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Design Rationale and Comparison
In this section, we summarize and compare the design rationale for both algorithms.
Skein Design Rationale
The Skein team had a number of goals:
- Design for simplicity. Simple designs, rather than complex ones, are easier to optimize and analyze for security flaws.
- Maximize security per clock. Performance trumps security in practice, so extract as much security as possible from each cycle. In particular, it is important to use only the simplest instructions that have been highly optimized on every platform. Exploit the super-scalar behavior of modern processors and maximize the diffusion from each operation. Through a series of experiments the Skein team discovered that simpler round functions with more rounds optimize both performance and security.
- Achieve high performance and easy implementation on all processors. Building in a performance advantage for one processor family over another is a disadvantage in a public competition.
The Skein team made a number of critical design decisions when designing the algorithm:
- Base the design on a block cipher. This is the most conservative security choice. The community knows better how to analyze designs based on block ciphers. Moreover, there is a well-established theory on how to turn a block cipher into a hash function.
- Build your own block cipher. The Skein team obtained better performance and a simpler security analysis with a new cipher of the correct block size instead of adapting an existing narrow-block cipher.
- Make the block cipher tweakable. This introduces great flexibility in designing a new mode at no cost.
- Replace the cascade construction with something better. The cascade construction has many known defects; the tweak allows UBI to offer provable security, and it suffers from none of the cascade construction's problems.
- Use Matyas-Meyer-Oseas construction instead of Davies-Meyer. Attacks against Matyas-Meyer-Oseas-based compression functions are chosen plaintext attacks; attacks against Davies-Meyer-based compression functions are related key attacks. The community has more experience defeating chosen plaintext attacks than related key attacks.
- Do not use table lookups. Most cipher designs use a table called an S-box. Lookups in the S-box enable side-channel attacks on software implementations, where the encryption key can be read by monitoring thepower, timing, or EMI of the processor. Threefish is not subject to these attacks since it incorporates no table lookups.
- Build in three different internal state sizes and allow output of any size. This allows flexibility in the level of security available across different use cases.
- Change the design when necessary. The design should be changed when doing so allows for simpler security proofs.
Vortex Design Rationale
The Vortex team had a number of goals:
- Design for performance. Vortex uses algorithms that are implemented by using dedicated instructions in future IA processors. These are instructions for AES round computation (AES-NI) and carry-less multiplication (GFMUL-NI). The Vortex team argues that such instructions will become a trend in the industry.
- Maximize security per clock. Like Skein, Vortex extracts as much security as possible from each cycle. In particular, it uses independent AES round operations in each block. Such operations can potentially be completed in a single clock in future processors. It also introduces parallelism in the design of its compression function (two AES rounds and their key schedules can be executed in parallel); and finally, it maximizes the diffusion from each operation. Diffusion is supported by the AES round algorithms (S-box substitution, ShiftRows, MixColumns) as well as by the multiplication stage that follows.
- Achieve high performance and easy implementation on future processors. The Vortex team believes that instructions for AES round computation and carry-less multiplication will become a trend in the industry. This is because (i) several hardware vendors including IBM and Sun are either implementing or researching them; (ii) even processors for embedded systems now include AES hardware; and (iii) there is a precedence in the industry that good instruction sets are widely adopted (for example, SSE instructions).
The Vortex team made a number of critical design decisions when designing the algorithm:
- Base the design on a well-known and secure block cipher. Vortex uses an AES round as a building block. AES is a well-studied block cipher, and the AES round operation offers very good mixing across 32 bits, as a standalone operation, and 128 bits if repeated several times.
- Strengthen the AES key schedule. Hashing is a one-way operation so additions with carries are permitted in the design of a hash function. Vortex strengthens the AES key schedule by adding round constants with carries and performing S-box substitution across all round key bytes.
- Combine the outputs of two parallel AES transformations by using carry-less or integer multiplication. Multiplication is a highly non-linear operation and can be used for destroying bit differentials.
- Replace the cascade construction with something better. Vortex uses the EMD construction and a tweak value to preserve the pseudo-random function and the pseudo-random oracle properties.
- Use Matyas-Meyer-Oseas construction instead of Davies-Meyer. This is similar to the rationale of the Skein team. The community has more experience defeating chosen plaintext attacks than related key attacks.
- Use Rijndael S-boxes instead of table lookups. Rijndael S-boxes have a special structure that allows them to be implemented by using combinatorial logic as opposed to table lookups. Thus, side-channel attacks can be averted.
Comparison of the Skein and Vortex Designs
It is now possible to highlight some similarities and differences between the Skein and Vortex designs. We begin with the similarities.
Similarities Between the Skein and Vortex Designs
Both designs are based on block ciphers, and they both use the Matyas-Meyer-Oseas construction to convert the related key attacks against the deployed hash function designs into chosen plaintext attacks. The cryptographic community has more experience defeating chosen plaintext attacks than related key attacks.
Both designs use a flavor of the cascade construction to paste together the hash of different blocks output by a compression function, and they both double hash the final output; that is, the output from the cascade construction is rehashed to become the final output. Both do this to address vulnerabilities that arise from processing the final block with a construction such as Davies-Meyer or Matyas-Meyer-Oseas, within the cascade construction.
Differences Between the Skein and Vortex Designs
The differing design approaches reflect the differing skill sets of the two teams. The Skein team members were skilled in designing block ciphers. In contrast, the Vortex team members did not design a new block cipher, but instead used an existing one. The Skein design allows its security claims to be derived from the security of a block cipher. The Vortex design effort emerged from the need to demonstrate a secure hash function by using the new AES round and carry-less multiplication instructions for future IA processors, which the Vortex team members designed.
Skein uses significantly more rounds (72/72/80) than Vortex, stemming from the different design decisions made by each team. The Skein team's experiments indicated diffusion per clock is maximized by numerous simple rounds. The Vortex designers instead were motivated by performance; they believed the best performance is achieved by using fewer rounds, based on very powerful diffusion primitives.
Skein's support for a hash value of any length from 1 to 264 bytes allowed the team to prove the property that Skein cannot be differentiated from a random oracle if Threefish acts like an ideal cipher. There are two ways to think about any algorithm: (1) as a monolithic black box, where you have no knowledge of any of the algorithm's internal parts, and (2) as presented in this article, where we know the details of the algorithm's internal structure. By saying that Skein cannot be differentiated from a random oracle, therefore, we mean that it is impossible, even in principle, for Skein to construct any statistical test that exploits differences in the two views. This means that Skein is structurally sound and that its security depends only on the security of Threefish. Vortex's final output is of a fixed length, but the second hash allows it to act like a fixed-length random oracle.
None of the Skein components use table lookups such as S-boxes, so it is more difficult to launch side-channel attacks on Skein than on specific implementations of Vortex. Vortex avoids these attacks by relying on a hardware logic implementation for the AES S-boxes.
In this article we reviewed the theory of hash functions, the state of knowledge about them, and some of Intel's contributions to this field of research. Hash functions are basic building blocks that are central to cryptography's mission, but recent attacks by Joux and Wang have undermined our confidence in classical constructions. Because of this insecurity, there has been a wave of new research into hash functions, and Intel has been at the forefront, with two independent and radically different submissions to the international NIST hash competition.
[1] A. Joux. "Iterated Collisions on Iterated Hash Functions." Crypto 2004, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) 3621, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2005.
[2] X. Wang, Y. Yin, and H. Yu. "Finding Collisions in the full SHA-1." Crypto 2005, LNCS 2947, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2004
[3] A. Lenstra, X. Wang, and B. de Berger. "Colliding X.509 Certificates." At http://eprint.iacr.org
[4] A. Menezes, P. van Oorschot, and S. Vanstone. Handbook of Applied Cryptography. CRC Press, 1996.
[5] R. Merkle. "Secrecy, authentication, and public key systems." Stanford University Ph.D. thesis, 1979. Available as "Technical Report No. 1979-1," Information Systems Laboratory, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, 1979.
[6] I. Damgård. "A Design Principle for Hash Functions." Crypto 1989, LNCS 435, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1989.
[7] R. Winternitz. "A secure one-way hash function built from DES." In Proceedings of IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, 1984.
[8] S. Matyas, C. Meyer, and J. Oseas. "Generating strong one-way functions with cryptographic algorithms." IBM Technical Bulletin, 27, 1985.
[9] J. Black, P. Rogaway, and T. Shrimpton. "Black box analysis of blockcipher-based hash functions from PGV." Crypto 2002, LNCS 2442, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2002.
[10] The National Institute of Standards and Technology. US Government agency sponsor for competition on next-generation hash design. At http://csrc.nist.gov
[11] M. Liskov, R. Rivest, and D. Wagner. "Tweakable Block Ciphers." Crypto, LNCS 2442, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2002.
[12] National Security Agency. Skipjack and KEA Specifications. May 29, 1998. At http://csrc.nist.gov
[13] M. Kounavis and S. Gueron. "Vortex: A new Family of One-Way Hash Functions Based on Rijndael Rounds and Carry-less Multiplication." At http://eprint.iacr.org
[14] S. Gueron. "Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Instructions Set." At http://software.intel.com
[15] S. Gueron and M. Kounavis. "Carry-Less Multiplication and its Usage for Computing the GCM Mode." At http://software.intel.com
Jesse Walker is an Applied Cryptographer in Intel's Communication Technology Laboratory. He can be contacted at [email protected] Michael E Kounavis is a Senior Research Scientist working with Intel Labs. His e-mail is [email protected] Shay Gueron is an Intel Principal Engineer. He can be reached at [email protected] Gary Graunke is a Senior Staff Architect for cryptography at Intel. His e-mail is [email protected] Copyright (c) 2009 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
This article and more on similar subjects may be found in the Intel Technology Journal, June 2009 Edition, Advances in Internet Security.


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Last week's winner: Family
Last week's loser: Friends
We are really sorry, but for technical reasons the votes on Newsround will be closed for a while.
Voting will be back in the summer. Until then you can still chat about Celebs, Fave Things and What's in the News on our message boards.

subset: commoncrawl


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DENVER (AP) — Colorado voters overwhelmingly back the death penalty and are evenly split on whether Gov. John Hickenlooper, who last month blocked the execution of a convicted multiple-murderer, deserves re-election, according to a new poll released Thursday.
The Quinnipiac University poll said that 69 percent of the state's voters think the death penalty should stay on the books while 24 percent want it replaced by life in prison without parole.
The split is almost identical for those who disapprove of Hickenlooper's decision to grant an indefinite reprieve to Nathan Dunlap, who killed four people at a Chuck E. Cheese in 1993 and was due to be executed in August. Nearly three-quarters of voters said the issue would be "very important" or "somewhat important" in their vote next year.
Voters are divided, 45 percent to 44 percent, over whether Hickenlooper, a Democrat, deserves re-election. He narrowly leads his lone declared challenger, former Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, 42-41. The poll suggested a tight race against other possible Republican challengers like Secretary of State Scott Gessler, whom Hickenlooper led 42-40, and state Sen. Greg Brophy, whom the governor leads 43-37.
"By nearly 3-1, Colorado voters support the death penalty in their state and say where their elected officials stand on it could affect their vote," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "This could set up a high-voltage re-election campaign where the fate of a convicted murderer could help decide the fate of an incumbent governor."
Hickenlooper was a rare Democrat elected during the Republican wave year of 2010, and has positioned himself as a nonpartisan centrist. But he ended up in an increasingly partisan corner after Democrats retook the statehouse in November and muscled through a number of contentious measures, including a package of new gun control laws. That could be taking a toll on Hickenlooper's ratings. The poll said 49 percent of voters disapprove of the Legislature and only 36 percent approve.
Democrats have won the past three gubernatorial elections in Colorado. The state remains evenly split between Democrats, Republicans and independents. Republicans and independents overwhelmingly support the death penalty, by 87-11 and 73-21 margins, respectively, the poll suggested. Democrats support it more narrowly, 49-41.
The poll indicated voters narrowly approve of Hickenlooper's performance as governor, 47 percent to 43 percent. But the governor is struggling with independents. Only 44 percent approve while 47 percent disapprove.
The poll of 1,065 registered voters was taken from June 5-11 with live telephone interviews on landlines and cellphones. It has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
By AP Writer Nicholas Riccardi (© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Air Force Airman 1st Class Beau J. Plumb graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Plumb is the son of Diane Plumb of Newton. He is a 2007 graduate of Newton Senior High School.


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For November I want to:
- Order copies of my grandfather's WWII photo book for everyone in the family that wants a copy.
- Work on the to do folder and bookmarks.
- Complete 2 years of the Vevay Newspaper Index (hopefully I will get more done though).
- Work on resourcing my ECK line. For November, I want to finish the family in central Pennsylvania.
- Scan all ECK documents in the binder of my grandmother's research that my aunt sent me.
- Complete National Institute of Genealogical Studies course: Methodology 5.
- Create a letter to send with Christmas cards to my dad's side of the family seeking stories about him and photos. I want to create a scrapbook in the new year with what I find.
- Finish resourcing the ECK line.
- Research and enter all new data that I received from my STULL cousin last month.


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Ponies of Chincoteague
One reason I wanted to visit Chincoteague was to see the ponies on the beach. On Assateague Island there are 150 ponies that run wild in the marshes and along the beach. They are managed by the Volunteer Fire Company with vaccines and annual auctions to thin the herd. The legend is that the ponies of Chincoteague are descedents of horses that washed ashore from a wrecked Spanish galleon off the coast of Assateague Island 300-400 years ago. The book and movie, Misty of Chincoteague, made the Island famous and a tourist destination. The book was written in 1947 by Marguerite Henry based on a real family of Chincoteague.
Here are the ponies we saw from the road into Assateague Island


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Career Fair for Adults and Teens
The Middletown Township Public Library will host a career fair for adults and teens on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, beginning at 3:00 p.m. The library's Career Fair is for teens and adults not interested in the traditional 4-year college degrees, as well as those interested in reinventing themselves. Representatives will be available from Brookdale Community College's certificate programs (radiology tech, culinary, automotive, medical tech, among others), from the construction trades to promote skilled labor, Lincoln Tech (automotive, IT, etc.), Berkeley College (health fields), Steno Tech Career Center (court reporting, close captioning), Monmouth County Adult Vocational Programs and more.
Tuesday - March 26, 2013
Contact:Ellie Strbo
Phone: (732) 671-3700 x320
Website: Click to Visit
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Share this Event:Email to a Friend


text:
Find Vegan Options in Isle Of Scilly (1)
0 Vegan / Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants
No restaurants found within this city or you have unselected options. If you know of any vegan-friendly places, please add them.
Health Food Stores, Vegan Shops, Vegan Bakery and Catering, Vegetarian B&Bs, Organizations
Buzza St, Hugh Town, Isle Of Scilly, England
Small bake shop making cakes and fudge with vegan options. Accepts custom orders.
Still hungry? We've got you covered. Try searching for areas surrounding Isle Of Scilly.
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Please let these businesses know you found them on HappyCow.


text: Hi Chief, You sure are a handsome fella. I dont think I've ever seen a horse with your exact coloring. It is obvious from the article that you are loved and have a good home. No doubt you are a patient good natured boy as you let your human paint on you. I am glad you two have each other and I hope you have many years together. Congrats on being POTD!


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Questions have recently arisen regarding vehicle stops in the Indian Land area. I would like to explain the rationale for these stops.
As most residents are aware, Lancaster County has begun an initiative to locate residents who are not properly paying South Carolina taxes on property subject to such taxation. One of our first efforts involves vehicles that are not properly taxed.
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Jump to navigation
Abstract: A Hero's Choice: The Historical Context for the Cocks and Hens Relief from Xanthos
The Cocks and Hens relief on display at the British Museum has long defied interpretation. Set up on the acropolis of Xanthos in Lykia (SW Turkey) ca. 470 BCE, the limestone frieze presents five to six pairs of roosters engaged in cockfighting while hens look on. It is associated with other friezes of contemporary date and similar style discovered on the Xanthian acropolis that graced three or four monumental tombs erected during the reign of King Kuprlli of Xanthos (ca. 480-440 BCE). These reliefs depict scenes that are standard in Lykian funerary art: men in procession, feasting, sphinxes, etc. However, the cockfighting scene, while clearly part of the same corpus, is unique in the Lykian funerary genre. In their publication of the Cocks and Hens relief (RA 1976) Pierre Coupel and Henri Metzger explain the presence of cocks and hens as a reference to funerary rites, since it is known that at least in the Roman period, roosters were sacrificed at Lykian tombs. This paper presents an alternate explanation, arguing that the birds are an allusion to the nobility inherent in the fighting cock as metaphor for the strength and courage of the Xanthian people. Specifically, the paper argues that the image of the fighting cock, known to fight to the death rather than be defeated by its opponent, is an evocation of events of ca. 546 BC, when the Persians invaded Xanthos prompting the entire populace to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner.
Short bibliography and/or website on lecture topic (for lay reader):
P. Coupel and H. Metzger, "La frise des "Cocks et Poules de l'acropole de Xanthos: essai de restitution et d'interprétation," Revue archéologique (1976) 247-264
A.G. Keen, Dynastic Lycia: A Political History of the Lycians and their Relations with Foreign Powers c. 545-362 B.C. (Brill, Leiden, 1998)
AIA Tours


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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The MZone Gift Giving Guide
First up we have the Vintage Leather "Old School" Collegiate Helmets. Though these wouldn't be adequate for playing Division I football, they'd be great to keep you warm for November games, as well as looking cool while playing that game of touch football when the family gets together. Unfortunately, they're only available for twelve schools, but if you're a fan of one of those, this would be a gift that keeps on giving.
Next up we have the College Logo BBQ Football Grills. Available for 26 schools, including Michigan, these football shaped grills - complete with laces on the lid - are 21 inches tall, 22 inches wide, and 15 inches deep.
Both items are available at Tailgating Supplies. The helmets are $95.95, and the grills are $69.95.
And if you're looking for some Michigan memorabilia, check out this eBay auction for a football signed by the '64-'65 U-M football team.
9 comments:
I don't get it, how did those 12 schools get picked for having their emblem on a leather throw-back era helmet? I mean, come on, don't you just think of Utah when you think of leather helmets duking it out on the gridiron?
I'm really disappointed that they have the gril for South Carolina. What sellouts. Next thing you know, will be that UofF is going to wear a Tostidos BCS patch on their jerseys.
- December 13, 2006 9:15 AM
UofF would never do that. That's just plain rediculous!!!
- December 13, 2006 12:47 PM
- harry hasselhoff said...
Man, better watch that Oregon grill. I hear the crown causes hotdogs to roll right off!
(thought I'd make the joke before some buckeye got to it)
- December 13, 2006 1:22 PM
those are the kind of helmets Michigan wore for 10 of their 11 national championships. (of course...some of those really early ones might have been before helmets all together)
- December 13, 2006 1:26 PM
- 1201 S. Main St. said...
Anon 10:26a. Good one. Now strap on your helmet, wipe off your drool and grab your backpack, 'cause the short bus is on the way.
- December 13, 2006 3:02 PM
I had the same thought about the leather helmets - what doesn't scream "old time gridiron" like Utah vs. Oregon State?
- December 13, 2006 5:16 PM
What's the deal for the UofM signed football for the 64-65 season that went to the Rose Bowl stuck at 199.00 all day. Is this going to get busy closer to the deadline, or is it suspected to be a fake?
- December 13, 2006 9:40 PM
If Nebraska did use those old leather style hemets they'd still look 1000 times better than those jokes the Blew wear.
- December 17, 2006 3:55 AM
Wow, not only are you bitter, you also don't get the joke. Congrats on consecutive 4-loss seasons!
- December 18, 2006 2:40 PM


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Ministers from Amazonian countries expressed their interest in the integral conservation of the Amazon region, in Nagoya
The regional report on the implementation of the PoWPA brings together the work of the Heads of protected areas in Amazonian countries for the purpose of building a conservation strategy which based on the experiences within the national systems of protected areas, aims at complementing conservation efforts at a regional level.
The ministers expressed their will to back the implementation of the action plan for the next ten years, with the support of REDPARQUES, the CBD secretariat, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), WWF and the participation of the ACTO, confirming the interest in working together in favor of conservation in the region. They also pointed out the importance of advancing joint conservation efforts in the Amazon to ensure the maintenance of environmental services and the region's resilience against climate change.
Protected areas are an essential tool in any sustainable development strategy, as well as in the conservation of ecological and cultural diversity. The national systems of protected areas in the Amazon of nine countries represent about 21% of the region's area, without taking into account the 26% of indigenous lands and territories in other categories that contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. 78% of all protected areas created around the world between 2003 and 2009 are within the Amazon biome and represent 2.16% of all protected areas in the world. This effort has been recognized on the third edition of the Global Perspective on Biological Diversity report ("Perspectiva Mundial sobre Diversidad Biológica" in Spanish) as one of the main results in terms of biodiversity conservation over the last decade.
"It is important to recognize the essential work that the managers of protected areas have done during this process. Protected areas are a key tool in sustainable development strategies and the conservation of ecological and cultural diversity", said Carlos Castaño, Colombian Vice-Minister of the Environment.
"We hope to work together on this regional initiative for the conservation of the Amazon and to contribute to the success of COP 10", said the Brazilian Minister of the Environment, Izabella Teixeira. "We must recognize the work done in this sense so far, which has yielded amazing results, but also provides a political tool for the pending work. We need the international community to recognize the importance of this work and provide the necessary financial support for its continuation."
One of the main difficulties found in the implementation of the regional programme of work has been the lack of financial resources: there is a gap of US $ 500 million in the financial support and more than US $ 150 million per year in recurrent expenses.
"The fact that all the ministers are willing to cooperate is very positive. The possibility of joint work is essential in order to conserve one of the most important regions in the world. WWF is committed to supporting the implementation of the action plan and the regional joint work", added Yolanda Kakabadse, WWF President.


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August 9th is right around the corner, which is the first preseason game for the Ravens in Atlanta. August 17th, the Raven Nation will be coming down to see the Purple & Black battle Detroit in their first of two home preseason games. And before you know it, the Purple Patio at Mother's will be popping off on Monday, September 10th, as the Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals at 7PM.
I am going to go through all of the Baltimore Ravens regular season games and provide a prediction and summary of how we feel the game will play out. Injuries are sure to occur throughout the season, so I tried to take some trends into consideration when making these predictions. For example, It is a pretty safe bet based on his career that Matt Schaub is not likely to play a full 16 game schedule, based on his history.
Anyway, here we go…
Week One: vs Bengals Mon, Sep 10th 7PM
2012 is a new season. The team needs to move on from the heartbreak of 2011 just like Kris Humphries needs to move on from Kim Kardashian and stop bashing her to TMZ. Ray Lewis is still the heart and soul of this team and he will make sure that they set the tone for the year starting in Week One. Cincinnati is an organization that is finally making the right decisions to rid personalities that are detrimental to their cohesiveness, but the will not be ready for the veteran Ravens who will have a chip on their shoulder.
Baltimore 34 Cincinnati 10
Week Two: Ravens (1-0) at Eagles Sun, Sep 16th 1PM
Baltimore will suffer their first loss of the season to the Eagles up in Philadelphia. Why? Because this is what the Ravens do. They can look so great one week, then whether it's being overconfident or simply being outmatched at certain positions, they break down and fail to win. Look at Weeks One & Two last year. They dominated Pittsburgh defending AFC Champion Pittsburgh 35-7 only to lay an egg the following week in Tennessee 13-26. The same will occur in 2012.
The offseason acquisitions for Philadelphia are going to wreak havoc on Baltimore in this game. They spent their first two rounds in the draft on Defensive Lineman: Mississippi State DT Fletcher Cox in the first and DE Vinny Curry from Marshall in the second. Pairing them with outside threats Jason Babin and Trent Cole, along with Cullen Jenkins up the middle, this Eagles pass rush sure is vicious. Ray Rice will be stuffed and Joe Flacco will be under duress all afternoon. Not to that it will only be Week Two, and Michael Vick should still be healthy. In addition, Vick will not have to worry about Terrell Suggs coming after him, which will allow the elusive Vick along with LeSean McCoy to set up the pass with the run onto victory.
Philadelphia 23, Baltimore 13
Week Three: Ravens (1-1) vs Patriots Sun, Sep 23 8:20PM
If you thought the Ravens had a chip on their shoulder coming into Week One of 2012, Week Three will begin a new meaning to this cliché. This is the team that the Ravens beat in last year's AFC Championship, just not on the scoreboard. Damn, Billy Cundiff & Lee Evans. Combine that with the home field advantage that will be present at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday Night, along with the sting of last week's loss, the Ravens will be ready for this game. The Patriots will no doubt make this is a competitive fight just like they have in this classic battle, but Joe Flacco will make sure he throws to the reliable Anquan Boldin this time on his game winning drive to win it for Baltimore.
Baltimore 27 New England 24
Week Four: Ravens (2-1) vs Browns Thu, Sep 27th 8:20PM
Like it or not, Thursday Night Football is going to be a weekly occurrence from here on out. The Ravens will be on short rest from Sunday Night, but at least get to stay in the 410 when Cleveland comes into town.
I interviewed Brandon Weeden back in the spring and I fully believe this guy is mature enough and has the NFL talent to be successful at the next level, even at 28 years old. However, he never saw a defense like the Ravens in the Big 12. And that's just assuming he is the starter for this game. If Colt McCoy starts, he probably won't be able to shake the hit Arthur Jones laid on him last year to knock him out of the game in Week 16.
Baltimore 20 Cleveland 9
Week Five: Baltimore (3-1) at Kansas City Sun, Oct 7th 1PM
Courtney Upshaw is going to start getting accustomed to life in the NFL by Week 5. Add his emergence to Haloti Ngata and Ray Lewis' ability to not only stuff the run but pressure the quarterback, and that equals a long day for Matt Cassell. Offensively for Baltimore, Ray Rice should be able to have a breakout game against the Kansas City defense. Dontari Poe is a rookie at the DT spot, and it remains to be seen if Kansas City reached too high for the DT out of Memphis. Regardless, he will clog the middle and Cam Cameron will scheme a way for Ray Rice to run and catch the ball outside the tackles to have his biggest game of the season thus far.
Baltimore 28 Kansas City 13
Week Six: Baltimore (4-1) vs Dallas Sun, Oct 14th 1PM
Baltimore Ravens fans are going to have this week circled, just because it is against the Dallas Cowboys. I cannot stress this enough to the Raven players, go about your business as usual. The Dallas Cowboys are not a good football team. Their QB is a 32 year old choke artist who has the same amount of playoff wins as Tim Tebow. They cut their shutdown CB Terrence Newman who would have certainly helped in the development of 1st round pick Morris Claiborne. WR Laurent Robinson, who had 11 TDs last season, signed with Jacksonville. Keith Brooking is 36 and will never be on the level Ray Lewis is. Finally, Dallas was never able to create a Hernandez/Gronkowski type scenario down in Texas with Martellus Bennett and Jason Witten. Bennett did not work out and signed with NY in the offseason. Ravens will take care of a below average Dallas team easily and keep it rolling in 2012.
Baltimore 31 Dallas 17
Week Seven: Baltimore (5-1) at Houston Sun, Oct 21st 1PM
Now, this game really determines whether or not Matt Schaub is on the field or on crutches. If it is the latter, the Baltimore Ravens do like they did in last year's playoffs and move on to 6-1. If Matt Schaub does play, however, that is a different ball game.
I mention that the Ravens will dearly miss Terrell Suggs Week Two vs. Philadelphia. The Texans will make sure they keep Matt Schaub protected and do what they have to do to keep Courtney Upshaw from hitting him on his blindside. That means Matt Schaub is going to have plenty of time to find Andre Johnson (pending he can stay healthy until Week Seven) and Arian Foster in the flats. As far as Houston's defense, the unit has only gotten better under Wade Phillips. Despite starting 2012 without Demeco Ryans and Mario Williams, Phillips will develop blitzing schemes with guys like Bradie James and Brian Cushing in the 3-4 to cause Flacco to have a less than stellar performance going into the bye week.
Houston 24 Baltimore 20
Week Eight: Bye Week
Week Nine: Baltimore (5-2) at Cleveland Sun, Nov 4th 1PM
Since John Harbaugh has taken over the reign as the Head Coach of the Baltimore Ravens, they are 4-0 after the bye week. That will not change in 2012, despite the loss to Houston two weeks prior. By Week 9, Trent Richardson will have the rookie campaign everyone anticipated, and should be able to find some holes throughout the afternoon. However, Brandon Weeden's lack of options to throw the ball will ultimately hurt this team's chances in keeping it competitive.
Baltimore 27 Cleveland 14
Week Ten: Baltimore (6-2) vs Oakland Sun, Nov 11th 1PM
Pending no season ending injuries or mental breakdowns that result in another retirement, Carson Palmer will be underway in his first full season as Oakland's starting QB. History suggests that he will find success against the Ravens, as he is 9-4 in his career against Baltimore with 15 TD passes.
However, Carson Palmer has not been the same since that knee injury from the dive to the knee by Kimo von Oelhoffen back in the 2006 playoffs. He no longer steps up and delivers tight, confident throws. And when Ray Lewis smells blood, the rest of the defense does too. The Ravens Defense will pressure Palmer all afternoon and LaDarius Webb and Jimmy Smith will make him pay for the rushed throws.
Baltimore 35 Oakland 10
Week Eleven: Baltimore (7-2) at Pittsburgh Sun, Nov 18th 8:20PM
This game is indicated as a Flex Game, and to be honest I am not really sure what they mean by that. All I know is this game needs to be kept as a Sunday Night Game. Who can forget the Ravens OT thriller in 2009 when they triumphed 23-20 against a Dennis Dixon led Steelers team? Or in 2010 on Sunday Night, when it was near twenty degrees and Pittsburgh triumphed 13-10. This game will have the same feel. Pittsburgh is always a strong contender to win the AFC North and 2012 will be no different. In a slugfest, Ben Roethlisberger will just slightly outduel Joe Flacco and will have the last drive to set up a FG, giving Pittsburgh their first win against Baltimore since January 2011.
Pittsburgh 16 Baltimore 14
Week Twelve: Baltimore (7-3) at San Diego Sun, Nov 25th 4:05 PM
Really? Again? The Baltimore Ravens, less than a year later, travel back out to San Diego to face the Chargers. If you remember last year, you will know it was not pretty. Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson were the backbone behind a 34-14 thumping of the Ravens, engineered by Norv Turner's ability to understand and expose the Ravens Defense.
This year, there is no Vincent Jackson, but by Week Twelve, we probably will not be seeing reigning AFC Defensive MVP Terrell Suggs back as well. Norv Turner will once again find a way to find holes in the Ravens Defense, this time utilizing more Philip Rivers to Ryan Matthews in the flats. Baltimore will certainly keep this game competitive until the last drive, but will not leave sunny San Diego victorious.
San Diego 27 Baltimore 24
Week Thirteen: Baltimore (7-4) vs Steelers Sun, Dec 2nd 4:25PM
The official listing is 4:25 start time, but this game once again is a flex option, and I fully anticipate the NFL putting this game on Sunday Night Prime Time. And by Week 13, as is the case every season, Ben Roethlisberger's body will start breaking down again. He will still play, but not as effectively as he did just two weeks ago. Not only that, but Ray Rice makes a statement against Baltimore's biggest rivals in Week 13. Just like Ben, the aging Polamalu and Ryan Clark in Pittsburgh secondary will be nursing injuries as well and will not be able to take down the compact Rice once he breaks free. Baltimore gets their season back on track at home and moves to 8-4.
Baltimore 20 Pittsburgh 13
Week Fourteen: Baltimore (8-4) at Washington Sun, Dec 9th 1 PM
The Battle of the Beltway in baseball between the Orioles and Nationals has become quite the hot commodity. Each game at Camden Yards was a sellout during their interleague series this year. Both teams are improving and when they face each other from here on out, it should continue to be competitive.
The same cannot be said about the Ravens and Redskins. Baltimore is the far superior team. And by Week Fourteen, I fully expect RG3 to be shut down for the season. He will have sustained an injury because he is too small and his body will have not fully developed where it needs to be in the NFL. That means Rex Grossman is at the helm, and by Week Fourteen, Jimmy Smith will be mentioned as a Pro Bowler in his 2nd season. The rush will force Rex Grossman to turn the ball over numerous times and Jimmy Smith will take a pick to the house, as the Ravens shut out Washington.
Baltimore 24 Washington 0
Week Fifteen: Baltimore (9-4) vs Broncos Sun, Dec 16th 1PM
Peyton Manning was not kind to the Baltimore Ravens during his 14 year career in Indianapolis. Peyton went 7-2, with 2443 yards and 17 touchdowns. That was then, and this is now. The future Hall of Famer is now without the plethora of options in Indianapolis that include Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison and Dallas Clark. Sure, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker have been solid in their brief careers, but they will not have had the experience to fully grasp Peyton's complex offensive schemes in the first year.
Dean Pees will be in his 14th game as Baltimore's Defensive Coordinator, and he is also no stranger to Peyton Manning, as he was defensive coordinator the New England Patriots from 2006-2009 during the riveting Pats-Colts rivalry in its heyday. Pees is also very familiar with Willis McGahee, while McGahee was a member of the Baltimore Ravens. The defense will be ready to contain the pass and stop the run, and there will be no Tebow magic in Baltimore Week 15.
Baltimore 17 Denver 14
Week Sixteen: Baltimore (10-4) vs Giants Sun, Dec 23rd 1PM
It seems like every year, the New York Giants play just above mediocre football all year and somehow find a way to limp into the playoffs. It is doubtful the Giants will have clinched the playoffs by Week 16, and they will have to wait until Week 17 if they want to have the same magic as 2011.
The key matchup in this game that I see being the difference is the Giants Offensive Line trying to stop the rush of Haloti Ngata in the middle. Giants veteran David Diehl was ranked the worst pass blocking tackle and guard in 2011 by ProFootballFocus. The team also let 33 year old tackle Kareem McKenzie walk. This leads the Giants with question marks on who will fill this void, whether it will be free agent signing Sean Locklear or 4th round pick Brandon Mosley. Terrell Suggs could be back for this game as well. Whether Suggs is back at 90%, or it's Courtney Upshaw still in his spot, the combo along with Ray and the rest of the defense will have Eli flustered all afternoon.
Baltimore 20 NY Giants 17
Week Seventeen: Baltimore (11-4) at Cincinnati Sun, Dec 31PM
The Ravens are coming off a huge win against the defending champions. By this point, they will have already secured a playoff spot, and this game will help determine the AFC North. Judging on the past in Baltimore, this sounds like a letdown, right?
The Ravens know how important playing at home field is for their chance at another run to the Super Bowl. They were 9-0 at M&T Bank Stadium last year, including the playoffs. You better believe Ray Lewis will have his defense ready to go and finish off the regular season the way they started it: with a victory.
Baltimore 23 Cincinnati 19
So there you have it. The Baltimore Ravens will go 12-4 and make the 2012 playoffs. What do you think?


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Bailey Mosier ('08) Featured in MTV's
By ODU Athletics
April 8, 2010
NORFOLK, VA-- Bailey Mosier (ODU'08 from Las Vegas, NV.) was featured in MTV's "True Life" series Monday night for an episode titled "I'm Relocating for Love." The show documented the drama behind her planned move to Austin, Texas, from Phoenix to be with her boyfriend.
In the end, she didn't go. A 2004 graduate of Centennial High School, Mosier was a standout golfer at Old Dominion University. She was appointed editor of AvidGolfer magazine in December after receiving her master's at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
She got the journalism gene from her mother, Lynn Mosier, who was general manager of the Las Vegas Review-Journal in the mid-1990s before joining Donrey Media and, later, the Reynolds Foundation
In 2008 Mosier was selected as one of 36 students throught the nation as a recipient of THE LAGRANT FOUNDATION (TLF) scholarship. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, THE LAGRANT FOUNDATION awarded a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) in scholarships to ethnic minority undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in advertising, marketing and public relations.
Mosier was also selected to the All-American Scholar Golf team as selected by the National Golf Coaches Association.
Mosier is the 2008 recipient of the Jack Wilkins/James Howard Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. She represented ODU in 2007 and 2008 on USA TODAY'S "Best and Brightest," as well as being selected a finalist for the prestigious 2008 Kaufman Prize. She is also a three-time selection to the CAA's Commissioner's Academic team.
Mosier compiled a 83.2 stroke average for the Lady Monarchs, placing 13th at the El Diablo tournament and 19th at the ODU Invitational. She graduated in May with a 3.87 grade point average in communications.
Mosier is the second former Lady Monarch golfer to be featured on a TV show. Ashley Davis (ODU'07) appeared on the Golf Channel's Highway 18 in 2008 as well as other features on that network.


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Step One
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans/almond
- Mix first three ingredients together and spread in 9x12 cake pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Refrigerate the crust before you start step two, as it is much easier to spread.
Step Two
- 1 package cream cheese 8oz.
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 container cool whip (1 litre/ 4 cups)
- Mix together softened cream cheese with icing sugar, vanilla extract and cool whip.
- Spread this consistency on to a cold crust.
- two tins of cherry pie filling
- 11/2 cups whipping cream
- Spread cherry pie filling on top of the creamed cheese mixture. I like to use a generous amount...so I've opted for opening the second tin ensuring that there is ample pie filling.
- Beat your whipping cream, adding 1/4 cup sugar.
- Spread whipping cream on top and garnish with finely chopped nuts.
- Store in fridge until ready for use.


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Six Buckhorns and Lady Bucks were recognized before this week's meet
Last Tuesday, Wallenpaupack Area's varsity swim team traveled to Valley View for a meet with the Cougars.
Prior to this meet, several Paupack student/athletes were honored with Senior Night ceremonies, hosted by Valley View.
In the absence of a home pool, the Buckhorns were invited to take part in Valley View's ceremony.
Six seniors participated and were given a lavender rose for each year they have competed.
Senior Leaders
Katherine Lutfy received four roses as she has been with the swim team since it's inception.
Lufty is a past captain and has medaled in districts for the last two years.
Katherine plans to attend Penn State, Hazleton and major in Physical Therapy.
Valerie Christiansen received three roses for her years on the swim team.
Christiansen has also competed in twirling for the past seven years. She qualified for districts the past two (2) years.
Valerie plans on attending Mansfield Tech to become a radiology technician.
Kyler Chern received three roses. Chern also participates in track and cross country.
Kyler plans on attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical and majoring in electrical engineering. He has also qualified for districts for the past two seasons.
Pat Keane is a two year veteran. He also volunteers as a coach with the Biddy Basketball program.
Pat plans on attending East Stroudsburg University and is undecided on a major. He qualified for districts in his previous year on the team.
Roselouise Punger is also a two year veteran. She returned to the team this year after a year hiatus.
Punger has also competed with her summer community for the past six years. She is undecided on college.
Eric Usbeck Jr. is a two year veteran. He has been Captain for the past two years.
Eric is the reigning District Two, Region 4 Champion in the 100 breast stroke. He placed 29th in the State in his first year of competition.
Eric holds most of the boys swim records for Paupack's varsity squad.
Eric plans on attending and swimming for Bloomsburg University in the fall.
Coach Lynne Vanderhoof expressed her deepest thanks to the Valley View coaches for inviting the team to take part. This was the first year the team was able to honor its seniors.
In the Pool
Following the ceremony, the girls put up a valiant effort, but lost by a score of 125-53.
Their record is 1-5 in the Wyoming Valley Conference North Division.
Baileigh Vanderhoof won two races for the girls in both the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard breaststroke.
Kaela Vanderhoof won the grueling 500 yard freestyle event.
The girls had some good races.
Sadie Hawkins placed 2nd in the 100 yard back stroke and 3rd in the 100 butterfly in her first time swimming the event.
Olivia Crouthamel lowered her time in the 50 yard freestyle and placed third.
Annalyn Hehir placed third in the 200 yard freestyle.
Hannah Ladner rounded out the night with a fourth place finish in the 100 yard freestyle.
The 400 yard freestyle relay team of Olivia Crouthamel, Alexa Mihalik, Paige Galgano and Annalyn Hehir finished 3rd.
Coach Vanderhoof is happy to see the improvement in the girls as they get ready to close the season and prepare for districts.
The freshmen girls have really stepped up and are competing for relay spots.
Close Loss
Paupack's boys team took to the pool and closed out the evening with a 97-75 loss to the Cougars.
The Bucks are 2-4 in the Wyoming Valley North Division.
The boys team of Kyle Usbeck, Pat Keane, Eric Usbeck and Nicholas Denniston opened by winning the 200 yard medley relay.
Eric Usbeck Jr. won two events in the 100 yard Butterfly and 100 yard breaststroke.
Kyle Usbeck won the 50 yard freestyle and 2nd in the 100 yard back stroke.
Nick Denniston placed 2nd in the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard freestyle.
In the 200 yard freestyle relay, the boys team of Nicholas Denniston, Kyle Usbeck, Chase Osborne and Eric Usbeck Jr. touched first.
Kyler Chern finished 2nd in the 100 yard Breaststoke and bettered his personal best time by more than 2 seconds.
The 400 Medley Relay team of Donald Punger, Thomas Sarro, Kyler Chern and Pat Keane finished 3rd in the last race of the night.
Coach Lynne continues to be impressed by the boys as they only have 9 swimmers but are able to keep most meets tight.
They consistently lower their times and show up to race at each meet.
These boys swim whatever event they are entered in and always swim their best.
On the Horizon
The Buckhorns will travel to Delaware Valley High School on Tuesday the 5th of February.
They will also participate in the Lackawanna County Championships held at Scranton High School on the 9th of February.
Paupack will close out its regular season with a trip to Elk Lake on Feb. 12th.
At the conclusion of the season, district entries will be sent in to the District 2 Meet Director.
The District/Region meet will take place at the Wilkes Barre CYC on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2, 2013.


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In terms of today's athletics, the life and accomplishments of Jimmy Williams seem old school.
Williams played high school football at Phillips High, an institution that long ago shut its doors, and he was a district and regional Golden Gloves boxing champion. He played football at Texas Tech in a conference that no longer exists. He was drafted and served in the Navy in the Korean War.
But his accomplishments stand the test of time in any era. Williams was one of the top offensive linemen to come out of the Texas Panhandle, a three-year starter and an all-state center for legendary coach Chesty Walker at Phillips, which played for the Class 1A state title in 1948, Williams' senior year.
That led Williams to Tech, where he was an All-Border Conference selection at left tackle who played in the Blue-Gray Game and Senior Bowl. He also played on the Tech team that won the Gator Bowl in 1953.
Williams also found time to get married during this period, although his wife Christine, who was born and raised in France, had only a vague idea about his athletic accomplishments.
"I really didn't get to see him play very much because we got married and he left for the Navy the next day," Christine Williams said.
Yet, Christine has to have learned over the past six decades what her late husband did during his athletic heyday. It was enough to have Jimmy Williams inducted into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame.
The ceremony is Sunday at Amarillo College's Ordway Auditorium.
Williams died in 2008 at the age of 77 in Amarillo, where his widow still lives. His grandson, James Theodore, will accept the award for him.
After his career at Tech, Williams was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1954. However, a knee injury, which got him a medical discharge from the Navy, kept him from making the Packers.
"Jim wanted to play for the Green Bay Packers, but he didn't have very good knees," Christine Williams said.
Williams was offered a chance to be a kicker with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League but decided his football career was over. He immediately got into the oil field business and stayed there for the rest of his life.
Still, Christine Williams said her husband never lost his love of sports throughout his life.
"It did matter to him a lot," she said of how much Jimmy Williams cared about athletics. "He liked all kinds of sports, and we went to as many games as possible."
Williams came from an athletic family as the fourth of five boys to play football, and he turned out to be the most accomplished of them on the gridiron.
"Jim had four brothers, and they were all good football players who went to college on scholarship, and he wanted to join all of them," Christine Williams said. "Four of them went into coaching. I think Jim really did want to go into coaching."
Ironically, after coming from a family of five boys, Jim had five daughters with Christine. Still, most of the girls also played sports as well.
In addition to his accomplishments at Phillips and Tech, Williams also played football in the Navy, and naturally, the squad he played for won a Naval national championship.
He even continued to compete in Golden Gloves for a bit after marrying Christine, although she never saw him box.
"He did box a couple of times after we married, but he didn't let me watch him," Christine said. "He thought I might pass out."