Maison Et Objet is *THE* show for home fashion (c: Fabulous, right.
Um, yeah, I think I would definitely like to see pictures of that and all the fantastic things she has at her store!
I couldn't say "yes" fast enough! (c:
Some of what the store looks like:
And some of their fabulous wares:
I would say this is a definite "must see" if you are ever in Lisbon...but if you can't wait, you can visit Prego Sem Estopa right HERE (c;
And if you haven't visited the $100 Shopbop giveaway yet...WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!?!?
Hehehe, just kiddin', but seriously, get your free-loader on and ENTER HERE!


"I was born six years before we landed on the moon," writes Alice Ripley. "Seven weeks before the Beatles landed on the Ed Sullivan show, three weeks after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and eleven days before Christmas." On her debut album, Everything's Fine
, Alice again enters quietly into an America distracted by splashier events. In the stillness when no one else is looking, she writes the surprising poetry of the ordinary--in which shoes and steering wheels figure as largely as angels, and tragedy may be a sunny afternoon in suburbia.
"The Bradys rule," Alice sings--as well she should, since her own experience growing up, was a Brady-esque cobbling together of families. After her parents divorced and her father remarried, she found herself the middle child of eleven. Alice has joked that she didn't get her very own underwear until she left for college. Much of her writing reflects the uneasiness born of having come of age in a crowd--both loved and overlooked, unique and faceless--yearning for recognition and identity.
The voice that tells us Everything's Fine is a particularly American one, shaped by a particularly American childhood. Like many children of divorce, Alice shuttled between households, and in her case between states--the demands of her father's business forced him to move often, and the book of her growing up had chapters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Indiana. "The transient feeling of the songs--of my life--comes from going back and forth between my mother and my dad, and their moving."
It isn't surprising that Alice's first record is characterized by restlessness--by railroad tracks, packing boxes, and yellow lines on the highway. In the lovely, achin "Drive," she makes escape her anthem:
Guess I'll drive in my wheelin' blue angel
Out of the city, into the desert, across the ocean
Guess I'll cry so unexpectedly
Until I'm dry and I can finally cease this constant motion
Alice's search for a true sense of belonging is emblematic of modern childhood. She was continually the "new kid" at school; she had a sudden, unconventional family. Her fantasies were of one day getting to ride with her father in the front seat of his car, or hear her mother acknowledge their long-ago happiness with one story, one photograph. And though it wasn't, the adults insisted everything was fine. This sense of denial is a major theme of Alice's music. In the bitterly funny "Suburbia," she tackles the forced normalcy of a middle-class neighborhood where unpleasantness is swept under the carpet:
The Stepford family lives right next door
They don't allow black-soled shoes on their hardwood floor
I've never seen them bleed, that's why I'm so sure
They're bionic to the core, every weekend at the shore in suburbia
"That was a huge identifying factor for me--and I know that I'm one of millions who experienced the same thing--the denial that there's any problem, or sickness or abuse, emotional or otherwise, or pain. My songs tell stories that people who grew up like me can relate to--you don't even have to tell them what the songs are about, because they'll know. The stories may be common. But the way they're told, lyrically and melodically, makes them worth listening to and that's what I never really got until recently, why I never made a record until now."
By the time Alice attended Kent State University, her life had taken an unusual turn: "When I was fourteen, I got a guitar and started taking guitar lessons. But I also started taking acting lessons. And theater became my church, my structure, my family, my identity. If I had practiced my guitar more, I'd have been an awesome guitar player, and I know I would have been writing songs back then. But I gave my entire heart and being to the theater. So up until relatively recently, I haven't really had the time or energy." After graduating with a degree in musical theater, Alice worked as a professional actor in San Diego and then in Nashville, where she met drummer husband Shannon Ford (who plays on Everything's Fine). They moved to New York City, where over the next ten years Alice appeared in the original Broadway casts of The Who's Tommy, Sunset Boulevard, James Joyce's The Dead, The Rocky Horror Show, and cult favorite Side Show, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a musical.
All along, she was gatherine the material that would become Everything's Fine. After so much time in the theater, expressing other people's visions, she felt a great need to create an original self, to put forth a voice defiantly her own. While still appearing onstage in the evenings, she spent days in her apartment, writing with startling honesty about her memories of childhood and home. "I totally felt like Alice in Wonderland, squeezing through the keyhole," she says of this change. "I feel pushed and pulled and squeezed and sliced, I keep changing sizes and shapes. Trying to fit in--to me it was something I completely related to, because I was always the new kid and I was always trying to fit in anyway I could to survive." In this way she has much in common with the character she celebrates in the stirring rhythms of 'New Kid:'
The new kid walks to school along the railroad tracks
She'd like to hop a red caboose and never come back
She's got a tune in her head that nobody knows
But the train and the old black bird they know how it goes
With her work on Everything's Fine, Alice gives worth and weight to the pain of growing, the accident of living--and in her startling observations, we recognize our own perpetual intronsigence. We are always moving but never arriving; we want the moon but settle for make-believe stars on the ceiling. "I've never had more confidence about anything I've created than I do in this record," she says. "It's so purely me ... it's my baby, my soul and my heart, my flesh and my home. And I know that it's true." -- Written by Sara Hess