text:
Online security is a major concern for many people. No one wants their site hacked and removed, and certainly no one wants to have viruses on their site that can affect their visitors. While it's impossible to have foolproof security, there are ways you can secure your site in order to give it the most protection possible. WordPress is a site filled with risks, and we'll explore those now.
The Problem with WordPress
If you haven't had any problems with your website when it comes to security, you may think that it's unlikely you will ever be hacked. After all, you're probably not a celebrity, you don't own a powerful company, and hackers shouldn't be interested in you. However, this is not the case. Even under-the-radar blogs can be hacked.
Hackers don't need a motivation to attack. You don't have to be their enemies, you don't have to have a huge or controversial website, and you don't have to be a famous person. The motivation for your site getting hacked can be a simple one, and that's your site is easy to hack. Hackers enjoy ruining people who don't have their site secured. So let's look at the biggest ways that you can actually secure your site.
Create a backup of your site so you can restore it if it does get hacked.
Put extra security measures into your site that will make it harder for hackers to compromise it.
Let's look at a WordPress site and what it consists of. First, it consists of the database. The database keeps all your content, settings, and files on the server, which has all your plugins, themes, images and more.
To back up your database, consider installing the WP-DBmanager plugin. This allows you to create backups of the database automatically at different intervals, and by emailing them to you, you can keep them around and restore them whenever.
Backing Up Your Files
Your hosting provider should give you the easiest ways to back up your files, but some of them don't give you the features you want. One good host, if you can switch, is Hostgator, which gives you a weekly backup on all accounts, as long as you meet their maximum allowed storage.
By installing different WP websites on one account, you'll probably go past the limit. If you see a message on the sidebar saying that the backup has failed, you've more than likely reached the backup.
Another hoster, StormOnDemand, has a backup that is fully customizable. It creates daily backups, which allow you to store them for about 90 days. While you have to pay for it, it's not pricy.
If you just want to enhance you backup experience, look at the service known as SiteAutoBackup. If you have a cPanel account for hosting, you can backup your site daily and keep them for a month. At two dollars a month for starting, it gives you extra security without draining your wallet.
Now that you have a proper backup, all you have to do is click a few times when your site is compromised to restore it back to normal. Now we need to add more measures to make sure that you won't even have to back up.
Updating your WordPress
On the Internet, there are forums for any topic you can think of. From commonplace activities to the most bizarre conspiracies out there, there's something out there for everyone. So it's no surprise that there are sites dedicated to exploiting security flaws in sites. If someone reads about these, they can try to use it on your site. This is all the reason a hacker needs to bring down your site, a motivation from curiosity. Thankfully, these flaws are fixed with updates, and WordPress allows you to click once in order to update.
It's common sense to update your WordPress and your plugins. If you have a previous version, it's prone to bugs, which are fixed in the new update. So while updating may be a chore, it's something we should all do. It's even more of a chore if you have multiple WP sites. With that said, there are plugins that can update them all at once. Look at manageWP or WP Mass Updater in order to update everything.
If you install new plugins, you need to make sure that they're all up-to-date. You need to see if they have the latest version, and check to see if it's been updated recently. A plugin that rarely gets updated is more prone to security risks.
Of course, people don't have to take the backdoor to compromise your site if the front door is easy to unlock. If someone has your password, all they have to do is log on and cause damage to your site. Therefore, it's common sense not to use simple passwords. Don't use your birthdate, your name, or anything else to make up your password.
To keep track of your password, check out LastPass, which is free. LastPass creates one secure master password, and it generates secure passwords for every account automatically. Of course, if someone gets a hold of your manager, they will be able to get everything you have. However, it's less of a risk than using non-secure passwords.
You can also use secure passwords with random words, but it's hard to remember this, and you're going to need lots of memory in order to do this.
Also, your username shouldn't be "admin" or your display name. In order to change your username, go to Users and then Your Profile. You can change your nickname to something that no one will guess.
Securing Your FTP
If you're on a standard FTP (file transfer protocol) connection, it may be useful for organizing and managing your server files, but it's un-encrypted, which means that people can see your username and password if they intercept it.
Instead, consider using a secured FTP connection, or SFTP. First, enable your SSH (secure shell) enabled on your account, and you need to set your FTP so it uses SFTP. Your username and password should connect. If you use Hostgator, log in to the client and click on View Hosting Package in the sidebar menu. Then, you should click on Enable Shell Access.
SSH is enabled by default if you use StormOnDemand, so if it's not, ask for help and you should get the problem fixed.
Afterwards, you should install FileZilla, which is a free FTP client that's available for all major OS. Open it and go to File and then Site Manager. Set your host to your domain that's registered, and precede this by "ftp" or enter the IP address of your server. If you use Hostgator, enter "2222." If you use, StormOnDemand, keep it blank. Select SFTP on the Protocol drop-down menu, and select your login type as Normal. Enter the cPanel login data, click connect, and there you go. That's all you need to have in order to get a SFTP connection on all your files.
BulletProof Security Plugin
This is a WP plugin that will protect your files by creating htaccess files. This means that attacks via code injections will be protected, and it hides your version number as well as recommends you as to how you should change permissions in your files.
CloudFlare is a free service, and all you have to do is sign up for it and make sure that you install the plugin as well. It's a caching tool and it helps to increase the loading speed of your site. So what does it do for your security? Well, it blocks requests from sources that are known for maliciousness, including spambots and bots that look for info. It's a great service to use, and best of all, as we said, it's free!
No matter how unknown your site is, it can be hacked, and it can ruin your life. Thankfully, by securing it, you're lessening your chances. If it's hard to hack, then they'll give up, since you don't have much to offer, anyway. As we said before, though, securing it 100% is impossible. That's why you need to back up your site as much as you can in order to make it secure. All you have to do is install the backup, and soon you won't have to risk anything!


text:
The Five Rudest Things You Can Do Online
Ever since "Manners in a Digital World" came out I have been asked repeatedly, "What do you mean by online manners? There is no such thing!" Emily Post, my great-great grandmother, said "Whenever two people come together you have etiquette… Etiquette is simply how people's lives touch one another." This is the very definition of what happens online. People come together in remarkable ways, and at the same time create new manners and etiquettes to govern their relationships and interactions.
It is precisely because these new manners are evolving that it is easy to make mistakes. Someone who is new to the online world may not recognize that an expected behavior has become a new norm. Here are five of the most common mistakes people make online.
1. Griping about coworkers, bosses, or a bad day at work on social media. Venting, particularly after a hard day at work can feel so good. Social media is just too public a forum for such subjective emotional content. Anyone can see your gripes, maybe even the person you are griping about, and that can be damaging to your professional reputation.
2. Posting embarrassing pictures. Smartphones and their cameras are ubiquitous and posting pictures is now as easy as posting a tweet. While you may think a photo is appropriate, others may view it as embarrassing or invading privacy. A few weeks ago the current President of South Africa shared video he took with Nelson Mandela while visiting him in his hospital room. The pictures raised concerns about appropriateness, as most people viewed the meeting as private. Failing to respect personal privacy can cause offense even when the picture itself is not inappropriate. When in doubt, ask someone before you post a picture online.
3. Auto-filled email, tweet, text, or IM recipient gets the wrong message. This mistake is all too easy to make. Auto-fill grabs Peter your boss instead of Peter your friend and you press "send." Especially on those important or sensitive messages, make a practice of double-checking the recipient one last time before you hit send, tweet, post, or share.
4. Scooping important news on social media. If it's not your news to share, wait. In the rush to congratulate or offer condolence people can make the mistake of inadvertently revealing very personal information about family or friends. This often-hurtful mistake can be the result of the best of intentions. Ask yourself if the person who is most affected would want you to be the one to share this news. If the answer is no, then don't share any further.
5. Disrupting a good conversation. When a comment or discussion thread gets interesting, it can be tempting to jump in and offer your two cents. The same rules that apply to in-person conversations apply online. Don't interrupt when others are talking; allow a developing back and forth to continue and wait for a break before joining in. Don't jump off topic or bring up subjects that are likely to derail a conversation. And don't feed the trolls – ignore those who are intentionally disruptive. They are attention seekers and the less they get the quicker they will go away.
In a constantly evolving online society, we face new choices about behaviors that are acceptable and unacceptable. A pet peeve, or common annoyance can provide insight for self-assessment. Often, the best option for correcting bad behavior that we see in others is to model the behavior we would prefer to see. That is ultimately how we work together to set standards and manners that build the communities of which we want to be part.
Daniel Post Senning is the author of "Manners in a Digital World." He is the great-great-grandson of Emily Post and a co-author of "Emily Post's Etiquette, 18th edition."
Most Popular Videos
Most Popular Articles
U.S. Army Tries New Recruiting Tactics After Missing Targets
Fed Intervenes to Curb Soaring Short-Term Borrowing Costs
iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max Review: The Battery Life We've Been Dying For
U.S., Saudi Military Forces Failed to Detect Attack on Oil Facilities
Cokie Roberts, Longtime Political Journalist, Dies at 75

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"I don't like confiscation of wealth and I don't like redistribution."
— Clay S. Jenkinson portraying Thomas Jefferson
My core conviction is that the American people are less divided than they seem. That the American people are hungry for something more authentic in the national arena. That people are more reasonable and open-minded than they seem.
Civilized nations enact reasonable laws to prevent create a more perfect union, encourage domestic tranquility, secure the lives and fortune of their citizens, and prevent mayhem.
Drifting down the river in the afternoon, gazing up at the blue blue sky, slipping past golden eagles as if they were sparrows or wrens, examining the famous White Cliffs that Lewis said had the feeling of "scenes of visionary enchantment," and at times just pulling the paddles into the canoe to feel the gentle but inexorable tug of the continent, this too is paradise on earth.
I thank God that I was alive when it happened. It was surely the greatest human achievement in my lifetime, one of the handful of greatest moments since we crawled out of the sea and found a way to stand upright.
There is no greater freedom than being somewhere in the American West with nowhere you have to be, ambling in search of the perfect platonic campsite, living on little, and just giving yourself to all that astonishing open public land.


text:
fortecfiles brauchte ein neues Website Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 13 Designs von 3 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
We are shortly going to launch an advertising company and as everyone knows first impressions count,
so we are looking for a design that will show us as professionals and provide immediate information on what we are and what we do.
Convert Clix To Cash!
Desired Color Scheme:
Eye catching colours, but not too bright.
Desired Style:
Professional / corporate yet stylish.
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai); Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff)
I have been looking through some other advertising websites and picked out a few that I like.
This website Is something that we are looking for we really like the colours and the layout although we dont want a complete clone this will give you a good idea what we are looking for.
We also like the layout of this, so maybe a mix of the two websites, nice professional eye catching colours but not too bright and the combined layout.Â


text:
It's October and if you live in the Tri-state area that means two things: Halloween and New York Comic Con.
[ Click here to go directly to the photos]
The four-day convention celebrating comics, television, and film is taking place at the Javits Center in Manhattan from October 10-13.
While we got excited for the panels, screenings, and exclusives on the showroom floor, one of the main draws is for fans to show off their best costumes. This is their Halloween.
Referred to as cosplay (costume play), many attendees go dressed as their favorite comic, television, or movie character.
Some even head over in their own original, unique looks.
Here were the best costumes we saw as we made our way across the convention floor through a sea of Teen Titans, Deadpools, and Batmen.
Not familiar with the superhero? Watch this.
Here are the coolest things we saw at NYCC >
Want to check out more cosplay?


text:
D-Wade, Capri Pants and Doing Awesome..
Dwyane Wade. What does he have to do with me? One thing leads to another and now, he is part of my blog post. Allow me to set the stage. The other day, Wade who is a shooting guard/point guard for the Miami Heat (that's basketball for those who don't follow) showed up at Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals wearing skinny capri pants. He pulled it off with a double-breasted jacket and a pair of loafers, less the socks. It became the talk of sports radio and while it was a bit different, I thought it was bold and daring and I liked it.
This leads me to Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio. Mike Greenberg decided to give this outfit a test drive with items from his own wardrobe. He almost pulled it off except it works best with skinny capri pants. I digress!
I know, where is this going? Stay with me. I am sure this is not new and I must have been out of the loop but Mike said something that caught my attention: wake up, be awesome, go to bed. Not sure if Wade follows this mantra but I would change it to "wake up, "do" awesome, go to bed. What do you think?
So, my challenge for you is to "do" awesome this week. I plan to send mail to several young kids at my church. Who doesn't like receiving something special in the mail? I sent a card to a young boy several weeks ago to encourage him and his mother told me that he never gets mail and was so excited when my card arrived. See, such a little gesture but it meant so much.
We aren't all NBA super stars, winning games and setting fashion trends but we can do awesome things! Now go, do awesome!!
Image created with A Beautiful Mess IPhone app.


text:
"The only thing I know is I ain't changing my brand. I know what I believe. I'm confident in what I know. And I'm gonna say it. And if folks like it, wonderful. If they don't like it, I understand."
Vice President Joe Biden and I were riding the Amtrak to Philly on a frigid February day. I had asked about 2016 and whether America was ready, at long last, to elect a guy with such a mouth. There he was, barely cracking double digits in the polls, abandoned by the party big shots, and appearing, beyond all good sense, like he wanted nothing more than another crack at the presidency.
Story Continued Below
J oe Biden was gearing up for the 2012 campaign when Ted Kaufman mailed him a quote, in one of his periodic attempts to gently steer the high-maintenance muscle car that is his best friend and surrogate brother. The passage came from the soon-to-be Pope John XXIII, circa 1945, and was meant as a reminder that Biden, while on the brink of another four-year term, was reaching an age of reflection and reckoning. "I must not disguise myself from the truth," the quote began. "I am definitely approaching old age. My mind resents this and almost rebels, for I still feel so young, eager, agile and alert. But one look in the mirror disillusions me. This is the season of maturity."
(Click here for a Q and A with author Glenn Thrush)
Biden's reply, scrawled on the original missive, came back fast, as if he had just been sitting there waiting for a chance to argue the point, in the form of another quote, this one from the poet Dylan Thomas. "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Biden may rage, but by any reasonable reckoning, night is falling on his singular four-decade political career. At 71, he is in the second year of a second White House term, restless in his role as second fiddle to Barack Obama, especially now that he is once again being upstaged by Hillary Clinton, Obama's presumed Democratic heir. The tickled-alligator grin is still famously affixed to Biden's face, but there's a lot more going on behind those Ray-Bans these days.
Joe Biden in winter is still basically a happy warrior, but the past couple years have been a struggle for both relevance and leverage—a fight largely hidden from public view, between the presidential dreams he can't quite relinquish and the shrinking parameters of a job he described to me as derivative, borrowed and "totally reflective of the president's power."
Almost all White House partnerships deteriorate in the end, undone by diverging politics, festering policy disputes—or simply human fatigue amid the strains of trying to turn what is inevitably a shotgun marriage into a love match. Bill Clinton and Al Gore were barely on speaking terms by the time the disputed 2000 election came around, with Gore furious at Clinton's sexual indiscretions and Clinton appalled at Gore's lame political skills. Even the celebrated team of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney came unraveled by the final few years, as Bush abandoned the hawkish policies of his veep and turned to a more conciliatory set of advisers.
How does this one end?
When we talk, Biden tells me he'll respond by embracing "my guy" Obama even harder, but it's clear he could use his guy to reciprocate: Over the past year, Harry Reid, the ornery Senate majority leader, has elbowed Biden out of the budget process he dominated not so long ago, and the White House seems OK with that. There was even the report last fall, over-torqued but nonetheless embarrassing, that Obama's team had mused about booting Biden off the 2012 ticket in favor of Hillary Clinton. As if that wasn't bad enough, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has taken it as his own personal mission to dismantle Biden's elder statesman status, declaring in his recent memoir that Biden had been "wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades."
Looming over it all is the question of whether Biden will run in 2016. "He's in a predicament. It's so big, it's almost literary," a member of Obama's inner circle told me, shortly after a Washington Post/ABC poll showed Clinton leading Biden by an epic 73 to 12 percent, the widest margin ever recorded for a presidential frontrunner. "Never in his entire life has this man been better positioned to get the thing he most wants: the presidency. He's climbed almost all the way to the top. And guess what? Somebody moved the ladder. How would you deal with that?"
He's climbed almost all the way to the top. And guess what? Somebody moved the ladder. How would you deal with that?"
Forget the politics. Biden is enduring a trial that many people of his age—and that includes 66-year-old Hillary Clinton—are forced to confront: He can see the end of the road approaching, and fast, but the gas gauge still reads full. Biden simply isn't ready to quit. It's not clear he even knows how. He's a comeback addict, a restless striver who believes that anyone who isn't climbing is falling. Besides, it's a much, much smarter bet to keep people guessing, no matter what he finally decides: Nobody in D.C. gains influence by declaring they are playing out the string. And sure enough, Biden has been out making that very point during a spate of media appearances this winter, insisting his decision won't have anything to do with Clinton's. "I honestly don't know what I'm going to do," he told me after an event in late January. "I'll make the decision after the [2014] midterms. I've got a lot on my plate."
Laugh if you want, but Biden is seriously considering a run, to hell with the naysayers who insist he is too old (73 in 2016) and too undisciplined ("Bidenism" after all, has its own entry in the Urban Dictionary). Every one of the dozen Biden friends I interviewed predicted he wouldn't actually run for president in 2016. Then again, every single one also said it wouldn't be a surprise if he jumped in at the last minute to "keep this great ride going as long as possible," as one veteran Biden staffer told me.
"He's driven, that's the best way to put it," says Bruce Reed, who was Biden's chief of staff from 2011 through the end of 2013. "He wants to be part of it all. … It's not really ambition in the traditional sense. It's a restless energy, the desire to keep going. … You never know what you are going to get."
It's a January morning in Detroit, and Joe Biden is running late. The snow is blowing sideways outside the MotorCity Hotel and Casino, a silver and neon Edsel of a place overlooking blocks of curiously tidy abandoned lots and many, many liquor stores. Biden's motorcade is idling uneasily 15 minutes past his scheduled 9 a.m. departure time, and one of his Secret Service guys, the one who hates flying as much as Biden loves it, is peering at his watch, wondering how many times they are going to have to de-ice Air Force Two before the scheduled wheels-up at noon. Biden, whose carefree reputation belies an obsession with preparation, is upstairs laboring over the speech he will deliver at the nearby auto show.
The show is a high point of the year for Detroit, a city that can't even afford to maintain its streetlights, and a good-as-it-gets photo op for the vice president in a midterm election year. But Detroit is still a surreal mix of rebirth and rot, and there is palpable disappointment that Biden, not Obama, has come to visit a troubled place that is among the nation's bluest politically and blackest demographically.


text:
"Experiential learning is an essential component of taking disciplined understanding and applying it in the workforce."
My expertise is 30+years as a senior executive. Experiential learning is an essential component of taking disciplined understanding and applying it in the workforce. Theory of understanding. Candidates receive disciplined frameworks. They're receiving disciplined information, and when they put it into practice, it becomes actionable knowledge. I got my doctorate late in life. I retired and was living a nice life, but I decided I wanted to give back to the community that offered me so much. From my standpoint, it was essential for me to give to the community that gave me opportunities along the way.
The other aspect is, I teach organizational leadership. What I bring to organization leadership is framing within three intelligences - cognitive, emotional and social intelligence. When you got to become an MBA candidate, it was your cognitive that got you here, then you used emotional intelligence for two years and finally application into social intelligence. That is my framework of leadership understanding. We know empirically that 15 percent comes from cognitive intelligence. So, I spend a lot of time on emotional and social intelligence because they're 85 percent of what will make you successful.
Professor Ettner's 30 year career as an executive focused on the building and operation of publicly held and private companies. A graduate of Willamette University (1973), University of Oregon (1975 – Masters of Urban Planning), and Case Western Reserve University (2006 - Doctor of Management), Ettner operated a NYSE Real Estate Investment Trust and most recently (1990 – 2000), a private partnership with Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette (Credit Suisse).
Ettner semi–retired in 2001 to pursue personal investments and transition to teaching management. During this time he facilitated learning at Case Western Reserve University (corporate governance and ethics), Lake Forest Graduate School of Management (leadership), Loyola University – Chicago (strategic management and real estate strategy and investment), and Atkinson Graduate School of Management (organizational leadership, managing organizations – Oregon Ethics in Business Award project, and PACE experiential learning). He presently serves on a private company's board of directors, is President of the Doctor of Management Association (Case Western), is a Deans Advisory Council member (Weatherhead School of Management), and various faculty committees. In 2005 Ettner was selected as a national examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. His hobbies include golf, skiing, scuba diving, and Oregon wine tasting.
Professor Ettner is also a Managing Partner at Trinity Capital Partners, LLC.
- D.M., Case Western Reserve University
- M.U.P., University of Oregon
- B.A., Willamette University
Areas of Instruction
Experiential learning - the application of information to become knowledge.
Organizational leadership in emotional and social intelligence.
Early Career MBA - PACE Program Coordinator (Non-Profit Partnership, Leading in an Ethical and Sustainable Organization.
MBA for Professionals - LEAD. Managing organizations; design and change.
Selected Publications
Ahn, M. & Ettner. L. (2013). "Cultural Intelligence (CQ) in MBA Curricula," in Multicultural Education & Technology Journal.
Ahn, M. & Ettner, L. (2013). "Values-Based Leadership: Enduring Lessons from the Aeneid," in G.P. Prastacos, et al (Eds.), Leadership and Management in a Changing World, Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg.
Ahn, M. & Ettner, L. (2013). "Are Leadership Values Different Across Generations? : A Comparative Leadership Analysis of CEOs and MBAs," in Journal of Management Development.
Ettner, L. & Ahn, M. (2012). "Wrangling Along: Governance and Leadership Principles and Applications," in Wells, P. & Mueller, J. (Eds.), Cases of Contemporary Challenges in Corporate Governance, Oxford, UK: RossiSmith Academic Publications Ltd.
Ahn, M., Ettner, L., & Loupin, A. (2012). "Values v. Traits-Based Approaches to Leadership: Insights from an Analysis of the Aeneid," in Leadership & Organization Development Journal, volume 33, no. 2, p. 112-130.
Ahn, M. & Ettner, L. (2011). "Using the Humanities to Teach Values-Based Leadership," in Wankel, C. and Stachowicz-Stanusch, A. (Eds), Effectively Integrating Ethical Dimensions into Business Education, Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Ahn, M., Ettner, L. & Loupin, A. (2011). "From Classical to Contemporary Leadership Challenges: A Values-Based Leadership View," in Journal of Leadership Studies, volume 5, issue 1, p.6-22.
Ettner, L. (2006). Corporate Governance In The Era of Sarbanes-Oxley: Regulation, Governance, and Performance, research report.
Ettner, L. (2005). Corporate Governance In The Era of Sarbanes-Oxley: Governance Types and Trust Dynamics, research report.
Ettner, L. (2005). Corporate Governance In The Era of Sarbanes-Oxley: Board Transformation, Cultural Adaptation, and Creative Tension, research report.Ettner, L. (2004). Corporate Governance In The Era of Sarbanes-Oxley, research report.
Selected Presentations
Regulation, Governance, and Performance: Dynamics of Organizational. Responses to Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Academy of Management paper presentation (August 2006).
Trans-Sectoral Lessons for Governance: Concepts and Findings for Effective Board Engagement. ARNOVA panel presentation (November 2006).
Ethics within Organizational Leadership. Society for Human Resource Management presentation (October 2008).
Judicial Organizational Transformation. Seminar presentation to the Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice, Oregon Appeals Court Chief Judge, and 27 Oregon Judicial Districts Presiding Judges concerning the role of leadership.


text:
As of ubuntu 10.10, everything works out of the box except surround sound (along with subwoofer), the rear right, rear left, centre speaker and subwoofer are detected but sound wont play out of them. You need to download and install drivers from the internet to get them working.
Popular Guides
View more guides at Linux Wiki Guides


text:
A former Baltimore County firefighter has been federally indicted for allegedly filming himself performing sexual acts on one male child, and making an explicit video of another.
Anthony Maurice Cottle, 23, faces two counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing it. Police announced in October that Cottle, who is from Owings Mills, had been arrested and he also faces state sex offense charges.
Police said at the time they think he abused two 14-year old boys this summer while he was living with one of their families in Halethorpe. He was suspended from the fire department without pay, police said.
Scott Shellenberger, the State's Attorney for Baltimore County, said state proceedings will be put on hold for now.
"Typically we'll wait and see how the federal charges turn out," he said. "The reason that the federal people take these cases is because they end up getting substantially better sentences in federal court."


text:
Central City Flower Girls carry on a tradition begun in 1932
The Central City Opera's 80th season opened June 30, with Gov. John Hickenlooper presenting a congratulatory proclamation and 14 Flower Girls continuing a tradition established in 1932.
As they did in Year One, the Flower Girls were introduced in the Teller House Garden after a blast of dynamite sounded. In previous years, the blast was detonated on a nearby hillside; this year, due to extreme fire danger, the sound everyone heard was a recording.
J. Landis "Lanny" Martin, chairman emeritus of the opera board, served as master of ceremonies for the black-tie affair, acknowledging such dignitaries as the mayor of Central City and attorney John Fleming Kelly, who had served as master of ceremonies for 36 years. Kelly's granddaughter, Bridget Barker, was among the 2012 Flower Girls.
After the last Flower Girl was presented, the scene shifted to Eureka Street, where opera board president Nancy Parker joined Pat Pearce, the company's general and artistic director, in ringing the brass bell and unlocking the front door to Central City's historic opera house.
Then, the Flower Girls and their fathers danced to the "Yellow Rose Waltz" before sitting down to a dinner inside the Teller House. Afterward, everyone adjourned to the opera house for a performance of "Oklahoma!"
Additional pictures from opening night
The Flower Girls wore identical black and ivory Beloise gowns and white crochet gloves, and carried baskets filled with yellow rose nosegays and foil-wrapped chocolate coins that were a tribute to earlier times when miners threw gold coins onto the stage in appreciation of the opera performers.
"Having been a Flower Girl in 1989, and an opening night committee member for the past decade, it is an honor to be the opening night chair for 2012 and a privilege to work with such a dedicated committee," said Heidi Hammell. "I am thrilled to share this beautiful Colorado tradition with these special young women, their escorts, families and friends. I hope the Flower Girls will enjoy their experience as much as I did and keep a special place in their hearts for the Central City Opera for years to come. Opening night is magical; there is something unique rooted in the walls of the historic buildings on Eureka Street that evokes a sense of wonder and connection to Colorado history like no other. We are all very lucky to be part of this very special occasion."
The 2012 Flower Girls:
Bailey Rose Abernathy
Bailey will be a senior at Colorado Academy where she has earned academic honors each trimester and sings in the Women's Chorus. She has also been involved with Africaid, a non-profit that focuses on providing educational opportunities for teenage girls in Tanzania. In June, 2011, Bailey was part of a group of students who traveled to Senegal, West Africa, to assist in building a school library. A competitive gymnast, Bailey competes at the Junior Olympic level and has qualified to compete at Nationals in 2010, 2011 and in 2012.
Jordan Alyssa Appel
A fourth-generation Coloradan and nationally ranked tennis player, Jordan will be a senior at Kent Denver School. She has been on the Head of School list every term, is a member of the Cum Laude Society, an editor of the school newspaper and belongs to the speech and debate team.
Bridget Lauren Barker
Bridget is a third-generation Flower Girl. Her maternal grandmother was in the first Flower Girl class and her mother and aunt were presented in subsequent years. Her grandfather, John Fleming Kelly, was the announcer of the Flower Girl presentation for 36 years. Bridget will be a senior at Denver Academy, has attended the Young Rotary Camp and recently participated in a home exchange program in Scotland.
Lillian Sarah Cogdal
A fourth-generation Coloradan, Lillian will be a senior at Littleton High School. Her great-grandmother was a charter member of the Central City Opera Guild and her grandmother, Maradith Wilkins, has been a member of the guild for over 25 years. Lillian's mother, Wendy Cogdal, has served on the guild board and volunteered in several capacities including Greet-A-Singer, L'Esprit de Noel, and Historic Properties. Lillian has continued the family tradition of being involved with the Central City Opera. In 2004 she started OPERA ROCKS!, which won an award from Opera Volunteers International the following year. She has also helped with Greet-A-Singer, Historic Properties and L'Esprit de Noel and enjoys attending Central City Opera performances.
Lillian earned a varsity letter in football during her sophomore year at Littleton High School and continues to manage the varsity football team. In addition, she is a member of the student council. She has volunteered for Fine Arts Foundation, Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center and Colorado Ballet Auxiliary.
Kathryn Grace Eliot
Kathryn, a fifth-generation Coloradan, will be a senior at Colorado Academy. Her older sister, Elizabeth, was a Flower Girl in 2008 and her mother, Missy Eliot, is a past president of the Central City Opera House Association Guild. Kathryn has volunteered for Escuela de Guadalupe and H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Eat) at Colorado Academy, where she will soon begin her senior year. She served on the planning committee for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, enjoys reading, skiing, photography and baking, and is learning to play the guitar and speak French.
Haeley Christine Hutchison
Haeley will be a senior at Kent Denver School, where she has received academic honors for each semester. She also works with Kent Denver Breakthrough as a peer mentor and tutor. An accomplished equestrian, specializing in dressage, Haeley qualified for the 2011 Regionals and Rocky Mountain Society Dressage Championships. She was the USDF Junior All Breed Reserve Champion and received 3rd place in the open competition for the American Morgan Horse Association. She enjoys photography and has received honors for her work.
Paige Hooper Kerman
Paige will be a senior at the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT, where she has been an honor roll student every term. She is the co-founder and president of N.U.T.S., a campus organization promoting healthy lifestyle choices, plays on the junior varsity lacrosse and cross country teams, competed in horseback riding, was a 2010 student council member, loves giving campus admission tours, and is interested in neuroscience, global arts, and all things involving speaking Spanish.
After volunteering at The Nest, a children's temporary residence home in Kenya, Africa, Paige organized a permanent, annual student council donation to the facility. She has also contributed her time and energy to global education. In northern India, at the Fabinda School for Children, she helped dig a water retention system and worked in the classrooms; in a rural Costa Rican village, she helped lay the concrete block and mortar foundation for an elementary school.
Meghan Elizabeth MacDonald
A Colorado native whose paternal grandfather, John MacDonald, was born in Palisade in 1921, Meghan will be a senior at Regis Jesuit High School where she plays on the varsity lacrosse team and is an honor roll student. She is a certified lifeguard and is spending the summer working as a counselor at Red Pine Camp for Girls in Minocqua, Wisc. In 2011, Meghan was a student ambassador with the Colorado People to People delegation and traveled throughout Europe. She volunteers at Colfax Elementary School, the Broadway Assistance Center, Colorado Special Olympics, Denver Rescue Mission, Denver Urban Ministries, Family HomeStead, Volunteers of America and Warren Village.
Caitlin Ann McCann
A third-generation Colorado native, Caitlin will be a senior at Rock Canyon High School. Both her mother and her aunt were Central City Flower Girls in the 1980s and she was a charter member of OPERA ROCKS! Caitlin is an accomplished dancer, currently a company member of the Assembly Line competition team at Sweatshop Dance. She also was a member of Colorado Ballet's Nutcracker cast from 2003 to 2008. She has volunteered with St. Andrew United Methodist Church since 2007, participating in the Holy Pretzels Youth Choir and completing mission work in Wyoming, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and in California. This month, she will be participating in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington D.C.
Maeve Lernan Moynihan
Maeve will be a senior at Colorado Academy, where she is an honor roll student, and participates in a number of recreational sports, cultivates an interest in artistic expression, and engages in social, environmental, and political activism, particularly in her roles as co-president of the Gay-Straight Alliance and as president of the CA's Operation Smile Club. It was in the latter capacity that she was able to participate in a medical mission to Fengkai, China, in November, 2011. Maeve has traveled widely, and participated in several academic exchanges with foreign students, taking her to Edinburgh, Guadalajara, and Pamplona. She enjoys reading, contemporary music, the Colorado outdoors, and the companionship of her cat, Fiona. She will spend a portion of this summer volunteering for Denver's Summer Scholars program, seeking to bring improved literacy and other forms of academic enrichment to children within the community.
Sydney Anne Rohlwing
A fourth-generation native of Colorado, Sydney will be a senior at Regis Jesuit High School. Her great uncle, Michael Huseby, is secretary of the Central City Opera board and she was a volunteer at the 2012 Central City Opera auditions. At Regis, Sydney received Highest Honors for 2010, 2011 and 2012 and was awarded the Mary Shelley Award for English. She has been a member of the volleyball, cross country, and track and field teams. She is the varsity track captain and was awarded Most Outstanding in Hurdles award. She qualified for and competed at the 2011 and 2012 State Track Championships. Sydney also volunteers with the Regis Jesuit Justice League and was selected to attend the 2012 Summer Seminar at the United States Air Force Academy.
Julia Bertina Secor
A senior at Regis Jesuit High School and a Colorado Native, Julia is the granddaughter of Julia Secor, a past president of the Central City Opera House Association Guild. Her aunt, Julia Secor Emanuel, was a Flower Girl in 1981 and is a member of the Central City Opera's Opening Night Committee. During the past two summers, Julia volunteered with the Summer Scholars, a program that helps underprivileged children improve their reading and writing skills. She has also volunteered for Ronald McDonald House, Second Wind Foundation, Caley Ridge Senior Assisted Living Facility, Children's Hospital, Saddle Up!, Urban Peak and Creative Options. Julia is the captain of her school's varsity rugby team and is also a skier and a track and field athlete, specializing in shot put and discus.
Kathryn Seino Semple
A senior at Mullen High School, Kathryn is the sister of Erin Semple, a Flower Girl in 2011. Prior to enrolling at Mullen, Kathryn attended St. Mary's Academy, where she was on the junior varsity field hockey and lacrosse teams. She was on the Student Senate during her sophomore year, is a member of the National Honor Society and Mullen's varsity lacrosse team. Her community service has centered on monthly dinners for women with a history of domestic violence and getting clothes and other needs to deserving children through Clothes to Kids. She also enjoys scuba diving, fitness, cooking and has won several art competitions.
Molly Elizabeth Struna
A Colorado native, Molly will be a senior at Regis Jesuit High School. Her family dates back to 1889 when her great uncle homesteaded the Cogan Ranch in Buena Vista. Molly is an honor roll student at Regis and is a lead tumbler on the varsity cheer squad and its competition team. In the summer of 2011, she spent two weeks in India as part of a service project to build a Habitat School in the Himalayas and teach children to read. Molly is also a company-level ballet dancer, with roles in three Nutcracker productions and a solo performance in Alice in Wonderland. She also enjoys scuba diving.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, email@example.com and @GetItWrite.


text:
Grand Prix Bilbao
Round 1 Pairings
Information on this page is provisional, and is subject to change. Official Final Standings are posted on Wizards of the Coast's coverage archive, and represent official information for prize purposes. Final Standings reflect the number of players participating in the event, not the number of preregistered players.


text:
I won a laptop from CouponSeven
Friday, June 18, 2010
A couple of days ago I found out that I won an HP Laptop computer from CouponSeven! I'm so ecstatic!
I won an HP dv6t Laptop in CouponSeven's "Power Up Your Dad or Grad" contest on Facebook! PC Mag has a great review up on this computer, so check it out if you like!
If you know me at all, you know I'm a tech junkie. I don't have alot of money to buy the gadgets I want, but I still love them! The best things for me on this laptop are:
- The latest Intel Core i3 or i5 processor technology with Turbo Boost for intense multitasking
- An HP TrueVision webcam, which works in low-light conditions plus has a dual-array microphone for worry-free chat
- Dolby Advanced Audio for a vibrant, engaging listening experience
- An HDMI 1.3b port, which connects your notebook PC to an external monitor or HD TV
- Built-in HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection, which detects if your notebook is being dropped and locks your hard drive to help protect your data
Thanks CouponSeven, for the great prize!


text:
Video: Brain cancer patient, 7, runs for memorable TD
Remember Jack Hoffman? He's the young Nebraska fan who's battling brain cancer and has formed a special bond with Nebraska legend Rex Burkhead. We featured Hoffman, 7, and his friendship with Burkhead on last year's "The Journey," a segment included in this post.
[ HOW TO SHARE OUR VIDEO: Learn the easy steps here. ]
Hoffman attended Saturday's Red-White Spring Game, and he turned out to be the day's biggest star. Midway through the fourth quarter, Hoffman lined up in the backfield and took it all the way to the house (video above).
That's some special stuff, isn't it?
"Oh, there truly is no place like Nebraska," BTN color commentator Damon Bening said, as the Huskers lifted Hoffman onto their shoulders in the end zone.
This is what spring games should be about. Well done, Huskers!
Here's the Hoffman segment from last year's "The Journey"
Want more Red-White Spring Game coverage? Check out these links:


text:
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Slacking and some pictures
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Happy Birthday Kelli!
Kelli makes the best music mixes...a strong competitor to DJ Jazzy Jeff. Ps it's been a while since I've seen any new ones, eh? Kelli makes rolls that give my taste buds a glimpse into what food must be like in the celestial kingdom. She's the Jillian Michaels of Utah County- helping all of us weight-challenged people make it into the Golden Corral without going hypertensive. Happy Birthday Kelli! Love, Chris
Reasons you wish Kelli was your sister:
Dear Kelli,
Your beauty, like your mother, is unsurpassed. Your sparkling eyes can melt the heart of any young man. Your wink is part of that knowing glance that conveys more than mere words. You are muy intellegente! You are a queen of culinary cuisine! You can do hard things (e.g. stucco a fence- and it is usually at Mom's bidding)! I am most grateful that your incredibly perfect hair grew back (didn't it?) after I pulled it out from getting tangled in the repelling rope. You are a natural leader and a most inspired example of womanhood. You are most generous and a faithful and true friend to all. Mom and I are very proud of you and count ourselves most blessed to enjoy you as one of our priceless treasured children. You are a most precious daughter and cherished gift from our Heavenly Father.
Dear Kelli,
I love you. Happy Birthday. I hope you enjoy having your birthday party this year. I hope you have a lot of fun. I love you because you do such great things. Like going swimming with me, and going to the movies, and hanging out together. I like having KFC for lunch with you. You are a great sister of mine. Thank you for all the things you have done for me. Love, Parker
Where do I begin?? Happy Birthday to one of the FINEST young ladies I know!! You are kind, smart, generous, talented, hard-working, dependable, diligent, steady, considerate, helpful (mostly to me), fun, funny, and independent. What more could a mom ask for?! Thank you for being such a great example to all of us. Thank you for all the 'projects' you've helped me with! Thank you for loving sports. J Thank you for all the carefully thought out gifts that we all love and cherish. Thank you for being sensible and taking care of the household whenever you are here---wish it was much more often! Thank you for the many wonderful meals and rolls!! You are beautiful inside and out and I'm proud to claim you!!!
Lots of love and hurry home!!!!
Happy Birthday Kelli!!! I'm proud to call you my sister (in-law). You have set a great example for everyone in the family and your friends with finishing school and starting your career. You are always so thoughtful to me and my family and I really appreciate you! I hope your birthday is the best one ever. love Derek.
One of Kelli's best characteristics is her thoughtful giving. Many times in my life I have been the recipient of awesome birthday/Christmas gifts like G.I. Joes, championship wrestling belts, nose flutes, and CDs with hand-picked songs from Kelli. It's like she knows what I want for Christmas even when I don't really know what I want. Each custom made CD is the same way- she knows the kind of music I like without me even knowing what kind of music I like. My ipod is filled with hundreds of songs on a playlist that Kelli made especially for me (this has helped me through many hours of homework and yard work). Each member of the family receives the same kinds of thoughtful gifts, and they are so meaningful because of the thought and care that Kelli puts into them. I mean, as much as I love my championship wrestling belt, it wouldn't mean nearly as much to me if I had bought it for myself.
Gift giving is a good example of her selflessness, but it's not the only way that Kelli shows charity for everyone. I think her generosity and thoughtfulness is constant. Any time she comes home for a visit, she takes the lead in doing yard work, house work, cooking, etc. She has become famous for baking unparalleled rolls and has made literally thousands of them without a complaint. Any time I go up to Utah for a visit, she seems to drop everything to drive me wherever and take me and J.D. to expensive restaurants and insist on paying for us, or cook another one of her supreme meals for us. Of course I would still love Kelli even if she didn't buy me cool gifts or make me rolls or do my share of yard work or pay for my meals. My point is that a vast majority of her time is spent on serving others and making other people happy. This is something she has mastered, and I want to be more like her. Happy birthday, Kelli! I love you! Carter
Kelli is seriously one of my best friends! I love how much she cares for EVERYONE, as seen by all of these posts she has done for each and every one of us--in the spare time that she doesn't have much of! I love when she comes home to visit--She helps out with the cleaning and makes my life easier! :) Kelli always gives the greatest gifts EVER! She listens to small conversations all throughout the year and then surprises everyone by remembering the details, and giving a present that has to do with it. Kelli makes the greatest food EVER and likes to share that talent, which is fine by me! She makes the BEST rolls you have ever tasted! Kelli has always been such an example to me. She was my sister that was at home the longest, and I remember looking at her and thinking she was SO cool! I wanted to be JUST like her, and I have become more and more like her as the years have gone by, much to my advantage! Watching Kelli run in junior high inspired me to do it too, and I'm so glad I did! She is always fun to go shopping with, or to just talk to. She takes an interest in everyone, regardless of how "cool" they are to others. She spends her time serving others, and making sure that everyone has not only what they need, but a little extra too. Kelli has always been an awesome example and big sister to me, and I'm so glad I can call her my friend and sister! Love, Emma
Dear Kelli, You are one in a million. You are kind, extremely thoughtful and generous, beautiful, funny and smart. You could start your own "EVERYTHING" business- chef, painter, landscaper, nanny, coach, tutor, DJ, just to name a few. I love getting music and book recommendations from you because you have great taste. Your rolls and mashed potatoes are heavenly and it's probably best you don't live here or I might gain 500 pounds from eating them all day every day. One of my favorite trips was when Candice and I came to visit; definitely time to do it again! I love that you aren't ashamed to be dandy with us, even when yelling "crapbag!" out the car window to passersby. Your nieces and nephews (and Parker) LOVE spending time with you- you will be a wonderful mother and your future husband will be so lucky to have you! I am very blessed to have you for a sister- I love you! - Maren
I remember when I was about eight years old, Kelli (then about five or six) and I were roller-skating inside the pool area. Don't ask me why. This was during the late 80s when roller skates were made with leather uppers and solid steel frames. While racing around the pool Skateland style, Kelli and I noticed a small raft floating toward the edge of the pool at a snail's pace. Kelli and I decided we needed to get a hold of that raft. I knelt down on the edge of the deck and reached out over the water. I'll never forget Kelli's inspiring cheers: Mason! Mason! Mason! I knew I couldn't let her down, so I reached as far as I could. But the raft was just out of reach. I plunged face first into the water. The skates were like bags of cement pulling me to the bottom of the pool. I remember looking up at Kelli through several feet of water. How could I have let her down? She was my biggest fan, my sidekick. Thankfully, Kelli called for help and Dad came quickly to the rescue.
To this day, Kelli continues to encourage and uplift others (although she has stopped encouraging roller skaters near bodies of water). I feel that just as Kelli looked up to me when we were kids, I look up to her today for her good example and righteousness. She is one of the most thoughtful, kind individuals I know. Thank you Kelli for being a great sister and friend. Happy Birthday!
Love, Mason
Kelli is one of my favorite people. There are many things I love about her. She is one of the most thoughtful people I know. Kelli is always listening, so if you mention that you need an immersion blender, there is a good chance you will find one in your mailbox a week or two later. Or if she goes out of her way to come visit you in another state, she will probably send you some flowers afterward.
Kelli is often referred to as the "Favorite Aunt." It is probably because she remembers every birthday, spends quality time, and makes each person feel special.
When we lived in Florida, we loved when Kelli came to visit. It was nice to have her to ourselves for a few days. Some of my favorite activities with Kelli include laying out at her pool in Provo, taking a road trip to San Francisco, relaxing at the beach on the east coast and the west, playing basketball at the church in Jacksonville, going to Disney World, traveling to Savannah, and baking/eating Kelli's Famous Buns and Cinnamon Rolls.
Kelli is smart, accomplished, and witty. There is never a dull moment when she is around. I am so grateful that Kelli is my sis-in-law. She's a good one! Happy Birthday, Kel!!! Love, Amanda


text:
Legislative leaders OK Maine Public Broadcasting coverage of State House proceedings
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) � Legislative leaders have voted to allow the Maine Public Broadcasting Network to provide expanded State House coverage that could resemble the national C-SPAN.
The new venture was unanimously approved Tuesday by the House and Senate leaders. The free over-the-air MPBN State House TV channel is devoted exclusively to coverage of the Legislature and government affairs. Airing could begin as early as Monday.
The plan is to transmit House and Senate proceedings, and budget hearings live. Coverage of news conferences and other State House events is also planned.
Veteran State House reporter Mal Leary will oversee operations of MPBN's new State House channel. The programming comes at no public cost and will be carried by state cable services and over the air.


text: Railroads had a pervasive presence and an immense social, economic, cultural, and technological influence in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New Jersey. Then as now, most people in New Jersey were within earshot, at least, of the sound of a train. Railroads likewise engendered a distinctive nomenclature, some of which have entered popular parlance ("derailed," "off-track," "build up a head of steam," "train of thought," "train wreck," and "end of the line"), and also influenced visual imagery. It is significant that one of the first feature films, The Great Train Robbery (1903), was actually shot in New Jersey. Many railroad-related problems familiar to the nineteenth-century public persist today: fare increases, service disruptions, accidents, noise, and government regulation. But aside from their many problems, railroads were a key element in the development of the state and the nation.


text:
Stay Up to Date
Receive Bicycle Friendly America news delivered straight to your inbox every other week.
September 12, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiInstead of the flying cars and aerial freeways promised by 1980s sci-fi fli
September 12, 2012by Carolyn Szczepanski
September 11, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiWhether racing or just running to the grocery store, bicycling makes for dynamic and beautiful movies. Today, the Pro Walk Pro Bike: Pro Place conference brought together three talented, local filmmakers to screen snippets of their documentaries and share the stories of cyclists and bicycling progress here in Southern California.
September 11, 2012by Carolyn Szczepanski
September 11, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiBicycle friendly communities don't start with bike lanes or share the road campaigns or cycling education; they start with a visionary leader.
September 6, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiBe part of the Bike League team!
September 6, 2012by supportIt's a really exciting time to be in bike advocacy. With the states working on implementing MAP-21 and kids returning to walking and biking to school we've been hearing about successes large and small.
September 5, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiAt the 2012 Olympics in London this summer, Dotsie Bausch and her teammates flew around the velodrome. With an average speed of 34 miles per hour, the trio of Americans claimed the Silver medal in the Team Pursuit event.
August 31, 2012by Katie
August 30, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiEarlier this year, I had the privilege of presenting at the Youth Bike Summit with a tremendous group of bicycle leaders from West Town Bikes in Chicago.