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The evolution of a book
Written by Kevin McCourt, February 16, 2017
1. Where We Are
It didn't take research for me to understand that most people were unhappy with many aspects of modern life. Even those that absolutely love their careers tend to feel frustration over something — bureaucracy, paperwork, or long, pointless meetings. Things are much bleaker for those who work in jobs they don't enjoy at all but continue out of necessity. This disconnection with one's work results not only in unhappiness, but in poor performance. A 19th century tailor took great pride in his or her work because the finished product was entirely their own. Today, most clothing is made in mechanized assembly lines, and one individual does not have a finished product to take pride in. They may have been involved in stitching the top button on a pair of jeans. There is no connection with the finished product, and therefore the sense of accomplishment felt by the 19th century tailor has gone. Even more telling is the result of the innovation. Technology allows us to manufacture clothing much faster and at a lower cost, but this does not result in less work or more income for those involved in making clothing — in fact, it typically results in more work and less income. The workplace is simply one aspect of a more complicated life. Similar disconnections are to be found in the dynamics of our familial and personal relationships, our hobbies, our leisure, our health, and virtually every other aspect of life.
2. An Approach to a Perceived Problem
I began as most people begin in non-fiction or academic research: Starting with an assumed answer (hypothesis), and then searching for evidence to support my point of view. The problem with this is that in today's world you can find research to support anything. Historically, people have used "scientific evidence" to support anything from racial discrimination to the idea that women had a lesser capacity for science and math. Therefore, I decided to take a step back and examine the long chain of events that led to our modern, complicated world. Early on, the loosely defined movement of minimalism jumped out at me as both a great idea and an inevitable response to the world we live in. I believed, and I still believe, that simpler is usually better. Still, for me to begin with the answer and then find supporting evidence would have been biased. I had to take a step back. In doing so I followed the long chain of events that led to the most complicated aspects of modern life.
It was never my intention to write a "self-help" book for those interested in minimalism. There are plenty of those available. Providing advice on how to simplify one's life is commendable, but this leaves those who choose to live simpler lives as outsiders, as a counter-culture, living a better lifestyle despite the norm. This is good, but I think not good enough. How do we change the norm? This may or may not be possible, but I am sure it is not possible if no one tries. Therefore, my focus is not solely on the individual, but on the complex systems which run our complicated world. The scientific method has probably been the single-most important tool in technological advancement, and it works well. What I think is too often overlooked is what happens before the scientific method can be used: defining a hypothesis. The scientific method is fairly objective when carried out honestly, but the process of selecting a hypothesis is highly subjective. Therefore, rather than beginning with an answer, I began with the facts, and use these facts to try to identify answers. The scientific method can help the scientist or researcher gauge the validity of a hypothesis, but it can't help them come up with good ideas. It is these good ideas that turn into the hypotheses they test. In fields which use the scientific method such as psychology, economics, sociology, and of course the hard sciences, we have nothing until we have a good idea. You can train someone to utilize the scientific method, but you cannot train them to have good ideas. This is more a combination of intelligence, depth of knowledge, natural skill, and pure luck.
It is for this reason that I chose to proceed as I have, in the hopes of coming up with "good ideas" rather than a set of studies that seem to prove my point. I still rely heavily on research, but I did not begin with a bias as to which research I would pay attention to (and which I would not).
3. Cases and Causes
The meat of the book. A look at how complications developed, from financial and government systems, to specific technologies from transportation to communications. Why did Apple choose to remove headphone jacks from the iPhone? Why do we intentionally make light bulbs last for a very brief time when technology exists to allow them to last for decades? There are enough case studies to fill a dozen books, but the cases I present focus on the forces which create the complications. From strategies such as planned obsolesce, which result in intentionally forcing perfectly working consumer goods to become obsolete, or in some cases even strategically building them to have a short shelf-life, to market systems which survive only by marketing and selling an increasing number of goods, the forces that create our complications are much stronger than the complications themselves. Scale is another force examined. Our first President George Washington had open office hours during which anyone could visit and discuss an issue; today, you would be lucky to meet your local representative in congress. The sheer growth of population has caused some of our complex systems to function in an entirely new, unintended way. From food production to health care, the sheer number of people have drastically changed the way we do things. There is so much going on, and so much information to consume, that even someone working at it full time could never hope to keep up enough to understand what is going on around them.
The initial plan was to look only at the time stemming from the Industrial Revolution, and this is certainly where a majority of the changes began. This is not going far back enough, unfortunately. Realistically, the United States sprung up from nowhere, a culture unto itself yet built upon the customs of the countries (England, France, Ireland, Germany, etc.) from whom the first colonists came. The plan was also to look only at the United States. This was a naive approach because in today's global economy borders are not so easily defined. Even some of the brands we most closely associate with America are now owned by foreign corporations, and most large corporations operate globally. Even micro-businesses run by one part-time artisan often cater to a worldwide economy. Therefore I have gone back not only to the influences on colonial American and eventually the United States, but also to the roots of many of the European ideas that formed these influences. The scientific method can be traced (at least) as far back as Aristotle, with Francis Bacon picking back up on it more than a thousand years later.
4. Influence
I have found during my research that influence — from marketing, from our peers, from media, from the news — has such an incredibly drastic effect on our behavior. It brings into question the very nature of free will. We clearly have an ability in the moment to make personal choices — for example, you can choose to continue read, or not. This is a freedom of choice. The question is to what degree our prior experience — for the most part out of our control — has an effect on the person we have become, and therefore the choice that we will make "in the moment."
This is also a very substantial portion of the book, because the influences I discuss determine how and why we accept modern "complications." It is easy to look at marketing and understand that it is effective and clearly has an influence on consumption, but it's important to look further and understand that marketing exists in many forms. If we accept that a talented advertising agency can influence the breakfast cereal we choose, what can we say about politicians who have been hiring advertising agencies for a century? Why can psychological studies overwhelmingly predict the winner of elections based on subjects perceptions of their photographs? How much influence is conferred based on which book we choose to read to learn about a new subject?
I also review how technological advancements have changed the nature of both advertising and even news itself. Prior to the internet, we all read the same newspapers, listened to the same radio stations, watched the same television news. There may have been a handful of choices, but the were self-contained. Today, complex algorithms determine which news stories are presented to us based on our past reading history. The news articles that Apple or Google presents to you are different than the ones it presents to me.
The combination of technology and psychology has led to the ability to design video games and gambling machines meant to be highly addictive. It has also led to an ability to tailor advertising to the head of a pin. Decades ago, an advertising agency would have to choose one advertisement targeted at one audience. For example, a line of lipstick might be targeted at working women. Today, a line of lipstick can be targeted to working women between the ages of 22 and 35 who earn between $50k-$100k per year, live in an urban area, have no children, have a history of eco-friendly purchases, at least one pet in the home, and some type of active hobby. A different advertisement can be created for women who do not work, are between the ages of 40 and 65, have at least 3 children, grocery shop at a certain chain, and purchased a home in the last 18 months. If this demographic targeting seems highly specific, understand that these examples are rather simple and ads can usually be targeted on a much deeper scale.
One of the reasons advertising can be so fine-tuned is because we have slowly changed the currency with which we pay for things. Virtually any retail chain store pushes hard to get you to sign up for a membership club so that your purchases can be tracked, and in many cases, most especially grocery stores, you pay substantially higher prices if you refuse to sign up. This is old news, however. Today we are much more heavily influenced by the way in which we pay for online content. At this point we expect most things to be free. Free GPS software tracks where we go, free health monitoring applications track our exercise routines, news sites track what types of stories we read, and almost every other free service is paid for by the collection of fine-tuned data and the delivery of fine-tuned advertisements. In short, what we think is free is not free. Amazon is willing to sell a Kindle for $20 less if it includes a simple advertisement on the screen when you're not using it because they know, over the long run, they will earn far more than $20 through the display ads.
In short, our attention is today's hottest commodity, and everyone wants a piece.
5. Force into norms
I take a brief look at how even with our great amount of freedom, it is almost impossible not to be pulled toward whatever becomes the "norm" of our culture. Some of us may fall farther than others outside of these cultural norms, but not nearly as much as would occur organically. Whether through legislation or by a change in the way we access the basic necessities, once something becomes the "norm" it is almost impossible to live without it. There was a time when people built their own homes; today this has become a highly specialized skill. After so much time has passed, it is easy to believe that everyone simply agreed this was a good idea. The truth is that the closer hiring home-builders became the "norm," the more powerful the home-builders became. Now, it is nearly impossible to build your own home legally, even on some distant 20 acres of land in an unincorporated area. It is difficult to look at these issues from the perspective of today. Today, it would seem silly for most people to try to build their own home because they do not have the qualifications. Going back, however, it's interesting to look at how often such things became "silly" and were brought about not by people who wished to pass on the labor, but rather those who wished to sell homes.
I also look briefly at the growing technology gap. The faster technology in cities outpaces life in more rural areas, the more these two areas begin to look very differently. Given the expense of such technologies, how long can such a gap last? When residents of a 300-person village in Virginia are expected to live up to the same technical standards in areas such as manufacturing and transportation as those living on the outskirts of Washington, DC simply because they live in the same state, what will happen?
6. The Human Condition
The human condition is often referred to in an ambiguous way to explain the inevitable unhappiness — whether occasional or frequent — of the human being. I take a more scientific look at this cliche and attempt to provide scientific evidence for what is natural, such as the sadness of death, to what is unnatural, such as feelings of anxiety and depression directly related to activities which humans simply have no genetic instinct to perform.
7. Looking Ahead
Technology is not the "bad guy" in my perspective, instead it has much more to do with how unpredictable technological change has been, and will continue to be. Therefore, I also dedicate some time to showing how technology has given the individual and grass roots movements more power than they have ever had. While things have steadily moved towards forced norms, we are finally seeing a shift where we have more options and more opportunities than ever before. Micro-businesses, steadily rising telecommuting opportunities, solar and wireless technologies, and many other new opportunities offer a chance to live a lifestyle closer to one's desires rather than being forced into a norm.
Just as I saw value in focusing my research on how simplicity could benefit the whole, I think strategies that focus on widespread change rather than individual opportunity can make a real difference in the future. Minimalism itself is more of a philosophy than an organized movement, in part because the whole idea of organization goes against the philosophy of many who consider themselves minimalists. Still, I see the future focused on making larger changes. Rather than figuring out ways to skirt the law to live in a self-built "tiny home," I see a movement to apply pressure to legislators to allow such common sense economies. At the same time, I question whether some live in tiny homes because they truly want a confined space, or whether it is simply economics. I see growing evidence that working professionals making decent incomes living in vans because of the financial savings and freedom, but what if such savings and freedom could be obtained while still living indoors?
One of my main arguments is that we have rarely been able to predict the effects of new technologies, but I go ahead and make some anyway. From autopilot in automobiles to the future of personal communications I try to use my extensive research in the cause-effect of past changes to point out some possible scenarios in the future.


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From Goodreads:
In the explosive finale to New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost's Night Prince series, Vlad is in danger of losing his bride to an enemy whose powers might prove greater than the Prince of Vampire's….
In the wrong hands, love can be a deadly weapon.
For nearly six hundred years, Vlad Tepesh cared for nothing, so he had nothing to lose. His brutal reputation ensured that all but the most foolhardy stayed away. Now falling in love with Leila has put him at the mercy of his passions. And one adversary has found a devastating way to use Vlad's new bride against him.
A powerful spell links Leila to the necromancer Mircea. If he suffers or dies, so does she. Magic is forbidden to vampires, so Vlad and Leila enlist an unlikely guide as they search for a way to break the spell. But an ancient enemy lies in wait, capable of turning Vlad and Leila's closest friends against them…and finally tearing the lovers apart forever.
Man, I love the colours of this cover! So pretty! And of course, the same model for Vlad has been shirtless on all 4 of these covers now, so continuity! What about you guys? Happy reading!

subset: commoncrawl


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Q: Did the presidential candidates' comments satisfactorily address the many issues facing the economy in 2013 and beyond? (Please give each a grade for their answers on the economy.)
Panel's answer: Yes 3, No 5
Marney Cox, San Diego Association of Governments
Answer: Yes
Obama: B+
Romney: B+
I would grade the debate over the economy as a B+. First, there were clarifications (two paths, different directions) on issues such as reducing the public debt and the size of the annual deficits, creating jobs and lowering unemployment, the role of government in regulating the economy and the future of entitlements. The candidates' prescriptions for improving these areas are in their proposed budgets, reflecting their choices. On one hand, short-term interventions carried out with resources controlled by the public sector vs. longer term (nothing is permanent) structural changes carried out with resources controlled by the private sector.
Kelly Cunningham, National University Systems
Answer: YES
Obama: C
Romney: A
Each candidate's position on tax, debt, and regulatory policies was clearly on display. Trickle-down government versus unleashing the private sector was sharply contrasted by each candidate's statements. For nearly every question, President Obama had a government solution, while Gov. Romney advocated private-sector solutions. Through favoring private enterprise and limited government, Romney showed his commitment to pro-growth tax reform by lowering rates and broadening the base in a revenue-neutral fashion that will actually create jobs and spur the economy. Obama could only double-down his commitment to spending more on big government programs with continual deficit spending and further raising taxes.
Alan Gin, University of San Diego
Obama: B
Romney: Incomplete
President Obama needed to more forcefully push the case for an additional stimulus package to to boost demand. He did correctly point out that the budget deficit was already $1 trillion plus when he took office. The lack of detail in Gov. Romney's proposals makes it difficult to give him a grade. He refuses to mention which loopholes he would close or where the spending cuts would be, except for the $300 million cut to PBS. He says he won't push for a tax cut that expands the deficit or raises taxes on the middle class, which effectively disavows his proposed 20 percent rate cut.
James Hamilton, University of California San Diego
Obama: C
Romney: B
The president was not very successful in communicating why the next four years are going to be better than the last. He scored some points by criticizing the lack of details in Romney's budget plan, but the governor responded that he had specified the core principles and would have to work together with Democrats and Republicans, as he had done in Massachusetts, to negotiate the specifics. Both candidates emphasized energy production as part of their economic plan, but Romney argued that the president's "green energy" initiatives had proven to be wasteful failures and that more could be done in the way of approving leases on federal land and pipeline infrastructure. Both candidates also discussed health care costs and education, but I felt that Romney presented more promising proposals on both issues.
Gary London, The London Group Realty Advisors
Obama: C
Romney: C
I would give an "F" to the useless moderator. I didn't hear much about economically retooling America: What will we manufacture? What skills will be required? What sectors do we encourage? While I thought Romney was the far better performer, neither candidate articulated an economic strategy. Instead, they used the "economy" banner to wonk on about whose tax plan was better and who can better solve the deficit. Romney's strongest remarks are that Obama has not fixed the economy. So we are to think Romney would do better, without the specifics. Unfortunately, for the moment it appears that voters will have to weigh in without much information on the economic vision thing.
Norm Miller, University of San Diego
Obama: F
Romney: F
But how could anyone actually expect reality prior to an election? Let's say you ran for president and made comments like these below; you'd probably lose the corresponding votes (in percentages) and never be elected: At least 80 percent of all households should pay some federal taxes (26 percent lost); millionaires should pay more taxes than they do now (3 percent lost); We must phase in Social Security and Medicare to start later for those now under 50 years in age (25 percent-plus lost); and it will be very painful when we stop artificially keeping interest rates low (50 percent lost). So a few truths are all it would take to get down to nearly zero votes. Romney failed to tell us how he could lower tax rates and solve the budget. Obama failed to tell us when he will stop tinkering with artificial strategies to stimulate the economy.
Lynn Reaser, Point Loma Nazarene University
Obama: C
Romney: B
Both candidates addressed the key issues that will shape the economy's future: the deficit, taxes, education, energy, small business, trade, and health care. While 90 minutes did not allow enough time to spell out all the details, the two candidates presented two distinct views. President Obama believes that tax increases and spending cuts will be essential to deficit reduction, while Gov. Romney believes that spending cuts and economic growth are the answer. The president sees the federal government playing a major role in education, energy, and health care. Romney favors a focus on the private sector and competition along with a greater role of state and local governments. Now the voters will decide.
Dan Seiver, Reilly Financial Advisors
Obama: Incomplete
Romney: Incomplete
A national televised debate is about the worst way to discuss complex economic issues. Misinformation, anecdotes and fumbles were common. If this were a football game, I would be throwing a yellow flag on every answer. Budget: Neither was willing to say that we have to tax all of us more at the same time we have to reduce entitlement spending. Medicare: Each accused the other of endangering the system, without touching the hard truth that we can't have Cadillac medical care on a Chevy budget. Regulation: At least Dodd-Frank and "Too Big To Fail" were discussed.
Email me: email@example.com or call me at 619-293-1286 | Follow me on Twitter @rmshowley.| Friend me on Facebook: Roger Showley | Subscribe to my Growth & Development blog.


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(Wonkish. Part One of Two. This part covers theory, part two some data.)
Can the number of people quitting their jobs tell us anything useful about slack in the labor market? No. At most, it tells us to focus even more on the stuff we already knew to be watching.
Evan Soltas has argued that the rate at which people quit their job tells us all we need to know about the unemployment rate, in particular how likely it is that the long-term unemployed and people who have left the labor force could be brought back into the labor force. There were several responses from Dean Baker, Jared Bernstein, and Cardiff Garcia.
As a reminder, there are currently 2.5 million Americans who want a job but aren't looking, and as such are counted as "marginally attached to the labor force" instead of unemployed. There's a major debate about how much of the collapse in the labor force participation rate is due to de facto unemployment, or people who will come back into the labor force if it gets better (with much of the research pointing to about half).
We should distinguish between what quit rates can tell us about the employed and what they can tell us about the status of the unemployed. What's the theory of quits in which they tell us what the "true" unemployment rate is? Soltas: "Think about the decision to quit. It's a function of your confidence that you'll find a better job quickly — which embodies some unobserved but holistic measure of labor-market tightness." If quits go up, then the long-term unemployed, in this view, "no longer [have] the power to restrain wage growth or discourage the employed from quitting and switching jobs."
If I understand this correctly, this assumes that quits are a measure of people first becoming unemployed and then looking for a new job (trying to "find a better job quickly").[i] But I don't think this is right. A very large percentage, perhaps half, of quits are people moving job-to-job rather than becoming unemployed.[ii]
Under Soltas' view, quits make it more difficult for the existing unemployed to find jobs by increasing unemployment. But doesn't a quit create a job opening? As such, doesn't it create an opportunity for an unemployed person, rather than a limitation? Also, even if the employed became unemployed, would that mean that the long-term unemployed couldn't find work, or just that they are at the end of a very long line?
Vacancy Chains
Let's try to develop a more firmly grounded theory of quits. What can quits tell us about unemployment as a matter of economic logic? Well, first off, every person who quits his or her job creates a job opening. Someone has to do the work that person was doing. So we should think of "vacancy chains" — a term made famous by George Akerlof, Andrew Rose, and Janet Yellen (!) back in 1988 — and their characteristics.
Suppose Amy works at Acorp, and she leaves her job to take a new one. Acorp now has a job opening. They hire Bill away from Bcorp. Now Bcorp has a job opening. So they hire Charlotte from Ccorp. Now Ccorp has a job opening. They hire Dan from Dcorp. Now Dcorp has a job opening.
Note: Amy, Bill, Charlotte and Dan are all counted as "quits," though they wouldn't count as having been unemployed.
So Dcorp hangs a sign that says "help wanted." They can do one of three mutually exclusive things. They can (1) hire an employed person, which will create another quit, which will create another vacancy, which Erin from Ecorp will fill. Thus the vacancy chain is extended one more step. They'll likely have to pay the employed person a higher wage than that person currently makes to change jobs (or at least in aggregate this will happen). Or they can (2) hire an unemployed person, which will not create another job opening, but instead just close the vacancy chain.[iii] Or, if they can't fill the job with an employed person or an unemployed person, they (3) leave the job opening unfilled.
So let's rephrase that. The only thing interesting about the quits rate in this context is what it is implying about the length and conclusion of vacancy chains. If the length of the vacancy chain is infinitely increasing, then wage growth must be skyrocketing. And if the unemployed aren't capable of taking jobs and closing the vacancy chain, then the number of job openings must rise relative to the unemployment rate.
Which means the interesting things the quits rate tells us about unemployment are entirely captured in wage growth or the number of job openings relative to unemployment (i.e. the Beveridge Curve).
So where are we? Wage growth is still weak, and nowhere near what it was in the late 1990s. Meanwhile, the Beveridge Curve shifted at the height of the crash, but has been remarkably consistent since. The shifting of the Beveridge Curve has been thoroughly debated, with the complicating issues of circularity and endogenous firm search at the forefront. What stands out for me is that the Beveridge Curve hasn't deteriorated in the past several years, which implies that the increasing duration and prominence of the long-term unemployed in the labor market isn't showing up in increased job openings.
The quits rate is important. It hints at the lived experience of working throughout the Great Recession and points to the stagnating wages workers face. But from the point of view of the status of the unemployed, it doesn't tell us the "true" unemployment rate. Rather, it is important because it flags the things we should be watching — things that are slowly improving, as long as the Fed doesn't put a stop to it.
[i] Soltas also has a statistical relationship between the two based over the past two business cycles, but if we can't think of a good theory of what quits tell us about unemployment I'm not sure what weight we should put on this relationship.
[ii] The Census will start releasing job-to-job transition data in late 2014. Hurry Census! We need this data to be publicly digestible.
[iii] This is why Akerlof, Rose, and Yellen believe quits to be counter-cyclical to unemployment, as opposed to the pro-cyclicality predicted by search models. There are more unemployed hanging around to close chains earlier in a recession, reducing the number of quits necessary to close a vacancy chain.
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Industry group seeks continuous flight tracking
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia's national police chief has warned that the investigation into what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 may take a long time and may never determine the cause of the tragedy.
Khalid Abu Bakar said Wednesday that the criminal investigation is still focused on four areas -- hijacking, sabotage and personal or psychological problems of those on board the plane.
"Investigations may go on and on and on. We have to clear every little thing," Khalid said. "At the end of the investigations, we may not even know the real cause. We may not even know the reason for this incident."
The plane disappeared March 8 on a flight to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 on board. No trace of the plane has been found.
Meanwhile, an aviation industry group is creating a task force to make recommendations this year for continuously tracking commercial airliners because "we cannot let another aircraft simply vanish" like Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
As low clouds, rain and choppy seas off western Australia hampered Tuesday's hunt for the missing jet, the head of the operation warned that the 25-day-old search "could drag on for a long time," and Malaysian investigators said they were scrutinizing the last-known conversation between the plane and ground control.
The search has turned up no sign of the Boeing 777, which vanished March 8 with 239 people aboard bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. A multinational team of aircraft and ships are searching the southern Indian Ocean for the plane, which disappeared from radar and veered off-course for reasons that are still unexplained.
The aviation mystery has highlighted the need for improvements in tracking aircraft and security, according to the International Air Transport Association, a trade association for the world's airlines meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
"In a world where our every move seems to be tracked, there is disbelief that an aircraft could simply disappear," said Tony Tyler, the director general of the group whose 240 member airlines carry 84 percent of all passengers and cargo worldwide.
"We cannot let another aircraft simply vanish," he said in announcing the high-level task force to make recommendations on tracking commercial aircraft.
Tyler also urged improvements in screening passengers before boarding.
The presence of two men on the Malaysia Airlines flight with stolen passports had raised speculation of a possible terrorist link, but it is now thought they were asylum seekers bound for Europe. Nonetheless, Tyler said their easy access to the flight "rings alarm bells."
Malaysia's government, responding to repeated media requests, released a transcript of the conversation between Flight 370 and air traffic control, which showed normal exchanges as the pilots requested clearance for takeoff, reported it had reached cruising altitude and left Malaysian airspace.
"Good night Malaysian three-seven-zero," were the final words received at 1:19 a.m. on March 8 by ground controllers at Kuala Lumpur's international airport. That was a change from what had been originally transcribed as "All right, good night."
There was no explanation for the change. The conversation was in English, the universal language of aviation.
Investigators were scrutinizing the conversation to determine if there was any stress or tension in the voice of whoever was communicating with ground control, the government said.
It added that investigations were trying to confirm if the voice in the final conversation was that of the co-pilot, as was earlier believed.
Malaysia has been criticized for its handling of the search, particularly its communications to the media and families of the passengers.
Angus Houston, who heads the joint agency coordinating the multinational search effort in Perth, Australia, said the operation was the most challenging one he has ever seen.
The starting point for any search is the last known position of the vehicle or aircraft, the former Australian defense chief said.
"In this particular case, the last known position was a long, long way from where the aircraft appears to have gone," he said. "It's very complex, it's very demanding."
"What we really need now is to find debris, wreckage from the aircraft," he said. "This could drag on for a long time."
The focus of the search has shifted as experts analyzed limited radar and satellite data from the plane, moving it from the seas off Vietnam to several areas in the Indian Ocean west of Australia. The current search zone is a 254,000-square-kilometer (98,000-square-mile) area roughly a 2 1/2-hour flight from Perth.
The 11 planes involved in the search Tuesday returned to their base in Perth without any significant sightings, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.
Because of the weather, a Japanese coast guard plane with high-performance radar and infrared cameras completed just one of its three planned passes over the search area, then turned back. It descended to just 150 meters (500 feet) above the whitecaps at one point, but the crew members still couldn't see anything out the windows.
Some of the aircraft have occasionally dipped even lower for brief periods, raising concerns of collisions with ships in the zone.
On Tuesday, Australia deployed an airborne traffic controller to prevent collisions. An Australian air force E-7A Wedgetail equipped with advanced radar made its first operational flight, AMSA said.
Under normal circumstances, ground-based air traffic controllers use radar and other equipment to track all aircraft in their area of reach and direct planes so they are at different altitudes and distances. But the planes searching for Flight 370 are operating over a patch of ocean that is hundreds of kilometers (miles) from any air traffic controller.
Associated Press writers Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, Kristen Gelineau in Sydney, and Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok contributed to this report.


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Configuration Compliance Also Includes Vulnerability Management
Around twenty years ago, several individuals associated with Universities started building the first vulnerability checkers.
Ironically, these nascent tools were designed mainly to scan the configuration of Unix workstations and servers instead of looking for actual vulnerabilities in the code.
The latter functionality was developed commercially a few years later. I said "ironically" because the industry has now moved in the reverse direction; several vulnerability management vendors are now developing configuration checks within their vulnerability scanners or even developing or acquiring full configuration auditing scanners.
I have seen two main types of organizations where the technology has turned a full circle. In the first type, organizations relatively new to vulnerability management require vendors to included basic configuration checks in their vulnerability scanners. Basic configuration checks typically include identification of easy—to-guess credentials and detection of shared file systems.
The second type of organization has deployed an Enterprise-grade vulnerability scanner, but they have additional configuration auditing and reporting needs that cannot be met with the existing solution. On the one hand, vulnerability scanners work mainly (but not exclusively) in binary mode, their job is to answer with a simple "yes" or "no" whether a given vulnerability is present or not (a binary answer).
As a result, vulnerability data is fairly compact (e.g. Vulnerability ID 1234 is present) and can be presented in a few pages, assuming some level of de-duplication is used when generating a report.
On the other hand, configuration auditing scanners can execute tens of thousands of technical configuration checks across many heterogeneous IT platforms. In addition, configuration data is multi-value, instead of being just binary. Let's take a Directory Service like Microsoft Active Directory as (AD) an example.
When the configuration scanner interrogates AD for a list of users, AD will return a variable number of usernames in addition to a variable amount of configuration information for each username, including group memberships and access rights. This process generates enormous amounts of data that far exceeds the amount of vulnerability data collected by a similar or the same scanner.
Another platform that can return widely variable amount of configuration information is a Web Server. One of the first queries the scanner will have to send to the server is a request for each one of the virtual web servers. This is followed for a query requesting the configuration information from each web server; e.g. folders and access rights, URLs, installed plug-ins, etc.
The amount and complexity of the data gathered by a configuration auditing solution is significant. If the vulnerability data is merged into the compliance data, the former would become a tiny subset of the overall configuration of each asset.
Configuration reports on a specific asset could include operating system configuration, including hotfixes, and middleware and Enterprise application configuration, as well as vulnerability information sitting side by side with the other, larger slices of configuration data.
The integration of vulnerability and compliance solutions will bring tremendous benefits to organizations. First, it could reduce administrative overhead and facilitate credentials management, as currently each scanner might require a separate set of credentials to scan a given asset.
Second, an integrated solution would simplify vulnerability and compliance data correlation, analysis and reporting. Finally, an integrated view would allow risk managers to easily visualize vulnerability and configuration issues that, when combined, would increase the overall risk of the asset e.g. a password policy issue that combined with a remotely exploitable vulnerability in the operating system that could lead to full remote access.
Related Articles:
- Wireless Pen Testing and Assessments
- Your Enterprise Vulnerability Management Reality Check
- Vulnerabilities in Application Whitelisting
- The OWASP Top Ten and Vulnerability Management
P.S. Have you met John Powers, supernatural CISO?
Title image courtesy of ShutterStock


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The Film Factory's brand new recording studio is now up and running, and to break it in, I got to record some singing handbells! For those who are unfamiliar with the instrument (as I was), it's basically a combo between a handbell and a singing bowl that you play by rubbing a stick around the outside of a large bell. And it makes a pretty cool sound.
The recording was used in the first 20 seconds or so of this video promoting the 2016 International Handbell Symposium in Vancouver.


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Ever since the early years of the last century, when Persian and Arab merchants made their homes alongside Bedouin tribesmen in a dusty village around a creek in the British-ruled sheikhdoms of the Gulf coast, Dubai has been a haven for expatriates.
The city's breakneck expansion since then, especially in the past two decades, has seen foreigners outnumber local Emiratis by almost 10 to one. These newcomers power the economy and range from professionals who dominate the city's aviation, construction, finance and hospitality sectors to hundreds of thousands of guest workers from the Indian sub-continent, Southeast Asia and Africa who do the jobs others do not want: waiting on tables, driving taxis, collecting rubbish and working on building sites 50 storeys in the sky.
In recent years, Abu Dhabi and Doha in Qatar have been among those emulating Dubai with huge infrastructure developments and a population explosion comprising foreign workers. In all three - plus other Arab capitals such as Riyadh, Kuwait City, and Manama - huge communities of expats live a bubble-like existence. They can pursue career opportunities and enjoy comforts beyond what they could expect at home and, in the case of Dubai for instance, even own property, but without citizenship or many rights beyond the authority to work in the country as a temporary guest. They are also obliged to follow the laws of the country, which can range from a ban on alcohol in Saudi Arabia and Sharjah, to modes of behaviour based on Shariah law, even in the most liberal states such as Dubai and Bahrain.
© Rex Features
The Gulf may no longer be a remote posting but culture shocks remain
It is a bargain that increasing numbers of expats are happy to accept. In all but the most conservative countries, governments have been prepared to embrace or at least turn a blind eye to "Western" values - from drinking beer to bikinis on the beach - within certain boundaries. It is when these boundaries are crossed that trouble begins. What is acceptable in one's house or even in a hotel bar would be frowned on, or worse. Grasping these nuances, which vary from city to city, is one of the biggest challenges for many expatriates.
So what are some of the considerations for those mulling a move to the Gulf ? For citizens of most countries, once they have found an employer, obtaining the right to live in the region is reasonably simple, with applicants facing little of the red tape seen with some other immigration processes, although Saudi Arabia, for instance, remains restrictive.
"Although expats are required to obtain a residency visa from local authorities before they can work legally in the UAE or Qatar, which requires you to take a health test, your employer usually deals with it directly, making it a hassle-free process in the majority of cases," says Jim Vale, an American expat since 1989.
Apart from an abundant supply of Vitamin D with year-round sunshine, Middle East-based expats are generally financially better-off than their stay-at-home compatriots and Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha offer tax-free incomes. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), GDP per capita in Qatar is the world's largest at $100,000, while the combined GDP per capita for Abu Dhabi and Dubai hovers above $60,000. These compare with the taxable figures for the USA, the UK and the EU of $48,000, $35,900 and $34,000 respectively.
It's no surprise then that the financial dividends gained from a career move to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states remains a prominent incentive for expats. Geoff Wilson, an Emirates Boeing 777 captain and British expat of 10 years, says Dubai's tax-free salaries caught his eye, together with career prospects that would have eluded him in the UK.
"One of the main reasons I moved out here and have stayed here for so long is that there is no tax man," he says. "Moving to Dubai allowed me to begin my career as a long-haul pilot, guaranteed job security and promised rapid career progression."
Vale, a financial consultant, echoes Wilson's sentiment, but says Abu Dhabi, where he now lives after three years in Dubai, is more economically rewarding than Dubai.
"I moved to the UAE for a bigger salary. Before long I realised that Abu Dhabi was the Emirate with more money," he says. However, the lifestyle on offer in Dubai can offset the balance. "In terms of social infrastructure, Abu Dhabi is behind Dubai. The majority of people - especially expats - living and working in Abu Dhabi head to Dubai at the weekends to spend their leisure time there because it has more to offer," he says.
British expat Louise, a former marketing and communications manager who moved to Doha in 2010 after living in Dubai for eight years, says the Qatari capital is even more socially unfurnished than Abu Dhabi. "In a nutshell, Doha is Dubai 15 years ago: it's a barren landscape. There's nothing like Dubai Mall, Ski Dubai or a regular fixture of high-calibre sports events in Doha yet."
But that state of affairs is not set to last in the city that will stage the football World Cup in 2022. "With Qatar's wealth and the levels of investment going into planned business and sporting infrastructure, especially with the World Cup arriving in 2022 and Qatar Airways making international travel easier, the city has a lot to look forward to," she says.
Apart from Bahrain, with its majority Shiite population ruled by a Sunni elite, the revolts of the Arab Spring barely touched the Gulf. There are a number of reasons for this. One is the relative wealth enjoyed by the citizens of most of the GCC, particularly in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. Another is the style of government, although far from democracies, the emirs have ruled benignly, largely investing government revenues in the economy, education and infrastructure - a marked contrast to the corruption and brutality of some of the other Arab countries subject to popular uprisings. A third reason is the large majorities of expats who mostly stay well clear of politics.
In fact, in some ways, the UAE and Qatar have benefited from the Arab Spring and earlier upheavals such as the Gulf wars, proving safe havens for capital and investment as well as fleeing professionals. Protected by defence pacts with the USA and European powers, the Gulf governments have generally maintained cordial relations with most of the Arab world as well as potentially troublesome neighbours such as Iran. To date, there has been little incidence of terrorism in the Gulf states, besides a spate of attacks in Saudi Arabia a decade ago, and a low crime level makes the region one of the safest places in the world to live.
© Rex Features
That was then: Dubai in 1971, when there were more cows than cars
Dubai's more than 2 million population comprises 90% of expats, rendering the Emirate a melting-pot par excellence, which, Wilson says makes cultural integration easy: "With such a large expat community, you don't have to integrate with the locals," he says. "But you can't forget you're in a Shariah-complaint state. And you have to comply with the rules: insults to the local culture are punished heavily."
Islamic festivals such as Ramadan can be "tedious" in Abu Dhabi, according to Vale, when no eating is allowed in public, and all the food outlets are closed in malls, "but that's just something you learn to cope with", he says.
Of the three cities, Doha is the most deeply-rooted in Islamic conventions, Louise believes: "The Arabic culture in Qatar is much more conservative than Dubai, making it harder to adjust to than Dubai, which is noticeably more westernised than here."
Although expats in the region enjoy a tax-free existence, living is far from cheap. In the boom years of Dubai, which ended in the financial crash of 2008, speculative house buying and inflation were pushing rents out of the range of many professionals, although prices have settled somewhat since then. It remains a bit of a trade-off.
"Although the cost of living is expensive, especially for imported rather than locally-sourced goods, the employment packages you're offered out here balance everything up," says Wilson, adding that it may depend on your job contract. "For instance, accommodations costs - the biggest expense in Dubai - are paid for; and I also receive financial assistance with schooling costs for my young ones," says Wilson. However, not all employers are so generous.
There are items that are considerably cheaper than elsewhere, such as petrol for instance. "Unlike the UK, the low cost of fuel means we can run a four-by-four vehicle. And taxis are also easily affordable," says Louise.
So while you might gawk in shock at the price of stuffed bell peppers, or a block of French cheese, you can equally expect to be astonished, in a nice way, when you re-fuel your family saloon at a petrol station for a little over $10. The average pump prices of $0.50 per litre contrast with the UK's $2.13 per litre.
While the attractions of the Gulf - with its largely featureless desert, gleaming new buildings and searing summer heat - may fade after a while, perhaps one of the biggest advantages of living in the region is its closeness to home and some of the most interesting parts of the planet. With the big three Gulf airlines going all out to connect every major city in the world to their hubs, the region is the centre of the world.
"It gives you an opportunity to visit lots of countries that you wouldn't consider visiting from the UK," says Wilson. "Jordan and Israel are on the doorstep. And you're closer to the Asian isles, and the Orient."
And while the region these days offers much in the way of home comforts - from cricket test matches to touring rock bands, restaurants to suit every taste, to ice rinks, shopping malls, bowling alleys and multiplex cinemas - it is still "abroad". Those who appreciate the changing seasons, rolling green hills or even celebrity and political gossip might find themselves yearning for home.
While a tax-free salary and attractive career lure many an expat to the region, those with families in particular, need to bear in mind the availability of good properties and schools, and life in a very different society.
The Gulf may no longer be an exotic outpost where making a home will entail hardships and sacrifice, but culture shocks can remain. The region remains a land of promise, but "consider every aspect before you move out here", warns Louise.
Source: Flight International


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He walked into my office, a tall, lanky man of 50-something. He's been a client at the DI for several years. Well liked, he keeps to himself, seldom sharing much about his 'story' or what brought him here. Over the course of the three years I've been working at the DI, and running the art program, he's gradually opened up, sharing stories over a shared passion for the creative process in its many forms.
On this day, he had a new story to tell. "I met a couple of your friends," he said. Pause. "Police officers."
I was concerned. Run-ins with the law do not always result in favourable outcomes when you're homeless.
"It's okay," he quickly interjected. "I've had a couple of warrants outstanding for the past few years. They've played at the back of my mind, causing unease, but I was scared to deal with them."
When the officers approached him they were respectful which engendered his respect in return.
"I figured what better time than now to deal with my warrants?"
The officers informed him they would have to take him to jail. "You'll probably have to spend a night," they said.
He laughed. "Like it could be worse than a night on a mat in Intox with two hundred drunks?"
The two officers were part of the new Beat team walking the streets of the inner city. "We're going to have to ask you to walk to jail," they told him with a laugh before setting out for police headquarters several blocks away.
As they walked they talked about homelessness from both sides of the street. They shared stories and experiences, getting to know and understand each other a little bit better.
At one point, one of the officers asked, "Do you know Louise Gallagher?"
He laughed when he told me their question. "Yup," he replied.
"Well," said one of the officers. "She's been giving these talks about homelessness to all the members of the Beat team. There's a guy at the shelter she speaks really highly about. An artist. That wouldn't be you would it?"
I'd asked his permission long ago to talk about him in my presentations. I had not expected it to come full circle back to him on the street.
The officers went on to tell him how in my talks I encourage them to shift their perceptions and their attitudes towards individuals experiencing homelessness. "She gets us to look at homelessness as the problem, not the people," they told him. "It's all part of the Police Chief's mandate to change how we deal with social issues on the street. It's sure made a difference in how we interact with people who are visibly homeless."
For this homeless gentleman, the difference was a pleasant walk with two police officers, an experience he never imagined possible. And, rather than spend a night in jail, he received a Notice to Appear and was on his way in fifteen minutes. The next morning, he appeared in front of a Justice of the Peace and dealt with an issue that's been bothering him for years.
He finished his story and smiled. "I want you to know the ripple you've had. I had an experience with two police officers that resulted in a positive outcome all because in their attitude towards me, I felt respected. Because they were respectful to me, I was respectful to them and in the end, took care of something I had been afraid to do."
I've been giving talks about homelessness to members of the Calgary Police Service for the past two years. It was recognized by senior management that to change how officers deal with homelessness at street level, they needed to dispel some of the myths surrounding homelessness and the people suffering its ill effects. Sometimes, after one of my presentations, I wonder if I've affected anyone. Now, I had proof.
People are served. Problems are solved. An officer on the street cannot solve the problem of homelessness. He or she can serve the person suffering from it in a way that recognizes their humanity and provides them an opportunity to reclaim what they lost when they fell on the road of life. Dignity and respect.
"I know how hard you've worked to change perceptions, to shift attitudes," he said. "It's working. Don't give up. You're making a difference."
We can all make a difference. Those two officers made a difference that day by seeing an opportunity to be of service to someone in need. For the man telling me his story, their care and consideration shifted his perceptions and attitudes towards police and gave him the opportunity to take care of an issue that needed to be dealt with if he was to change his life. In the end, everyone came out a winner.
We must always remember, in everything we do and say, there is a ripple.
Our ripple can be a hammer of fear pounding someone into the ground on the wrong side of the street, or it can be a wave of possibility opening them up to finding a better life on the other side of the road.
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Ripple Effect
Posted by Louise Gallagher at 1:50 PM
1 comment:
what a great story about the power of education, and the strength that courage gave to our client. Excellent!
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Insolvency Director
David set up David Horner & Co in 2001 and after a very successful 6 years the company merged with Begbies Traynor in late 2007. David was joined by Mike Jenkins and they have continued to work on a wide spectrum of insolvency cases based throughout Yorkshire and the North East.
The Begbies Traynor office in Doncaster is one of six operating bases we have across the Yorkshire and Humberside region. We also have offices in Halifax, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield, York and Scunthorpe where we have teams of insolvency practitioners who provide vital support and clear guidance to both individuals and companies facing financial distress.
Addressing the realities of an unsustainable financial position is not easy, but the consequences of ignoring the issues can be long-lasting and extremely damaging. However, with the right advice and information, there is scope for any kind of company to make the best of any circumstance and move forward with positivity.
Begbies Traynor has a solid and proven track record of helping companies in a wide range of industry sectors to resolve their financial problems. Regardless of the nature or the gravity of the cash flow or debt-related issues you're facing, we can help.
You can call today to arrange for a free initial consultation with one of our experts in Doncaster, or any location of your choosing in the UK.
We do have further offices in the Yorkshire region which are located in Hull, Leeds, Sheffield, York and Scunthorpe which you may find more convenient for you.
Begbies Traynor appoints director in Yorkshire region
May 8th 2019
Leading insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor has promoted Jason Ainge to the position of director in the Yorkshire region.


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DAILYKENN.com -- The president of Mexico cancelled a meeting with Donald Trump, a move that may lead to a sharp decline in remittances to Mexico. The estimated $24 billion sent to Mexico each year is greater than the country's revenue from tourism or its oil industry. Mexico's president is already suffering from a historically low approval rating.
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Step 1: Read and print out this letter and payment form.
Step 2: Fill out this online registration form. Click "Submit" at the end. You will receive an email confirmation.
Step 3: Complete the bottom portion of the form in Step 1.
Step 4: If you chose to pay by check, attach your check (made out to West Lafayette Band Boosters) to the form.
Step 5: If you chose PayPal as your payment method, use the following button to pay. Once you are at the PayPal site, enter the amount you chose and proceed to payment. Please note that a Paypal payment of $100.00 incurs a fee of $3.20, which Band Boosters will have to absorb. Therefore, if users of PayPal can add a small donation to their payment to cover the fee, that would be very much appreciated.


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Delhi Downpour Causes Chaos
The monsoon rains have been late to hit New Delhi. But now that they've finally arrived, the downpour has paralyzed the Indian capital, causing widespread flooding and massive traffic jams.
The Delhi High Court Tuesday ordered an enquiry into why the capital's infrastructure is unable to deal with the rain. The court directed the city government to set up a committee to probe the issue and also imposed a 15-day deadline for unblocking clogged drains in the capital.
On Wednesday, busy streets outside the Supreme Court of India were flooded. Lawyers waded through chock-a-block roads outside, many of them clothed in soaking-wet satin robes.
Suzuki Ltd. Chairman Osamu Suzuki, currently on a week-long visit to India, wasn't spared from the rain either. Read more here.
By Wednesday afternoon, social media was flooded with angry comments on the chaos and commotion in the Indian capital. "I would appreciate the rains if I was unemployed and had nowhere to be -- on time, that is," tweeted one user.
Despite the outrage, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit believes that traffic jams are a small price to pay for a city that has received inadequate rainfall in the past. "We can't pray [to] God not to give us rain," the chief minister said at a recent press conference. The 74-year-old Congress party politician added that Delhiites should learn to deal with flooded streets "instead of cribbing about a small issue."
Follow India Real Time on Twitter @indiarealtime.


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Light source- Bring a rechargeable lamp that you can use for a couple of days and make sure you have matches and lighter that is essential in building a fire. Each camper should have a flashlight in case of emergencies.
Almost everyone is looking forward to spend their day outdoors after the long cold winter season. We surely want to do things that every family member would enjoy and actively participate. These are some suggestions that you could try out with the rest of the family members that will make your experience unforgettable and fun.
Long walks or hikes- Gather all family members and take long walks or hike together in a park. You can even bring some snacks that you can share with each other. Walking is a great low impact exercise that can be enjoyed by all the members of the family. It is a good bonding activity where everyone can share stories of of how their day went. Walking is a very good option in terms of providing quality time with your family. Remember to dress appropriately for the activity and the weather. Check out for sun protective clothing for sale at your local mall or sports outlet for more recommendations. You should also wear good quality hiking shoes to avoid blisters and discomforts caused by long walks.
Beach volleyball and other beach activities- Almost everybody is excited to hit the beach and beat the summer heat. One good way to bond with the whole family is to play volleyball. You can organize the game such as girls vs. boys or however you guys prefer do play the game. Apply sunscreen from time to time to prevent sunburns and hydrate yourselves. Bring snacks and refreshments that you can share with each other. If you and your family decide to stay on the beach for a couple of days you can also check out other activities such as diving, snorkelling, riding the banana boat, jet ski or even island hopping. Some beaches have boat rentals allowing you to go on fishing for a couple of hours. Just make sure to wear appropriate fishing clothes Australia for the said activity. You can even set up tents on the shoreline and spend the night bonding together.
Camping- This is among of the best open-air activities that you can do with your family. Spending a weekend trip with your family and friends is a very good way to communicate and reconnect with each other. This is a very good way to introduce your kids to the outdoors. You can do a lot of group , activities such as setting up the tent together, cooking, setting up a bonfire while roasting hotdogs and marshmallows in which the kids would surely love.
Biking- Schedule one afternoon for everyone to gather and bike around the neighborhood. Biking is a very good form of cardiovascular exercise as well. When you plan on biking long distance bring water to hydrate yourselves from time to time. Wear the right protective biking gears such as helmets, knee and elbow pads for safety reasons.


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When I first arrive in Annecy I was welcomed by my friends Sydney and Elodie, I was so happy to see them again after 1 year since they were Couch Surfing in Australia with me. They came to pick me up from the train station , took us shopping and feed us with so much amazing French food. We stayed at Sydney parents house for the first three days with our own room and bathroom. In that three days Sydney and Elodie took us to the ski resort at Semnoz where I saw snow for the first time in over 17 years, as well as taking us to visit their friends.
After we went to stay with Sophie and her family for three weeks in Saint Jorioz which is about 10 km from the city center where We did Helpx.org.
During my stay there Sydney and Helodie came to pick us up and took us to this amazing chalet with no electricity high on the mountain which only a 4X4 could get to. This place was breath taking, it is absolutely amazing. They both knew that I wanted to go to Mount Blanc so they did the next best thing because Mount Blanc was in the background. They were also proud to show us where James Bond the move was made as well. We love there amazing dogs Cahuete and Baboo always with us running around so happy to be in the snow.
Looking back now I will always remember that day where we cooked food on top of the fire heater and a candle lit dinner playing word games and drinking among friends. These are great memories that will stay with us for a life time.
Thank you guys you have made our stay in Annecy that much more special.


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Mount Ara is the vantage point across Marlborough's rugged Wairau Valley, from here you can see our vineyards. Wines with the Mount Ara name capture the essence of this view; they are fresh and approachable and deliver a taste of Marlborough.
Pinot Noir
Enjoy this elegant Pinot Noir immediately upon release or appreciate its character for up to 4 years.
Tasting Notes
The Sauvignon Blanc grapes selected for this wine have come from stony soils that deliver a vibrant wine with lively aromas of citrus, overlaid with tropical fruit that has a refined and elegant finish
Tasting notes
The Pinot Noir grapes selected for this wine have come from stony soils that combine the delicious ripe berry fruit flavours that Marlborough is famous for with style, elegance and finesse.
One Place.
Pure Marlborough
Wines that reflect the purity from the place they come from.


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Revealed: Trump's 'taco truck' supporter stole from client and cheated bankruptcy creditors
The Latinos for Trump co-founder — who gained Internet notoriety for his warning about "taco trucks on every corner" — has a past littered with shady business deals.
Marco Gutierrez launched hundreds of social media memes and made stomachs growl with his unintentionally hilarious warning, and his sudden fame sent reporters checking into his background, reported Slate.
The 42-year-old Gutierrez lost his broker's license in 2012 after the California Department of Real Estate accused him of making two unauthorized charges to a client's bank account, reported the Mercury News.
The newspaper reported that Gutierrez was accused of charging $800.36 to Sprint and $821.57 to Comcast from the client's account.
He was allowed to get a restricted license under a settlement with state regulators, but he surrendered that in 2014 after he was investigated for another set of real estate law violations.
The conservative blog Quinton Report also found a court filing that shows Gutierrez and his wife have filed for bankruptcy 14 times between them.
A woman involved in the case testified that the couple files, but then fails to go through bankruptcy proceedings to delay foreclosure and other debt collection efforts.


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The Premier Equine cold water boots are a brilliant and easy alternative to cold hosing. They are full of micro-crystals which turn into a gel when soaked in water. The gel forms a soft cushion which is comfortable against the horse's skin. The anato..
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The PremTex Cooler has been classically styled and provides high-tech cooling and thermal regulation for your horse. Made from advanced triple layer fabrics, it quickly wicks moisture and sweat away from the coat, leaving your horse feeling dry and c..
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About two months ago, I sent an email to Fional Goble. She didn't know me at all, we've never corresponded before, but I went out on a limb. I let her know I love her designs and books, and that my readers feel the same way. I also mentioned that I'd love to do a giveaway of her recent and upcoming books. And she wrote back! After a little back and forth, we got it all settled, and a stack of books arrived on my doorstep! The folks at her US publisher, Andrews McMeel Universal, were terrific and supportive. So now, allow me to more formally introduce you to the work of Fiona Goble.Ms. Goble's writing style includes a bit of story, and a lot of patterning. Noah's Knits tells the Noah story in an accessible way for crafty moms and dads to interact with their children. It includes patterns for 14 pairs of animals, and of course Mr. and Mrs. Noah, all of whom fit nicely in the book's fold-out ark. Each animal has a little fact-filled explanation of their look and their natural habitat, making them a terrific hands-on learning experience for little ones. We have copies to give away, and I can't wait to hear what you think of this book!
Ms. Goble's book, Fairy Tale Knits is my current favorite of her books. It tells 6 classic fairy tales, and shows how to make all of the important characters come alive through knitting. All of her instructions are clear and simple, which I think will boost the confidence of knitters of every level. This book truly doubles as both a story book and crafting guide, and the toys are adorable. I have a big crush on Hansel, from Hansel and Gretel, as he's just like I pictured him in my childhood. And yes, we're giving them away. (We started last week!) This book isn't available until August for the general public, but we're giving more away this week!
For folks who like to knit ahead to prepare for an occasion, there's The Twelve Knits of Christmas. All of the characters from the song are represented in do-able patterns. To knit every character in the correct multiple from the song means knitting 76 toys in total, so a head start is probably necessary even for the quickest knitter! The swans and milkmaids can also be substituted for characters from The Ugly Duckling and Little Miss Muffett, and the Lords a Leaping can easily stand in for a King as needed. And yes, we're giving them away this week, too.
All of these books will help you create a bevy of characters to decorate your home, create playthings for the children in your life, and surprise your friends. The hard part will be deciding what critter or character to make first. Can't wait to win a giveaway? All of her US titles are available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Enjoy!


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Peasant bread is bread made from simple ingredients without any of the frills. There are no herbs, spices, additions, or special equipment needed to make this bread because – lets face it – peasants can't afford anything. They survived on what they had and what was available to them. Peasant bread is typically made with whole wheat flour with additions of rye or other healthful flours to supply the necessary nutrients (like protein) peasants were not getting due to the lack of meat on their dinner tables.
But I'm not a peasant and I really couldn't find whole wheat bread flour, so I'm going away from tradition (surprise, surprise) and delivering a product without the healthful qualities of whole wheat or rye flour and utilizing delicious, empty nutrient white flour. I'll stick with tradition on one level and utilize no special equipment for this bread loaf with the exception of a pizza stone and pizza peel because I know the peasants had bricks a plenty in their ovens that they cooked on and had to use some device other than their hands to retrieve their food from the fiery depths.
- 6 cups of Bread Flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast (2 packages)
- 1 1/2 tbsp salt
- 3 cups luke warm water (125 degrees or so)
1. Place the flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Pour in the water and use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients. You're eventually going to have to use your hands to finish mixing, but there is no need to knead this dough. Once combined, cover loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to rise for 2 hours.
3. Drop the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough equally in half and form two loafs. You can make your loafs into any shape you want. Using a serrated knife or a razor blade, slash the bread several times. I like to make a tic tac toe board on my loafs, but every baker has their own preferences. Place the loafs on a parchment paper lined pizza peel (a big cutting board would work too) and allow to rise for another hour. While the dough is rising, place the pizza stone in a cold oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Place a metal sheet pan on the rack underneath the pizza stone. Pour four cups of water into the sheet pan.
Note: Parchment paper is special equipment I suppose, but a healthy layer of cornmeal with also prevent the dough from sticking to the pizza peel. Also, the metal sheet pan with the water is optional, but this will turn your oven into a steam oven and lead to a delicious crust that will form on the outside of your bread. Do you not have a pizza stone? You can use a cast iron skillet or a dutch oven too.
4. If there is very little water left in the sheet pan, place another cup or two into the sheet pan. Cook the bread for 40 – 45 minutes until a thick, golden brown crust has formed. The bread should sound hollow when thumped.
5. Serve hot with dinner or allow to cool completely before freezing. Bread generally keeps for up to a month in the freezer.
Note: If you like, now is a good time to rub some butter on the outside of the crust before serving.


text: Share: Comments Print April 11, 2013 at 8:24 AM Reign FC to reveal kit sponsor at media day (Thursday links) Posted by Joshua Mayers Reign FC will be holding a media day this afternoon at Starfire, which will include interviews with players, GM/coach Laura Harvey and owner Bill Predmore. As a reminder, Seattle's first game in the brand new NWSL is Sunday at Chicago. One of the events planned today is the revealing of a jersey sponsor. Team gear is available online. Also, here's a nice feature on Megan Rapinoe, who will be joining the team in June after a loan spell with France's Lyon, here's a Q&A with defender Kate Deines (a local product), and here's a regional breakdown of where NWSL players are from. Let's get to some links: * * * — Want to know what Sounders' players are tweeting about? Check out this site (you can actually set it to follow any team). — Looks like on-loan forward Fredy Montero wasn't available for Millonarios' final Copa Libertadores game Wednesday. The Colombian champs were already eliminated from advancement, so it's possible he just rested to focus on a tight league race. The team went 1-5 in group stage with just two goals scores (neither by Montero). — Around MLS, Portland's David Horst could be out for the year with a broken leg, here's is a video of all the controversial plays from the last round of games, ratings weren't good over the weekend, and here are some thoughts from the league's CCL participation this week. — The NBC Sports Network will be streaming MLS games online. — The U.S. women earned a 3-1 win against the Netherlands on Tuesday behind two goals from Christen Press and two assists from Sydney Leroux. — And with the U.S. men, coach Jurgen Klinsmann has expressed faith in forward Jozy Altidore, and here's an update on Stuart Holden over at Bolton. Plus, the team jumped up five spots in the FIFA world rankings. — Interesting stuff from The New York Times Goal! blog, including a Q&A with Cosmos executive Erik Stover and this piece on teams around the world sending special No. 26 jerseys to help a scholarship effort following the Sandy Hook tragedy. — Be sure to check out this great story from SI's Grant Wahl on a relationship you have to read to believe. — The UEFA Champions League is down to four and will feature an two Spanish teams (Barcelona-Real Madrid) and two German teams (Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund). And you have to see this tifo from the Dortmund fans. — Like referee assignments? Well here is what's coming up in MLS and the NWSL. — Did you hear about the player hit by a pear? In other miscellaneous links, FIFA continues to pay its top guys well, a couple teams have declined participation in the U.S. Open Cup, here's a trailer of a documentary on Bob Bradley with the Egyptian national team, and the EPL has picked a provider of goal-line technology. — Lastly, you have to see this wild goal scored by Didier Drogba… Comments


text:
Hollowland: A new type of thrill: no roller coasters,
only zombies
Hollowland by Amanda Hocking
"This the way the world ends – not with a bang or a
whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."
This opening line promises an exceptional out-of- this-world story. And on that, it more than delivers. There is something that is so great about an opening line that really pulls you into the story, making you tense up for the next punch. That is the way it should be and that is what Hocking gives us.
The pace and nonstop action of the story demands that you keep walking (and running) along to see what happens as you join Remy and her companions on this journey through what is left of the world after zombies take over. There are corpses in the streets (if the zombies didn't eat them yet) and zombies are not the only things you have to worry about. Oh, and of course you cannot step outside without the risk of becoming a corpse yourself. And what happens when it seems that the zombies can be capable of some type of rational thought and planning? It makes for a very unpredictable new type of horror, I can tell you that.
From the outset, it is clear that Remy is fiercely independent and outrageously brave even though this newZombieland without the amusement parks scares the hell out of her. It is inspiring and makes for a thrilling, edge of your seat story to see a young woman who fights without stopping for what matters most to her.
No admittance: Ride out of order (or: Ride at your
own risk)
Remy was in quarantine when the story starts, along with a bunch of other young girls placed there for their safety once the zombie apocalypse started. They are living in what is supposed to be a safe place for them, but it soon becomes a death chamber as the zombies break in, killing off the last of the soldiers that were there to protect them and, it seems, on the verge of killing everyone else there as well.
Remy was not about to lock herself in, even though all the other girls did, as they were taught to protect themselves in this way (and only this way) from zombies. She leaves "the safe place" (which at that point was quite safe…for about 5 minutes) to venture out to find her little brother. He had been at the same place as her and he was evacuated because he was sick, which raises some questions about wh they didn't evacuate all the healthy people as well. She vows to find him and protect him, and two other girls go with her.
After fighting zombies, acquiring an unlikely pet, and meeting a rock star, she is well on the way to finding her brother; at least this is her hope. This is her mission and she will let nothing get in her way.
Zombies with brains?
It is very interesting how the zombies are portrayed in this story, as mentioned before. They seem to be smarter than your averag zombie and can actually communicate with each other in some way- all for the purpose of eating you quicker, my dear. This is definitely not your normal
fairy tale zombie story and that, along with the great characterization, tense action and the magnetic pull of what the fight is really for, is what keeps you running to catch up with Remy. Definitely makes me want to learn more about the zombies that Hocking has created.
Dark side of town
The darker side of humanity is also explored in the book. People kill other people without reason and just for the thrill of it and dangerous run ins with cults make for some very scary what if questions. It is interesting to think about how easily some people could lose their so called "humanity". Then, of course, there are those who have already lost it that Remy must face. She also deals with questioning herself on if she is doing the right thing for everyone around her in her attempt to save her little brother and try to protect her friends.
It is important to realize that no one has all the time in the world and when Remy realizes this, this is what makes her fight her hardest for what is most important and to not waste any of her time.
Title talk: Not so Hollow after all?
Remy can be said to be seen as hollow, emotion wise, at least in how she connects to others. Not that she doesn't care about them, but her issue is that she does, and wants to protect them. She fears she won't be able to and so she shuts them out.
She doesn't want anything to get in the way of her reaching her brother. Nor does she want to get too attached to anyone in this world of death, where it is very likely that you have to leave your best friend or kill them before they kill you if they are bitten or infected by a zombie.
Love in Hollowland?
Nothing to fear for the weak at heart when it comes to love stories, as Remy, as discussed before, does not allow love get in the way of what she is trying to do. There is nothing that is love at first sight, it is a believable relationship that is allowed to develop naturally (as naturally as it can in a world of zombies) and it definitely is not the focus of the story.
In regards to her love interest, she does shut him out as she doesn't see this as an option with the world the way it is as well as her goal to find and help her brother.
At the end of the novel, she makes a very difficult choice. No one who loves her will be happy with this decision, but it is what she feel she must do. Readers may cry out in protest, as they find themselves loving Remy as well.
This decision also allows her to open her heart to love again, as she confesses how she feels to her love interest. But this may not make much of a difference, after all.
End of the ride? (Or: those who
survived, exit to the left, those who didn't, stay on)
The end will leave you hungering for the coming sequel, Hollowmen, (coming out this Fall) in which everything might change again for Remy, but there is no way to tell if these will be welcome changes or not. Be sure to look for my review on the sequel!