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* New exploit released for the WMF vulnerability - YELLOW
New exploit
On New Year's eve the defenders got a 'nice' present from the full disclosure community.The source code claims to be made by the folks at metasploit and xfocus, together with an anonymous source.
Note: We have been able to confirm that this exploit works. We are in the process of getting information to AV vendors ASAP. We can also confirm that having the file and simply opening the directory can be enough to get the exploit running.
The exploit generates files:
- with a random size;
- no .wmf extension, (.jpg), but could be any other image extension actually;
- a random piece of junk in front of the bad call; carefully crafted to be larger than the MTU on an ethernet network;
- a number of possible calls to run the exploit are listed in the source;
- a random trailer
Judging from the source code, it will likely be difficult to develop very effective signatures due to the structure of the WMF files.
Infection rate
McAfee announced on the radio yesterday they saw 6% of their customer having been infected with the previous generation of the WMF exploits. 6% of their customer base is a huge number.Yellow
Considering this upsets all defenses people have in place, we voted to go to yellow in order to warn the good guys out there they need to review their defenses.We hate going back to yellow for something we were yellow on a couple of days ago and had returned to green, but the more we look at it and the uglier it gets.
UNofficial patch
We want to be very clear on this: we have some very strong indications that simply un-registering the shimgvw.dll isn't always successful. The .dll can be re-registered by other processes, and there may be issues where re-registering the .dll on a running system that has had an exploit attempted against it will cause the exploit to succeed.For those of you wanting to try an unofficial patch with all the risks involved, please see here. (md5 15f0a36ea33f39c1bcf5a98e51d4f4f6), PGP signature (signed with ISC key) here.
Initially it was only for Windows XP SP2. Fellow handler Tom Liston worked with Ilfak Guilfanov to help confirm some information required to extend it to cover Windows XP SP1 and Windows 2000.
Note: Tom has taken this thing apart and looked at it very, very closely. It does exactly what it advertises and nothing more. The wmfhotfix.dll will be injected into any process loading user32.dll. It then will then patch (in memory) gdi32.dll's Escape() function so that it ignores any call using the SETABORTPROC (ie. 0x09) parameter. This should allow for Windows to display WMF files normally while still blocking the exploit. We want to give a huge thanks to Ilfak Guilfanov for building this and for allowing us to host and distribute it.
Note #2: When MS comes out with a real patch, simply uninstall this from Add/Remove programs on the Control Panel. Mr. Guilfanov did a great job with this ...
Patching with unofficial patches is very risky business, this comes without any guarantees of any kind.
Please do back out these unofficial patches before applying official patches from Microsoft.
Belt and suspenders
There is possibility to do the proven belt and suspenders approach here. Using the unofficial path and using the workaround from Microsoft together. Just remember to unto the damage done before applying any official patch for this vulnerability.New Snort signatures
We are receiving signatures from Frank Knobbe that detect this newest variant, but we haven't done much testing for false positives or negatives at this point.http://www.bleedingsnort.com/...
Frank also restated some warnings:
There is one important note in regards to ALL published signatures including this one. All these signatures will fail to detect the exploits when the http_inspect preprocessor is enabled with default settings. By default, the flow_depth of the preprocessor is 300 which is too short to cover the whole exploit. Should the exploit be transmitted on port 80 and http_inspect is enabled, no alert will occur. Note that it will still alert on any ports (using the all port sig below) that are not configured in http_inspect (ie FTP).
One solution is to add the statement "flow_depth 0" to the http_inspect preprocessor (actually the appropriate http_inspect_server line in the config). This will tell the preprocessor not to truncate the reassembled pseudo-packet, but it will have an adverse impact on performance. On busy networks, this will lead to 100% CPU utilization of the Snort process and major packet drops.
So we're between a rock, a solid surface, and a hard place. The exploits are web based, yet the signature will fail with http_inspect enabled. With it disabled, Snort will miss all rules containing uricontent and pcre/U statements. With it enabled, and flow_depth set to 0, Snort will alert on the exploit, but also process all uricontent rules in such a fashion that its CPU utilization is skyrocketing.
The only viable solution at this point is to run two instances of Snort. One with your normal set of rules and http_inspect enabled with either the default or "sane" values for flow_depth. The second instance should run with http_inspect disabled or flow_depth set to 0 (in the appropriate http_inspect_server config line), and process only rules that have to cover a larger than 300 byte area for content matches on ports configured in http_inspect. This two-pronged approach assures that Snorts performance is kept at normal levels, preventing packet loss.
A chronological overview of all WMF related articles on this site.FAQ
We are maintaining a FAQ on the WMF vulnerability.Thanks
Thanks to all handlers working on this today, especially Lorna, Tom, Kevin, Jim, Scott, Daniel, Patrick and all those I forgot. This was a cooperative effort.
Wishing all windows machines, their users, owners and administrators a happy New Year, with a bit fewer nasty exploits.
--Swa Frantzen
Leap Second
From extreme to in depth
I'm also not trying to bash on Microsoft. If I were I'd have borrowed a subject of some spam message I got recently: "forget microsoft, get big and hard". I'm just trying to show how you can come from an extreme reasoning to a workable solution to protect those assets that need protection.
Suppose you defend a place that has high to very high security needs and wants to avoid the wmf thing at all cost. Reasons to do this should be based on a risk assessment, but elements that might lead to such extreme conditions might include:
- No patch in sight from Microsoft
- Not wanting to infect peers such as customers
- Not wanting to rely on anti-virus signatures when people are developing versions of the exploit with a highly random nature
- Not wanting to rely on IDS devices due to the same randomness and the "it's too late already" aspect
- Ban Microsoft products in your environment
- I told you we were going to start from the extreme viewpoint, so hold your horses.
- What does it buy?
- No windows, no windows WMF vulnerability
- What does it not buy?
- You still can pass on dangerous payload to others like to your customers.
- If a single escaped machine remains or a single machine snuck back in, you still might get affected.
- Ban all communication and/or file exchanges
- Extreme again isn't it? Moreover it is perceived very hard in a modern world.
- What does it buy you?
- You prevent yourself from getting and giving dangerous payload to all peers
- What does it not buy you?
- If a single file would sneak in, or be present already, you might still have a major problem
- You have sacrificed a lot of the availability to gain confidentiality and or integrity
Most of our readers do not have the extreme "at all cost" risk situations.
Most of us have a situation where we have a business, and the business must continue to operate. In such a business however you will identify -if you look for it- areas that might need more protection and are willing to sacrifice more for that protection than other parts of the same business. That difference in need for protection is what you can play on to do something.
E.g.: Suppose I know the accounting department was considered sensitive and due to the risk analysis performed, worthy of more extreme measures then other departments.
What could I try to do to use some of the very extreme ideas and build a safer solution for them now and in the next weeks ?
- Isolate them frmm the rest of the company. Plug a firewall between them and the rest of the internal networks. Disallow all unneeded communication with the rest of the company, making sure their servers are on their new inside.
- Use advanced networking solutions to prevent (accidental) hookup of unauthorized equipment to the sensitive network. E.g.:
- Make sure switch ports automatically shut down when try try to learn a second MAC address
- Assign only DHCP addresses to known MAC addresses
- Kick unknown MAC addresses into a separate VLAN
- Use layer 2 measures (such as private VLANs) to prevent client-to-client communication
- Disallow dangerous usage:
- Disallow IM
- Disallow web surfing
- Disallow email, or strip all attachments from the more secure email server they get access to.
- Now no surfing, no email, ... etc can be hard on the users and they might have really good arguments to have the functionality back.
- Build a second less sensitive network on different infrastructure
- Add machines for those that need the web/email/...
- Allow them to surf the web (with traditional restrctions) on those "less" secure machines but not on the "sensitive" machines which are to be used exclusively for their sensitive application(s).
- Be very procedural and build the needed infrastructure if you want to allow transfers between the two environments.
- The more traditional stuff should not be forgotten, especially not on the more secure side:
- Take a tough stance on updating Anti-virus signatures
- Look for unregistering the DLL as per Microsofts suggestion
- May be consider an unofficial patch from some reputable source
- Look for other platforms
- This is hard as training users to switch platforms takes time, and worse applications might not have clients for other platforms that work properly. Still it's one way out of the de-facto monoculture of operating systems and related vulnerabilities. We know from agriculture monoculture has risks. If we want not to accept the risks we need to act on it as well.
- Look for other strongholds to build
- If you have more than one sensitive section in you company, build more of these strongholds, do not build larger ones.
- More smaller ones will contain the spread of infections and the associated risks and costs in clean up better under control.
Add to that that families of nobles get their own donjon so as not to risk all nobles getting wiped out in one go should disease strike the city.
UPDATE We received some suggestions to help far less extreme than what is above here. However I feel it is hard to actually recommend any of them as the protection it might give has a huge risk of giving a false sense of security. Yet for soem organisations it might be what does the trick for them ...
- Allowing only non windows machines to acces the Internet was suggested as an approach. While it might protect that machine, the downloaded files might easily migrate to the windows machines and as such be a risk regardless. Also users might find a way to tunnel thtough the allowed machines. But as always it gives something and for some environments it might help to mitigate the risk.
- Remote display clients from a windows desktop to a unix server was suggested. While it might work again some of the tools have file transfer capabilites and/or accellerate the display by using the graphical power in the workstation. You will never be sure the windows machines are fully secure. But it might help in some environments to mitigate some of the risk without giving much assurances.
Swa Frantzen
New IM Worm Exploiting WMF Vulnerability
Kaspersky Lab Blogs
Be very careful when opening the New Years Greetings that you receive folks. We wouldn't want you to have to spend the rest of your holiday weekend rebuilding your computer.
Thanks to Juha-Matti for providing the information.
2006 Predictions
From Dan:
* Trojans outpace worms
From Jeremy:
I believe that one of the
biggest threats are going to be insecure databases. The proof of concept database worm that was
released about a month or so ago is just the very beginning of what we will see
over the next year+. To me this is a
very real problem as I have audited environments where there was a huge focus
on securing hosts and servers, but zero or minimal focus on securing the
From Jim:
My 2006 predictions/paranoid
- "Zero-Day" exploits that are discovered and exploited by The Bad Guys, with no one being the wiser until it is far, far too late; 2. Tightly-targeted malware (currently being used) that, once it gleans information from financial institutions, allows the attacker(s) to then completely trash the entire information store - causing panic/chaos (if only for the targeted company(s); 3. Hackers taking the Fed's recent announcement that "the Internet is not vulnerable to widespread attack" as a personal challenge.
NOT a Quiet Day
I purchased new computers for my grown, married children and their families for Christmas. They each had really old hand me downs and it was time to get them up to date. My daughter and her husband didn't even have an email address of their own, they came to my house and used mine. So for Christmas I decided to give their families something they could really use.
Before those machines even made it under the tree - they were completely updated. (That is what I spent late Christmas Eve doing). I installed a software firewall program and antivirus program on them as well as AdAware and Spybot. I uninstalled all of the junk programs that the vendor had put on the machines (Kazaa Lite, etc...). Their email was setup and all of the updates were done. They have been instructed on running scans and making sure that the live update is running. I have instructed them on what not to do (open unsolicited emails, click on links or attachments from unsolicited emails), don't download, stay out of chat rooms, etc.....
I contacted them yesterday and reminded them not to open ANY attachments or links in any email that they were not specifically expecting. And to stay out of the IM's.
Here is hoping that this will keep them safe for the next few days. How about you? Have you adequately protected your computer? Do you have a current AV program that has updated defs? Do you have a firewall?
Have a Happy New Year everyone.
WMF and Indexing
WMF Indexing, White Elephants and White Rabbits
The WMF White Elephant in the room as far as I'm concerned is Indexing. YMMV. How many Vendors have other Indexing services installed that are going to automagically enable WMF exploitation on or across your network?F-Secure pointed out the White Elephant when they recommended you "disable indexing of media files (or get rid of Google Desktop) if you're handling infected files under Windows" and said "This is enough to invoke the exploit and infect the machine. This all happens in realtime as Google Desktop contains a file system filter and will index new files in realtime.". And I agree, turn all Indexing off until a fix is out.
Microsoft, Google and other vendors should immediately address what the role is of their indexing services, particularly as it relates to shares, synchronization and potential mitigation activities. Their lack of comment on this issue is glaring.
MS Indexing (White Rabbit Link)
F-Secure's blog today has a new vulnerability workaround (unrelated to indexing).
Call 1-866-727-2338 for free virus and security-related support from Microsoft
Preparation for the Inevitable (and New Years Resolution?)
When your Family and friends inevitably ask for help to "clean" their systems exploited by malicious WMF (or other) attacks, refer them to MS's free phone support.Microsoft's No-Charge support phone number for virus and other security-related issue support is 1-866-727-2338, and "is available 24 hours a day for the U.S. and Canada."
"Outside of the U.S. and Canada", click here and then select your region to obtain the free support phone number for virus and other security-related issue.


text:
As low as 1 Teaspoon (5 droppers full / 5ml) per day for small and sensitive individuals.
As high as 2 Tablespoons (30 droppers full / 30ml) per day for larger and robust individuals experiencing acute and severe symptoms.
Herbs can be taken at one time or dosed several times per day.
Average dose is 1 Tablespoon (15 droppers full / 15ml) per day.
Higher doses are used for acute and/or severe symptoms, lower doses are used for milder symptoms and/or longer term maintenance.
These herbs are most often taken mixed with a cup of hot water (like a cup of tea), but they can also be mixed with cold water or taken as an undiluted shot!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Are you a small business looking for web design services in Brampton, Mississauga. Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area?
Well, then you might be feeling overwhelmed surfing through the thousands of web design companies that come up in the Google search results for local Montreal web design companies…
At Marketing Blitz Inc. We get it:
Selecting a website design partner (especially with so many local options available in Brampton, Toronto, Mississauga and rest of the GTA) is no small task. But as a small business, a website isn't just a "fancy thing" for you to have. Click to read more.


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Ten Reasons Why Hymnals Have a Future
Hymnals make several valuable contributions to Christian life today, in dynamic interaction with all the other ways we access and project music and information. Further, a hymnal is a valuable resource for all kinds of Christians, as well as congregational leaders, whether or not their congregation uses a hymnal in worship.
This article is featured in the June 2013 issue of Reformed Worship magazine.
The function of hymnals in the life of the church has changed dramatically over the past thirty years. Many congregations rarely use them. Thousands of Christians seldom, if ever, open one. When people hear of the publication of Lift Up Your Hearts (LUYH), it's natural for some of them to ask, "Why would you ever want to publish another hymnal?"
The most basic response to this is that many congregations do use hymnals every week, in both public worship and in church education and pastoral care. Still others are rediscovering the value of hymnals, reintroducing their selective use alongside other ways of presenting songs. Indeed, the hymnal supplement Sing! A New Creation surpassed its original projected sales ten times over. Psalms for All Seasons did the same in less than one year. Hymnals from a variety of other publishers continue to sell well, too.
Hymnals make several valuable contributions to Christian life today, in dynamic interaction with all the other ways we access and project music and information. Further, a hymnal is a valuable resource for all kinds of Christians, as well as congregational leaders, whether or not their congregation uses a hymnal in worship.
Here are ten reasons why:
1. Hymnals are especially well suited to good group singing of many kinds of songs (though not all).
Cyclical songs of exuberant praise are well served by projecting texts. People's hands are free for clapping, and the text can easily be cycled through a set of slides. Singing from a hymnal can inhibit participation in songs like these.
But the reverse is true for other kinds of songs.
Hymnals are well suited to singing contemplative songs, where it is helpful to sing with bowed head, while seated or kneeling.
Hymnals are especially useful for singing in harmony, unless that harmony can be projected (which you can do, incidentally, by using the electronic version of Lift Up Your Hearts).
Hymnals are ideal for texts that are more linear—texts that unfold an argument or tell a story in several stanzas. When we sing those kinds of texts from a screen, we can't see the whole thing at once, and it's very easy to lose track of where the song is going. (The same can be said for reading the Bible while seeing only one verse at time.)
Congregations do not have to settle for only one way of presenting songs, whether in print or via projection.
2. Hymnals are portable.
Hymnals can travel easily into Sunday school rooms, summer camps, hospital rooms, family rooms, and more. Many congregations that no longer use hymnals or songbooks for worship are realizing that they—without intending to—no longer sing together in places that lack projection equipment. Or, they end up singing only a very narrow range of songs that the congregation may know from memory. This means that they sing less (or not at all) in Bible study groups, in council or staff meetings, or at other gatherings.
I am so pleased to know that some churches that do not use hymnals in worship nevertheless have a library cart with thirty hymnals on it that travels throughout their church so any group can use hymnals at any time.
3. Hymnals are splendid for home piano or keyboard devotional playing.
For thousands of believers over the past century or more, including my own grandfather, some of the sweetest hours of prayer have happened at the family piano or keyboard. A devotional tour of the hymnal might begin with a favorite song, but then veer off into uncharted territory—rather like a spiritual off-road vehicle.
True enough, a few people can do this by ear, without a book. True enough, you can print some songs off the Internet, though it costs much more to print 900 songs at home than to buy a hymnal with the same number of selections.
Indeed, one of the best ways to use the Internet for music is to purchase a tablet-formatted hymnal. (By the way, it is possible to purchase the electronic pdf of Lift Up Your Hearts from Faith Alive and save it to your tablet. It's not as glitzy as an app, but it does let you page through the hymnal and play from it.)
4. Hymnals are an efficient one-stop worship planning resource.
With a hymnal, a pastor or worship planner can swiftly thumb through a varied but well edited cluster of at least ten songs for Easter, or morning prayer, or lament, for example. You could find the same ten songs on the Internet, but that would take twenty clicks or more—after you wade through a dizzying variety of other options with no guarantee of their musical or theological integrity. While a hymnal need not be the only worship planning resource, it is one indispensable resource.
5. Hymnals make it relatively easy to stumble on and fall in love with good music you never thought you would like.
One stunning result of the 1987 Psalter Hymnal was the number of Anglo congregations that fell in love with the black gospel hymn "Lead Me, Guide Me," and the number of history-resisting congregations that found "If You But Trust in God to Guide You" to be a source of blessing in times of tragedy. Now, it is very possible to experience crossover songs on the internet, or through other sources. But, in general, the internet tends to feed us more of what we like. It pulls toward homogenization. Today's hymnals, with their musical diversity, are designed to help us meet, discover, and come to love a wide variety of music.
6. Well-designed hymnals offer a vision of a balanced thematic diet.
Any hymnal worth its salt needs songs for both praise and lament, for both Christmas and Jesus' baptism, for both Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day, for both morning and evening prayer, and texts for probably a hundred other key themes. One of the main goals for any hymnal is to give people access to a balanced musical diet, full of all the right kinds of proteins and carbohydrates to sustain the life of faith.
As several leading advocates of contemporary music have recently pointed out, the contemporary worship industry is not well organized to promote this balanced worship diet. The top two hundred songs in the CCLI list are simply the two hundred most-sung songs. There is no mechanism built into such a list to ensure thematic balance (though we need not blame the CCLI list for not doing what it can't possibly do!)
Every congregation, whether it uses hymnals or not, needs a tool for imagining a balanced diet. The best hymnals turn out to be very useful resources. For this reason, I am grateful for a number of contemporary songwriters I know who regularly look at hymnals to remind them of the kinds of songs that they need to be writing to fill in the gaps of the church's repertoire—songs that may never become greatest hits, but that may be used, like powerful yeast, to transform the imagination of large segments of the church.
I realize that congregations who use hymnals may not themselves have a balanced diet. They may choose only a narrow range of what appears in the book. But just as a good reference book in nearly any field (medicine, for example) opens up our eyes to full range of learning, so too a hymnal offers a vision of the breadth of the church's song.
7. Hymnals help connect songs with elements of worship.
Like many recent hymnals, Lift Up Your Hearts includes several selections that integrate music with a variety of prayers, liturgies, and other acts of worship. Indeed, some of the best music in worship doesn't stand on its own; it helps a congregation sing its way through the telling of a biblical story or pray through the prayers of the people. In contrast, the CCLI list and the larger worship industry are best at delivering ready-packaged songs that stand on their own. They are not well equipped (at least for now) to generate ways to integrate music and congregational prayer, or music and Lord's Supper liturgies.
8. Hymnals give people access to a "cultural memory bank" that many desperately want.
I have been struck of late by the number of emerging churches that want to meet in old cathedrals ("Give me a building with a memory," one pastor said). While some are fleeing from oppressive histories, many spiritual nomads are longing for a sense of history. It's hard to think of a more poignant and accessible way of engaging history than by singing the songs used by Christians across the centuries. Using a hymnal we can sing the grand Trinitarian words of Ambrose, the memorable hymns of Watts and Wesley, Orthodox prayer refrains, and passionate revival hymns from Asia and Africa.
9. Hymnals can be appealing to seekers.
To be sure, for some seekers, a hymnal could well be a barrier to the faith—too foreign and incomprehensible on first reading. To other seekers, a hymnal could be appealing as a proof that the community takes its faith seriously, invests in enduring art forms, and is willing to encounter difficult texts and themes. ("I knew I could take these people seriously because of the way their songbook specifically mentioned 'suicide,' 'war,' and 'grief,'" said one seeker). Hymnal lovers need to honestly realize how hymnals can be a barrier for some people, and hymnal detractors need to realize that they can be gift and attraction for others.
10. A hymnal can be a surprisingly effective catechism for both brand-new and lifelong Christians.
Hymnals offer pithy, memorable, poetic answers to a host of questions that people have about the Christian faith. They summarize vast, sweeping biblical themes in the space of a single page, often with remarkable nuance. Even if a congregation doesn't sing "In Christ Alone," that text is a fine way to introduce people to the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection. Further, a good hymnal will contain curricula for Christianity 101, 201, and 301 side by side. It is a powerful tool for learning about the faith for people at every stage of their faith journey.
In summary, hymnals are a good resource, not the only good resource. And they may not be even the best single resource for every one of these functions. But for overall value, it's pretty hard to beat a single book that does so many things at once:
- provides a comprehensive reference resource for finding songs and one technological mode of presenting songs;
- functions as a musical collection and a worship book, with prayers and liturgies for congregational use;
- presents a single-volume snap-shot of the diversity of the church throughout time and space, a kind of working experiment in the "catholicity" or "universality" of the church; and
- acts as a single source for strengthening devotional, pastoral care, educational, and liturgical ministries, making it possible to integrate these dimensions of the Christian life.
And hymnals like Lift Up Your Hearts do all this while providing almost one thousand songs for around twenty dollars, or a mere two cents per song.


text:
If you're struggling to lose weight, you might not think that an ancient drink can help you get rid of those unwanted pounds. Despite the fact that we're being constantly exposed to the latest and greatest weight loss fads, many Asian cultures have known for ages that the power of green tea, sometimes referred to as Chinese weight loss tea, can help you manage your weight through this amazing tea's many healthy benefits. In fact, the use of teas as a dietary supplement for overall excellent health and well-being dates back over many thousands of years.
History tells us that the Chinese have long been using green Chinese weight loss tea as a part of their healthy lifestyle, and now the use of such teas to aid in weight loss has made its way the the west. Sales totals around the globe tell us that green teas are now more popular than ever world wide. One of Chinese weight loss tea's most powerful benefits is that it packs the ability to help boost the metabolism. As you may know, once you decide to modify your diet and begin to cut down on your caloric intake in order to lose weight, your body's metabolism may slow down considerably as it enters what is known as "starvation mode".
Mother Of 2 Reverses Dangerous Inflammation And Loses Over 70 Pounds
Watch Now Here
When this happens, your body senses that food is in short supply and it begins to store additional fat that it can burn later for energy. Even though you're purposely reducing your food intake in order to lose weight, your body doesn't know that you're actually on a diet and trying to shed those extra pounds. In order to avoid a significant drop in your metabolic rate, you may consider turning to Chinese weight loss tea as a method to keep your body burning fat at the normal (or even enhanced) rate.
In addition, Chinese weight loss tea is a completely natural dietary supplement. These days you'll find weight loss pills of all sorts being sold on television and online. While some of these supplements may be completely safe, unless you understand all of the ingredients and how they may affect your body, you can't be completely sure about how safe or effective they may be. On the other hand, if you buy only pure and natural Chinese weight loss tea that is grown without harsh chemicals or pesticides, you can be certain that you're enjoying an all-natural dietary aid.
Like anything else, despite the fact that Chinese weight loss tea can be completely natural and safe, you should beware of over indulgence. Too much of a good thing can be bad for you. In addition, if you've never used teas as a weight loss supplement, make sure you check with your doctor or nutritionist before you add it to your diet.


text:
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If you bruise easily, you might have an illness that has depleted the body over time, or your digestive organs may not be working together to properly control blood flow. Usually an herbal therapy can help, though treatment depends on the person.
Most of the herbal formulas for bruising work to keep the body's energy (qi, pronounced "chee") or blood circulating. For fresh bruises, I use cooling herbs that dilate the blood vessels and move energy through the area in order to clear a bruise. I don't recommend ice on a swelling bruise because rather than moving the blood, ice congeals blood in a local space, which can work against healing.
Externally, you can heal bruising with an herbal formula called San Huang San or "herbal ice." The main herbs in the formula are huang bai, huang qin, and da huang, which you can find in Chinese herb stores. Grind about 20 grams of each herb into a fine powder and then mix with egg whites until it is the consistency of thick mud. Spread the paste on the bruised area, cover with a bandage, and leave it on for 24 to 48 hours to reduce the inflammation.
-Tom Bisio, Lac, author, A Tooth From the Tiger's Mouth (Simon & Schuster, 2004), New York
Naturopathic doctor
Bruises can be a symptom of numerous conditions, so the first thing we want to do is identify the cause of the problem by doing blood work to rule out blood clotting, liver disease, platelet or bone marrow disorder, or hemophilia. If everything is fine, then we look at nutritional imbalances and identify if the person is taking aspirin, other blood thinning medications, or steroids, which can cause bruising as a side effect.
In general, people who bruise really easily may have a clotting disorder. Vitamin K applied topically and vitamin E taken internally coagulate seeping blood and help clear bleeding from bruises. Vitamin C is also important for strengthening capillaries. Acerola berries, available in frozen acerola juice concentrate, as well as oranges, grapefruits, and peppers, are great sources. Bioflavonoids, the plant substances that bring color to fruits and vegetables, also increase vitamin C's ability to protect capillary walls. Try to get these vitamins from your food because food sources provide a broad range of essential minerals and antioxidants that you need. Also, look for topical ointments or salves with arnica, comfrey, or sweet clover to minimize inflammation and alleviate pain.
-Angela Lambert, ND, MSOM, Lac, owner, A Healing Path holistic health clinic, Portland, Oregon
Vascular surgeon
A bruise represents the red blood cells leaking into the tissues underneath the skin when direct injury breaks the small blood vessels, or capillaries. The elderly and those with significant malnutrition are at increased risk of bruising because they don't have as much structural integrity in the skin and underlying tissues. People who are on steroids or blood thinners, including everyday aspirin, are also at increased risk because these factors make the capillaries more fragile.
For most bruises you don't need to see a physician. The black-and-blueness may take several weeks to go away, but that is not a concern. During the first 24 hours, put a cold compress on the area several times a day to decrease the pain and inflammation and to help close the capillaries and decrease further bleeding. For the first day or two take 325 mg Tylenol three times a day, which does not exacerbate bleeding or thin the blood like aspirin. After a few days, you can use aspirin because it has anti-inflammatory and analgesic components. Elderly patients could also wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to provide a little protection against everyday bumps and bruises.
-John Blebea, MD, professor of surgery and chief of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy division, Case Medical Center, Cleveland


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What we are learning is that the medieval warming period was way more unique than we had expected, or at least it was uniquely strong. Its impact was to drive weather systems further south treating the Yucatan Peninsula to the weather conditions of most of Mexico . The high point appears to have lasted most of a century which is ample enough to depopulate anywhere.
It is also oddly stated that this was the worst dry period over 3000 years. Unstated is the fact that 3000 years ago the Bronze Age optimum collapsed, I believe most likely due to human denudation of the Sahara. Likely a different climate regime was in place before 3000 years.
Most interesting to us is that the medieval maximum was both a likely optimum but also possibly uniquely warmer than would have been projected. Welcome to another interesting question.
Characterizing the Mayan Terminal Classic Period
Escobar, J., Curtis, J.H., Brenner, M., Hodell, D.A. and Holmes, J.A. 2010. Isotope measurements of single ostracod valves and gastropod shells for climate reconstruction: Evaluation of within-sample variability and determination of optimum sample size. Journal of Paleolimnology 43: 921-938.
What was done
In the words of the authors, "sediment cores from Lakes Punta Laguna, Chichancanab, and Peten Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula were used to (1) investigate 'within-horizon' stable isotope variability (δ18O and δ13C) measured on multiple, single ostracod valves and gastropod shells, (2) determine the optimum number of individuals required to infer low-frequency climate changes, and (3) evaluate the potential for using intra-sample δ18O variability in ostracod and gastropod shells as a proxy measure for high-frequency climate variability."
What was learned
The five researchers report that their results "allow calculation of mean isotope values and thus provide a rough estimate of the low-frequency variability over the entire sediment sequence," and these results indicated that "relatively dry periods were persistently dry [italics added], whereas relatively wet periods were composed of wet and dry times."
What it means
Escobar et al. state that their findings "confirm the interpretations of Hodell et al. (1995, 2007) and Curtis et al. (1996) that there were persistent dry climate episodes associated with the Terminal Classic Maya Period." In fact, they find that "the Terminal Classic Period from ca. AD 910 to 990 was not only the driest period in the last 3,000 years, but also a persistently dry period [italics added]." And in further support of this interpretation, they note that "the core section encompassing the Classic Maya collapse has the lowest sedimentation rate among all layers and the lowest oxygen isotope variability."
We additionally note, in this regard, that the AD 910 to 990 time period falls very close to the central section of the frequency plot of the time-of-occurrence of the Medieval Warm Period for many of the locations where it has been detected (to date) throughout the entire world, as may be seen from the Interactive Map and Time Domain Plot of ourMedieval Warm Period Project, which observation suggests that the climate of the Yucatan Peninsula during that time period likely was also persistently warm. And that "double whammy" of persistent warmth and persistent dryness
appears to have been just a bit too much for the Mayans of that trying time to endure.
Curtis, J.H., Hodell, D.A. and Brenner, M. 1996. Climate variability on the
Hodell, D.A., Brenner, M. and Curtis, J.H. 2007. Climate and cultural history of the Northeastern Yucatan Peninsula , Quintana Roo , Mexico . Climatic Change 83: 215-240.
Hodell, D.A., Curtis, J.H. and Brenner, M. 1995. Possible role of climate in the collapse of classic Maya civilization.Nature 375: 391-394.
Reviewed 28 July 2010


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Cost-effectiveness of oral versus intravenous antibiotics (OVIVA) in patients with bone and joint infection: evidence from a non-inferiority trial
McMeekin N., Geue C., Briggs A., Rombach I., Li HK., Bejon P., McNally M., Atkins BL., Ferguson J., Scarborough M.
<ns4:p><ns4:bold>Background: </ns4:bold>Bone and joint infections are becoming increasingly common and are usually treated with surgery and a course of intravenous antibiotics. However, there is no evidence to support the superiority of intravenous therapy and there is a growing body of literature showing that oral therapy is effective in treating these infections.Given this lack of evidence the clinical trial 'Oral Versus Intravenous Antibiotics' (OVIVA) was designed to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of intravenous versus oral antibiotics for the treatment of bone and joint infections, using a non-inferiority design. Clinical results from the trial indicate that oral antibiotics are non-inferior to intravenous antibiotics. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of intravenous compared to oral antibiotics for treating bone and joint infections, using data from OVIVA.</ns4:p><ns4:p> <ns4:bold>Methods: </ns4:bold>A cost-utility analysis was carried out, the main economic outcome measure was the quality adjusted life-year, measured using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire, combined with costs to estimate cost-effectiveness over 12-months follow-up.</ns4:p><ns4:p> <ns4:bold>Results: </ns4:bold>Results show that costs were significantly lower in the oral arm compared to the intravenous arm, a difference of £2,740 (95% confidence interval £1,488 to £3,992). Results of four sensitivity analyses were consistent with the base-case results. QALYs were marginally higher in the oral arm, however this difference was not statistically significant; -0.007 (95% confidence interval -0.045 to 0.031).</ns4:p><ns4:p> <ns4:bold>Conclusions: </ns4:bold>Treating patients with bone and joint infections for the first six weeks of therapy with oral antibiotics is both less costly and does not result in detectable differences in quality of life compared to treatment with intravenous antibiotics. Adopting a practice of treating bone and joint infections with oral antibiotics early in the course of therapy could potentially save the UK National Health Service over £17 million annually.</ns4:p>


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On Wednesday, April 23, 2014, at 3:37 pm, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office deputies responded to Hope Canal between Interstate 10 and Lake Maurepas in Garyville when a passing boater reported finding a body in the water. Deputies located Lanny Cambre, 73, of Garyville in the water near his boat. He was pronounced dead at the location.
Investigators located Cambre's truck and boat trailer at the boat launch on Hope Canal just north of Highway US 61. Cambre's family told investigators he was on the canal fishing.
Investigators found no evidence to indicate foul play was a factor in his death. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday morning to determine the cause of death.


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January 6, 2008: Dr. Paula Szkody (University of Washington) has requested our help in monitoring the magnetic cataclysmic variable EF Eri for upcoming Hubble Space Telescope observations. Confirming observations are requested to ensure that EF Eri is fainter than the safe observing threshold during the HST observing window on 2008 January 17 UT.
EF Eri is at RA = 03:14:13.20 , Dec = -22:35:43.0 (J2000).
EF Eri is an intermediate polar. Time-resolved spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope will be used to investigate the physical origin of ultraviolet variability observed with the GALEX satellite in 2004 (also by Szkody et al). HST can only observe objects fainter than 14th magnitude due to the sensitivity of its instruments, and so observations of EF Eri can only be made if it is known that the star is fainter than those limits. AAVSO observers are asked to begin monitoring this star nightly beginning immediately, and to monitor this object intensely immediately prior to and during the observing window beginning 2008 January 17 01:30 UT (JD 2454482.5625) and continuing through the closing of the observing window at 2008 January 17 16:15 UT (JD 2454483.1771).
Both positive and "fainter-than" observations are useful for this campaign. Visual observers are asked to report the faintest comparison star they can reliably detect, with the two nearby stars at m(V) = 14.5 and m(V) = 14.8 being ideal. CCD observers should observe such that they obtain a signal to noise of 10 in the faintest comparison star they can reliably detect in reasonable time. EF Eri is currently around m(V) = 18.1; if you are able to detect EF Eri with S/N of 10 in reasonable time using a CCD, please do so. Filtered CCD observations are not required, but please indicate which if any filters you are using when submitting observations. Please report all observations promptly via WebObs.
Please note that EF Eri is approximately 20 arcseconds East of the m(V) = 14.8 comparison star, so please make sure you are measuring (and reporting) EF Eri rather than this comparison. For those of you who print charts from DSS using VSP, be aware the DSS plates for this field were taken when EF Eri was in a high state -- it will appear much fainter now.
Charts for EF Eri are available through VSP at the following URL:
Recent observations of EF Eri may be found by going to the WebObs observation search page (replaces QuickLook):http://www.aavso.org/apps/webobs/search
Please report all observations to the AAVSO as "EF ERI" (AAVSO 0309-22).
This Alert Notice was prepared by Dr. Matthew Templeton.
Information on submitting observations to the AAVSO may be found at:
An Alert Notice archive is available at the following URL:
Subscribing and Unsubscribing may be done at the following URL:
Please support the AAVSO and its mission -- join or donate today:


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Rockport State Park
The Site
Rockport State Park (RSP) is located in northern Washington beside a stretch of the upper Skagit River. It is situated in the transition zone between the steep slopes of the North Cascades and the flatlands of the Skagit River valley. This area once was home to an impressive lowland conifer forest - now mostly successional forest. But here at RSP is a remnant of the majestic Douglas fir stands that once were common. Western red cedar and western hemlock also occur in the park. Along the river corridor, there is deciduous riparian vegetation that changes as the Skagit periodically floods its banks.
The Birds
It is no surprise that four of Washington's woodpeckers are found in RSP. Red-breasted Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and Northern Flicker can be seen, and the first three are known to nest in the park. Two owl species also occur: Barred and Northern Pygmy-Owl. RSP is a good place to see Ruffed Grouse - watch for them in the edge habitats. Bald Eagles and Osprey have nested here. In all seasons, one can find Varied Thrush, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red Crossbill, and Steller's Jay. Less regular visitors are Pine Siskin and Hutton's Vireo. Summer brings migrants north to nest: Western Tanager, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, MacGillivray's Warbler, and American Robin. If visiting in winter, continue on Route 20, stopping along the Skagit River at the Nature Conservancy's Bald Eagle Natural Area. It is an unforgettable sight: perhaps more than a hundred Bald Eagles feasting on the carcasses of chum salmon!
Directions and Suggestions
From I-5, take Exit #230 (Route 20) and go east for 37 miles to milepost 96. Turn left into the park. There is a campground with restrooms open in summer. Rockport State Park is closed in winter, but there are places to pull off and explore. When the park is open, there is a $5 state parks parking fee.


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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The world's first all-female spacewalking team made history high above Earth on Friday, replacing a broken part of the International Space Station's power grid.
As NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir successfully completed the job with wrenches, screwdrivers and power-grip tools, it marked the first time in a half-century of spacewalking that men weren't part of the action. They insisted they were just doing their job after years of training, following in the footsteps of women who paved the way.
America's first female spacewalker from 35 years ago, Kathy Sullivan, was delighted. She said it's good to finally have enough women in the astronaut corps and trained for spacewalking for this to happen.
"We've got qualified women running the control, running space centers, commanding the station, commanding spaceships and doing spacewalks," Sullivan told The Associated Press earlier this week. "And golly, gee whiz, every now and then there's more than one woman in the same place."
President Donald Trump put in a congratulatory call from the White House to mark "this historic event ... truly historic."
"What you do is incredible. You're very brave people," Trump told them as they wrapped up their spacewalk.
Replied Meir: "We don't want to take too much credit because there have been many others — female spacewalkers — before us. This is just the first time that there have been two women outside at the same time ... For us, this is really just us doing our job."
NASA leaders, Girl Scouts and others also cheered Koch and Meir on. Parents also sent in messages of thanks and encouragement via social media. NASA included some in its TV coverage. "Go girls go," two young sisters wrote on a sign in crayon. A group of middle schoolers held a long sign reading "The sky is not the limit!!"
At the same time, many expressed hope this will become routine in the future.
Tracy Caldwell Dyson, a three-time spacewalker who looked on from Mission Control in Houston, added: "Hopefully, this will now be considered normal."
NASA originally wanted to conduct an all-female spacewalk last spring, but did not have enough medium-size suits ready to go until summer. Koch and Meir were supposed to install more new batteries in a spacewalk next week, but ventured out three days earlier to deal with an equipment failure that occurred over the weekend. It was the second such failure of a battery charger this year, puzzling engineers and putting a hold on future battery installations for the solar power system.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine watched the big event unfold from Washington headquarters.
"We have the right people doing the right job at the right time," he said. "They are an inspiration to people all over the world including me. And we're very excited to get this mission underway."
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sent congratulations to Koch and Meir "for leaving their mark on history" and tweeted that they're an inspiration to women and girls across America.
The spacewalkers' main job was to replace the faulty 19-year-old old charge-regulating device — the size of a big, bulky box — for one of the three new batteries that was installed last week by Koch and Andrew Morgan. As the seven-hour spacewalk drew to a close, Mission Control declared success, informing the astronauts that the new charger seemed to be working and the space station was back to full power. The women dragged in the broken unit so it can be returned to Earth early next year for analysis.
"Jessica and Christina, we are so proud of you," said Morgan, one of four astronauts inside. He called them his "astrosisters."
Spacewalking is widely considered the most dangerous assignment in orbit. Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, who operated the station's robot arm from inside during Friday's spacewalk, almost drowned in 2013 when his helmet flooded with water from his suit's cooling system.
"Everyone ought to be sending some positive vibes by way of airwaves to space for these two top-notch spacewalkers," Dyson said early in the spacewalk.
Meir, a marine biologist making her spacewalking debut, became the 228th person in the world to conduct a spacewalk and the 15th woman. It was the fourth spacewalk for Koch, an electrical engineer who is seven months into an 11-month mission that will be the longest ever by a woman. Both are members of NASA's Astronaut Class of 2013, the only one equally split between women and men.
Pairing up for a spacewalk was especially meaningful for Koch and Meir; they're close friends. They're also both former Girl Scouts.
It took two decades for women to catch up with men in the spacewalking arena.
The world's first spacewalker on March 18, 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, died last week. NASA astronaut Ed White became the first U.S. spacewalker less than three months after Leonov's feat. Women did not follow out the hatch until 1984. The first was Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya. Sullivan followed three months later.
Friday's milestone spacewalk was the 421st for team Earth.
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
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Helpful Information
Access to Xymogen, Apex, Design For Health, Biotics Research & Symphony products requires authentication of patient status. Clickhere for more information.
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Read her perspective on topical health issues and the role naturopoathic medicine plays in helping her patients.
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Get to know our amazing group of practitioners and support team - ready to help you to greater health.
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Breathe Easy Formula is a blend of eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary, lemongrass, citronella, myrtle, and tea tree. Inspired to enhance the ability to breathe deep and free the lungs, sinuses, and skin of congestion and infections. This EO blend works great on acne and other skin infections.
Collections: Essential Oils
Category: Cold and Flu


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Here's the recipe:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons corn syrup or honey
1 packet unflavored gelatin
4 cups birdseed
Cooking spray
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, water, corn syrup (or honey), and gelatin.
2.Add birdseed and mix well.
3. Scoop into greased molds and let dry for several hours before removing from mold.
4. Let ornaments dry overnight on wax paper.
The result should be a distinctly hard ornament the next day. Any squishiness means that the ornament is not completely dry and may mold if packaged up too soon.
Alternatively, you could use cookie cutters by putting wax paper on top of a cookie sheet and filling the greased cookie cutters with seeds. Just be sure to insert pieces of straw to leave a hole to tie the string through after the ornament dries. A mini-bundt pan would probably work well, too.
We wrapped the heart birdseed ornaments into a plastic bag, topped it off with a "love is for the birds" gift tag and voila! Instant gift.


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Servicing Your Kia | Kia UK
Our Car Service Plans
We are here to help make sure your Kia is running smoothly. That's why our service plan packages are tailored to suit the age and mileage of your car. So it's easy for you to get Kia Genuine Parts and reduce your running costs. Other benefits include:
Benefits of our service plans:
- Great value for money
- Fixed cost and inflation proof servicing
- A full Kia service history - boosting resale value
- Packages are transferred to the new owner if you sell your car
- Kia Trained Technicians only use Kia Genuine parts.
Take a look at our car service packages and choose your competitive fixed service price.
Kia Care
All our car service plans are made available through Kia Care, which is designed to give you great value for money and keep your vehicle in top condition. Whatever Kia you have, we have a Kia Care fixed-price service package for you.
Kia Care
Kia Care is our car service plan package, designed to give you great value and keep your vehicle in top condition. Whatever Kia you have, we have a Kia Care fixed-price service package tailored to suit the age and mileage of your car – making life easier for you and keeping running costs down.
Book a Kia Service Online
Online service booking offers convenience and flexibility 24/7. Offering quality and value at any of our dealers nationwide. Kia Trained Technicians use the latest diagnostic equipment and technology. All of our Genuine Kia parts, which come with a 2-year warranty for peace of mind. Fully inclusive car service pricing at the click of a button.
Kia e-Care Service Plans for EV9, EV6 and Niro EV
Kia e-Care is a bespoke service plan designed to keep your EV9, EV6 and Niro EV in top condition.
Our car service plans are designed to give your vehicle an annual check, including specific electric vehicle maintenance such as tyre rotation, brake cleaning and battery state of health reports, as well as scheduled car servicing.
We're Best Placed To Service Your Kia
To keep your Kia in top condition, we recommend that it's serviced on time (e.g., every 12 months). We always align your next car service with the anniversary of the first date of registration (and not 12 months from the date that a delayed service was completed). By doing this, we can replace key components and fluids on a timely basis. This also ensures that the manufacturer's warranty is not affected by servicing requirements. We built your Kia, so we're best placed to keep it running to the highest standard. Our trained technicians will carry out the necessary service and maintenance on your car using only Kia Genuine parts. This could boost the resale value of your car by having a full Kia service history.
Our Car Service Promise
1. Appointments
We'll always ensure your appointment suits your schedule.
2. Welcome
We'll always give you a friendly welcome when entering our service area.
3. Diagnosis
We'll always listen to what you have to say and take the time to discuss your repair options.
4. Repair orders
We'll always review the repair details before starting a service on your Kia — and ask for a signature to make sure you're happy.
5. Pricing
You'll always get to see our transparent pricing policy.
6. Performing car service work
We'll always make sure your service is performed on time and with accuracy.
7. Monitoring
We'll keep you informed of the repair progress and any changes in timing.
8. Final inspection
We'll always make sure that, after servicing, the repair is cross-checked and quality-controlled.
9. Vehicle collection
We'll always explain the repair details when you come to collect your vehicle, and answer any questions you have.
10. Follow-up
We'll try to follow-up with a phone call. Your feedback helps us commit to always getting better.
How Much is a Kia Car Service?
All our car service plans are brought to you through our Kia Care service plan package. We provide a quality Kia Care fixed-price car service plan for all Kia owners, tailored to your car's age and mileage. Our fixed-cost car services include inflation proofing, and offer excellent value for money on trusted services. You can buy a Kia Care service plan online.
You just need your vehicle's registration and current mileage.
When is My Car service Due?
If you have a car service plan with Kia, you can check the car service intervals in your Warranty Information and Service Record Booklet. If you have forgotten when you've booked your car service, or cannot find it in your car service plan, simply reach out to your local Kia Dealership and they can inform you.
Car Service, MOT and Repairs over £35 Complimentary Excess Return Voucher***
If you have a Car Service, MOT or Repair over £35 on your Kia within the Kia Dealer network, you will entitled to receive a free £200 Excess Return Voucher.
The Excess return voucher works alongside your car insurance policy (regardless of who you are insured with) and pays back up to £200 of your excess costs if you make a claim. Call Kia first, before your insurer and we'll repair your car using Kia genuine parts at a Kia Approved Body shop, provide accident recovery and a free courtesy car.
*** Complimentary Excess Return is available on all Kia cars that have a service, MOT or Repair over £35 in the Kia Dealer network. For conditions see voucher or click here
Book An MOT and Car Service together
Kia Care Service plans can include future MOT tests at a cost of £35 each (Max 5). To find out more information on Kia Care Service Plans see our Kia Service Plan Selector.
Interest Free Instalments
Spread the cost of your Kia car service into 3 interest-free instalments. Pay 25% up front, then 0% interest on the remaining balance for 3 months on all service and repair costs between £50 and £5,000. Speak to your dealer about spreading the costs of your service or repair bill. Available at participating dealers.
Find out moreYou'll find your car service intervals in your Warranty Information and Service Record booklet provided with your Kia or you can download the Kia Service Intervals PDF.
You can find the oil grades and capacities of your Kia by downloading this Engine Oil Specifications PDF.
Click here to download Engine Oil Specs
Kia dashboard warning lights are a combination of universally-recognised symbols and symbols unique to Kia. Audible sounds may also be used on occasion. The colour of the light typically signifies the importance or severity of the issue.
- Green and blue lights tell you that a system is active, such as full-beam headlights (blue) or that cruise control is active (green).
- Attention should be paid to orange / amber - and in particular red - symbols. An amber symbol will signify that something requires attention soon, such as a non-urgent issue on the vehicle or an engine service.
- Red is used for something more urgent, such as low oil levels or engine temperatures running hot. Flashing lights accompanied by an audible sound signify immediate attention because of potential harm to the car, you and/or passengers.
This PDF details Kia dashboard warning lights and symbols with pictures, explanations, plus the appropriate action to take.
Tyre Labelling
New EU tyre label legislation came into effect on the 1st of November 2012 to help customers make an informed decision when buying tyres. The new tyre label contains information such as Fuel efficiency, Wet grip and External rolling noise.
Find out about the UK Tyre Labelling Information for Kia cars
Winter Tyres
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With appreciation to my friends Jerry Nagel and Michelle Murton for sharing these two gems on the Art of Hosting Listserve. They are a couple that I want to share with my kids too!
"To listen fully means to pay close attention to what is being said beneath the words. You listen not only to the 'music,' but to the essence of the person speaking. You listen not only for what someone knows, but for what he or she is. Ears operate at the speed of sound, which is far slower than the speed of light the eyes take in. Generative listening is the art of developing deeper silences in yourself, so you can slow your mind's hearing to your ears' natural speed, and hear beneath the words to their meaning."
If You Really Pay Attention
When I was a little bitty kiddy, about five, my Dad began a process … anytime somebody came and said something to us, my dad would say, "You remember what he said, honey girl?" I would tell my father what the person said until I got so good at it that I could repeat verbatim even long presentations of what the person had said.
And he did this all the time.
Finally, one day there was this old gentleman, Richard Thompson. I still remember his name, he lived across the street. And every time my Dad started to mow the lawn, there came Mr. Thompson. And so I would stand out there.
Dad says, "You might come and listen to this man, honey girl. He's pretty interesting." And so I listened to him, and then my dad would say, "What did you hear him say?" And I would tell him.
Well, eventually I was repeating all the stories he liked to share with my dad verbatim. I knew them all by heart.
And my Dad says, "You're getting pretty good at that. But did you hear his heart?" And I thought, what? So I went around for days with my ear to people's chest trying to hear their hearts.
Finally my Dad created another learning situation for me by asking my mother to read an article from the newspaper. He says "Well, I guess if you want to understand that article, you have to read between the lines."
I thought, "Oh, read between the lines. Hear between the words."
So the next time I listened to Mr. Thompson's stories, I tried to listen between the words. My Dad said, "I know you know his story, but did you hear his heart?" And I said, "Yes. He is very lonely and comes and shares his memories with you again and again because he's asking you to keep him company in his memories."
It just came out of me. In other words, my heart echoed his heart.
And when you can listen at that level, then you can hear not only the people. If you really pay attention, you can hear what the Universe is saying.
—Paula Underwood, clan mother of the Turtle clan, Iroquois nation


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First randomised trial of targeted cancer medicine in all tumour types to be presented at ECC2013; results will pave the way for personalised treatment
A further step along the road to the personalisation of cancer medicine, where treatment is based on the individual molecular characteristics of tumours rather than their primary site, will be presented at the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013), which starts on Friday 27 September in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Dr Christophe Le Tourneau, Head of the Phase I Programme at the Institut Curie, Paris, France, will tell the congress that the SHIVA trial is the first randomised trial to look at patient outcomes after treatments were chosen according to the individual molecular profiles of each person's tumour. It is also the first trial to do this for all tumour types. About 40% of all those taking part in the trial have molecular abnormalities that can be targeted by existing drugs, he will say.
To date, 320 patients from seven comprehensive cancer centres across France have been included in this phase II trial, of whom 60 have been randomised. In the standard arm, the patients received the chemotherapy they would have received if they had not been participating in the trial. All patients had recurrent or metastatic cancer that was unresponsive to standard treatment for their disease.
"Our goal is to have 200 randomised patients," says Dr Le Tourneau. "Although 40% of the 320 patients have a tumour for which targeted drugs are available, some are still on the chemotherapy that was started at the time of the biopsy and therefore we will have to randomise them later. Because we are looking for an effect in different kinds of tumours, we have ruled out the inclusion of any particular type of tumour if this brings the number of randomised patients with this type to over 20% of the total. We have also allowed the inclusion of patients with rare tumours."
Preliminary results of the feasibility study, to be presented at the congress, show that this approach works, the researchers say. The ultimate goal of the phase II trial is to see whether the selection of drugs that target the specific molecular profiles of tumours will improve outcomes for patients.
Once the first 100 patients were included, the researchers looked at the feasibility of a biopsy of a metastasis, since the molecular profile of the primary tumour, if tissue is available, may not be the same as that found in a metastasis. They also investigated the quality of available tumour samples, the proportion of the patients for which the necessary analyses could be undertaken, the proportion for which a molecular abnormality can be identified and for which a targeted therapy exists, and the timeframe needed to establish the tumour profile.
"Recent advances in diagnostics have enabled us to ascertain the molecular profile of tumours in a timeframe which is compatible with good clinical care, but we needed to verify this in our study," says Dr Le Tourneau.
Unlike conventional chemotherapy, molecular targeted agents only work in the presence of their targets. Side-effects are lessened and, in principle, efficacy heightened. One of the problems to date, however, is that such drugs have principally been developed based on the primary location and histology (cellular make-up) of the tumour. This has meant that many potentially promising targeted drugs have failed in early clinical trials simply because they have not induced a response in a sufficient number of patients.
"The history of breast cancer changed beyond recognition with the discovery of the role played by the ErB2/HER2 gene, which is amplified in up to 20% of breast cancers. And we now know that trastuzumab (Herceptin), one of the most widely-used targeted cancer therapies, which targets that gene, is effective in several tumour types and not just in breast when the ERBB2/HER2 gene is amplified or even mutated," says Dr Le Tourneau. "We also know that patient outcomes in the few trials to date where the choice of treatment is based on a molecular abnormality are better than those where the treatment is not matched to the abnormality. What was missing to date is a histology-independent randomised trial comparing molecular targeted treatment with conventional therapy, and this is why I decided to set up the SHIVA trial."
Even today, the researchers say, molecularly targeted therapy for cancer patients is initially prescribed according to the location of the primary tumour. At the end of the trial, analysis of progression–free survival will show whether this practice needs to be changed.
A positive finding would imply the need to make major changes in the way cancer drugs are developed and tested in patients. But this would represent a new and difficult challenge.
"At present we have no data on the efficacy of drugs in patients with the same molecular abnormality but different tumour types, and we also suspect that a treatment effect would not depend on the presence of a single molecular abnormality, but, more likely, on several. However, we believe that it is most likely that, in future, tumour location and histology will no longer be the primary criteria for the prescription of molecularly targeted agents; rather, tumour biology will be the deciding factor," says Dr Le Tourneau. "A positive result from our trial would be an important step forward on the road to personalised medicine."
Professor Cornelis van de Velde, President of ECCO, said: "This ground-breaking randomised trial is very exciting since this is the way to individualise therapy. We have already moved from empirical to stratified treatment, and now we can offer patients personalised treatment based on the understanding of the particular molecular profiles of their tumours in order to select drugs that target a specific profile. The means to determine the individual molecular profiles of tumours will be readily available at low cost in the years to come, and the integration of biopsy-based molecular profiles with individual patient characteristics will enable precision diagnosis to be translated into precision personalised therapies. ECCO will have an important role to play in ensuring the incorporation of molecular biology genetics into clinical multidisciplinary meetings."
Abstract no: 950, "Randomised phase II trial comparing therapy based on tumour molecular profiling versus conventional therapy in patients with refractory cancer: results of the feasibility part of the SHIVA trial". Diagnostics/biomarkers poster session, 14.00 hrs (CEST), Saturday 28 September, Hall 4.
[1] The 2013 European Cancer Congress is the 17th congress of the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO), the 38th congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the 32nd congress of European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO).
[2] The SHIVA trial is supported by grant ANR-10-EQPX-03 from the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (Investissements d'Avenir) and SiRIC (Site de Recherche Intégré contre le Cancer).


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April is Autism Awareness Month
April is national Autism Awareness Month and The Arc and The Autism NOW National Autism Resource & Information Center are working to empower people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) with the information and resources they need to live their lives to the fullest potential. We are also working to help others become more accepting of people with ASDs.
With the CDC declaring that 1 in 68 children may be impacted by autism spectrum disorders, it's a fair bet that each one of us knows someone with autism or someone who has a family member or friend with autism. That's why it's important to dispel all of the myths and misinformation to understand and accept what having an ASD really means. And that's why The Autism NOW Center exists, to weed through the volumes of information out there and provide high-quality, vetted resources and information to people with autism and other developmental disabilities, their family, friends, colleagues, teachers, employers and others.
To promote awareness and acceptance, we invite you to view and share a new video about Autism NOW and learn more. Also, we encourage you to join in the conversation! Throughout April, we will publish the personal stories and perspectives of people with autism on the Autism NOW blog to generate discussion about autism awareness and acceptance.. We invite your comments here and on our social media channels using the hashtag #AutismAware.
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Apple expanding Thunderbolt team for new devices equipped with high-speed ports
This week, on its official corporate hiring site, Apple posted a listing for a new full-time vacancy in the role of "Thunderbolt Software Quality Engineer." The company seeks candidates with at least five years of software quality assurance testing to play a part in testing new hardware and software that will take advantage of Thunderbolt input/output technology.
The ideal candidate will have expertise in testing high-speed buses and PCI-express devices. The position will require the person to test firmware and software on new "world-class products and cutting edge technologies."
The latest job posting joins two other recent Thunderbolt-related hirings, suggesting Apple is hard at work to expand the presence of the high-speed port co-developed with Intel. In addition to a second software quality engineer, Apple is also looking to add an employee for the role of Thunderbolt Firmware/Software Engineer.
The full-time position located at Apple's corporate campus in Cupertino, Calif., will have the engineer "develop and maintain firmware for embedded controllers for Thunderbolt products." The person will craft firmware for Thunderbolt devices, as well as "corresponding Mac OS X tool and utility applications such as updaters and exercisers."
"Includes development of new products plus refinement and maintenance of past products," the official listing reads. "May develop other Thunderbolt software for Mac OS X unrelated to firmware, such as drivers, sample code, applications, libraries, and/or utilities."
The desired candidate for the firmware position would also have experience with ARM processors. That could be a sign that Apple plans to include Thunderbolt technology in future versions of the iPhone or iPad, allowing ultra-fast syncing with a Mac.
Thunderbolt technology debuted this February on Apple's newly updated MacBook Pro notebooks. Formerly code-named "Light Peak," the technology offers data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps, or 20 times faster than USB 2.0, and twice as fast as USB 3.0.
Thunderbolt ports are fast enough to transfer a full-length high-definition movie in less than 30 seconds, or to back up an MP3 collection large enough to play nonstop for a full year in just 10 minutes. It is based on PCI Express, and uses the same size connector as Apple's Mini DisplayPort.
Because Intel and Apple collaborated in creating Thunderbolt, Apple will have a yearlong head start in deploying the technology on its hardware. It is expected that future updates to Mac products will add Thunderbolt ports as they are released throughout 2011.
This week, Apple was granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that describes a modified dock connector compatible with new high-speed communication standards, including Thunderbolt. The patent describes a smaller 30-pin dock connector, like the port found on existing iPhones, iPads and iPods, that would include updated communication standards, allowing power, data, video and audio signals.


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- Larry Hyslop/Correspondent Elko Daily Free Press
cross-posted for educational purposes
Let me start by saying I have no answer to the above question. If Noble Energy does indeed develop wells using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, what will that mean to Elko County residents?
Noble Energy has held informative meetings and told us everything will be fine, that fracking will be good for the county. They said there is not a single proven case of fracking chemicals contaminating drinking water aquifers, and other problems either will not occur here or have been overblown.
However, it is difficult to accept these facts with so many other states having problems. What worries me most is we will not know the problems we face until operations are well underway and it is too late to change things.
A quick Internet search using "fracking problems" followed by various state names brought up long lists of articles, including these below.
• NBC News reported fracking wastewater appears to be linked to earthquakes in an Ohio town that has not seen past quakes. The state has ordered an indefinite moratorium on fracking within three miles of the earthquake epicenters. Not only am I alarmed at the thought of fracking causing seismic activity, but Elko lies in an area of high seismic activity. In 2008, if fracking operations had been in place near Wells, what would have happened because of that earthquake?
• The Washington Post reported Pennsylvania drilling for natural gas caused "significant damage" to drinking-water aquifers. The Texas Tribune reported that due to the recent drought, oil and gas companies may run short of needed water for operations in South Texas.
• Time magazine reported the House Energy and Commerce Committee found that 14 of the country's most active hydraulic fracturing companies used 866 million gallons of fracking chemicals between 2005 and 2009. This does not include water, which makes up 99 percent of the fluid injected into wells.
• The Herald-Standard newspaper reported Williston, N.D. has a large methamphetamine drug problem brought in by a gang selling drugs among the oil workers.
• Governing the States and Localities website reports North Dakota roads, designed for farm-to-market travel, are not holding up under the big trucks accessing rigs and wells. On the Jiggs Highway, what effect will heavy truck traffic have on this small highway?
So help me out. Help me find an answer by telling me what you think. Will fracking be good or bad for Elko County? Are the possible problems overblown? If you believe fracking will cause problems, which ones do you worry about the most? Email me at firstname.lastname@example.com and put "fracking" in the subject line.
In two weeks I will report the results. I will not be able to quote your complete comments, but will report the consensus of responses.
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(6) comments
The USGS says all industrial uses of water, including mining, use about 20 billion gallons per day. According to Mr. Hyslop the top 14 (IOW most all) companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing operations use (derived from the quoted 866 million gallons per 5 years x 100 to one water ratio) about 50 million gallons of water per day – 1/400 of industrial usage. When the same math is done for the 270 billion per day for all water usage in the US it's 2/10,000. I'm not real worried.
Before someone points out the obvious, Mr. Hyslop did not make this assertion, the article he quoted did.
Search the Net for anything + problems and you will get thousands of hits leading to articles that, unsurprisingly, detail problems. Which of these are worth consideration then becomes the issue. Since the level of bizarre claims by people looking for and, again unsurprisingly, finding "problems" seems to runs around a 100% it's naive to give most the time of day. Try Googling "obama birth certificate" or "truth 911" for a taste of what I mean. The examples you site aren't much better.
As an example of how misleading a search for problems can be, a full reading of The Washington Post story referenced shows one guy at the USEPA issued a report about methane in water in Penn. – a report that not only contradicts the final report that settled this matter by his own EPA but one that details gas in water that occurs naturally in that area anyway, is completely non-toxic in water anyway and has also long ago been ruled inconsequential by the Penn. State EPA.
You need to do the research yourself
What is the Halliburton loop hole
What is horizontal drilling
What is in fracking fluid
How much water does it take to drill a well
Why is regulations on private land wells different than public land
How far back from the well is the water tested
How long do fracking jobs last
finally why did a family in Aruba Texas recently awarded 3 million dollars in a fracking poisoning case
A family in Aruba Texas just was awarded 3 million for poisoning them. Headwated for the Humbolt river is the Mary's River Valley. Ground water always follows surface water. Good luck with that North Texas!


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Get the Assassin's Creed [PS3/X360/PC] Trailer off WP (80mb)
Assassin's Creed is the next-gen game developed by Ubisoft Montreal that will redefine the action genre. While other games claim to be next-gen with impressive graphics and physics, Assassin's Creed merges technology, game design, theme, and emotions into a world where you instigate chaos and become a vulnerable, yet powerful, agent of change.
The setting is 1191 AD. The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You, Altair, intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict.
You are an Assassin, a warrior shrouded in secrecy and feared for your ruthlessness. Your actions can throw your immediate environment into chaos, and your existence will shape events during this pivotal moment in history.
Key Features
- Master the skills, tactics, and weapons of history's deadliest and most secretive clan of warriors. Plan your attacks, strike without mercy, and fight your way to escape.
- Experience a living, breathing world in which all your actions have consequences. Crowds react to your moves and will either help or hinder you on your quests.
- Eliminate your targets wherever, whenever, and however. Stalk your prey through richly detailed, historically accurate, open-ended environments. Scale buildings, mount horses, blend in with crowds. Do whatever it takes to achieve your objectives.
- Assassin's Creed immerses you in the realistic and historical Holy Land of the 12th century, featuring life-like graphics, ambience, and the subtle, yet detailed nuances of a living world.
- Experience heavy action blended with fluid and precise animations. Use a wide range of medieval weapons, and face your enemies in realistic swordfight duels.
- The proprietary engine developed from the ground up for the next-gen console allows organic game design featuring open gameplay, intuitive control scheme, realistic interaction with environment, and a fluid, yet sharp, combat mechanic.
More articles about Assassin's Creed


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Time, time, time…see what's become of me…
(And the worst part is I have no doubt Graeme will read this and think of the Bangles cover, while I definitely have Simon & Garfunkel in mind. Oh, the curse of being young at heart and old everywhere else.)
Jeff here with the latest episode for your enjoyment (see above). And although "Hazy Shade of Winter" is really about, I dunno, the passage of time and how part of growing old enough to really appreciate life is pretty much exactly at the point you realize you are also going to die and life will proceed on without you just as it did before, I'm kind of using it for a quick catch-all for "Holy cow, we are so incredibly grateful for your Patreon support and for getting so much of it so soon, although because of that I am actually a little bit sandbagged with stuff to do!"
Graeme has a post coming up in the next day or two, I'm rushing to get something put together for later and then we have to do it all over again? That's amazingly great!
But, for whatever reason, this week's show notes may end up feeling a little light, maybe? I don't know if that's actually the reason why, though. It may well have been the fact that, for whatever reason, Graeme and I didn't jump all over the place topic-wise, so it's not like there's a lot of changed subjects to map out? Or maybe I'm just getting used to changing gears and after we've had a few of these, I'll be able to switch seamlessly between writing show notes, my weekly entries, and the other writing I'm trying to press forward on?
Anyway, after my really impressive bout of salesmanship, join me after the cut: show notes!


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Thursday, February 14, 2013
Argos Extend Barker
The Toronto Argonauts Football Club is pleased to announce that General Manager Jim Barker has signed a contract extension through the 2015 season.
Commented Toronto Argonauts Executive Chairman & CEO, Chris Rudge, "Jim Barker has done a tremendous job of putting our football team in position to be a perennial winner. Creating this kind of long-term stability at the executive level infuses confidence into the entire organization and allows us, as a team, to execute on our plans for the future. Jim's vision for this Club is exciting and I know that our fans will share in my enthusiasm for today's announcement."
Following the 2011 season, Barker focused fully on the General Manager position and began restructuring the club's football operations. He started by hiring CFL Coach of the Year Finalist, Scott Milanovich, then,on December 12, 2011, Barker pulled off arguably the biggest trade in the 140-year history of the Club. In a blockbuster deal, he acquired future hall of fame QB Ricky Ray from the Edmonton Eskimos. Milanovich and Ray returned exciting offensive football to the city and led the Argos to three impressive playoff victories en route to hosting, and hoisting, the 100th Grey Cup championship at Rogers Centre – the 16th title in Argonauts history.
Barker commented, "I am very excited to extend my time in Toronto and continue to build on our Grey Cup Championship. As an organization, we experienced a lot of success this past season, and I believe 2012 was just the beginning of something special. Senator Braley and Chris Rudge have done an outstanding job laying a strong foundation and creating continuity within this franchise, on both the football and business operations side. We have the right coaches and staff in place to continue to build on our early achievements and ensure our fans will be proud of this team for many years to come."
Before the start of the 2012 season, Barker continued to refine the roster by bringing CFL All-Star's DT Armond Armstead and DB Pat Watkins, along with impactful players such asWR Dontrelle Inman and the prolific linebacker duo of LB Brandon Isaac and Argos 2012 Outstanding Defensive Player, LB Marcus Ball to the Argonauts.
Barker returned to the Toronto Argonauts as head coach in 2010, for the second time including 1999, and transformed a team that had won seven games in two years and led them back to the playoffs with 10 wins, including a berth in the 2010 Eastern Division Final. He was named CFL Coach of the Year for his efforts. He accepted the role of Head Coach & General Manager before the 2011 season and, following that year, he hired Scott Milanovich as the Club's 42nd head coach.
1 comment:
He better send Eric Tillman a Valentine Card for this news today
- 2/14/2013
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