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Friday, August 5, 2011
Friday TV Comments From Pocono
The TV coverage from Pocono begins on Friday at noon ET with SPEED watching the Sprint Cup Series teams practice. An earlier 10AM practice for the Camping World Trucks will air on a delay at 2PM ET.
Rick Allen will be leading the SPEED TV team up in the booth while John Roberts anchors ground-level. Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds will be handling the Cup coverage while Phil Parsons and Micheal Waltrip cover the trucks.
There is a lot going on in the sport right now. Carl Edwards re-signed with Roush on Thursday so reporters will be watching to see what domino is next to fall in the driver silly season. Brad Keselowski is nursing two banged-up feet after a testing crash at Road Atlanta. Expect updates on whether he can go in the race or not.
Nashville Superspeedway bowed out this week of hosting any NASCAR races in 2012, so that leaves a couple of Nationwide Series dates up in the air. Fan suggestions have ranged from Rockingham to Lucas Oil Raceway in Indy, so it will be interesting to see if NASCAR addresses that situation.
Speaking of the Nationwide Series, ESPN is just televising the race from Iowa on Saturday, no practice or qualifying. Marty Reid will call the action but joining him in the booth is a very interesting combination. Ricky Craven and Kenny Schrader will be the analysts. ESPN may very well be using this telecast to audition Schrader for more spins in the TV booth.
In the meantime, Craven has come of age and is just waiting for more opportunities to move into higher-profile NASCAR programming on ESPN. It would be wonderful since ESPN split Marty Reid off onto the Nationwide Series if the network provided him Craven and Schrader as analysts down the stretch.
Over the past four seasons, one of ESPN's biggest issues has been using Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree endlessly as analysts on practice, qualifying and races in both the NNS and Cup Series. Its time to let the NNS series have it's own personalities in the TV booth.
As we go through Friday from Pocono, this post will serve to host your TV-related comments. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. Thanks for stopping by, hope the weather stays nice and Friday at Pocono is good TV.
23 comments:
- Sam said...
Looking forward to Kenny in the booth Saturday night. Should be fun.
- August 4, 2011 at 9:50 PM
- sbaker17 said...
With no R. Wallace in the booth, I'll watch this one.
- August 4, 2011 at 10:17 PM
- Anonymous said...
A.B.,Kenny,and Ricky for all the cup races would perfect for me.
- August 5, 2011 at 12:16 AM
- Anonymous said...
I hope somebody at espn finally saw the light and has permanently removed RW from the booth dued to ethical, integrity, and conflict of interest reasons. What happened last week should have finally opened somebody's eyes! MC
- August 5, 2011 at 5:29 AM
- Anonymous said...
YAY Schrader <3
Happy Friday Planeteers <3
- August 5, 2011 at 5:54 AM
- James said...
I welcome the addition of Ricky and Kenny to the NNW series, I agree that NNW NEEDS it own identity! I just hope Marty can keep up. Anytime we UN wallace and UN waltrip the telecast its a better more credible show. I am really surprised that ESPN is making changes that are positive.
- August 5, 2011 at 8:10 AM
- Charles Krall said...
I think Craven has done a superb job in the booth so far. I was disappointed last week in his analysis of the Steven Wallace crash since it seems Rusty's presence in the booth is so oppressive they can't really say what's going on. I don't think that will happen with Schrader in the booth.
- August 5, 2011 at 8:11 AM
- Marsha said...
Was Rusty scheduled to be off this weekend?
- August 5, 2011 at 9:27 AM
- GinaV24 said...
yay, schrader in the booth! Hopefully I'll be home, summertime means lots of things going on for me on Saturday.
- August 5, 2011 at 10:00 AM
- w17scott said...
Kenny Shrader and Craven should be an excellent pairing ...leaves Marty to call the race, for which he is capable and qualified ...now if production values (i.e. - finish line coverage) continue to improve, this should be an interesting and entertaining race to watch
- August 5, 2011 at 10:11 AM
- Smiff_99 said...
This is AWESOME! Schrader in the booth? HECK YEAH!
- August 5, 2011 at 10:19 AM
- Anonymous said...
I LOVE Schrader's commentary during races. It's informative and entertaining without being over the top. ESPN needs to hire him full-time.
Mary in Richmond
- August 5, 2011 at 10:44 AM
- 52 yr. fan said...
Schrader will be a welcome addition! Maybe ESPN could swap
"Hot Rod" Wallace for Tim Brewer.
After hearing Brewer's colorful
observation of Childress vs
Busch, I think he could add some
real un-PC commentary to the action. After all, no one pays
any attention to the spring rubber
& brake bias redundantcy.
- August 5, 2011 at 10:59 AM
- Anonymous said...
love that kenny will be in the booth not to happy to hear about craven, he seems to smug to me. but is still better than wallace
- August 5, 2011 at 11:16 AM
- Roland said...
Kyle Petty is bringing the heat today in practice. Excellent commentary by KP
- August 5, 2011 at 1:01 PM
- Dmo said...
Anybody else hear Kyle Petty tee-off on Danica's impending move to full-time Nationwide and part-time Cup?
- August 5, 2011 at 2:05 PM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
He has been fired up on all kinds of topics today.
- August 5, 2011 at 2:12 PM
- Dmo said...
That was about as close to controversy as NASCAR media gets. Thumbs-up on willingness to stir-the-pot (the content of comments is fodder for a whole other discussion).
- August 5, 2011 at 2:22 PM
- Dennis said...
@DMO. Yeah, I heard Kyle's take on Danica. I agree that she shouldn't be looking at any Cup events next year. She doesn't have the experience yet. Though, I'm impressed how much she's learned in a part time schedule.
I thought it got a bit awkward when Juan Pablo was brought up for a comparison. Funnier still when Kyle said he really didn't know what Danica had done in open wheel since he didn't watch it.
Glad to have Kenny in the booth. First Allen Bestwick and now Kenny. Christmas has come early! :-)
- August 5, 2011 at 2:52 PM
- Lisa Hogan said...
Just my opinion:
Great news about Kenny in the booth for the Nationwide race. I always enjoy him.
Not a fan of Rick Allen. He does o.k. during a Truck series race; but, I do not enjoy him in the booth during any series practice and qualifying.
Enjoying Kyle and Larry Mac today.
- August 5, 2011 at 3:27 PM
- adamtw1010 said...
I don't think Marsha's question got answered. Marsha-Rusty Wallace is a minority owner of the Iowa Speedway, so he has other responsibilities this weekend. I live 30 minutes from the track and have seen my share of Rusty Wallace on the local news.
- August 5, 2011 at 9:35 PM
- Anonymous said...
Funny - Kyle P had massive amounts of experience when he started racing.....he was sort of the male version of DP...
- August 6, 2011 at 1:12 PM
- Anonymous said...
My third time to try and get my comments posted. Of course, I am NOT a Carl Edwards fan. How can ESPN hire him to be a commentater when he has had run ins with so many other drivers?? Oh, yes, that is Harvick driving,I remember the time I went into his garage and put a choke hold on him; and Junior?? I did not like him doing a victory lap so I went back on the track and hit his car. Oh, forget about what I did to Brad, nobody cares that I flipped him. I am Carl, just got a new talking gig, forget about all that other stuff.
- August 6, 2011 at 8:03 PM


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The Latin American Photobook
Availability: In stock
The Latin American Photobook is the culmination of a four-year, cross-continental research effort led by Horacio Fernández, author of the seminal volume Fotografia Pública. Compiled with the input of a committee of researchers, scholars, and photographers, including Marcelo Brodsky, Iatã Cannabrava, Pablo Ortiz Monasterio, and Martin Parr, the volume presents 150 books from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela.
Providing revelatory perspectives on the under-charted history of Latin American photography from the 1920s to today, the book features work by Claudia Andujar, Barbara Brändli, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Horacio Coppola, Paz Errázuriz, Graciela Iturbide, Sara Facio, Paolo Gasparini, Daniel González, Boris Kossoy, Sergio Larrain, and many others. Divided into thematic sections such as The City, Conceptual Art and Photography, and Photography and Literature, a category uniquely important to Latin America, this book is an unparalleled resource for those interested in discovering heretofore unknown gems in the history of the photobook.
Horacio Fernández (editor) is a photo-historian, curator, and author of numerous catalogs and books, including Fotografía Pública: Photography in Print 1919–1939 (1999). He has been a senior lecturer at the Facultad de Bellas Artes de Cuenca, Spain, since 1988. Between 2004 and 2006, he was general curator of PhotoEspaña, the international festival that takes place in Madrid every year.

subset: commoncrawl


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Starbucks is unveiling its holiday coffee cups for this year and appears to be bringing back snowflakes, candy canes and other holiday symbols, after last year's more subdued red cups caused an uproar from critics who said the chain was part of a so-called war on Christmas.
On Nov. 10, the coffee chain will use 13 different designs created by customers on their red cups. In a prepared statement, the company noted that the designs were chosen from 1,200 submissions they received from around the world.
"We were surprised and inspired by the amount of incredible art submitted by our customers. The designs were beautiful, expressive and engaging," said Dena Blevins, creative director, Starbucks Global Creative Studio. "We quickly realized there was potential to use the customer-created art for our holiday cups."
U.S. & World
The chain is marking the launch with a buy-one-get-one-free deal on holiday beverages from 2-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday at certain locations.
"We hope that this year's red holiday cup designs express the shared spirit of the holidays as told by our customers," Sharon Rothstein, Starbucks' global chief marketing officer, said in the same prepared statement.
It has released holiday cups every year since 1997. The outcry over 2015's plainer red cup grew after now President-elect Donald Trump suggested boycotting the chain.
Last week, the Seattle-based company unveiled a new green cup ahead of Election Day that it said was "a symbol of unity." Three days later, Starbucks released a 30-second online video that said its holiday cups were returning Nov. 10.


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The nice thing about the upcoming Ikea TV, other than being smart and cheap, is that it blends the television into your furniture to completely banish unsightly cables from your living room. Here's how it would look like in a "real life" setting.
That "real life" setting is of course, a mock Ikea store but in the video, you get to see the Ikea TV and all its different versions be customized to the room. Ikea shows off the UPPLEVA TV's sliding remote, the integration of Blu-ray players and set top boxes within the furniture, how the cables can be cleverly hidden from view and how people react to the big box. It's the cleanest TV solution for a very affordable price (around $950). [YouTube via GigaOM]


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Area - over 4,000 square kilometres
Approx. distance from Kampala: 300 Km estimated transit time: 4 1/2 - 5 Hrs
The largest park in Uganda, renowned for its scenic beauty and the spectacular Falls from which it gets its name.No visit to Murchison Falls would be complete without a visit to the magnificent falls. They can be viewed from the top where the Nile River narrows from 50 meters to crash through a 7-meter gorge, falling 45 meters to the rocks below. Avid birdwatcher will want to seek out some of the 424 species identified in the park. Fishermen can test their skills above and below the Falls, waiting patiently for 20-70 kg. Nile perch. Other game fish found in the Nile include Barbel, Electric Catfish and Tiger fish.While on the game drives, Cape buffalo, Rothschild's giraffe, Uganda kob, hartebeest and waterbuck are commonly seen. You may also spot oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, shy sitatunga, bush duiker, warthog and bushpig. Large carnivores include lion, leopard and spotted hyena.
Chimpanzees and olive baboons head the list of six species of primates found in the park. Crocodile and hippo will be seen along the banks of the Nile. Some of the more common birds that can be seen include goliath heron, Egyptian geese, pelican, bee-eaters, kingfishers, hornbill, cormorant, saddle-bill stork and the rare shoebill stork. A boat cruise to the delta is a highlight for the avid birdwatcher.
It lies along Mbarara Road within easy access of Kampala. It is ideal for a transit stop to/from the gorilla sanctuaries or Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is an attractive park of rolling hills and open grassy valleys, interspersed with thickets, woodlands and rich wetlands. Find here herds of zebra, Cape buffalo and eland. Oribi and Topi are easily approached. Along with a game drive, many visitors enjoy a boat trip on Lake Mburo. Birdwatchers, will enjoy the more than 250 species of birds found in Lake Mburo including Papyrus Gonolek, Brown faced Lapwing. Carruther's Cisticola, the extraordinary White winged Warbler and Bare-Faced-Go- Away bird.
Area – 34 square kilometres
Approx. distance from Kampala: 510 km estimated transit Time: 8-10 Hrs
It is the Ugandan part of the Virunga Conservation Area, where half of the world's mountain gorillas make their home, this park shares boundaries with Rwanda and Congo/Zaire. The park is comprised of parts of three extinct volcanic mountains, Mt. Muhavura (4127 m), Mt. Gahinga (3475 m) and Mt. Sabyinyo (3645 m). The vegetation of Mgahinga is typically afro-montane, with a forest belt, a bamboo zone, an ericacious belt and an alpine zone. The park supports a variety of animal species including gorilla, rare golden monkey, buffalo, elephant, leopard and several cat. There are also over 180 species of bird found in the region. Among these are the handsome fancolin, the Rwenzori touraco and the side-breasted tit.About 45 mountain gorillas use the Mgahinga sector of the Virunga Conservation Area seasonally.
Gorilla trekking is available here when the gorillas are in the park. They are usually resident in the months of April, May and June and October, November and December. Mgahinga also offers a number of other exciting half-day hikes and the challenge of a full-day climb to the summit of Mt. Muhavura or Mt. Gahinga, or the breathtaking Sabyinyo Gorge.
Area –330 square kilometres
Approx. distance from Kampala: 550 Km estimated transit Time: 8-10 Hrs
It is one of the largest natural forests in East Africa, supporting a large number of plants and animals not found elsewhere. About half the world's population of 600 mountain gorillas reside in Bwindi. The vegetation, as the park's name implies, is composed of tropical rainforest with dense undergrowth. This rugged terrain makes hiking in search of gorilla strenuous work. Visitors who trek should be prepared for up to 8 hours of hiking. Good physical condition is required. A maximum of only 6 permits per day are available for advance booking, so confirmation 4-12 months in advance is required to avoid disappointment. Along with the gorillas, there are nine other species of primates including chimpanzee, blue monkey, redtail monkey, L'hoest's monkey, black and white colobus, potto, Demidoff's and needle-clawed galago.
Three hundred forty-seven species of birds have been recorded in Bwindi; seven species are listed as endangered. Species of particular interest include the Kivu ground thrush, white-bellied robin chat, red-throated alethe, collared apallis, short-tailed warbler, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, Rwenzori batis, blue-headed sunbird, strange weaver and the Shelley's crimsonwing. Over 200 species of butterflies have also been recorded here.
Area – 2000 Square kilometres
Approx.distance from Kampala: 440 km estimated transit time: 6 hrs
As one of the outstanding treasures of Uganda, QENP has recently been designated a Biosphere Reserve for Humanity under UNESCO. It is the home of the famous tree-climbing lions, the Uganda kob and other antelope as well as elephant, buffalo, hippos, baboons and chimpanzee. Over 500 species of birds have been recorded here making it a prime target for birdwatchers. Species recorded include the shoebill stork, black bee-eater, 11 types of kingfishers and a variety of raptors including several falcons and eagles. In the crater lakes, spectacular flocks of flamingos gather, creating the image of a moving pink carpet.
The launch trip along the Kazinga Channel between Lakes George and Edward is a memorable way to view the abundant game in Queen Elizabeth. North of the main gate is the crater area, one of the most scenic parts of the park. To the East, in Kyambura Gorge, visitors can climb through tropical forest and catch a glimpse of a variety of primates, including chimpanzee. In the more isolated Ishasha sector of the park, search the woodlands for the tree-climbing lions perching on the boughs of ancient fig trees. To the southeast, travelers can explore newly opened trails in Maramagambo forest.
Area - 766 square kilometres
Approx. distance from Kampala: 360 kms / 550 kms estimated transit time: 5 hrs / 7 hrs
It contiguous with the northern end of Queen Elizabeth National Park, but Kibale is much wetter with a unique moist forest habitat and an extremely high diversity of animals and plants.This mature tropical rainforest supports the highest number of primate species in Uganda, and one of the highest primate densities in the world. There are 12 species of primates located here: red colobus monkey, black-and-white colobus monkey, redtail monkey, L'hoest's monkey, blue monkey, mangabey, olive baboons and several communities of chimpanzee. About 400 species of birds have been reported in Kibale. A number of these species are found only in this park. In addition, over 150 species of butterflies and a large number of moths can be discovered here.


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Why drink more beer? It's good for you!
Well, just consider that when we touch the cold bottle from the fridge or over the bar counter, we listen to the carbon dioxide that is released while the beer's foam develops, we see the amber color of the beer poured into our glass, we smell the aromatic substances that come from the snatch block and of course we taste the distinct bitter beer taste that is associated with the contained acids and wooden taste of tannins.
Enjoying a beer on a hot day watching our favorite sports games and cooking barbeque is one of the traditions beer has become famous worldwide for.
Feeling blue ? Johnny Walker Blue Label that is…
{xtypo_dropcap}A{/xtypo_dropcap}nd for smoothness, few can beat Johnnie Walker Blue Label, an inspired blend of the world's rarest and most expensive whiskies, which have been chosen at the peak of their perfection, some having been aged in oak for at least 50 years!
A few of the distilleries that produced these casks are no longer in existence, making these whiskies totally irreplaceable and totally unique from bottle to bottle.
So next time you find yourself at Changi Airport's new Terminal 3, keep your eyes open for the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Handcrafted Lacquer Presentation Case.


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System Requirements
Online Training
Online training works best in a Windows environment.
- Instructor-led online training works best in a Windows environment.
- Internet: High-speed Internet (DSL, cable, LAN) connection
- Phone: Landline and computer audio calls are supported for the voice portion of the training. Use of a headset with microphone or speaker is recommended.
- Sound: Windows supported stereo sound card with speakers
- Virtual Lab: Browser and Java or Active X (to access software for the duration of the course)
- Monitor: A dual monitor set-up is highly recommended for ease of following class instruction, use of the software, and accessibility of ematerials
Training at Your Facility
Because our courses make extensive use of hands-on examples, PCs or workstations are required. The operating system should be consistent throughout the facility, and be supported by the latest version of MATLAB. Before the first day of the course, please install the trial software provided to you for the course. Each computer should have a CD drive, USB port, or be networked for installation. An electrical outlet should be available for the instructor.
If you have questions or concerns about these requirements, please note them when requesting training. MathWorks will work with you to accommodate your needs without affecting the quality of the course.
General Requirements
The following equipment should be available for attendees:
- PCs or workstations
- Consistent operating system that supports the latest version of MATLAB
- DVD drive or USB port
- Trial MathWorks software provided for the course installed
The following equipment should be available for the instructor:
- Electrical outlet
- A computer projector with a minimum resolution of 1024 x 768 and lumens of 2000 or greater (If a projector is not available, MathWorks can supply one at no additional cost.)
Some features require the use of a C compiler. See the list of supported compilers.
Request Training
Expert Instructors can tailor onsite training sessions to meet your organizational needs.


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Runic Dictionary
Dictionary headwords relevant to the editions
This material is incomplete and is for reference only: it has not been checked and quality-controlled and should not be cited. References are to the new edition and may not correspond to the text of Skj.
Use the form to search for lemmata; you can use the wildcards characters underscore _ and percent % to search, respectively, for a single letter or any sequence; otherwise, browse words in the edition by first letter below
af (prep.)
forms: af, Af nom m sg, a-, afu, aꝼ, ad, ạf, af, af, f, aꝩ, af,
indexed kennings:
|© 2008-


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Life And Teachings Of Shri Chitrabhanuji
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Pujyashree Chitrabhanuji
Born on July 26, 1922 in a small town of Rajasthan, India, Gurudev spent the first five years of his monastic life in silence and meditation (when he was 20 years old). With this experience, he realized that the ultimate purpose of all life is to expand one 's awareness and to liberate the consciousness from attachment and aversion. This enlightened spirit brought wisdom, and with lucid language and eloquent speech, he made a home within the hearts of millions all over India.
For five years he was moving in the woods, mountains and villages observing silence, fasting and meditation under the inspiring guidance of a Jain Acharya. After self-realization, he has been sharing his experiences to make people aware of their divine potentiality and their inherent freedom of choices, to make it or mar it. This teaching of compassionate living and of self-realization opened the door to the East and West: He was invited to address the Second Summit Conference in Geneva in 1970 and then the Third Spiritual Summit Conference, arranged by the Temple of Understanding series, at Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts,in October 11-12, 1971, where his message was so inspiring The Boston Globe in its write-up titled Jain Sect "A Saint" . . . said he was the hit speaker of the day . . . explaining basic tenets of his sects belief . . . and he does not try to convert anyone.
JAIN MASTER Gurudevji Chitrabhanuji was once asked, "What would you want if you could be granted one and only one wish?" "Right Vision" was his response."
He continued, "This universe in which we find ourselves is a vast home with more planets in our galaxy than there are people on earth. Of what significance can this small span of eighty, ninety or even one hundred years be in the midst of this vastness?" These were the questions coming to a young awakened mind whose purpose was to find some meaning to life. The quest for the answers inspired him to leave home to become a Jain monk.
In the same period, the successful nonviolent struggle for India's independence, led by Mahatma Gandhi, awakened worldwide awareness of the power of Ahimsa – Nonviolence - and left them wondering how to address the challenges of those times. It was a time when the West was still healing from wounds left by Hiroshima, the Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King assassinations, struggling with involvement in the subjugation of Vietnam, and in the terrorization in Cuba, the Mid-East and Iran. It was in these trying times that Gurudev Chitrabhanuji envisioned the role of Ahimsa in the world and accepted an invitation of the Second Spiritual Summit Conference in Geneva in 1970, becoming the first Jain master to come to the West.
Thereafter he addressed other leading institutions of learning, such as Princeton, Sarah Lawrence, Yale, Cornell and State University of New York. He is the founder and advisor to the Jain Meditation International Center in New York City, a spiritual guide of 67 Jain Centers in North America under JAINA, and of other centers in England, Africa, Japan (Kobe), Singapore, Dubai and India. He is a world-renowned author of over twenty-five books which reflect his philosophy of world peace and nonviolence, emphasizing the need to appreciate the sanctity of ALL life and to build solidarity in the larger family of mankind.
Today's Quote
This is the beginning of a new day. My good fortune has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its path something that I have traded.
I want that to be gain, not loss; good, not evil; success, not failure; so that I shall not regret the price I have paid for it.
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Shri Chitrabhanuji


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More than 106 stretches of road to be analyzed for improved signs
The long and winding road can be quite dangerous.
The Stark County Engineer's office plans to study 106 curvy roads throughout the county this winter to determine if improved, new or added warning signs would help keep motorists safer.
"Part of it will be to upgrade the signage to the new retroreflectivity standards," said Brian Cole, traffic and highway engineer.
During the study, engineers will drive each of the curves with a "ball bank" or slope meter inside their vehicle. The device helps determine an appropriate and safe traffic speed for a specific curve.
"A lot of the 45 or 55 miles per hour roads out there, you can only go 35 on the curve," Cole said.
The county received a $45,000 grant from the County Engineers Association of Ohio to pay for sign materials — the project is to be complete by Oct. 1. On Wednesday, the Stark County commissioners approved an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation to move the project forward.
The Engineers Association collected vehicle accident data on curved roads in all 88 Ohio counties from 2008 through 2012.
The curved road with the most accidents within Stark is the section of Dressler Road NW, south of Belden Village Street in Jackson Township. The Association noted 17 crashes in that area.
"It will be included, but that's probably not a good example," Cole said. "That's a heavily congested area ... with a lot of turning in and out ... but this is geared more to the country roads."
One of those on the list of 106 curved stretches within Stark that fits that description is Paris Avenue NE, near Lisbon Street in Paris Township. Five crashes were recorded on that section.
"Those are the kinds of roads this is aimed at," Cole said.
The County Engineer maintains about 415 miles of roads in Stark.
Reach Tim at 330-580-8333 or
On Twitter: @tbotosREP


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Worley scores first goal of season for Panthers
PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The University of Massachusetts Boston scored four unanswered goals in the second period Friday night and the Beacons went on to a 4-1 victory over Plymouth State University in an ECAC Women's East conference ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink.
Senior Kristen Smith (Beavercreek, Ohio) led the Beacons with a goal and an assist, setting up the first goal and scoring the eventual game-winner. UMB scored all four goals in an 11-minute span, including one on the power play and one short-handed. The Beacons evened their overall record at 6-6 and upped their conference mark to 3-5.
Junior Tina Worley (Anchorage, Alaska) stopped the bleeding with her second goal of the season on a Panther power play, but that ended up as all of the scoring. PSU fell to 0-13-1 overall and 0-8-1 in the ECAC East.
UMass Boston had a 13-6 advantage in shots in the first period but had nothing to show for it as there was nothing but zeros on the scoresheet. Senior Lauren Duran (Woburn, Mass.) broke the deadlock on a rebound less than two minutes into the second period, capitalizing on a PSU penalty with a power play goal for UMB, her fifth of the season.
Smith tallied her sixth of the season at the 7:49 mark to put the visitors up 2-0, and senior Rachel Sousa (Woburn, Mass.) made it 3-0 with her seventh of the campaign at 9:23. Senior Katie Kirwan (Centerville, Mass.) scored a short-handed goal at 12:39 to make it a four-goal game.
Worley put the Panthers on the board at 13:29 of the middle frame, but neither team was able to score again over the final 26 minutes. UMB finished with a 41-16 margin in shots on goal.
Sophomore Jami Cudmore (Balgonie, Sask.) picked up her first victory in goal for the Beacons, making 15 saves, while PSU freshman Ali Ponte (Richmond Hill, Ont.) finished with 37 saves.
PSU will be back on the ice Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. face-off at Hanaway Rink against Saint Anselm College. UMass Boston moves on to play at the University of Southern Maine Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
-- 30 --


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The New Guard
Thayer's eight new tenure-track assistant professors will influence the next few generations of students. Here's a look at why these profs became engineers, the grand challenges they're trying to solve, and how they see their role as teachers.
By Elizabeth Kelsey
Photographs by John Sherman
Professor Margaret Ackerman
I was inspired to become an engineer because engineers do things that matter. The driving force behind engineering is applying knowledge. If you know the rules by which a system operates, you open the possibility of productively manipulating the system. You can take information and use it to have an impact on human life and health.
I'm working on applying protein engineering methods and tools to studying the immune system in order to make novel protein drugs and vaccines. Historically, we haven't gone about treating disease in the same way the body does naturally. We've been using small-molecule drugs, but the body primarily uses peptides, proteins, and cells to combat disease. Even after extensive research, some of the worst diseases — HIV, malaria, tuberculosis — have either no vaccines available or vaccines that are not effective enough. Now that we have the tools to manipulate proteins and cells in the same way we have manipulated small molecules in the past, there's a great opportunity to use this progress to fuel molecular engineering-based advances in therapeutics.
We need better models of the immune system. Immunology has been largely phenomenological rather than intuitive and predictable because we don't understand enough about the components and workings of the biological networks of the immune system. The simple assays that work for testing the responses of single cells can't be easily applied to the immune system, which is a complex network of hundreds of different cell types — often interacting with each other as well as pathogens. Unfortunately, even animal models don't provide the kind of information we really need because they have divergent immune systems. Biologists are making much more rapid advances in this area, including working toward "humanizing" the immune system of mice and more efficiently collecting information from individuals with natural exposure to disease. These advances will enable biologists to figure out what knobs we can turn in order to influence the immune response. Once we know what responses are protective, engineers can design therapies to trigger those responses.
I enjoy teaching engineering because it's an applied science. You teach rules that make the behavior of the world around you predictable, and allow students to use those rules to solve real problems.
Professor Mark Borsuk
I have always been a rather logical and quantitative person, and yet never really a "techie." Rather than inventing or building things, I was more interested in exploring the natural world and our relationship with it. For example, I wondered why some kids would prefer going to the mall rather than going on a hike, why some families traveled to Disney World for vacation and others to national parks, why the plot of land at the end of the street was now more valuable as a parking lot than as the forest and farmland it used to be. In college I learned that I could combine my analytic problem-solving skills with my interest in the natural environment by studying environmental engineering.
Reconciling society's development goals with the limitations of the Earth is a challenge that will never be fully resolved. I'm working to understand this challenge by studying the interacting roles of human values, knowledge, governance, and technology in our management of the environment, particularly with regard to climate change. I think that solutions to the complex environmental problems we face as a society will not come in the form of a centrally planned silver bullet, but rather will emerge from a messy collection of policies, incentives, and technologies implemented at multiple scales. We need models and decision-support tools that can help us understand, anticipate, and exploit such emergent behavior.
I enjoy teaching how to apply an engineering way of thinking to problems that may not obviously be engineering problems. This may mean applying systems analysis to healthcare delivery, risk assessment to product design and marketing, or agent-based modeling to climate policy. Students seem to appreciate this approach, especially at Thayer, where they have a multidisciplinary and "big picture" perspective.
Professor Solomon Diamond '97 Th'98
In my heart of hearts, I've been an engineer since I was born. There was no point when I decided that I wanted to be an engineer; it just was a process of discovering that engineering is who I am. When I was a really young boy, I considered myself an inventor and used to spend a lot of time tinkering, building, and inventing different toys and gadgets. There were strings running all over my room, where you could pull the string, turn the light on or off, or pull another string to open the door. I had my dresser hooked up with cables as well, and I made my own little dumbwaiter to go up and down the stairs.
I realized that engineering was a tool that could really do a lot of good in the world, and I decided to pursue biomedical engineering. It started with an interest in rehabilitation engineering and assistive devices and evolved into an interest in the brain and neuroscience.
The grand challenge that I'm working on is to develop better non-invasive technologies for imaging human brain function. I see neuroimaging advancing to the point where a number of key research areas start to deliver on their long-term promises, including neuro-diagnostics for Alzheimer's disease and using neuroimaging to effectively monitor recovery after stroke. Physical therapy is still more of an art than a science, and I think until we're able to see what's happening in the brain during the therapeutics, it's hard to know if what we're doing is truly optimal. I'd like to see neuroimaging cross that threshold where it becomes a driver of better diagnostics, better treatment, and better medicine.
There is this tangible excitement in the air that I feel when teaching. It invigorates me. I think it's a reciprocal experience between the students and me — a real synergistic energy. That's what I thrive on here at Thayer. There's a certain amount of rigor and content that must be communicated clearly and understood so that students are advancing knowledge rather than reinventing the wheel during their careers. But the part that's most fun for me is walking into the unknown with the students — we tackle design problems for which I don't know the answer, and we discover solutions together.
Professor Karl Griswold
My formal training is in chemistry and biochemistry. What inspired me to dive into engineering was seeing how powerful biomolecules are in their native environment and envisioning what might be accomplished if you could tap into that level of performance in solving practical real-world problems. We take proteins out of their natural context and use them to solve problems that may or may not relate to the tasks for which they originally evolved. The amazing functionality of biomolecules provides the capacity to revolutionize a huge variety of practical applications.
One of the things I love about biomolecular engineering is that it has the potential to impact virtually any field. My research group is currently focused on potential medical applications of proteins and how they can be used as therapeutic agents. For example, we're interested in the emergence and spread of drug resistance among bacterial pathogens. Drug resistance is a subject with which almost everyone is familiar. If you asked someone on the street, they've likely heard of antibiotic resistance and even the controversy about whether or not antibiotics should be put in hand soap (I think that's a bad idea). My lab is working to develop new antibacterial proteins with the ability to combat drug-resistant infections.
It would be wonderful if the field of protein engineering could generate solutions to the big medical issues that are facing the world. I hope that over the next 10 years protein engineering might develop cures for a broad spectrum of cancers, cures for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and even reagents that allow us to effectively treat drug-resistant bacterial infections while reducing the tendency for those bacteria to rapidly evolve resistance. But even with the amazing rate of innovation, progress is still slow. So what I expect to happen over the next 10 years is that protein therapeutics are going to make further inroads in areas such as cancer diagnostics and cancer therapy where they're already having an impact. Ultimately, engineered proteins will help reshape the treatment of many other diseases as well.
Academics and teachers have the capacity to exponentially amplify their ability to impact society by virtue of the fact that when you become a teacher, you're no longer a one-person team. For the vast majority of people, the greater impact of an individual's career in science, technology, and engineering may be less about what you yourself accomplish and more about what is accomplished by the people who study under you. I very much hope that my own research will someday make its way into the clinic and be used to treat patients. If my group doesn't generate a cure for cancer or a treatment for drug-resistant pathogens, however, my expectation is that someone I interact with at Thayer might continue on and do so as part of his or her own career.
Professor Jifeng Liu
I want to apply science to our everyday life, explore the world, and understand the rules of nature. Engineers experiment with these rules to benefit humankind. It's just like playing chess, but you don't know the rules at the beginning. Scientists try to find out the rules, but it's engineers who apply the rules and become good players for the benefit of everyone.
There are two aspects and goals in my research: One is to produce renewable energy, and the other is to try to reduce the energy consumption of information technology. We hope that with our research we can produce solar cells that are less expensive and more efficient so that they can be deployed widely in the world to offset the consumption of fossil fuels.
Few people realize how much energy is consumed in the information industry since the invention of computers and the Internet. The Internet is one of the fastest growing technologies in the information age. The data flow on the Internet is growing by 40 percent per year, which basically doubles every two years. I'm trying to apply photonic technology to information technology to reduce the overall energy consumption. This would make information technology more sustainable, what some people refer to as green IT.
Teaching is not just about giving information to students; it's actually a great motivation to do some rethinking. A smart student can ask you very interesting questions, so you better be prepared for those and really start to look into all aspects of your own learning. Sometimes we can get some new ideas from such thinking. My personal style is to help students think about themselves as explorers and innovators. We engineers want more people to understand the importance of engineering and science to society. The more people we educate, the more we influence the world.
Professor Reza Olfati-Saber
My dad influenced me to become an engineer since I was a little boy. He was head of my hometown's telecommunications department in Iran. He used to take me to the central part of the phone company back in late 70s, when everything was still electromechanical and you could see 10,000 selectors moving in one large room. Later he bought me all the elements of a basic circuit so I could connect the battery to a motor and to a light bulb and turn that on. And on paper he showed me the flow of currents that goes through the circuit. At the time, these were all games to me, but I think he was trying to get me interested in electrical engineering. He succeeded.
During my postdoc at Caltech I tried to understand how birds flock. The lessons I learned from observing and modeling them allowed me to understand the fundamental problems involving design and how to analyze thousands or millions of interacting elements.
One of my main objectives is to come up with the first intelligent transportation system. Cars don't necessarily need drivers. They could move autonomously. You could use your car in an autonomous mode in which you basically give it a GPS destination and the car gets you there without colliding with other cars or pedestrians or getting lost or going through unusually long routes. It could avoid traffic, take shortcuts, and do all sorts of things you might not actually know about because you don't know the congestion in other parts of the city. You could use the car in fully manual mode or semi-autonomous mode, where you just pick the speed or your favorite lane on the highway and leave the rest of the driving decisions to the car.
If most of us began to use these automated cars, we could create a much safer transportation system that is not prone to the human mistakes. In five to 10 years this could be an automatic feature on luxury cars. In 15 to 20 years it could be on all cars.
It's challenging to teach any kind of engineering class when all the students don't have the same interest. Some of them like the science part more, some of them like the building more. The majority of the students at Dartmouth are very hands-on. They could essentially build just about anything they want.
Professor Kofi Odame
I've always been creative. As a child I liked to paint and draw a lot, and then as I went through school it turned out that I had an affinity for solving analytical problems. Engineering turned out to be a very nice blend between creativity and solving analytical problems.
I'm very interested in health and in artificial intelligence. I'm looking at the way our neural systems work and applying that to engineering and to a more potent artificial intelligence. The idea is to have extremely intelligent computers that are very power-efficient and yet very small. One of my current projects has to do with a cochlear implant that is controlled by the brain's electric signals. The idea is to have electrodes that are sitting on a patient's skull record EEG signals, and decipher these signals to determine what the patient wants to hear.
My vision is to create sophisticated yet cheap electronic intelligence that can fit in the palm of your hand. Such technology could enable a more decentralized model of healthcare delivery, which would allay the rising cost of healthcare in the United States. Even more critically, decentralized healthcare delivery might present the only practicable option in remote parts of the developing world. Imagine computational ability that is so cheaply available that a nurse in a village in Ghana can input a blood film to an "intelligent" camera phone, which then makes a preliminary diagnosis of malaria or some type of hematological condition.
Engineering is a discipline that deals with a lot of balance and a lot of trade-offs. Given a particular problem, there is no one absolutely correct solution. Each solution to any given problem has its own positives and negatives, and when you consider any solution, you need to carefully go through the list of all the different advantages and disadvantages of that solution. Teaching engineering forces you to go through this process methodically because you're trying to convince a class of students that one solution versus another is better. When you go through this process, you can come up with better solutions — or your students can come up with better solutions.
Professor Douglas Van Citters '99 Th'03 '06
I always liked to take things apart — it was part of my nature. In preschool I took apart the telephone and nobody knew about it until I showed up with all the pieces. In elementary school I was doing mechanic work with my father. In high school I started doing my own mechanic work. I loved seeing how things worked and started developing some of my own — I hesitate to call them inventions — but they were solutions. When it was suggested that I explore engineering as a major in college, I jumped on it. But it wasn't really until ENGS 21 with Professor John Collier that I figured out what engineering really was.
I'm trying to decrease the cost of healthcare and increase its efficacy in the field of artificial joints in orthopedics. I'm starting with artificial knees. There are currently roughly one million artificial knees and hips being implanted annually in the United States, and 10 percent of those are for failed joints. I'm trying to examine the failures and determine why they failed and what we can do to improve the materials and design. It's all very materials-driven at this point. If we can understand the chemistry and the mechanical or wear mechanisms of these devices, we can then understand the failure mechanisms and perhaps improve overall outcomes for patients.
My dream is a commoditized artificial knee. I'm not so naive to think that there will be a one-size-fits-all, one-size-works-for-all, but it would be wonderful if we could have a small selection of devices that worked for the vast majority of patients. In the next 10 years, as we try to address the demands of the growing population, I don't think we are going to have enough surgeons to accommodate the need for artificial joints. Further, I don't know if society can bear the financial burden; it's a very expensive surgery. If a device is developed with appropriate but inexpensive materials, and you can decrease implantation time, cost savings will follow. You could improve access to the procedure, ensure a positive outcome for the patient, and hopefully, you would decrease the financial burden on the individual and society.
The thing that's most fun about teaching is doing the problem solving day in and day out. I teach students how to solve problems efficiently. I rarely give them answers — that's not my job. I really love to walk them through the problem-solving process and show them how to use science and math to better society. The enjoyment is watching somebody actually understand what's really important and what's fun about engineering.
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For fans of director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's previous work together (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, TV's Spaced), confirmation that the trio's next film, The World's End, would begin shooting this September came as splendiferous news. Not only was a planned production start date announced, but we also got a possible release date (Spring 2013) and a full logline for the plot. The story involves five childhood friends who reunite when one of them becomes hell bent on trying an epic pub crawl that they all failed to complete 20 years prior.
The full synopsis notes a struggle for "the future of humankind," which hinted that there was more to the story than a standard pub crawl. Wright and Pegg recently elaborated a bit on the film, with Wright confirming that the pic could be classified as a "sci-fi comedy" or "social science-fiction." Hit the jump for more.
Speaking with Empire, Pegg said that the film involves "a crawl through twelve pubs, culminating in the final one, which is The World's End," with Wright adding that the pic is "as much about where you grew up as the people you grew up with." Though Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz both featured characters in extraordinary situations, Wright and Pegg's scripts aren't lacking for earned, heartfelt moments or complex characters.
Wright and Pegg tackled the "zombie rom-com" with Shaun of the Dead and action pics with Hot Fuzz, so Empire pressed the scribes for what we can expect from The World's End:
"Hard to say," says Wright, before deciding. "It's a sci-fi comedy." "Social sci-fi," adds Pegg. "Social science-fiction," agrees Wright, warming to the task. "Look it up on Wikipedia and then bone up on John Christopher and John Wyndham."
As you wish, Mr. Wright. Here's the definition for "social science-fiction" per Wikipedia:
Social science fiction is a term used to describe a subgenre of science fiction concerned less with technology and space opera and more with sociological speculation about human society. In other words, it "absorbs and discusses anthropology", and speculates about human behavior and interactions.
Samuel Youd wrote a young adult series titled The Tripods under the pseudonym John Christopher beginning in 1967, which centered on a post-apocalyptic society that had been conquered and enslaved by an alien species. John Wyndham wrote a post-apocalyptic novel of his own called The Day of the Triffids which also centers on a non-human force destroying civilization.
Is Wright hinting that The World's End will center around a pub crawl that takes place during an alien invasion of some sort? I would assume so, but regardless I'm thrilled that Wright, Pegg and Frost are finally reuniting and I'm beyond thrilled to learn that they'll be dabbling in sci-fi for the closing chapter in their "Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy."


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In the ever-escalating fetishization of the female form, I was left scratching my head once again when I opened the latest issue of Newsweek to find a quick take on Paris Fashion Week. The story focused on the untimely collapse of a few high-rent benches at the Balenciaga show. News, right?
But what sent me hollering for the fashion police were two of the three images in the photo spread: a silky pastel Rochas number that could best be described as underpants with a jacket and a full-pager of a Balenciaga outfit that combined a colorful broad shouldered shirt with, um, jogging shorts. You know, the kind that went out of fashion with side-ponytails.
In both cases, the preternaturally long-legged models had that don't-eff-with-me look on their faces as, I assume, they power-strutted the runway. And yet: color me baffled. Who of us could wear this stuff, even if we wanted to? And why, with all the designs from all the spring collections out there, did Newsweek choose to highlight these?
Is this supposed to be the vision of the empowered woman?
Now most of us are jaded enough to know that most of what we see on the catwalk is rarely what we'll see on the sidewalk – or even on the sales rack. But you have to wonder what these images tell us about ourselves nonetheless.
It's an old, oft-repeated story: the focus on cadaverous models on the runways and in fashion magazines has been shown to contribute to bad body image among women and young girls. And whether we cop to it or not, we've let media images define us since we were old enough to flip the pages of Seventeen Magazine. But there's more to the story than that. What we can't help wondering is what these high fashion images say about women's place in the world. Clearly, you'd have a hard time accessorizing bun-hugging shorts with a laptop – or even a cocktail, for that matter — much less be taken seriously.
We women today have been raised with sky-high expectations, with the message we could have it all: killer career, happy family, sexy body and granite in the kitchen. And while we know that having it all, at least all at the same time, can be a dangerous pipe dream that leaves us second-guessing ourselves and feeling that we don't measure up — still we aspire. Which is why we find the disconnect between who we want to be and the media's notion of how we're supposed to look so darn confusing.
And so we wonder. Are these images a subtle way to keep us in the land or either/or? To keep us in our place? Or is it all a big fat joke?
On us.


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HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo were looking to start fast on Saturday night, and after scoring just three minutes into the match, it looked like the Orange were doing just that. The subsequent 20 minutes, however, did not follow the same script.
After Will Bruin got the scoring started early, FC Dallas, who were playing without several key players including Blas Pérez and Brek Shea, employed their most prominent tool: speed. Wingers Jackson and Fabián Castillo helped Dallas take control and put the Houston defense under siege.
"They created some good chances," Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said. "They were playing narrow and using their pace on the outside pretty well. Castillo and Jackson are a handful, and their pace is very electric, so it can cause you problems."
While Dallas' runners were finding space behind the Dynamo defense, Houston eventually got a hold on the pace of the game. After seeing five shots before the 30-minute mark, the Dynamo pulled back possession and started to dictate the flow, which led to eventual success for the home side.
"I thought we let the runners go too much in the midfield and they had a few more opportunities than they should," said defender Geoff Cameron. "We dealt with it better in the second half and were better with communication. We're pretty happy. It's a good result and three points and [we are] jumping up in the standings."
Bruin sets career high in "unconventional" fashion
Will Bruin has had an interesting 2012 season. The sophomore striker set a career high with his third-minute goal, his sixth of the season, when he used his knee to deflect a failed Hernán Pertúz clearance into the back of the net. While the goal itself was well received, the fashion of the goal on the other hand drew some friendly ribbing from his teammates.
"I told him, 'You've got two goals off of the back of your head, a deflection off your shin and two missed breakaways,' so we were just giving him crap," Brad Davis said. "But I think for a forward, a goal is a goal and anytime you can get your guys on the score sheet it helps their confidence. It also helps the team and it certainly did tonight."
Home sweet home
Houston have certainly settled into their new digs. With Saturday's win, the Dynamo improved to 3-0-1 at BBVA Compass Stadium and – along with the New York Red Bulls – are the only clubs without a home loss, having allowed just two goals in their four MLS home encounters.
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
Vote Now! Choose your First XI for the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game


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I write this post, not to brag about its outcome, or to complain about its frustrations. I write it so I can remember.
Christmas 2011 was a very unusual holiday, to say the least. We've celebrated in many different houses, and in many different states. We've done the Santa thing so many years they all seem to blur together. We've never had a lot of money, but somehow it came together every year. That is, until this year.
This year we were more than lean. For the past six months we've been supporting two households, in two different states, while we waited for our NY house to sell. Our family's been broken up, put back together in sections, then hung out to dry. We've been living in a tiny temporary condo, until we could figure out what was going to happen with the empty house we owned back East. Every penny we've taken in has gone out to some immediate need.
I saw the holiday approaching and had to give myself some quick pep talks. The kids are older, they'll understand. This is a good life lesson for them. Sometimes crap happens in life and you push forward and make the best of it. It doesn't mean life's over, just postponed for a bit. It doesn't take much money to just be together and make new memories.
We have all of the things that matter most - good health, loving extended families, a roof over our head, grocery money when the cupboards are bare, and a tight knit family who knows how to rally together when times get hard.
My daughter and I swung by the thrift store to get a small artificial tree (all of our holiday decorations are with our 'stuff' , in a moving company storage unit). While we were there, we picked up a few games and puzzles for our youngest family member, who, at 11, still needed something under a tree. We strung up some cheap lights and wrapped some garland around the back of the futon. Bring on the holiday!
We swung over to Utah to pick up my college son, one of my best gifts of the season. It felt so good to have all my chickens back in the nest. All six of us squeezed into our limited living space, but I heard very few complaints.
My kids all seemed to be enjoying each other and trying their best to give everyone the space they needed. No one argued when, at the family meeting, I announced that not only would there be no 'real' gifts under the tree, but that each of them would have one bath towel for the time being. (It's the only way to keep my laundry under control and make sure I am not met with a pile of wet towels after every morning's shower routine). No one complained that sleeping arrangements were going to be 'snug', at best. They just jumped in and did what had to be done, to get through the following weeks.
Christmas Eve came and we all looked at each other, thinking, "What do we do now?"
The only answer was to get out of the house. We piled in the car and drove down to a local pub. While jazzy Christmas carols played overhead, we had the pool tables all to ourselves. The pizza was hot and good, the friendly banter between my children was relaxed and comfortable.
I looked around and realized we'd raised some pretty great people. Two of ours are officially adults. So much of the time I can only see the ways I've failed them through the years. On Christmas Eve I had to step back and see them in a different light. They're nice people. Kind and helpful to not only their friends, but their younger siblings too (most of the time). They are fun to be around and are going to find their way in the world, mistakes and all, in the years to come.
We came home, watched some Christmas clips on Hulu, then called it a night.
The next morning didn't feel at all like Christmas. No little children rushing to wake us up, excited to see what Santa had left. But instead I found a note on the kitchen table. Next to the cookies and milk that were left out the night before by our way-too-old-for-Santa 11 year old, was a sign that said "Don't Stop Believin'". It didn't take much asking around to figure out which of his older siblings took the Santa bites from the cookies and took the time to write the note.
Then, as we sat around the thrift store tree, so my youngest could unwrap his few token gifts, I noticed presents for the older kids, as well as my husband and myself. My 15 year old was grinning from ear to ear. He'd felt bad that there were so few gifts under the tree, so he'd taken the liberty to wrap up some things from around the house, silly gifts, so that everyone had something to unwrap.
Laughter filled our little condo as we took turns unwrapping our special gifts. My husband couldn't imagine what could be in his small present, which sounded like rice when he shook the box. It was the box of matches from the kitchen. My oldest son couldn't help but grin as he unwrapped his one (not two) flip flop. Little guy was very surprised to watch his older sister unwrap 'her' gift, which happened to be his ipod. My son whose name means laughter came through again, and made a pretty empty holiday feel rich and full once again.
An hour later all three of my boys were at the kitchen table, playing a board game we'd picked up for my little guy at the thrift store. Even when they figured out that it only had three of the dozens of pieces it needed, they came up with their own rules and played a few rounds.
After that, they set up the little guy's simple hot wheels track set and had races down the long orange track, to see who could make their car jump and crash into our homemade gingerbread houses. Later they came up with variations to this game, hiding out in their one shared bedroom for hours.
Instead of concentrating on what we didn't have, we all made do with what we do have. We don't have much counter space, so we cooked a store bought lasagna and had a yummy non-traditional holiday meal. We don't have TV service, so we pulled up holiday specials on Hulu. We don't have room to spread out and have our own space as the afternoon wore on, so took advantage of what we do have - amazing scenery right outside our window. We all piled in the car and took some beautiful drives down snowy country roads.
Along a winding road we came across a family stuck in the ditch. My big strong teen age sons took great pride in jumping in to help dig through snow banks to find logs for traction, then anchoring their weight behind the vehicle, with every attempt to dislodge it. Somewhere on the outskirts of Golden we found an empty parking lot full of wet, slushy snow, and my boys took turns learning how to do the perfect donut with the family Suburban. There were many smiles that day.
It wasn't the holiday I'd have dreamed of. There was very little Martha Stewart could have lived with. But it was special, so special to his mom who has tried so hard every year, to make it as fun as possible for her kids. For once, they turned the tables and gave back the gift of celebrating. They showed me, the one who usually farms out the pep talks, what the holiday is all about.
It's about just relaxing and enjoying the people you love. It's about finding fun in every day, from wrapping up one of your brother's flip flops, to finding a way to make a board game with few pieces actually work. They were the gift I wanted. To be surrounded by these four people I love so much and their dad, my best friend. But surprise! I ended up with so much more.


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It is Autism Awareness month and Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago (ESMC) hosted their very successful 2nd Annual Hoops4Autism event. Senator Michael Hastings kicked off the festivities with a heart warming and encouraging speech. Activities ranged from relay races, to a five-on-five basketball game with students and clients from the adult program. Students participated in basketball like competitions and were thrilled to receive handmade medals made by their very own HarrysButtons.com.
In the relay races, students competed against classes of their own age group. They took the basketball and had to dribble to a hula-hoop, which they did for a number of times. Then the students would shoot a basketball on a lower sized hoop. One student even ran as fast as he could and dunked the ball with two hands.
The part that everyone seemed to love was the five-on-five basketball game. The students were mentally preparing all day to face their friends in front of the crowd. Everyone had on white t-shirts with personal superhero names written on the back. Although this event was for the students to have fun, the parents and other people watching enjoyed the event as well.
Hoops4Autism is just one of the many events put on by HarrysButtons to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. ESMC was chosen to be the charity of choice in the Chicago WingMadness event on May 21, 2014 at Dick's Last Resort in Downtown Chicago. Visit ChicagoWingMadness.com the ChicagoWingMadness website for more information on the event and how you can attend.
HarrysButtons.com was founded in 2004 by Harry Engnell Sr. to improve the lives and futures of individuals with Autism. "When my son Harry Jr. and I started HarrysButtons.com 10 years ago in the basement of our home, I never would have imagined the growth we are experiencing today. It is great to see our mission come to life with Easter Seals," said Engnell Sr.
The Engnell family partnered with ESMC in 2008, starting with five employees and shortly after, he donated the business to the non-profit organization. HarrysButtons.com has locations in Tinley Park and Chicago with hopes of an expansion to Rockford with enough support from donations and grants. HarrysButtons.com at Easter Seals is now providing meaningful employment opportunities to nearly 60 individuals living with Autism.
About Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago
Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago maximizes independence and creates opportunities for nearly 30,000 people with disabilities and other special needs to live, learn, work and play in their communities by providing a lifespan of premier services. The organization offers a wide range of programs; some of which include: specialized therapeutic schools for children with autism, emotional behavior disorder, and/or severe learning disabilities; early intervention; inclusive child care; specialty clinics; adult job training and job placement programs for individuals with autism; and military/veterans programs.
- For more information go to the Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago website Or HarrysButtons.com at Easter Seals website
- Or call 708-802-9050.
Photos: Courtesy of : Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago


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Fear not, Valued QuiBids Customer! If you're worried that you've been charged double, the first thing you should do is consider if the extra charge on your online credit card statement could be a pending transaction.
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Limit Buster auctions are won or purchased via Buy Now and automatically deduct the specified number of wins from your 28-day auction win limits. This enables you to participate in more auctions. Limit Busters won't cancel out products you've paid for, they simply open up additional spots for more wins. When a limit buster is purchased, it will remove the most recently won items from your 28-day win limits. You can review your Auction Limits page directly through the My QuiBids section or by clicking here. There are three types of Limit Busters:
Bust One - Clear one win out of your account in order to participate in another auction!
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First, find the product page for the particular product you want to review. From there, scroll down to the "Reviews" tab." See where it says "Manage My Reviews" on the left-side toolbar? Under that, click "Submit Review" and get to writing! You may also comment on other customers' reviews or click the "Like" button. Remember you can only submit one review per product.
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In order to ensure that the reviews are useful for QuiBids' customers and not obscene or obnoxious, all reviews will follow an approval channel before being posted. We will not approve reviews with foul language, promotional content, personal information, or any content deemed inappropriate for QuiBids customers. You can read a full list of rules concerning QuiBids reviews here.
What kind of bids are included when I buy a product from the QuiBids Store?
They're Voucher Bids. Unlike Real Bids, Voucher Bids don't count toward a discount on a QuiBids product purchased using Buy Now. Only Real Bids —which are purchased directly from QuiBids— will count toward a Buy Now.
I need to return a product I purchased from QuiBids Store. What happens to the bids I received?
We're sorry the product did not work out for you, and we are happy to accept your return as long as it accords with our standard return policy. Additionally, in the case of a Store purchase, you will have to return the Voucher Bids that were included with the product. If it's the case that you've already placed these bids in an auction then we will deduct their value (each bid is worth sixty cents) from the amount of money refunded.
What's the QBar?
The QBar is located at the bottom of your screen whenever you're logged in. It features five key components: User Profile View, My QuiBids, My Bids, Watchlist and Notifications.
The QBar was developed for your convenience and to keep you informed about your QuiBids account. You can do almost everything in one place!
QBar- What's the QuickBuy?
The QuickBuy feature located on the QBar allows you to buy bids directly from the auction page! If your credit card information is saved, then you can purchase bids through the QBar at any time! You can buy as many as 500 bids at a time (in 25 bid increments) by sliding the bid bar over to the amount of bids you wish to purchase.
QBar- What payment methods can I use with the QuickBuy feature?
The only payment methods available for QuickBuy are the options saved within your billing information under My QuiBids. You cannot add new payment information to the QuickBuy directly.
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You can minimize the QBar by clicking on the QBar logo that is located on the far left side. If you want to open the QBar after minimizing, simply click on the QBar logo again.
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From time to time, QuiBids may offer promotions through various different channels at QuiBids' sole discretion. Some of these channels include phone, e-mail, chat, and social media platforms. At times, not all QuiBids customers may qualify for a specific promotion as determined by QuiBids. In order to qualify for a promotion, a customer will be notified directly by QuiBids, and the criteria and requirements may not be disclosed. In order to claim and receive a promotional reward, all requirements and instructions must be met within the appropriate time frame, if applicable. Promotions may require a Starter Bid Pack purchase.
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This may happen from time to time depending on several factors. We encourage you to read the product description for the most accurate information regarding the displayed item. The picture displayed may be a suggested representation of the item picturing accessories not actually included with the listed item. If you do receive an item different than the description, you can contact our customer support team to return the item according to our Return Policy.
Contact Support
Got a question? We've got answers. For simple solutions, check out our easy-to-access Help section. For stickier situations, connect to Live Chat or submit a support request below.


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Now YOU can experience the fun 3D video that entertained crowds at the 2012 Nurnberg Toy Fair! We've spliced and diced the best three-dimensional action clips we could get into a thrilling sequence of fast-moving action and high-flying stunts for your enjoyment! While we're at it, we've also added HPI's Frank in some exclusive in-studio scenes to make it fun as well as exciting!
To watch the video in all its best 3D glory, switch on the 3D function of your 3D monitor or TV and grab the glasses that came with your screen! Then click the red '3D' button and choose 'Interleaved' and you're ready for the action! You can also watch the video if you have a normal screen, too! Just get yourself a pair of red/blue 3D glasses (like you probably have stashed away somewhere at home!) and turn on the 3D mode of the video by clicking the red '3D' button and choosing the 'Red/Cyan' mode. Ready?Now just press Play :)


text:
Tim Lucas / Video WatchBlog
Monday, July 30, 2012
First Look: VIDEO WATCHDOG 169!
That's right, it's our long-awaited DARK SHADOWS issue, featuring my editorial eulogy to Jonathan Frid and our incredible 33-page Round Table Discussion of the original classic series! Visit our
Home Page
for the complete list of contents
and some free samples!
Posted by
Tim Lucas
Monday, July 30, 2012
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Hey all:
I just uploaded a feature along the right sidebar that will enable you to follow this blog. It will let you know of updates and such, and keep you in the loop of all that is daytime television. So, Follow This Blog!!
Cindy and Dana
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Follow the Daytime Dial Blog!
Hey all:
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Days: Such a Tease!
* Daniel urges an unconscious Kate to fight and survive.
* Nick asks Max for help, so he can resubmit his proposal.
* Stephanie gets drunk at the Cheatin' Heart, and Philip takes her home.
* Melanie celebrates her 18th birthday.
* Sami deceives Rafael and makes a phone call to Lucas.
Thursday – Philip accuses Melanie of using Nick for money.
Friday – Nicole (Arianne Zucker, pictured) suspects that EJ framed her for the murder of Trent Robbins.
Monday, October 27, 2008
GH: Such a Tease!
Lulu (Julie Marie Berman, pictured) makes her escape from Shadybrook.
Sam pleads with Lucky not to walk away from her.
Claudia and Anthony clash over Sonny.
Maxie persuades Jason to go to Robin's wedding.
Olivia has some sound advice for Patrick.
Spinelli gives Robin some distressing news about Patrick.
Claudia won't lift a finger to help Anthony.
Olivia confronts Sonny about his desire to regain power.
Robin has faith that Patrick won't leave her standing at the altar.
Luke and Tracy set off on Scott and Laura's trail.
Scott takes Laura on a trip down memory lane.
One moment affects Robin and Patrick's wedding.
Luke and Laura come face to face for the first time.
Karpov makes his move to get revenge against Sonny.
OLTL: Such a Tease!
Nora offers Dorian a deal she can't refuse.
Langston has a few words to say to Clint.
Ray points an accusing finger at Vanessa.
Tess begins to carry out her nefarious plans.
Jared and Natalie are desperate to alert someone to their plight.
Rex (John-Paul Lavoisier, pictured) and Gigi realize there are no more obstacles standing in their way.
John gets a helping hand in his quest to uncover the truth.
Viki catches Todd in a lie when she questions him about Tess.
Langston supports Starr as she prepares for the birth of her baby.
Tess plans on blowing Natalie and Jared sky high.
Viki plants herself at Todd's, refusing to leave until Tess returns.
John gets another step closer to proving that Marty is alive.
Despite her crippling pain, Tess refuses to free Natalie and Jared.
Marty can't get the image of a baby Cole out of her head.
Tina is up to her old tricks.
AMC: Such a Tease!
David swears to make the Chandlers pay.
Amanda realizes Jake has feelings for Taylor.
Adam warns Pete he told Erica the truth about sabotaging Bella.
Emma's kidnapper contacts Ryan and Annie.
Angie comes face to face with Natalia's mother, Rebecca.
JR threatens to kill David if he doesn't stay away from Little A.
Erica begs David to try and save Kendall's life.
Annie turns to Greenlee for help.
Jake and Zach clash over Taylor and Kendall.
David doesn't have good news for Zach and Bianca.
A touching and heartfelt ceremony begins.
David is pushed over the edge.
Frankie (Cornelius Smith Jr., pictured) takes his anger out on Jesse.
Zach remembers good times with Kendall.
Interview: B&B Rick vs. Ridge — The Gloves Come Off
If you have been watching The Bold and the Beautiful for any amount of time, you know one thing: As sure as the sky is blue, there has always been animosity between Rick and Ridge Forrester. And this week, things have really heated up.
Fans have been waiting on pins and needles to see what the straw that breaks the camel's back would be, and now we finally know: Taylor. Rick's portrayer, Kyle Lowder, explains: "Rick fell head over heels in love with Taylor; he dedicated his life to her. He put all of his eggs in one basket, so to speak. When he found out that she kissed Ridge and hopes for a future with him, Rick's world came crashing down.
"He is completely and totally devastated by this, and that kind of short-circuits his emotions in his head. He is coming from a complete and total reactive point of view, rather than proactive. He's operating purely from an emotional standpoint."
While Rick is mad at Taylor for what has happened, there is something much deeper that has been brewing. "There are two parts of this story that are all encompassing into one main idea. Since Rick's childhood, there have been years of animosity, hatred and issues with Ridge that are now coming to a head, where Rick blames Ridge for everything bad that has happened in his life. Ridge took away his mother, he monopolized his father's attention and, last year, when Rick was trying to be with Phoebe, Ridge was in the middle of that.
"Now Rick has finally fallen in love with a woman that he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and there's Ridge. Even though Taylor has been the aggressor with Ridge, Rick doesn't want to hear that, he wouldn't even believe it. It's all about 'Ridge ruined my life yet again,' and he is like, 'I am through with this guy. I am going to kill him.'"
When the fight between Rick and Ridge escalates to Rick falling over the railing on the rooftop, that is when the gloves truly come off.
Kyle says: "As soon as Rick comes to in the hospital, I feel he is completely in control of what he is doing, which is complete and total manipulation of everybody in trying to bring Ridge down. He's trying to spin it that it was not an accident, that Ridge tried to kill him when Rick tried to expose him for what he really is. Rick tries to play on everybody's sympathies. He's going to use this occasion to try to bring Ridge down and to turn everybody in his life against him. Rick has come of age. He is emotionally and physically equal to Ridge, toe to toe, and he is going to dedicate his life now to bringing him down."
Kyle is excited to be able to explore the different sides of Rick's personality that nobody has really seen before. "Rick has always been the Golden Boy. This is an opportunity for me to — while respecting the history of the character — take Rick in a completely different direction, add more sides to him, make him more well-rounded and deeper.
"Nobody is just good or just bad. It's an opinion, but I just don't buy it. It's important to show a well-rounded character, where you show his darkness and you show his light. I think a one-sided character, ultimately, is a boring character. This story gives me the opportunity to touch upon different sides of Rick, making him a deeper character."
Soap Stars' Meet and Greet in Florida
Winsor Harmon (Thorne, The Bold and the Beautiful) Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, General Hospital), Cameron Mathison (Ryan, All My Children) and Christian LeBlanc (Michael, The Young and the Restless) will be on hand for a Fan Meet and Greet on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
The Meet and Greet is from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The fee is $10.00. For more information, call (954) 327-7631. At the event, fans can register to win a trip for two on Soap Cruise 2nd Voyage, which features sixteen of the most popular soap opera actors from all eight shows. Visit www.soapcruise.com for more information.
ATWT: Such a Tease!
•Paul listens to some good advice.
•Alison and Casey's plan goes awry.
•Sage does everything she can to ruin Jack and Janet's plans.
•Katie (Terri Columbino, pictured) fears for her marriage when Brad doesn't believe her.
GL: Such a Tease!
• Bill comes to Lizzie's rescue.
• Dinah's alliance with Grady backfires.
• Olivia makes a threat to protect Rafe.
• Cyrus (Murray Bartlett, pictured) is busted by Marina.
Y&R: Such a Tease!
• Kay comes face-to-face with Marge. Will their relationship cause more harm than good?
• Adam (Chris Engen, pictured) realizes he should have never trusted Jack and worries their "partnership" may likely hurt him more than Victor in the end.
• After questioning Jack's whereabouts, Sharon is furious and wonders if she'll ever be able to trust him again.
• Just when Nick realizes Phyllis' jealousy of Sharon is at its peak, Phyllis finds Sharon in an incriminating situation.
• Karen makes a confession to Neil, leaving him to make a life-changing decision.
B&B: Such a Tease!
· Just when Rick thinks life couldn't get worse, it does.
· Donna is suspicious of Pam's condition.
· Brooke is given a complicated ultimatum.
· Taylor devises a plan with her children.
· Nick (Jack Wagner, pictured) makes it clear where Katie stands in Jack's life.


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East 12th Osteria's Brunch is More Than Eggs and Pancakes
Brunch menus to do your weekend right.
Editor's note: Welcome back to The Brunch Dish, our series on the best brunches in New York. Know a brunch spot we should check out? Email us!
Situated on the unassuming corner of 12th Street and 1st Avenue, East 12th Osteria can be easy to miss. Even with its gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows, the place seems to have a generic quality to it. But don't be fooled—the food here can be quite good—and as a brunch spot it has something to offer. It's easy to get a table during peak hours so you can enjoy a meal next to the sunbathed windows and still have plenty of elbowroom.
If you're looking for more than just standard egg dishes, then you've come to the right place. There's a Brunch Prix Fixe menu ($23) and a brunch a la carte menu, both filled with a variety of Italian dishes. The prix fixe includes a pastry plate, an main, and a drink of your choice. If you order the orange juice, it'll be freshly squeezed right at the bar.
What's New On Serious Eats
On the day I visited, the Pastry Plate had croissants, mini blueberry muffins, and chocolate croissants, all served warm and baked in-house by Chef Deiaco.
Even if you don't opt for the prix fixe, you'll always get the generous Bread Basket. Filled with a variety of housemade bread, it's also straight-from-the-oven warm and accompanied with a side of olive oil.
Bored with French toast and pancakes but want something on the sweeter side? Order the Strapazzato all'Uvetta ($17), Chef Deiaco's version of "shredded pancakes" from the Italian province of Alto Adige. While the classic recipe yields a thin and flat crepe-lie cake, Deiaco makes his fluffier and caramelizes the edges. The fruit accompaniment changes based on the season; right now it's grapes and sultanas, but in a few months it could be cherries or apples. That fruit adds most of the sweetness to the moist-but-not-sweet pancake.
For something savory, the Tonnarelli alla Carbonara ($18) makes a fitting brunch pasta. Deiaco makes his own noodles and cooks them al dente. A golden sauce clings nicely to them; perched atop is an egg yolk in a pancetta cup a garnish best stirred right in.
Another standout is the Pesce di Mare Caldo su Soffice di Polenta ($19), a dish common in the Veneto region of Italy. A mix of plump shrimp, mussels, calamaretti, and a firm scallop sit on a bed of soft, velvety polenta. A red sauce made from seafood stock, white wine, herbs, and chili pepper spices up the porridge.
It's a brunch dish that'd be just as welcome on any lunch or dinner menu, and it goes to show how Deiaco is bringing some much-needed variety to New York's brunch landscape.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Agricultural Nutrients and Water Quality: Recent Litigation in the United States
addition to the paper, we also recently updated our nutrient management project on the National ... management laws and regulations, here. The USDA's National Agriculture Library funded our research on these ... Agricultural Law Center's website, which compiles state laws on nutrient management plans, nutrient application ...
Oats as a Late Summer Forage Crop
and total digestible nutrients (TDN) over the 4 planting dates across 3 rates of nitrogen with and ... digestible nutrients (TDN) in oats with different planting dates and nitrogen applications (T = fungicide ... with weed control, and improve seed to soil contact if drills are not closing the seed slot. Just keep ...
Post Soybean, Going to Corn: Use Oats/Radish
and nutrient runoff. Fertility or liming—If applying phosphorus (P), potassium (K), or lime, complete ... ohioline.osu.edu/ factsheet/SAG-11 Understanding Soil Microbes and Nutrient Recycling (Ohio State University ... Management soil health soil cover crop agronomy Agriculture and Natural Resources ...
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Our Publications Ohio's Agritourism Law Recent Agritourism Litigation in the U.S. Reducing ...
Late Summer Establishment of Perennial Forages
herbicide. Finally, keep in mind the following factors to increase establishment success: Soil fertility and ... for grasses 20 ppm Mehlich-3. The critical soil potassium level is 120 ppm for most of our soils ... given the low soil moisture status across many areas. The decision to plant or not will have to be made ...
New Resource on Statutory Liens
Our latest addition to the Financing the Farm law bulletin series covers Statutory Liens and ... Library, Agricutural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's available here. ...
The Evolution of Agritourism: Current Legal Issues and Future Trends
thoughts on managing agritourism legal risk Additional information and a registration link for the webinar ...
Rory Lewandowski Retirement
use, nutrient management, and farm financial management. Rory worked tirelessly to serve the needs of ... Cattleman's Association. Rory was recognized with numerous awards for his exemplary teaching, research, and ...
Milk Prices, Costs of Nutrients, Margins and Comparison of Feedstuffs Prices
April Frye White, Graduate Research Associate, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State ... that of May at $24.23/cwt, followed by $22.84/cwt in August. Nutrient prices When comparing the prices ... in Table 1 to the 5-year averages, the current prices of nutrients are good. The price of NE L is ...
July 2020 Highlights
virtual this year, there were a number of highlights from our department. Dr. Melvin Pascall was ... recognized as an IFT Fellow. Congratulations to our students who placed in the poster or oral division ... potential relief with skin allergies. Funded by an Ohio State Foods for Health initiative, researchers on ...


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DEFCON Brings the Scary | TechSNAP 18
Posted on: August 11, 2011
Posted in: Featured, TechSNAP, Video
This week on TechSNAP:
The UK Prime Minister wants a Kill switch for social media, ebay upgrades their servers to SSD, and you won't believe the costs, and we take a peak at Microsoft's data center in a box!
Direct Download Links:
HD Video | Large Video | Mobile Video | WebM Video | MP3 Audio | OGG Audio | YouTube
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Show Notes:
UK PM Proposed Social Media Kill Switch
- UK PM David Cameron is proposing that the police, intelligence agencies and telecom industry investigate if it would be right and technically feasible to disable access to social networks during times of civil unrest
- "Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were organised via social media"
- This is obviously the wrong way to solve the problem, and it will never work. Even if the telcos block access to facebook and twitter via the Internet and cellular networks, rioters could just use text message trees like those that were used to organize the riots in Egypt.
- Some are even proposing entirely disabling the cellular networks in affected areas, however this would be seriously disruptive considering that many in the UK only have cellular phones. Leaving citizens without access to emergency services would obviously be untenable.
- Even if the UK government was successful in blocking access to the major social networks, protesters could use other networks, there are an infinite number of competing services. Protesters could also use proxies and other techniques to mask their access to social media. This is common place in workplaces that block access to the sites.
- A number of people have already been arrested for posting messages on facebook that were said to be 'inciting violence' and 'public disorder'
- More detailed article from the BBC
Denial of Service Attack results in suspended trading on the Hang Seng Stock Exchange
- An attack against a site used to post official announcements about issues on the Hang Seng stock exchange resulting in the site being unreachable
- Trading in stock issues that were to make important price affecting announcements was suspended.
- Trading of shares in HSBC, Cathay Pacific, China Power International and the Hong Kong exchange itself, among others, was suspended
- If the site remains offline, the Hang Seng exchange will find an alternate way to release the announcements and trading will resume
- Earlier this year the US NASDAQ exchange revealed that cyber attackers had planted malicious code on its "Directors Desk" web application
eBay begins migration to pure SSDs in its datacenters
- Approximately half of eBay's 4000 VMs are now backed purely by SSD storage
- The average time to deploy a VM has dropped from 45 minutes to 5
- Previously, eBay had been using 15k RPM drives via Fibre Channel
- One rack full of SSDs is equivalent in performance to eight or nine racks of the previous drives
- After replacing 100TB of storage, a 50% reduction in rack space, a 78% drop in power consumption and a five-fold boost in I/O performance were realized
- The appliance eBay is using does not use traditional hard drive form factor SSDs, but rather 2U modules of pure flash storage via a 6 Gbit/sec SAS interface.
- Storage is priced at $10,000 per Terabyte, and comes in 2.5TB, 5TB, and 10TB modules
Radios used by US Federal Law Enforcement suffer Security Flaws
- The P25 Radios used by many Federal Law Enforcement Agencies support encryption, but not always use it. Many messages are sent in the clear, even when the users believe they are communicating securely
- This vulnerability results in trivial passive attacks, where the supposedly secure communications can be eaves dropped on
- The P25 Radios are also subject to active attacks. An attacker with very modest resources is able to jam specific types of communication to and from the P25. This would allow an attacker to block LEOs in the area from sending or receiving encrypted messages.
- The available symmetric encryption systems are DES, 3DES and AES. Obviously the first two options have not been considered secure for many years.
- Because the radios are based on a best-effort protocol, and do not have the ability to retransmit garbled frames, advanced encryption mechanisms like CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) cannot be used. This also means that MAC (Message Authentication Code) cannot be used to verify that the incoming transmissions have not been altered.
- Because of this, it is possible for an attacker to impersonate a legitimate user, inject voice and data traffic, and replay captured traffic resulting in false signals, even when the messages are encrypted
- PDF of the official University of Pennsylvania study
Defcon presentation claims MITM attack on 4G and CDMA mobile phones
- Reports indicate that a successful Man-in-the-Middle attack was executed against devices in and around the Defcon venue.
- The attackers were able to gain permanent kernel-level root access in some Android and PC devices by using rootkits and non-persistent user space access in some other devices. In both cases, whoever launched this attack against both CDMA and 4G devices was able to steal data and monitor conversations.
- It is speculated that the attacker was able to inject specially crafted packets in to the data streams, possibly displaying prompts to the user, that if accepted would install the rootkit
- Once the device is compromised, it is trivial to monitor ongoing communications or steal the 4G encryption key
A tour of Microsoft's cloud data centers
- Microsoft's newest data center designs are modular and containerized
- The new design allows them to bring new data centers online much more quickly
- The new designs allow the contains to be 'plug and play', and results in far less packing materials being required
Round Up
- Syrian hackers deface Anonymous' social network, apparently retaliation for Anonymous' attacks against the Syrian governments' websites
- Some apparent members of Anonymous claim they will attempt to take down facebook on November 5th
- 8 ways to circumvent the PROTECT-IP Act
- DEFCON presentation defeats card and code locks used by Governments in seconds
- How a trivia CompSci decision 40 years ago has haunted us ever since
- How to succeed at working remotely
- Court claims Domain Seizures do not violate your free speech rights
- Landlord leaves 1000s of tenants personal details, and some banking details on an unencrypted USB drive at the pub
- Surprising number of US ISPs hijack their customers' google searches


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FAO statistics division has developed, in collaboration with the World Bank's Computational Tools team, Development Research Group, the free stand-alone software ADePT-Food Security Module (FSM). This activity has been funded by the European Union through the Improved Global Governance for Hunger Reduction Programme.
ADePT-FSM aims to improve the quality, consistency and availability of food security statistics derived from National Household Surveys (NHS), such as Living Standard Measurement Surveys (LSMS), Household Income and Expenditure (HIES) and Household Budget Surveys (HBS) containing food consumption data. These statistics are useful for assessing and monitoring food security at national and subnational levels.
» Download version 3 of the ADePT-FSM software (.exe)
» Background information to build the survey specific datasets (.zip)
This activity is funded by the European Union through the Improved Global Governance for Hunger Reduction Programme
Contact us | Terms and Conditions | Scam Alert


text:
Sometimes I just want
someone to hug me and
I know it's hard.
You're going to be okay.
Here's a coffee.
And 5 million dollars.
#find this quote somewhere in socmed and I guess it made my day, haha..
Labels: quote , reflections , thoughts
Labels: books
|Courtesy of Tr. Sonya
One of the things I love from Najla and Zea's school is they always celebrate the independence day in the old way. Yes…it's tarik tambang, makan kerupuk, balap karung, etc…you name it. I am glad that the teachers introduce this ritual to the students. Although it's just simple games yet they might learn lots of positive things on sharing, supporting and of course the fun itself.
Labels: journal , reflections
Labels: birthday , hubby , journal , reflections
They like their coffee like they like their ex-boyfriend: bitter
Labels: books