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Information Security
- FeatureSecure Reads: Contemporary Cryptography
- FeatureHot Pick: SecureWave's Sanctuary Device Control 3.0.1
- FeatureApplication Security: Secure Software's CodeAssure Suite
- FeatureE-mail Security Guide for Managers
- FeatureAvoiding Network Traffic Confusion with Consistent Firewall Rules
- FeatureAerial View
- FeatureContent Filtering: InterScan Web Security Suite 2.5
- FeatureRecent Releases: Security product briefs, November 2005
- FeatureAntispyware: SurfControl's Enterprise Threat Shield 3.0
- FeatureOn the Line
- FeatureFirewall VPN
- FeatureEditor's Desk: An email security guide for managers
- FeatureLayer 8: SOX security spending is an old, wrinkled tactic
- FeaturePing: Katrina's Security Survivors
- FeaturePerspectives: ITIL has application in security
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Aerial View
Vulnerability tools provide a realistic view of the enterprise, where vulnerabilities are viewed in the context of the IT landscape.
Vulnerability management tools provide a realistic picture of the enterprise, where vulnerabilities are viewed in the context of the IT landscape.
Imagine jumping from a plane. Your view from the air is quite different than your view on the ground. And the perception of your surroundings changes as you parachute down. That's because perception is subjective, individual and often fluctuates as new factors arise. The same notion is true when it comes to securing enterprise networks.
By bringing perceptions of the network in line with reality, security practitioners can reduce the likelihood of mistakes. That's where vulnerability management (VM) comes in. Vulnerability management is an effective way for enterprises to understand their networks--without any preconceived notions.
Case in point: If the perception is that the patch process covers all critical systems, yet the reality is that the corporate e-mail server farm is unpatched, there's a good chance of serious trouble when the next big worm comes around.
By using the four essential tools of VM--asset identification, correlation, validation and remediation--VM solutions can provide a big-picture view of vulnerabilities and determine their potential impact on your network.
No single VM solution is a silver bullet. You'll need to assess your enterprise readiness and determine how VM will be used within your organization. Once that evaluation is complete and you're ready to take the plunge, here's what to look for--and what to avoid--when it comes to VM tools.
Asset Identification
You can't manage what you don't know. Chances are good there are devices on your network that are unmanaged, unmaintained and untracked. These could be machines in quality assurance or development labs, nomadic home machines, machines deliberately hidden behind a NAT device, vendor-maintained devices, or any other rogue, or unexpected device. This is where asset identification tools help. They scan the network and report details about all the devices they find--both the expected and the unexpected. These scanning tools can be either host-based, running as an agent, or network-based, using an array of sensors. They can attempt to scan without logging in (uncredentialed scan)--either by using general reconnaissance techniques (e.g, OS fingerprinting, banner enumeration) or by launching ("lite") non-detrimental scans of vulnerability exploits against the machines.
Because vulnerabilities can occur in any of the software installed on a device, the more granular the information about that device that can be obtained, the better. Specifics on the OS version, patch level, installed applications, configuration settings and assigned roles are all useful data to collect.
Be mindful of the network landscape when placing sensors or scanning equipment. Note the location of switches, routers and firewalls to make sure there aren't any dead zones. And don't forget about unusual network-aware devices such as fax machines and printers.
Now comes the tricky stuff: understanding the relationship and connection points between the devices you find. Without this understanding, you simply have a laundry list of gadgets. But knowing how they work together can give valuable insight: for example, during an incident response exercise, this type of data can help explain how a worm is propagating, which machines are spreading it, and how it gained entry in the first place.
This is where correlation is key. By aggregating data from a variety of sources, including application logs, system logs, traps and alerts, correlation tools help administrators track relationships between devices on the network. To ensure a correct comparison, the information is then normalized, or parsed, and put into a standardized format. From there, correlation rules are applied to identify relationships and causality, thus providing a more intelligent view of the network's vulnerability.
|Regulatory Compliance Dashboards--What's Realistic
Let's face it, compliance is a hassle. Nobody likes the time required to audit or the expense of documenting controls. As such, nothing sounds more appealing than a vendor offering a "point, click and comply" solution. Public companies could go with a SOX suite, banks a GLBA solution, and federal agencies could pick one or more add-ons from the FIPS series. Sounds great. But how realistic is that in practice?
Unfortunately, there are no drag-and-drop compliance solutions. The regulations don't define specific success criteria to which a vendor can write. For example, SOX requires, "an assessment...of the effectiveness of the internal control structure and procedures of the issuer for financial reporting." Not only does this requirement encompass all the systems used in the financial reporting process--everything from legacy mainframe systems to the Excel spreadsheets used in the accounting department--but it even extends outside IT. One vendor cannot realistically offer a solution that ensures the effectiveness of non-automated processes.
That's not to say that no vendor can provide compliance value, however. Those that offer systems dashboards that report on workflow, monitor system activity, or report policy violations offer tremendous compliance value. That's because once an enterprise determines what constitutes compliance in its environment and has a handle on where its ineffective processes are, streamlining and refining automation efforts are a huge win. Not only does an improvement in these areas help meet the current regulations, but it safeguards the enterprise for future regulation. As such, systems dashboards expedite audits and boost administrator confidence.
-- By Diana Kelley & Ed Moyle
Not every post on Bugtraq is a reason to panic. Eight vulnerabilities, on average, are discovered daily. Trying to respond to each and every newly discovered vulnerability is a waste of time and resources, since only a small fraction of new vulnerabilities will actually apply to a given enterprise. AIX vulnerabilities aren't a concern to an AIX-free enterprise; IIS vulnerabilities aren't a problem if you're an all-Apache/Tomcat shop. Even if the vulnerability is in a deployed application or operating system, it only applies to unpatched machines or machines with a particular service enabled rather than the entire population.
How do you know which vulnerability reports apply to your environment and which do not? Validation. Validation tools confirm which devices in the network are truly vulnerable and distill the vulnerability data into a focused list to help determine which vulnerabilities merit action. Validation compares information about the vulnerability against information about the environment. If the vulnerability matches what the enterprise has deployed, the vulnerability is flagged as requiring administrator attention. If not, the vulnerability is disregarded.
The next step is taking remedial action to keep vulnerable machines safe from threats. Specific steps will vary from vulnerability to vulnerability, but remediation typically includes applying patches, changing application or device-configuration settings, and applying filtering techniques such as firewalls, VLANs or other segmentation techniques to restrict traffic to the machine. When using remediation tools, think carefully about the level of automation that is appropriate. For example, do you perform regression testing on critical applications before deploying a potentially conflicting patch? What patch workflow requires buy-in from teams that currently maintain the process? And what about auditing? Ensuring that automated actions are audited is extremely useful during application debugging.
Look Before You Leap
Ready to buy VM tools? Before you commit, make sure you have your gear and your plan of action in order. Just like a skydiver, enterprises deploying a VM solution don't want to find out halfway down that something doesn't work.
Get buy-in from the owners of the scanned systems if you're considering automated scanning tools. There's always the chance that scanning might impact a system in an unanticipated way and lead to downtime. And the goal of VM is to minimize--not increase--downtime.
Set up governance and assign accountable owners of the data and processes in the system. Most systems within the enterprise are interdependent peers, but control of those systems is likely to be stove-piped and hierarchical. Decide ahead of time how the system will account for centralization, distribution and delegation of control. Individual business units, for example, might be resistant to a centralized system if they have limited visibility into the system or say about how decisions are made. Remember: the time to get buy-in is before any products are purchased. Without governance, clearly defined duties and buy-in, vulnerability management frameworks are just extra overhead.
Plan VM data and how it will be used from the very early stages. Decide, for example, how to handle triage in the event of an incident. A well-defined prioritization strategy is the difference between panic and strategic action when thousands of machines are at risk. Prioritize based on dollar value of the device, Internet Protocol on the device, PR value, business costs associated with downtime, or amount of time required to remediate.
Make assessments on environmental, architectural, technical and operational requirements. You need to determine, for example, whether high availability is a requirement, knowing what can be reused, how metrics can be used, what constitutes success, and who owns what portions of the system.
Remember that any type of scanning will introduce some performance overhead. In general, the more detailed the data collected, the higher the overhead will be. For example, a ping sweep has a very minimal impact on the network and the scanned hosts, but it provides very limited data. On the other hand, numerous agents that send back highly detailed information provide more granular information but have larger impact on the network and the hosts themselves. Some techniques, such as credentialed scanning and active vulnerability exploitation, can even cause systems to crash under certain conditions.
Pick a product flexible enough to accommodate the unique workflow of the enterprise. If the tools are not flexible enough to support your workflow, accountability might be assigned to the wrong group or black holes of untracked activity might appear in the audit trail. For example, if there's a process in place where OS patches are tested in the QA lab before being deployed across the enterprise, a tool sending "100 percent vulnerable" alerts while the patch is in QA will skew metrics and create useless noise.
Consider the metrics VM tools might give you. Metrics help track the security posture of the enterprise over time. You can watch, for example, the degree to which hosts maintain compliance with configuration policy, the number of vulnerable systems that exist on your network, and the amount of time required to remediate threats. Metrics are also extremely useful as a proof point in budget negotiations, allowing you to quantify the ROI of the system itself and provide hard data to back up resource allocation. Remember, though, that there's nothing magical about metrics. They provide specific information about what's happening in the environment. They also tell us what the environment is and how it changes over time. But in order to be useful, be careful to make sure what is tracked is useful and relevant to what is known.
Leverage existing technology whenever possible. This saves time and can increase the efficiency of the overall solution. Existing inventory-tracking systems can feed the initial asset map, procurement systems can keep inventory updated, and software distribution tools can provide up-to-the-minute data on what software hosts have installed. Incorporating existing workflows ensures VM stays current and maximizes data coming out of the system. For example, VM can initiate patch deployment workflows when needed, and can kick off incident response procedures at the first sign of trouble.
Set up mechanisms internally to gauge the effectiveness of the solution over time. Use realistic metrics tracks whether or not the system is performing as expected. Concentrate on metrics that provide information about what is happening in the environment, such as percentage of devices in compliance with policy or percentage of devices at optimal patch level. To help refine the system, also include metrics that reflect process efficiency such as how quickly machines are remediated. Evaluate them on a periodic basis to help drive improvements. Distill metrics down to high-level dashboard numbers to allow executive reporting.
There is no magic bullet solution that does it all. Rather, vendors favor technologies that solve individual components--asset identification, correlation, validation and remediation--of the vulnerability management equation. Each portion is crucial, though. An enterprise that doesn't know what's deployed (through asset identification) and can't track what state devices are in (through correlation) will almost certainly make mistakes in validation. Mistakes cost your business money and put it at risk. Combining multiple technologies intelligently to satisfy individual VM goals helps meet complex enterprise requirements.
The key to success with vulnerability management is starting from a strong foundation and building upward. Policies, procedures, prioritization and governance are all foundational components that VM should build on rather than replace.
Dig Deeper on Risk assessments, metrics and frameworks
Security Think Tank: How to manage software vulnerabilities
What basic steps can improve network device security in enterprises?
Tenable Nessus Vulnerability Scanner: Product overview
Qualys Vulnerability Management: Product overview


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By the end Manchester United had won with such ease it was difficult to remember this was the ground where their title hopes suffered a grievous setback during the run-in last season. Wigan Athletic could barely muster a noteworthy attack this time, never mind threaten a repeat of that 1-0 victory, as normal service resumed in a fixture that has tended to be staggeringly one-sided over the years.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team have now scored 54 times in their 17 encounters against Wigan whereas, to give it context, there have been only five in the opposite direction. On the balance of play it was just a surprise the Premier League leaders could not add further sheen to their goal difference. Their goalkeeper, David de Gea, was barely required to finish the match with a single scuff of mud on his kit.
United took their time to get going but once they had found some momentum the imbalance of talent was extreme and, for Wigan, brutal. "A mismatch," as the Wigan manager, Roberto Martínez, called it. Javier Hernández scored twice, taking his tally for the season to 12, and there was another demonstration of Robin van Persie's sublime gifts as he also got two. Van Persie's portfolio as a United player now extends to 19 goals and his first here was a beauty. A constant menace, oozing football intelligence, he was described by his manager afterwards as "the completely rounded footballer".
It was a performance, more than anything, that rammed home why the Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, has dropped the pretence and now talks of missing out on Van Persie last summer as the principal reason why Manchester City are seven points behind their neighbours at the top of the table.
Wigan, it must be said, were obliging opponents, with Martínez describing them as "lethargic" and having "no real life about us". His team have won only once now in eight league fixtures and they played with little cohesion, even less attacking threat and their goalkeeper, Ali al-Habsi, looked vulnerable with his handling at times.
United, however, played with great control and purpose. Ryan Giggs and Ashley Young were penetrative figures on the wings, Tom Cleverley and Michael Carrick dovetailed nicely in the centre of midfield and, as Martínez said, Ferguson had the luxury of having the larger squad to rotate and ensure freshness at the end of an exhausting period. Nemanja Vidic, for example, watched the entire match from the bench.
Van Persie's partnership with Hernández also ensured there was no need to lament the absence of the injured Wayne Rooney. Hernández, the classic penalty-box poacher, has now scored 31 league goals for United and all of them have come from inside the area. Van Persie is not just closing in on the 20-goal mark that every striker craves but has nine assists as well among his 25 appearances for the club. At this rate he must have an outstanding chance of retaining the footballer-of-the-year awards he won last season as an Arsenal player. "I knew he would make the difference," Ferguson said of his top scorer. "He has great international experience, he's played for Arsenal for seven years and he came to us at the very peak of his career."
Van Persie had completed the scoring with a simple close-range finish, after a cross from the substitute Danny Welbeck, but his first of the afternoon was the game's outstanding moment. Hernández crossed for his team-mate and the manner in which Van Persie made sure he had the best chance of scoring was exquisite, controlling the ball but delaying his shot rather than letting fly with his left boot. The hesitation was both brilliant and crucial. He moved on to his right foot, eluding the nearest defender, Iván Ramis, then expertly picked out the far corner with a curling effort. "His ability to make and take goals is fantastic," Ferguson continued. "His turn, his balance, no drawback [for the shot], just side-footed it in ... it was a really good goal."
Hernández's goals were less spectacular but, in their own way, a great example of his anticipation inside the opposition penalty area. Both came from colleagues firing in shots that eventually came his way. For the first Habsi turned Patrice Evra's shot into the Mexican's path. For the second a short free-kick was touched to Van Persie, his shot hit Wigan's defensive wall and the ball ricocheted into Hernández's path. His finish, on the turn, made it 3-0.
Five minutes earlier Arouna Koné had turned in Franco Di Santo's cross at the far post only for the goal to be disallowed for a marginal offside decision. In truth it was difficult to imagine it would have inspired a comeback and De Gea's goal was seldom threatened again. That makes two clean sheets in a row for United, which should please Ferguson almost as much as the form of his front players.

subset: commoncrawl


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I recently saw a woman in her late sixties who presented to the ER with severe shortness of breath. She had a history of COPD, or emphysema, due to a long history of smoking. She also had a history of Grave's disease, a thyroid disorder, which had left her with a mild residual proptosis. What happens in this condition is that for some reason there is accumulation of this gelatinous goo in the orbit, behind the eyeball, causing the eye to be displaced forward. Put simply, she looked a bit bug-eyed.
It was her breathing, though, that had captured my attention. She was not moving air well, and was becoming progressively more sleepy -- a bad sign. A blood gas confirmed that she was retaining carbon dioxide, and at this point it was clear that she was going to need some ventilatory support. In the "old days" I would have intubated her, but lately we've been trying to avoid that with what's called "non-invasive mechanical ventilation," or NIMV. What we do here is strap a mask to the patient's face to create a good seal, and attach it to a machine which blows a little extra air into the lungs every time the patient tries to take a breath. We hooked her up, and she seemed to perk up a bit, and I wandered off to make arrangements for her to go to the ICU.
Moments later, a panicked respiratory tech was grabbing me: "Come quickly! Now! Now! Her eye fell out!"
What can you say to a statement like that? I ran to the bedside, and sure enough, something like this is what I saw:Although it was only her right eye that was out, and it was a bit further than in the picture above. It was actually drooping or dangling just a little bit, due to gravity. Oh yeah, and she was screaming bloody murder and clawing at the face mask. We removed the face mask, and stood there in complete and utter shock. Not really having any clue of what to do, I put on some gloves and gently massaged the globe back into the orbit. Once in, she felt better (no kidding!) and her vision seemed intact.
I figure that the face mask must have been putting some pressure on the nasal surface of the eye socket, and the strap, which has to be cinched pretty tightly, was putting pressure on the temporal aspect of the socket, and with the globe perched a little forward to begin with, it just got squeezed out like a zit!
Needless to say, we did not put her back on NIMV. I let the ICU doc know why she was not on NIMV, and suggested he might want to get an opthalmology consult, and sent her on up.
That was the strangest damn thing I have seen in a long time...
Any coders out there? Is there a CPT code for "manual reduction of prolapsed globe?" I bet there is; there's a CPT for everything. How many RVU's for that one?
I have the greatest job in the world.
08 June 2008
The strangest damn thing
I recently saw a woman in her late sixties who presented to the ER with severe shortness of breath. She had a history of COPD, or emphysema, due to a long history of smoking. She also had a history of Grave's disease, a thyroid disorder, which had left her with a mild residual proptosis. What happens in this condition is that for some reason there is accumulation of this gelatinous goo in the orbit, behind the eyeball, causing the eye to be displaced forward. Put simply, she looked a bit bug-eyed.
Posted by shadowfax at 8:34 PM
18 comments:
WTF?!?! BiPAP can cause your eyes to pop out?!?! Seriously, I can't wait to see that one for myself!!!ReplyDelete
Yaargh. I hate eyeballs - I am impressed by your professionalism! I would have stood there going, "Yaargh, her eyeball fell out!"ReplyDelete
Which is why I'm only a second year. Maybe they teach you how to control that particular urge in third year.
GREAT story.
Well, I just wonder why you didn't switch to a nasal pillow mask, which would provide the BiPAP therapy without the pressure on the eye socket. But then, I'm just a lay person, so what the heck do I know?ReplyDelete
Here's an example. The hose does not necessarily have to go over the head if you choose a different mask. There are many, many different styles that would avoid the eye socket pressure.
Eye can't believe it. What an eye opening experience that must have been. Eye don't know what the CPT code would be either.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous6/09/2008 1:43 PM
Prior to medical school, when I was in practice as a veterinarian, it was not at all uncommon for certain breeds of dogs to present with one or occassionally both eyes dangling from the optic nerve like little tether balls.ReplyDelete
This would occur with the brachecephalic breeds (the ones with the short flat faces that look like they must have run into a wall at high speed...such as pugs, schitzus, etc), also known in some circles as the "puntable breeds."
As part of their bizarre anatomy, they tend to have a fairly poorly formed bony eye socket and it is thus fairly easy for an eyeball to pop out if there is enough pressure.
Often this would occur from something as simple as the dog getting overly excited and barking too forcefully.
I always wondered what must be going through the dogs mind when this occurs. There you are giving some cat a hard time when suddenly your damn eyeball pops out. Talk about a bad case of double vision.
And to make matters worse, now that damn cat thinks your eyeball is some sort of toy for it to attack.
Life must be hard if you're a flat faced dog!
I'll have to add that to the informed consent spiel: "Claustrophobia, pneumothorax, eyeball falling out..."ReplyDelete
Gee... and I thought being nearsighted was bad!ReplyDelete
Wow, he sure looks surprised that his eyes are that big.ReplyDelete
I am bronzing this post and hanging it from my rear view mirror. I don't remember the last time my jaw actually dropped while reading a blog. Nicely done!ReplyDelete
Dear God! I admire your aplomb, I personally would have fainted dead away at the side of the patients bed!ReplyDelete
That was awesome!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous6/10/2008 4:24 AM
Dude, I'm printing this and passing it around the Respiratory Therapy department. This is the first time I've ever heard of BiPAP making a patient's eye fall out!ReplyDelete
teresa: because nasal pillows are a finicky seal and if the patient is CO2-narcosed and half-comatose their mouth hangs open -- all the pressure of the BiPAP then escapes out their mouth. It also blows boogers everywhere.
Eye injuries are number 2 on the list of injuries that gross me out...
Chest PT must be equally entertaining on this patient.ReplyDelete
teresa: because nasal pillows are a finicky seal and if the patient is CO2-narcosed and half-comatose their mouth hangs open -- all the pressure of the BiPAP then escapes out their mouth. --wrinReplyDelete
Good points. Thanks for the counter view.
I swear, the very same picture is in my emt book! Yay, eyeballs...that end up okay, that is.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous6/21/2008 8:21 AM
I have set up thousands of cpap/bipap patients and I think I know what happened. In some patients, the duct in the nose connecting to the eye is enlarged. I have seen "fluttering" eyelids when cpap was applied by either a nasal or full face mask. I suspect you had something like this happen.ReplyDelete
SOLUTION: The Respironics TOTAL-FACE mask that covers the eyes, note, mouth, so that all pressure is equal.


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RIDGEWOOD, N.J. – Ridgewood's schools chief on Friday called it "disappointing" that other students recorded the "unnecessary and unacceptable" beating of a student who came to the defense of a cyberbullying victim.
"It is highly unfortunate that the incident -- which happened after school hours on district property -- resulted in unnecessary and unacceptable violence," Schools Supt. Daniel Fishbein wrote in a message to the school community.
"It is also disappointing that other students were present who videoed the incident rather than attempted to intervene in order to prevent physical harm," the superintendent added.
SEE: Ridgewood teen's skull fractured defending girl in cyberbullying incident
School officials will use the posting on Snapchat last weekend of the assault at Stevens Field "to address 'witness' behavior as a school community," Fishbein added.
Details will "remain confidential" because it involves minors, he said.
Fishbein emphasized, however, that anyone found to be involved will be "held accountable in an appropriate way, including possible legal proceedings, school discipline and/or counseling."
"The safety, protection and privacy of our students is a top priority," the superintendent added.
Ridgewood Police Chief Jacqueline Lutchke confirmed Friday that authorities were investigating.
A woman who identified herself as an aunt of the boy who was hospitalized wrote on Facebook that her nephew stood up for a girl who was being harassed after photographs of her were passed around on social media.
He, in turn, was bullied and harassed on social media before being "knocked out," she wrote.
"His skull is fractured and his face is broken so severely he needs to have reconstruction surgery when the swelling goes down, and he is in jeopardy of losing the sight in one of his eyes," she wrote.
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Friday 25 January
|Phalacrocorax (1)
As its name suggests, the large pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius) is a relatively big cormorant species with conspicuous black and white plumage (3) (4).
During the breeding season, the black feathers on the forehead, crown and nape of the large pied cormorant contrast sharply with the white of the face and neck (3). Non-breeding adults are duller and more brownish in colour (2) (3). All of the bird's undersurface is pure white (4), while the short legs and large webbed feet are black (3) (4).
The large pied cormorant has short, broad wings, a short tail, and a long neck (3). Its pale, sea-green eyes are accentuated by a bare patch of rich indigo-blue skin below each eye, and a patch of bright orange skin in front (4). The long, stout, horn-coloured bill of this species becomes lighter towards the tip, and ends in a prominent hook (3) (4).
Both sexes of the large pied cormorant are alike in terms of plumage colouration (4), but the female is generally smaller and has a shorter bill than the male (2). In place of the black feathers, juvenile large pied cormorants have dark brown plumage, and their underparts are streaked or mottled brownish grey (2) (4).
Two subspecies of the large pied cormorant are often recognised. These races are separated on the basis of slight differences in colouration, with Phalacrocorax varius hypoleucos having a blue sheen to its black feathers, as opposed to the green sheen found in Phalacrocorax varius varius (2).
An agile aquatic hunter, the large pied cormorant feeds mostly on fish (2) (3) (4) (5), which it catches by pursuing them underwater (2). Impressively, these dives last an average of 26.5 seconds (8). While approximately 90 percent of its diet comprises a wide variety of fish species (2) (5), the large pied cormorant also feeds on crustaceans, such as shrimps and crabs, as well as some molluscs, including cephalopods (2) (5). Several introduced fish species, including carp (Carassius auratus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis), are an important component of the large pied cormorant's diet, particularly in the estuaries of southwestern Australia (2).
The large pied cormorant is known to form feeding flocks at sea (2) (5), and can be seen resting on sandbanks or low rock edges after fishing (4). The large pied cormorant roosts and breeds colonially, with roosting generally occurring in trees near water and in association with other cormorant species, spoonbills and Australian pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus) (2) (3). The breeding season of the large pied cormorant varies considerably with geographical location, as well as between years, with local water conditions and resource availability being important factors in its onset (2) (3) (5). However, although breeding may occur at any time of the year, the main breeding season appears to be between spring and autumn (2) (3).
The large pied cormorant tends to nest in trees, bushes or sometimes on the ground (2) (4), on islands or in swamps (2) at sites where the water levels are relatively stable, such as along the coast (3). However, this species is also known to breed at inland locations, although this tends to occur opportunistically in response to extended flooding conditions (3). Large pied cormorant nests are formed of twigs, seaweed (2) (3) and occasionally rubbish (3), and are sometimes lined with grass (2).
The large pied cormorant typically produces a clutch of between 1 and 5 eggs, although 3 is most common (2), with the eggs being laid at intervals of 48 hours (3). Large pied cormorant eggs are pale bluish-white (4), and are incubated for between 25 and 33 days (2) (3). Once the chicks reach 34 days of age, they are able to walk from the nest, but return to it for the next 4 weeks (3). The chicks are able to fly at about 47 to 60 days old, although the young are not fully independent from the adults until they are 80 days old or more (2) (3). While some large pied cormorants are capable of breeding at one year of age, most do not reach sexual maturity until they are two years old or more (2).
The large pied cormorant is a non-migratory species, with adults usually remaining in the same location. However, juveniles tend to disperse from the breeding grounds in which they hatched (2) (5).
The large pied cormorant only occurs in Australia and New Zealand (5) (6) (7), including Stewart Island (7).
This species is widely distributed in Australia (2) (5), wintering across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and along the coastlines of other states (3) (5). It has even been recorded as a vagrant in Tasmania and on Lord Howe Island off the east coast of Australia. However, the large pied cormorant is known to be absent from Australia's arid interior (2). Breeding occurs on New Zealand's North Island, with some scattered coastal breeding sites in Australia (5).
The large pied cormorant is sometimes split into two subspecies, with Phalacrocorax varius hypoleucos being found in Australia, and Phalacrocorax varius varius being found in New Zealand (2).
Generally considered to be a predominantly marine species (2) (3) (5) (6), particularly in Western Australia (2) (5), the large pied cormorant can often be found occupying a variety of sheltered coastal waters, including mangroves, estuaries and bays (2) (5) (7). This species is known to be particularly gregarious in such areas, especially where the shores are sandy and flat, and where there is an abundant supply of fish (4). It can also be found on offshore islands (2) (5).
Although coastal areas appear to be the large pied cormorant's preferred habitat, this species can also be found inland (2) (3) (5), inhabiting large wetlands such as lakes, swamps, reservoirs and rivers (2) (3). These areas tend to be large, permanent bodies of open water (2) (3), with the large pied cormorant being less common in shallow vegetated waters and semi-permanent swamps (3).
The large pied cormorant is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).
A widespread species in Australia (2) (5), the large pied cormorant is not currently considered to be globally threatened (2), particularly as its preferred habitats are less affected by transformation and destruction than those of several other species (2).
However, the large pied cormorant feeds extensively on a variety of introduced fish species, and it is thought that campaigns to rid the region of the fish could have a negative impact on this water bird (2).
There are currently no known conservation measures in place specifically for the large pied cormorant. However, it is thought that this species has benefitted from an increase in the number of artificial water bodies within its range, and it is also known to use man-made structures to perch and breed on (2).
Find out more about the large pied cormorant:
Learn more about bird conservation in Australia:
Find out more about conservation in Australia:
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
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I remember having VHS tapes of it back when i was a kid (before i learned that VHS was a scam cause the players almost always destroyed the tapes).
From what i remember, there was this Baron guy who looked like his head was positioned bellow his solders and he lived in a castle which had this weird black and white gradient pattern and he hated nature or something like that and was always trying to destroy this forest.
One of the episodes i remember had the animals thinking that the baron hated the colour green and that's why he wanted to destroy nature so the bear though about repainting the entire forest (starting with single petals on a flour) but then the animals sneak into the baron's castle to steal these drums of paint.
The episode ends with the animals coming up with a better idea by dropping a red paint ball into the baron while he is looking though his telescope to which it works cause he thinks the forest has turned brown and calls off his machines.
For some reason i have no memories from before i was 5 (seriously none, my first memory is me waking up from a bad headache on the floor with a Percy toy from Thomas the Tank Engine) so it must have been out around 1996 and i know it was a series cause i do remember seeing the intro a few times in one sitting.


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More on Greg Ploetz, ex-Texas Longhorn defensive tackle found to have had Stage 4 CTE
My latest story on Greg Ploetz, who spent part of his childhood in Colorado Springs before becoming a starting defensive tackle for the 1969 national champion Texas Longhorns, is in the Monday paper and online here.
As the story details, Greg had severe dementia issues, died in May and last week his widow, Deb, was told Greg suffered from Stage 4 CTE.
This came after the couple's brief stay in Colorado in 2014, when they hoped to be able to openly administer marijuana-based oils and products to help manage Greg's dementia symptoms.
The picture above and caption takes care of one passage that didn't make the story, and here are several others.
— The story quotes Greg Ploetz with the kicker: "…said in 2001." That was before his dementia was full-blown. The way the story was edited early in process, it isn't clear why that interview was conducted and it isn't clear that I'm not borrowing from someone else (minus attribution).
To be clear, this is from my own interview of Ploetz for my book Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming. I would have been asked to cite the source of the quote if I was borrowing it from anyone else. But my citing of my own work as the source was eliminated. I assume that made some wonder why I hadn't said where I obtained the quote — or even if it was correctly inferred that I had conducted the interview, why I was speaking to Greg Ploetz in 2001.
I retrieved the Ploetz cassette from the case holding all the tapes of my interviews for HHNC Sunday and listened to it again. It was wrenching.
— Greg thought he was headed for Oklahoma until Texas head coach Darrell Royal came to Sherman and took Ploetz and high school teammate Mike Dean and their parents out to dinner, both Sherman boys ended up Longhorns. "I said, 'OK, I'm in,' " Ploetz recalled with a laugh.
— Deb agreed to be part of a Netflix documentary on the subject of marijuana products and managing dementia and Alzheimer's symptoms, and returned to the Denver area to tape a segment at a Cherry Creek medical marijuana dispensary.
— A year ago, Julius Whittier, a Ploetz friend and Dallas attorney who played for the Longhorns from 1970-72 and was the program's first African-American letterman, filed a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA. Whittier had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. His lawsuit asked for $50 million on behalf of college players who did not make the NFL but are suffering from brain injuries. (I also interviewed Whittier for HHNC, and this picture is from that session.)
Terry Frei: email@example.com or @TFrei


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Folks, I have just uploaded the CONSTRUCT. Now it is waiting for processing so it may take a few days latest before it is downloadable.
But to keep you up to speed, here is the last and final screenie of it. I have really suffered about this one. Not even slept too much. I am just recalling this is based on the fact we have new born home, so we have hard days and nights here. The major honour belongs to my wife as she supported me in the course of doing CONSTRUCT as much as she coulda. Well, after 2 weeks I can sleep more than couple hours. I am hoping that my struggle was worth it and you will enjoy the skin. I really wish that.
RedneckDude, Uvah and WebGizmos - my fellas, sorry again, but I am really not able to make up a psd file. I know I sound like an awkward bit.h, but rally being outta time. If you are okay to work with skin itself, I will send it to you provided you are in. I guess Andy has started up on Cursor FX already. Thank you Andy.
This way I wanna be thanking to all of you who went with me on this jorney. And I apologise if I did not include any of your thoughts, e.g. a sorta weird wires having an organic feel. I felt it was not right in terms of overall perspective. Sorryyyyy again.
And here is the screenie:
You´re tha man Tom !
I'm still in Tom. Sharpening my crayons now.
Oh, Andy. Thanks man
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But, you said you needed a psd to do sysmetrix. And I did not make a psd. Are you capable of extracting anything from skin, mate? I am sorry
BTW, can you PM me your email, mate, please?
lookin good-
Looks good....
No worries guy. Once I got the WB everything is in the folder. All the goodies! Thanks Bro!
Very nice Tom, the first of what I am sure will be many great Master skins from you.
Tom, please send the blind and any parts if you want some DX.
This is nice!!
I can skin from the blind.
I gotta wonder why you're not making the PSDs as you make the skin. That would seem to be the normal way. I guess you have your own "normal way"...lol.
Whatever it is you do seems to be working for you!
Super work Tom.
That's what I thought. Just zip the whole psd fold and that's it. No need to make up anything else. Its already there. But.....Yes....I can work from the skin.
Thank you, mate
Yes it does seem, Jim. The thing is that I always create a psd for the startmenu and then I redesign all the sks defined stuff I had in the previous skin in favor of the new one.
As I use a tga format I always design everything on the black background. Then the alpha channel alows me to put shadows or make transparent areas anywhere. But this does not explain the psd story. Well I am never sure what the final result will be and I never work systematically. So I change all the elelements very often and accidentally. It means I never keep one bunch of possible psd´s for a skin. I tried in the past but I had a tuns of psd files which made me confused. This is because I do not know what I skin first days. Just playing with it then adding into Skinstudio etc.
Hm, when I am reading the rows above, I guess it is a miracle I can skin at all
Jafo, Dave and Wiz - thank you folks
I will post you all involved shortly today. And thank you.
Incredible imagination and great work from what I see. Cutting edge skinning, they won't be able to keep this on the shelf, you are truly a master artist Tom. Congrats on surviving your first weeks with the baby also. DT
Oh man, my face is getting red. Such a nice comment. WOW
I see you do work differently. I sometimes wind up with so many layers that if I don't label them I spend more time looking for stuff than actual work. lol
I am a messy man for sure. I hate having more than a couple of layers, that' s why I do not work like others
REDNECKDUDE, UVAH, NEONE6 AND WEBGIZMOS. Folks, just posted the skin to you. Please check your emails and make sure it is not coming as a spam. I have just sent it using my TomRichter email. Thank you
This is so cool!!! I love the animation on the start button. The min/max and close buttons have a 'real feel' to them. Great WB Tom.
WOW, thanks buddy. Are you using such a big startmenu? You have certainly a bigger monitor. I can not imagine having that of such a size either. BTW it is looking like the startmenu is not somehow distorted in which case I am glad as that was the thing I feared. I feared that if the startmenu gets longer that it may be messed a bit. Good to see it is just fine. Thank you
Check out the January screenshot thread. I reduced the amount of programs pinned to it. It was getting a bit gawky. lol
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
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you use to interact with Windows. CursorFX users can create and use cursors that
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DesktopX is a program that lets users build their own desktops. It does this by
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Rainmeter allows you to display customizable skins on your desktop, from hardware usage meters to fully functional audio visualizers.
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The company, BCC was aquired by eStorage. Much like the ocean, where fish eat each other all of the time, eStorage got aquired by Zzyzx peripherals. The web address, http://www.estorageinc.com will still get you to the place you want.
Meanwhile, I've got some used "estorage" DASD on the shelf, up for sale. I'm not sure if that's an appropriate use of this forum, so I'm omitting the details. It may or may not be the kind of disk you need or want. If you're curious, contact me for details via the forum and we figure out how to contact each other.
Kind regards,
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SiteHelperPro needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 19 designs submitted by 10 freelance designers.
We are an application service provider that focuses on providing web development and content management tools for medium to large business.
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*Halloween went off without a hitch! Our kids had an absolute ball trick or treating with our neighbors (as is our tradition).
*After a year of not reading at all because I just couldn't hold my eyes open when I had the time- I read not one but two books this week- Kisses from Katie and The Hunger Games. Totally on opposite ends of the spectrum. One, about saving orphans in Uganda, the other about kids trying to off each other in this crazy gladiator type event. Weirdness. But both were phenomenal.
* Footed jammies make me ridiculously happy.
* My husband won "best financial advisor" in our county for the second year running. He shrugs it off, but I think it's a huge accomplishment for a couple of reasons. One- he's not from here and this small town is a hard nut to crack and Two- he has a wife that airs all of our dirty laundry on the internet for his clients to see.
*Speaking of airing dirty things, it looks like Halloween and a birthday party vomited all over my house. It's probably never been this bad. I had my inlaws over for dinner the other night and in my haste to clean up I looked at the walls. I mean really looked at the walls in this house. They are covered with "kid film" from the floor to about 4 feet up. It's like a giant mix of crayons, grape jelly, dirty handprints and scuff marks from riding their bikes and scooters into the wall. And yeah- I let my kids ride their bikes around the tiny circle around our kitchen and living room in the winter because we get BORED! But anyway- I've come to the conclusion that my walls need to be repainted and that my children are filthy animals.
*Which brings me to my next point about filthy animals. Y'all, about a month ago, the giant, yellow beast that we call our dog, got into some rat poison in our garage. It could have been catastrophic but we noticed it right away and induced vomiting and got her to the doggy ER. Pouring enough peroxide into a 90 pound dog to make her vomit is no small task. And then watching a 90 pound dog who can eat A LOT loose all that stuff she ate is enough to make any person want to pull their toenails off. After at least 5 different visits to the vet and tons of medicine, she was totally in the clear. This dog must think she's a cat but she's had more close brushes with death and rebounded more times than I can count. But yesterday, we noticed that one whole side of her face is drooping Quasimodo style, so I'm pretty sure we are going to have to go back to the vet. *sigh*
* Also, Miles is going to the eye doctor tomorrow. We are hoping to schedule him for eye surgery to have his eyelids lifted up so that he can see. His vision is so obstructed because one of the eyelids doesn't have a muscle in it and the other has a muscle that is so weak, it may as well not be there. We've known since we brought him home that he would need this surgery- a billion different doctors have told us so. We've held off as long as we can, but his neck is starting to be tense from tilting his chin to be able to see and we want his vision to be as good as possible for when he begins kindergarten and reading. (And because I'm worried that when he's a teenager his teachers are going to constantly think that the boy is stoned.) BUT- I LOVE the way that tiny boy looks and I know that this surgery is going to really alter the way that he looks. I know that it is necessary and that it must be done, but I'm still sad that he won't look my sleepy little boy when it's done. He'll most likely need glasses when this is over as well because even without the eyelids obstructing his vision, he still is very farsighted. I'm taking comfort in the fact that there is nothing cuter than a little kid in glasses. Except maybe a kid in glasses AND footed pajamas.
* Noah got some model dinosaurs for his birthday. It says ages 8+ on the box. I figure that between a 5 year old and 30 year old we should have this covered. But nope. I have a t-rex tail and butt put together and that's are far as I can figure out. I'm going to go back to school, get an engineering degree and then see if I can complete a balsa wood dinosaur.
* We've deduced that these are the culprit of my chronic ear infections and subsequent vertigo:
Those are earplugs in case you can't tell.
I use them because this is the bane of my existence:
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Call it artistic. Call it experimental. To me, it looks cool. Textured images help isolate the subjects by adding a mask around areas of less importance.
Fine Art Textures
Essentially, you are placing an image on top of your picture and changing the layer properties until you see something you like.
Use grunge textures to mask out any distractions in the background. The above image was taken in the kitchen of a venue.
The clear focus for this image was the bride's face. Afterwards, your attention should gradually fade to the rest of her body, bouquet, dress, etc.
Check below for free grunge textures to download. However, to support the bandwidth costs, I encourage you to look into our entire grunge texture collection because all of these images are super high resolution. Most images were taken by Canon 40D (I think 12MP).
Another Sample of Grunge Texture
Here is another picture of a bride I shot and added a texture to it. I wanted to give it a rustic feel since the image was taken at a vineyard.
Free High Resolution Textures
Download More Premium Textures
Video Tutorial On How To Use Fine Art Textures
Lawrence Chan
P.S. A lovely note by Chris Cornwell about my psychology to pricing and packaging e-book.
Got your ebook months ago and now finally get a minute to say THANKS! I redid my COLLECTIONS and managed to book 2 weddings at my highest/ bestest collection! So, thank you : )) Looking to book more in the coming year!


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The BMW 5-Series (E39 chassis) was introduced in the United States as a 1997 model year car and lasted until the 2004 when the E60 chassis was released. The United States saw several variations including the 525i, 528i, 530i and 540i. -- View the E39 Wiki
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E39 faq
Here's something i think we should all do. start a FAQ since these questions seems to pop up every... oh.. 6-12 days?? here's a start...
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Cup Holders
yes, it's a great car but NO, the cup holders work as well las LBJ's legs.
you got 4 choices:
1: get OEM so look around ebay since most dealer's price is kind of a rip though not always.
2: http://ultimatecupholders.com <-- great cup holders which holds a varity of cup sizes. my only gripe is that if you get a drink with a lid, the carpet might catch it and if you go around a turn, the drink will spill out and all over the carpet.
3: http://www.tecaccessories.com <-- again, a great cup holder but it's more of a 12 oz beer..., i mean soda, can holder. anything else is pushing it. if you drive an auto, this works great. if you have a manual, well.. it kinda gets in the way but nothing double jointed bad.
4: leave it broken and just ignore it.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
M5 exhaust on a 540
Can it be done? yes? do you really want it done? that's up to you. do you REALLY feel like HAMMERING (note the capitalization) your FULL tire well a bit to wedge the passenger side in? or you can just cut it and invert the cut part so you'd end up with a pretty, yet wedged, spare tire well.
Can you OEM spare tire still fit? yeah, i suppose. where it would normally sit? never seen it but something tells me the answer is no, not really. it could be just a centimeter (yeah, gotta conform with the world guys, sorry USA'ers) off to the left (hey, i'm a righty OK!) but nothing detrimental.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Angel Eyes
for angle eye upgrades, you can go either with Umnitza and their predator lights or with OE Hellas from http://eurosportdesign.com/headlights.htm
predator lights are thicker and brighter... almost 10 folds brighter. the draw back? the eletrical wiring is questionable when they start to fail and it's to my personal experience that it was the connectors failing. i had to take the connector apart and solder them to make sure they'll fire up right the first time every time.
some also say the look cheapens the look of the 5. some say it looks rice but this is all opinions and they are like assholes...
OE Hellas are nice. fits well, projects a bit tighter and just built better overall though i really wish they made the rings light up white to match the xenons. the other drawback is the price. they are going to cost you but you get what you pay for so weigh your thoughts carefully and choose wisely.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Last edited by chivas; 05-29-2006 at 01:42 PM.
Radiator that'll make you blow your top
You say your radiator blew up on you? you notice that "CHECK COOLANT LEVEL" on the OBC now? does your 5 look like it took a leak over night in the garage and didn't wipe up? that would be the uber weak cooling system bmw's seems to have not yet master (on top of the electrical).
what to do you say? well, if you notice a leak, take care of it quick! if you just had it done and it still leaks, check the gaskets unless you have a Geba water pump. Yes, Geba will not only look tougher but will leak on you in a few thousand miles (ask me how i know). the system doesn't leak and shouldn't.
if your radiator blew up, don't go cheap. it's a BMW, drop the extra coin for the expansion tank (that's in line to let you down) and the water pump as well as the thermostat. get them all at once. where to get? that's up to you but definitely run down to the dealer and get the water pump gasket. i used one in the box (could have just been because it's made by Geba) and it leaked from the get-go. pretty sweet huh?
let's start with the radiator. you can go with a Behr which is OE. nothing really wrong with it except it's made of plastic and it'll let you down agian... guaranteed. but the price of it isn't so bad so spring one if you like. it comes with ridges in the neck to give it an extra "grip" so the pipe doesn't just slide off.
you can also spring for a Nissen (not Nissan and not the brand that makes noodles) radiator. Some say they are made better but it's still plastic. the radiator neck is smooth then ribbed so some say in certain conditions, the upper radiator hose *might* slip off. who knows, it could just be crappy workmanship or the truth. either way, it's something to think about. the longevity of this "aftermarket" radiator is said to be above OE but some have doubts.
if you are in true baller status and really want to make sure the radiator is a thing of the past, you can fork over a nice coin for this:
it's a lot more then the cost of a Behr or Nissen but it'll never ever let you down EVER again.
so now you'll need an expansion tank. it's that extra canteen looking thing humped on the radiator. yes, it too is made of plastic and it too will fail on you. There's OE's which will work fine since you are going to replace the radiator with the expansion tank all at once so might as well fork over the cash for it; don't get cheap on this, your motor is dependent on this like you are with your liver; sure you can live with 1/2 a liver but do you really want to?
again, if you are a baller and really have no patience for things failing over and over again, get a Lexus... Just kidding! if you are tired of servicing your cooling system, here's the package made just for you:
yes, the price says it all but you know what? you're NEVER EVER going to post: "i got stuck because of my radiator".
so we covered the radiator and the expansion tank. 2 very critical components and like death and taxes, will definitely fail on you. you should also look into the water pump. the OE pressed aluminum foil impeller is good to be used as a home made spinner firework. you do have some choices but i will say this: NOT GEBA. E36 guys have had hell with them and so have I. it was too late for me though. i bought it and half way thru the install i read about a post noting the failure rates of Geba water pump. There's other out there that you can get is very good news. Graf is the OE replacement and it serves it's purpose, pump water around the block. it's OE so you're still going to get the pressed aluminum foil quality impeller but think of it this way: it was working fine so why re-invent the wheel. if it worked before, it should work again. nothing wrong to think like that and many have gone this route. there are other options as far as water pumps since the price could make the difference. Laso is another water pump out there. built of the same quality, it serves it purpose and serves it well. neither of them are price too far from each other so it's a matter of personal preference. A new contender that i never heard of but it's been raved by the fanatical Volvo owners (those who own a true Volvo, before Ford took over and as much as i hate to stereotype, they are truly into getting quality parts because anything less then perfect will freak them out, maybe that's why they don't own a BMW) is the brand: Hepu. it could be found here:
it's a bit more (like $20... just skip out on your kid's allowance for a week or something) but i'm going to try it out and report back.
thermostat is a thermostat is a thermostat unless you go for the cooler popping ones but that's a special case and i'm not going to cover it. this part isn't expensive and they are usually priced all the same (give or take).
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
God, where do i begin with this... tires are like girls. everyone's got the favorite and no matter how hot the other girl is, someone will never defer from their tried-and-true girl. with that being said, here's some thread for you to think about.
Best Tire thread
Review on Toyo Proxy 4's
New kid on the block: Fusion
the thing with tires is what are you looking for? max performance all the way or give or take some? i'm running Michelin A/S's because I live in NJ and the weather is like my gf's attitude: unpredictable. We can have a warm front in November and out of no where a snow storm and back to a warm spell so I personally use A/S tires to be better prepared for this.
if you live in TX or FL or SoCal where snow is something you see on TV and read in books, max performance tires would be your Huckleberry. i wouldn't run anything but max performance if i lived there. remember, these are strictly my opinion and some still would run A/S because it does snow in Dallas I hear.
read sagaciously and just remember: you and everyone in your car's life is on those 4 tiny patches of rubber.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Oh No, my O2's!
So instead of heading over to the dealer and bend over for the O2's, Autozone carries the Bosch PLUG AND PLAY (very important since others sell GENERIC ones that you need to SPLICE into the harness and that's just a glutton for pain and punishment).
it may not be in stock but give it a few days and they'll get it in. i'm not 100% sure about other E39's but for 540's the Bosch part # is: 13 559. They run for $65 (plus tax if applicable). sure beats the $135 dealer charges for the same damn part.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Buttplug?? No, i said Sparkplug!
Ever start the car first thing in the morning (or when the block is cold) and when you start to drive off the car spudders a bit and only when the car warms up a bit does it run smooth from a dead stop? well, it's your buttplug..i mean sparkplug.
these should be changed with inspection I and II but hell, who's counting?
My source for the OE replacement at the cheapest price is at:
part #:
discount code:
nicoclub thanks to, well, you guessed it, NICO club (for those that don't know it's Nissan/Infiniti forum)
this is for NGK plugs BTW.
i orded 8 for the 540 and total FINAL price (included shipping) was $67.01
some other sites are going to cost about the same but they all do the same. the other sites might be forum sponsors so do buy it from them if you can/want to spring the extra dough. i bought mine before finding all this out or i would have supported the sponsors for a few bucks more. i'm cheap but when it comes those who make this place possible, i'm all for it.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Last edited by chivas; 05-29-2006 at 10:06 PM.
Batteries ARE included... ooo..
so you got issues starting, running and all the electrial stuff is going googlie eyed on you. guess what? it's either your alternator or battery. most likely it's the battery.
head over to your autozone (hey, they are more then just for O2's) and pick up a Duralast 49-DL. Secret about car batteries: there's only 3 manufactures and all are about the same; Duralast is made by Johnson Control which also makes Diehard, Interstate and Optima . don't spring for anything more like Optimas unless you are going to compete in audio show which then you'll need special batteries but for everyday Joe, Dick and Bob, the Duralast is your winner. And at about $65 (i think.. could be $67 but not over $100 plus tax), it's the winner by a HUGE margin.
save some ducks and take yourself out to a good dinner with the $65 you just saved then going to a dealer for a battery.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Last edited by chivas; 05-29-2006 at 10:18 PM.
Shouldn't there be something that addresses the wheel shimmy thing?
I Timothy 2:1-2
Last edited by Ågent99; 05-30-2006 at 12:36 PM.
Dash Pixels fix?
What is the best exhaust for my car?
Does a strut bar help the car at all?
How can I get more bass in my 540 audio?
Will 20" rims fit on my E39? Will it rub? Do I have to roll my fenders?
How can I get clear corners on my 2001 and newer E39?
M5 front and rear bumper conversion?
What is the function of the dial on the vent for air conditioning above the radio?
I just found this out today while researching another problem I have with my air.
Question Does DME gets reset when you disconnect the battery >few minuates?
Answer: Yes, indeed, so you'll loose the DME adaptation settings.
Note: For those with VF Engineering supercargers with GIAC DME software, this means you'll loose GIAC adaptation settings as well. And according to GIAC and VFE, they recommend breaking in the software for next ~100 miles. And that means, take it easy for next ~100 miles, nothing fancy RPM'ing. That's all.
Question: What's the authorative way of removing the stock leather e-brake handle?
Answer: The definitive (without the need to breaking any sweat), the simplest way is to pre-heat the handle with the blow dryer first. If you have heated to a point where you can twist the handle 360 degrees, then you are home free. At that point, just twist, and pull it out. Using this method, no need for iron pumping for weeks in advance only to find you are still yanking the handle after a week. No need for WD-40. No need to bust the handle with a utility knife. Apparently there's bit of clue with form fitting of the handle that makes it so darn difficult to remove in any other way.
Do I have to change the sensors if I change brake pads?
Hell yeah cheap bum...
I'll add some stuff about teh ///M audio upgrade that i've found. Credit goes to anyone who found info on it.
The details for the connectors are
61.13-1 378 136 This is the 12 pin connector to go to the DSP sub connection. 1 of these.
61.13-1 378 132 This is the 4 pin connector to connect to the M subs. 2 of these.
61.13-1 376 193 This is the part number for the pin (1.0 - 2.5mm2) to fit both housings. 16 of these.
I purchased the subs through www.bmaparts.com, speak to Patrick ONLY. I paid $205 per sub. I have a 9/97 production 540i 6-spd with DSP, and i had to drill my own holes. I must add that this was a huge pain.
Hmmm . . . my notes are not quite as crisp as they seemed at the time:
Based on color coding of the wires, I have the following associations between the drivers and the wires in the connector, including polarity:
Rear left voicecoil 1 + yellow/red - gray/brown
Rear left voicecoil 2 + blue/white - blue/brown
Rear right voicecoil 1 + yellow/white - yellow/brown
Rear right voicecoil 2 + yellow/black - yellow/gray
I also think I use the wiring diagrams at http://www.bmwtips.com/ as reference. The connector my wires go into is a 12 pin connector, with the outside pins unused.
If you look at the attached picture, the following pin pairs each power 1 voicecoil:
5-4 3-2
11-10 9-8
(the subs are each have dual 8 ohm voicecoils)
Hope that helps.
I have folding seats and the sunshade...and i have a nasty rattle that seems to be caused by the sunshade because it goes away when i raise it. So if you have a sunshade, and a cure for this rattle, PLEASE let me know!
2011 535i xDrive M-Sport - 129k miles
2006 Mazdaspeed 6 - 128kmi
2016 Triumph Tiger 800 XRT - 4900mi
Last edited by bimmerd00d; 05-30-2006 at 03:12 PM.
M-tech/M5 bumper conversion
So everyone wants to know where and how much.... well..
Tony Downs
800-624-5410 Ext. 10
[email protected]
seriously wonder how he does it since his kits does include fog lights!!! yeah...
give him a call and he'll take care of ya... tell him dan sent ya. no affiliation but from all shopping experience i've had, he's got what it takes.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Sunshade Rattle
Is there a cure for my rear sunshade rattle when I turn up the bass?
Here is a possible solution courtesy of the m5board.com. Link to post and another one
Every time I see this title I think it says E39 ***. It is funny to me.
Got Vanos? Sucks to be you
Ever wonder why the 528/525's have like cold start issues where your car stalls or idles like a poorly tuned lawn mower?
BMWNA basically is giving you a big middle finger eventhough it's all been figured out that it's crap parts BMW engineers used that causes this.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
EDU: Detailing Guide and how to wash and wax your car in under an hour
Borrowed this from another forum I frequent. This will most likely be moved to another forum on here, but hopefully there will be a link to it. Sticky please?
First, I'll tell you how to wash and wax your car in an hour or less. This does not include any polishing so this method won't correct any defects. However, if your car is in good condition already or you just want it clean and protected, this method is excellent.
Products you will need:
2 gallon capacity bucket
1 wash pad, I like to use chenille covered foam pads
4-5 16" x 16" microfiber towels
2-3 terry cloth or cotton towels
Wheel brush(s)
Tire protectant
Glass Cleaner
Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine: http://www.ecocarcare.net/no-rinse-wash-shine.php
Optimum Car Wax: http://www.ecocarcare.net/car-wax.php
1. Using a capful or approximately one half ounce of Optimum No Rinse (ONR), add it to one gallon of water in the bucket.
2. Clean your wheels, tires and fenderwells using the ONR (Optimum No Rinse) mixture and your brushes, wipe dry with the terry cloth towels.
3. Dress the wheels and fenderwells with your tire dressing-and don't forget the fenderwells! Dirty fenderwells detract from an otherwise clean and shiny car!
The reason to do the wheels and fenderwells first is so when you apply the tire dressing, any overspray will be washed off the car during the washing step.
4. Empty out your bucket and refill with clean water, adding one half to one full ounce of ONR (less if relatively clean, more if really dirty).
5. Using a chenille covered foam pad or a wash mitt, wash one section of the car at a time and dry immediately using two microfiber towels, one for the first drying pass and making sure you leave a little moisture behind, use the other towel for a second drying pass. If you get the panel completely dry with the first towel, then don't go over it with the second towel because rubbing even a soft microfiber towel on dry paint can leave streaks.
Once you get the process down (it may take a couple washes to really nail it) you should be able to wash the body of your car in 20 minutes or less unless it is really filthy.
6. After washing open your doors, gas cap door and trunk or hatch and wipe down all the jambs.
7. Using Optimum Car Wax (OCW), spray onto a section at a time. Don't soak the panel, just a mist should do. Spread the wax over the panel, flip the towel and wipe to a haze free shine. If you can use a detail spray, you can use OCW, it is that easy. Depending on your area, wash habits, etc, you can expect 3-5 months durability. Honestly though, it is so easy to use you will probably use it every few washes. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to do the whole car. In fact, you can also apply it as you dry each section when washing with ONR to save even more time, or apply while washing and apply a second coat for even better protection with very little additional time spent.
8. Clean your glass inside and out.
Stand back and admire your shiny car! Take pics and post them!
There are several vendors who carry Optimum products, the one I would recommend first is www.exceldetail.com because he is an OT member and I believe we should support each other, plus he ships very fast, has excellent customer service, is an all around nice guy and he also carries a fine selection of microfiber towels, the rest of the Optimum product line as well as Clearkote, Poorboys, 4 Star, Propel buffing pads, etc.
Another excellent vendor is www.pakshak.com or the www.ecocarcare.net site, autogeek, etc.
Scottwax's Offical Comprehensive Detailing Guide***174;
- Wet/Dry Vacuum (>1.5 HP) w/ an assortment of nozzles and a thin crevice tool
- Bucket
- Spray nozzle-if washing conventionally
- Chenille covered foam pads, or wash mitts
- Wheel brush, thin brush for tight areas, interior brush w/ soft bristles
- Terrycloth towels (wiping/drying inteior, wheels, tires, door jambs)
- Microfiber towels (washing, removing product)
- Foam applicators (wax application)
- California Car Duster
- Q-Tips (Cleaning Vents)
Optional for power buffing:
-Porter Cable 7424 or 7336 (same buffer, 7336 has a larger counterweight so it runs a bit more smoothly).
-An assortment of 6.5" finishing, polishing and cutting pads. Polishing pads are your workhorse.
Detailing products
I have listed products I have personally used.
No Rinse Washing
Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine
Conventional Washing
Optimum Car Wash
Poorboys World Super Slick & Suds Concentrated Car Wash
Mothers California Car Wash
Meguiars Gold Class or NXT Car Wash
Kit Carnauba Wash
--honestly, any quality car wash soap should be fine. Do not use dish soap!. It strips wax from your paint and dries out your rubber seals and trim. Regular use will also dry out your paint.
Microfiber towels-waffle weaves for conventional washing, plush microfibers with Optimum No Rinse.
Wheel Cleaners
Personally, I don't use wheel cleaners. I prefer to use either ONR or when washing conventionally, car wash soap. If you keep your wheels clean there should be no reason to have to use a wheel cleaner. Improper use (as in not following directions and apply to a hot wheel) or using the wrong wheel cleaner on your rims can damage them and require refinishing to correct.
Clay Bars
Most of the clay bars now available are made by Clay Magic since they hold the original patent and sued the crap out of anyone who copied their clay-so really, the brand doesn't matter much.
Clay bars removing imbedding grit, contamination, tree sap, paint overspray, etc from your paint. If you run your hand over your just washed paint and it has a gritty feel at all, you need to clay. This will pull all that gunk out of your paint leaving it glass smooth.
Spray a quick detail product (usually clay kits include the spray) onto your paint (about a 2' x 2' section) and rub the clay bar using moderate pressure over the paint. When it glides effortlessly and quietly over your paint, wipe off the clay lube and move on to the next area.
Polishes and compounds
My favorite polishes and compounds are:
Optimum Polish, Compound and Hyper Compound
Meguiars #83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish and #80 Speed Glaze
Clearkote Compound and Blue Moose Cutting Creme
Poorboy's SSR line (3, 2.5, 2, 1)
Menzerna Intensive Polish and Final Polish
Use by hand:
Use a terry cloth towel, folded into 1/8ths size to form a thick pad and so you can apply even pressure. Use moderate pressure, enough to build up some warmth on the towel and work the product into the paint until it looks nearly clear and dry, then wipe off immediately. Refold the towel and move on to the next section.
By Porter Cable polisher
Using a polishing pad, apply a circle of product about 1" from the edge of the pad and for the first couple of areas, before turning on the PC, spread the product over a 1' x 1' area to prevent dry buffing. With the pad pressed lightly against the paint, turn on the PC and set it to '5' and spread the product over a 2' x 2' area using moderate pressure. Kick the speed up to 6 and slow down your passes to about 1/2-1" per second with 50% overlapping passes, up/down, across, diagonally. Use enough pressure to lightly bog the PC and then back off just enough to pick the speed back up. Work the polish until it begins to clear or dry. Wipe off excess product, inspect your work, one or more additional applications may be needed with heavy defects.
Always start with a medium grade polish and a polishing pad and step up the aggressiveness of the polish before moving up to a cutting pad.
Final Polishes and Glazes
You will use these to further refine your finish or if the paint is in good condition and you just want to add more depth and pop to the finish prior to waxing.
Optimum Polish with a finishing pad can be used as a final polish
Clearkote's Vanilla Moose and Red Moose Machine Glaze
Menzerna FPII or PO106FF (at $50 a quart!)
Poorboy's Professional Polish or Polish with Carnauba
Jeff's Werkstatt's Prime, Prime Carnauba or Prime Strong
Klasse All in One
Just a suggestion-You can mix in about 30% of Clearkote's Red Moose Machine Glaze into either Menzerna polish to cut down on dusting and add more depth to the super clear wet shine of Menzerna.
As a rule, waxes have a deeper, more liquid look than sealants, protect a little better against bird bombs but need to be reapplied more often than sealants.
Clearkote Carnauba Moose
Optimum Car Wax
Poorboy's Natty's and Natty's Blue Paste
Meguiars #16 (discontinued, you may be able to find a few vendors who still have it, still sold in the UK though), #26 in liquid or paste
Collinite 845 Insulator Wax
P21S or S100 Paste Wax-the S100 is essentially the same as P21S but widely available at Harley Davidson dealers and costs less too!
Pinnacle Souveran-yeah it is $70 but amazing on black and red paint, good for 50+ applications
Jeff's Werkstatt Carnauba Jett-spray carnauba
Jeff's Werkstatt Acrylic Jett and Acrylic Jett Trigger (Trigger is in spray for, extremely easy to use).
Poorboy's EX-P and EX w/carnauba
Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket
4 Star Ultimate Paint Protection
Zaino Z2 Pro and Z5
Klasse Sealant Glaze
Meguiars #20 Polymer Sealant, NXT High Tech Wax, or #21 Sealant
Quick Detail Sprays
You can use these after washing to give you the 'just waxed' look.
Clearkote's Quikshine
Poorboy's Spray and Gloss
Jeff's Werkstatt Acrylic Glos-meant to be used with the Werkstatt system, but should be fine over any sealant
Meguiars #34 Final Inspection
Zaino Z-6 or Z-8
Wax Shop's Slick Stuff
Interior Cleaning Products
I use an 8:1 mixture of water and Woolite (the laundry soap version) in a spray bottle as my interior cleaner (8 parts water, 1 part Woolite). You can use it on leather, vinyl, carpet, fabric, etc. Spray, scrub with a small brush with nylon bristles as needed, wipe up and wet vac as needed.
Meguiars and several other manufacturers have great all purpose cleaners that are safe for most interior surfaces but read the label first! I'd only recommened the water/Woolite mixture for leather though.
Interior Protectants
Vinyl, rubber and weather stripping-
Optimum Protectant Plus
Meguiars #40, Meguiars Interior Quick Detailer, Natural Shine Vinyl & Rubber Protectant
Poorboy's Natural Look Dressing
Armor All Original Shine
Meguiars Gold Class Leather Conditioner
Turtle Wax's Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
Tanner's Preserves
Leather Master's Leather Vital (it ain't cheap!)
Glass cleaners:
Meguiars NXT Glass Cleaner
Eagle 20/20 Class Cleaner
Stoners Invisible Glass
Tire/fenderwell dressing:
Armor All Original Shine
Poorboy's Bold N Bright Tire Dressing
Optimum Tire Shine
Meguiars Hyper Dressing (can be cut with water up to 4:1)
Trim dressing:
Meguiars #38 Tire and Trim Gel
Poorboy's Trim Restorer
Mothers Back to Black
Engine Cleaning
1. Make sure engine is warm, but not hot. Cold engines are harder to remove grease and oil from.
** Check the directions on the engine cleaner/degreaser you are using, though. Some specifically say to clean the engine when cold only. **
2. Cover your distributor (if you do not know what or where it is, get a manual for your car), alternator and fuse box. Most electronics under your hood are adequately sealed for rain water splashing up on them, but high pressure water is another story.
3. Spray Greased Lightning's Orange Blast (my preferred engine degreaser) liberally all over your engine and engine bay. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. If your engine is really dirty, then after the 5 minutes, spray it down again and wait an additional 5 minutes.
4. Spray the engine and engine bay with high pressure rinse water - but even though your distributor may be covered, still use lower pressure around it to be on the safe side.
5. Any remaining grime, spray again with Orange Blast, and use a stiff brush if needed. Rinse again.
6. Remove the plastic coverings and start the engine. Let it run until it is dry. You will have to dry the painted surfaces in the engine bay and the underside of the hood with a towel.
7. Dress any hoses, etc. you want with rubber/vinyl dressing.
2011 535i xDrive M-Sport - 129k miles
2006 Mazdaspeed 6 - 128kmi
2016 Triumph Tiger 800 XRT - 4900mi
Will other BMW rims fit E39's?
No... not really. The problem is other 3/5/6/7/8/Z8 BMWs have a 72.56mm wheel hub...whereas the E39 5 series has a 74.1mm wheel hub. you would also have to check the offsets as well.
It takes a lot of work to be lazy.
Check Service Engine Soon Light before buying.
Learn from my experience and check the "service engine soon" light before buying a used BMW. It's possible to tamper with this light so it doesn't light when it's supposed to be lit.
The easiet way to check for the proper operation of the light, put the car ignition in accessory mode and ensure that all dashboard lights are lit, including the SES light. If while the ignition is in acc mode and the SES light isn't lit, be wary!
Better yet, if the vehicle has the high board computer option (you can tell if you have a BC button on your radio/MID display) you can follow the instructions in this article to enter test mode: http://www.ideaphile.com/bmw/540-obc.html
I would suggesting running TEST-NR. 02 which will also force all dash lights to be lit. Check to make sure the SES lights up again here.
I would also suggest running TEST-NR. 14 which will display any stored ECU fault codes. This list of 5 entries should be all 0's if no fault codes exist.
It may be helpful to print the referenced article and bring it with you so you don't need to remember howto unlock or enter test mode.
Key battery losing power/dead? (Black fat key, not silver triangle key)
The replacements are very cheap (I found an 8-pack on ebay for $4.00 shipped) -- CR1220 Lithium Battery.
Just use a knife to pop open the back of the batter (there's a rectangle with a little spot where you can put the knife to pop it off). Unscrew the two phillips screws (need a pretty small screw driver), and just replace the battery. Make sure you put it in right side up
Paint getting scratched off door handles on inside?
There is no replacement part for this without replacing the entire door, so you have to sand, prime, and paint. It's a pretty simple process, just make sure you tape up the area well so you don't get any paint on your leather.
I found a great match for anyone with sand interior. Can't remember the name atm but I'll post it here soon. If anyone knows good matches for their interior just pm me and i'll put it in here
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text:
Organising a Quiz Night ? Here are some tips.
If you've been assigned the job of organising your first quiz night you might be a little nervous. Well hopefully the information provided here will give you an overview of what you need to do and put your mind at rest.
If you're an old hand then some of what follows may be familiar to you but I expect even you will find some ideas and tips that you can add to your Quiz Master arsenal.
The main thing to keep in mind at all times is that a quiz night is great fun for all involved and if your quiz night is raising money for a good cause you can pull in some valuable funds at the same time. If you as the quiz organiser lose sight of how fun the quiz night can be so will everyone else. So put a smile on your dial and expect to have a good time.
The basic structure of a Quiz Night
- The Organisers arrive at the venue.
- Distribute pens/pencils to each table.
- Distribute table games (what is a quiz night table game ?)
Make sure scorers have a copy of the questions and answers and a way to record each teams score.
(you can use a piece of grid paper, MS Excel on a laptop, or software such as Quiz Night Chief)
- Make sure the MC / announcer / person reading out the questions, has a copy of the script for the night. The script should contain the questions as well as instructions for any sponsor mentions and special announcements to be made.
Participating teams arrive.
- Someone greets people as they enter and collects their entrance fee. If people have paid in advance the person collecting money from people who are paying on the night will need a list of prepaid teams or people.
- Each team is asked to provide their team name to the scorers.
The Quiz Begins (Yipee!)
- The MC / announcer welcomes everyone and makes sure everyone has paid and provided their team name to scorer.
Quiz Round - Repeated for each round of the Quiz Night
- The MC / announcer reads out the questions for the first round. Pausing for 30 seconds or so between each question so that teams may confer and decide on their answers.
- After all the questions have been read the MC asks one person from each team to bring their answer sheets to the scorer's table. (Note : you may wish to stagger the handing in of answer sheets, so the answer sheets for round 1 are handed in after round 2, and the answer sheets for round 2 are handed in after round 3 etc).
- The scorers compare the answers on the answer sheet to the correct answers and total the score for each round for each team. The round score is recorded on a score sheet / Excel / Quiz Night Chief.
- The MC / announcer may read through the answers from a previous round.
- The MC / announcer may remind the teams that they need to hand in table game sheets.
- There MC / announcer may declare a halfway 10-20 minute break so people may stretch their legs.
- There MC / announcer may read out or show the current standings, how many points each team is on.
The Final Round Ends
- After the questions for the final round have been read and the answer sheets collected the MC / announcer may declare a short break so that the scorers can calculate the total team scores.
- The winning team is announced, there may be a prize for the first, second, third and last placed teams.
- The MC thanks the organisers and asks everyone to drive home safely.
Tips to make your Quiz Night fun for one and all
- Make sure you provide the opportunity for people to leave their seats and stretch their legs. Perhaps you will have a half time break or include some novelty games that require people to stand up.
- If you are running a fundraising quiz night allow people who wish to dispute a question answer to challenge for a fee. If they are prepared to pay the challenge fee their dispute will be put to the room and by a show of hands (or calling out) the room will decide if their complaint will be accepted.
- Not everything has to be as simple as writing on a piece of paper. There are many games you can include in your quiz night that are more creative and tactile than writing answers on paper. For example you can award points to the first team that can bring specific items to the scorer's table. You might ask the teams to bring a comb, a paperclip, a red pen and an American Express credit card to the scorers desk for example. The first team to do will can be awarded bonus points. There are many table game ideas that are more fun than just writing down answers.
Tips on selecting Questions
- Topical relevant questions are the most interesting.
Topical questions are related to recent events. You can even throw in a few questions based on news items on the day of the quiz. You can ask questions about films that are currently showing.
Relevant questions are specific to the context of your quiz. If you are running a quiz night for a local school for examples, make sure you include some questions about the school's buildings, it's history or staff.
- Multiple choice questions take longer to read through than simple question and answer questions but they are more fun for people who do not know the answer. If I ask you to name the capital of Sierra Leone you quickly know whether you know or not. If on the other hand I ask you to choose between Abuja, Accra and Freetown you can weigh the possibilities and try and rule out options even if you are not sure. Multiple choice questions allow more team discussion, they are more fun, and hence should make up a large number of your questions.
This document is a work in progress. If you think we've missed something here or you have an addition to suggest please email us at email@example.com, we would love to hear from you!


text:
The WCSU Student Veterans Organization
The Student Veterans Organization (SVO) is a club established in 2009 to acknowledge the needs of Western veterans who wish to better integrate into the university community. Officially recognized and endorsed by the Student Government Association, the SVO is comprised of student veterans who wish to support and serve other veterans – at WCSU and abroad – in a number of ways. For example, the SVO collects items to be sent overseas as part of an ongoing effort called Operation Care Package.
The club also plans to host a number of benefit dinners and will sponsor a variety of fund raising activities in the coming year. These "Combat to College" events will assist Western veterans from all branches of the military who are in the process of transitioning to civilian life and to the college environment. With the continued help and support of Western's dedicated faculty and staff and generous contributions made by members of the greater Danbury area, the SVO plans to continue expanding its support of veterans at Western and our troops around the world.
The SVO is located in the Student Center, Room 208, on the Midtown campus. The veterans room was dedicated for use by WCSU to honor and support our student veterans.
The SVO offers student veterans:
- Four semi-private work stations, equipped with computers
- TV lounge
- Snacks
- 24-hour access with WestCONNect Card/Veteran I.D. Card


text:
|Nature of the spring will dream ...
On Saturday I heard a kind soul (her name was Bernadette, that is all I remember) discussing on Radio 4 Saturday Live how she had resolved to do a random act of kindness every day for a year, and had found it so rewarding that she was continuing her project even after the year of good deeds had ended.
And then yesterday I read about a fellow blogger and crafter, Gretel Parker, and how her life has taken a most tragic turn recently.
And I have also read about the way in which the good fairies of Blogland have rallied round and are trying to help Gretel.
If you too would like to commit a random act of kindness today and help Gretel, then you can do so here.
|... the stillness where our spirits walk
Or if you would like to buy a ticket in a raffle with the most amazing array of prizes donated by bloggers, then you can find out more here.
|Two roads diverged
And whatever the nature of the blessings you are able to give out today, I hope that you receive them back a hundredfold.