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Rabbi Sidney Helbraun is not alone in feeling a "natural sense of harmony" working with Cantor Faryn Kates, who joined Temple Beth-El in Northbrook this summer. As he and the new Cantor prepare for the High Holy Days in September, Rabbi Helbraun readily points out the Cantor has quickly "fostered a great spiritual collaboration to the tremendous benefit of our synagogue community."
Cantor Kates, born and raised in New Jersey, recently served as the student cantor at North Country Reform Temple, in Glen Cove, NY, from 2010 until her ordination in 2013. She has been passionate about Judaism since kindergarten and uniquely blends her love of the religion, Jewish values, music, learning, prayer and friendship into her new Cantorial role at Temple Beth-El.
"My first cantorial mentor taught me how to bring prayer to life and connect with a congregation through music" explains Cantor Kates. "This has been a foundation of my work as a cantor. Very few things in life give me as much pleasure as leading a community in prayer and song," she added.
"My experience as a worship leader is enhanced when I see the lips of my congregants moving, when I hear the music coming from the community, and when congregants share with me the joy they received during tefillah because they were connected to the music and, therefore, the text."
Cantor Kates believes that services should be inclusive and inviting, and should provide people with meaningful and prayerful experiences. "I also strongly believe that music is one of the pathways to prayer," she explained. "Therefore, my style of leading is driven by musical selections that are engaging, warm, inviting, and that evoke textual love and understanding."
A Vernon Hills resident, Cantor Kates is engaged to be married in October to her fiancé, Jack Rudnick. In the past few months Cantor has been successfully finding her way within and outside the Temple Beth-El community. "As the school year begins, I hope to create a presence in the Hebrew school and religious school," she said. "I want the students and families to see me as a cantor, teacher, and friend, more than just the person who prepares the students for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah."
Cantor Kates also has a strong desire to make sure that Temple Beth-El meets the needs of people with disabilities. "I plan to continue the advocacy work I have done with the Union for Reform Judaism, at Hebrew Union College, as a teacher, and through my thesis research, to help make the Jewish community more accessible to those with disabilities. I hope to use my passion to advocate for people with disabilities both within and outside of our congregation."
Rabbi Helbraun is clearly proud of his collaboration with the newest member of his spiritual team. "She is an outgoing, warm, welcoming woman, who connects well with young and old alike. She is a wonderful musician and enjoys using guitar to bring spirit and energy to services. Cantor has a beautiful, strong voice. She reaches out to others and invites them to join her whether it is for singing, worship or fellowship," he added.
There was a good sense early on that Cantor Kates would be an excellent match with Temple Beth-El, recalls Andy Baker, a member of the Cantorial Search Committee. A Glenview resident and a Temple Beth-El member for ten years, Baker said, "When the Cantor visited for her interviews, I picked her up at the airport. As I drove up to the curb, she was standing there with her guitar case and a big smile, really excited and tons of energy to meet with us. If I were to use a few words to describe Cantor," Baker continued, "she brings a very high level of maturity, expertise and creativity to our synagogue and that is tremendous for our community."
Recalling that moment, Cantor added, "I felt instinctively that Temple Beth-El would be a great place to grow and learn as well as a wonderful place to make a home."
Cantor Kates holds a Bachelor's of Music in Music Education from Miami University in Ohio, a Master's of Fine Arts in Music Education from Montclair State University in NJ, and a Master's of Sacred Music and Cantorial Ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City.
Before beginning her cantorial studies, Cantor Kates was a tenured music educator in the Oakland Public School District in NJ. Cantor began her music career as a flutist, studying flute for more than 15 years, and boasts that she can play more than a dozen instruments (though in public she'll only sing or play flute or guitar).
"I welcome the opportunity to meet one-to-one with our members and prospective new members," Cantor Kates emphasized. Cantor Kates may at be reached at email@example.com or at Temple Beth-El: 847-205-9982 extension 206.


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STONY BROOK, N.Y.—Junior forward Rachel McKee (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron) gave the UMBC women's soccer team (0-10-1, 0-2-0 AE) an early lead, but host Stony Brook (3-8-0, 1-1-0 AE) scored four unanswered goals and defeated the Retrievers, 4-1, Thursday evening at LaValle Stadium.
Despite being outshot, 17-7, in the first half, it was UMBC that struck first when McKee fired a laser into the top-left corner from 25 yards out in the 14th minute, her career-high and team-best third goal of the season.
But 20 minutes later, Stony Brook midfielder Regan Bosnyak corralled a loose ball off a corner kick and blasted a 20-yard missile into the left side of the net to tie the game. Then, just 37 seconds later, the Retrievers were the recipients of some bad luck as Seawolves midfielder Sa'sha Kershaw dribbled down the right flank and attempted to cross the ball into the penalty area, but it ricocheted off a UMBC defender and into the cage for an own goal that gave the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.
Stony Brook led, 2-1, at halftime, but the Seawolves struck again in the 63rd minute, capitalizing on a counterattack. Forward Shannon Grogan set up a play with a penetrating run to the endline before delivering a perfect ball into the center of the box, which Bosnyak put home.
The Seawolves were not done, however, as forward Larissa Nysch wrestled the ball away from a UMBC defender and tipped it to forward Eliza Mendoza, who put the ball away for Stony Brook's fourth goal of the night.
UMBC sophomore goalie Lauren Kadet (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) made seven saves between the pipes, while Chelsea Morales stopped five shots for the Seawolves.
Stony Brook outshot UMBC, 28-12, and held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
The Retrievers return to action on Sunday, when they host America East rival Vermont at 1 p.m. at Retriever Soccer Park.

subset: commoncrawl


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Race ready pic on the scale. Will have a much nicer custom painted body from Fat Head Designs very soon.
My Christmas Slash (hcg)Platinum
Rides on Duratrax Evader Yellow springs upfront with Evader Green Progressives in the back...
Last edited by NikkoCharger; 12-25-2012 at 11:38 PM.
Sent from my iPhone4
Whatever I just said.. I'm probably wrong..
Sig edited for awesomeness. NC
Slash 4x4 VXL with Summit body and big ole tires.
Here are some pics of my Slash 4x4 I just picked up. These were my first ever attempts at painting an RC body. I went with the JConcpets Scale Raptor and the Illuzion Raptor body. I have some 2.8 Trenchers mounted on Desperados ordered but they are taking forever to get here. This is my first RC and it has been a blast so far. I have had tons of fun in the snow the past few weeks. I'm running a 5300mah 40C 2s Lipo and also have some more batteries on order.
Actually I'll post the link. Maybe that will work.
Thanks for trying to help I guess I'll I'm good for is bashing the car. Hope you like the pictures.
Last edited by ksb51rl; 12-31-2012 at 11:25 AM.
SL4SH Mamba Monster-Rustler Mamba Max 2400kv
Here is mine with the winter set up.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk 2
Got bored and made a cage, also just ordered a mmm 2200 for it and wil be running 4s
Slite mod to the front, didn't like it straight out
New proline true scale raptor
You break you buy
ok these are 4 of my trucks with one more build to go (backslash) 3 slashes one is not( not allowed to mention)and one unfinished paint job the shells are 3 of my favorites will likely to go gun metel on scale truck. last pic changed the tires and wheels to hazzards and bar codes as shownin the first 2 pics
Last edited by blknryzn; 01-04-2013 at 03:32 AM.
You break you buy
Last edited by BerlinBandit; 01-06-2013 at 08:01 PM.
Sent from my iPhone4
Whatever I just said.. I'm probably wrong..
New Ripper Lid. I used XXXMAIN photo glue for the Ripper logos.
Last edited by thebalance; 01-14-2013 at 02:49 PM.
^^^ From an 80's sk8r, that thing is sick!!!
This is my new ride with his taller, slower little brother. Ive had it for about a week now and cannot drive it enough.
Last edited by Pacrat77j; 01-14-2013 at 04:38 PM.
My Monster Slash 4x4
new JConcepts body, trenchers and MIPs from xmas installed along with a few RPM goodies too. basic fade but for my first time i did not want to mess anything up with tape lines.
Ready for some snow
STRC Slash
No Limit RC of Maryland
Here's my New platinum
I'm just waiting for my front bumper and Chevy 1500 flo-tek body. Got front and rear lights. Unfortunately the front lights are not working so I have to get them replaced.
Last edited by Badfish; 01-29-2013 at 03:06 AM.
This is my slash
Last edited by ksb51rl; 02-01-2013 at 11:58 PM.
Just got done painting this today. This is my first paint job so be nice
What do you guys think? I need to burnish the edges of my masking better, or get better tape. There were a few areas that bled but nothing terrible imo.
I used a utility knife to trim the body, that was fun and a great experience. More to come now!
New flotek body
Stock Slash 4x4 Ultimate yesterday morning. Today.... It's sooo much more fun now!
Don't try this at home!
Slash on ice.
New Raptor Body Painted
Heres my slash pretty much finished just got a few more pieces to add to the lcg kit.
Just finished painting
Two slash 4x4 platinum, except one is lcg and has gtr shocks
You break you buy
My Fleet......


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Are you looking for a creative way to activate your fans & followers? Hyperactivate has been working with the top brands, and can launch your campaign even with a quick turn around. Request a demo to learn more.


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Opinion Extra
Broder: The frustrated progressive
A brand-new publication came across my desk this week containing an essay that offers as good an insight into President Obama's approach to government as anything I have read - and is particularly useful in understanding the current struggle over health care reform.
The publication is called National Affairs, and its advisory board is made up of noted conservative academics from James W. Ceaser to James Q. Wilson. The article that caught my eye, titled "Obama and the Policy Approach," was written by William Schambra, the director of the Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal.
Schambra, like many others, was struck by the "sheer ambition" of Obama's legislative agenda and by his penchant for centralizing authority under a strong White House staff replete with many issue "czars."
Schambra sees this as evidence that "Obama is emphatically a 'policy approach' president. For him, governing means not just addressing discrete challenges as they arise, but formulating comprehensive policies aimed at giving large social systems - and indeed society itself - more rational and coherent forms and functions. In this view, the long-term, systemic problems of health care, education, and the environment cannot be solved in small pieces. They must be taken on in whole."
He traces the roots of this approach back to the progressive movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when rapid social and economic change created a politics dominated by interest-group struggles. The progressives believed that the cure lay in applying the new wisdom of the social sciences to the art of government, an approach where facts would heal the clash of ideologies and narrow constituencies.
Obama - a highly intelligent product of elite universities - is far from the first Democratic president to subscribe to this approach. Jimmy Carter, and especially Bill Clinton, attempted to govern this way. But Obama has made it even more explicit, regularly proclaiming his determination to rely on rational analysis, rather than narrow decisions, on everything from missile defense to Afghanistan - and all the big issues at home.
"In one policy area after another," Schambra writes, "from transportation to science, urban policy to auto policy, Obama's formulation is virtually identical: Selfishness or ideological rigidity has led us to look at the problem in isolated pieces ...; we must put aside parochialism to take the long systemic view; and when we finally formulate a uniform national policy supported by empirical and objective data rather than shallow, insular opinion, we will arrive at solutions that are not only more effective but less costly as well. This is the mantra of the policy presidency."
Historically, that approach has not worked. The progressives failed to gain more than brief ascendancy, and the Carter and Clinton presidencies were marked by striking policy failures. The reason, Schambra says, is that this highly rational, comprehensive approach fits uncomfortably with the Constitution, which apportions power among so many different players, most of whom are far more concerned with the particulars of policy than its overall coherence.
The energy-climate change bill that went into the House was a reasonably coherent set of trade-offs that would reduce carbon emissions and help the atmosphere. When it came out, it was a grab bag of subsidies and payoffs to various industries and groups. And now it is stymied by similar forces in the Senate.
Schambra's essay anticipated exactly what is happening right now on health care. Obama, budget director Peter Orszag and health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle grasp the intricacies of the health care system as well as any three humans, and they could write a law to make it far more efficient.
But now it is in the hands of legislators and lobbyists who care much less about the rationality of the system than they do about the way the bill will affect their particular part of it. Everyone has a parochial agenda. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, for example, wants to be sure a new cancer treatment center in Nevada has favored status.
Democracy and representative government are a lot messier than the progressives and their heirs, including Obama, want to admit. No wonder they are so often frustrated.


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There's no denying that S.F. designer Margaret O'Leary's cozy-cool creations are NorCal wardrobe mainstays. Every time we venture to one of her outposts, we're guaranteed to find an eclectic mix of eponymous knits sprinkled in with other spot-on contemporary brands (Isabel Marant, Clare Vivier, IRO — we're looking at you!).
So, when we got the opportunity to meet one the gals responsible for this fashion-forward intersection, we were instantly wowed. We're talking about buyer Felicia Petrone. Equipped with a keen eye and hip-yet-polished aesthetic, this lady makes it all work with an impressive arsenal of personal duds. We snapped Petrone around her SoMa 'hood in four sleek outfits — and the results are ravishing. Ready for a dose of major style envy? Get to clickin'!
Photographed by Rachelle Manning


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Miami, September 01, 2013 – The Cuban Art Project-Miami Dade College's (MDC) Galleries of Art + Designare gearing up for another exciting season with nearly 20 exhibitions at each of the College's campuses that will creatively explore themes like nature, human rights, U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and contemporary art. The season kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 29, and runs through Sept. 2014. All exhibitions are free and open to the public!
From August through March, several exhibitions will center on issues like human and women's rights, Others are just plain old-fashioned fun, such as the works by sculptor and University of South Florida professor Zak Hemsteger, whose works offer satirical and biting commentary on contemporary life. Spring showings focus on student-based exhibitions. Visiting artists will be available during their exhibitions for gallery talks and workshops.
MDC Campus Galleries of Art + Design serve as an interdisciplinary teaching laboratory for the exploration of diverse cultures through visual aesthetics and encourage interaction with art-related processes. With a mission to organize exhibitions and educational programs in collaboration with the students, faculty and local community, the Galleries of Art + Design provide a platform for public engagement and curricular development.
Dates and times of exhibitions are listed by campus below.
North Gallery at the North Campus
Modus Perlucidus: New Works by Jorge Dager
Aug. 29 – Oct. 18
Opening reception: Thursday, Aug. 29 at noon
Artist lecture: 1 p.m.
In Transparent Objects, Venezuelan painter Jorge Dager presents his latest works in a hyper-realistic style where the objects fool the mind into believing his pieces are photographic, when in fact, they are oil paintings. The artist donated a large painting, Libertad, as part of The Route for Human Rights—a project International Solidarity for Human Rights (ISHR).
Horacio Silva: Naturalezas
Oct. 31 – Jan. 10, 2014
Opening Reception: Thursday, Oct. 31, noon
Artist Lecture: 1 p.m.
The Spanish artist and professor, Horacio Silva, brings his unique works to South Florida, after years of exhibiting in Europe. This show includes original pieces created specifically for this North Campus show. In addition to these latest creations, the program will include Golden Tears,which he donated to the North Campus through ISHR/ The Route for Human Rights. *The artist is expected to speak to students and will lead a Master class, while in Miami.
Veterans Connect: Dr. Wilma Bulkin Siegel's Portraits and Conversations with veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan
Jan. 22 – March 15, 2014
Opening Reception: Wednesday, Jan. 22, noon
Artist Lecture: 1 p.m.
A medical doctor by profession and trained as an artist, Dr. Siegel's work includes moving portraits and insightful interviews with young veterans returning from war. *Dr. Siegel, who will be on campus during several days of the exhibition, will also participate in the Women's History Month program.
MDC Emerging Artists 2014 Student Exhibition
March 27 – April 30, 2014
Awards Reception: Thursday, March 27, noon
Annual exhibition of student works chosen by visual-arts faculty members
SEDT presents Aperture 2014
May 15 – June 27, 2014
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 15, noon
Photography exhibition by students at the School of Design and Entertainment Technology
SEDT presents Graphic Design
July 10 – Aug. 22, 2014
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 10, noon
An exhibition by students from the School of Entertainment and Design Technology
The North Campus is located at 11380 N.W. 27 Ave., North Gallery is located in Building 5, Lehman Theater Building. Tel. 305-237-6000.
Wolfson Campus
Cristobal Gonzalez Guzman: Pintor de Caballete
Sept. 12 – Nov. 8, 2013
Closing Reception: Thursday, Nov. 7, noon
Artist Lecture: Thursday, Oct. 24, noon
One of the best known colorists in Ecuadorian painting and formerly the head of the Visual Arts Department at Colegio Americano de Quito, Gonzalez-Guzman's show will focus on his enigmatic and personal female portraits.
Havana Revisited: An Architectural Heritage
Nov. 18 – Feb. 14, 2014
Opening Reception: Monday, Nov. 18, 5 p.m.
Artist lecture: 6 p.m.
Created by artist Cathryn Griffith, this exhibition documents the history, preservation and present uses of Havana's most important buildings and urban spaces. The city's architecture provides an important window on the changing forces that have shaped the country's history, from her settlement as a fortified tradition post through successive periods of Spanish colonial rule, independence, United States Protectorate, and revolution.
MDC League for Innovation
Feb. 26 – March 26, 2014
Awards ceremony: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 5 p.m.
Curated by MDC Visual Arts Faculty, this juried annual exhibition of MDC student work awards five finalist slots for the National League for Innovation Visual Arts Competition.
MDC Emerging Artists 2014
April 9 – April 30, 2014
Awards reception: Thursday, April 9, noon
The Wolfson Campus is located at 300 N.E. Second Ave., Building 1, third floor. Tel. 305-237-3000.
Kendall Gallery , Kendall Campus at the Martin & Pat fine Center for the Arts
Ceramic Sculpture by Zak Hemsteger
Oct. 10 – Nov. 20
Opening Reception: Thursday, Oct. 10, 5 p.m.
Artist Lecture: 6 p.m.
Zak Hemsteger combines his talent as sculptor with the ability to work with his hands in many areas including metal fabricating, metal casting carpentry, heavy equipment operation, electrical work, kiln repair, clay mixing, firing and mechanical engineering. In addition, he employs a keen wit with biting commentary on aspects of contemporary life. A professor at University of South Florida in Tampa, he has also taught at Western Michigan University.
A Quest for Peace
Dec. 5 – Dec. 18, 2013
Opening reception: Thursday, Dec. 5, 5 p.m.
A juried exhibition honoring philosopher and artist Robert Horwitz, late husband of Ilajean Horwitz, to promote awareness for peace across the globe.
Jonathan Beer: American Epic
Jan. 16 – March 21, 2014
Opening reception: Thursday, Jan. 16, 5 p.m.
Artist lecture: 6 p.m.
Jonathan Beer's work represents the overlap of memory, landscape and architecture. Beer is partly inspired by the urban fabric that is the product of the perpetual rebuilding and decay of civilization.
MDC Emerging Artists 2014
April 3 – April 23, 2014
Opening reception: Thursday, April 3, 5 p.m.
Synergy: Artists in Collaboration
May 8 – Sept. 25, 2014
Opening reception: Thursday, May 8, 5 p.m.
Artist lecture: 6 p.m.
This exhibition will consist of about one hundred works and is an artist-based community collaboration. Participating artists include Aldo Menendez, Ramon Carulla, Baruj Salinas, Daniel Vinoly, Jorge Jrisinco, Julio Antonio, Cesar Santos, JAMA, Enrique Gay Garcia, and many others.
The Kendall Campus is located at 11011 S.W. 104 St., Building M. Tel. 305-237-2000.
MDC Homestead Campus
South Florida Splendor: Artworks by Luis Nunez
Sept. 16 – Oct. 18, 2013
Opening reception: Thursday, Sept. 19, 5 p.m.
Luis Nunez's paintings capture the light, colors and mood of Florida's beautiful landscapes, such as Biscayne Bay, Everglades, Big Cypress, and the Florida Keys. He has participated in numerous juried exhibitions in the United States. His works are displayed in private collections throughout the United States, Europe, Central America and Australia.
Fresh AIRIE – Artists- in -Residence in the Everglades
Nov. 11 – Dec. 13, 2013
Opening reception: Tuesday, November 14, 5 p.m.
Group show of the Everglades artists- in-residence program.
Everglades Prep Project
Jan. 24 – Feb. 23, 2014
Opening reception: Friday, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m.
MDC Emerging Artists 2014
April 17 – May 23, 2014
Opening reception: Thursday, April 17, 5 p.m.
The Homestead Campus is located at 500 College Terrace. Tel. 305-237-5000
West Campus
Recent Acquisitions: The Norma Niurka Collection
Oct. 4, 2013 – Jan. 17, 2014
Opening reception: Oct. 4, 5 p.m.
The Norma Niurka collection is a very personal eclectic collection of the works of important Latin American artists, which in many cases Niurka mentored . Several of the pieces are personally signed and dedicated to her on the back. Niurka was a Cuban journalist, actress and art collector. After her death, her estate donated her collection to the College.
The West Campus is located at 3800 N.W. 115 Ave., Miami, Fl. 33178. Tel. 305-237-8918


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LOS ANGELES — UCLA is launching a hand transplant program and is seeking amputees to undergo the rare experimental procedure.
Don't miss these Health stories
More women opting for preventive mastectomy - but should they be?
Rates of women who are opting for preventive mastectomies, such as Angeline Jolie, have increased by an estimated 50 percent in recent years, experts say. But many doctors are puzzled because the operation doesn't carry a 100 percent guarantee, it's major surgery -- and women have other options, from a once-a-day pill to careful monitoring.
- Larry Page's damaged vocal cords: Treatment comes with trade-offs
- Report questioning salt guidelines riles heart experts
- CDC: 2012 was deadliest year for West Nile in US
- What stresses moms most? Themselves, survey says
- More women opting for preventive mastectomy - but should they be?
The program announced this week will involve clinical trials to study transplant techniques. It's only the fourth such program in the United States.
Officials at the University of California, Los Angeles say the program could help injured war veterans, among others.
Besides surgical techniques, the program will study the effectiveness and safety of drugs that patients must take to keep their bodies from rejecting their new hands.
French surgeons performed the first successful hand transplant in 1998. Nine have been performed in the U.S.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Poor Deandre Irby! Dude was just trying to enjoy the day like any young person would - hanging out at the outdoor mall, skating around with his backpack on, maybe think about getting a pretzel and oh, swinging his 'fantasy sword' with a 26-inch blade around. What the hell?
That's how the police describe the sword Irby was carrying around. They said that when arrived on scene, Irby tried to flee and hide his sword in the dumpster but couldn't do it in time. When caught, he refused to cooperate with them and "attempted to grab his sword", which resulted it him getting tased. Ouch. Unfortunately, Irby didn't have a concealed weapons permit to carry his sword (which begs the question, who the hell has a concealed weapons permit for a sword?) so he's been charged with that. Next time, leave the sword at home dude. You'll have a much better day that way. [Press Citizen via Fark]


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A plaque is awarded at the following point levels:
- Breeder (100 points)
- Advanced Breeder (200 points)
- Superior Breeder (350 points)
- Expert Breeder (600 points)
- Master Breeder (900 points)
- Grand Master Breeder (1200 points)
Note that members and the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association benefit financially when they submit BAP fish for the auction. Members receive 70% of any auction proceeds while the association garners 30% to offset club expenses. It is important to note that there is one other way that members can earn points towards their breeder awards. An additional five points can be earned when an article is written on a ten, fifteen, or twenty point fish submitted to the BAP Program. These articles will be kept in our reference library and will also be published in our Association Newsletter. While these guidelines dont have to be strictly followed, an essay of approximately 250 to 400 words discussing the fish characteristics, the breeding environment, water parameters, and the growth cycle of the fry would be appreciated. In other words, what would someone need to know in order to breed a particular species provided that they have a mature pair?
For more information, contact Luis Indocochea
For more information, contact Luis Indocochea


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If a nickname or shortened name is generally used, then I would assume that the boss was using their full name for a specific purpose. It might not be that the employee is in trouble, it might just be that a higher-ranking boss is in attendance so the boss is trying to look professional by using full names.
However, I can see how it can seem as if there is a problem because (in the UK, at least) that assumption works for the relationship between a child and its parents. Parents usually call their children by their first name, or a contraction of it, but when the child is in trouble, they might use the full name.
Mum: Suzie, stop doing that.
Suzie: But mum, I like it.
Mum: Suzie, I said stop doing it.
Suzie: No!
Mum: Suzanne Louise Shepherd, stop doing that right now!!!
The words and the tone of the last sentence will tell the child that her mum is serious and that she is about to be in real trouble if she doesn't stop.
Student or Learner


text: When my kids were babies the only time I got to see any movies was when I went to a movie that was lower in sound and was meant to have babies on your lap. When Quinlan was born none of us went to movies because even if I wanted to take Aidan to a […] . . . → Read More: Toons For Toddlers


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We're sorry, but anyone looking to do well at a Pro Tour is going to have to settle for second place from now on. First place is the bound property of The German Juggernaut, Kai Budde. Budde set records with his win at Barcelona this year, only to follow it up by taking the cake at Grand Prix - London. For New York he pulled longtime friends Dirk Baberowski and Marco Blume out of retirement to form Phoenix Foundation, and together they won the whole show. They took the crown in competition against Les Plus Class, the dark horse team from France. Amiel Tenenbaum, Nicholas Olivieri and Gabriel Nassif gamed hard all weekend, even upsetting Illuminati in the semifinals, but the Germans were not to be denied. Congratulations to Phoenix Foundation, Pro Tour - New York Champions!
Quick Interview (archive)
Question Eight: Knowing the Top 4, who will win PT NY 2001?


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AUICH(4) NetBSD Kernel Interfaces Manual AUICH(4) NAME auich -- Intel I/O Controller Hub integrated AC'97 audio device driver SYNOPSIS auich* at pci? dev ? function ? audio* at audiobus? DESCRIPTION The auich device driver supports the integrated AC'97 audio controller of the Intel I/O Controller Hub. Supported chipsets include the i82801AA (ICH), i82801AB (ICH0), i82801BA (ICH2), i82440MX, i82801CA (ICH3), i82801DB (ICH4), i82801EB (ICH5), i82801FB (ICH6), i82801GB/GR (ICH7), and Intel 6300ESB. The driver also supports SiS 7012, nForce MCP, nForce2 MCP-T, nForce3 MCP-T, nForce3 250 MCP-T, nForce4, and AMD 8111. SEE ALSO ac97(4), audio(4), pci(4) HISTORY The auich device driver appeared in NetBSD 1.6. BUGS The `microphone' input DMA channel is not currently supported. NetBSD 5.0_RC4 March 14, 2006 NetBSD 5.0_RC4
You can also request any man page by name and (optionally) by section:


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Local Badger Campaign Group Challenges NFU to face the facts
11th August 2015 -MEDIA RELEASE - Local Badger Campaign Group
Challenges NFU to face the facts
Whilst the NFU are stating publically that the two years of badger culling in Gloucestershire have been a big success, the recent publication of a House of Commons report confirms that the cull in Gloucestershire has been an expensive and ineffective waste of public money. Local campaign group, Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting (GABS), are so sure that the evidence in the report confirms that further culling in the county is not going to work that they are challenging the NFU to come and talk publicly about the figures.
Jeanne Berry of GABS said "This latest independent House of Commons report pulls together much of the evidence about culling over the last two years in Gloucestershire and the details it contains confirm that the Gloucestershire cull has failed and should not go ahead again this year. The level of detail in the report is excellent and it totally undermines the NFU's assertion that the cull has been a success in Gloucestershire and we'd love our farmers to read the facts. Some of the most disturbing facts are:
- The government really has no idea how many badgers there are in the cull zone (see extract 1).
- Only 78.7% of the badgers killed in Gloucestershire badgers were accurately shot (see extract 2) and despite NFU claims that the shooters are highly trained, 14% of shots observed by independent government ministers in Gloucestershire missed the badger completely compared to 8% in Somerset.
- 9.5% of badgers shot at were not retrieved and probably were left to die in their setts in agony (extract 3)
- Gloscon, the cull company has failed to meet the government's own targets for the number of badgers shot for the last two years. In 2014 alone they wanted to kill over 1000 badgers when in fact they only killed 274. (see extract 4)
This report is full of this sort of detail and yet the NFU and others are still saying that the cull has been a success and resulted in a decrease in cattle TB, but DEFRA has confirmed that there is no evidence to support this claim. I have written to the Gloucestershire NFU Chair to come and debate these figures and I look forward to airing the facts in public so that the government can be held accountable if they foolishly go ahead with yet another cull in Gloucestershire.
Contact: Jeanne Berry
--- ends ---
Notes to Editors
Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting website http://www.glosagainstbadgershooting.org/
House of Commons Briefing paper http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06837
Government Summary of 2014 culls https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-summary-of-badger-control-monitoring-during-2014
Report of the Independent Expert Panel into the 2013 cull https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/300382/independent-expert-panel-report.pdf
Extract 1. Report of the IEP into the 2013 cull: "Table 4.3 of the IEP report shows that there were 6 different badger population estimates for Gloucestershire between 2011 -2013 made by DEFRA and the farming industry. Estimates varied between 1339- 5423."
Extract 2: Govt Summary of 2014 culls: "There was a difference in the proportion of shot badgers having major thoracic damage between the two areas with 78.7% of West Gloucestershire badgers having major thoracic damage compared with 89.2% of West Somerset badgers. This difference is statistically significant (chi squared test p=0.03)."
Extract 3 "The outcome of Shooting Events for the two areas combined is presented in Table 1. Fifty-seven badgers were shot at and retrieved, with 52 of these receiving a single shot and 5 receiving multiple shots. Six badgers were shot at but not retrieved. "
Extract 4 HOC Report: "The culls commenced on 27 August 2013, initially for 6 weeks. After failing to meet the culling targets of 70% of the badger population, the culls were extended in both areas. Despite the extended cull period, both cull targets were missed. An estimated 65% of the badger population was culled in Somerset and less than 40% was culled in Gloucestershire. The IEP raised concerns about the humaneness of shooting as a culling method in their report in April 2014, highlighting that standards of humaneness needed to be improved if culling was to continue in the pilot areas. The Government announced that the culls would continue, with amendments to improve effectiveness in the proportion of badgers killed and time taken for shot badgers to die. The second year of the cull took place in autumn 2014. Minimum targets for the number of badgers to be culled to meet licence conditions was met in Somerset, but not in Gloucestershire."


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small confession. i have 4 kids and none of them have a baby book. i feel guilty every time i see one that has been diligently filled out by a really good mom (you know who you are!). my poor … Continue reading


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JoAnne Northrop is the Museum's Director of Contemporary Art Initiatives. She walks past Frida Kahlo's personal photographs of parents, injuries and inspirations.
"Drink tequila and have parties, hanging out with communist leaders and having affairs with men and women."
When Kahlo died, husband Diego Rivera locked these pictures in a closet. When they were discovered 50 years later, the Nevada Museum of Art was the first to request to show them, believing they would appeal to Nevada's hispanic population.
The museum offers activities for children while parents like Lucia Ribas browse Kahlo's photos. She's sure what to say about Kahlo's personal side.
"Es bueno que nos da informacion . . ."
"It's good that we have information for our children," she says, "So that they learn our past and that serves me very well too."
The exhibit closes February 24, then travels to various European nations and Australia.


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The University of Alabama coaching staff welcomed a star-studded group of prospects to Tuscaloosa over the weekend for official visits. One of Alabama's top commitments visited another Southeastern Conference West school hoping to flip the star athlete.
The University of Alabama coaching staff welcomed a star-studded group of prospects to Tuscaloosa over the weekend for official visits. One of Alabama's top commitments visited another Southeastern Conference West school hoping to flip the star athlete.
Several Alabama commitments were on campus for their official visits and helping recruit the uncommitted players.
Commitments included Jonathan Allen, a five-star defensive end from Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Va.; Bradley Bozeman, a four-star offensive tackle from Handley High in Roanoke; Darius Paige, a four-star defensive tackle from Foley High; Walker Jones, a three-star linebacker from Evangelical Christian School in Cordova, Tenn.; and Anthony Averett, a three-star cornerback from Woodbury, N.J.
Allen is the highest-rated player in the Crimson Tide's class. The 6-foot-3, 263-pounder talked with the UA staff about his future position.
"The coaches talked about me coming down and what position I'll play when I get there," Allen said. "Right now they have me at the Jack (linebacker). They might move me around. They just told me to come in ready to work hard and I should be fine."
Bozeman revealed his plans to accept a grayshirt offer from Alabama, which means a delayed enrollment until January 2014. He was the Crimson Tide's first commitment in the 2013 class when he gave his verbal pledge in June 2011. Bozeman tore an anterior cruciate ligament in a knee last season, his senior year. He has known about the plans for a couple of months and is pleased with the decision.
"Honestly, I think it's the best decision for me," Bozeman said. "I trust in the coaches. They are going to make the right decision. They won three out of the last four national championships. I am gong to honor my commitment. I am staying with them."
Reuben Foster, a five-star linebacker from Auburn High, was among the group of prospects on campus. The former Alabama and Auburn commitment plans to announce his final decision on Feb. 6, signing day. He'll visit Georgia and Auburn the next two weeks.
Bo Scarbrough, a four-star running back and Alabama commitment from Northridge High in Tuscaloosa, visited campus on Saturday to spend time with other commitments. The 2014 verbal pledge was also wanting to help recruit Foster back to Alabama.
"I was selling him on how Alabama does things," Scarbrough told The Tuscaloosa News. "I told him that no matter where he goes we're still going to be boys, but I want him at Alabama. I just think he should come to Alabama to play with me."
Eddie Jackson, a three-star wide receiver from Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., listed Alabama as his leader after an official visit. The two-way elite performer is recruited by Alabama to play defensive back. The 6-2, 180-pound athlete is considering a decision before the end of this week.
"I would say the best part of my visit was probably the parade," Jackson said of the national championship event Saturday. "Just seeing the fans and the players on the stage. It was crazy to see all the love they get from the community. I like the team overall and the community. I feel like I can adapt to the coaches. The fans showed up to the parade like it was a championship game."
Alabama welcomed three prospects from the Peach State: Montravius Adams, a five-star defensive tackle from Dooly County, Ga.: Vonn Bell, a five-star safety from Ridgeland High in Rossville; and Alvin Kamara, a Rivals100 running back from Norcross High.
"The visit was great," Kamara said. "It was really good because my mom and sister were both able to make it. This weekend, in my eyes, was more for them than me because I've been there a handful of times. I would say the best part was hanging around the coaches and their families. I feel comfortable around them. That's one of the things I'm looking for in making my decision. Comfort level is a big part."
Other top prospects who visited Alabama included A'Shawn Robinson,a five-star defensive tackle and Texas commitment from Arlington Heights High in Fort Worth, Texas; and Jason Carr, a four-star defensive end and Tennessee commitment from White Station High in Memphis, Tenn.
Altee Tenpenny, a Rivals100 running back from North Little Rock, Ark., took an official visit to Arkansas over the weekend. Tenpenny remains committed to Alabama but did say he'll likely make a final decision before signing day. A visit to Auburn is scheduled for this weekend.
"I don't think it's going to be a tough decision for me," Tenpenny said. "As long as I am comfortable at the school it doesn't matter to me what everyone else has to say. It just matters to me and my family. I still consider myself a solid commitment to Alabama."
TideSports.com has the very latest recruiting news and notes regarding the class of 2013, and new scholarship offers going out to prospects in the class of 2014 and beyond. Join TideSports.com recruiting chats each Wednesday at 6 p.m. with Andrew Bone and Alabama team chats each Thursday at noon with Chase Goodbread.
Reach Andrew Bone at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewJBone
For more recruiting coverage, see TideSports.com


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A few hours ago I picked up the new Weezer album, Raditude. In fact I am enjoying it as I type this very blog. But to my dismay, I find out after the fact that I COULD have picked up the weezer album from their official website packaged with an official Weezer Snuggie. I feel like I got jipped. I feel like I should have gotten that blue warm and fuzzy Weezer Snuggie.
Then again, I live in Hawaii. What would I do with a Snuggie! But still, how amazingly and dorkingly cool is that – you can actually buy the new Weezer album with a Weezer Snuggie ($30). Seriously, that is amazeballs.
The only saving grace is that I picked up the new album for just $3.99 from Amazon DRM free. And having done one listen through of the album, I can say that it is worth the price of the 4 bones paid and then some. It's fun, energetic and smart. Pick up your copy of Weezer's Raditude from Amazon now for $3.99.


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Realizing that function and biological meaning can arise from random processes may help people understand and accept evolution.
It is well known that evolutionary theory is not accepted by large segments of the American public, including teachers (1). Numerous surveys routinely place us at the bottom of the developed countries in this regard. This often provokes something akin, ironically, to a biblical wailing and gnashing of teeth among segments of the science and education communities. Yet I would argue that the problem is both more serious and more hopeful than it appears.
Why is it more serious? Because it is clear that in many cases, the acceptance of evolution is not based on a real understanding of evolutionary mechanisms. As pointed out by Gregory (2), "natural selection is generally very poorly understood, even among many individuals with postsecondary biological education." For example, about 38 percent of people responding in a recent Gallup poll said that the statement, "Humans evolved, with God guiding," comes closest to their views on the origin and development of human beings (Figure 1). My own research indicates that many molecular biology students do not understand the molecular-level mechanisms behind genetic variation and DNA behavior (3). Similarly, students have difficulties imagining that molecular-level, stochastic events can produce directed macroscopic behaviors like diffusion or evolutionary change (4).
This failure of imagination has its roots in human behavior: We are programmed, it seems, to find or project meaning onto almost everything, from finding significance in the deaths of children due to sickness and natural disasters to interpreting the vagaries of fate as reward or punishment for past behavior. Our social nature leads us to read meaning into others' expressions, tone of voice and behavior. The idea that organic things are good and artificial things are bad is commonly assumed to be valid, but it ignores the dangers of natural toxins, among other things, and minimizes the value of technological innovations like fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and vaccines (5).
So why would I make the claim that the situation is hopeful? Because, while the random drivers active in biological systems and upon which evolution depends are difficult to grasp or credit, it also is the case that our current education system rarely, if ever, attempts to teach them in a serious and effective manner. So the question is, what would happen if the educational system actually addressed these issues head on? What if biology was taught in a way that stressed the fact that the molecular level processes that underlie evolutionary events are difficult to understand? Why not teach that the second law of thermodynamics drives the appearance of ordered structures even as the universe as a whole descends into chaos? Or that DNA is not particularly stable but is actively repaired and that its instability is necessary for evolution (and responsible for disease)? Or that molecular-level genomic dynamics (mutations, DNA duplication and rearrangements) occur with remarkable frequency and underlie the appearance of new traits and new species?
Would it help if students understood that molecular affinities are a function of binding energies and thermal perturbations rather than common lock and key depictions or that off-target interactions with physiological significance are not uncommon and are, in fact, responsible for a number of the side effects of drugs and, for that matter, make drugs without side effects essentially impossible? Or that off-target interactions, together with gene duplications and rearrangements, underlie the generation of new functions? Or that molecular promiscuity arises from the fundamental nature of intermolecular interactions and is used again and again to generate new functions and phenotypes (6 – 8)?
What if animations, such as the spectacular "Inner Life of the Cell" video, presented stochastic realities and eschewed scenes in which molecules appear to know where they are going? Would it help student understanding if depictions of polypeptide synthesis, for example, consistently illustrated the fact that during translation, the ribosome-mRNA complex must reject a substantial number of uncharged and charged but inappropriate aminoacyl-tRNAs before random motion brings the correct aminoacyl-tRNA to the active site? Or that transcription factors use their nonspecific, low-affinity binding to DNA to facilitate interactions with their high-affinity targets via one-dimensional diffusion? Or that regulatory noise plays a key role in how biological systems, from operons to neural networks, work? After all, the lac operon would not function if it were not leaky!
Could the fact that mutations only come in a limited number of generic types (9) and often have relatively mild effects be used to explain how drift and genetic noise can lead to evolutionary innovation in response to selective pressures (10)? In that light, would the inherent instability of DNA (11, 12) and genome dynamics, as illustrated by the prevalence of somatic mutations and copy number variation (13 – 15), make evolution in general, and the origin and evolution of cancer and other diseases in particular, more comprehensible? What if students understood that even simple systems of gene interactions can produce complexand surprising behaviors (16 – 18)?
In each case, the goal of presenting these biological scenarios would be to establish and reinforce the multiple ways that function and biological meaning can arise out of random processes. The goal is to address directly what makes the naturalistic, evolutionary explanation of life possible yet difficult to accept. Of course, the educational approach to helping students understand evolution depends on accessible and well-designed course materials and a commitment to universal learning rather than the sorting of students. Learning how evolution works will require that we provide students with the time and feedback needed to come to accept what are, on their face, implausible ideas.
1. Berkman, M.B. and E. Plutzer. (2010). Defeating creationism in the courtroom, but not in the classroom. Science 331, 404 – 405.
2. Gregory, T. R. (2009). Understanding natural selection: essential concepts and common misconceptions. Evo. Edu. Outreach 2, 156 – 175.
3. Klymkowsky, M. W., Underwood, S. M., and Garvin-Doxas, K. (2010). The Biological Concepts Instrument (BCI), a diagnostic tool to reveal student thinking.
4. Garvin-Doxas, K., and Klymkowsky, M. W. (2008). Understanding randomness and its impact on student learning: lessons from the Biology Concept Inventory (BCI). Life Science Education 7, 227 – 233.
5. Ridley, M. (2010). The rational optimist. New York: Harper.
6. Copley, S. D. (2003). Enzymes with extra talents: moonlighting functions and catalytic promiscuity. Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 7, 265 – 272.
7. Khersonsky, O., and Tawfik, D. S. (2010). Enzyme promiscuity: a mechanistic and evolutionary perspective. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 79, 471 – 505.
8. Kim, J., Kershner, J. P., Novikov, Y., Shoemaker, R. K., and Copley, S. D. (2010). Three serendipitous pathways in E. coli can bypass a block in pyridoxal-5'-phosphate synthesis. Mol. Syst. Biol. 6, 436.
9. Muller, H. J. (1932). Further studies on the nature and causes of gene mutations. Sixth Int. Cong. Genet. 1, 213 – 255.
10. Blount, Z. D., Borland, C. Z., and Lenski, R. E. (2008). Historical contingency and the evolution of a key innovation in an experimental population of Escherichia coli. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105, 7899 – 7906.
11. Amosova, O., Coulter, R., and Fresco, J. R. (2006). Self-catalyzed site-specific depurination of guanine residues within gene sequences. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103, 4392 – 4397.
12. Lindahl, T., and Nyberg, B. (1972). Rate of depurination of native deoxyribonucleic acid. Biochemistry 11, 3610 – 3618.
13. Marques-Bonet, T., et al. (2009). A burst of segmental duplications in the genome of the African great ape ancestor. Nature 457, 877 – 881.
14. Schrider, D. R., and Hahn, M. W. (2010). Gene copy-number polymorphism in nature. Proc. Biol. Sci. 277, 3213 – 3221.
15. Stankiewicz, P., and Lupski, J. R. (2010). Structural variation in the human genome and its role in disease. Annu. Rev. Med. 61, 437 – 455.
16. Atkinson, M. R., Savageau, M. A., Myers, J. T., and Ninfa, A. J. (2003). Development of genetic circuitry exhibiting toggle switch or oscillatory behavior in Escherichia coli. Cell 113, 597 – 607.
17. Chang, D. E., Leung, S., Atkinson, M. R., Reifler, A., Forger, D., and Ninfa, A. J. (2010). Building biological memory by linking positive feedback loops. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107, 175 – 180.
18. Elowitz, M. B., and Leibler, S. (2000). A synthetic oscillatory network of transcriptional regulators. Nature 403, 335 – 338.
More from the current issue


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The new winners of the Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King and other awards were announced early Monday morning at the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Philapdelphia.
The winner of the Newbery Award is Flora & Ulysses, a short, graphically illustrated chapter book by Kate DiCamillo, who is also the recently appointed National Ambassador of Young People's Literature.
The Newbery Honor winners are Doll Bones by Holly Black, The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes, One Came Home by Amy Timberlake, and Paperboy by Vince Vawter.
The winner of the Caldecott Medal is Locomotive by Brian Floca. Caldecott Honors were awarded to Journey, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker; Flora and the Flamingo, written and illustrated by Molly Idle; and Mr. Wuffles!, written and illustrated by David Wiesner. Miriam Medow, children's librarian at Oakland's Lakeview Branch, served on this year's Caldecott Award Committee!
The Coretta Scott King author award went to Rita Williams-Garcia for P.S., Be Eleven, the sequel to her award winning One Crazy Summer, which was set in Oakland. The Coretta Scott King illustrator award went to Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me, illustrated by Bryan Collier. Oakland Public Library's Supervising Librarian for Teen Services, Lana Adlawan, served on this year's Coretta Scott King Award Jury!
The Pura Belpre Illustrator Award went to Yuyi Morales for Nino Wrestles the World; and the Belpre Author award went to Meg Medina for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass!, a book for teens.
We hope you explore all of the award winners, at your library!


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The first hint that the end was near for Wyoming basketball coach Heath Schroyer came on the Mountain West coaches weekly teleconference. Unprompted, opposing coaches spoke of what a good job Schroyer had done with numbers limited by injuries.
Indeed, Wyoming did everything but pull out the wins against Colorado State and BYU over the past week.
As CSU coach Tim Miles pointed out, reserve Pierce Hornung willed the Rams to a win. Last week, BYU needed everyone's All-America Jimmer Fredette to put away the Cowboys in the final minute.
Miles and I had lunch Monday, mostly to background an upcoming story on Travis Franklin. At that time he was concerned about Schroyer. When I texted the news, he replied "Ugh"


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President Obama is using the slow August news cycle to call attention to an issue that has long been a focus of his: college affordability.
As he begins a bus tour in upstate New York Thursday, in which he plans to stop at three colleges and one high school, Mr. Obama has promised to unveil a plan "to make college more affordable, tackle rising costs, and improve value for students and their families." The plan links student aid to a new college rating system that measures outcomes for students, such as affordability, graduation rates, and earnings of graduates.
In a letter e-mailed to supporters Tuesday, Obama noted that average tuition at a public four-year college has more than tripled over the past three decades, and that the average student today graduates with more than $26,000 in debt.
"Just tinkering around the edge won't be enough," he wrote, noting that his plan may not be popular with "some who've made higher education their business." "We've got to shake up the current system."
Between 1982 and 2012, college tuition and fees have risen, on average, by 603 percent, according to data compiled by the Higher Education Policy Institute. Over that same period, the Consumer Price Index has risen 130 percent, and median family income 148 percent.
It's a cycle that's tough to break: Students face more pressure than ever before to go to college, in an economy in which, increasingly, a post-secondary degree is necessary to break out of minimum-wage territory. Government assistance has vastly expanded to help students get that education, but it also fuels spiraling costs.
Moreover, the struggling economy has only made things worse, as states cut higher-ed spending to balance their budgets, and public universities make up the cuts by raising tuition.
Just what Obama can do to shake up that system is unclear, even if he is able to get Congress to cooperate with him. A major rethinking of the current system – how it's funded, how we conceive of higher education and who pays for it, and how such education is delivered – is likely needed, but such game-changing solutions are politically difficult.
The Obama plan aims to set up a rating system by 2015 and to start using that system to distribute student aid by 2018. For students, opting for a highly rated college means access to larger grants and more affordable loans. The aim of the plan is to give institutions an incentive to cut costs and ensure better outcomes for disadvantaged students. But such a plan would be controversial and require complex legislation in a typically gridlocked Congress.
"Part of the reason the federal government hasn't been able to do anything is less a technical issue than a political one," says Amy Latinen, deputy director for higher education at the New America Foundation. "The federal government can do a lot. Obama on his own can't do much."
While student loans and interest rates often get the most attention – such as the heated debate earlier this summer over the rate on certain subsidized federal student loans – most higher-education observers agree that the more significant issue for family budgets is the skyrocketing cost of college.
Over the past few decades, tuition has risen two to three times the cost of inflation. In the last 10 years, tuition at public four-year colleges has increased about 75 percent, and at private colleges by about 25 percent – all at a time when median family income has fallen. The total amount of student debt has reached $1.2 trillion, and an increasing number of students find themselves burdened by tens of thousands of dollars of debt that they're unable to repay, and that even a bankruptcy declaration can't diminish.
According to the latest data released this week from the National Center for Education Statistics, a majority of undergraduates – 57 percent – are now receiving some sort of federal financial aid, up from 47 percent four years ago, the last time the NCES released statistics. Some 42 percent of undergraduates took out loans, up from 39 percent four years ago.
While the federal government ostensibly has little direct involvement with the financing of either private or public colleges, it issues about $150 billion a year in financial aid – all of which plays a key part in the budgets of most higher education institutions, and which comes with few strings attached to the institution.
There has long been a heated debate about the degree to which expanding federal financial aid has fueled tuition hikes and spiraling college costs. Some critics see the huge expansion of loans and grants as directly responsible, saying they provide misguided incentives to college and universities, and essentially shift costs away from the schools to the federal government and the families who are borrowing.
Others agree that tuition would not have been able to rise without the loan programs, but they also believe that the federal aid programs are needed to promote access to higher education. Still others discount the hypothesis entirely as a misguided attempt to get the federal government to reduce much-needed aid to students.
Still, many observers see student aid as the best leverage the federal government has to try to bring college costs under control and – just as important – to encourage better value and high-quality programs in exchange for students' investment.
Increasingly, notes Ms. Laitinen, people are asking whether college is worth it – which, in her opinion, isn't the right question. "College on average is unequivocally worth it," she says. "But that's on average. It doesn't get to which program, at which college, at which price, which is what really matters."
Laitinen and others say the government could start tying its aid – both grants and loans – to some sort of basic performance measures on the part of schools, possibly around cost, completion rates, or quality of education, ensuring that they are offering students a fair value and that students are not taking on debt they're never likely to be able to repay.
Attaching such strings to federal aid, as Obama is proposing, would be very hard to implement, critics say.
"It would be a massive change in federal higher education policy that would flounder on the shoals of controversy," says Terry Hartle, a senior vice president at the American Council on Education. Any ranking system, he notes, would depend on which weights are applied to which measures, and would become incredibly controversial as people begin to realize which institutions and states would be winners and which would be losers.
Students in one state might have more eligibility for aid than students in another state, based on how their public universities rank – another wrinkle that Mr. Hartle says would be tough to iron out.
"This is an easy thing to conceptualize at a very high level, but it becomes far more controversial and contentious the more you try to define it," says Hartle.
The "stick" approach to the situation – cutting off aid unless colleges curb rising costs – could cause unintended consequences, perhaps leading schools to start favoring students who can pay the full sticker price or sacrificing quality, says Richard Vedder, director of the Center for College Affordability.
But he also sees the escalating levels of loans as the major factor that needs to be changed. He urges government to start cutting back on financial aid, beginning with limiting programs for higher-income students or cutting off the tuition tax credit, which mainly benefits upper-income families. Federal limits on the number of years students can get grants and loans, to give colleges and universities more of an incentive to ensure that students graduate in a reasonable amount of time, could also be an option, he says.
"You don't have to kill these programs overnight and say, 'We're done with it.' That would wreak havoc and cause hardship," says Mr. Vedder. "But if you don't do something with these programs in terms of cutting them back, these programs are going to get bigger and fester."
He sees little that the Obama administration can actually accomplish to rein in costs, given that the federal government lacks direct leverage (the way loans and grants are currently structured, they go directly to students, not to institutions) and that the main drivers of college cost – state funding levels and human resources – are outside its control.
But others say that, whatever Obama proposes this week, tackling the college-cost question long-term will require big, creative solutions – and that the federal government may well play a role simply in bringing the various players together.
Measures the administration has already taken – to improve transparency, increase the number of Pell grants, and reduce the complexity of the financial aid application process – have all been helpful, says Pat Callan, president of the Higher Education Policy Institute in San Jose, Calif. They're simply insufficient given the magnitude of the problem.
"None of the state and federal policy infrastructure was designed for an era in which many more people must have higher education and in which demographics suggest that we must get many of the groups we've never served before into the mainstream," says Mr. Callan. "We aren't going to be able to tweak our way through this."
Restricting or reducing federal loans and grants just punishes students for the failures of institutions, he says, and any real solution is going to have to involve a far-reaching conversation that involves the federal government, states, and higher education institutions, and gets buy-in from all three.
Technology, as well, may be part of the solution, as institutions begin to find ways to deliver quality education for much lower cost.
Laitinen of New America says one of the suggestions Obama put forward in his budget, which got little attention at the time, could have a lot of potential in the long run: paying nonaccredited providers on the back end for free two-year degrees that are of demonstrably high quality, accepted by employers, or four-year institutions.
Under this idea, the government would provide an incentive for institutions or individuals to put together free programs – perhaps using already existing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), but cobbling them together with strong student support, or creating new online courses – that are rigorous and high quality.
"You'd be going from a $35,000 degree to something free for students," says Laitinen. "It could be a game-changer."


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GREENWOOD, S.C. – The No. 7-seed Georgia College baseball team (30-17) used some timely hitting to get by No. 2-seed Columbus State University (27-21) 8-5 Wednesday, kicking off the 2013 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Tournament at Lander University's Dolny Stadium.
The Bobcats posted two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings and got a complete-game effort from senior starter Matt LaMothe (Troy, Mich.) to pick up the upset win.
Down 5-4 headed into the seventh inning, the Bobcats sandwiched a pair of walks around a single to load the bases with two out. All-PBC Second Team selection Jake Sandlin (Evans, Ga.) ripped a single up the middle to score two runs and take a 6-5 lead.
In the ninth, the Bobcats added insurance runs, loading the bases again then bringing in a run each from a walk and hit-batsman.
LaMothe (7-4) went the distance for the first time this season, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and just two walks. He fanned seven Cougar hitters. CSU starter Brodie Leibrandt went 7 1/3 innings in the loss.
Sandlin finished 2-for-5 with the two RBI and third baseman Jeremy Donaldson (Winder, Ga.) provided three runs on a home run to right in the fifth. All-PBC Second Team first baseman Clay Ardeeser (Loganville, Ga.) went 3-for-3 with two runs, and catcher Steve Hazel (Kentwood, Mich.) added three hits in four trips with two RBI and a run scored. Rounding out the multi-hit performers was designated hitter Cody Maas (Alpharetta, Ga.) with a 2-for-4 game, scoring a run.
The Bobcats stay in the winner's bracket and are back in action tomorrow, May 9 at 1:30 p.m., taking on the winner of No. 3-seed Armstrong and No. 6-seed Francis Marion University who play later today. Today's win is the first for the Bobcats in the PBC Tournament since 2008.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.


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House takes back seat
Speaker John Boehner told House Republicans Saturday morning that his efforts to strike a deal with President Barack Obama are at a standstill.
There is no agreement, Boehner said in a room in the Capitol Saturday, and there are no negotiations between House Republicans and the White House, since Obama rejected the speaker's effort to lift the debt ceiling for six weeks and reopen government while setting up a budget negotiating process.
Story Continued Below
With that, a familiar dynamic has resurfaced 12 days into the government shutdown and five days before Treasury says the nation runs out of borrowing authority: The pendulum has swung back to Senate Republicans, who now look more likely to cut a deal with Obama to end the first government shutdown since 1996, and avoid the first default on U.S. debt in history.
( Also on POLITICO: Democrats reject Susan Collins proposal)
After the news that talks between Boehner and Obama have broken down, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) emerged on the floor to emphasize that the nation's eyes are firmly fixed on the chamber.
"I was happy to see the Republicans engaged in talks with the president, the House Republicans. That's over with. It's done. They're not talking anymore," Reid said. "I say to my friends on the Republican side of this Senate, time is running out."
House Republicans are, for the first time, acknowledging that reality. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told the closed meeting of GOP lawmakers that, "Senate Republicans need to stand strong and fight," according to sources in the room.
( PHOTOS: House GOP meets on shutdown, debt deal)
"It's all good," Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) said. "It's now up to the Senate Republicans to stand up."
House Republican leaders met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Friday to receive a briefing on the state of play in the Senate.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are circulating a 23-page draft bill that would increase the nation's borrowing limit through January and reopen government until March.
( POLITICO's full coverage of the government shutdown)
The bill would also delay Obamacare's tax on medical devices for two years, while replacing the lost revenue by altering the way pensions are calculated. It would give increased autonomy to the heads of federal agencies under the constraints of sequester spending levels and provide funding increases for fire suppression, a key item for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
But the clock is the biggest enemy for all sides. It's unclear if a deal brokered by the Senate could come together before Thursday, when the $16.7 trillion debt limit must be boosted, according to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. House Republican leadership sources say their offer of a six-week debt limit increase might regain favor if a Senate-brokered deal does not come together before that deadline.
The House goes out of session Saturday and will return Monday evening.
( PHOTOS: Air, sea, land: 10 shutdown impacts)
Obama appeared open to the basic outline of the Collins-Manchin plan, though the White House has not formally endorsed it. The president told Senate Republicans Friday that the medical device tax is not central to his signature domestic achievement — the Affordable Care Act.
Meanwhile, Reid on Saturday will move forward with a procedural vote to lift the debt ceiling through 2014 with no policy add-ons. That vote is not expected to reach the key 60-vote threshold needed to proceed to debate. But the legislation may be altered later to reflect any compromise struck in the Senate.
Neither Senate proposal — the Democrats' "clean" debt-ceiling increase or the Collins-Manchin framework — seems like it would be popular in the House, which has trouble passing its own plans.
( WATCH: 10 great quotes on debt ceiling fight)
Many House GOP conservatives see ending the device tax as going after a "shiny object" instead of focusing on truly altering the law, one conservative Republican told POLITICO. Appropriators are angry that the government would be funded until March — they would prefer a shorter-term measure, to allow lawmakers to cobble together a full 2014 spending package
"We have to see what's in it," House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in a brief interview. "We have to see what it finally looks like if they can't get something."


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Justin Bieber has issued a grovelling apology to his legion of fans following the release of a second video showing him using racial slurs and singing about joining the Ku Klux Klan.
The pop star has said sorry for the second time in a week, admitting he has let down his fans and needs to "step up and own what I did".
The highly controversial video, believed to have been filmed in 2009, shows Bieber changing the words to his song One Less Lonely Girl to One Less Lonely N—er and singing about joining the notorious race hate group, and he has now admitted he made a big mistake.
Speaking to British newspaper The Sun from a sun-soaked resort in Mexico, where he is on vacation, Bieber says, "Facing my mistakes from years ago has been one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with. But I feel now that I need to take responsibility for those mistakes and not let them linger… At the end of the day I just need to step up and own what I did… Once again I am sorry for all those I have let down and offended."
Bieber also voices his hope that his young fans will not follow his example, adding, "I just hope that the next 14-year-old kid who doesn't understand the power of these words does not make the same mistakes I made…"
The Baby star goes on to claim his mentors, fellow singer Usher and actor Will Smith, had both reprimanded him over his bad behaviour, and the Yeah! hitmaker even showed a number of historical films to teach him the seriousness of race hate, according to The Sun.
Bieber's apology comes just days after he said sorry for his behaviour in a previous video clip which showed him making a racist joke and using the N-word.
Justin Bieber apologizes for singing N-word, Ku Klux Klan joke
Justin Bieber has issued a grovelling apology to his legion of fans following the release of a second video showing him using racial slurs and singing about joining the Ku Klux Klan.


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Agenda: July 10, 2013 Infrastructure Equity PEG Meeting
Infrastructure Equity Policy Expert Group – Agenda
Date: July 10, 2013
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon)
Location: 1900 SW 4th Avenue, Portland, 2nd floor, Conference Room 2500A
Meeting Purpose:
- To discuss the City's process to prioritize infrastructure projects, and
- To learn how two City bureaus approach this process (Parks and Transportation).
Welcome (5 minutes)
Presenter: Andree Tremoulet, facilitator
Process Update (10 minutes)
Presenter: Michele Crim
Public Comment (10 minutes)
Citywide Project Considerations (25 minutes)
Presenter: Michelle Kunec-North, BPS
- Long-range infrastructure needs (in Citywide Systems Plan)
- Bureau approaches
Parks Criteria (30 minutes)
Presenters: Randy Webster & Sarah Huggins, PP&R
Transportation Health Equity (30 minutes)
Presenter: Sara Schooley, PBOT
Closing Remarks (5 minutes)
Presenter: Michelle Kunec-North, BPS
Wrap-up (5 minutes)
Presenter: Andree or Bob
For more information, please contact Andree or Bob:
- Andree Tremoulet, Commonworks Consulting, at 503-267-9255 or email@example.com.
- Bob Glascock, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability at 503-823-7845 or firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Merry Christmas
9 comments:
- westarsteve said...
a merry christmas to tom nancy paul and tom and all the people that have made this site one of the best sites on the internet many thanks have a restful holiday thanks steve
- Saturday, 24 December, 2011
A thousand thanks for this website - it's my permanent link with home.
While I think of it, Nancy is Doreen Morris your mum? We met at the old Zion and she sent me a copy of her book. Please give her my best if she's the same person.
Warmest Christmas wishes to you all.
Susan Jaleel
- Saturday, 24 December, 2011
- Hydonian said...
Thanks Steve, and a merry christmas to you!:)
Werneth Low - Yes, that's my Mum ! I shall pass on your good wishes.
A happy christmas to you, too!
- Saturday, 24 December, 2011
- ian... said...
Merry Christmas all of you, thanks for your brill blog and enjoy putting your feet up for the Bond films et al!!!
- Saturday, 24 December, 2011
- Hydonian said...
Thanks Ian,Have a happy christmas but not too many mince pies ;)
- Saturday, 24 December, 2011
- Arija said...
Just dropped by to wish you all a Merry christmas and a brilliant New Year.and to thank you for starting SkyWatch all those years ago.
Blessings from Australia . . . Arija
- Sunday, 25 December, 2011
- Gerald (Hyde DP) said...
a lovely old card - Merry Christmas
- Sunday, 25 December, 2011
- Hydonian said...
Hope you had a lovely day, Gerald !
- Monday, 26 December, 2011
- Graham Boote said...
Hi Tom, Nancy, Dave and Paul,
Best wishes (belated I know, but better late than never) for Christmas and all the very best for New Year.
Thanks for all the awesome posts over the year. I really do enjoy your site.
- Tuesday, 27 December, 2011


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Information Security
- FeatureSecure Reads: The Executive Guide to Information Security
- FeatureIntrusion Prevention: Top Layer's Attack Mitigator IPS 5500
- FeatureSecurity information management review: Security Threat Manager 3.0
- FeatureAntivirus: Kaspersky Anti-Virus Business Optimal 5.0
- FeatureHot Pick: Sentryware's HIVE 3.0
- FeatureRecent Releases: Security product briefs, April 2005
- FeatureWarning Lights
- FeatureReady For Takeoff
- FeatureRights of Passage
- FeatureDamage Control
- FeatureOn The Radar
- FeaturePerspectives: Is HIPAA DOA?
- FeaturePing: James Duffy
- FeatureEditor's Desk: Identity anxiety
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Rights of Passage
Our tests found that most endpoint security products will enforce policy and network access. Their differences are in the details.
Our tests found that endpoint security products will enforce policy and manage network access. Their differences are in the details.
|Test Bed: About This Bakeoff
Endpoint security policies are only as good as your ability to enforce them. Maintaining up-to-date AV signatures, patches, configuration settings and application versions is tough enough on static network desktops and servers, let alone on transient and remote devices like home PCs and employee laptops. Each noncompliant device has the potential to infect the entire enterprise.
Endpoint security products address this problem by automating security policy compliance monitoring and enforcement, and quarantining or denying network access to noncompliant devices until they're resolved.
We tested six products--Check Point Software Technologies' Check Point Integrity 5.0, ENDFORCE's ENDFORCE Enterprise 1.5, InfoExpress' CyberGatekeeper 3.0, Senforce's Endpoint Security Suite 3.0, StillSecure's StillSecure Safe Access 2.0 and Sygate's Sygate Secure Enterprise 4.1. We found that each will effectively enforce policy compliance and access to network resources.
It's the other factors--installation, configuration, management, scalability and system security--that ultimately determine if they're a good enterprise investment.
Parallel Paths
There's an ancient saying: There are many ways to the top of the mountain, but they all arrive at the same point.
Such is the case with these six endpoint solutions. They all employ a wide range of architectures that assure only secure devices get on the network. InfoExpress (Linux server) and ENDFORCE (Windows Server 2003) are client/server products that use an agent-based approach. These products don't incorporate a personal firewall in their agent, but will check to ensure your endpoint is using a third-party firewall.
Check Point, Sygate and Senforce use an agent model that includes an inseparable desktop firewall, which could cause conflicts for enterprises using third-party products.
In all cases, the agent scans the client machine based on the parameters set on the policy server. As instructed, it will check for things like registry strings and running processes and files, such as executables and DLLs. For files, ENDFORCE checks only names, but the others use an MD5 hash to guard against file spoofing.
StillSecure employs an agentless architecture. Its central server uses Windows' NetBIOS to scan endpoints for registry settings, running processes, up-to-date signatures and patches, etc., during the normal network logon--but it supports only Windows devices. (Its newest release, which wasn't available for testing, offers agent technology as an option.) The server may be either placed in an inline gateway mode using its built-in firewall to block access, or used in front of the DHCP servers to control access to the IP address range.
Every product tested--except InfoExpress--uses either the agent or the central policy server to control network access or quarantine the endpoint until the policies have been met. InfoExpress uses the router and switching infrastructure (Cisco or Nortel) to quarantine noncompliant clients into a segregated VLAN until they've been remediated. All of these solutions allow the security manager to send a noncompliant client to a Web server or other delivery mechanism that contains required patches, AV up-dates, configuration changes and software upgrades.
|Open-Source Alternative
Assembly Required
We tested the products for ease of installation; our goal was to get them up and running quickly without tech support. ENDFORCE, Senforce, Sygate and Check Point run on Windows Server 2003, and required SQL Server (Sygate supports Oracle as well), IIS and an SSL certificate.
Sygate's documentation and wizards made for the smoothest installation; we were basically able to install the product by answering a series of on-screen questions.
Check Point's documentation and wizards were almost as sharp, helping us install the policy server without incident. However, the agent installation caused an XP Pro workstation to crash during the reboot. Check Point hasn't received similar reports, and its tech support was unable to reproduce the error.
StillSecure's agentless system was easy to install and used a Linux-based script to build the policy server.
Although it comes packaged on a hardened Linux server, InfoExpress' CyberGatekeeper was the most challenging installation, requiring professional support because of its unique architecture; the technical staff deftly walked us through the installation over the phone. The complexity lies in InfoExpress' server working directly with switches and routers. Setting up VLANs manually on switches and mapping them to the production and quarantine areas of a network are painstaking processes. If your infrastructure supports 802.1X, the job becomes substantially easier; the InfoExpress agent simply communicates to the 802.1X infrastructure, letting the switching intelligence determine the configuration.
ENDFORCE's poor documentation made installation quite difficult. At some points, we had five different documents open. It was easy to miss important steps, such as Web certificate installation, because the instructions were buried inside a paragraph. As a result, we made good use of its knowledgeable technical support staff.
Senforce's quick start guide was insufficient, but the combination of tutorials on the installation CD and the admin guide enabled us to complete the installation without technical support.
Enterprise Ready?
The scalability and flexibility of these products varied with their host OS and depended on whether they used an agent or agentless architecture. StillSecure's agentless design makes it highly scalable, particularly if it's deployed in front of DHCP servers, enforcing access by preventing the workstation from obtaining an IP address to the production network; it's a much more efficient network access control method than relying on an agent. StillSecure can also be deployed as an inline gateway, using its firewall to control network access.
All of the tested products except Senforce have a failover capability to assure 24/7 uptime. All provide LDAP support, which enhances enterprise scalability.
InfoExpress' wide range of client support offers a distinct advantage for heterogeneous environments.
Policy Management
Given the similarity of the products' monitoring and enforcement capabilities, we felt the ability to easily create and modify security policies was the most important evaluation criterion.
The more checks that are available out of the box, the fewer you have to create. This becomes even more important depending on how easy it is to create or modify additional compliance settings. Check Point, StillSecure and Sygate provide the widest range of default applications and registry setting checks, while ENDFORCE has the fewest.
Check Point and Sygate's custom compliance settings were easy to create, giving them rich functionality when combined with their default elements. The bottom line is reduced administrative cost.
In contrast, ENDFORCE trailed the field with a lack of wizard or guided process, combined with its paucity of defaults.
The policy creation/modification interfaces varied considerably, with Check Point and Sygate standing above the rest. Check Point had the only wizard-based policy creation/modification--a big time-saver. Sygate's Java-based interface provides flexible access options, but, in our testing, we saw some response lag typical of Java.
In addition to their Web-based interfaces, StillSecure and InfoExpress--both Linux-based--require some command-line administration. This proved a little tedious. InfoExpress' console is highly functional, but needs policy creation/modification wizards to step up.
Useful Information
We evaluated each product's ability to generate reports to maintain the system, respond to events and inform senior management. A good engine should produce a wide range of information (agent communications, firewall events if the agent contained a firewall, noncompliance and policy violations), be easy to use and customize, and export reports in various formats.
Sygate has outstanding reporting capabilities using Crystal Reports. The SygateReports module can export a wide range of reports, including attacks on agents, in a variety of file formats, such as HTML and PDF. It provides graphical reports that you can drill down on. For example, you can view a graph showing all workstations not using the latest AV DAT file and click to examine individual workstations.
Running a close second, Check Point's robust reporting includes the number and type of attacks received on the workstation agent/firewall.
Senforce's Reporting Server comes with reports on client check-in based on enterprise, group and user. The server also integrates with Crystal Reports, but doesn't provide the same valuable attack information as Check Point and Sygate.
InfoExpress' reporting structure isn't as broad, in part because it records events in a MSDE database with a 2 GB storage capacity.
ENDFORCE and StillSecure have the weakest reporting capabilities. ENDFORCE provides no agent check-in information, only compliance reports. Knowing if and how often the agents are communicating is an important test of architecture health. StillSecure doesn't support any third-party tools, such as Crystal Reports.
On Guard
The good news is that all these tools perform their primary function--policy-compliance based access control--quite well.
Each checks for running and up-to-date AV, personal firewalls, patches and configurations. They all provide custom policies for additional applications, such as checking for the latest antispyware definition files. These solutions are configurable for what they monitor and how they remediate.
During testing, we looked for false positives and negatives, as well as true compliance checks. We also looked at whether a zero-day worm using a new exploit could shut down the AV, personal firewall or OS patch, and fool the system into thinking that the device was still compliant. We used a number of AV and personal firewall products (if the solution didn't provide one) to test the endpoint security products' effectiveness. We found no false positives or negatives, and every compliance check we conducted was detected correctly.
These endpoint products used a combination of file and registry checks to verify policy compliance, and MD5-hashing to detect spoofing. InfoExpress goes one step further by looking at the dependent DLLs of an executable just in case a worm attempts to replace a file with one with the same name. This makes for much stronger security and more difficultly in spoofing a registry setting or file to bypass the endpoint monitor.
Guarding the Guardians
Insecure security products can open new holes in your defense as they try to close others. A number of these products have security issues, such as Web server vulnerabilities, generally due to their host OS. We used a number of vulnerability scanners, Web crawlers, password crackers and disk editors to smoke out potential problems. In all cases, the vendor had already issued patches to correct the situation.
StillSecure and Sygate showed fairly standard Web server holes--directory traversal, directory listing disclosure and information disclosure--that allow unauthorized access to data. Check Point and InfoExpress provided the best security of the products; we couldn't penetrate their policy servers or subvert their endpoints. Each vendor responded quickly to the discovered vulnerabilities.
Our tests revealed some serious security weaknesses in ENDFORCE. For example, its RADIUS secret key was in plaintext on the server. More disconcerting was its staff's attitude that server security was a platform OS issue--not their problem, end of story. ENDFORCE does nothing to secure its policy server, although it provides a substantial documentation for securing Windows-based installation.
Senforce has similar problems with its database passwords being in plaintext and only provides documentation for its application security. But, at least it was responsive and said it would address these issues.
The other four vendors have active security testing programs. They use tools such as Nessus and Nmap to scan their products for vulnerabilities, and they make a conscious effort to secure their own architecture, regardless of server platform.
Almost Ready for Prime Time
Overall, endpoint security remains a promising technology that will continue to draw attention. All six tested products provide effective compliance monitoring and control; the differentiators are in the details. How easy are they to manage? What client OSes do they support? Can they thwart zero-day attacks? Do their installation and management capabilities lower TOC? For remote access protection, the answer is most assuredly yes. This is a controllable area of the network and usually fairly small.
Check Point's Integrity had a clear edge in a relatively tight field, scoring solidly almost across the board. Sygate's Secure Enterprise is a mature and solid product. InfoExpress, with CyberGatekeeper's switch-based enforcement, may be in the best position of any of the vendors to integrate with the various network-based admission control initiatives. StillSecure's SafeAccess, with its clientless architecture and addition of an agent option, is also a sound choice. Senforce's Endpoint Security Suite has some work to do to stand toe-to-toe with competing products. But all will effectively monitor and enforce endpoint security policy compliance, including ENDFORCE's ENDFORCE Enterprise, despite its obvious growing pains.
Once they smooth out the rough edges in design, WAN link communications, administration and reporting, these tools will be ready for wide-scale deployments. They're tantalizingly close to the mark and, within two years, should become nearly as ubiquitous as antivirus software.


text:
My daughter has allergies to eggs, soy, peanuts, and cats. need help!
My daughter has allergies to eggs, soy, peants, and cats. I have went through all of our food at home bread everything and everything has soy in it. I plan to call DR on Monday...
Started by Melissa on 03/06/2011 in Welcome To Circle Of Moms!!
Last update on 05/04/2012 by Alicia