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David Shoff
02/09/2019 8 pm
David Shoff has been entertaining audiences for many years with his wonderful piano playing and his soulful singing style. He performs many songs from such artists as Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, James Taylor, and Elton John, just to name a few. He also loves to play all of your requests so make sure you come prepared to listen or dance to your favorite songs!
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Capitol Hill negotiators unveil deal to fix the VA
House and Senate negotiators unveiled a $17 billion compromise plan Monday to repair a Department of Veterans Affairs mired in controversy over delayed patient care and agency efforts to conceal the problem.
The deal ends weeks of sometimes contentious negotiations between Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., his counterpart on the House VA panel.
"This VA conference committee legislation is far from what I would have written, but it's a compromise that I strongly support," Sanders said at a press conference, standing alongside Miller.
The compromise provides $10 billion for veterans to seek private care if they live 40 miles or more from a VA facility and $5 billion for the VA to add more doctors and clinicians. It also authorizes funding for the department to enter into leases at 27 medical facilities in 18 states and Puerto Rico.
In addition, the Sanders-Miller plan gives the VA secretary new powers to immediately fire senior executives based on poor job performance, while providing a 21-day appeal process for those terminated.
White House officials had not seen the details of the compromise Monday afternoon, but called early reports "positive," especially since it contains resources that Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson had suggested.
"The inclusion of these additional resources at the strong urging of the acting secretary is a positive step in the right direction and something that we think will be very important to the success of some of the reforms that are contemplated by this bill," said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
Following revelations from whistleblowers about lengthy waiting periods at VA facilities, the Senate last month passed a bill, 93-3, that included some of the same key provisions that ended up in the compromise. The House passed a similar bill in June by a 421-0 vote, though it didn't include funding for more physicians.
Now both chambers will engage in a mad dash this week to try to pass the compromise measure before Congress adjourns for a five-week summer recess Aug. 1. Money could be a problem.
Miller said the $10 billion for private care is "mandatory emergency" money, while the $5 billion for additional staff comes from offsets from programs within the VA. Sanders and Miller expressed confidence that private care funds won't run dry as a result of large numbers of veterans abandoning the system for private care.
If that happens, Sanders said, "It may well be that some point in the future we will need more money and that's a debate we are going to have when we cross that bridge."
That could be a tough sell, especially in the House where conservative and tea party Republicans are preaching fiscal discipline and deficit reduction. Sunday night, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., urged fellow lawmakers to wait for the Congressional Budget Office to provide information on the true cost of the compromise before supporting it.
Miller told reporters that he had worked in sales prior to arriving on Capitol Hill and was confident that he could convince his House colleagues to support the measure.
"I think we will be able to sell it to our conference, probably not get a unanimous vote as we did when the bill was coming out of the House…," he said. "As we go through the process, there will be an education process that has to take place. Obviously some of our members will need a little more educating."
But initial reactions to Monday's agreement appeared positive. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a member of the House-Senate conference committee that worked on the compromise, called it "an important step forward to begin addressing the dysfunction and incompetence that are plaguing our VA system and hurting our veterans."
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Sanders and Miller forged "a deal that puts our veterans first and gives the VA the tools they need to address immediate challenges."
Lawmakers are seeking a fix after a Veterans Affairs Department audit of its 731 medical facilities last month concluded that a 14-day wait time for an appointment established by former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki was unrealistic and "not obtainable."
The audit found that 57,436 veterans had been waiting 90 days or more for an initial medical appointment. Veterans at some facilities were also waiting as long as 145 days to see their primary care physician or a specialist.
In the audit, 13 percent of schedulers said that supervisors or other coworkers had instructed them to enter different dates in the appointment system than the ones requested by veterans seeking medical and psychological assistance.
VA interviews of 3,772 clinical and administrative staff found that eight percent of schedulers felt pressured to bypass the VA's official Electronic Wait List system and keep unofficial lists to make waiting times appear shorter than they actually were.
A White House report last month said the Department of Veterans Affairs health branch suffered from a "corrosive culture" that contributed to the delay of timely care for veterans.
Lesley Clark contributed to this article.


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Officials with the Port of Port St. Joe are taking the first steps toward dredging the shipping channel, the key to development for the port.
Officials with the Port of Port St. Joe are taking the first steps toward dredging the shipping channel, the key to development for the port.
Meanwhile Port Authority board members are examining options to maintain ballast until those ships begin arriving.
The first steps on a path toward dredging were discussed during the Port Authority�s regular bi-monthly meeting last week, with port director Tommy Pitts informing the board on the direction.
Pitts said officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection recommended that the Port of Port St. Joe move ahead as the applicant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the dredging.
Various alternatives had been discussed in meetings with state and federal officials, Pitts said.
�We have had a variety of meetings pursuing charting the path forward,� Pitts said. �The DEP indicates the quickest way is to proceed with the port as the applicant seeking assistance from the Corps.�
Pitts said the St. Joe Company has agreed to provide local match funding of roughly $250,000 to get started and will be involved with the crafting of a task agreement with engineers.
That agreement is ready to be set in stone with the engineering firm of Hatch Mott McDonald, one of the engineering firms of record with the port. Preble Rish Engineers is also involved with that team.
�We are ready to proceed with the task agreement,� Pitts said.
The economic fuel for the dredging, the key factor, is two Letters of Intent the St. Joe Company has entered into with regional energy companies to ship wood pellets through the Port of Port St. Joe.
The two LOIs anticipate as much as 1 million metric tons being shipped through the port within five or so years. The LOIs, however, are contingent on dredging the shipping channel within the next two to three years.
Even without the two LOIs, port officials have long said that any port development � and the jobs that would accompany it � would hinge on dredging a channel that has not been dredged in nearly 30 years.
�You have to get the channel dredged if you want a port in Port St. Joe,� said Port Authority board member Eugene Raffield. �You have to have it. This has the potential to be the biggest thing that ever happened in Port St. Joe.�
The port, Raffield added, sits at critical juncture. After nearly a decade of discussions and �visioning� with the St. Joe Company and local stakeholders, the past 18 months have brought progress.
The Port of Port St. Joe, however, is also �skeletal� in staff and badly in need of revenue to maintain operations while navigating the dredging thicket, said Port Authority chair Leonard Costin.
�It is no secret we are broke,� Costin said. �We�ve been able to squeeze by until (the end of the fiscal year in September), but barely.�
The port also faces foreclosure on its barge terminal land, encompassing 67 acres, and must remain an operational entity to ensure continued access to state and federal grants disbursed to members of the state�s Strategic Intermodal System.
�We have to have something here that makes us viable,� Costin said.
A hearing pertaining to the foreclosure proceeding brought by Capital City Bank was held Tuesday.
Costin said attorneys indicated an immediate decision unlikely and Costin said he hoped the case would be determined in favor of the Port Authority or would compel Capital City �to leave us alone for a time.�
�They are going to be paid back,� Costin said. �They can kill the golden goose if they pursue this case or they could just back off.�
As a first step in a community campaign, the Port Authority further whittled what was already a slim budget.
Contractor Nadine Lee, who serves as the port�s administrative assistant, agreed to volunteer her time until at least the end of year, rendering the administrative portion of the budget nil given that Pitts was already at $1 per month.
�I�d be willing to work for free until you get some money,� she told board members. �I believe that much in the port. I feel we are going to get the money.�
Board member Patrick Jones noted that the Port Authority was spending $14,000 a month in administrative expenses a few years ago and was now projecting $14,000 a month. Now, the administrative line item had disappeared.
�The work still has to get done,� Jones said. �You�d be coming in as lean as any company could get. If (Lee) isn�t going to do it, who will?�
The Gulf County Economic Development Alliance, Inc. has agreed to assist with some overlapping expenses � Pitts has worked with the EDA and the EDA on the port for several months.
After cutting other expenses where possible and landing on a �bare-bones� budget, the budget for the coming fiscal year was reduced to just under $54,000.
The unknown was funding that budget.
The Port Authority board has wrestled for more than a month on a community fundraising campaign.
�We have got to find a solution to keep this thing afloat for the next two to three years,� Raffield said.
He said assembling the platform on which the Port Authority can reach out in the future is to document the past, demonstrating how money has been spent on infrastructure to build the port footprint.
Officials should also reach out to state, federal, county and city elected officers.
�They all have a heckuva an interest in this,� Raffield said.
Raffield said costs have piled up on local residents while state and county officials don�t fully understand what is happening in the county.
�We need industry, we need jobs, to balance the overhead people have here,� Raffield said. �I love to be positive. I am also a realist. I understand where we are in the county.
�But his has the potential to set the pace for Northwest Florida for the next 100 years.�
The solution is to get all stakeholders on board the train, from the federal level down. The governor, Costin said, wants to understand the return for any state investment. The local legislative delegation is seeking ways to appropriate state dollars.
�I don�t know where we get it unless we have people in this community who would step up,� Costin said. �We could talk about it all day and run out of money.�
Jones said the board must quantify an investment in the port. How, he wondered, would it look to federal and state officials that the Port Authority could not fund itself?
�The question is what is the port worth?� Jones said. �What is it worth to the community, to the region? We invest in ourselves by the choices we make. We invest in our community with the decision we make. This is no difference.
�Everyone in this community should be solicited and they make a choice. If the community does not want to support us then we have our answer.�
Loretta Costin vice president of the EDA, said funding would likely come from a variety of sources and agreed to take on the task of strategic fundraising plan.
�We are at a crossroads,� Raffield said. �We need attention from all sides, the community and the politicians and the corporate side.�


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With so many changes looming for 2013, it's easy to forget that there were some significant tweaks to the Tax Code for 2012. Here's a list of eleven changes to keep in mind before you file your 2012 tax return, due April 15, 2013:
1. Payroll tax credit will still affect self-employed taxpayers. The expiration of the payroll tax credit for 2013 was big news - but don't forget that the credit was still in place for 2012. While that means nothing for employees subject to withholding (no additional breaks on your federal income tax return since you've already received the benefit of the payroll tax credit in your withholding), if you were self-employed you will receive an adjustment on your self-employment (SE) taxes when you file your federal income tax return. Your SE tax will be reduced by 2%; the SE tax rate of 12.4% is reduced to 10.4%.
2. Forms W-2 have more information this year. Under the Affordable Health Care Act, most employers are required to report the value of health care benefits received by an employee on a 2012 federal form W-2 (a few small businesses are still exempt from reporting under the transitional relief offered by IRS). The amount will be reported in box 12 with Code DD and should include both the portion paid by the employer as well as any amount paid in by an employee. Even though it appears on a W-2, this amount remains federal income tax free for 2012.
3. Roth Conversions May Be Taxable. Taxpayers who converted or rolled over amounts to a Roth IRA in 2010 and did not elect to include the entire amount in income in 2010 may need to report half of that taxable income on their 2012 returns. Favorable tax treatment made conversions in 2010 more appealing than normal: specifically, taxpayers had a three year window to pay the taxes due. That window expires with tax year 2012.
4. Relief For Underwater Taxpayers. With record numbers of taxpayers in foreclosure, Congress enacted the Mortgage Forgiveness and Debt Relief Act of 2007 to provide limited tax relief for taxpayers facing financial difficulties. Under the Act, qualified homeowners who were forced into foreclosure or mortgage restructuring on a principal residence could exclude income of up to $2 million ($1 million for married taxpayers filing separately) on the mortgage forgiveness (the difference between the lower amount received and the higher amount owed to the mortgage company). The fiscal cliff tax deal extended that tax relief through 2013 making it possible for taxpayers to avoid a huge tax bill on 2012 short sales.
5. Increased Standard Deduction.The amount of the standard deduction increased for all taxpayers in 2012. The rates for 2012 were:
This is good news for most taxpayers since two out of every three taxpayers will claim the standard deductionin 2012.
6. Increased Personal Exemption. Similarly, the value of the personal exemptions for 2012 also increased. While exemptions were worth $3,700 in 2011, they rose to $3,800 for 2012.
7. Sales Tax Deduction Still An Option. Taxpayers who itemize may deduct state income taxes paid on their federal return putting those taxpayers who live in a state without an income tax arguably at a disadvantage. A federal law which allowed taxpayers the option of choosing to deduct state income taxes paid or sales taxes paid offered temporary relief for those folks - and those who made high dollar purchases but lived in low tax states. That tax break - which debuted in 2005 - expired at the end of 2011. However, the tax deal extended that option through 2013, making it still a viable option for taxpayers in 2012.
8. Tax Breaks for Charitable Donations from IRAs Extended. The new tax deal extended the qualified charitable distribution provisions which were set to expire through 2012 and 2013. Generally, distributions from an IRA are taxable when withdrawn whether payable to an individual or a charity. However, under the special rules, a withdrawal from an IRA (other than an ongoing SIMPLE or SEP) owned by an individual who is age 70½ or over that is paid directly to a qualified charity can be excluded from gross income. Up to $100,000 of distributions be distributed - and that amount can be used to satisfy a taxpayer's required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the year. Even better? Special rules allow taxpayers to treat donations made before February 1, 2013, as qualifying distributions for 2012.
9. Education Tax Breaks Strengthened. The American Opportunity Credit (the super-charged version of the Hope Credit) was extended through 2012 for expenses paid for tuition, certain fees and course materials for higher education. The maximum credit available is $2,500 in 2012 which includes 100% of qualifying tuition and related expenses not in excess of $2,000, plus 25% of those expenses that do not exceed $4,000. Additionally, the Lifetime Learning Credit sticks around for 2012, capped at $2,000, which applies to 20% of the first $10,000 of qualifying out-of-pocket expenses (but no double-dipping: you can't claim both credits in the same tax year for the same student). Also getting a boost? The above-the-line Tuition and Fees Deduction was extended so that taxpayers who don't itemize can continue to benefit.
10. Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) Relief. The tax deal passed in January 2013 provided significant AMT relief for middle class taxpayers in 2012 - and beyond. The AMT exemption for 2012 was increased to $50,600 for single taxpayers (an increase of nearly $20,000) and $78,750 for married taxpayers filing jointly (an increase of more than $30,000). Even better? Beginning with 2012, AMT relief will be adjusted for inflation each year - no more patches!
11. Adoption Credit Survives - But Is Limited. Under the new tax deal, the adoption credit was saved. Originally, the adoption credit was scheduled to sunset at the end of 2010 but was temporarily extended as part of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010; it was also made refundable (a nonrefundable credit can reduce the amount of tax you owe to zero while a refundable credit can reduce your tax liability to zero and any remaining credit will be refunded to you). The new tax deal did extend the adoption credit permanently with one significant hit: the credit is no longer refundable. The credit was only refundable in 2010 and 2011. Taxpayers in 2012 can claim the adoption credit but it is not refundable.
Want more taxgirl goodness? Sign up to receive posts by email, follow me on twitter (@taxgirl), hang out with me on Facebook or check out my new YouTube channel.
You can also buy my book in print at Amazon.com or as an ebook for the Kindle, the Nook from Barnes and Noble or through Hyperink.


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In the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo, the bodies of nine people were found hanging from a bridge and another 14 decapitated and dumped near city hall last May — the result of a turf war between Mexican drug cartels.
The murders exposed the Mexican government's significant problems; its seemingly out of control violence and its public relations problem —keeping the country's violence level low enough not to scare away foreign investors.
"When they're hanging people off bridges — it's the visual of this. The drug cartels make it gruesome intentionally," said Andrew Selee, director of the Mexico Institute, a Washington-based think tank.
As a result, when U.S. corporations consider expanding south of the border, Mexico is rarely their country of first choice, he said. Yet after doing research, "they find it's not as bad as they thought," Selee said. Then these same companies build a plant or establish a corporate office and watch their investments take off. (More:Mexico's Image Problem With Tourists)
And that is the paradox of Mexico. On one hand, the country's well-publicized drug killings would appear to be a clear disincentive to foreign investment. On the other hand, the economy has become an under-the-radar economic juggernaut.
"It's like the Mexican economy is driving with the emergency brake on," Selee said. "You can only imagine if the violence weren't going on, its growth could be extraordinary. You can't help think they could sustain 5 to 6 percent growth in one year." (Mexico is expected to grow at a rate of about 4 percent this year.)
Violence is a key factor in Mexico's low-to-middling competitiveness ranking among the nations of the world.
According to the World Economic Forum, Mexico ranked 58 out of 142 of the world's countries in its 2010-2012 Global Competitive Index. Not surprisingly, the "most problematic factors for doing business" are crime, theft, corruption, and inefficient government bureaucracy. To put the ranking in context: The United States ranks number five out of 142; but Brazil — generally considered the darling of Latin American foreign investment — ranks 53 out of 142 countries.
Violence related to Mexico's drug trade increased dramatically after President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006 and launched a war on the cartels.Almost immediately, killings in Mexico rose as the cartels fought back. More than 47,000 people have been killed in drug violence since the start of the war on drugs through September 2011, the last time the government released official figures.
Calderon leaves office in December after his six-year term is complete. This month he acknowledged crime is a deterrent to foreign direct investment.
"Yes, it has an impact, of course," Calderon told CNBC during a visit to Singapore. "That is the reason why my government is investing a lot in terms of enforcement agencies in order to change public institutions, in order to fight organized crime with the full force of federal authorities, in support of local authorities in that sense."
Compared to the U.S. homicide rate of five per 100,000, Mexico's homicide rate of 18 to 22 per 100,000—numbers cited by Selee— is tragically high. But it's still lower than Brazil's 25 per 100,000.
Is the problem violence...or corruption?
Mexico's violence, Selee argues, is "manageable," despite appearances to the contrary. "Even in the cities, the violence rarely touches most people in direct ways," Selee said. "It's more indirect. Most people know of someone who was kidnapped, or they don't go out at night. It's like being in New York in the late 1980s."
High-level foreign executives protect themselves and their investments with security systems, Selee said — just like in the United States.
As a result, large multinationals haven't experienced much of the violence — which is why those companies continue to invest in Mexico.
Mexico received $4.37 billion in foreign direct investment in the first quarter of 2012, down about 9 percent from the same period in 2011; the U.S. accounted for about 37 percent of the inflow, followed by Spain at about 29 percent, and Luxembourg at 9 percent.
From an operations point of view, the drug war has very little effect on foreign corporations' operations. Experts say this is because it is difficult for drug cartels to force a large company headquartered outside Mexico to pay a "protection fee." Extortion depends on the cartels' showing there would be negative consequences of not paying — but the multinationals can simply lean on the Mexican government and military to strike back at the cartels.
In fact, George Haley, who directs the Center for International Industry Competitiveness at the University of New Haven, dismissed the violence problem, calling it "overblown." (More:Is This the Right Time to Invest in Mexican Real Estate?)
"Corruption is the greater problem," he said. "For instance, in the Wal-Mart case, what Wal-Mart's Mexican executives did would not generally even be considered corruption in Mexico."
In April, Wal-Mart said it had discovered that its Mexican subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico, allegedly paid bribes to facilitate awarding store permits, and then the company's corporate headquarters stifled an internal investigation into the allegations.
Former Mexico foreign minister Jorge Castaneda said Wal-Mart de Mexico's actions may look like a bribe to Americans, but they're standard operating procedure in Mexico. Although the national government has made strides, "at the municipal level, anyone who wants to open a business, it's difficult to get all the permits you want to get without paying off low-level officials," he told CNBC in April. "It's pretty hard to get anything done unless you spread money around."
But John Alan James, an international expert on corporate governance, called the Wal-Mart case a "hideous example" of how not to operate in a foreign country. "They were in a hurry and their codes of conduct got out of whack," said James, founder of Management Counsellors International, S.A., where he advised multinational corporate clients on market entry strategies in foreign countries.
"Whenever you go into emerging markets you have the same kinds of factors to look at," he said, including corruption and crime. "I'm very positive on Mexico. The raw materials are there. Sonora is literally a gold mine. And you've got the petroleum. And wonderful, lovely people."


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Center for Women Veterans Hosts 'Lioness' Documentary Screening
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 20, 2009 - In April 2004, at the height of the insurgency in Iraq, five female soldiers unwittingly found themselves fighting alongside Marines in the battle for Ramadi and Fallujah.
Their story is told in a documentary film bearing their unit name, "Team Lioness," which has been shown in private and public screenings throughout the United States and Europe in the past year. The Center for Women Veterans hosted the film at the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters here yesterday.
"These stories are important to us at VA, because women veterans are coming to VA in great numbers, and we need to make sure we understand their experiences," Betty Moseley Brown, associate director of the VA's Center for Women Veterans, said as she introduced the film to an audience of about 50 viewers. "They became the first female soldiers in U.S. history to be sent into direct ground combat."
Since the American Civil War, women have played important roles in the U.S. armed forces during war time -- as nurses, journalists, pilots, engineers, logisticians and much more. But what they're not, still, is infantry, armor or artillery -- combat-arms specialties.
Still, many female servicemembers have been wounded and killed as a result of enemy fire. But it wasn't until the start of the Iraq war in 2003 that women began finding themselves engaged in direct fighting.
Team Lioness pioneered women in direct fighting, although somewhat unintentionally. The women were intended to augment combat-arms platoons to search Iraqi women for money, weapons and drugs smuggling at checkpoints and on patrols. But eventually, their new roles in the ranks of combatant units led to ground combat alongside infantrymen, cavalrymen and artillerymen on the frontlines.
The film opens in a wilderness setting with b-roll of trees and damp leaves lining a still-flowing creek. The only sounds for several seconds are crickets chirping in the background. The tranquil silence of Mena, Ark., is suddenly broken by the boom of several shotgun rounds fired at a turtle in the creek.
The documentary's introduction of Shannon Morgan, a former Army mechanic and Lioness, shows her innocence as a country girl, but with an obviously troubled past. Much of the film follows her around her family's farm as she hunts squirrels with her shotgun and shares emotional testimonies of her time in Iraq.
"I don't watch the news. I don't read newspapers," Morgan says in the film. "But the memories of war never go away."
Morgan and the other Lionesses said they never expected to have to fire their weapon. But they quickly found themselves performing combat patrols, raids and house-to-house searches with the Marines in what was considered the most dangerous region of Iraq during what was arguably the most dangerous period of the entire campaign.
The Lionesses talk about their first enemy encounters and the stress of seeing dead bodies for the first time, while fighting to stay alive. Morgan recalled battling with the darkest side of war just before shooting an insurgent in a firefight.
"It's something you learn to deal with," Morgan said. "I don't regret what I did, but I wish it had never happened."
The soldiers also talk about the difficulties of learning the tactics and vocabulary of the Marines they worked with. The transition from their Army ways, plus the frequency of enemy engagements, didn't allow for much of a learning curve to make up for their lack of knowledge of various weapons systems, Army Capt. Anastasia Breslow, a signal corps officer and former Lioness, said in the film.
"If everyone [in the platoon] had been hurt, I would have had no idea how to get back to the forward operating base," Breslow said. "I didn't know how to use the biggest casualty-producing weapon we had. I felt we needed to know more."
Although the film takes place primarily on the home front with Lioness and family interviews, it brings to light the realities today's generation of military women, and all combat support troops, face in Iraq and Afghanistan. The line that separates the front from the rear is blurred by the urban and guerilla warfare troops encounter fighting terrorism within the Middle East.
The nature of modern warfare -- fighting counterinsurgencies in random locations, as opposed to nation states on prescribed battlefields -- has made it difficult to define what constitutes a combat-arms military specialty and what doesn't.
Military women today still cannot legally serve in combat-arms positions, but they serve competently and are trained in a variety of roles and capacities in Iraq and Afghanistan because of the lessons learned from the original Team Lioness. Their experiences prompted training for women that was never done before. They learn infantry tactics, qualify on more weapons, and are better prepared for the chance they may have to engage the enemy.
"As a result of their experiences, now each military service trains female servicemembers to be Lionesses, training that was not offered whenever this documentary was actually filmed," Brown said, referring to the weapons and tactical training female military members now receive.
*Related Sites:*
Center for Women Veterans [ http://www1.va.gov/WOMENVET/ ]
Center for Women Veterans Hosts 'Lioness' Documentary Screening [ http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53567 ]


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'The Outer Limits' Getting Big Screen Treatment from 'Doctor Strange' Director Scott Derrickson
With Warner Brothers struggling to bring their 'Twilight Zone' movie reboot into production, it's funny to see MGM swoop in and announce that 'Doctor Strange' director Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (who previously wrote 'Sinister' together) will be collaborating on making a big screen adaptation of 'The Outer Limits.'
Though 'Twilight Zone' and 'Outer Limits' did their own things, since both were anthologies with horror elements it created a sense of rivalry between the two (with the latter the underdog), so it's interesting that The Hollywood Reporter — who broke the story — note that Derrickson says he prefers 'Limits.' And where the previous 'Zone' movie was an anthology film, for 'Outer Limits' the duo are looking to adapt one episode, specifically "Demon with a Glass Hand," (pictured above), which was written for the small screen by genre legend Harlan Ellison.
Of late studio horror movies have fallen into two categories: reboot/remakes and found footage, so while this falls in the former category, it at least is based on great source material. That said, turning a thirty minute episode into a feature film takes finessing to make sure that the additional material doesn't just feel like padding. Considering Derrickson will be directing 'Doctor Strange,' we imagine his role will be confined to writing and producing the film.


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Welcome Business Students & Community Professionals
The Business Department serves both students focused on transferring and those seeking to enhance and/or develop a career. The business faculty works with area businesses, universities and students to develop new courses and improve existing courses. We strive to provide instruction on the most current skills needed in academia and the business environment. You will find that we are a dynamic group, always looking for improvement, visit the faculty link to meet our dedicated team.


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Seven games into the 2012 season, the "Cobra" formation is no longer a secret for Randall Cobb and the Green Bay Packers. But that doesn't mean the look—which lines up Cobb in the backfield of the shotgun alongside Aaron Rodgers—doesn't continue to be a productive option for the Green Bay offense.
Run five times against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, the Packers got positive plays from Cobb on three different kind of concepts.
Here's a look at how the right calls from the Cobra formation and Cobb's versatility as a football player helped contribute to two scoring drives in St. Louis Sunday:
Play No. 1: Three factors make the run
Our first look at the Cobra comes just two plays after the Packers successfully executed their onside kick in the first quarter. On second-and-8 from the Rams' 47-yard line, a simple run is called for Cobb. He gains 19 yards using patience early in the run, vision to find a crease and foot speed to get there. The first screen grab shows the defensive front moments after Cobb receives the handoff.
The blocking upfront, save for right tackle Bryan Bulaga getting blown into the backfield by Kendall Langford (93), isn't all that poor. Langford's penetration throws off the timing, but there's a hat on a hat inside, where Cobb's initial read appears to be headed. No. 58 Jo-Lonn Dunbar, the weakside linebacker on the play, is free and also reading Cobb to take this play inside. Note Marshall Newhouse's consuming block on the backside of this play. Here's where Cobb's patience pays off.
Cobb, who doesn't panic when the penetration enters the backfield, finds a seam outside the double team and inside of Newhouse when Dunbar crashes inside. From there, it's all footspeed for Cobb. He explodes through the crease vacated by Dunbar and picks up 19 yards, turning a potential negative play into one that helps set up Mason Crosby's 47-yard field goal. Cobb now has three rushes for 67 yards this season (22.3/carry), with all three going for first downs.
Play No. 2: The shovel
The second play comes late in the fourth quarter, during the Packers "win it" drive after the Rams pulled within seven points. It's a call—the simple shovel pass—that head coach Mike McCarthy should think about calling every week. Here's the screen grab following the snap.
The Rams rush just three, which is both good and bad. While limited pressure comes with three one-on-one blocking matchups, the Packers would probably prefer defenses to bring an extra player or two on the blitz. The more players Green Bay can get coming after Rodgers—especially off the edge—the better for Cobb once this play gets into motion. Still, the play works because the Packers execute. Rodgers makes the simple flip to Cobb, who cut inside once the defensive end advanced up field. Guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang both release to provide Cobb a line of blocking ahead. Here's how it looks after Cobb breaks the line of scrimmage.
Sitton and Lang only do an average job out front of this play, mostly whiffing on engaging either linebacker. But they do enough for Cobb to slip between the tackle attempts and pick up the first down. We've now seen this play work on a couple occasions this season, and hopefully there's more.
The play is effective for a number of reasons. One, it gets Cobb into the open field with blocking in front of him, which replicates much of what Cobb does in the return game. He can set up blocks and find creases with linemen out front. Second, it helps negate the pass rush. Teams still want to pin their ears back and rush Rodgers off the edge, but plays like this neutralize that mindset. And as long as it's sold effectively, a shovel can completely eliminate the pass-rushing defensive ends. Robert Quinn and Chris Long are non-factors in this look. The Packers get a first down here to move the chains and keep the fourth-quarter clock running.
Play No. 3: Setting up the dagger
Of course, at the end of this drive, Cobb catches a 39-yard touchdown that stuck the dagger into the Rams' comeback bid. But that play doesn't happen unless the Packers convert on a critical third down prior to the touchdown.
With 6:45 left in the fourth quarter, Green Bay faces a third-and-7 from its own 34-yard line. What is the formation McCarthy goes to on possibly the game's most important play? The Cobra. And Cobb is really Rodgers' first and only read in McCarthy's design. Here's the screen grab of the post-snap look and the routes run on the play.
McCarthy guesses he'll get Cover-2, and he's right. The play called is designed to attack as such.
James Jones, split out left of the formation, runs a short drag route across the field. The idea is to get the weakside linebacker on the play to trail Jones, so Cobb can sneak in behind and have some open-field space. The cornerback on Jones' side is expected to retreat on the snap and sit in his zone. Jermichael Finley, inline on the right side, runs down the seam to hold the safety and drop the middle linebacker. Jordy Nelson and Donald Driver run mostly meaningless go routes off the right to occupy three other defenders.
Things go mostly to plan. Bradley Fletcher (32) retreats, taking himself out of the play. The linebacker briefly follows Jones but smartly hands him off to the next zone. Below is the screen grab of Cobb right as he is making the catch.
Despite Green Bay's route concept, the Rams have this play snuffed out. The linebacker, safety and cornerback are all in position to seal off Cobb and prevent the first down.
But here's when special players make game-changing plays. Again, Cobb uses elite foot speed to elude the linebacker to the inside, where the defender should actually have the leverage. Missed tackle, first down Packers. The drive continues.
Five plays later, Cobb helps turn a free play into the game's highlight score. But without this concept on third down from the Cobra, and Cobb's individual effort, the Packers have to punt and the defense is forced back onto the field in a one-score game. As is the case in 100 percent of football games, it's the little things that make the biggest difference.
* * *
Per Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, the Packers have run the Cobra with Cobb on 25 plays this season. 13 in Week 1, three in Week 2, two in Weeks 3 and 4, zero in Weeks 5 and 6 and five in Week 7. 13 is probably too many, but five a game seems like the perfect snap total for this package.
There's so many concepts that McCarthy can incorporate into five plays, whether it be an inside run, shovel pass, angle route, slip screen or swing pass. Conceptually, the possibilities are endless. And when you have a player as gifted as Cobb as the conductor of the plays, making those calls becomes that much easier.
Production typically spurs continued opportunities, and the Packers continued to get impact plays from Cobb out of the package Sunday in St. Louis.
Zach Kruse is a 24-year-old sports writer who contributes to Cheesehead TV, Bleacher Report and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He also covers prep sports for the Dunn Co. News. You can reach him on Twitter @zachkruse2 or by email at [email protected].
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Saturday, May 1st, Snakehead Run played at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston Va. Then I played again with Ian Walters and Friends at Sova Coffee House in DC. The videos of the perorformances are the first that I can say I really like my playing on. They sort of show what can be done with the ol' tub and the Blues.
Ian Walters plays piano blues, Jeff Hawkins joined him on guitar. Joe Gonzales played drums, and I'm on Washtub.
Here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Gutbucketee ... BB9683359B
Snakehead Run plays acoustic blues and jugband music:
Step it Up and Go = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IicCB6iCkYc
Statesboro Blues = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQIj54c0MZU
Check out the Snakehead Run myspace page for more Snakehead Run:
Aka Jim Bunch


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Hi friends!
As I stated in a recent post about enjoying and taking advantage of this time of the year and in being a Homebody, I am trying to be grateful for each and every little thing that is in my life.
During the winter months, it is the perfect opportunity for me to reflect, rejoice and rejuvenate.
Reflect over the past year. Pull out and hold tight to the good memories, learn from mistakes and discard the negative. It's also time to plan for the upcoming Spring and Summer months. It's the perfect time to daydream about gardens, vacations, family BBQ's and all the other fun activities we do during the warmer months.
Rejoice in what we have. This is a wonderful time to celebrate family and friendships. Truly embrace the love that surrounds us. Appreciate the ones that fill our day to day lives. Enjoy our homes. Spruce our sanctuaries up. Create that cozy "nest". And do it with the things we already own.
Rejuvenate our bodies, minds and souls. Rejuvenate your body by something as simple as taking the time to give your feet a good soaking, to massage them with a wonderful cream, paint your toenails, in other words, pamper and take care of your body. Rejuvenate your mind by occasionally stepping away from the fiction books and read a non-fiction book to learn something new. Fill your mind with different types of information. Take a free online class in something you have always wanted to learn. Rejuvenate your soul and check up on your personal spiritual side. Spend a few minutes and simply let the bible fall open and read what is in front of you. Think about it and use what you have just read in your daily life. Let it fill your heart and soul. Find some small way to give back to someone, or some organization that helps others. A wonderful way to thank the Lord for the abundance that you have. It could be as simple as going through your pantry and donating a few cans of food to your local food bank. Go through your closets and pull out items you no longer wear and donate them to a caring thrift store.
I almost feel I should have titled this "The Four R's" instead of three. Because I also think it is a good time to Reap what you have sown.
We worked hard this past summer to prepare for the long hard winter. We are "Urban Farmer's". Money just trickles in during the cold months. Our spring and summer is when we make our income. But, it is also when we have to try our best to plan ahead. Unfortunately, we couldn't foresee the future and realize we were in for some devastation. But, we still worked hard, tried to plan as best we could and prepare as much as possible. So, I need to respect, honor and enjoy what we did do. Just because ugly events occurred does not mean I should allow them to over shadow all the good and positive things we have.
One thing that we did to prepare for this winter was preserving some food. We were so blessed by the farmer's at the farmer markets this past year. We had a bounty of fresh veggies and fruits all summer. We had more than we could use on a daily basis. After sharing with family and friends, we preserved as much of this goodness as we could. Knowing it would be greatly appreciated by us in the winter.
Take advantage of this time of the year. A perfect time to reflect, rejoice and rejuvenate.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by. I hope you have a wonderful day!
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Find out more
• Broomfield posts updates on fracking issues on its website. Find the webpage by visiting broomfield.org and clicking "Government," then "Oil and Gas Development."
• For more information about pro-fracking group It's Our Broomfield, Too, call Linda Reynolds at 303-439-9108 or Rick Fernandez at 303-929-1463.
• For more information about Our Broomfield, the group proposing a ballot measure to ban fracking for five years, go to ourbroomfield.org.
Grassroots group Our Broomfield on Friday turned in petitions bearing 3,382 names, bringing it one step closer to getting a five-year ban on fracking in Broomfield on the November ballot.
Organizers turned in the petitions after a press conference at the George Di Ciero City and County Building Friday afternoon.
Jackie Houle, who volunteered her home as a petition drop-off spot, said she is relieved the petitions are now in the hands of the City and County Clerk's Office.
"Now the next step is working on educating the community and getting people out to vote," she said.
Our Broomfield, formerly called Don't Frack Broomfield, in June filed a petition with the clerk's office seeking to petition the ban onto the city's Nov. 5 ballot. It needs a minimum 2,082 signatures to do so.
Broomfield Elections Administrator Michael Susek said staff has 15 business days to validate signatures, which means it will be complete no later than Aug. 23. If at least 2,082 signatures are deemed valid, the ban will appear on the ballot.
The ballot question would ask voters to approve a five-year ban on all hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in Broomfield. Fracking is a process in which oil and gas companies inject a water-sand-chemical mix deep underground to free up deposits of gas trapped in subterranean rock.
The ban would prohibit using fracking to "extract oil, gas or other hydrocarbons within … Broomfield."
No liquid or solid wastes associated with fracking could be stored within city and county limits, according to the petition.
Our Broomfield is opposed to fracking because of its potential impact on air and water quality. The group said a ban would give researchers more time to determine fracking's true effects on residents' health and the environment.
Broomfield has delayed talks with oil and gas operator Sovereign several times because of resident concerns about how close proposed wells would be to Prospect Ridge Academy charter school in the North Park area.
Meghan Mariner lives in Anthem and has three kids who attend Prospect Ridge. She said she has worked to gather signatures for the petition from the outset.
"I didn't know a lot about it at first, but the more research I did, the more concerned I was," she said at Our Broomfield's press conference on Friday. "My children are my first and foremost priority and this affects them."
Broomfield also has a pro-fracking citizen group called It's Our Broomfield, Too. The pro-fracking group is known for wearing hot pink shirts with the phrase "Mothers In Love With Fracking."
After hearing the news Friday that Our Broomfield appeared poised to get a ban on the ballot, group member Linda Reynolds said It's Our Broomfield, Too would begin organizing against the ban.
"There's no evidence that fracking is harmful to groundwater or the environment, and there are legitimate studies that back that up," she said.
The pro-fracking group will begin organizing public discussions and information sessions to show another side of the argument — a side that shows how fracking has safely and effectively provided fuel, jobs and income for Broomfield and beyond, she said.
"It's so important that we inform voters that this (ban) is not a good thing for them," she said.
Meanwhile, Broomfield officials are working on how best to proceed with the city's fracking future.
City Council members have said they need to update policies and find ways to work with oil and gas drilling applicants to ensure heightened safety standards. They also will explore options, such as hiring an independent consultant to provide context and guidance on fracking issues and will consider hiring an inspector to examine Broomfield's 97 producing oil and gas wells on a more regular basis.
Broomfield isn't the only community with anti-fracking petitions. Citizen groups in Lafayette and Fort Collins also have submitted petitions that would put a fracking ban on the November ballot.
Contact Enterprise Staff Writer Megan Quinn at 303-410-2649 or email@example.com


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If you're still looking for gift ideas for photographers, check out this retro camera-looking Iphone/ITouch case from Etsy artist, Coolbeans 717.
It's 20-bucks plus shipping and the site says there's only one available. But they are handmade (takes 5 days to make!) So I imagine the artist can make more.
In other news, I wrote about this next item on the PetaPixel blog. It's a concept design called the Underabove. As the name implies, it's a camera with two lenses that takes a picture of what's below the surface of the water and above and then stitches the images together.
The design won a 2010 Red Dot award and works like a submarine, with a water filled ballast on the bottom and an air filled one on the top. It even has a timer for self-portraits and a flash.
And now, proof that photography is elemental.
I think they did a good job of grouping things together. I just wish they'd tell me the atomic weight!
Lastly, if you have Lightroom 3 or Photoshop CS5, make sure to download new updates. The updates fix some bugs and include updates to camera profiles for the lens correction feature.


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We typically have seminars on Wednesday at noon in Malone 228. All seminar announcements will be sent to the theory mailing list.
Speaker: Mohammad Hajiesmaili
Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Title: Online storage management in electricity market
With unprecedented benefits in terms of efficiency, economy, reliability, and environmental awareness, in the recent years, there has been a rapid proliferation of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind in electric power systems. Despite these benefits, the inherent uncertainty in renewables places severe challenges on the management of the entire energy systems, including electricity market. Leveraging energy storage systems is a promising approach to mitigate the uncertainty of renewables, by charging and discharging during the mismatched periods. Energy storage systems, however, offers a new design space for additional optimization. That is, a storage system can capture energy during periods when the market prices are low and surrender stored energy when energy prices are high.
In this talk, we consider different scenarios of storage management in both supply and demand sides of the electricity market. The uncertainties in both renewable output and electricity market price, emphasizes the need for online solution design. The underlying theoretical problems could be described as extensions of conversion problems in financial markets, i.e., the search for best prices to buy and/or sell assets. The difference with the conversion problems, is that in addition to the uncertainty in the price, our problems suffer from another uncertainty originated from renewable output. We follow online algorithm design and use competitive ratio as the performance measure of our algorithms. We present our recent results in designing competitive online algorithms that achieve constant competitive ratios. In addition, we briefly talk about the case of utilizing aggregate potentials distributed small-scale storage systems, such as EVs or residential storages, to participate in electricity market through an aggregator. This setting is more challenging than the previous one, since the distributed sources also arrive in online manner with heterogeneous profiles.
Overall, we believe that changing the landscape of electric power system from a centralized predictable system to a distributed uncertain system opens a new research direction for leveraging online framework designs in this relatively under-explored area.
Speaker: Kuan Cheng
Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Title: Near-Optimal Secret Sharing and Error Correcting Codes in $\AC^0$
We study the question of minimizing the computational complexity of (robust) secret sharing schemes and error correcting codes. In standard instances of these objects, both encoding and decoding involve linear algebra, and thus cannot be implemented in the class $\AC^0$. The feasibility of non-trivial secret sharing schemes in $\AC^0$ was recently shown by Bogdanov et al.\ (Crypto 2016) and that of (locally) decoding errors in $\AC^0$ by Goldwasser et al.\ (STOC 2007).
In this paper, we show that by allowing some slight relaxation such as a small error probability, we can construct much better secret sharing schemes and error correcting codes in the class $\AC^0$. In some cases, our parameters are close to optimal and would be impossible to achieve without the relaxation. Our results significantly improve previous constructions in various parameters.
Our constructions combine several ingredients in pseudorandomness and combinatorics in an innovative way. Specifically, we develop a general technique to simultaneously amplify security threshold and reduce alphabet size, using a two-level concatenation of protocols together with a random permutation. We demonstrate the broader usefulness of this technique by applying it in the context of a variant of secure broadcast.
Based on a joint work with Yuval Ishai and Xin Li.
Speaker: Ilan Komargodski
Affiliation: Cornell Tech
Title: White-Box vs. Black-Box Complexity of Search Problems: Ramsey and Graph Property Testing
Abstract: Ramsey theory assures us that in any graph there is a clique or independent set of a certain size, roughly logarithmic in the graph size. But how difficult is it to find the clique or independent set? This problem is in TFNP, the class of search problems with guaranteed solutions. If the graph is given explicitly, then it is possible to do so while examining a linear number of edges. If the graph is given by a black-box, where to figure out whether a certain edge exists the box should be queried, then a large number of queries must be issued.
1) What if one is given a program or circuit ("white-box") for computing the existence of an edge. Does the search problem remain hard?
2) Can we generically translate all TFNP black-box hardness into white-box hardness?
3) Does the problem remain hard if the black-box instance is small?
We will answer all of these questions and discuss related questions in the setting of property testing.
Joint work with Moni Naor and Eylon Yogev.
Speaker: Ran Ben Basat
Affiliation: Technion
Title: Classic Network Measurement meets Virtual Switching
Abstract: In modern cloud infrastructures, each physical server often runs multiple virtual machines and employs a software Virtual Switch (VS) to handle their traffic. In addition to switching, the VS performs network measurements, such as identifying the most frequent flows, which are essential for networking applications such as load balancing and intrusion detection.
Unlike traditional streaming algorithms, which minimize the space requirements, the bottleneck in virtual switching measurement is the CPU utilization. In this talk, I will present new hardware-oriented algorithms and acceleration methods that optimize the update time for software, at the cost of a slight memory overhead.
Bio: Ran is a Ph.D. candidate at the Technion, Israel. He does research in streaming algorithms for networking applications, focusing on efficient processing and query speeds.
Speaker: Samson Zhou
Affiliation: Purdue University
Title: Pattern Matching over Noisy Data Streams
Abstract: The identification of low-complexity structure in strings is a fundamental building block for many algorithms in computational biology or natural language processing. The general paradigm in these algorithms is to find either highly repetitive structure, in the form of periodicity or palindromes in a pre-processing stage, to filter out locations where a certain pattern cannot occur, thus improving efficiency.
Unfortunately, we must expect massive data to contain a number of small imperfections, such as through human error or mutations. This motivates the need to study structure in models of sublinear space, resilient to sources of noise. In this talk, we introduce several types of structure and noise, and discuss efficient algorithms to identify these structures over data streams.
As a warm-up, we provide an algorithm for identifying a longest common aligned substring of two inputs, resilient up to d errors of insertions, substitutions, or deletions. We then present a streaming algorithm for identifying the longest palindrome, resilient up to a threshold of d substitution errors. Finally, we discuss the problem of finding all periods of a string including up to d persistent changes or erasures. For each of these scenarios, we also provide complementary lower bounds.
Joint work with Funda Ergun, Elena Grigorescu, and Erfan Sadeqi Azer.
Samson is a PhD candidate in the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University, under the supervision of Greg Frederickson and Elena Grigorescu. He received his undergraduate education at MIT, where he obtained a Bachelor's in math and computer science, as well as a Master's in computer science. He is a member of the Theory Group at Purdue, and his current research interests are sublinear and approximation algorithms, with an emphasis on streaming algorithms.
Speaker: Venkata Gandikota
Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Title: NP-Hardness of Reed-Solomon Decoding and the Prouhet-Tarry-Escott Problem
Abstract: Establishing the complexity of Bounded Distance Decoding for Reed-Solomon codes is a fundamental open problem in coding theory, explicitly asked by Guruswami and Vardy (IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory, 2005). The problem is motivated by the large current gap between the regime when it is NP-hard, and the regime when it is efficiently solvable (i.e., the Johnson radius).
We show the first NP-hardness results for asymptotically smaller decoding radii than the maximum likelihood decoding radius of Guruswami and Vardy. Specifically, for Reed-Solomon codes of length N and dimension K = O(N), we show that it is NP-hard to decode more than N-K-O(log N / log log N) errors.
These results follow from the NP-hardness of a generalization of the classical Subset Sum problem to higher moments, called Moments Subset Sum, which has been a known open problem, and which may be of independent interest. We further reveal a strong connection with the well-studied Prouhet-Tarry-Escott problem in Number Theory, which turns out to capture a main barrier in extending our techniques. We believe the Prouhet-Tarry-Escott problem deserves further study in the theoretical computer science community.
This is a joint work with Badih Ghazi (MIT) and Elena Grigorescu (Purdue).
Speaker: Amirbehshad Shahrasbi
Affiliation:Carnegie Mellon University
Speaker: Samson Zhou
Affiliation: Purdue University
Title: Password Hashing and Graph Pebbling
Abstract: Although the passwords of users are no longer being stored, we show an offline attacker is compelled to crack all stolen passwords under current security recommendations. Memory hard functions have been proposed as moderately expensive cryptographic tools for password hashing. The cryptanalysis of these functions has focused on the cumulative memory complexity and the energy complexity of the function. The first metric measures how much memory users must commit to evaluating a function, while the second metric measures how much energy users must commit. We prove these evaluations reduce to pebbling games on graphs but show that a tool for exact cryptanalysis of functions is unlikely to exist. Nevertheless, we provide asymptotic upper and lower bounds on several families of functions, including Argon2i, the winner of the password hashing competition that is currently being considered for standardization by the Cryptography Form Research Group of the Internet Research Task Force.
Joint work with Jeremiah Blocki, Ben Harsha, Ling Ren
Samson is a PhD candidate in the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University, under the supervision of Greg Frederickson and Elena Grigorescu. He received his undergraduate education at MIT, where he obtained a Bachelor's in math and computer science, as well as a Master's in computer science. He is a member of the Theory Group at Purdue and a winner of the Sigma Xi Research Awards Competition for graduate students in engineering. His current research interests are sublinear and approximation algorithms, with an emphasis on streaming algorithms.
Speaker: Sai Lakshmi Bhavana Obbattu
Affiliation: IISC Bangalore, India
Title: Privacy Amplification from Non-malleable Codes
The goal of a Privacy Amplification (PA) protocol is to allow two parties, who start out sharing a non-uniform secret 'w', to agree on a uniform secret 'k', in the presence of a computationally unbounded man-in-the-middle adversary. An interactive PA protocol is rated based on three parameters: 1) Number of rounds, 2) Entropy loss (entropy of w – |k|), and 3) Min-entropy requirement for w, while the asymptotically optimal parameters are 2, O(s) and O(s+log n) respectively (where s is the security parameter and n =|w|). There have been two popular approaches to solve this problem: one using use bit authentication protocols and the other using non-malleable extractors, but none of the prior protocols using these approaches had all asymptotically optimal parameters.
We give an alternate approach to solve the problem using Non-malleable Codes (NMCs). This approach results in a 8-round protocol with min-entropy requirement O(s+log n) and an entropy loss of O(s log s). Augmented NMCs with better parameters would result in optimal entropy loss of O(s). Our result is one of the first information theoretic applications of NMCs. In this talk, I will introduce NMCs and show connection of NMCs to PA.
In a concurrent and independent work, Xin Li gives a protocol with asymptotically optimal parameters based on non-malleable extractors. Because all known approaches have large hidden constants, exploring alternatives is necessary if we hope to get practical concrete parameters
The talk is based on:
Eshan Chattopadhyay, Bhavana Kanukurthi, Sai Lakshmi Bhavana Obbattu and Sruthi Sekar. Privacy Amplification from Non-malleable Codes. (eprint.iacr.org/2018/293)
Bhavana Kanukurthi, Sai Lakshmi Bhavana Obbattu and Sruthi Sekar. Non-malleable Randomness Encoders and their Applications (Eurocrypt 2018)
Bio: Sai Lakshmi Bhavana Obbattu is a doctoral student at Indian Institute of Science(IISc), Bangalore, advised by Dr. Bhavana Kanukurthi. Her publication venues include the Theory of Cryptography Conference (TCC) and Eurocrypt. Her TCC publication on Four-state Non-malleable Codes was invited to the Journal of Cryptology. She received her Integrated Dual Degree (B.Tech and M.Tech) from IIT(BHU), Varanasi. Her research interests include Non-malleable codes, Privacy Amplification and Applied Multi-party computation.
Speaker: Akash Kumar
Affiliation: Purdue University
Location: Malone 338 (note change of location)
Finding Minors in Sublinear time in Bounded degree graphs with (almost) optimal one-sided query complexity.
Let G be an undirected, bounded degree graph with n vertices. Fix a finite graph H, and suppose one must remove \varepsilon n edges from G to make it H-minor free (for some small constant \varepsilon > 0). We give an n^{1/2+o(1)}-time randomized procedure that, with high probability, finds an H-minor in such a graph. For an example application, suppose one must remove \varepsilon n edges from a bounded degree graph G to make it planar. This result implies an algorithm, with the same running time, that produces a K_{3,3} or K_5 minor in G. No sublinear time bound was known for this problem, prior to this result.
By the graph minor theorem, we get an analogous result for any minor-closed property. Up to n^{o(1)} factors, this resolves a conjecture of Benjamini-Schramm-Shapira (STOC 2008) on the existence of one-sided property testers for minor-closed properties. Furthermore, our algorithm is nearly optimal, by an \Omega(\sqrt{n}) lower bound of Czumaj et al (RSA 2014).
Prior to this work, the only graphs H for which non-trivial property testers were known for H-minor freeness are the following: H being a forest or a cycle (Czumaj et al, RSA 2014), K_{2,k}, (k\times 2)-grid, and the k-circus (Fichtenberger et al, Arxiv 2017).
(Joint work with C. Seshadhri and Andrew Stolman).


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The Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which is still dealing with the fallout of a sex abuse scandal, announced Thursday that it will be cutting 45 jobs due to financial difficulties that have been building up for years.
Archbishop Charles Chaput says the massive legal and professional costs associated with the sex abuse cases had little to do with the decision to cut jobs. Instead, he says, it was based on a long overdue need to restructure, and a desire to cut down the archdiocese's projected deficit of more than $17 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
"These are good men and women who have served the Church well," said Chaput in a statement. "I take this action with great reluctance, as one of several urgently needed steps to restore the local Church to a healthy financial footing. Every departing employee has the sincere gratitude of the Archdiocese and will be treated with maximum consideration."
In addition to cutting dozens of jobs, the archdiocese will merge 19 of its offices and ministries. It has also decided to suspend the publication of Phaith Magazine, and will cease publishing its 117-year-old newspaper, The Catholic Standard & Times, which published its last issue in June.
The archdiocese says its Office of Financial Services has examined a variety of ways to cut costs, through renegotiating contracts with vendors and other initiatives, but the budget gap was too great to close. Although the archdiocese is consolidating its ministries, Chaput says they will continue to work hard to maintain all of its obligations.
"We are committed to doing the work of Jesus Christ and earning the confidence of the faithful and the community we serve," he said. "We have an on-going duty to serve the pastoral and sacramental needs of our own people and the poor of the wider community; to provide support for victims of sexual abuse; to protect children and families; and to defend the Catholic community in the public square. All of these obligations are important. We will work hard to meet each of them."
In early 2011, a grand jury report encouraged the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to further investigate some past allegations of sexual abuse, in addition to cases involving violations of the Archdiocese's Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries. In May of this year, five of the 26 priests who were publicly placed on leave last year were barred from ministry, and three others were cleared of their charges.
Since that time the archdiocese has announced that two other church leaders have been found unsuitable for ministry. Monsignor Hugh P. Campbell is a retired priest who self-reported that he had sexually abused a minor, and Monsignor George J. Mazzotta was found unsuitable after a "substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor," the archdiocese said in May.
On Friday, Monsignor William Lynn, who was the highest-ranking cleric being accused of trying to cover up sexual abuse in the archdiocese, was found guilty of one count of child endangerment and acquitted on two other charges, CNN reports. His co-defendant, the Rev. James Brennan, was charged with raping a teenage altar boy and endangering the welfare of a child, but the jury was unable to bring a verdict against him.


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Thursday, October 8, 2009
Revisiting "Researching, Blogging, Social Networking, and Finding Time"
I am happy to report that the time thing is working a bit better for me. I am now doing more genealogy and "enough" blogging. There is still a long way to go and I don't always accomplish what I want to from day to day. Some days there are only a few look-ups or transcriptions, or I miss out on blogging prompts or carnivals (such as the blog obituary carnival – I even had a beginning paragraph, but still missed the deadline). If I have not made all the progress I had wished toward doing more genealogy, the distracting factors have primarily been work, family life, and "comatose days" – come home, eat, do a few chores, snooze in front of the TV.
What is different is that I am doing less social networking. There are various reasons for this, and I'm embarrassed to say that resolving to spend less time on social networking sites is not high on the list. The cutback actually happened sort of naturally.
- Facebook does not take up nearly as much of my time, mainly because my college daughter spends almost no time on it this year, and she was my main chat partner last year. This is not a 100% positive development, since I haven't posted family pictures or document transcripts recently.
- I haven't been on GenealogyWise for more than a month; that's not all to the good, either, because it is still an avenue for getting in touch with other researchers and sharing knowledge.
For many genealogy researchers (including me), genealogy is an intensely social pursuit. Networking is a necessary, productive, and enjoyable part of genealogical research. If we cannot or do not interact with other people – connecting to relatives, experts, and other researchers to get the information we need by inquiring, learning, sharing, teaching, interviewing, and so forth – we seriously limit what we are able to achieve in our research. In addition, there is a need to share and publish what we have learned – to get feedback, advice, "attaboys," or even commiseration. These things encourage and inspire us. Even some of the social genea-networking we do that doesn't seem to produce direct results often fulfills this latter purpose and may keep us going when we get discouraged. For this reason, rather than making drastic cuts in social networking, it is probably better to reorder the networking we do if it is hindering instead of promoting our research.
For instance, I am trying to focus on a couple of mainstays in my blog, the Monday and Friday features: Monday Memories because recording our own memories is an essential part of genealogy that is often neglected, the featured families as a way to get in touch with other researchers, and family newsletters to keep interested family members current on my research. The Family Newsletters also keep me on track. Each week I have to report on what I have done, where I am, and what I need to do. Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun has been marvelous in helping me to set my genealogy research goals and priorities. Some of the carnivals help me to highlight research that I'm eager to share. Reading other genealogy blogs educates me, amuses me (there are some great humorists among the genea-bloggers), gives me new ideas, and reinvigorates me when I'm starting to drag.
I have noticed that when the Fairfax Genealogical Society resumed meetings in the fall there was a big spike in my research output. The meetings were a big incentive to get busy on my brick walls, both in preparation for the brick wall workshops and just because hanging out with other genealogy people gets the juices going.
Right around the time when I wrote "Researching, Blogging, Social Networking, and Finding Time," several other blog posts appeared on the same subject; these thoughts had obviously stewing for a while with all of us. Some wiser heads noted that there seems to be a natural ebb and flow in our genealogy research, and that during the lulls we gather energy and inspiration to make a fresh and vigorous re-entry into genealogy. I believe they are right and am here to report that social networking has not killed my research.
4 comments:
Great post Greta and I remember your original post from earlier this summer. I think you give a very accurate description of how important networking - whether it be through social media tools or otherwise - is important to genealogists!ReplyDelete
You did indeed strike a chord as many of us share your struggle to achieve balance between what we'd like to do and the actual number of hours in a day. I was pleased to read your comments about how your research becomes focused when your local society resumes meetings in the fall. I hope you'll make time to elaborate in the upcoming 82nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy:
Breaking Into Society.
Unfortunately my job has begun to get in the way of my blogging and research. I have not networked as much as in the past. Fortunately there are other family members out there that pop into my e-mail with some new information or photos, like the Stark ones that I featured in a blog last week.ReplyDelete
Thomas - Thanks for your continuing encouragement; it illustrates very well what I was trying to describe!ReplyDelete
Kathryn - I would love to participate in this next edition of the COG as I always love to toot the horn of the Fairfax Gen. Society.
Linda - Work is sort of a double culprit - takes up the better part of our day, then leaves us tired when we would like to be doing research.


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pics from Summer's graduation...cause graduating kindergarten is a BIG deal :)
About Me
- Tina
- I'm 27, a wife, mother of one great lil girl,and part time nurse to many and one avid scrapbooker.I enjoy nature and the outdoors..I can be a girly girl at times but also like to do lots of " boy" things..all in all I just like to live life and my goal is to try and live it to the fullest!
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Thursday, June 17, 2010
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Currency for iPhone review: Convert between currencies on the go
Currency is a super simple, yet beautiful, currency converter for the iPhone. It features a clean design and historical charts. If you're an avid traveler or have financial interest in other currencies, Currency may be an excellent app to add to your collection.
When I say Currency is simple, I mean it. The main screen is a list of all the currencies you're interested with the primary currency at the top. So if you have 400 USD set for the main currency, the equivalent amounts for the other selected countries will be displayed below. Swiping the main amount to the right will reset the amount back to zero; sliding to the left will go back to your previous amount.
When you tap on the main amount, the keyboard will slide up from the bottom of the screen, or you can manually slide it up yourself. Swiping the keyboard to the left will review the historical data over the past six months for your #2 currency. Ordering your currencies how you want is a bit of chore, however, because they appear in the order tapped. So you if you want USD followed by CAD, then you need to tap CAD to bring it to the top, followed by USD to push CAD down to the second spot.
The good
- Beautiful design
- 160+ currencies
- Offline Mode
- Always up to date
- Simple gesture interface
- Live historical charts
The bad
- No decimals
- Can't reorder currency list
- Not a fan of the fact that the keyboard is never completely hidden (top row is always visible)
The bottom line
Although it can benefit from a few more features, especially decimals and the ability to reorder the list, Currency is a beautiful currency converter and I appreciate its simplicity. There's a lot of potential in this little app.
- $1.99 - Download now


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Last week, I took a trip to Colombia, South America, with my son, J.P., a senior at the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia, S.C. In addition to being a great father-son trip that we will both long remember, a number of things happened along the way that reminded me of how the Internet and new technologies are changing the world -- and how we in South Carolina need to understand this new and changing world if we don't want to be left behind.
For too many of us, when we think about Colombia, we only think about cocaine traffickers and Juan Valdez and his coffee. While cocaine is still a problem, there is a lot we can learn from Juan. Consider the following:
Item one. As we stood in line to get our passports stamped after arriving in Cartagena, a young man turned to me and asked, "Are you Phil Noble with the South Carolina New Democrats?" Obviously stunned, I said I was and his reply was even more surprising. "I live in Bogota but my family is from Columbia, South Carolina, and we've always been interested in politics," he said. "I watched a debate online when you ran for Chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party and I subscribed to your email newsletter."
As we worked our way through the customs line, we talked a few minutes about South Carolina politics and it was obvious that he was better informed about current South Carolina developments than most people I meet on the streets of Charleston. As we reached the end of the line and separated to go our different ways, he casually said, "Keep up the good work and let me know if there is anything I can do to help." He made the comment as if he were living in Goose Creek or Rock Hill. I'm planning to call on him to help with a couple of things.
In the Digital Age, Tip O'Neil's famous maxim that "all politics is local" is truer than ever -- but with a twist. You can live in Colombia, South America, and be active in local politics in Columbia, South Carolina.
Item two. We had dinner one night in Bogota with a successful young lawyer that I had worked with on a project several years ago. We talked about U.S. and Colombian politics and business and out of the blue he asked me about Mark Sanford's congressional race. We both shook our heads at the outcome.
Then he said, "Not long after his Appalachian adventure with his Argentinian girlfriend, I was meeting with a Brazilian multinational company that was thinking about making a big investment somewhere in the U.S. and South Carolina was on their list of possible locations. When all that stuff happened, they started looking closely at your state. After they made several jokes about your politicians acting like a banana republic, they told me they struck you off the list."
In the Digital Age everyone knows everything, but we'll never know how much Sanford and other Palmetto Sate politicians have damaged -- and are today damaging -- our state's global image with their stupid and foolish behavior.
Item three. My lawyer friend had been a deputy minister in the last national government of Colombia and had negotiated his country's free trade agreement with Switzerland. We talked about how the basic industries of a country or state can change so dramatically and quickly these days. Then he dropped this bomb shell: "Today, Switzerland exports more coffee than Colombia." How is this possible I asked?
He told me of how a company in Switzerland had developed the new coffee machines that use the little single serving containers to brew individual cups of coffee with all sorts of specialty coffees and flavors. "Today, they import huge quantities of coffee from around the world, process it into those little white cups and then export them worldwide. They export more coffee than we do."
He continued, "We spent a fortune creating the Juan Valdez brand globally but they developed a new brewing machine and technology and devastated our traditional coffee economy." And his next comment was just as true for South Carolina as for Colombia. "A new business model can trump a whole country's traditional economy."
Item four. Another person we met in Bogota was the editor of the city's only English-language newspaper. And before I could say, "Son, what happened to law school?" he and J.P. had cooked up a plan whereby my son, in his final semester at USC, would write some articles, become proficient with the software that drives the newspaper's website, and then possibly work himself into a part-time job with the paper in Bogota after graduation.
In the Digital Age, anyone can work from anywhere. You can live in Columbia, South Carolina, and have a virtual internship with a newspaper in Colombia, South America.
As Thomas L. Friedman, the Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for the New York Times, wrote in his bestselling book on this phenomenon, The World is Flat, "[W]hat the flattening of the world means is that we are now connecting all the knowledge centers on the planet together into a single global network, … which could usher in an amazing era of prosperity and innovation…. [T]he great challenge for our time will be to absorb these changes in ways that do not overwhelm people but also do not leave them behind. None of this will be easy. But that is our task."
Friedman's right, of course. Getting ready for this new world won't be easy, particularly here in South Carolina, where political dysfunction and a weak public education system have long put our children at risk of being overwhelmed and left behind. But if we can just find a way to get our leaders in Columbia to start thinking a little more like Flat Worlders and a little less like Flat Earthers, the "amazing era of prosperity and innovation" that Friedman describes could also be an amazing era of opportunity and success for the people of South Carolina.
(Phil Noble is a businessman in Charleston and president of the SC New Democrats, an independent reform group founded by former Gov. Richard Riley. His column is provided by the S.C. News Exchange.)


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Preventative Medicine or Emergency Surgery? Healthcare and the Cloud
While Cloud Computing is getting the majority of the headlines within the IT industry, it could easily be argued that no industry is going through as much change as Healthcare. Whether it's Healthcare reform in the United States, the rollout of Telemedicine solutions (by corporations and municipalities), or online collaboration to educate and discuss outbreaks and crisis, the business of keeping people well is going through radical change. Not only are the economics of Healthcare being forced to change, but so to is the technology that allows doctors to deliver care, medical records to be stored and researchers to find the next cure.
This past week I had the opportunity to present at the NCHICA "Health Information in the Cloud" along with experts from industry, technology, law and standards-bodies. The conference focused on many aspects of Healthcare + Cloud, including HIPPA standards, Legal and Compliance considerations, Security, Deployments in Public vs. Private Clouds, offerings from Managed Service Providers and real-world case studies (presentations can be found here and here). The presentation we gave focused on the infrastructure required to build Private Cloud.
Throughout the day, several themes continued to be enforced by both the speakers and customers in attendance.
- Most attendees (hospitals, healthcare systems, billing & patient record providers, etc.) felt that they initial involvement with Cloud would be focused on Private Cloud deployments. The uncertainty around Security, Auditing and Compliance was still too new to most.
- Cost containment or getting to a model of fixed/known costs was a higher priority than a focus on IT driving new innovation.
- Building an infrastructure architecture that could be adapted to new regulations, technologies or deployment models was very important. Trading costs for flexibility was a high priority.
- There was very strong interest in exploring the evolving standards around Cloud Computing interoperability, especially as it related to compliance and auditing. Cisco's Becky Swain and Chris Hoff, along with many others, are deeply engaged in driving the vision and execution of these standards and recommendations. These include Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM), Consensus Assessment Initiative (CAI) and CloudAudit
- Understanding how they could continue to adapt to the emerging consumerization of their doctors, patients, devices and applications. Handheld and mobile devices, and their integration into various applications, is another top priority.
Of particular interest to me were several presentations:
- Marlin Pohlman, Cloud Security Alliance & EMC – discussing Cloud Security, Compliance and Auditing
- John Paul, Siemens Medical Systems – discussing their deployment of Private Cloud for IaaS (inbound) and SaaS (outbound)
- Dave Brown & Clyde Hewitt, Accuvant – discussing Data Protection, Monitoring, Loss Prevention & Privacy
As a leave-behind, we create a high-level decision tree to help the attendees look at where their infrastructure and operations were today and how they could begin evolving those in preparation for deploying Private Cloud services to their patients, partners and business users.
- Please visit Cisco's Cloud Homepage.
- Please visit Cisco's Healthcare Solutions Homepage
- Healthcare Provider saved $1million on Data Center
- Healthcare Provider increases Business Agility with Cisco UCS
- CoreCare National keeps its business Healthy with VCE Vblock
- Radiology Services Provider creates Highly Available Environment
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
2 Comments
Brian Gracely
Very good point about the proliferation of automated and unmanned systems and devices in healthcare. We hear this all the time from our customers. For some reason it wasn't discussed at this event, so it had slipped my mind.
Nice blog post Brian. Don't forget to include robotics and its impact in healthcare – DaVinci, McSleepy, robotic surgery nurses, robotic pharmacy, etc.
It's the dawn of a new world.


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Chaos Atlantis →
"Chaos Atlantis is a realtime sonification engine, a program that converts data into sound. It is currently using data generated by NOAA buoy 41047 located in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda. This buoy measures several variables including water temperature, air temperature, wave height, wind speed, and much more."
Chaos Atlantis excerpt on Soundcloud


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Gilad Atzmon: Supremacism Revisited
A few days ago I compared two critiques of my new book 'The Wandering Who". One was by rabid Zionist Mark Gardner and the other by American academic Kevin MacDonald. I called my piece 'Supremacists on The Wandering Who'.
In my article I labeled Gardner as a 'Jewish Supremacist' and MacDonald as a 'White Supremacist'. However, since the publication of my column it has been pointed out by a few readers that I may have been insufficiently careful in the way I attributed supremacism to Kevin MacDonald.
The definition of supremacism is actually pretty straightforward. It is the belief that a particular race, species, ethnic group, religion, gender, sexual orientation, belief system or culture is superior to others, and thus entitles those who identify with it to dominate, control or rule those who do not.
What is clear beyond any doubt is that such a definition fits Zionist ideology, discourse or practice like a glove. Zionism is driven by the belief that Jewish people are entitled to dominate, control and rule their supposed 'promised land' at the expense of its indigenous population i.e. the Palestinians. But is this only true of Zionism? Is not any Jewish 'progressive' discourse, driven by tribal and racial inclinations towards segregation and determined to enforce on others how their struggle must be conducted, is not this also fundamentally supremacist?
My point is actually very simple and, also it seems, devastating. I believe that every single Jewish political discourse is chauvinist to the bone and is either already supremacist or on the verge of becoming supremacist.
But what about Kevin MacDonald? Is he a White Supremacist? Well, now I'm not so sure. He's certainly concerned with his white heritage and, like many Jews, he is also concerned with his genetic pool. MacDonald's world view is clearly shaped by biological determinism and this is something I am very uncomfortable with. Yet, does he insist upon privilege? Does he seek to 'dominate', 'control' or 'rule' other non-white people? I'm not so sure, but I'm certainly going to look into it and it may take some time. But I will come with an answer.
I also asked myself, why did I label MacDonald as a White Supremacist without really elaborating on the topic or explaining myself? My answer is slightly embarrassing. For quite a while, I've seen the 'White Supremacist' tag attached to MacDonald and to so many other people, and at some point I must have let my guard down and allowed this highly charged terminology to infiltrate my vocabulary. I didn't even notice the glaring fact that those who have bombarded us with this inflammatory label are themselves the ultimate supremacists - ADL, Zionists and even some Jewish 'anti' Zionists.
It's now clear to me why Jewish ethnic leaders toss around the 'White Supremacist' label. It is there to divert attention from the true depth of their own Jewish Supremacism, an ideological tendency deeply embedded in every form of Jewish identity politics. For every Jewish political collective is a 'Jews only' exclusive club concerned primarily with Jewish particular interests.
It is more than likely that what we have here is a clear case of projection.
Projection is basically a psychological defense mechanism whereby one 'projects' one's own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, and feelings onto someone else. It seems likely that many amongst those who attribute supremacism to others are themselves supremacists. I will obviously have to look into my own psyche and find out why, on this occasion, I tossed around the supremacist tag. I guess that my escape from Jewishness is not yet complete and from time to time I follow my tribal instinct. In retrospect, this is, indeed, a matter for regret.
I ended my piece last week by quoting some beautiful lines by Indian Guru Satya Sai Baba suggesting that they depict fairly my thoughts about race, ethnicity and origin:
"There is only one RACE
The race of humankind
There is only one religion
The religion of LOVE
There is only ONE language
the language of the HEART"
(Sri Satya Sai Baba)
May I now add just a few words of my own? Though I agree with Sai Baba that there is only one race, the race of humankind, I also contend that we are also very different from each other, and that this differentiation is actually precious and it is this diversity that makes life meaningful.
I would love to see all people maintain their culture and heritage but certainly not at the expense of others. Let me be precise. As far as I am concerned, it is totally kosher for an orthodox Jew to celebrate his or her heritage in his or her environment. However, a 'progressive' Jew opposing the burka in the name of 'women rights' may as well be regarded as 'kosher' by some but as far as I am concerned, it is also nothing less than sheer supremacism.
You can now order the book on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk


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Causes of High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the measure of the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood into the arteries (blood vessels), which carry the blood throughout the body. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood out to the body and contributes to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, to stroke, kidney disease, and to the development of heart failure.
What Is "Normal" Blood Pressure?
A blood pressure reading has a top number (systolic) and bottom number (diastolic). The ranges are:
- Normal: Less than 120 over 80 (120/80)
- Prehypertension: 120-139 over 80-89
- Stage 1 high blood pressure: 140-159 over 90-99
- Stage 2 high blood pressure: 160 and above over 100 and above
- High blood pressure in people over age 60: 150 and above over 90 and above
People whose blood pressure is above the normal range should consult their doctor about steps to take to lower it.
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
The exact causes of high blood pressure are not known, but several factors and conditions may play a role in its development, including:
- Smoking
- Being overweight or obese
- Lack of physical activity
- Too much salt in the diet
- Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day)
- Stress
- Older age
- Genetics
- Family history of high blood pressure
- Chronic kidney disease
- Adrenal and thyroid disorders
- Sleep apnea
Essential Hypertension
In as many as 95% of reported high blood pressure cases in the U.S., the underlying cause cannot be determined. This type of high blood pressure is called "essential hypertension".
Though essential hypertension remains somewhat mysterious, it has been linked to certain risk factors. High blood pressure tends to run in families and is more likely to affect men than women. Age and race also play a role. In the United States, blacks are twice as likely as whites to have high blood pressure, although the gap begins to narrow around age 44. After age 65, black women have the highest incidence of high blood pressure.


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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and James River Association (JRA) will co-host this forum with candidates for Virginia's next governor. Mr. Ed Gillespie and Lt. Governor Ralph Northam will share their thoughts on issues impacting the James River and the Chesapeake Bay. After a question and answer session moderated by Dr. Quentin Kidd of the Wason Center for Public Policy, we'll host a light reception, giving you an opportunity to mingle with other citizens interested in clean water as well as with CBF and JRA staff.
Commitment from legislators and Virginia's next governor will be vital to making a restored Bay a reality. With the right policies and continued investment, together we can reduce pollution, restore oysters and other iconic fisheries, and strengthen local communities.
Register today to learn more about the candidates' perspectives on important water quality issues, such as reducing polluted runoff from agricultural and urban/suburban lands, and how they will address water quality challenges during their administration. By attending, you'll show the candidates the deep and abiding love Virginians have for our waterways.
(A paid parking deck is available directly behind the venue (7th and Marshall Streets). Metered street parking is also available.)