text: Sunburst Sweater Style: 570058892 Out of Stock Love it? Everyone else did too. This item sold out! Use our search tool, chat online or call 1.877.948.2525 to find something equally desirable. Bask in the beauty of this versatile black sweater knit with semi-sheer rays that subtly sparkle. 100% Rayon. Hand wash or dry clean. Imported. Relaxed fit. Bateau neckline. 3/4 dolman sleeves with bra strap guides. Ribbed bottom. Hits at mid hip (24.5" from shoulder). Read More… Share on Facebook Tweet Pin


text:
I found an old thread where Costumebase's vests and jumpsuits were being assessed, and it from what I could tell "you guys" came to the conclusion that they could be a good starter suit with some modifications to the sleeves and shin tool pockets.
I guess my question is, is this still true? With mods, are they 501st acceptable with the modern day standards?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Holiday Inn Pavilion | Myrtle Beach Boardwalk Blog
Thanks for checking out our Blog. Here you'll find cool news and information about Myrtle Beach and our resorts. We'll keep you updated on the latest and greatest Myrtle Beach event. Feel free to contact us if there's anything you'd like to see!


text:
Hello All,
I am working on a Custom Ubese costume. For those that don't know what I am talking about, The Ubese was the race that Boushh from star wars was from. I am in need of a 3D modeler to Mod a helmet model, and I need a couple parts modeled in 3D. If interested please PM me for details.


text:
At The Daily Caller, Right-Wing Attacks On Feminists Are Balanced By Far Right-Wing Attacks On Feminists
Blog ››› ››› JAMISON FOSER
Here, The Daily Caller's Caroline May quotes Phyllis Schlafly saying feminists "are really spooked by [Sarah] Palin because she's done everything and she is a success. Besides she is pretty and they cannot stand her" without quoting a single feminist or progressive in response.
But don't worry, Tucker Carlson's very serious journalism web site features an opposing viewpoint alongside that article: Carey Roberts' attack on Palin's "over-heated gender-bending rhetoric," which runs under the header "Sarah Palin needs to rein in her harsh feminist rhetoric."
And that's how things work at The Daily Caller, which Carlson once insisted would not be a right-wing site: The smear that feminists don't like Sarah Palin because she's pretty is 'balanced' by the claim that Palin herself is a shrill feminist.
(Roberts previously wrote a Daily Caller column that distort[ed] domestic violence laws in order to argue for loosening the definition of domestic violence, earning a rebuke from the National Network to End Domestic Violence.)
- Posted In
- Diversity & Discrimination, Gender
- Person
- Tucker Carlson, Phyllis Schlafly, Sarah Palin, Caroline May, Carey Roberts
- Show/Publication
- The Daily Caller
Instructions for signing up and claiming your comment history are located here.
Updated rules for commenting are here.


text:
Hey everyone,
My name is Eric. I was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. Been a long time fan of Subaru since the mid 90's. My very first car was a '97 legacy that my parents handed down to me. Sadly, I was in a bad accident after two years with the car, and it was damaged beyond repair. Long story short, that car saved my life. I have an emotional attachment with Subaru, but fear kept me from buying one. I've had a few other vehicles since then. An s10, and my previous car an '05 tC that I had for 8 years before getting a 2013 Scion FR-S Raven color with a 6 speed manual. Now, I'm ready to get back behind the wheel of a Subaru. Especially a WRX! I've been looking at some bugeye models. My FR-S is leased, so in 3 years I will be turning in the FR-S, and buying a 2016 WRX along side having an older model one as well. That's the plan. Thanks for reading! Nice to meet all of you.


text: Statement by MTA President Anne Wass on the State Budget Massachusetts Teachers Association President Anne Wass said she is "deeply concerned" about cuts in local aid and education funding in the budget approved June 19 by the House and Senate. However, she expressed strong support for the revenue increases proposed to offset some of those cuts, including a 25 percent increase in the sales tax. "Revenue increases are absolutely essential to prevent even deeper cuts to public schools, public higher education and a whole host of other state and local services," said Wass. While recognizing that it fared better than some other services in the budget, Wass noted that education is the "bedrock of the economy." "Public education provides hope and opportunity for the future and should be spared from deep cuts during a recession," she said. She also expressed concern for the fate of education spending in FY11, since it is likely that most of the federal stimulus money will have been used by then. PreK-12 Education The budget cuts Chapter 70 school aid to the level previously approved by the Senate. It is cut by 2 percent across the board -- or $79 million -- below the FY09 level, but federal stimulus dollars will be used to make sure no district falls below the mandated foundation budget level. The inflation formula used also does not adequately account for actual increases in the cost of providing services, potentially eroding state funding for public education into the future. PreK-12 grant programs are also slashed, reducing funds for such programs as MCAS remediation, the special education circuit breaker, full-day kindergarten grants and targeted intervention for underperforming schools. Wass noted that the deep cuts in non-school local aid accounts also affect schools. General government aid (formerly referred to as lottery aid and additional assistance) is cut by $377 million, or almost 29 percent. With such a deep cut, some municipalities will shift funds out of their local school department budgets to maintain other essential municipal services. "All services sink lower when the revenue tide runs out," said Wass. "Cities and towns already saw this coming, which is why they issued so many pink slips this spring and why students in so many districts could have fewer teachers and programs next fall." Public Higher Education State funding for public higher education was also reduced in the conference committee budget, but the shortfall is shored up with use of federal dollars, resulting in virtual level-funding for community and state colleges and some relatively small reductions in the University of Massachusetts budget. However, in the face of rising costs, level funding amounts to a reduction. There are also reductions in other higher education accounts, including a $9 million cut in scholarship aid for students. Employee Health Insurance The budget hikes costs for state employees for their health insurance coverage, but the changes are less severe than had been proposed by the Senate. Employees will pay either 20 percent or 25 percent of the cost of their health insurance premiums, depending on their date of hire. This is a 5 percentage point increase over current practice. This adversely affects many of MTA's higher education members. The budget does not include any changes in municipal health insurance, though that issue is expected to be taken up in a separate bill, possibly in the near future. The MTA is fighting to make sure teachers and other municipal employees continue to have the right to bargain collectively over health insurance. Taxes The MTA supports the budget's sales tax hike, increases in local option taxes and the local taxation of telecommunication property. "While MTA prefers a better balance of more broad-based and progressive revenue increases and more authority at the local level to raise revenues, the new budget is a start," Wass said.


text:
a place for zinesters - writers and readers
Views: 14
I don't think I'm screwed up, but I have been heart-broken. To be a writer you just need to have fully experienced life, I think: the good and the bad.
Yup, totally. How would you define it?
Being a "screw up" sounds to me very negative and kind of stuck in one place, if you know what I mean, whereas I think there's a good, creative forward momentum in thinking of yourself as having come from a fairly dark place but moving towards the light and the colour.
I think the best art mixes up the pleasures and tragedies of life fairly evenly. In order to write/sing/paint or film the beauty of pain you need to experience both pain and beauty, not get too stuck on one or the other. Easier said than done, of course. Heehee - I think this current frame of mind has come from me cutting up the pages of a teeny book about Zen so's I can glue bits of it into the microzine I'm currently sticking and pasting together. :-)
I know that when I have been at my worst, depressed, drunk, messed up, I was creating NOTHING. When I can't get out of bed to do anything but go to work, I don't have much creative process going on.
Lately, I have been in a creative frenzy. I feel like i'm less screwed up than I used to be, but on some level, I am using my creativity to distract me from all the stress in my life.
So maybe the trick is balancing opposing forces...It all comes back to balance, I think, although I don't always feel like my life is in balance. I think it's a continuous struggle.
I dont believe it takes pain to be a writer.
I mean I can't really be like 'im a writer and ive never been hurt" because that isnt true.
but the things I write about do not reflect that pain that ive dealt with.
I think it is more about what you are writing about.
But I think if you are writing something in which you are trying to put feelings out in text you need to know feelings, how they work, what triggers them and so on.
But I think as long as people have thoughts that is all that is needed to be a writer..you dont have to have something wrong with you


text:
Bathroom taps matched with the rest of your bathroom is a styling factor that should never be overlooked. Such a simple change can have a massive impact on the flow and composition of the entire room. That's why we've gone to such lengths to provide you with the latest designs that look stylish without costing the Earth. Picking the correct taps and matching them isn't something that should be taken lightly – give yourself time to ensure you choose taps that are both complementary and functional.
From £19.97
with 74 choices
From £29.98
with 34 choices
From £34.97
with 11 choices
From £19.97
with 25 choices
From £11.98
with 194 choices
From £4.97
with 59 choices
From £11.98
with 47 choices
Whilst it's common practice to install contemporary looking bathroom taps in a modern setting and similarly, traditional styles in a classic bathroom; that's not always the case. In some instances the look of a bathroom can strongly benefit from a contrast in styling, however, it needs to be done extremely carefully to pull it off and not look out of place. Don't think you can just choose two clashing styles and they'll somehow work – it's definitely not that easy. Consult a bathroom designer or if you have a keen eye for detail and designs, have a browse through our range for styles that will work well to improve the overall look of the room.
Whilst the big bathroom items are obviously important, the smaller things should never be neglected. Many designers believe that the appeal of a room can be defined by the finer details – think taps and accessories. That's why they shouldn't just be bought on a whim. We have a wide selection available to give you the biggest choice possible. With a whole host of bath fillers, basin mixers, wall-mounted and floor standing options on sale, there's no doubt that your perfect choice are just a couple of clicks away.
Many people believe that upgrading a bathroom involves ripping showers out, installing new baths and doing everything on a big scale, but that's not entirely true. A bathroom can be freshened up simply by introducing a fresh set of new fittings into it such as basin or bath mixers. Replacing old bathroom taps that no longer operate correctly or that don't match the decor can be one of the simplest ways to improve the overall look of your bathroom without breaking the bank. Not only is this an affordable modification, but it can also give your room a feeling of quality and unity, especially if you opt for a group range of styles rather than mixing and matching different styles. This is quickly becoming one of the most common bathroom upgrades and it's easy to see why when it's so simple and represents fantastic value for money.
We've had thousands upon thousands of people invest in a variety of our taps over the years and many of these choose to leave a review to help out other shoppers. Whilst we do our best to describe the taps and explain their features, previous buyers may inform you of functionality that we've overlooked such as how easy they are to clean, what bathroom styles suit the design and so on. Reviews include both the good and bad, but it's worth taking others' opinions into consideration when making up your own mind and make sure you leave reviews to help others after you!


text:
Washington • Airline passengers are getting grumpier, and it's little wonder, according to private researchers.
Seats are shrinking, more people are stuffed onto planes, and more people with tickets are being turned away because flights are overbooked.
The researchers who analyzed federal data on airline performance also said in a report released Monday that consumer complaints to the Department of Transportation surged by one-fifth last year, even though other measures such as on-time arrivals and mishandled baggage show airlines are doing a better job.
Virgin America did the best job for its customers among leading U.S. airlines last year, as carriers overall had their second-best performance in the more than the two decades since quality of service first started being measured.
The report ranked the 14 largest U.S. airlines based on on-time arrivals, mishandled bags, consumer complaints and passengers who were turned away.
Airline performance in 2012 was the second highest in the 23 years that Wichita State University in Kansas and the University of Nebraska at Omaha have tracked the performance of airlines. The airline's best year was 2011.
Besides being the overall leader, Virgin America also did the best job on baggage handling and had the second-lowest rate of passengers denied seats. United Airlines, whose consumer complaint rate nearly doubled last year, had the worst performance. United has merged with Continental Airlines, but has had rough spots in integrating the operations of the two carriers.
Regional carrier SkyWest, based in St. George and a principal carrier at Salt Lake City International Airport, had the highest involuntary denied-boardings rate last year, 2.32 per 10,000 passengers.
The number of complaints consumers filed with regulators overall surged to 11,445 complaints, up from 9,414 in 2011.
"Over the 20-some year history we've looked at it, this is still the best ... airline performance we've seen," said Dean Headley, a business professor at Wichita State University, who co-wrote the annual report.
Despite those improvements, passengers have plenty to complain about, Headley said. Shrinking seats, full (and overly full) planes are commonplace, as are instances in which customers who have bought tickets being turned away because flights are overbooked.
"The way airlines have taken 130-seat airplanes and expanded them to 150 seats to squeeze out more revenue, I think, is finally catching up with them," Headley said. "People are saying, 'Look, I don't fit here. Do something about this.' At some point airlines can't keep shrinking seats to put more people into the same tube."
The industry is even looking at ways to make today's smaller-than-a-broom closet toilets more compact in the hope of squeezing a few more seats onto planes.
The rate of complaints per 100,000 passengers also rose, to 1.43 last year from 1.19 in 2011.
United's 2012 ranking doesn't reflect its experience over the past six months, in which the airline has made significant improvements in performance, company spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said in an email.
The rate at which passengers with tickets were denied seats because planes were full rose to 0.97 denials per 10,000 passengers last year, compared with 0.78 in 2011.
It used to be in cases of overbookings that airlines usually could find a passenger who would volunteer to give up a seat in exchange for cash, a free ticket or some other compensation with the expectation of catching another flight later that day or the next morning. Not anymore.
Because "flights are so full, there are no seats on those next flights. So people say, 'No, not for $500, not for $1,000,' " said airline industry analyst Robert Mann Jr.
But not every airline overbooks flights in an effort to keep seats full. JetBlue and Virgin America were the industry leaders in avoiding denied boardings, with rates of 0.01 and 0.07, respectively.
United Airlines' consumer complaint rate was 4.24 complaints per 100,000 passengers. Southwest had the lowest rate, at 0.25. Southwest was among five airlines that lowered complaint rates last year compared to 2011. The others were American Eagle, Delta (the dominant carrier in Salt Lake), JetBlue and US Airways.
Consumer complaints were significantly higher in the peak summer travel months of June, July and August when planes are especially crowded.
"As airplanes get fuller, complaints get higher because people just don't like to be sardines," Mann said.
The complaints are regarded as indicators of a larger problem because many passengers may not realize they can file complaints with the Transportation Department, which regulates airlines.
At the same time that complaints were increasing, airlines were doing a better job of getting passengers to their destinations on time.
The industry average for on-time arrival rates was 81.8 percent of flights, compared with 80 percent in 2011. Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance record, 93.4 percent in 2012. ExpressJet and American Airlines had the worst records with only 76.9 percent of their planes arriving on time last year.
The industry's on-time performance has improved in recent years, partly due to airlines' decision to cut back on the number of flights.
"We've shown over the 20 years of doing this that whenever the system isn't taxed as much fewer flights, fewer people, less bags it performs better. It's when it reaches a critical mass that it starts to fracture," Headley said.
The industry's shift to charging for fees for extra bags, or sometimes charging fees for any bags, has significantly reduced the rate of lost or mishandled bags. Passengers are checking fewer bags than before, and carrying more bags onto planes when permitted.
The industry's mishandled bag rate peaked in 2007 at 7.01 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers. It was 3.07 in 2012, down from 3.35 bags the previous year.
The report's ratings are based on statistics kept by the department for airlines that carry at least 1 percent of the passengers who flew domestically last year.
Virgin America tops out of 14 airlines in quality survey
1 • Virgin America *
2 • JetBlue (3 position last year)
3 • AirTran (1)
4 • Delta (6)
5 • Hawaiian (2)
6 • Alaska (5)
7 • Frontier (4)
8 • Southwest (7)
9 • US Airways (8)
10 • American (10)
11 • American Eagle (15)
12 • SkyWest (9)
13 • ExpressJet *
14 • United (12)
(* new to rankings and qualified by carrying at least 1 percent of domestic passengers)


text:
Southwest Animal Hospital
The Exotic Animal Practice
2425 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. | Beaverton, OR 97005 | 503-643-2137 (p) | 503-626-7392 (f)
2425 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005
503-643-2137 (p) | 503-626-7392 (f)
Find us on Facebook
Our Mission
We believe in providing high quality medical and surgical care for our patients, emphasizing client education and preventative medicine, in order to promote the health and well-being of exotic pet species. We continue to learn as we treat patients, investigating and discovering new diseases whenever possible, and writing/lecturing about exotic pets, in order to further the knowledge of their husbandry and diseases for the benefit of the profession at large.
Financing options available through Care Credit
Photo Gallery - copyright © stu nicholls - CSS play
We offer quality compassionate veterinary care for ferrets, rabbits, rodents, hedgehogs, reptiles and other exotic pets.
We are internationally known authors and lecturers on the leading edge of exotic pet medicine. Click on The Doctors to learn more!
The doctors in this office offer over 26 years experience with exotic pets!
We are proud to announce that readers of Spot Magazine have chosen us for 1st place in the Top Dog award for exotic animal hospitals 2015!
First Time Client Coupon
Will you be visiting Southwest Animal Hospital for the first time? We are excited you've chosen us for your pet care. Click here to get a first time client coupon as thanks!


text:
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Understanding viruses in Linux
One of the things that got my attention initially was reading that there were no viruses in Linux, which was quite a departure from Windows ways. I was always curious about that... How could it be? After all, Windows users are flooded with attacks, so how was Linux performing the magic? Inevitably, I started searching for answers and found out that it was a somewhat controversial concept. Some people claimed that Linux was mostly benefiting from a very small market share, thus making it unattractive for those creating viruses. Some others claimed it was down to the very diverse and segregated nature of Linux (countless distros, no unified packaging, etc.). Finally, there were also people who claimed Linux was completely immune to viruses and that those who claimed otherwise didn't know what they were talking about.
Eventually, I found no reason to doubt Linux immunity to viruses, so I took it for granted, and thought it was a given in general. My experience is that lots of new Linux users understand, just like I did, that "no viruses" equals "no security threats". I believe that this is mostly down to how the term "virus" has been abused and misused. It almost has become a "wildcard" for all things malware.
In this post I will try to give some background about viruses and Linux security, hopefully clarifying some potential voids and misconceptions while I am at it.
First off, let me say that it is TRUE that there are no Linux viruses. That much is right, but it doesn't really mean much as long as we don't know exactly what a virus is. Here's the definition from Wikipedia:
"A computer virus is a program that can copy itself and infect a computer. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer"
This definition already clarifies many things. Here are the most important concepts:
- A virus must be an executable program.
- A virus must have the ability to run and copy itself somehow, with no user intervention.
- The only spread mechanism available for a true virus to infect a computer is through its host being on the target machine.
Now, if you have heard about the many forms of malware in existence, you will quickly realize this definition only covers a part of them. This subset is the one we Linux users should not be concerned about. I will briefly touch on the ones we should be conscious about at the end of this post, but for now, let's see why viruses are not our problem:
As we just learnt, and this is a very important part of its definition, a virus must be able to "do its thing on its own". In other words, user interaction is not required and the virus activity should go unnoticed. There are two methods a virus can use to copy itself:
METHOD 1: Adding its own code to system executables.
Linux, being the good UNIX sibling it is, sports a file system that natively supports ownership and privileges. Simply put, here's how it would work in real life:
1.- If a user creates, copies or downloads a file into a Linux system, that file is owned by the user account and group, and it lacks executable rights. Therefore, it cannot execute itself (there is a practical exception to this which we will cover later).
2.- If the user is misled to trust some malicious piece of code and grants executable rights to it, it would still be bound to the user account's access rights, which are limited to the user home folder. Therefore if a user was having this kind of problem, it would be as simple as creating another account and moving the necessary files over to the new home folder. Note that in this case we would no longer be talking about a virus, for user interaction was required for the trick to work. In practical terms, a virus would have no way to infect any other applications unless it was run under the root (superuser) account.
The root (superuser) account is disabled on many Linux distros out of the box. If it is not, warning messages are displayed frequently while in use or at login time, trying to discourage the user from using it. In fact, unless you are a system admin, you should be able to get the most out of your Linux desktop without ever having to log in as root.
Please, DO NOT use the root account unless strictly necessesary!
METHOD 2: Anchoring itself to another process' memory during execution time
Linux runs on Intel's x86 architecture CPUs (AMD 64bits is actually an extension to Intel's x86), so it is important to understand how Linux uses it. The x86 architecture uses four rings, labeled 0 through 3. Linux uses 2 of those rings, namely ring 0 for Kernel (system) code and ring 3 for process(user tasks, applications, etc.) code. These two pieces of code are never mixed under Linux, they fall on different rings and there is only one "gate" for both to communicate. The fact of the matter here is that only the Kernel itself would be able to change this so a virus could exploit it.
So process code cannot infect kernel code... How about a process infecting another process?... Well, this is also a no go. The Linux kernel provides each process with an isolated piece of memory, one that is not shared with any other process. As a result, even if one of those processes scanned all memory available to it, it would not be able to address that of any other process, for it would be out of its scope. Long story short, this method does not work either.
Obviously, this is very technical talk, but hopefully I managed to explain why viruses are not a concern for Linux users without causing more confusion!!
Now that viruses are out of the way, let's talk a bit about other similarly malicious pieces of code.
Available for a wide variety of Operating Systems, Linux included, rootkits are either a modification to the kernel or to an application code. In the case of Linux, the former are most concerning, as they are very difficult to spot, and can compromise the whole system. As a result, even with the use of specific applications, it can be extremely difficult to detect a rootkit of this nature.
Fear not, for creating a successful rootkit for Linux is no trivial task. It must be created using the exact same code that will be available on the target machine, and its installation would once again require admin rights. Because of the sheer diversity in the Linux world, the fact that there are so many distros, so many packaging variants, etc., it would be very difficult to create something that could have any significant impact. Having said so, rootkit infections have been reported.
If you ran a certain executable you did not trust and suspect you could be infected by a rootkit, or if you simply want to give yourself some piece of mind, here's what you can do:
Because rootkits can become virtually undetectable during runtime, the best thing is to boot from a removable drive (CD-ROM, USB pendrive, etc). Then, use CHKROOTKIT or RKHUNTER , which are two popular rootkit scanners available for us Linux users.
Sometimes referred to as Trojan horses, these are applications designed to deceive the user, seemingly providing a service, while actually opening the door for a third party to remotely control the machine or access personal information. In other words, they can potentially steal passwords, confidential information, install software, log key strokes, use the machine for spamming, etc.
I have already discussed about a GNOME and KDE VULNERABILITY that would allow a trojan in the form of a launcher to execute without admin rights. It would still require the user to save the launcher locally and double click on it, but judging by how frequently that happened in Windows, I believe this should be something to watch out for.
Some users have reported being infected by trojans when using packages downloaded from a popular site containing eyecandy for the GNOME desktop. In fact, Linux users are potentially easy targets for such attacks, for what exactly could be wrong about anything downloaded from community resources? There is a sense of trust which is inherent to the community itself, and I believe that could be a weakness if it is misunderstood. Trust is fine, just do not be careless.
I guess the most important thing to take away from this article is that using Linux will do a lot for your computer security, but does not perform miracles. Viruses are no concern, but we sure cannot be careless. Be careful and protective of your own data and privacy. Stay away from using the root account, avoid running software from untrusted sources, never share your passwords... and react quickly if you think your computer has been compromised.
Thanks for reading and good Luck!
35 comments:
Well you can install software wich contains malware as sudo in a linux environment. The same as in windows. That's how many windows system are infected. There isn't a big difference wich os u use if the owner (root or admin) of that system doesnt know about threats. And, if you open ports to the internet, every system is vulnerable.ReplyDelete
I do agree that linux is a great system, but only succesfull in the right hands ...
Hi, Hans,ReplyDelete
Thanks for your comments.
I agree that a computer is only as smart as its user, so it is true that social engineering is threatening under any OS. That is exactly what I was trying to convey with my article. Having said so, I believe there is big gap between Linux and Windows on this matter.
As just mentioned, slipping a virus into an installer will result in root infection. All users can be idiots and the number duped by dodgy .debs will only increase asReplyDelete
And there's no rule against slipping some rootkit code to exploit a local service/kernel and get root privs.
Hey, oliwarner, thanks for your comments.ReplyDelete
Completely agree. That´s exactly why I think this message should be clearly exposed to new users, so they understand the extent of Linux security, not taking too much for granted.
And yes, I think the most dangerous thing in Linux world is "sudo" without password. You should never do that. I personally really don't like the sudo way. It opens too much doors for ordinary users, especially if it's usable with user password or without any password for that matter. No password is the worst, since any malicious script could execute it. With user password is somewhat better, because at least the user has to type by hand it's password and it is properly announced that it is giving root rights to some program/script/process/whatever.ReplyDelete
Still, if sudo is absolutely necessary on a system, for best security, it should always ask for root password.
Obviously this should not be a user's concern, but Linux distributions should adopt a proper way to give ordinary users root right with sudo. This is one of the weaknesses of Ubuntu. I think other distro's like Mandriva do it the right way.
PS: great article! :D
Thank you, patkos!!!ReplyDelete
I am not sure why you would consider sudo a problem. I think Ubuntu handles it right by disabling root access by default. Only admin users have access to sudo by default anyways, so it assumes that sudoers know what they are doing. Having said so, I understand that the default account created on installation must be an admin, which kinda defeats the purpose in a desktop, single user environment. It does make a lot more sense in a professional environment where the person setting up the machine is not necessarily the end user.
As far as my experience goes with Mandriva, I have used it on and off during the last two years, and personally I don´t see much of a difference. It may be better on certain things, but I don´t like you need to login as root to that "Config center" application in order to set up your wireless card, for example.
As for sudo asking for root password... Don´t you think that is a lot more dangerous? If a trojan managed to get the user password, that´s already very bad, but it would be a lot worse if it got the root password straight away, I think.
The purpose of sudo is to allow users that don´t necessarily know the root password to elevate to superuser rights for a single command. In a desktop-single-user environment this does not make much sense, but in a professional environment of a considerable size, I think it makes most sense. You may want to have many superusers who can perform certain administrative rights without having to share the root password with all of them.
I see your point of view, but I don't see Ubuntu as a corporate distro. You want corporate you go with commercial RedHat or free CentOS or other distros.ReplyDelete
In most of the cases, at home user settings, the user knows the root password, and I still think it's better to give that for administrative rights than using you user password. To play with your example, if a malware finds out the user's password, it has root access ... that's not good. If sudo asks for root password, at leas your chances are 50% better (unless you have the same password for root and user).
And about the Mandriva Control Center or for that fact any other services, you can specify which services can be administered by which users ... long live "msec" the Mandriva Security Tool, so if I want some users to be able to manage network connections I can simply enable them to do so, right in MCC and without the need of sudo... but this is another story and I don't wanna start any kind of Mandriva vs. Ubuntu flame here. In my previous post I just took Mandriva as an example, many other distributions follows this sudo logic.
Fair enough, just some healthy discussion here, patkos, let´s keep flames out of it. ;-)ReplyDelete
I always like to discuss matters because I always learn something new, and I find your point of view very interesting. I suppose nothing is perfect and in the end one sticks to that which fits one needs or ways of doing things.
And don´t get me wrong, Mandriva is a great distro which I very much love. I consider it the best KDE implementation along with Fedora. It´s just that once again I think Ubuntu fits my ways better.
As for Ubuntu being corporate material, well, I have mixed views on that one. I see where you are coming from and yes, RHE is the safe bet, specially because they have lots of experience with fairly big customers. However, I still think Ubuntu is perfectly suitable for medium to small companies, perhaps below 500 users in size. Combining Ubuntu clients with Debian servers, for example, sounds like a solid solution, IMHO.
It's too bad that SELinux isn't available in a user friendly way and that ACL's are under utilized and in fact I believe that even groups are poorly used. With SELinux even a root infection wouldn't damage much. Someday I wanna build the userfriendly selinux distro.ReplyDelete
@xenoterracide: Hey, thanks for your post!ReplyDelete
I agree with you. SELinux is driving me crazy under Fedora. It has a very cumbersome interface, which seems to provide useless messages. There is known bug that raises a warning or even stops Chromium from running.
Sadly, it feels like the typical Windows error interface which is just annoying. I really hope the major distros raise the same concern and get this feature matured enough for all kinds of users.
I have about 3 years Linux experience, mainly Ubuntu. When I setup a PC, I always create a user (called administrator) who is the only one with administrative privileges such as sudo use and root access and is only used for those type of things. Then all other users (who have different passwords) cannot do anything too risky (such as install an infected .deb). Obviously this isn't perfect but at least users (except administrator) should only be able to cripple themselves by malware. Any comments?ReplyDelete
John Rose ... that's OK, in your situation, but let me ask you, when you started using Linux, how safe you were with sudo?ReplyDelete
Obviously, I suppose here that you did not know what root or sudo means, as an ordinary newbe.
After all the comments I've seen here, the question to be answered by different Linux distributions is: "A dumb user should be able to do whatever it wants, or a dumb user should be educated by forcing upon him some not always friendly rules?"
And I think the final answer will come in time, there is no straight solution.
actually sudo is so abused by ubuntu... you can sudo anything. Ubuntu would be wise to make sudo only work for... 2 things I think. 1 the apt-utils (whatever this is called) and 2 cli text editors (vim, nano, emacs). Everything else... should not be run able by sudo out of the box. Then don't disable root logins but deny them from the login manager out of the box. This forces people to login as root to do truly stupid things. This won't prevent things like people installing bad packages from mostly trusted community repo's... but it would make the callus use of sudo end. Even better I say if you make it so root is disabled by default so they have to figure out how to use a livecd (or boot parameters) to bypass passwords to enable root.ReplyDelete
Guess what, when I first installed Ubuntu Server, for some unexplained reason I ended up with sudo disabled (there were no users in sudoers) and with root login denied ... that was cool to figure out.ReplyDelete
@Chema Martín Very good. nice article, shall i copy it and post n my blog??ReplyDelete
Hello!!! I would like to add some extra information!The primary difference between Linux and many other popular contemporary operating systems is that the Linux kernel and other components are free and open source software.22ddReplyDelete
This forces people to login as root to do truly stupid things. This won't prevent things like people installing bad packages from mostly trusted community repo'sReplyDelete
This a good blog, i like to read information about linux.ReplyDelete
Nice information posted about Linux and Virus.Thanks for sharing this unique information..
This is really great information found here..... Keep posting such an interesting blog post.
Thanks very much!
Keep it up!!! You are too good at your work… how do you manage to keep writing superbly each time. Is there some hidden secret which you do not want to share…ReplyDelete
All I am New, I have been looking around this board for about a few hours as a guest. I found it extremely and it has helped out allot. I hope to hang around for abit and contribute.ReplyDelete
Been reading your excellent blog for quite a few weeks now, and i am enjoying many of your excellent topics.ReplyDelete
Hmmm.. I do agree with you in many parts but will have to think about it deeply. But have to say that it is quite well put though and did make me reassess many of my ideas about certain things. Many thanks for giving this different perspective.ReplyDelete
buy xopenex online
Great post! I am just starting out in community management/marketing media and trying to learn how to do it well - resources like this article are insanity helpful.ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing your informations about Linux.ReplyDelete
Nice ,inreresting post .. I am always looking for such post..Thanks for shareing with us.ReplyDelete
Want a girl? Want a boy? Now it's possible! A newborn sex determination. Desire to determine the sex of the newborn. For more information about Gender selection, Natural gender selection, Determine baby gender, Holy Land gender selection, Predetermine baby's sex, please visit: www.girlorboy4u.com .
hello, i would like to read more about this interesting topic because has useful information.I think that you need to add more images In general the post is very good.ReplyDelete
avast is best .. i am using against virusesReplyDelete
thanks for sharing......... viruses are worstReplyDelete
viruses are basically unwanted programs......... there are antivirus programs to tackle this vulnerable attck on the system...malwares.. trojan horse.. ets many types of the malicoius programsReplyDelete
Your post has cleared my doubt about Linux virus .i have same thing in mind that some people said Linux does never infected by virus or some said it is.yes you are right we should careful and protective about our data and privacy.ReplyDelete
Thank you for this great article, Chema. I kind of accidently came upon it. You explained it in a way that everybody (not only the nerds) should be able to understand.ReplyDelete
I'm using linux on my desktop for quite a while now and am completely happy with it. Meanwhile distributions like Ubuntu make linux as easy to use as other proprietary operating systems.
There a many good reasons to switch over to open source. Unfortunenately most of us got used to the usage of proprietary products not knowing at all what this software does to our perception of the world (catchword: walled gardens) and our freedom.
The only problems I see are that linux doesn't come preinstalled, isn't well supported by the industry, is mostly not educated in schools (which is a real shame!) and still couldn't get rid of this somehow geeky and nerdish image it actually has lost a long time ago.
I have done all the "bad" things. I have shared my password - it is " ". I have a SSH server open.ReplyDelete
Well written.ReplyDelete
I'd like to point out that in my 15 years of Linux admin/IT management, I've only ever seen/experienced two rootkits/worms and both were on old Redhat boxes. The worm itself propagates via SSH/Telnet bruteforce. Common attack every even remotely competent Linux admin will notice in about 4 seconds. Unfortunately my clients previous Linux admin wasn't "even remotely competent", left SSH open to the Internet with no filtering whatsover, SSH allowed root login, root password was weak and was bruteforced in less than 2 million attempts (both cases). RKhunter found both worms in a few seconds but as these machines were about 6-8 years outdated, there was no where from which to attain the clean binaries so a new install was required.
I've never seen a Linux virus. I've heard rumours, sure, but thus far zero evidence. There are heaps of worms out there and I'm confident they are more of a security issue than trojans. Most inexperienced Linux users don't know how to install a .deb outside of their distro's respective package management GUI. Any even moderately experienced users know the telltale signs of malicious packages. Worms however, just start hitting you, and they'll hit you hard enough to cause problems regardless of whether or not your machine is itself, secure. A simple hydra based SSH bruteforce attempt can cripple your internet connection.
There are other more common issues when it comes to intentional and directed attacks against an individual or organisation running Linux. Arp poisoning takes only a few seconds to setup and unless you've got a very good managed switch, you're vulnerable (as with any OS). Blah blah blah. There are lots of security vulnerabilities.
Long short, virus' on Linux, as the author states, just really don't exist. A determined and malicious attacker will probably find a way in regardless, or will at least make your day interesting no matter how much experience and foresight you may employ. Don't piss someone off to that extent in the first place, is probably the best defence.


text:
Newspoll: Liberal 53, Labor 23, Greens 16 in Tasmania
Newspoll's pre-election entry for Tasmania points to humiliation for Labor and an emphatic majority win for the Liberals.
Alternatively, you can email us or call us on (03) 8623 9900
Mar 14, 2014
Newspoll's pre-election entry for Tasmania points to humiliation for Labor and an emphatic majority win for the Liberals.
I'm too busy to offer any commentary on late campaign polling, so it's just as well that these numbers speak for themselves. The personal ratings are similarly devastating for Labor: 29% approval and 62% disapproval for Lara Giddings, 53% and 36% for Will Hodgman, and 27% and 64% for Greens leader Nick McKim. On preferred premier, 53% for Hodgman, 22% for Giddings and 14% for McKim. The poll also foreshadows a disappointing result for Clive Palmer, with the Palmer United Party recording only 4%.
Powered by Taboola
There now seems to be a drift away from the Coalition in every state, at state and federal level, as a result (one must assume) of Abbott's unpopularity, EXCEPT in Tasmania. I assume this is because Labor has been in for SO long and their record has been SO mediocre for so long that nothing will persuade the voters to give them another gallop.
I blame Bartlett for this. He swore before the last election he would not go into coalition with the Greens, then after the election he immediately did just that. Now no-one believes anything Labor says. He should have stuck to his pledge and gone into opposition then, leaving Hodgman to form a minority government.
@Psephos 1
I'd say that's a fair assessment of the situation. The question for the term ahead is basically "how fast will Hodgman's mob screw it up and burn all their political capital with the Tasmanian people?"
Labor might be back in after a single term, if the record of Newman in QLD is anything to go by (he was elected on similarly embarrassing figures for Labor, after all)… but not with Giddings as leader.
It's also worth noting that Hodgman's approval % is /exactly/ the same as his party's primary vote (suggesting it's the same 53% in both cases), but both Giddings and McKim record approval ratings four points north of their parties' primary votes.
Clearly, some Green and ALP voters don't mind each others' leaders, but they stand pretty much united in their lack of approval for Hodgman.
Giddings' and McKim's ratings are the worst for a Premier and a Greens Leader in Newspoll history (though the first is not the worst in Tasmanian history – Harry Holgate got a -59). Hodgman's are almost exactly the same last time; his disapproval is down a point.
Initial notes here while I await the seat breakdown: http://kevinbonham.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/newspoll-its-all-over.html
The best outcome for Labor if they can't manage to save two in Franklin is Giddings loses her seat to O'Byrne.
Re #1 had the Liberals stuck by their refusal to deal with the Greens, the Governor would have just put Bartlett back until some time as the other parties dumped him on the floor. Maybe that would actually have been the superior course. Anyway, the rest of Labor did not have to let him do what he did.
Nick Mckim's approval rating is worse than the figure suggests ( in relation to Green party support ). The figure has been chopped in half compared to the 2010 pre election Newspoll. I believe he was the most popular leader going into that election of the three party leaders.
This is a bit of a surprise to me; he presents himself as a moderate, and is amicable.
It appears as if a wave of unreasonable hysteria has swept up the minds of the people. A reminiscent mood perhaps of the Gillard era, where manipulation and hound dog tactics by the opposition were significant factors in bringing down that government. Plus a terrible media bias that displayed little interest in challenging false assumptions. A psychological brainwashing that is perhaps easier for Tasmanians to succumb to?
Considering that Tasmania's electoral system requires a political party to achieve close to a majority of the popular vote, and Mr Hodgman has promised the earth to all, including applying magic to resurrect yesterday's forestry industry, it is close to certain in my view he has a maximum of 4 years in the limelight.
A very bad poll for the opposition and I hope the Greens will get more than the 16 points indicated.
Psephos. You are unfair to Bartlett. Once the Green came our and said publicly that they wouldn't back a change of Govt (ostensibly because of the administrative cost, but radially because the Libs offered them nothing: Hodgman was not allowed by Abetz even to talk to McKim), the Governor could not have realistically installed Hodgman as minority Premier. Bartlett then decided to make the best of a bad job and enter into a coalition which he and his party knew would seal their fate in 4 years time. But they were surely due a spell in Opposition whatever they did.
We could look back on 2010 and say that Labor might have done better in the long run both Federally and in Tassie by not trying to form government. It might have worked Federally, but 15 out of 25 votes for the left side of politics in Tassie, plus a Liberal Party brains trust determined to stay in opposition than deal with the Greens (even if, as was clearly the case, Hodgman thought otherwise).
In 2014, despite being certain to win, the Libs have chosen to make a large number of very specific, but undeliverable and unaffordable promises during the campaign on things like education and health. These are all going to come back and bite them in the bum big time.
C'est la vie in mainstream Australian politics in the 21st century. All marketing and spin: who cares about the actual outcome on the ground? And then Laborites wonder why so many educated, intelligent people have shifted their allegiance to the Greens?
Updated comments, projections and so on.
The Newspoll has caused me to switch from 14-6-4-1 to 14-7-4. I don't write Palmer off but the 4% result suggests they've jumped at least ten sharks too many this campaign. They've been a mess and I think even the backblocks of Braddon might be able to see through it.
Me on RN breakfast any moment now
It's so unfair to blame to Bartlett here! The blame should lay with the state party for rolling Barrlett and putting in the most mediocre leader in labor/tassie history. Unlike Gillard who did not need a deal with the greens party in 2010 Bartlett had to do a deal.
My Last point is this view that labor should just let in lib/nats government because its the best thing for the labor party just shows had unfit they are for governing this country and state. IT ABOUT THE COUNTRY NOT PARTY.
It doesn't surprise me at all that PUP seem to have faded off the page.
The election has ultimately boiled down to a two-sided debate, with the Greens and Labor on one side and the Liberals on the other. A decisive part of the electorate – including many people to whom I have spoken – have made the jump to the Libs: not on the basis of a wish so much to "protest" against what has been happening, but out of sheer desperation and fear about what the future might bring to their community. They don't believe that the Libs have many (or any) of the answers but they think that Labor has had long enough and has failed, so they might as well give the Libs a go. And these sorts of people have a visceral hatred of the Greens.
They have swung hard to the Libs, but without any enthusiasm at all: I have never seen a bunch of voters who are less enthusiastic about what they are about to do. But they seem to feel like a gambler who has lost everything at the races and might as well put the shirt on the back on an outsider in the 8th. Some of them even recognise that the timber and pulp market is stuffed and there's not much money to be made and that "unlocking" the forests and re-igniting the forest wars is a really bad idea for Tassie in the longer term, but they feel that – when you have nothing left – you might even have to sell off the family jewels.
I can't really see that Clive – who is trying to attract protest votes – has anything to offer voters in this sort of electoral climate.
Even the Greens are struggling a bit outside their core constituency of true believers. Labor – especially Giddings, Green and O'Byrne – have done quite well at selling themselves as the party of rational use of natural resources. Under McKim – himself a rational use sort of a guy – the Greens, against my expectations, have not been able sufficiently to differentiate themselves as a brand in the campaign.
So, to sum up, I agree with Kevin's 14-7-4. But, Kevin, is there any chance at all of 15-6-4 (ie, the Libs getting 4 in Braddon)?
After throwing the Newspoll into my aggregate the Libs have chances of 3 in Denison and 4 in Braddon so 15-6-4 or 15-5-4-1 are quite realistic (15-5-5 less so, I think the PUP preferences will be unhelpful to O'Halloran). But the 4 in Braddon is very difficult because if they are polling that high there then someone (most likely Adam Brooks) is going to have an enormous surplus which is going to leak lots to other parties. The key to Braddon is whether Labor can get their vote split evenly enough between Green and Best (or whoever) to keep both ahead as candidates of O'Halloran, Morgan and whoever the fourth Liberal is. If there is an even split in the Labor vote then ignore the party totals, they'll be rubbish.
A reservation has been raised about the Newspoll as to whether PUP were read out. If not their vote could be underestimated as ReachTEL have been generally getting 6-7 for them. The other possibility is that the PUP vote has finally deflated because they have jumped a few too many sharks in the last week.
It's an interesting speculation as to what the Governor would have done if both Bartlett and Hodgman had refused to form a minority government after the 2010 election. Party leaders have a duty to assist the Crown in providing a government, but if they refuse, the Crown can't force them. He could have suggested a Lab-Lib grand coalition, but I expect they would have refused that too. I expect the outcome would have been Bartlett staying in office as a minority government, followed by another election.
My prefered solution to Tasmania's problem would be a temporary grand coalition to rewrite the state constitution to provide for:
* a 35-member lower house elected from single-member seats
* a 22-member upper house elected by PR for 8-year terms, with 11 members elected at each election
The Greens would in effect be removed from the lower to the upper house, where minor parties belong. (Although I expect they'd have a good chance of winning a lower-house seat in central Hobart.)
@ Meher
"They have swung hard to the Libs, but without any enthusiasm at all: I have never seen a bunch of voters who are less enthusiastic about what they are about to do."
Without enthusiam, really, look at those numbers again, "without enthusiam"?. They are not blinking, its blue they will vote for, and I think with a fair amount of enthusiasm..and yes, hope. And as they select blue, lts with perspective that the red and green side offer only desolation, they are avoiding those sides out of terror.
Also you post – "but out of sheer desperation and fear about what the future might bring to their community."
Well, what more is there to say, your words "out of sheer desperation and fear.." Thats where we are and I agree with those words, with great enthusiasm I shall vote blue, the other sides are a cancer.
In there 10's of thousands they are moving blue, fear? Desperation? What does that tell you?
"Even the Greens are struggling a bit outside their core constituency of true believers. Labor – especially Giddings, Green and O'Byrne – have done quite well at selling themselves as the party of rational use of natural resources. Under McKim – himself a rational use sort of a guy – the Greens, against my expectations, have not been able sufficiently to differentiate themselves as a brand in the campaign."
Good god, they project such a rational image and yet get slaughtered on the day that counts. There is no such perception, only the hardcore believers think so. The perception is failure, thats why the blue swing is so large. The Greens brand is fairly simple, there is no plan, failure comes a close second.
@ Coast
"It appears as if a wave of unreasonable hysteria has swept up the minds of the people. A reminiscent mood perhaps of the Gillard era, where manipulation and hound dog tactics by the opposition were significant factors in bringing down that government. Plus a terrible media bias that displayed little interest in challenging false assumptions. A psychological brainwashing that is perhaps easier for Tasmanians to succumb to?"
Good grief, we have been brainwashed? In the 10's of thousands? May I offer you an alternative view.
They are hopeless, a speech writer and a teacher, never produced anything in their lives most likely, but can talk, oh they can talk.
But the people watched what they did and then formed a logical conclusion, they are hopeless, they are all talk, they will get voted out. You have no understanding as to the level of despair in this state. I see it everyday, clients come in, I look at their numbers, we then reduce the hours of their staff..thats always fun.
The BS is thick on this blog.
James, can you please explain to us all what you expect and hope the Liberals are actually going to be able to do in government?
The only faint glimmer of hope I can see (which will only help in the short term and not make a huge difference in the longer term) is that, once Hodgman is elected, Abetz may persuade Abbott to annoint him with vast amounts of Federal funding to subsidise the resurrection of the forestry industry and the expansion back into contentious "high conservation value" areas.
But, with the moribund state of global markets for timber products, the relatively high dollar, and the almost certain poisoning of many markets for Tassie forest products that will follow from a re-opening of the "forest wars", all I can see this strategy creating is a massive stockpile of logs and woodchips, reminiscent of the good old Federal Government wool stockpile which reached a massive size in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The obvious thing to do with that stockpile is to burn it to create electricity. But, with the balance between supply and demand in the national electricity market currently shifting towards the supply side, I fear that this won't prove to be particularly lucrative either. So, in the end, the taxpayer will be underwriting the incineration of beautiful forests(and, despite the claims that have been made by Abbott and Senator Colbeck and others, places like the Florentine and the Weld are quite beautiful in parts, even if parts of them have been logged in the past. I'm no greenie, but I can't help asking if that really is the best we can hope to do with these beautiful places in 2014: cut them down and burn them up to sell electricity at a loss into an saturated market?
It doesn't seem quite right to me. But when people are desperate, they are prepared to pawn their family jewels. And, notwithstanding your own enthusiasm, I have found that this is the attitude of most people I talk to who have swung to the Libs. "It's probably not the right thing to do to go back to clear felling those beautiful forests, and we don't really want to see those screaming protesters on TV again, but we're broke and we don't really have a choice."
Anyway, I'm glad to know that you're going to be very happy tomorrow night. I hope it all works out really well for you. And for me: I'd love to see the value of my assets in Tassie go up again. I just don't think what the Libs are proposing is going to do the trick. Time will tell.
@ Meher
You are a contradiction, you seem flabergasted that people are moving to the blue side. You suggest a lack of enthusiam of those doing so..yet they are doing it, are they not.
You use the word "desperation" yet you ignore the reality of why you are using that particular word, Why do people feel that way? Why are people moving to the blue side?
I dont Meher, I know why they are moving to the blue side, so do you, they are desperate, they see no solution offered by the red and green team, they are Terrified of what 4 more years of these sides will do.
I find it interesting that you query what the blue side will do to improve things, how about the opposite to whatever the others did 🙂
You said it above "we're broke and we dont really have a choice", that is called reality. Put all the silly noble words away and get to work fixing things.
I couldnt give a toss about the damn forests, work them or dont, I couldnt give a toss about the protesters, apply the rule of law if required, I couldnt give a toss about the TV scenes, because we are fkin broke and the luxury of time and choices is almost gone.
You know why people are moving to the blue team, would you rather us stay with the sides that are fkin hopeless, cause they speak nice and noble words as people lives are ruined.
To clarify, people are moving to the side they think offer them the most hope and thats not the damn reds or greens. Thats where we are, noble words and ideals are pie in the sky when the issue is food on the table.
The reds and greens cannot fix anything, they are clueless, a speech writer, a teacher and a few union reps, thats great, just fkin great.
Will the blues do any better? I dont know, thats to find out, but heres the thing. THEY CANT DO WORSE and I want to be able to put food on my table rather than live your damn postcard existance of minimum fuss and inconvenience and what do the rest of the world think of us.
Thats why people are voting blue.
Real life, here and now.
Psephos @16
If Tasmania has problems they have nothing to do with our electoral system, which is markedly superior to that used in other jurisdictions. You are suggesting that the system be made less democratic, with the aim of preventing people whose opinions you do not like from being represented. This of course has already been tried once; the geniuses from the two largest parties got their heads together and thought they could eliminate the Greens by reducing the number of seats in parliament, making the quota larger. As a Tasmanian I found this embarrassing, since it was stupid as well as evil. Even if the Green vote had not improved, they were still going to win seats, and therefore occasionally hold the balance of power. At least that plan had the advantage of being cheap and simple to implement. Your suggestion does not have even that going for it; it would be expensive and fiddly as well as being stupid and evil. The Greens would still win seats, though fewer than their support would deserve. They would therefore still sometimes hold the balance of power.
What is more, even if you think Tasmania's problems are somehow the fault of greens, it is not the fault of the political party. The Greens have of course never been in government to carry out their policies; their nearest approach being their two ministers in the outgoing government. This government has not introduced any radical green policies; the Green ministers have supported the Labor majority and copped flack from some of their supporters for it. If any greens have affected the State's economy, it has been the more radical protest groups. Their most effective tactic has been lobbying prospective customers for forestry products overseas, with the promise of protests and bad publicity if they buy Tasmanian products sourced from wilderness areas. Personally I doubt whether even this has really had much effect. The high dollar, increasing fuel costs, distance from markets and increasing competition from other countries are enough on their own to explain the decline in the industry. But even if green protesters have done real damage, they have little connection to the political party and are not necessarily Tasmanian or even Australian. Removal of Green political representation would certainly not curtail their activities.
The only path which could offer a future to the local forestry industry is the forestry peace deal struck last year between industry and environment groups, which would give Tasmanian products an environmental certification which would be an advantage in some markets, in return for protecting some areas from logging. This deal is supported by Labor and Green political parties, most of the surviving timber businesses, most environment groups, and the CFMEU, the union covering forest workers. It is opposed by some industry lobbyists, a few radical green protest outfits, and the Liberals, who will tear it up after they win tomorrow. The Liberals will thus prove (again) that they are actually less responsible than the Greens, the only benefit of their action being a slight increase in tourism as young people from the north island come down to enjoy the scenery and a spot of protesting.
I don't think Labor would have introduced or supported the forestry peace deal had they still had a majority in this term. And some of the industry "support" for it is soft and will evaporate post-election (indeed some has already been peeled off.) But the Libs will have a hard time winding it back, especially when it comes to getting World Heritage revoked. It's more just about making the right noises to appease the concerns of those who have lost jobs in logging towns and hold Labor and the Greens responsible.
Representative systems have two purposes. One is to allow reasonable representation to all points of view that have a significant following in the community, and the other is to allow the formation of stable governments that can implement the policies on which they were elected. Unfortunately, there is a tension between these two objectives, so an election system has to be devised that accommodates them both as far as possible. My belief, based on 40 years of close observation of Australian and international politics, is that the "Australian system" is, if not the best in the world, certainly among the best. This system is (a) a lower house elected from single-member seats by preferential voting, and (b) an upper house elected by preferential PR. This usually (though not always) produces a stable majority government in the lower house, faced by a strong opposition. Minor parties will occasionally gain representation, though not usually. They can, however, bargain with their preferences to influence major party policies. They will always gain representation in the upper house, and will usually have the balance of power there, which they can use to amend and defeat government legislation (though not block supply). This system is neither evil nor stupid, but one that has worked well for many decades at federal level and in all the states except Qld (which has no upper house, and has suffered bad government as a result), and Tas, which has a PR lower house. This also worked OK until the rise of a permanent third party, which has destabilised the system. That's not the fault of the Greens as such, but it's the inevitable result of a three-party parliament in which no two parties can work happily together, as has been exhaustively shown. The solution to that is to return to a system in which the lower house will (usually) have a stable one-party majority government and a one-party opposition, while allowing the third party a say in government from the upper house. My proposal also increases the Parliament from 40 to 57, thus deepening the talent pool somewhat. I expect it would also eliminate most of the current upper house independents, giving both Labor and Liberals bigger party rooms to choose front-benches from. I don't of course claim this change would solve all Tasmania's problems. But it would provide an institutional framework which will give Tasmanian politicians a better chance of finding a way to solve them.
I wonder if any ALP Leader will ever be stupid enough to go into Coalition with the Greens again after what's happened to the Federal ALP and Tasmanian ALP.
The LNP thanks you.
Now the ALP just has to wake up to the fact that the Greens aren't their political allies – they are direct competitors and need to be preferenced last all the time everywhere.
Protests on site in Tasmania have been no more than a slight inconvenience to loggers. The most effective green actions have been carried out outside Tasmania. Arresting more local protestors would only have got Tasmania more bad publicity, and likely caused collateral damage to non-forest exporters.
By a strange coincidence, I just found an article I wrote about Tasmanian politics in 1990, at the time of the Field government and the struggle for gay law reform.
Kevin @ 22
I don't think Labor would have introduced or supported the forestry peace deal had they still had a majority in this term.
You might be right, but do you not agree that the peace deal was a better idea than "more of the same"?
Maybe but I'm very lukewarm about it because the process that led to its formation was a charade of intellectual fraud and verification sloppiness, meaning that the conservation benefits of the deal are bound to be poorly targeted and exaggerated.
It couldn't go on the way it was. It was either surrender or play hardball, and Labor would never do the latter, since the government would have gone down.
Psephos: I am inclined to agree with you about the need for electoral reform in Tassie, although I also sympathise with MagicPudding's disgust at the shameless and clumsy way the major parties have mucked around with the electoral system to try to shut out the Greens.
The Tasmanian system is skewiff, with a single member electorate system in the upper house and a proportional representation system in the lower house. I agree that this should be swapped over, but I think it should be to a 25 seat (or thereabouts) lower house and and similarly-sized upper house.
We would see the end of the current tendency for the Legislative Council to serve as a retirement village for regional mayors, whose continuing dominance in that chamber is (as Greg Barns has pointed out) based upon the curious fact that voting for the seats is not conducted simultaneously but is staggered seat by seat over a multi-year cycle.
If the major parties were more strongly represented in both houses, the parties would have more potential ministers to choose from, which would be a great thing.
And I agree with you that the Australian way is for the people's house to be based on single member seats. I think both the parliaments that don't do it this way – Tasmania and the ACT – are diminished by the members not having quite the same connection to specific local communities.
But I also think that such a reform would be very hard to achieve and would be pretty unpopular. The Hare-Clark system has an important place in Tasmanian political culture and the name of Andrew Inglis Clark is revered among the afficionados of Tasmanian political history. It would be difficult for anyone to mess with its basic structure.
As for reforming the Legislative Council, I don't see how – in the absence of any sort of party discipline in that chamber – you could ever get that chamber to agree to any sort of electoral reform that would affect itself.
By a strange coincidence, I just found an article I wrote about Tasmanian politics in 1990, at the time of the Field government and the struggle for gay law reform.
Interesting reading. I did not know Llewellyn (who is running trying to get his old seat back this election) was opposed to reform at that time, though it's not a great surprise.
Reform was finally passed under the Rundle government in 1997 after barely scraping up the numbers to get through the LegCo.
I think the LegCo has generally done well in this term of parliament by the way, but I still think the archaic LegCo system means they have little if any mandate and that any good outcomes are more luck than management.
As for your version of the single-member-seat lower-house proposal, I don't know if Tassie needs 57 politicians total and if that really deepens the talent pool or just puts more dills in parliament. The current talent pool issues arise partly from the Greens taking seats away from government and partly from the Hare-Clark recount methods. (In recounts we often get a hack who ran as a ticket-filler, or a defeated ex-MP, but in by-elections for contested seats we'd be more likely to get a good candidate in). But I suspect the exact numbers wouldn't be your primary concern so long as we did manage to invert the two systems.
KB, what has happened to the Barnards and the Townleys? Are they extinct? Now we have the Hodgmans (Hodgpeople?) and the O'Byrnes.
KB, what has happened to the Barnards and the Townleys? Are they extinct? Now we have the Hodgmans (Hodgpeople?) and the O'Byrnes.
Went to school with a Townley (unsure if related) but not aware of any still politically active members of these dynasties.
We also have Groom Jnr and Bacon Jnr in the house at present.
My summary seat assessments (based on all data, not just the Newspoll) :
In order Lib-ALP-Green(-PUP where necessary)
Bass: 3-1-1 very likely. Outside chance 3-2-0. Anything else very unlikely.
Braddon: No clear favourite. Four significant prospects – in declining order of probability, 3-2-0, 3-1-0-1, 3-1-1, 4-1-0. Anything else very unlikely.
Denison: 2-2-1 likely. Realistic chance 3-1-1. Outside chance 2-1-2. Anything else very unlikely.
Franklin: 3-1-1 slightly more likely than 2-2-1. Anything else very unlikely.
Lyons: 3-1-1 very likely. Outside chance 3-2-0. Anything else very unlikely.
[I blame Bartlett for this. He swore before the last election he would not go into coalition with the Greens, then after the election he immediately did just that. Now no-one believes anything Labor says. He should have stuck to his pledge and gone into opposition then, leaving Hodgman to form a minority government.]
So do I blame Bartlett, but not because of the Greens. It's because he was such a shit premier. And I also blame Labor for reducing the size of our Parliament just to get rid of the Greens. It's led to a decline in the quality of government and a quasi parliament composed of senior public servants.
Tomorrow will be a bloodbath for Labor. I just hope we retain enough good Labor people to rebuild over the next four years, preferably without Lara Giddings who, I'm afraid, has run her race. She did pretty well, all things considered, but public opinion is against her, and frankly, Tasmania is rife with gullible and uninformed people.
Michael Polley is retiring at this election. His sister Helen Polley is a Senator.
Small addition: Denison 2-1-1-1 can be called a remote chance. Not quite in the "very unlikely" bin.
Yes 14-7-4 is the most likely from summing individual seat outcomes, though the Libs have a pretty good crack at 15-6-4 since they have two shots at it. But the worst outcome for Labor is not 15-5-5 but the highly unlikely 14-5-6.
It's pretty safe to write off anything that requires two outside chances. 13-10-2 for instance. Labor won't escape without seat losses. If it saves one of these it will probably suffer elsewhere.
Michael Polley is retiring at this election. His sister Helen Polley is a Senator.
And Kim Polley, wife of Michael, is Mayor of Northern Midlands.
My full election and candidate guide, link posted for anyone interested. Some sections dated now campaign is finished.
This has had over 12.5K unique pageviews, with the last three days being its busiest as people decide their votes.
@ james dayton 31
Yeah, and you're going to stay there for a long time without the TFA, which was the last lifeline for a dying industry (Tasmanian forestry) which has past its time. The encumbrance of a Liberal government with no real jobs plan won't help either.
Tasmanians need to stop looking to get back the jobs of the past (where the ALP and Liberals firmly live) and start building the jobs of the future (so far, only the Greens are going there with a plan, though some credit must go to the ALP for at least supporting fibre-to-the-premises broadband).
In the immediate future, only excessive Federal largesse can save Tasmanian jobs, but neither that largesse or its effects will be sustained into even the medium term.
@ Arrnea
Yeah, we have actually been here for a while already, oh I am sorry, who is in government?
Apparently the Greens plan is a 20 year transition from substantial welfare state to full welfare state, but yeah, we will make jam and stuff.
If you want to partake of the watermelon Kool aid, then by all means do so, I prefer reality myself.
@ james dayton 48
Thanks for proving that you haven't actually read any of the Greens' policy platform and that you merely drink the media Kool-Aid on the issue.
What Labor and the Liberals don't seem to get is that you can't have an economy if you destroy the environment trying.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2014/03/14/newspoll-liberal-53-labor-23-greens-16-in-tasmania/ == https://www.crikey.com.au/free-trial/==https://www.crikey.com.au/subscribe/
Show popup
Unlock articles instantly and get Crikey in your inbox each weekday.
Sign up FREE for your 21-day Crikey trial.
We've sent a confirmation to your email address — please open that email and click the "activate now" button. Then access is all yours!


text:
Well me and my brother got out on the river today while it was some what warm and sunny. It's the first time we've been able to go fishing since before archery season. We've been tied up with big game hunting and waterfowl ever since. There was still a little ice on the river but this time of year on The Roaring Fork River is what I consider the best. Maybe not for the hatches or the great number of fish being caught, but simply its the only time of year these gold medal waters arn't slammed with guides and tourists fisherman from who could imagine where. Don't get me wrong we catch a few fish this time of year and some decent sized ones at that. We ended up with 4 browns and 2 rainbows in a short period of time. The bigest being a rainbow my brother caught right at 18".
A few pics of the fish and me trying not to fall in the river walking on the ice.


text:
Africa Adaptation Programme (2008-2012)
For comprehensive information on the Africa Adaptation Programme, please visit the AAP website.
Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change. It is expected to exacerbate the economic, political and humanitarian stresses that countries in the region already face, and greatly reduce their capacity to eradicate extreme poverty. The poorest segments of society will be the most severely affected because they are also the least able to adapt. It is essential that countries adjust national development plans to integrate climate resilience. To address these challenges, the Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP) was launched in 2008 by UNDP in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) and with US$92.1 million support from the Government of Japan. AAP was developed to support the long-term efforts of countries to further develop their capacity to successfully identify, design and implement holistic climate change adaptation programmes to ensure national development policy, planning and practice is resilient to climate impacts.
Over a 3 year period, concluding at the end of 2012, AAP instituted transformational changes in the 20 African countries in the areas of 1) long-term planning; 2) leadership and institutional capacity; 3) climate-resilient policies and measures; 4) innovative finance; and 5) knowledge generation and sharing. AAP's support helped enhance the adaptive capacity of the AAP countries, promote early adaptation action and lay the foundation for long-term investment to increase resilience to climate change across the African continent.
Strengthening Long-Term Planning Mechanisms
AAP's Data and Information Management Component (DIMC) assisted countries to develop the infrastructure and capabilities needed to access, analyse and apply climate data and information for decision-making. Overall, over 10,000 people were trained in climate data analysis under AAP's DIMC. AAP's support under DIMC helped increase countries' capacity to support vulnerability and risk assessments and use climate data and information to integrate adaptation into national development planning.
Building Institutional and Leadership Capacity
AAP assisted in enhancing professional leadership capacity and institutional effectiveness in countries by increasing awareness of climate change issues, developing multi-stakeholder approaches and implementing national adaptation strategies that address the needs of men and women equally. For example, under AAP, Kenya established a National Climate Change Secretariat to coordinate the different climate change focal points in key government ministries. Through this multi-ministerial coordination, Kenya has facilitated the National Climate Change Response Strategy and ensured adaptation interventions take a multi-sectoral approach.
Implementing Climate-Resilient Policies and Measures
AAP provided assistance to countries to implement policy measures that protect climate sensitive sectors and encourage private sector investment in adaptation, such as adaptation pilot projects and national climate change strategies. For example, Nigeria, with the support of AAP, adopted a National Policy on Climate Change and Response Strategy, which will ensure a coordinated approach to addressing climate change.
Innovative Finance
Under AAP, innovative financing options to meet national adaptation costs were expanded at the local, national, sub-regional and regional levels. For example, AAP supported Morocco to expand public-private partnerships to mobilise funds for future climate change projects in local communities. Through a public-private partnership developed through AAP, a solar lighting project was completed in a rural community. Additionally, AAP trained stakeholders to undertake cost-benefit analyses of adaptation options.
Generating and Sharing Knowledge
Through AAP, knowledge on adjusting national development processes to fully incorporate climate change risks and opportunity was generated and shared across all levels across all 20 countries. For example, the production and broadcast of television and radio segments (e.g. Burkina Faso, Mauritius, Namibia, and Tunisia) and documentaries (e.g. Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal and Tanzania) effectively shared information and concerns on climate change adaptation.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
While those familiar with William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" expect swords to clash during the play, the sword fights in an upcoming production are less traditional.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The News Enterprise, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
|ZIP Code:


text:
Now, im an old Pristontale player, i have a lvl 43 Knight, Unfortunatly i could never log after P2P was enabled because im over lvl 39.
Ok what i wanted to make this post about was, it seems that Korea pristontale is Free to play right? Now i assume they must have just changed this after English pristontale became free. here's a little article i thought i'd copy here.
i cannot find the quotes button so the first poster if you would be kind enough to tell me that would be great.
Pristontale Commercial Service has begun in Korea from December, 2002 after a year of Beta service in 2001.
Presently, there are over 3 million users in Korea while Pristontale is ranked within the top 3 in the Korean MMORPG market.
In Korea, the monthly rate is $20 while Playing for Free until level 40 level is not provided.
Ok, now currently Korean Pristontale is free so have i read anyway, you posters can confirm this. But if korean pristontale was over 3mil users paying $20 a month american, Why Cancel it?
English Pristontale, i mean how many people have really paid for it, im sure it cant be a lot. When i played pristontale, i didnt think it would become P2P for a very long time, as there were some bugs in the game, There was only Tier 1 and yes now i know theres Tier 4. But it still didnt seem complete, im bit of a quest fan and in pristontale there wasnt any at the time. But i sure did love to party with my pristontale buddys and it has such a great community, and that was the best part of it.
Now what i want to say is, when i played, English pristontale was always the last to get updated, it took serveral months after the Asian Games had there updates it would take very long for English people to get theres. And if it has stayed the same, Why are EPT forced to wait for long updates and have to pay $13
Now remember, this is comming from an old player and what experiences that i had with pristontale before it became P2P, so perhaps things have changed and you guys are getting fast updates, and maybe you're happy giving them money while the asian games are free. you tell me.
Anyway, thats the end, so for any PT players have fun and dont forget to leave a post.


text:
Hi everybody,
I recently bought a Canon EOS 1000 in New Zealand. But, when I got in Brazil I realized I was unable to see the images (before I shot) on the screen. Whenever I take a pic or ask somebody to take a pic of me I have to tell them that they have to look through it instead of using the visor (screen).
I tried really hard to find a way to set up it but I couldn't. Is it possible to see the image beforehand I shot the image on the visor like the common digital cameras?
If there is this possibility, is anyone able to "teach" me because I really need to know it.
Thank you!
Gustavo, Brazil
Canon Eos 1000
Started by Gustavo, May 20 2012 11:22 AM
1 reply to this topic
Posted 20 May 2012 - 11:22 AM
Posted 24 July 2012 - 10:34 AM
There might be a problem in the camera which I feel that the software is not properly installed. If you have bought it recently it will have a warranty so need not to worry, just go to camera vendor from which you have bought this one and ask him to check the problem. I am sure he will definitely resolve the problem for sure.
Wedding Photography Locations
Wedding Photography Locations
Reply to this topic
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


text:
As Coal Mines Shut, 'Big Iron' Gets Dirt Cheap
RALEIGH, N.C.—One upside to the mining downturn: you can get a 100-ton rock truck for a song.
Peter Turner, who operates coal mines in Brisbane, Australia, was among the bargain hunters at an industrial equipment auction here recently and gladly spent nearly $1 million for three tractor-like machines made by Caterpillar Inc. If purchased new, he would have spent near $3 million, he said.
"We only use Caterpillar...


text:
Boeing: What Can Make It Fly in 2014?
Could Boeing (BA) have wished for a better 2013? More important, can investors hope for a repeat in 2014?
Boeing's stock gained 84% last year, beating the average Aerospace & Defense company by more than 20 percentage points, thanks to a huge rush of orders from emerging economies, a dividend hike and other catalysts that also helped boost Airbus (EADSY).
But with the headlines fading, can Boeing stay aloft? Citigroup's Jason Gursky, who calls Boeing a top pick, thinks it can. He explains why:
Civil aero OE continues to enjoy some of the strongest visibility of many markets thanks to record backlogs representing ~8 years of production. As a result of these large backlogs, Boeing & Airbus continue to move beyond already record production rates, driven largely by new programs (787 and A350) and 737 stepping to 42/month in 1Q14. As a result, the two major OEs will be producing 6% more aircraft in 4Q14 vs. 4Q13. Boeing has already announced that 737 rates will go to 47/month in 2017, and that 787 will be at 14/month by the end of the decade (from ~10/month in 1Q14).
And while much of this is already know, Boeing is not without catalysts, Gursky says. He writes:
The discrete catalysts are mostly out of the way with Boeing having already made its 737 and 787 production rate announcements. However, there are still several items to look forward to: 777X supplier decisions, 787-9 EIS (Summer 2014), potential A320 production rate increase, A350 progress, and 787-10 approaching firm configuration (likely in 2015). Orders will slow (we don't expect a record haul at this July's Farnborough Air Show), but we've previously argued that these stocks can work during periods of "backlog burn" as the OEs execute on a record amount of work (6-8 years of backlog).
Shares of Boeing have dropped 0.6% to $139.91 today at 1:00 p.m., while Airbus has risen 1.1% to $19.09. Brazilian jet maker Embraer (ERJ), which lagged in 2013, has jumped 3.4% to $33.73 today.


text:
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - North Carolina closed out the 2013 regular season with a dominant 8-1 victory at Maryland Sunday. Jenna Kelly and Amber Parrish each tallied two runs on two hits, with a home run apiece to help Carolina take game three of the series.
The Tar Heels dropped the doubleheader games on Saturday but finish out the season 38-18 overall and 13-8 in ACC play with Sunday's win.
Carolina took the lead early in the final game as Aquilla Mateen singled past third base before Amber Parrish put one over center to put two runs on the board in the first.
Jenna Kelly added another homer in the second, smashing the ball past the left field post for her fourth long ball of the year. Amy Nece then singled up the middle followed by two fielder's choices to Erin Satterfield and Kristen Brown. With bases loaded, Haleigh Dickey hit a hard standup double to left to score Nece and Satterfield, putting Carolina up 5-0 after two frames.
Nece drew a walk in the third, scoring as Satterfield reached base on a Terrapin fielding error.
With Carolina leading 6-0 into the sixth, the Terrapins broke up the shut out as Lindsey Schmeiser doubled to right and scored on a double to left center by Lindsey Carroll.
The Tar Heels added their final two runs in their last at-bat. Parrish singled to short, and Stephanie Krider scored while pinch running for Parrish when Kelly doubled and advanced to third on the throw. Lauren Walker drew a walk, and a single by Satterfield over Maryland's third baseman knocked in Nece for the final 8-1 mark.
Lori Spingola pitched the complete game, giving up six hits and one walk while notching six strikeouts.
The Tar Heels have a weekend off from competition before heading to the ACC tournament, which will be held May 9-11, in Tallahassee, Fla.


text:
From HaskellWiki
1 Abstract
FieldTrip is a library for functional 3D graphics, intended for building static, animated, and interactive 3D geometry, efficient enough for real-time synthesis and display. Our first renderer uses OpenGL, with the usual visual limitations. Since FieldTrip is functional, it is about being rather than doing. One describes what models are, not how to render them.
Besides this wiki page, here are more ways to find out about and get involved with FieldTrip:
- Join the FieldTrip mailing list.
- Peruse the library documentation.
- Install from Hackage.
- Download the code repository: darcs get http://code.haskell.org/FieldTrip. Patches welcome.
- Report bugs and request features on the tracker.
- Examine the version history.
2 Basic types
The basic purpose of the core FieldTrip library is to allow a user build 3D geometry, from individual simple shapes to full 3D scenes. The principal types are as follows.
- Geometry3
- 3D geometry. These values can be spatially transformed in space (affinely: scale, rotate, translate) and combined (union).
- Surf a = (a,a) -> (a,a,a)
- Parametric surfaces, i.e., mappings from 2D to 3D. Normals are constructed automatically and exactly via derivatives, thanks to the vector-space library. These normals are used for shading. For simplicity and composability, surfaces are curved, not faceted. Surface rendering tessellates adaptively, caching tessellations in an efficient, infinite data structure for reuse. The mechanism for choosing tessellation is a very primitive placeholder. FieldTrip provides some basic shapes of surfaces (spheres, torus, cubes, etc) and many functions for manipulating surfaces, colors, etc.
- Geometry2
- 2D geometry. There's a function () to embed 2D into 3D.flatG
- Image o = (R,R) -> o
- A primitive placeholder for functional imagery in the spirit of Pan. The intention is to use this type or something like it for texture mapping. Much design and implementation work to be done.
3 FieldTrip meets Reactive
FieldTrip contains no support for animation, because we intend it to be used with the Reactive functional reactive programming (FRP) library (and possibly other animation frameworks). By design, FieldTrip is completely orthogonal to any formulation or implementation of FRP.
The reactive-fieldtrip project connects Reactive and FieldTrip.