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Friday, October 27, 2006
Response to Daily Dave Thread
The offensive side really made an appearance with yesterday's thread, where Dave's "lots of monkeys staring at a screen....security?" thread says:
My feeling is that IDS is 1980's technology and doesn't work anymore. This makes Sourcefire and Counterpane valuable because they let people fill the checkbox at the lowest possible cost, but if it's free for all IBM customers to throw an IDS in the mix then the price of that checkbox is going to get driven down as well.
First, it's kind of neat to see anyone speaking about "IDS" instead of "IPS" here. I think this reflects Dave's background working for everyone's favorite three letter agency. The spooks and .mil types (like me) tend to be the last people to even think about detection these days.
Second, it seems to be popular to think of "IDS" as strictly a signature-based technology, as Gadi Evron believes:
IDS devices are signature based and try to detect bad behaviour using, erm, a sniffer or equivalent.
That's hasn't been true for a while, even if you're talking about Snort. Sure, there are tons of signatures, but they're certainly not just for content matching. If you're thinking about Bro, signatures aren't really even the main issue -- protocol anomaly detection is.
Python demigod Dave posts another message that is a little worrisome:
Making IDS part of a defense in depth strategy is giving it some credit for actually providing defense, which it doesn't do. The people who win the IDS game are the people who spend the least money on it. This is why security outsourcing makes money - it's just as worthless as maintaining the IDS yourself, but it costs less. Likewise, Snort is a great IDS solution because it does nothing but it does it cheaper.
The technology curve is towards complex, encrypted, asynchronous protocols. The further into time you look, the worse the chances are that sniffing traffic is an answer to anything.
The market is slowly realizing this technology's time has past, but in the meantime lots of people are making giant bus-loads of cash. Good for them. But IDS technology isn't relevant to a security discussion in this day and age and it's not going to be anytime soon.
I will agree that many commercial managed security monitoring services are worthless, to the extent that they are ticket- and malware-oriented. However, the idea that Snort "does nothing" is just wrong. Hopefully Dave is just being inflammatory to spur discussion. Sure, Snort is not going to detect an arbitrary outbound encrypted covert channel using port 443. That doesn't mean Snort isn't useful for the hundreds of other attack patterns still seen in the wild.
Since the majority of the posters to this thread are offensive, I doubt they have read any of my books. For example, reverse engineering guru Halvar Flake follows up with this insight:
I still agree with the concept of replacing an IDS with just a large quantity of tapes on which to archive all traffic. IDSs will never alert you to an attack-in-progress, and by just dumping everything onto a disk somewhere you can at least do a halfways-decent forensics job thereafter. Since everybody and his dog is doing cryptoshellcode these days you won't be all-knowing, but at least you should be able to properly identify which machine got owned first.
Welcome to network security monitoring, albeit at least a decade late. The fact that the criminal underground is using covert and encrypted channels now doesn't mean they weren't used 10 plus years ago, when smart people in the spook and .mil worlds needed a way to gain some sort of awareness of network activities by more dangerous adversaries.
Most respected IDS old-school critic Tom Ptacek isn't convinced:
I am waiting for someone to tell me the story about how an IDS saved their bacon. I'm not interested in the story about how it found the guy with the spyware infection or the bot installation; secops teams find those things all the time in their firewall logs and they don't
freak out about it when they do.
The last times I manned a console full-time as a "SOC monkey," for the Air Force in 1998-2001 and at Ball Aerospace in 2001-2002, we found intrusions all the time. I expect several people in the #snort-gui channel where I idle on irc.freenode.net also have stories to share. I'll have more to say on this later.
Tom continues:
This "signature" vs. "real intrusion detection" thing is a big red herring. Intrusion detection has been an active field of research for over 15 years now and apart from Tripwire I can't point to anything operationally valuable it has produced.
This sounds like the "Snort is worthless" argument Dave proposed. Finally:
Halvar, when you figure out how to parallelize enough striped tape I/O to keep up with a gigE connection, then, Halvar, then I will respect you.
This is another common argument. Most every detection critic argues their pipes are too big to do any useful full content collection. Let's just say that is not a problem for everyone. Many, many organizations connect to the Internet using OC-3s (155 MBps), fractional OC-3s, T-3s (45 Mbps) and below. Full content collection, especially at the frac OC-3 (say 60 Mbps) and lower, is no problem -- even for commodity hardware, if you use Intel NICs, a solid OS, and fast, large hard drives. Even if you drop some small percentage of the traffic, so what? What are the odds that you drop everything that is relevant to your investigation, all the time?
What if your pipes really are too big for full content collection, say in the core of the network? I would argue that's not the place to do full content collection, but let's say you are told to "do something" about detection in a high-bandwidth environment. That's where the other NSM data types come into play -- namely session data and statistical data. Can't save every packet, or you don't want to? Save sessions describing who talked to who, when, using what protocols and services, and how much data was transferred. That is absolute gold for traffic analysis, and it doesn't matter if it's encrypted. At the very least you can profile the traffic statistically.
The root of this problem with this discussion is the narrow idea that a magic box can sit on an arbitrary network and tell you when something "bad" happens. That absolutely won't be possible, at least not for every imaginable "bad" case. The "IDS" has been pigeonholed in the same way the "firewall" has -- as a product and not a real system.
A standard "IDS" isn't an "intrusion detection system" at all; it's an attack indication system. Snort gives you a hint that something bad might be happening. You need the rest of your NSM data to determine what is going on. You can also start with non-alert NSM data (as described in this war story) and investigate intrusions.
Similarly, a firewall isn't necessarily stopping attacks; it should be enforcing an access control policy.
A real detection system identifies deviations from policy, and perhaps should be called a network policy violation detector. A real network policy enforcement system prevents policy violations. The point is that neither has to be boxed into an appliance and sold as a "NPVD" or "NPES". (As you can see, acronyms which tend to accurately describe a system's functionality are completely marketing-unfriendly.)
I'll conclude by saying that I agree with Dave about "monkeys" staring at screens. Many of those sorts of analysts are not doing NSM-centric work that would truly discover intrusions. Yes, the network is a tough place to detect. However, I've argued before that in an age of ubiquitous kernel-mode rootkits, NSM is needed more than ever. If you can't trust a rootkit-controlled host to tell you what's happening, why would you ignore the network? Sure, the traffic could be covert, encrypted, and so forth, but if the pattern of activity isn't normal you can verify that at least something suspicious is happening.
It's time for another book.
13 comments:
Richard, you are on the right track here. I've been having conversations like this at work along the same lines. I *agree* that relying on an IDS and it's alerts is pointless. I disagree that an IDS is useless. Those that feel it is useless have not explored its full potential. Reading your books and your blogs, I have learned the importance of getting the session data and content data when possible. Together, these add up to a tremendous amount of intel on your network. By the way, I'm glad to hear you remind people that you don't *have* to capture full data if it's not cost effective. I have some IDS boxes that can capture EVERYTHING, and some IDS boxes that can only log session data due to high bandwidth. It's a hell of lot more useful than staring at a BASE webpage...
Also, regarding SSL encrypted sessions, I had an a idea. It's possible for a Bluecoat Web Proxy to do SSL interception. The proxy decrypts and hands off the clear text data to something like BlueCoat's ProxyAV (separate appliance) via ICAP to inspect. Why not setup an Snort/NSM box to inspect the payload? Can Snort speak ICAP? Don't think so. Perhaps a question for Marty and friends...
- LonerVamp said...
Couple questions that will nag me if I don't ask. :)
1) Does your opinion shift at all when talking IDS versus IPS? Or do you refer to both as IDS?
2) I tend to agree with you that security should be moving towards the switch. But I also feel that communications, especially ones that want to remain hidden, will continue to trend towards being encrypted and performed over otherwise expected ports like port 80. What can a switch offer to this other than src, dest, and protocol?
- alan shimel said...
Richard- i think the real question here is realistic expectations of what the technology can do and how we use it. Inflated expectations will always result in disappointment. I have written on this here
Well spoken, sir.
I work at a public institution in the USA. We have a snort box on our edge, monitoring close to an OC-3 on an OpenBSD system with high-powered hardware. It can be labor intensive, but in an environment like this one where decentralization is rampant and people are constantly trying to cut corners, are spread too thin, and don't have enough staff or training to do the job properly - the IDS helps show us certain types of incidents that would be more difficult to determine otherwise. Sure, a bot infection spewing forth 10,000 packets is going to be obvious in firewall logs or netflow (and IDS in some cases). I hvae found the the sourcefire rules + bleeding edge threat rules, plus careful tuning has turned the IDS into an item of value on campus. My expectations of what IDS can do for us are realistic. We don't mention it to the admins, because we know that the "Oh, we've got a {firewall/IDS/IPS} now, we can wait to {patch/harden/securely configure} our systems" mentality would become further inflamed. In a well managed network, with proper controls over all hosts, adequate staff resources and adequate skillsets applied to every system, an IDS is going to perhaps more work than it's worth. However, I feel blind without the IDS. It's proven it's value to us, on numerous occasions. A bleeding edge threat rule to detect the passing of SSN's in clear text has been of great value to us in helping to find that type of policy violation. A firewall log won't tell you that and netflow won't tell you that. Ptacek and other high-end offensive computing types that have multi-processor assembler code wallpaper in every room of their house (or the malicious blackhat equivalent) and dream in hex aren't going to be stopped or even detected by an IDS (newsflash!!! IDS can be evaded LOL). But guess what? Joe Scriptkiddie DOES often get detected, at least until they are smart enough to start encrypting everything or evading. Steve the SDBOT will also often get detected due to the noise of the scans and the cleartext traffic to the command & control. There can be a certain arrogance in the offensive computing world. Some of those points are clearly valid - are there marketing machines at work, offering false promises? Sure, you bet. But show me other areas of computing that don't have the same problem. The recent signature for MS06-040 that sourcefire published has saved us the pain of further infection by helping us to find the problem quick - an array of ancient NT 4.0 boxes (considered a policy violation - no one is supposed to run that hunk of exploitable crap on our network!) that got 0wned by some sdbot variant. Getting them shut down quickly was the key to containing the mayhem that was caused. Without the IDS, it would have taken us longer to determine this. So to all the offensive computing types (selected individuals only) that think you are so cool because you can bash on I{D/P}S, don't forget about people out there in the trenches that maybe aren't as smart as you but have to face the implications of your "research" on a regular basis. What's abstracted for the "security researcher" is often a needle in the foot of the in-the-trenches network defender. Hell, the IDS at the .edu still picks up people trying old old bugs that are no longer cool for the trendy researchers, but guess what, those in the trenches that don't have control over their networks are still getting burned by both whitehat research and blackhat attacks on a regular basis. "Just get control over your network" - sounds great, but sometimes that's not possible. Higher education is a great example of where an IDS or IPS makes sense. Let's see one of these high-falutin' researchers get tasked with defending a /16 (or larger) network where central control is impossible. You'll no longer have time for developing a 16-way polymorphic multi-stage shellcode because you'll be drowning in real-world issues that jump right in your face and won't go away until you do something about them.
- LonerVamp said...
Nice post, anon.
- Marcin Wielgoszewski said...
Anon, thank you for that post... Hopefully I can help get IDS/IPS implemented in key areas of our university network, and your posted examples are excellent firepower!
Anon made the day to day case very well.
All I can add is that most of us on the defence side (if one can say that) are not protecting against the extremely knowledgable and dedicated attacker, most of us are primarily concerned with the more pedestrian threats.
Ptacek &co are deserving of respect for both their skill and professional behavior, but I cant say the same of alot of the other clever folks.
Richard, didn't you mention some network monitoring and network forensic tool that supposedly keep statistical and meta-content, hashes etc. sometime back? (i couldn't find the post and the name escapes me.) a link to this tool will be appreciated.
I can confirm the 1:01AM Anonymous experience with the usefulness of IDS/IPS here at an .edu.
We were an early adopter of IPS technology several years ago and it has both prevented and contained compromises countless numbers of times.
Its not perfect, nothing is. It can be bypassed as can most security measures. But it stops or contains a compromise here at least once a week and probably once a day.
We have had instances where dozens of computers would have been compromised in a short period of time had it not been for the IPS. We have had instances where dozens of computers were compromised and turned into BOTS but prevented from effectively communicating with their C&C nodes by the IPS and notifying us in the process.
Sure we look at screens. There is a lot of operational information there. While we're not looking at the screens, the IPS is preventing and/or limiting the scope of compromises. We are also e-mailed and paged when incidents happen. Find a BOT on the network, get an e-mail and quarantine it while the IPS keeps it from effectively communicating. Find a BOT C&C node on the network, get a page and take it down while the IPS keeps it from issuing commands to clients. See a site trying multiple SSH or FTP sessions across the network. Get an e-mail while the IPS wards it off.
Do some get by? Sure. But that is no reason to discount the value of the technology in our environment.
Can false positives be a problem? Sure. But minimally so with some educated work and disbelief in magic box marketing claims.
Its another defense in depth layer.
Would it be more secure if everyone that operated or administered a computer fully understood it and the internet, if everyone that wrote programs and web sites fully understood the implications of what they were doing, if all vendors produced defect free products, if everyone that made policy understood technology, if everyone obeyed policy, if every decision went through a formal risk analysis?
Sure, let me know when it happens. In the meantime, I've got a network to run and if an imperfect device will help me protect an imperfect network run by imperfect people using imperfect products over which people do imperfect things for an imperfect amount of time then so be it.
BTW, at least two IPS devices allow the importing of server private keys which allow them to inspect and manage SSL sessions.
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Nobody's in need of holiday cheer more than a friend or loved one slogging through the swampy chasm of unemployment. Unemployment is scary and demoralizing. Even if you're not nervous about making rent—perhaps you live with your parents or a wealthy dowager—there's still something grueling and despair-inducing about having nothing at all to do. So what to buy for the unemployed sugar plum elf in your life? Something inspiring? Encouraging? Time-killing? Waistline-expanding? Put your suggestions in the comments and I'll include the best ones in my round-up next week.
Photo credit: choreograph / Stockfresh.

subset: commoncrawl


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Facebook comments are a fireworks show of impulsiveness, like much else with Facebook. Mercifully, FB just gave us the ability to edit things we wish we might have said differently. But now, our screwup is open for everyone to see.
Usually we applaud transparency at Gizmodo, but isn't the entire point of an edit feature to clean your tracks, whitewash the past, and leave behind a better statement than the one you cranked out to begin with? Not anymore. Whenever a friend (or foe) edits any Facebook comment, an Edited button will be tacked on—click that, and you've got a big gaping window that shows the entire history of the comment. Every. Single. Change. Did you screw up a fact? Say something insulting? Hurt someone's feelings? Lie? It'll be there.
Of course, you can just delete any incriminating comment, but then we're just back to square one. Online editing is only good if it allows you to banish your inferior self expression to an unreachable internet vortex. Now we're all just going to make fools of ourselves.
[Thanks, Shane!]


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Here is another headstone that I stumbled on to while I was cemetery hopping in the Bear Lake Valley. This is Charles Edwards Taylor residing in the Bloomington Cemetery in Bloomington, Idaho. He was born 12 Jan 1849 in St. Louis, Missouri and died 27 Nov 1922 in Bloomington, Idaho. I haven't been able to find a burial date for him.
Charles was my second great granduncle. Yesterday I posted the will of my great-great grandmother, Elizabeth Edwards Cannon Piggott. Charles was her half brother and she left him "Mother's enlarged photo", which I believe is this one ==>
You may recognize her as the woman on your "Ancestor Approved Award". Her name is Mary Edwards White Cannon Taylor. She is my third great-grandmother.


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It's getting to the stage of winter where I'm still trying to get enough mileage out of my favourite items, and combine them with different colours and styles to give them a fresher feel. In an earlier post when I'd just gotten this jumper, I styled it with a black blazer and trousers, leading to quite a different look which I still like (Left My Heart in Tokyo).
I hope you like my outfit. Do you have any creative ways to give your winter favourites a new lease of life? Please let me know in the comments below!
This Twilight Garden - The Cure
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New York, NY, August 7, 2012 - Spike TV has ordered new seasons of two of the network's highest-rated non-scripted series that have successfully broadened and expanded the channel's audience. Spike has picked up a fourth season of 26 episodes of "Auction Hunters," starring the two best prospectors in the business, Allen Haff and Ton Jones. The network also ordered 13 episodes of "American Digger," following the American Savage team, led by former professional wrestler-turned-modern-day relic hunter Ric Savage. The announcement was made today by Sharon Levy, Spike TV's Executive Vice President, Original Series.
The recently completed season three of "Auction Hunters" (March 21-June 6) delivered 1.9 million viewers and improved the timeslot with Men 18-49 by +102% and Men 35-49 by +121%. The debut season of "American Digger" (March 6-June 6) delivered 1.2 million viewers and upped the timeslot with Men 35-49 by +36% and +11% with Men 18-49.
"We are thrilled to bring back new episodes of two of our most popular shows that speak to the network's mission of delivering bold, non-scripted entertainment with real stakes," said Levy.
Both "Auction Hunters" and "American Digger" will go into production this fall and new seasons will air in 2013.
"Auction Hunters" and "American Digger" are produced by Gurney Productions and executive produced by Scott Gurney and Deirdre Gurney.
About "Auction Hunters":
Every year in America, 50,000 storage facilities hold auctions for abandoned storage units and, at these auctions, over $1 billion worth of goods changes hands. Each unit has the potential to be a goldmine or a bust for those who make their living hunting unclaimed property. "Auction Hunters" cuts the lock and opens the door into the high stakes, financial risks and potential rewards where the right purchase can bring in serious cash. The series follows Haff and Jones in their quest to win auctions, dig for abandoned historical treasure and sell them for a profit.
About "American Digger":
In the US, there are millions of historical relics buried in backyards just waiting to be discovered and turned into profit. "American Digger" hopes to claim a piece of that pie as the series travels to a different city each week searching for high-value artifacts and relics, some of which have been untouched for centuries. After pinpointing historical locations such as Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields, Savage's first task is to convince reluctant homeowners to let his team dig up their property using state-of-the-art metal detectors and heavy-duty excavation equipment. The team will then sell any artifacts found for a substantial profit by consulting experts and scouring the antique and collectible markets, but not before negotiating a deal to divide the revenue with the property owners.
About Spike TV:
Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com.


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It's Saturday night; I am in Dar-es-Salaam en route to Lagos. Most of the week was spent working in Nairobi where JLL launched its East African hub at a small function attended by those whose valued advice and support helped us develop our entry model into this key African market.
The privilege of extensive time spent in African cities and markets serves as a constant reminder that Africa is a place in name only. It is in fact a constellation of hundreds of cities, large and small each with its own distinct business environment. My role is to determine how best to adapt our global services and operating model to ensure local relevance without compromising on standards and quality.
My time in Nairobi was spent between client meetings, interviewing top talent and further developing our local ambitions with the ever wise input of our Lucy Githinji. Ambitions of building locally resourced businesses in all of our hubs were well rewarded in my interviews with skilled and experienced people who are citizens of Kenya. Client meetings included a sizable global corporate looking at entry into the continent via Kenya. There was additional confirmation of JLL's penetration and increasing activity in Sub-Saharan Africa with Anthony Lewis (JLL Capital Markets) and Xander Nijnens (JLL Hotels & Hospitality) co-incidentally working from our Nairobi office this week as well.
Flying over a snow-capped Kilimanjaro early yesterday morning en route to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, I realised the effects of a 7% GDP growth forecast for 2015 are evident in the increasing number of developments completed and under construction. Last night I presented at a function held by Pangani Real Estate, an in country association who we will collaborate with to build delivery capacity in this underestimated market. A wide range of corporate leaders and investors attended the gathering held on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Conversations were fascinating and much was learned.
Building a pan-African platform for our business has had its fair share of challenges, risks and frustrations. Many of these can be anticipated and planned for by listening to in country business leadership when strategizing for our market entry and activity. Becoming a market leader starts with the building of respect amongst local business, and needs to be earned here rather than assumed as an implication of JLL's global impact and success.
Unless of course there is a piece of innovative thinking that cannot be ignored and which has an immediate impact on those to whom it is presented. JLL recently launched RED, (www.africa.jll.com) an innovative platform that I believe will have a significant impact on the way corporates across the continent will think about occupancy. The desire to drive efficiencies and reduce occupancy costs should be as pressing here as they are in the developed economies of the world. Those with whom I have shared RED to illustrate our innovative capabilities are captivated by its potential to add real value to their operations.
There is a growing conversation inspired by RED which has further ignited my belief in the potential of this unique collection of countries called Africa in which we have the privilege of working and calling home. All are aware of the global village and how with communications and IT platforms, corporates can drive efficiencies by separating functions across countries around the world. It could be argued that to house all activities of a business in one city, country or indeed region is inefficient in today's environment.
It is time for our cities to identify and market areas of competitive advantage both regionally and internationally. It makes perfect sense for example to house finance and administrative functions in Mauritius, manufacturing in Nigeria and Kenya and call centers in South Africa. It's time for us to start thinking regionally and in doing so to promote the broad scope of opportunity that our continent has to offer. My challenge to regional leadership is to identify core and differentiating competencies on offer by our cities. These need to be supported by government incentives to encourage FDI and then accurately communicated to the broader global business community. With these initiatives and investments will come job creation and real estate development, which if correctly planned and executed will result in our cities being on the radar of the international investor community. One can only imagine what impact this positive story will have on the future our economies. It's time to Outsource to Africa!
Given JLL's increasing activity across many of Africa's cities, combined with our global reach we are perfectly placed to tell the pan-African story, and market centers of excellence across the world. Our 58 000 professionals operating from 230 offices across the globe are well placed to do so.
I leave Dar-es-Salaam for Lagos on Monday. Lagos is an invigorating place to work in, a city of significant opportunity and optimism and one where our business is growing in the capable hands of Chinwe Sagna.
Tomorrow will however be spent exploring the streets of Stone Town on the historic island of Zanzibar. It's all in a weeks work!


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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
11:45 AM to 1:00 PM
Lee Thompson, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology
Baker-Nord Center (206 Clark Hall)
Schubert Conversations on Children in Research and Policy are monthly seminars featuring cutting-edge research by CWRU faculty, with corresponding commentary by local professionals. These events stimulate an ongoing dialogue about child-related research, policy, and practice among faculty, students, policy experts, advocates, and professionals from Northeast Ohio. A light lunch will be served. All are welcome.
For more information, contact the Schubert Center.


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Independent RIAs ended 2010 with record revenue and assets, according to a study released Tuesday by Charles Schwab. The 2011 RIA Benchmarking Study found that RIA firm revenue, fueled by strong asset growth in 2009, began to recover in 2010, with the median firm posting better than 18% growth after falling by 11% in 2009.
The study, which queried 820 firms with more than $300 billion in combined assets, also found that advisors ended 2010 on a note of rising confidence and optimism, as 87% of firms planned to grow moderately or aggressively in the coming year, with referrals from clients and business partners continuing to top the list of advisors' growth strategies.
"Despite the worst recession in 80 years, advisors' commitment to serving the needs of their clients and to adopting best practices in expense management has shaped a stronger RIA industry," Bernie Clark, executive vice president and head of Charles Schwab Advisor Services, said in a statement. "As the RIA industry continues to recover, independent advisors are well placed to benefit from the strong foundations they built during the downturn, increasing their ability to weather future storms, and creating an underpinning of industry growth and momentum for years to come."
RIA profits rebounded in 2010, according to the study, with most firms recording the highest year-end revenue and assets in the six years of the survey. The median firm in the study ended 2010 with $212 million AUM, compared with $176 million in 2007, before the market downturn. The median firm had $1.3 million in revenue in 2010, versus $1.2 million in 2008, the best previous performance.
As seen in last year's study, advisors are focused on accelerating growth. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of RIAs placed growing their firm as their top business priority.Quality of service to clients was seen as the top enabler of growth. Adding new clients (80%) and new client business (77%) were also high on the list.Other growth enablers were:
- Delivering investment returns (70%)
- Implementing new technologies (69%)
- Maintaining efficient operations while adding new clients (63%)
Firms were also asked about obstacles to growth, and many they cited are familiar. Eighty-one percent reported at least one barrier to growth and 69% said such a barrier was related to marketing and business development. Many RIAs (52%) said they had trouble devoting enough staff time to business development.
One new barrier identified in this year's survey is meeting and adapting to regulatory changes (21%). Additional top barriers to growth:
- Following a well-thought-out marketing strategy (39%)
- Identifying new prospects (34%)
- Sufficient financial investment in marketing (32%)
- Hiring talent (28%)
- Implementing long-term strategic plans (25%)
Firms reported that while revenue was up, the amount generated per client was still below 2007 levels. For that reason, efforts were made to keep costs down.
At $7,300 revenue per client for the median firm, revenue was up from 2009 ($6,900), but down 13% from a 2007 high.
The average RIA firm cut staffing costs to 62% of revenue in 2010 from 65% a year earlier. The top areas of cost-savings as a percentage of revenue were nonowner professional staff compensation, owner compensation, benefits, and payroll tax and rent.
According to the study, RIA firms are using outsourcing and adopting technology systems to increase productivity. RIAs reported a more than 40% increase over 2009 in the outsourcing of in-house, back-office operational functions such as data management, performance reporting and. Small and midsize firms might have the most to gain from this tactic because internal expertise could be difficult or expensive to develop.
The greatest technology growth of the past three years has been in trade-order management and rebalancing software (66% increase), client websites (61% increase) and document management (35% increase). Investing in new technology is a top-3 priority for nearly one-quarter of firms.Throughout the financial crisis, RIAs provided clients with close attention and frequent communication, a tactic that built client loyalty. The study found that on average, RIAs slowed client attrition by 25% compared with the previous year, holding on to 97% of their clients during 2010.
Firms also grew their client bases by 4.4% in 2010 versus 3% in 2009, though this remains below the 8% median annual growth rate of the client base from 2003 to 2006. Client referrals continue to be a top initiative for advisors, with 54% stating it as a top three strategic initiative for 2011.Schwab said strategic planning, a new component of this year's study, is a crucial element of business development. While nearly two-thirds of firms said they go through a strategic planning or priorities process, only 42% had a written strategic plan.
Moreover, 40% of RIAs do not have a succession plan in place. Those that do have a plan tend to be larger firms.
"With many advisors 50 years of age or older, having a plan in place for succession can instill confidence among employees and clients," Clark said in the statement. "Planning what will happen to a business once it stops being an advisor's full-time job is a critical business practice."


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A blues- and jazz-soaked journey down the bloodlines between a drug-dealing father and the next generation. Performed by emcee and slam champion Ner City. He runs the Golden Gate Slam in Oakland. Ner City is a member of the Slam Poetry Supergroup, "The Blackson 5."
More of his work can be found here.
Producers: Jamie DeWolf and Pat Mesiti-Miller


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ANIMAL-ROSE scarf
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<-- Back to photo album "Ways Of Wearing Animal-Rose Scarf".
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text:
House Immigration Bills Are Still in the Mix
Boehner Tells Attendees at Fundraiser He's 'Hellbent on Getting This Done'
WASHINGTON—Speaker John Boehner and other senior House Republicans are telling donors and industry groups that they aim to pass immigration legislation this year, despite the reluctance of many Republicans to tackle the divisive issue before the November elections.
Many lawmakers and activists have assumed the issue was off the table in an election year. But Mr. Boehner said at a Las Vegas fundraiser last month he was "hellbent on getting this done this year," according to two people in the room....


text:
Like Polaris's similar courier bag, the Aquanought Backpack is a tough, welded-seam PVC bag that's 100% waterproof. It's even bigger, with a capacity of 30 litres and a couple of external shock cords that you could use to strap on a soggy commuter jacket or camper's sleeping mat.
Inside the bag there's just one cavernous compartment. It's as spacious as an Ortlieb Messengerbag although the shape is slightly different, more deep than wide. You won't get A3-sized items in here without bending, in the unlikely event you need to do so. The bonus is that the top corners of the bag aren't as prominent in your peripheral vision. And most loads will fit in fine.
There are a couple of clips inside the bag for attaching keys and the like, plus a generous outer pocket. This is big enough for a D-lock or a pair of shoes, so you can keep any oil or dirt of the main compartment's contents. It's sealed with a rainproof zip.
Bag stability is good when you're riding because the Aquanought Backpack has a sternum strap as well as a waist strap, and these and the shoulder straps are adjustable through a wide range. Even riding downhill on the drops on a fixed-wheel bike, the bag stayed put.
The shoulder straps and waist strap are wide and well padded, so the bag is pretty comfortable even when heavily loaded. There's a moulded EVA back panel to cushion the bag against your back. This panel is removable, as it attaches with swathes of Velcro to the back of the bag. I've no idea why you would want to remove this. Likewise, you can remove the Velcro-attached waist strap. I don't know why you'd want to do this either.
There are some channels in the EVA back panel to allow air to circulate a bit, but you will sweat all the same. It's an impermeable bag that covers most of your back.
The main compartment has a roll-top and buckle closure, which creates unnecessary faff if you're using this as an around-town or commuter bag. Ortlieb's Messengerbag and smaller, commuter-friendly Velocity use a roll-top with a simple Velcro strap. It works fine. The Aquanought's buckles fit into clasps on the end of long straps attached to the bottom corners of the bag. They can end up tangled in the waist strap, so you can't just toss something into the bag, jump on the bike and hit the road; you have to carefully strap the bag closed. If we're going to have buckles on the end of the roll-top at all, it would be quicker and simpler if the clasps were fixed to the sides of the bag, like an Ortlieb Front Roller City pannier.
There's a reflective patch for nighttime visibility, high up on the bag. This will be easier to see by following traffic the more upright you ride.
It's a tough, weatherproof bag that could be pressed into service for a range of uses – race kit bag, off-road backpack for bivvying or expeditions, and everyday commuter backpack. As a utility bag the faff with the roll-top straps wastes seconds, a minor annoyance that easier-access bags avoid.
It's available in white, black or bright green.
A big, tough waterproof backpack with a faffy closure system.
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
road.cc test report
Make and model: Polaris Aquanought Backpack
Size tested: White
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
On Polaris's website, the backpack has icons for road, off-road and urban use. I'd agree with that - it's pretty versatile.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Polaris say:
- Fully waterproof backpack
- Welded seam technology
- 30 litre capacity
- Front waterproof pocket
- Elasticated shock cord for attachment of external items
- Reflective patch on rear
- Internal clips to attach accessories
- Full shoulder, chest and waist harness
- Removable EVA moulded back support for added comfort and stability
Like any big backpack, pretty sweaty.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It is completely waterproof and it's stable on your back, but I would prefer greater ease of access to the main compartment for utility use - which is what I think it will be used most for.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Waterproof. Tough.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Faffy roll-top straps. Bigger and heavier than necessary for everyday use.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? No.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
A decent bag, but Ortlieb have this sewn up (welded up?) already.
About the tester
Age: 42 Height: 1.78m Weight: 65kg
I usually ride: Ridgeback Solo World fixed wheel My best bike is: Planet X Pro Carbon Track (with front brake)
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,


text:
- Yield
- Makes 4 main-dish or 8 appetizer servings
- Seasoning mix:
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 pound chopped tasso (preferred) or other smoked ham (preferably Cure 81), about 2 cups
- 3/4 pound boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups
- 1 cup chopped onions, in all
- 1 cup chopped celery, in all
- 1 cup chopped green bell peppers, in all
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
- 1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice (preferably converted)
- Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat. Add the tasso and cook until meat starts to brown, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken is brown, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping pan bottom well. Stir in the seasoning mix and 1/2 cup each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the garlic. Cook until vegetables start to get tender, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring fairly constantly and scraping pan bottom as needed. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the tomatoes. Remove from heat. Stir in the stock and rice, mixing well. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 8x8-inch baking pan. Bake uncovered in a 350° oven until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir well and remove bay leaves Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
- To serve, mold rice in an 8-ounce cup and place 2 cups on each serving plate for a main course or 1 cup for an appetizer.
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen
Morrow, William & Co.
Related Video
Nutritional Info
- Calories671
- Carbohydrates79 g(26%)
- Fat23 g(35%)
- Protein37 g(73%)
- Saturated Fat9 g(43%)
- Sodium1274 mg(53%)
- Polyunsaturated Fat4 g
- Fiber3 g(13%)
- Monounsaturated Fat9 g
- Cholesterol96 mg(32%)


text:
John, 12x12
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Thomas & Betts Corp., Memphis, Tenn., announces the 2001 Signature Award to honor creative solutions, innovation and outstanding performance by electrical professionals.
The Signature Award is the only industry-wide award to recognize contractors, electrical companies and apprentices for accomplishment in the field.
"Our industry's most valuable players are the people who use our products every day — the hardworking electricians, electrical design firms and apprentices," said Nick Cassella, vice president of sales and marketing for the electrical division of Thomas & Betts. "That's why Thomas & Betts created the Signature Award — to acknowledge and share in their on-the-job successes."
Thomas & Betts Corp. is a designer and manufacturer of connectors and components for the worldwide electrical, communications and utility markets. The company also manufactures industrial heating and cooling units. The Memphis, Tenn.-based company has manufacturing, distribution and office facilities worldwide. Its products include Sta-Kon connectors, Superstrut framing and fittings, Steel City boxes and covers and Ty-Rap and Ty-Fast cable ties.
Thomas & Betts's Signature Award will recognize winners in three categories: Electrician of the Year, Electrical Company of the Year (including contracting, design/build and consulting engineering firms) and Student/Apprentice of the Year.
Editors from CEE News and EC&M magazines, co-sponsors of the program, will serve as judges for the contest.
Signature Award winners will be honored at the 2002 National Association of Electrical Distributors annual meeting next spring in Chicago.
In addition to a distinctive trophy, winners will receive prizes valued at up to $15,000. Applications are due by Feb. 28, 2002.
To be considered for a Signature Award, applicants in the Electrician and Electrical Company categories must describe a situation in which they employed unique problem-solving skills to overcome an unexpected challenge, save labor, find new uses of existing products, apply techniques in new ways or otherwise demonstrate creativity on the job.
Judges will also consider how an applicant's leadership, workmanship and/or management of the project demonstrated innovation and superior professionalism.
In addition, applicants should exhibit a commitment to the electrical industry through involvement in projects, organizations and awareness/recruitment efforts that effectively advance the industry.
Student/apprentice applicants must outline their reasons for choosing a career in the electrical industry and cite experiences that affirm their interest in, and commitment to, becoming an electrician. They may also submit up to three testimonial letters from industry professionals.
Applications and requirements for the 2001 Thomas & Betts Signature Award will be available in upcoming issues of CEE News and EC&M magazines.
Additional information and applications for Thomas & Betts's Signature Award are available online at www.TNB.com.


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text:
Disgraced former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer told The New York Times he didn't do any polling before deciding to launch his political comeback by running in the upcoming Democratic primary for city comptroller.
He didn't have to – all he needed to do was look at the latest numbers for disgraced former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, who is running in the upcoming Democratic primary for mayor.
For Spitzer, an aggressively intelligent politician who foolishly turned himself into a national spectacle with a prostitution scandal in 2008, jumping back into the electoral fray must have seemed a no-brainer. Voters will determine whether he made a smart move. But one thing is certain: Spitzer's surprise campaign promises a made-for-TV political drama bound to be closely watched far beyond New York.
His attempt at a political cleansing arrives bathed in irony: His downfall inadvertently helped pave way for the returns of Weiner and South Carolina governor-turned-congressman Mark Sanford, whose scandals born of dubious judgment at least were within the bounds of law. Now, Sanford and Weiner's renewed popularity likely helped set Spitzer's slow-motion comeback into fast-forward.
Spitzer's gambit instantly makes him and Weiner strange political bedfellows. The former governor's entry into the race might take some of the heat off Weiner, whose name and misdeeds have spurred some the raunchiest headlines in memory. Or Spitzer's re-emergence might magnify the scrutiny on both: After all, it's possible that come Jan. 1, New York City's two top elected officials could be scandal-scarred pols – a duo likely to clash, given the potential adversarial nature of the offices and their shared combative personalities.
If all this isn't the makings of a drama worthy of Shakespeare, it's certainly one built for TV – particularly at a time when the clash of politics and peccadilloes drives some quality programs. "House of Cards" is generating Emmy buzz and "Scandal" has heated up screens all over.
But "The Good Wife," which, as we've noted, was inspired in part by the Spitzer self-immolation and presaged Weiner's revival, has proven the most true-to-life of the political dramas. The show's latest season ended with the title character's husband, a former district attorney caught with a hooker and convicted of corruption, rebounding to win the governorship of Illinois.
It's unclear what role Silda Spitzer, who stood at her husband's side when he resigned five-plus years ago, will play in his new campaign. Meanwhile, Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, has proved an integral part of his orchestrated comeback, which started in April with a New York Times Magazine interview. Abedin apparently learned from her longtime boss Hillary Clinton, a former first lady, senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate whose ambitions haven't been tempered by betrayals, time and occasional defeats.
But as Clinton could well tell Spitzer, politics is a long and uncertain road. His path won't be easy – particularly given that he's two months from facing outgoing Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who, while not nationally known, is a longtime New York pol and enjoys Democratic Party support.
Like Weiner, Spitzer already has succeeded in at least one respect: He's got people talking about him again. Spitzer might not like everything he hears, but the man whose two talk shows fizzled is betting what's left of his career that voters are ready to listen.
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


text:
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text:
Product: COMMUTE Voice Activated Handsfree
Code: CMT-USEN
Ships to: US and Canada only.
Package Contents: BlueAnt Commute Voice Activated Handsfree Car Kit, 1 metal visor clip, car charger, USB cable, user manual.
COMMUTE Voice Activated Handsfree
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Move into the future with Commute.
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Some features mentioned are phone and/or network dependent.


text:
For years, I had been intrigued by this curious cake from Livorno (Leghorn), a dessert that features sweet egg threads on top – a sign that it was introduced by the egg-loving Portuguese Jews and marranos who were invited to settle in the city by the Grand-Duke of Tuscany in the sixteenth century. With the help of the Jewish merchants, Leghorn became one of the most important port cities in Europe (but also a center of the printing press), and became known as "the city with no ghetto".
I was already familiar with the local cuisine, and decided to try my hand at this tart, which looked like no other. Unfortunately, the yolk threads proved to be a huge challenge: I didn't seem to be able to control the flow through the colander (the tool of choice in all the books that listed the recipe). My Livornese friends couldn't help either: apparently they had always encountered the same problem and ended up with a sticky blob or with burns… they said that they used to buy the cake for Shavuot and for Purim from a well-known patisserie, but that when the owner died his tricks were buried with him. I had to wait until the blogging and YouTube era to figure this all out, with the help of some non-Jewish foodies from Portugal, where threaded eggs are often featured on Christmas recipes… in particular, thank you chef Fernando Canales for teaching me that in the 21st century it would be silly to use a colander when most of us have easy access to a pastry syringe (or at least a large syringe to dispense pediatric drops)!
- Cake base:
- 1 1/3 cup finely ground almonds (200 gr)
- ½ cup sugar (100 gr)
- pinch of salt
- grated zest of 1 medium orange
- 1 large egg
- 3 or 4 tbsps candied etrog or lemon peel, finely chopped (optional)
- Egg Threads:
- 1 cup + 2 tbsps water (250 ml)
- 2 ¼ cups sugar
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 tbsp lemon or orange juice
- 1 ½ tbsps orange flower water, if liked (or 1 more tbsp orange juice)
Preheat your oven to 320 F (yes, it's very low, but if the temperature is higher the "macaroon" will be too crunchy to cut).
Place the sugar and water for the base in a heavy saucepan and simmer until sticky (I have also skipped this step and used plain sugar instead of making the syrup, with an acceptable result). Add the almonds and zest, stirring with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined.
Allow to cool, and when it's just lukewarm add the egg.
Line the bottom of a 9 to 9" baking pan with wet parchment (squeeze it well) and grease the sides. Pour in the cake mixture and press it down gently with your wet fingertips.
Bake for about 30 minutes and set aside.
For the egg threads, boil the sugar, water and juice in a frying pan (about 10" wide and with tall-ish sides so the syrup doesn't splatter all over your stovetop), and simmer until the syrup is thick enough to stick to a spoon (coating it).
Slightly beat the yolks in a small bowl and then fill your pastry syringe with as much beaten egg as it can hold.
Now press the yolk out of the syringe and into the simmering syrup, starting at the center and moving the syringe in an outward circular motion so that the egg makes a long spiral thread into the syrup.
When you are done, press the thread down into the syrup with a wooden spoon or a spatula and let cook for a few seconds, until it holds together (but it should still be soft).
Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on a double layer of paper towel.
Repeat the same process with the rest of the yolks.
When all the yolks are cooked and drained, place them in a colander and rinse some of the syrup off with water.
Allow them to dry well.
Invert the almond base into a platter, top it with the candied peel and decorate it with the egg threads. It's worth it!


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Will the stimulus actually stimulate? Economists say no
WASHINGTON — The compromise economic stimulus plan agreed to by negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate is short on incentives to get consumers spending again and long on social goals that won't stimulate economic activity, according to a range of respected economists.
"I think (doing) nothing would have been better," said Ed Yardeni, an investment analyst who's usually an optimist, in an interview with McClatchy. He argued that the plan fails to provide the right incentives to spur spending.
"It's unfocused. That is my problem. It is a lot of money for a lot of nickel-and- dime programs. I would have rather had a lot of money for (promoting purchase of) housing and autos . . . . Most of this plan is really, I think, aimed at stabilizing the situation and helping people get through the recession, rather than getting us out of the recession. They are actually providing less short-term stimulus by cutting back, from what I understand, some of the tax credits."
House and Senate negotiators this week narrowed the differences between their competing stimulus plans. In so doing, they scrapped a large tax credit for buying automobiles that would've caused positive ripple effects across the manufacturing sector. They settled instead on letting purchasers of new vehicles deduct from their federal taxes the state and local sales taxes on the cars they bought.
The exception to this is for buyers of plug-in hybrids, cars that run off a battery that can be charged at home or in the office. Buyers of these vehicles, available in very limited supply, could get a tax credit of up to $9,100.
A Republican-backed proposal that would've provided a $15,000 tax credit to first-time homebuyers also was scaled back dramatically. Instead, the compromise provides first-time homebuyers a tax credit of up to $8,000, and it doesn't have to be repaid over the life of the mortgage. Incentives already in place offer buyers a $7,500 credit that must be repaid, so the bill is an improvement, but short of what many economists think is necessary.
Another reason that some analysts frown on the stimulus is the social spending it includes on things such as the Head Start program for disadvantaged children and aid to NASA for climate-change research. Both may be worthy efforts, but they aren't aimed at delivering short-term boosts to economic activity.
"All this is 25 years of government expansion jammed into one bill and sold as stimulus," said Brian Riedl, the director of budget analysis for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy research group.
The view wasn't much more supportive on the other side of the political spectrum. In a brief on the stimulus compromise, William Galston, a senior fellow at the center-left Brookings Institution and a former Clinton White House adviser, warned Thursday that a bank-rescue plan being finalized will make the $789 billion look like "pocket change."
"While the stimulus bill is a necessary condition for economic stabilization and recovery, it is hardly sufficient," Galston wrote. "As the lesson of Japan in the 1990s shows, fiscal stimulus without financial rescue yields stagnation — at best."
" . . . Serious observers believe that recovery cannot begin until we acknowledge that losses in the financial system amount to some trillions of dollars, rendering many institutions insolvent. The temptation will be to muddle along, hoping that these institutions can gradually regain strength without putting massive amounts of taxpayers' money at risk. If we go down that road, we are likely to end up with zombie banks whose balance sheets are riddled with near-worthless investments — banks that cannot lend to credit-worthy customers and who cannot trust one another," Galston wrote.
With the economy in a tailspin, doing nothing isn't an option, however.
"Something is better than nothing, and bigger was better than smaller in terms of the stimulus needed," said Chris Varvares, president of prominent forecaster Macroeconomic Advisers in St. Louis. "The economy needs a fiscal jolt."
Even some proponents of a stimulus are disappointed, however. Harvard University economist Martin Feldstein, a former adviser to President Ronald Reagan, was an early supporter. He said that government is now the only engine left to spark economic activity, but he said that the compromise falls short of what's needed.
"If the choice is between the current bill and an improved bill, I would say wait and improve the bill," Feldstein told CNBC on Wednesday after the compromise was announced. "I am disappointed with the structure of this bill."
Like Yardeni and other analysts, Feldstein wanted more incentives for consumers to make big purchases that have ripple effects across the economy. When a car is purchased, it helps not only the carmaker, but its suppliers, the trucking companies and railroads that transport cars, the states that issue license plates and so on.
Still, could this stimulus get the U.S. economy back on its feet?
By itself, probably not. The stimulus plan, however, is supposed to work in tandem with new efforts by the Treasury and the Federal Reserve to rid banks of distressed assets that are poisoning their balance sheets, and with other federal efforts to halt mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures. Much will depend on the details of both federal attack plans, which the Obama administration promises are coming soon.
There's also the problem of time. Much of the stimulus is to be spread over a two-year period or longer — and 2009 looks increasingly bleak.
A Wall Street Journal survey of 52 mainstream economic forecasters published Thursday found that while most forecasters still think there could be slow growth by the second half of the year, that won't offset steeper-than-projected declines in the first half of 2009.
That means this is essentially a lost year for the economy. Most scenarios envision the economy picking back up again next year.
The president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a speech in Detroit Thursday, tried to put a brave face on the tough year ahead. Thomas Donohue acknowledged that big business didn't get in the stimulus bill some of the tax-relief measures it most wanted, but promised the Chamber's support.
"The bottom line is that at the end of the day, we're going to support the legislation. Why? Because with the markets functioning so poorly, the government is the only game in town capable of jump-starting the economy," Donohue said.
To ask a question about this story or any economic question, go to McClatchy's economy Q&A
Are House Democrats balking at stimulus bill agreement?
A Ukraine mystery: Who did Russian gas sales benefit?
Obama predicts California will be biggest job producer


text:
Stand by Me Full Movie
Sabtu, 12 April 2014 0 komentar
- Status : Released
- Release Date of film : 1986-08-07
- Original title : Stand by Me
- Tagline : For some, it's the last real taste of innocence, and the first real taste of life.
- Movie Genre : Crime, Drama,
- Languages spoken : English
- Film Note : -movie_rating-
- Societies of production : Columbia Pictures
- Vote Count : 204
- Duration of movie : 89
- Average rate : 6.8
- Youtube Id : -youtube_id-
- Wil Wheaton Character (Gordie Lachance)
- River Phoenix Character (Chris Chambers)
- Corey Feldman Character (Teddy Duchamp)
- Jerry O'Connell Character (Vern Tessio)
- Kiefer Sutherland Character (Ace Merrill)
- John Cusack Character (Denny Lachance)
- Richard Dreyfuss Character (Gordon Lachance (Adult))
- Casey Siemaszko Character (Billy Tessio)
- Gary Riley Character (Charlie Hogan)
- Bradley Gregg Character (Eyeball Chambers)
- Jason Oliver Character (Vince Desjardins)
- Marshall Bell Character (Mr. Lachance)
- Frances Lee McCain Character (Mrs. Lachance)
- Bruce Kirby Character (Mr. Quidacioluo)
- William Bronder Character (Milo Pressman)
- Scott Beach Character (Mayor Grundy)
Stand by Me Synopsis:
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Rob Reiner Job as : Director, Thomas Del Ruth Job as : Director of Photography, Robert Leighton Job as : Editor, Raynold Gideon Job as : Screenplay, Bruce A. Evans Job as : Screenplay, Stephen King Job as : Novel, Bruce A. Evans Job as : Producer, Raynold Gideon Job as : Producer, Andrew Scheinman Job as : Producer, Jack Nitzsche Job as : Original Music Composer, Janet Hirshenson Job as : Casting, Jane Jenkins Job as : Casting, J. Dennis Washington Job as : Production Design, Richard D. Kent Job as : Set Decoration,
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Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5
Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5


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Originally Posted by devapriya
Some scholars have identified the mythical River Saraswati, adverted to in the Rig Veda, with what is presently Afghanistans Helmand river but deny that it refers to Ghaggar river.. The Rig Veda, was said to have been composed there in 1700 BC or thereabouts. Others have pointed to a long line of sand in M&H region and think that it was the course of River Saraswathy. Satellite photographs of the sand line have been taken. It is guessed that this was the dried up Saraswathy. The Rig Vedas were allegedly compiled and reduced to writing nearly 2000 years later at the dawn of the Christian era. Only the satellite pictures were "scientific" but showing dried up sand course. Of course, surveyors can always draw a map of any of these areas. Upon review, one can easily see that there is nothing much scientific about the whole thing. There are also doubts as to the location of the river.


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Piggy Picasso's??
June 25, 2007 by kuuipo1207
Filed under Random Musings
Ok, so I know I stated that this blog is about beauty and anything that relates to it, but there are some things that are just too irresistible when it comes to not passing it on. Came across this article in a forum and I just had to share it with you all cause it […]


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National Hot Rod Association Media Conference
Topics: NHRA
Mike Edwards
September 4, 2013
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Mike, for taking time out of your day today to join us. Mike comes in to this week on a high note after winning his second Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. This season he has a total of six wins and 13 number one qualifying positions. He's a 2009 Pro Stock World Champion, and in the last five seasons has finished no lower than sixth in points.
This is his sixth time to make the Countdown to the Championship.
Mike, how important either for momentum or you personally was that win at Indy going into the playoffs?
MIKE EDWARDS: I don't know, you know. Indy is kind of unique. It is the race before the playoffs, but you go there trying to win that race, and the playoff is really not even in the mind‑‑ in your mind at that particular race. We were very fortunate. We qualified good, we ran good a couple run there's on Sunday, and then we didn't run too good there the last couple of runs, but we were very fortunate to win.
Just so happy for my Interstate Camaro. Just all my guys just rallied around. We stuck together and pulled it off. It was a great weekend for us. It's our Super Bowl of drag racing, and everybody wants to have that Indy win on their resume, that's for sure.
Q. I understand that you are suffering some pain in your left shoulder because of a rotator cuff. Will that in any way, shape, or form affect you over the following six races?
MIKE EDWARDS: I don't know. It is what it is. I'm just going to have to‑‑ it's not really going to have to be an issue for me. It is what it is. I'm just going to have to try to do the very best I can, and whatever the outcome is, I can't‑‑ I can't do a whole lot about it right now until after the season. But what I'm going to do is focus on everything I've been focusing on all year, and just trying to do the best I can.
Q. When the off‑season comes, is that something that's going to need some surgery or some kind of medical attention?
MIKE EDWARDS: No, it definitely needs surgery. I've torn my rotator cuff pretty severe. So it's definitely going to have to have surgery.
Q. I watched the U.S. Nats. You did a great round by holeshot wins. How are you so great on holeshots? I have two questions and then we'll deal with the shoulder injury.
MIKE EDWARDS: Well, I haven't been too good this year for sure. We've struggled, I've struggled, you know, with my driving. The first of the year, I think the only way we lost was because my driving. Got beat on the starting line because when you have a car as fast as mine was the first part of the season, we were just so dominant, so fast. I lost several races there by not driving as well. You know when it comes down to the Countdown if you don't drive good you know you're not going to win these races. We're not talking about hundredths of seconds anymore. We're talking about thousandths. It's going to be thousandths of a second that wins this championship. There are too many good teams out here that are just so close. ‑‑ I think third round over there, four cars in the semis there. Three of them went 64s with zeros, and the other went 63 with a 6. That's tremendous racing.
This class has had such good teams in it, this is going to be probably the tightest championship that we've seen since we've been doing the Countdown.
Q. Getting back to the shoulder, I know a torn rotator cuff is extremely painful. So step me through that last run: How did you concentrate? Did you block it out completely? Were you aware of the pain? How were you functioning in the car?
MIKE EDWARDS: It had been hurting me all weekend. It's been hurting me since before Denver, but it's progressively gotten worse. I didn't really know exactly what it was until after Brainerd. I was really suffering there with it. So I went home and had an MRI done, and we got the MRI back and the doctor told me what was going on and what he suggested I do. That was to have surgery the next day. I told him it's not possible.
So it is what it is. People have‑‑ they have mountains to climb, and this is my mountain. I'm going to do the very best I can. As far as racing in the finals, it's no different than racing the other two, three guys all day long. Once you buckle up and you get in there and your adrenaline gets going, you know, the pain is still there, but you don't focus on it. It's like, you know, it's like being part of trying to do your best at the biggest race that we have, and that's what we're trying to do.
That's not going to be any different for the Countdown. It's just do what I can do. Do the best I can, and whatever happens. God has everything in control. If it's meant to be for me, it's going to happen. So that's the way I look at it.
Q. Mike, it seems like not that you're an under‑the‑radar kind of guy, but it just seems like you do well, do you well, and you do well. But when you start to win a title or a championship whatever, you dominate. It's just almost like unbeatable all of a sudden. But it's not all of a sudden to you, is it?
MIKE EDWARDS: No, it's not. The way they've got the schedule, the way it is now, it's too‑‑ it's two series in one year. It's two seasons. You've got the first part of the season to try to get into the Countdown, and then you've got the second part of the season that determines the championship, you know? We ran really good and we win the first season. Now comes the second part of the season. It's the Countdown For the Championship. That is the part that everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to win the championship.
So, you know, just right now there is no dominance in Pro Stock. Yeah, we qualified and won the race. But if you look at Sunday or Monday, I should say, these cars are so close. It's going to be anybody's championship. It's just going to be whoever makes the least mistakes. Whoever runs the best, and it's a team effort. That's what makes championships, these teams. That's why there are about six or eight of us down here at Charlotte right now testing before next weekend.
Everybody's here doing what they need to do to try to do the best they can. It's going to be exciting for the fans, I can tell you that. I'd sure hate to lose that 200‑point lead I had.
Q. So there is really no magic strategy for anyone in the Countdown playoffs?
MIKE EDWARDS: There's really not. I mean, this is the first race. I've said all along you can't win the championship at the first race, but you can sure darn put yourself in a bad position. So that's what we're down here trying to do. You need to do really, really well here. If you look over the past three or four years, the car that's either won this race or was in the finals went on to have a really good Countdown. This race is very, very big for us.
Q. I know last season Alan found something where he got a little bit ahead of the competition. Obviously, in the off‑season and through the series you've proven that you found whatever he had and even gone further in all the number one qualifyings and won races. What was the key to you guys finding something when this class was so competitive? How hard did you guys work in the off‑season to get to this point now?
MIKE EDWARDS: We changed a lot of things. The biggest change we made was with the Camaro. When the Camaro was‑‑ the Camaro has really helped us. It's really stable. It's just a good car, good race car. We've made several changes to it, and it's just been really, really fast right out of the box.
We've worked on our engine program all winter like we always do. But I think the biggest thing we managed was with the Camaro.
Q. Mike, you talked a little bit about getting off of that hot start in the Countdown. You won the four wides earlier in the spring there at Charlotte. You have two other career wins there. Does having a binder full of good information, good data going into that event give you a little more confidence?
MIKE EDWARDS: Well, we've all got information at these tracks. We've raced here quite well. We've been racing ever since they started it. But, yeah, any time you can go somewhere and have some success, it gives you confidence, that's for sure. But everybody else is down here testing at the same place too. We're trying to learn and trying to get better at these particular tracks like everybody else. I feel like we should run good here. I feel like we can run good here. You just never know what can happen. You've got to prepare yourself for the best, and pull up there and see what happens there on Sunday.
Q. One final question, how important is it during the course of the event to race the racetrack as much as racing your competitor next to you? Is it just trying to stay consistent and do the same thing each time?
MIKE EDWARDS: That's exactly what you've got to do. I think that's how you're going to win a championship. Race the racetrack. Prepare your car the best you can. You've just got to do everything almost perfect anymore to win one of these races, especially a championship. That's going to determine who it is, who can do all that the best. That's why everybody's down here trying to get better.
I think it's going to be one of the closest championships in Pro Stock since they started the Countdown.
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