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Nine Ways to Merge With Siva
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami , 2014-02-27
On Mahasivaratri, February 27, 2014, Satguru Bodhinathaswami comments on Gurudeva's introduction to Merging with Siva, where he elucidates nine different ways that we can merge with God Siva. Everyone on the planet is unfolding spiritually whether they know it or not. The instinctive mind is the part of us that only cares about ourself. One of the barriers in trying to go within, deeper and deeper in merging with Siva, is not getting along with others. Detaching awareness, being the light that lights the thoughts, you can have a sense of accomplishment and peace. Requirements for moksha: Fulfill all dharmas, resolve all karmas, realize God fully. Realization of Parasiva, the transcendent form of Siva, liberation and merger, visvagrasa. Master Course, Merging with Siva, Introduction.
Unedited Transcript:
Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Mahesvara, Guru Sakshat, Parabrahma, Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.
Good evening. I thought I would read and comment on "Nine Ways of Merging with Siva" from the introduction to Merging with Siva.
"Merger on the great inner path described in this book is already happening in your life and in the life of every soul on the planet, in the natural course of evolution. In Sanskrit, we express 'Merging with Siva' as Sivasayujya, 'Intimate union with the Divine.' Nine progressive ways of merging with Siva are possible today, in fact impossible to avoid. Shall we now explore these nine ways, the wonderful ways of merging with Siva as we walk the San Marga, the straight path of dharma? "
So that's an important point there, in fact impossible to avoid. In Gurudeva's teachings, from the Hindu point of view, everyone on the planet is unfolding spiritually whether they know it or not. It's just that we all didn't start at the same point in time. But we're going through the same process. It's like every year on Kauai the high schools have a graduation. Every year there's a new crop, right? So graduating from high school, continuous flow of individuals. So this is the same that we're moving forward toward the ninth merger with Siva but we're all in a different class, so to speak. Graduating class.
"A jiva, or soul, merges with his potential mother who gives a physical body to which his astral body is attached. This is the first merger." (I bet you forgot that one. Gurudeva starts at the very beginning here.) Then, when his first guru, the parents, train him to quell the instinctive mind and become a producing member of the family and the social and global communities, the second merger occurs. Why should these two developments be related to merging with the Supreme? It is because Siva is the life of our lives, (Sound familiar, right? Just heard that one.) as the venerable saints teach. Siva is the life of the life of all sentient and insentient beings, the sea of prana, ever emanating, mysteriously, from the All of the Allness of His mystery Being, by which all life exists and all happenings happen. Therefore to merge energies with all other humans without making differences is to find Sivaness in all and within all."
So that's a very good point there in "quell the instinctive mind and becoming a producing member." So that's what parents need to do: "quell the instinctive mind." The instinctive mind is the part of us that only cares about ourself. And we have to be taught to one degree or another to care about other people and to fit into the accepted patterns. And Gurudeva's pointing out that's necessary for deeper mergers with Siva. In other words, if you don't do that, if you never learn to fit in with society, fit in with the family, you can't go on into deeper mergers.
"Having merged with the biological and social worlds, it then is for the young jiva, embodied soul, to be introduced by the parents to the family guru for spiritual training. Obedience and devotion to the guru is again another merger into Sivaness, for the satguru is Sadasiva, or Siva in form, having realized Siva in Formlessness. It is from the satguru's constant, silent emanation that the sishiya thrives, as do flowering trees, bushes and vines thrive and grow from the sun's silent rays and the occasional showers of rain. No words need be spoken, for both sishiya and guru know the same -- the sishiya having had his training in scripture, divine inspiration of song, meaning and dance from his first guru, the parents."
So it's always great when the parents do a good job. As Gurudeva would say it makes his job easier. Otherwise he has to undo, waste many, you know it's not really wasting but cause it is supposed to happen. But, many many years are spent undoing what the parents did in some cases. One of the common problems is being too critical in developing a negative self-concept in the child. You're so critical and demanding, not saying enough positive things. You're not being supportive enough the child ends up with a negative self-concept. So, there's no way you can find the divine within yourself if you have a negative self-concept. The divine can't be there, right? It can only be there when you have a positive self-concept. If you're feeling positive about yourself then it's possible that the divine might be in there somewhere. It's worth looking for. But, if you're feeling negative about yourself there's no way.
So, those are the kinds of undoings that sometimes need to be done.
"Having walked the San Marga through the charya and kriya margas, and having disciplined mind and emotions, the sishiya is ready for the fourth merger into Sivaness. This is accomplished through art, calligraphy, drawing divine forms, writing out scripture in one's own hand and depicting through drama, by learning and playing music, by having all bodily currents move in the rhythm of the sounds of nature, for nature is nada in the external. It has its own choreography, and this merger is with Nataraja, Lord of the Dance. It is also the merger with knowledge of all kinds, of language and mathematics, of the many sciences and arts."
This is an important area that sometimes is hard to fit into modern life. We feel we're too busy to sit there and copy something by hand and develop calligraphy, write Shum, Gurudeva's language of meditation, beautifully by hand. Those kinds of activities as is being pointed out, help you blend with something. And that ability to blend is, is what's needed. Even blending with nature as he's pointing out here: "...by having all bodily currents move in through the rhythm of the sounds of nature." So blending with the sounds of nature is the same idea.
So, we need to learn to blend with refined cultural areas or with nature to prepare ourselves for going within, going inside and blending.
"The fifth merger is deeper: endeavoring to penetrate the intuitive world, communing with nature, encountering the many dreams, visions and other mystical experiences that await the seeker of Truth. It is merger with the selfless life, of seeing oneself in others, and others in oneself, of losing the barriers that divide one from another, and the internal world from the external world. It is a harmonious life with a heart filled with love, trust and understanding for all, desiring to give rather than wanting only to receive."
So Gurudeva was talking on that area in his talk that we listened to. "...losing the barriers that divide one from another." Certainly, the key to doing that is to see Siva in others. And Gurudeva pointed out how to do that. The light within the eyes is a simple way to see Siva within others. And then going into the energy that created that life takes it even deeper. But as you know I always jokingly say: You have to start with those you're getting along with. Very hard to see God in someone you're currently shunning or disliking or having arguments with. So you have to find someone you're getting along with this week. Start with them and expand outward.
There's a wonderful teaching that Gurudeva gives in this regard. "Seeing oneself in others and others in oneself. " You can be assured, says Gurudeva; if you have a, consistently have a strong reaction to qualities in another person and you just really can't accept how that person is, that those qualities are in you. Otherwise you wouldn't care that much. This is a strong reaction not a mild reaction. Has to be a strong reaction. You consistently have a strong reaction to a certain person; you feel they need to change. Then that means the qualities are also in you. I mean they're there in that person, we're not saying they're not there. They're there in that person but the fact you have a strong reaction means it's also in you. So, it's a good way to adjust your attitude towards the person because you're really reacting to yourself. You're not reacting to the person. The emotion you're feeling is reacting because of what's in you.
Gurudeva doesn't mention the, kind of the basic, basicness of this area. He's looking at it in a higher minded way. But it's good to mention it, which is: In trying to go within, deeper and deeper, into deeper areas of merging with Siva, one of the greatest barriers is caused by not getting along with others. Cause that stirs the emotions. If we're not getting along with certain people on a regular basis. Then our emotions get stirred when we interact with them or think about them. And that stirring of emotion externalizes us. We can't turn within, can't sit there and meditate if your emotions are all disturbed. And just go within and find disturbed emotions then you're on a very short meditation because it won't be enjoyable. You'll come out quickly.
So, the whole area of getting along with others, by seeing Siva in them, by realizing that what you really react to in somebody else must be in you. These kinds of approaches can make it easier. And also just realizing that we need to. You know, if we want to go deeper we just have to get along with other people.
"The light that lights each thought picture when traced to its source is the sixth merger -- the yoga of detaching awareness from that which it is aware of and being the light that lights the thoughts, rather than claiming identity as being the thoughts, then tracing this light of the mind out of the mind into the beyond of the beyond. Yea, this is the sixth way we merge into the Divine. The Lord of the Dance emanates His own lighting effects, does His own choreography, creates His own music and enjoys, as the audience, His own performance."
So that's a monistic point of view. You're both the dancer and the audience so you're watching yourself dance.
One of the beauties of Gurudeva's teachings is that it makes this easy to do at least to some degree. It may not be a super-brilliant blinding inner light you find but you can find an inner light and have some sense of accomplishment and peace just by what Gurudeva says here, you know. Detaching awareness from that which it is aware of and being the light that lights the thoughts. So rather than being the thoughts, you're that which lights the thoughts.
I used to be able to talk about television but these days it's getting so sophisticated, we have a home media studio or something. I don't know what to call it. We get all these programs that come in on our system and not one of them comes in on a television channel. These all come in from the web and iTunes and sometimes dvd's. Anyway, but in the old sense when you had a television you would know when the picture tube went out, right? You couldn't see anything, you could just hear. You know, you could still hear the show but you can't see it. Then you begin to realize: Oh yes, that's right, the picture tube is what's there and making you see the images. You just kind of take it for granted after a while; you don't distinguish between the picture tube and the images. But the picture tube is the screen, the light which the images are on and which it can be seen.
So, to see the inner light we just have to see the pictures. Or, quiet our thinking mind enough so that only the light which lights the pictures is there. That's the goal.
So, there's some practices in the Shum language which make that, which allow you to do that step by step.
"The seventh merger is into the nada-nadi sakti, that unrelenting sound heard as an inexplainable "eee," of a thousand vinas being played simultaneously by Vinadhara, another form of Lord Siva, the maker of sound, the composer of the symphony. The nada is traced to its source, deep within the within, the city of a thousand lights and sounds, for the sound is light and light is sound in this sphere of Satchidananda, all-pervasive oneness with all form, the Self flowing through the mind, untouched by it, yet sustaining it in a mightily mysterious way. "
Again, Gurudeva gives some simple step by step approaches to hearing the nada-nadi shakti, the high "eee." Which, his basic approach is: If you can hear the sound above the right ear and the sound above the left ear and blend them in the center of your head that's the high "eee." So, doesn't actually require silence. So, that can be helpful when you're first figuring out how to do it. Quiet environment. But it's very internalizing, very profound state.
"The eighth merger with Siva is Parasiva. Becoming and being timeless, formless, spaceless is the total transformation of the soul body, the mental body, the astral body, the pranic body and the physical body. It is the breaking of seals which subsequently makes changes never to be repaired. A new, an entirely new, process begins. It is the ultimate healing of all karmas, the ultimate knowing of dharma."
That would be an hour talk to comment on that paragraph fully. What does healing karma mean? What is the ultimate knowing of dharma mean? You know, all these things, pretty profound. But we don't have time for all that.
So the transcendent aspect of Siva is called Parasiva as we know in Sanskrit. And It's timeless, formless, spaceless. So how can you conceive of something that's timeless, formless, spaceless? Well, through analogy; that's how you can perceive of it.
The one I like is the shower head and the shower. So you just imagine, visualize shower head and the shower; that's on. So the water is coming out of the shower head, right? Pretty simple. And the water represents the energy that Gurudeva was talking about. The all pervasive energy or prana. It's coming out of the shower head. Now, make the shower head invisible. So, you have this water coming out of nothing. Or, in the analogy, the basic prana, the energy of the universe is coming out of nothing. How does it do that? It's a good question. It does. So, it's nothing which something seems to come out of.
As Gurudeva says: It's the power of the sustaining power of everything that appears to be real, right? So, it's the sustaining power. It's self caused. It's the sustaining power but yet it's invisible. It's not there. And if that wasn't enough there's one more, right? That's only the eighth one.
"And now, lastly, once the soul evolves out of the physical, pranic, emotional, mental and causal sheaths -- (Then he gives the names in Sanskrit.) annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and anandamaya kosas -- and they are needed no more, it evolves into visvagrasa..."
Let's stop there. They are needed no more. So that's a, it's a very interesting point. Can say it another way: What causes us not to be reborn on earth finally? Well, earth is needed no more. In other words it would be like getting a doctorate in something in the university and then going back to grammar school. They'd kick you out the first day. Say: You don't belong here; you already did this. So eventually, we do everything there is to do. We don't need it any more. Gurudeva calls that: "All dharmas are fulfilled." Beautiful statement. We've done everything. All dharmas are fulfilled. We've been a man, been a woman, been a husband, been a wife. Been this, have to be a doctor it seems. Been a doctor, I.T. engineer. Those are required now-a-days. We've been everything. So it's needed no more.
So that's part of the requirement for moksha is to fulfill all dharmas. The other two are: Resolve all karmas and realize God fully. So, the point here is: Need to know more, refers to that. We've already done it. And the karma has been resolved. There's nothing, no more karma to be resolved on earth. You have to resolve certain karmas in the inner worlds. Gurudeva makes a few references to that.
Trying to end on time. Three more minutes.
So that's and they are needed no more, gives you a sense. "...it evolves into visvagrasa..." So visvagrasa is it coming up. It explains it. So I won't repeat it. Just wait a minute and it'll come around.
"... the ninth and final merger with Siva, as an infant effortlessly becomes a child, a child a youth and a youth an adult. Yes, the soul, jiva, encased in five bodies, is indeed merged into the emanator, preserver and absorber of the inner and outer universes as simply as a drop of water merges into the ocean, never to be found again. This is the timeless path the holy Vedas of the Sanatana Dharma proclaim. As a seed becomes a bud, and a bud becomes a flower, these nine steps of spiritual unfoldment are inevitable for all humankind."
So sometimes I use the analogy of the bucket and the ocean. Where you take the bucket, you dip it in the ocean and you've separated water from the ocean. That's like the creation of the soul. And the English word for that is individuated. It's been made an individual. And then visvagrasa is just pouring it back in. Once it's poured back in it's gone. You know it's just part of the whole. So and, the whole are one thing again as they were in the beginning.
So that takes place in the inner worlds. It doesn't take place when you have a physical body. You're not in the Saiva Siddhanta teachings.
So, it's probably a good point to end with is: The three experiences: Realization, liberation and merger. So different Hindu philosophies, different ways of looking at it.
But, in Saiva Siddhanta, first we have realization. The specific realization or experience required is of Parasiva or the transcendent form of Siva. We have to have realization. Realization is one of the three requirements for liberation. The other two being resolving karma and fulfilling all dharma.
So, liberation is: We're not reborn on earth anymore. That's liberation. But we're still there on the inner planes. We're still a being. Initially we're very much the same being we were before we dropped off the physical body.
Forget the age of the girl, I think she is around seven. Each of the family members asked me a really tough question and I said: I hope I had enough coffee this morning to answer them.
She said: "What happens after death." Seven years old. So that was my point is we go on pretty much the same person we are. It's just we don't have a physical body and quite often people are in physical pain, you know. So we don't have any pain and so that's great. But we're, besides dropping of the pain we're pretty much the same person we were and then we still keep evolving in the inner worlds. And that eventually leads to visvagrasa or merger. Where the water gets poured back into the ocean.
So that's realization, liberation and merger.
And thank you very much.


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Cross-posted from the Wonk Room.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, incoming energy chair Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) joined Americans For Prosperity (AFP) President Tim Phillips, a global warming denier, to support the lawsuits by global warming polluters against climate rules. One of the companies leading the charge against the Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas endangerment finding is Koch Industries, the private pollution giant whose billionaire owners have been directing the Tea Party movement through its AFP front group.
Upton was once considered a "moderate on environmental issues," but has worked hard to refashion himself as a hard-right defender of pollution in recent months. Some Tea Party groups tried to block Upton from taking the gavel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, attacking his past support for energy-efficient light bulbs. Upton previously claimed that "climate change is a serious problem" and that "the world will be better off" if we reduced carbon emissions. However, in the course of the past two years — as he received $20,000 from Koch Industries — Upton has shifted to oppose not only cap-and-trade legislation but any form of limits on climate pollution whatsoever, instead supporting investigations against climate scientists and lawsuits against the EPA and its supposed "unconstitutional power grab that will kill millions of jobs":
- April 2009: "Climate change is a serious problem that necessitates serious solutions."
- June 2009: "We have a unique opportunity and a responsibility to reduce emissions and preserve our economy — the American public is desperate for solutions, but a national energy tax is not the answer."
- December 2009: "I think we can lower our emissions. I think the world will be better off if we did that, and we can do it without cap-and-trade."
- January 2010: "No matter what we did between now and 2050, it, there was no real science to verify that it would reduce the temperature rise that some predicted. And that's why we do need hearings."
- December 2010: "Moreover, the principal argument for a two-year delay is that it will allow Congress time to create its own plan for regulating carbon. This presumes that carbon is a problem in need of regulation. We are not convinced."
"We think the American consumer would prefer not to be skinned by Obama's EPA," Upton and Phillips wrote in the Wall Street Journal, invoking the grisly image of the president murdering his fellow citizens. The world would be better off if Upton went back to believing instead in serious solutions to serious problems.

subset: commoncrawl


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H2K2 - NYC 07.12_14.2002 - the 4th HOPE conference, sponsored by 2600
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Now that most of us have finally gotten back to a degree of normalcy, it's time to offer our sincere thanks for making the H2K2 conference the smashing success it was. While we've become used to the good karma that emanates from the HOPE conferences, this was our biggest effort by far and none of it would have been possible without so many people doing everything they could to make it fun and educational. It was also the first time we've had one conference so closely followed by another - H2K2 followed H2K by only two years as opposed to the three year gap we normally had between conferences.
This year space was most definitely not the problem it was in the past, thanks to our having so much more of it. Each of our two main speaker tracks was able to sustain the huge crowds they attracted while our third track, reserved for last minute and self scheduled speakers, had ample space as well. The film room worked out very nicely for both small and large presentations. And, of course, we had all of downstairs for the network and musical performances, all of which ran around the clock. The 24 hour environment of midtown Manhattan lent itself very well to the 24 hour environment of the hacker world. For many, H2K2 was their first taste of New York and it proved to be an overwhelmingly positive one.
We want to thank our many volunteers who made it all possible. We want to thank all of our speakers who kept the speaker rooms jammed from morning to night. We also want to thank our attendees who made things really pleasant with their enthusiasm, patience, and overall positive attitude. And of course we want to thank the staff of the Hotel Pennsylvania, who were extremely helpful to us and were willing to work within our unconventional style. We look forward to our next conference in 2004.
We're going to be posting audio of the many talks at H2K2 in the weeks ahead. If you have pictures you would like to share with us, please email them to firstname.lastname@example.com for our post-H2K2 site. We're glad everybody had fun and we invite your comments and reviews at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Celebrating 25 Years of Linux Kernel Development
1794 words
9 mins read
Linux is now 25 years old, but it's no hipster. It's not chasing around Pokemon, and it's not moving back in with its parents due to crippling student debt. In fact, Linux is still growing and evolving, but the core ideas of the Linux State of Mind remain the same.
You see, Linux is much more than an operating system, it's a mindset. Even if you don't agree with its philosophy, you can't afford to ignore it.
That's why we decided to pay homage to this iconic operating system and the ever-growing community of developers who keep it going.
To mark the occasion, the Linux Foundation recently published the seventh edition of its Linux Kernel Development Report, which offers a detailed recap of all the work done over the past couple of decades. The adoption of Git, 10 years ago, made tracking easier (not that we're looking for exact numbers here). It's estimated that more than 14,000 developers have invested time and effort in Linux kernel development since 2005. This army of talent comes from more than 1,300 companies, and the report lists a number of industry heavyweights as the main sponsors of Linux kernel development: Intel, Samsung, Red Hat, AMD, Google, ARM, Texas Instruments and more.
While it's the epitome of open-source, Linux kernel development is not a hobby. Not anymore. So, as we wish Linux a happy birthday, let's take a quick look at some kernel development highlights:
- 25 years of development
- Contributions from 14,000 developers since 2005
- 5,000 new developers joined the effort in the past 30 months
- ~22 million lines of code currently constitute the Linux Kernel
- More than 4,500 lines of new code added each day
- Development is speeding up
Linux State of Mind
When it was first released in August 1991, few could have imagined the long-term impact of Linus Torvalds' open-source OS on the software industry. At the time, the tech landscape was dominated by a handful of big players, the likes of Microsoft, Apple, and IBM. The nineties were an era of rapid technological progress, and new technologies – most notably the Internet – made remote, distributed development a possibility.
Developers halfway around the globe could finally collaborate on immensely complex software projects. It goes without saying that Toptal, and indeed every freelancer, owes a debt of gratitude to Linux pioneers who validated the concept of remote software development in an era of dial-up internet. They made it work, without Git, Skype, broadband, and a bunch of other technologies and tools we take for granted today. In fact, most of these tools were in part made possible by Linux-based servers and many are open-source.
But what drove the industry to adopt Linux? Well, to put it bluntly, the simple fact of not being Microsoft was a big part of it. A lot of UNIX people just had an issue with proprietary operating systems and wanted an open-source alternative. Diehards couldn't reconcile with the fact that mainstream operating systems were a proprietary walled garden. Their vision was to create an open-source alternative, something that everyone could use free of charge, something they could modify and redistribute at will.
Idealism and business rarely cross paths, but when they do, we often end up with novel ideas backed by passionate proponents and criticized by equally passionate detractors. The idea of an open-source software ecosystem is as powerful today as it was in the early nineties, and with a quarter century of Linux development behind us, we can get a better idea of its profound impact on industry.
Open-Sourcing and Democratising The Internet
But wait, most of us are reading this on non-Linux systems: Windows and Mac rigs, smartphones and tablets running UNIX-like operating systems, so why aren't we on Linux systems? Well, we are, at least sort of. How many LAMP servers sprung into action today, to serve you your daily dose of emails, social feed updates, useless ads and (mis)information?
Personally, I think this is the biggest contribution to mankind made by the Linux community: Linux-based servers helped our industry take off and legitimized the open-source concept.
It was no longer about UNIX enthusiasts trying to create an open-source alternative to fight The Empire; Linux took on big brands on their home turf and emerged victorious. The concept was vindicated and mainstreamed, proving once and for all that open-source isn't just a heartwarming notion; It's good for business.
What did we get out of it?
Linux helped lower the bar for developers and entrepreneurs entering the industry. Successful Linux distros grabbed a sizeable market share in the hosting industry, generating pressure on competing platforms. In this war of attrition, Linux servers prevailed thanks to a number of factors. In the end, they came to dominate many market segments. Today, anyone can get a reasonably powerful hosting plan for peanuts, and if they're looking for the cheapest possible solution, they're bound to end up with a flavor of Linux. The rest of the stack is usually as free and open as Linux itself.
That's what our side of the industry got out of Linux: The ability to quickly deploy products on low-cost, open-source infrastructure.
How many pet projects, started on the cheap, turned into multi-billion enterprises? How many would have failed had it not been for Linux?
Where's the Money Linuxowski?
A common misconception about Linux development is that it's handled solely by enthusiasts and that it's not a niche for people looking to cash in. While Linux is a labor of love, it's also big business in its own way.
As I highlighted earlier, development is speeding up, and more Linux developers from more companies are choosing to contribute. They're not simply choosing to set aside their precious time because they are good Linux folk; the latest report states that the number of unpaid developers working on the kernel has dropped to 7.7 percent, dipping into single-digit territory for the first time.
While some might not agree, I see this is a very positive trend. Enthusiasm doesn't pay bills, and it's hard to keep any project going on enthusiasm alone for more than a few years, let alone a gargantuan project like Linux that came into being a generation ago.
It doesn't end there. According to numerous surveys, demand for Linux talent remains robust, and is actually increasing, and so is the Linux server market share. A few years ago, it would have been much easier to tally up the number of shipped servers, motherboards, and other hardware, and figure out the number of Linux boxes in the wild.
This is no longer the case.
Linux in The Cloud
A dark Cloud came along and made this process more difficult, much to the dismay of analysts. When your job is to look at numbers and market trends, any lack of data or ambiguity is bad for business, and for a while analysts expressed concerns about the future of Linux in the post-cloud era. These concerns made a lot of sense (and, to some extent, still do) because the cloud ecosystem was an oligopoly from the get-go, dominated by the Amazons and Googles of the world.
The Cloud did not kill off small Linux servers, but it hasn't been kind to them either:
- At one end of the spectrum, you'll find people who believe the cloud will transform the server market, and through consolidation, will forever change the hosting industry. This economy of scale argument is tempting because it's logical to assume cloud industry leaders will offer superior pricing by virtue of their size. You don't get sweetheart hardware deals if you have a small, regional datacenter and need a couple of hundred fresh boxes every year; you get them if you have a massive cloud infrastructure and need dozens of new servers on a weekly basis. However, I find this argument overly simplistic.
- The opposing camp espouses equally simplistic views, but it tends to be more optimistic. A lot of Linux veterans have high hopes for cloud development; they believe CloudStack and OpenStack will help turn the tide, and they think there will always be room for smaller players.
As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle, but let's not weigh in on this; it's beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that both options could work for Linux in the long run. Even if the hosting industry is forever transformed and consolidated, that doesn't mean demand for Linux talent will evaporate. On the contrary, it's likely to increase regardless of what happens, although demand will evolve to meet new requirements.
The Next 25 Years
What do the next 25 years have in store for Linux?
It's hard to say, but I have a feeling Linux isn't going anywhere, at least not in the foreseeable future:
- The server industry is evolving, but it's been doing so forever. Linux has a habit of seizing server market share, although the cloud could transform the industry in ways we're just beginning to realize. Either way, Linux servers aren't going anywhere just yet.
- Linux still has a relatively low market share in consumer markets, dwarfed by Windows and OS X. This will not change anytime soon.
- Linux does not have a significant share in mobile, although Android currently dominates this space. Mobile is becoming an Android/iOS duopoly. It's oversaturated; there are too many software and hardware platforms out there, so it's doubtful Linux will ever take off in this market.
- Gaming is a potentially huge, untapped market for Linux. This market is dominated by Windows in the desktop segment, proprietary operating systems in the console space, and Android and iOS in mobile. Valve's SteamOS is the latest attempt to get Linux on gaming rigs, and it's a promising concept. Unfortunately, demand for Steam Machines has been soft and Linux still has a negligible market share in the gaming industry.
- Emerging segments include the Internet of Things (IoT), wearables, smart home devices, and more. Due to its open-source nature and the potential for a very small OS footprint, Linux-based operating systems could find their way into a range of connected devices, from our homes and cars to our places of business.
- High-performance computing has a good chance of becoming a Linux-only space. Linux has practically replaced UNIX and other operating systems in current-generation supercomputers.
It's hard to make Linux-related predictions due to the nature of the OS and the Linux community. Evolution doesn't necessarily have to be a straight line, and Linux developers have proven this time and again. Linux could morph into something completely different over the next couple of decades and become the OS of choice for various products and services we can't even imagine today.
Source: Toptal
Related Articles:
- 2010/11/13 Fundraising for Linux Foundation.
- 2017/03/20 flatpak – get latest libreoffice
- 2017/03/13 systemd – start service when you enable it
- 2017/03/06 Linux Best Practices and Tips
- 2017/02/20 bash ansi codes to html for html reports from shell script
Authored By Amit Agarwal
Amit Agarwal, Linux and Photography are my hobbies.Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
And I'm Audie Cornish.
In what's become an annual ritual, President Obama turned sports analyst today. He filled out his bracket for March Madness, the NCAA's college basketball tournament. Obama told ESPN he's picking Florida, Arizona, and Louisville to make the final four and Michigan State to win the national championship.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I think they know how to win. I think they're getting healthy. I think they're going to do really well.
CORNISH: It's not just the health of the Michigan State players on the president's mind. The White House is using this as part of its own full-court press. As NPR's Scott Horsley reports, their goal is to boost enrollment in the government's health insurance exchanges.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: It's a big sports week at the White House. President Obama not only appeared on ESPN, he also dialed in to a Spanish-language sports channel run by Univision, where he was asked about soccer's World Cup and the fast approaching deadline to sign up for health insurance.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken)
HORSLEY: The administration also unveiled a new 30-second TV ad that will air throughout the college basketball tournament.
LEBRON JAMES: Hi. I'm LeBron James. I know how important it is to take care of yourself, your friends, and your family. That's why I want to tell you about the health insurance marketplace at healthcare.gov.
HORSLEY: So far, more than 5 million people have signed up on the website. Sports marketing expert Bob Dorfman says the administration is still trying to attract more young people, a notoriously difficult audience to reach.
BOB DORFMAN: It's a very elusive demographic. And if you listen to LeBron's spot, it's talking about anybody can get sick and have an emergency, trying to talk to people who sort of feel immune and carefree about it.
HORSLEY: Yesterday, the White House hosted a conference call to make the point that even healthy and athletic young people run the risk of injuries that can be costly if they don't have health insurance. James' Miami teammate Shane Battier did a quick inventory of the bumps and bruises he's suffered on the basketball court.
SHANE BATTIER: I think I have over 90 stitches from elbow to the face, broken elbow, over 25 ankle sprains...
HORSLEY: Dorfman, who writes the Sports Marketer's Scouting Report, says the White House effort to piggyback on March Madness makes sense, since the tournament attracts a cross-section of both serious and casual fans. Last year, the president's 2013 bracket was the most popular blog post all year on the White House website. Dorfman says it's natural for Obama, whose credentials as a sports fan are well established. The bigger stretch is for the celebrity athletes in the ads.
DORFMAN: It's not easy to get big-name, pro athletes to come out and talk political issues. You're tying yourself to the president. You're tying yourself to a Democrat. And as Michael Jordan is sort of famous for saying, Republicans buy sneakers, too.
HORSLEY: Last summer, when the administration tried to draft the National Football League into promoting the insurance exchanges, Republican senators warned the league not to get drawn in to what they called one of the most divisive political issues of our day. Lawmakers sent similar warnings to Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NHL, the Professional Golf Association and NASCAR. So the administration turned to individual stars. Dorfman says LeBron James hasn't shied away from taking controversial stands and it doesn't seem to be hurting his shoe sales.
DORFMAN: He's probably the most successful endorser of active athletes right now. I think he's making, like, $40 million a year. Two championships in a row can solve a lot of problems. As they say, winning cures everything.
HORSLEY: The White House can only hope some of that winning spirit rubs off with 12 days to go before the buzzer sounds for the insurance exchange. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Charisma Carpenter Accuses Joss Whedon of Abuse of Power on 'Buffy' and 'Angel'
Saying that Ray Fisher recently losing his role as Cyborg in The Flash film was "the last straw," actress Charisma Carpenter has gone public with allegations of abuse of power by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel creator Joss Whedon. Fisher previously alleged "gross, abusive, unprofessional" behavior by Whedon on the set of Justice League, prompting an investigation by Warner Bros. that resulted in unspecified "remedial action" against the director.
In a series of tweets, Carpenter said she participated in that investigation "because I believe Ray to be a person of integrity who is telling the truth" and that she was "shocked" and "deeply pained" by Fisher's treatment by Warner Bros. She also outlined numerous instances of "harassment" and "abuse" by Whedon that she said have "weighed on my soul like bricks for nearly half of my life."
She also detailed how her relationship with Whedon deteriorated after she became pregnant during production on Angel:
Like his ongoing, passive-aggressive threats to fire me, which wreaks havoc on a young actor's self-esteem. And callously calling me 'fat' to colleagues when I was 4 months pregnant, weighing 126 lbs. He was mean and biting, disparaging about others openly, and often played favorites, pitting people against one another to compete and vie for his attention and approval.
Carpenter's allegations have already been backed up by co-star Amber Benson, who played Tara on three seasons of Buffy. Calling the show a "toxic environment," she said Carpenter was "speaking truth and I support her 100%."
Whedon's next show, The Nevers, premieres later this spring on HBO, but Whedon himself has already left the series; late last year he claimed making a weekly drama during a pandemic was "more than I can handle without the work beginning to suffer." He has yet to comment on Carpenter's allegations. Her full statement is below.
Gallery — The Best TV Shows of 2020:


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The improved whiskey cocktail fills a special spot in history, one where "old fashioned" cocktails made from sugar, bitters and spirits were dressed up with fragrant and fashionable additives like maraschino, Curacao, and absinthe. But the most important spot this cocktail will fill is in your tummy, as it harnesses a host of medicinal aromas and flavors, with a spirit-forward set of proportions that feels as timeless as a wool blazer. If you are anything like us, you will find yourself making this drink more frequently than expected.
This recipe requires only a bit of squinting before it begins to resemble another very old cocktail: the sazerac. Only the bitters and maraschino liqueur definitively separate them; a division we've made even more inscrutable by adding a couple dashes of Peychaud's to the more standard Angostura bitters. But that sort of tweak is indicative of what makes this drink so fun: it has the history and meditative qualities of other very early cocktails, but none of the religious fervor. Nobody is going to accuse you of making an improved whiskey cocktail incorrectly, so go ahead and have fun with it.
Speaking of flexibility, this drink works well up or on the rocks. Sans ice, one gets a better whiff of the different aromas. That said, it isn't very good warm. If you are planning on savoring this drink, a couple cubes might not be a bad idea. The base spirit is equally open to interpretation, though I might refrain from anything nice, since absinthe can be a bit of a wrecking ball. We love Peychaud's bitters in medicinal drinks, but you could experiment with other combinations too. One thing worth sticking with is the garnish: it's what the original recipe calls for, and lemon peel really sparkles on top of aromatic drinks. We've tried orange, and it definitely isn't the same. The original recipe requests this drink be shaken, but don't bother. Stir over ice with no regrets.


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Windows Fdisk and Diskpart commands
***If you do decide to mess around with diskpart or fdisk I recommend you do this on a computer that you do not use on a daily basis or on a spare hard drive ***
Nearly every windows version uses fdisk except windows 2000/Xp Listed below are the commands for both Windows 95/98 and 2000/Xp operating systems.
Windows 95/98
Fdisk/X this switch ignores Extended disk access support
Fdisk/status this command shows you the status of your hard drive
Fdisk/actok this command prevents fdisk from checking the integrity of the hard drive speeds up the process if this command is used.
Fdisk/mbr this command is used to rewrite the master boot record
Fdisk/cmbr X This command recreates the master boot record on a specified hard drive (change the letter X to the number the harddrive is)
Fdisk1/PRI:100 is the command to create a 100 meg partition on the hard drive
Fdisk1/log:250 is the command to create a 250 meg logical drive on the hard drive
Fdisk1/Ext:500 is the command to create a 500 meg extended partition on the hard drive
Fdisk/Q this command prevents fdisk from booting the system after leaving fdisk
Windows XP/Windows 2000
These two versions of windows do have their own version of fdisk it is called diskpart.
To get to Diskpart in Windows XP
Click on start then select run and type Diskpart in the dialog box that comes up or you can just open the command prompt window and type in Diskpart.
If you are not comfortable using the command prompt to do this there is another way
To begin log in with administrator rights and Click on start then go to control panel and click on performance and maintenance then administrative tools, computer management then select Disk management and configure the harddisk(s) from there.
Windows 2000
At the command prompt type in CD C:\program files\resource kit and press enter then type in diskpart at the command prompt once you have done that the command prompt will have changed to something like this.
Microsoft DiskPart version 1.0
Copyright ©) 1999-2001 Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: DEADADDI-HQBI6R
If you don't have diskpart on windows 2000 you can download it here
***Before you can issue any commands on a object you first have to select it and once you have selected the object it will remain in focus until you select another object.***
List commands
The List commands used in diskpart are List Disk, List volume and List partition.
The list disk command displays a list of all drives connected in your computer along with size, free space and if they are configured as a basic or dynamic drive(s).
The List Volume command displays a list of available volumes, label, format type , type of volume, drive letter and if the volume contains a O.S.
The List partition command displays the partition table of the current drive that is in focus along with the partition type, size and offset.
Select commands
The select commands are
Select disk X
Select volume X
Select partition X
Replace X with the number of the drive you want to put into focus if you don't know which object is currently in focus just type any of these commands in list disk ,list volume or list partition and a asterisk (*) appears next to the drive with focus.
When you select an object, the focus remains on that object until you select a different object. For example, if the focus is set on disk 0, and you select volume 1 on disk 1, the focus shifts from disk 0 to disk 1, volume 1. Some commands will automatically change the focus. As a example, when you create a new partition, the focus will automatically switch to the new partition created.
Create a partition
The three commands that are used to create partitions are
Create partition primary [size=X] [offset=X]
Create partition extended [size=X] [offset=X]
Create partition logical [size=X] [offset=X]
Change the letter X in size to the size you want the partition on the drive to be if you leave it blank diskpart will use all available space.
Change the letter X in offset to set the byte size if you leave it blank the partition will begin at the first free space big enough to hold the partition created.
Assign the partition a letter
After you create a partition you have to assign it a drive letter first you have to put the drive in focus and then use the assign command to give the drive a letter.
Assign [letter=Y] change the letter Y to the letter you want to use ***Note Some letters will not be available such as A or C ***
Extend a partition
If you create a partition that is too small and it is not a current system or boot volume you might be able to extended it to do this.
Type extend [size=X] [disk=X]
change the X in size to the number of megabytes you want to add to the partition the disk parameter is only used with dynamic drives.
The unallocated space must be a higher offset than the currently selected partition, if the partition you want to extend has never been formatted or is formatted with the NTFS file system then it will lose no data, if it has been formatted in another file system other than ntfs then extending it will fail and the partition will remain unmodified or changed.
Delete a partition
***You can't delete a system or boot partition or any partition that contains a active paging file
Also double check you have the right partition in focus before you delete any partition***
The first step in deleting the partition currently in focus type delete partition and press enter
Then type select disk 1 or what ever the number of the disk is.
then type select partition 2 or what ever number the partition is that you want to delete is
then type delete partition and it will be deleted.
Clean commands
The clean command will erase any partition that windows doesn't recognize or to remove partitioning information if you made a mistake and it will also overwrite the MBR (master boot record) and any hidden sector information.
Clean all
The clean all command removes all partitions and volume information from the harddrive currently in focus forcing each sector to be zeroed which completely erases all data on the drive.
Fix boot
The fixboot command is only available when you are using the Recovery Console
Using the fixboot command without any parameters will write a new partition boot sector to the system partition you are logged on to.
fixboot X:
Fixmbr Repairs the master boot record of the boot disk. The fixmbr command is only available when you are using the Recovery Console
fixmbr [device_name]
The device (drive) on which you want to write a new master boot record. The name can be obtained from the output of the map command. A example of a device name is:
Displays a mapping of drive letters to physical device names. The information it gives you is useful when you run the fixboot and fixmbr commands. The map command is only available when you are using the Recovery Console
Map [arc]
Thank you for reading this.


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First, pray for me. I do not speak to large crowds very often. I want to be welcoming, amusing, sincere, holy, informative, and perfect in every way. Hah. What I really should want is that the Holy Spirit will speak through me and get people off their fundaments and into our session.
Here's my speech, edited to provide privacy to my parish so that I can later comment on what happens during the sessions:
Happy New Year! My name is Therese Z.
Thank for giving me a few minutes' attention this morning. I am here to tell you about a seminar St. Exultet's offers. We want to bring absent Catholics back more deeply into the Church, to come back home again. Twice a year, we offer a six-week program of discussion and education and help. We aim at two groups of Catholics:
-The first group is those who are not here. They have wandered away, walked away, or even stomped away from the Church. You all know them: they feel the Church has let them down. Perhaps someone in the Church, a teacher, a pastor, a coach, might have seemed harsh to them or their families, or were in fact mean or unfair. They might have marriage complications. They usually feel rejected by the Church and have in turn rejected the Church.
- The second group may be sitting here at Mass today. You may feel many of the same things as that first group. You're wondering what on EARTH you're doing here. "Mass seems boring, or repetitive. I don't get anything out of it!" You may even be thinking, "as soon as the kids get a little older, I'm out of here."
You feel like you've gotten behind, and you don't know where to start. You haven't been taught anything since your Confirmation classes. You may have knowledge of serious sins, but it's been so long since you've been to Confession, that you can't remember anything past "Bless Me, Father, for I have sinned."
Both these groups have one thing in common: they think everything about the Church has changed, or they think that nothing about the Church has changed. They need some answers, information and fellowship. We want to provide all of that at the seminar.
I could have used a group like this myself. I am, by virtue of my age, a kind of "Kumbaya Catholic." My First Communion Mass was in Latin, but by my senior year of Catholic high school, I knew all the words to Jesus Christ Superstar, but I didn't own a Bible or a catechism! My memories are a jumble of kneeling at altar rails and making felt banners; "Et cum spiritu tuo" and those happy-clappy 1960's "hymns" like "All-Le-Lu."
Although I never said that I wasn't Catholic, I spent a lot of years ignoring my Catholicity. I never tried to understand why the Church taught what She did. I made fun of my Catholic school past, committed all the popular sins, lived through marriage and divorce and the illness and death of family members, without knowing God's plan for me. All in all, I went a long time without an adult relationship with Jesus Christ or His Church.
A few years ago, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, I showed up at Church again, this time here at St. Exultet's. This time, through the sacraments and a lot of self-education, as well as the example and help of some great, holy people, I found the real everyday relevance as well as the intellectual beauty and truth and depth of the Catholic faith. I want others to have the same experience.
So, we need two things from you:
1. For the absent Catholics: can you give them our handout (see the Bulletin)? Can you tell them about us? If they're nervous, come WITH them! You'll learn something too! We owe our family and friends a renewal in their relationship with God through His Church.
2. For the uncomfortable pewsitters here: come and join us. During these six weeks, you can re-orient yourself in the Church, get your questions answered, often by hearing someone else with EXACTLY the same question ask it, and find your place more securely here in this parish and in the Church at large. We don't demand a commitment; we're only here to make it easier to get questions answered, and facts straight.
Thanks for your attention. Please see the Bulletin for more information, and please pray for our ministry.
God Bless St. Exultet Parish!
Whaddyathink? I'd appreciate your prayers.


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The S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices for April indicate that the housing recovery gained ground.
In April 2013 average home prices tracked in the Case-Shiller 10 and 20-city Composites increased by 11.60 and 12.10 percent year-over-year. On a month-to-month basis, the Composites increased by 2.60 and 2.50 percent respectively.
According to David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the S&P Dow Jones Indices' Index Committee, the 10-and 20- City Composites experienced their largest month- to- month gains since their inception: "Thirteen cities posted month- to-month gains of two percent or more, with San Francisco leading with a month-to-month gain of 4.90 percent."
The 10-and-20 City Indices reported the highest year-over-year gains in home prices since 2006. Cities where home prices gained more than 20 percent year-over-year included Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Francisco. Phoenix posted its 12th consecutive month of double-digit increases in home prices while San Francisco home prices increased year-over-year by an average of 23.90 percent. Home prices increased year-over-year in 19 the 20 cities included in the 10-and 20 City Composites, with home prices in Detroit remaining flat.
Mortgage Loan Requirements Showing Signs Of Loosening
Mr. Blitzer also noted that according to the most recent Fed Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey, some lenders are beginning to relax credit requirements for mortgage loans. This good news, along with the availability of adjustable-rate mortgage loans is expected to help with maintaining affordability and providing access to homes for more buyers.
According to the S&P Case-Shiller 10-and-20 City Composites, home prices fell approximately 26 to 27percent from their highest in June 2006 to their lowest in March 2012. As of April 2013, average home prices had recovered by 13.10 percent for the 10-City Composite and 13.60 percent for the 20-City Composite.
More Reports Show Ongoing Housing Recovery
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reported that home prices increased an average of 7.40 percent year-over-year as of April 2013, and rose by 0.70 percent between March and April 2013. While this data fell short of an expected month-to-month increase of 1.10 percent, Average FHFA home prices were 11.70 percent below their peak in April 2007.
FHFA bases its report on sales of homes financed with mortgages owned or securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported that sales of new homes reached a five-year high in May, the highest level since July 2008. May sales increased 2.10 percent between April and May 2013 to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 476,000 homes. This represents a year-over-year increase of 29 percent from May 2012.
While rising mortgage rates and home prices may slow demand for homes, economists don't believe that either factor will halt the housing recovery. A good next step is asking your trusted mortgage professional about current home values and loan options in and around Irvine.


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The holidays are filled with opportunities to share the joy of the season with our family and friends. And when those gatherings take place around the table, there are bound to be plenty of sweet temptations. Our friendly family dentist at Eric-John Claessens, DDS wants our patients to enjoy the holidays while making smart choices and keeping our oral health in mind. The holidays can be just as sweet while applying a dose of moderation!
Here are a few basic recommendations for enjoying a taste of the holidays that you won't regret come January:
Our entire staff at Eric-John Claessens, DDS wishes you and your family a healthy and happy holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year!
By Eric-John Claessens, DDS
January 2, 2023


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Calling all community-based graphic designers! Author Andrew Shea is looking for projects to feature in his upcoming book. Have you used a graphic design to help a community in need? Do you have insights into this process? If so, visit andrewshea.com/book.html and submit your work.
From the website: "This book will emphasize strategies to help designers address the complex dynamics of working with communities. Twenty social design case studies will make up the bulk of the book…Each project will show how graphic designers worked closely with communities to develop design solutions that address specific social problems. While some of these projects made a significant impact on communities, others may have missed the mark. The design process will become transparent in both cases. These can be either pro bono or for profit and submission is free."


text:
Welcome to the Becoming Parents Program!
Every couple deserves access to the most effective information, skills, and support available to successfully navigate parenthood as a team. Becoming Parents Program, Inc. collaborates with organizations and communities across the country to make the rigorously evaluated Becoming Parents Program workshops and tools widely available. It's simple: research has taught us what makes a difference, we want to bring it to you!
Introduction to Becoming Parents Program
Offer the Becoming Parents Program.
Please contact Aly Frei (email@example.com) if you have specific questions regarding trainings or curriculum or to inquire about how BPP might integrate into your agency.
** Training has been approved for 24 Contact Hours for ICEA Certification and 24 Contact Hours for NCFR's CFLE program.
Recent conference presentations:
- NARME's Healthy Marriages make Healthy Families Conference in Houston
- NRCCFPP's Child & Family Policy Conference in Bridgewater
- PSI's Annual Conference in Seattle


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Website Legit Checker
Is this website legit? How do you know a website is safe? Are you having second thoughts about purchasing from a particular online shopping site? It is reasonable to be suspicious, but it's more important to check if the website is safe and keep you safeguarded against cyber-attacks. Especially when it comes to your personal and financial details! This article takes you through some tips and tricks to help you if this website is legit.
Hackers are prowling the internet and finding innovative ways to steal information - such as creating fake yet convincing websites. Here's how to know the difference and protect yourself from potential fraudulent activity.
6 Easy Ways to Check Is This Website Legit
- Check the Domain Name
- Is the Offer Too Good To Be True?
- Check the HTTPS:// details
- Run an Online Website Security Check
- Call the Company
- Install Website Security Tools to Check Is This Website Legit
1. Check the Domain Name
Hackers try and use a reputable and prominent brand name as a domain name for their fraudulent websites. Fictitious websites look genuine enough that they can deceive the most discerning customers. These sites will use a domain name that will reference a well-known legitimate brand or product to lure interested customers into their malicious website.
Key traits of malicious websites are:
- Spelling Mistakes
- Broken English
- Grammar Issues
- Random Images that don't match the website content
2. Is the Offer Too Good To Be True?
Remember, extravagant discounts that are too good to believe are usually signs that the website is a scam. Scam websites attract customers by selling products on their sites at unbelievably inexpensive prices - way below market value.
3. Check the HTTPS:// details
While shopping online, a customer is hyper-focused on the details of a product or on ensuring their personal financial information is correct. So they fail to check whether the site is a scam.
The first step in checking the validity of the website is verifying whether the website has a secure HTTPS:// connection. A secure connection would prohibit bad guys from spying on your details. If you are using personal details to log in and if you find the website has https://connection, definitely do not proceed further.
- Further research of the website
- The company name should be found next to the URL
- There should be a padlock symbol to signify that the website is secure
- Check if the website has updated the data security certificate
4. Run an Online Website Security Check
There are simple methods to check whether websites are clean and secure. Comodo Web Inspector is an easy-to-use Website Security Checker Online Tool. You can copy-paste the URL of the website you intend to check for security and "voila" you will know if the website is secure or a scam.
5. Call the Company
After running several checks, if you are still not convinced of the legitimacy of a website. Just browse for the contact details and call the company directly. This would help you gauge if this site is legit.
6. Install Website Security Tools to Check Is This Website Legit
Using Comodo website security tools will help you stay a step ahead of malicious websites. Begin by having a comprehensive solution by downloading Comodo's complimentary Antivirus along with cWatch Web security. Comodo, a valid website checker believes that continued protection is better than a one-time cure. So we will provide any website with the cure: free malware removal! Once your website is clean, our protection plans are the most affordable in the market by providing comprehensive enterprise-level security solutions that are priced for small to medium business owners.
How to Run a Virus Scan on a Website


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Business Leadership Proficiency Certificate The Business Leadership program explores leadership from personal and organizational perspectives, and provides you with the financial, analytical and customer service knowledge for first-level management positions. Business — Accelerated The Business — Accelerated program is a select enrollment program that allows motivated students to transfer to a four-year business school in fewer than 18 months. Business — General Through our Business program, you will gain a strong foundation in marketing, management, finance and economics that can lead to a variety of career options. C Chemistry As a chemistry student, you will learn how to use the measuring and analysis equipment in a modern chemistry lab while competently performing routine laboratory tasks. Communication and Media Studies Open doors to diverse career paths in digital content creation, social media management, public relations, social change, entertainment, and news media. Community Health and Wellness Proficiency Certificate Preparing students to work as community health workers and in related professions. Computer Information Systems — Information Technology Our Computer Information Systems – Information Technology program will teach you the skills you need to diagnose and fix computer hardware and software issues. Computer Programming I — Application, Web and Database Development Proficiency Certificate Develop professional PC and web applications, and receive an introduction to database management and administration through the Computer Programming I certificate. Computer Programming II — Algorithms and Computation Proficiency Certificate Dive further into programming, data structures and fundamental mathematics of computing. The courses in this certificate may be applied to the Computer Science A.S. Degree or to the Computer Information Systems A.A.S. degree. Computer Science Our Computer Science program teaches you the intricacies of how a computer operates and how to create sophisticated computer hardware, software and programming. Construction Management Gain the experience needed to be a project manager on building construction projects. Corporate Social Responsibility Proficiency Certificate Learn how to evaluate stakeholder corporate social responsibility initiatives, assess sustainable technologies, and discover financial trade-offs and opportunities related to social responsibility strategies. Creative Writing Academic Certificate You will take literature and creative writing courses; have opportunities to interact with visiting writers; and attend readings, workshops, festivals and other special events. Criminal Justice Analyzing evidence, investigating crimes, working with at-risk youth and working with criminal offenders are some of the duties of individuals employed in the criminal justice field. Culinary Arts Culinary Arts Culinary Arts I Proficiency Certificate Get a start in the city's growing hospitality industry with our Culinary Arts Proficiency Certificate program. Culinary Arts II Proficiency Certificate Get a start in the city's growing hospitality industry with our Culinary Arts Proficiency Certificate program. Cybersecurity As the number of computers being used to store sensitive information for personal, business, and government purposes increases, the need for securing computers and other systems that store this information becomes more obvious. Cybersecurity Proficiency Certificate I This program will teach you how to develop the technical, analytical and problem-solving skills needed to protect both government and organizations' information technology assets. Cybersecurity Proficiency Certificate II This program will teach you how to develop the technical, analytical and problem-solving skills needed to protect both government and organizations' information technology assets. D Data Science Proficiency Certificate Data is quickly becoming one of the most valuable resources on the planet, and the science that drives the field sits at the crossroads of statistics and computer science. Dental Hygiene Become a hygienist in 2 years with the only accredited Dental Hygiene program in Philadelphia. This program will give you access to state-of-the-art equipment, hands-on experience with patients, and excellent preparation for taking the required exams for licensing and certification. Diagnostic Medical Imaging The JRCERT nationally accredited Diagnostic Medical Imaging Program is challenging, rewarding and an experience like no other. The Program curriculum prepares students to become clinically competent, entry-level Radiologic Digital Investigation Proficiency Certificate Work with experienced faculty to learn about acquiring information from digital media, using the most current technology and making sure evidence is admissible in court. Digital Video Production A comprehensive digital film program that covers directing, cinematography, lighting, sound acquisition, editing, and more. Digital Video Production Proficiency Certificate Our Digital Video Production program will teach you how to work behind the scenes of film, professional video and television programming. E Early Childhood Education Proficiency Certificate Our Early Childhood Education proficiency certificate program is a solid choice for students who wish to work with young learners up to five years of age. Education – Early Childhood (Birth to 4th Grade) The Education: Early Childhood (Birth to 4th Grade) Program develops the knowledge and competence of students interested in teaching or working in related careers with children birth through fourth grade. Education — Middle and Secondary Level Education: Middle and Secondary Level provide two opportunities for students. It offers a pathway for students to earn an associate of arts degree in education, which is now required for many entry-level jobs in Pennsylvania K-12 schools. Electronic Discovery Proficiency Certificate The Electronic Discovery Proficiency Certificate is designed to enhance the skills of paralegals in the field of electronic discovery. Engineering Our Engineering program teaches you how to understand complex concepts and apply them in the physical world. English In our English degree program, you will read inspiring literature and explore the connection between reading, writing and thinking as you prepare to transfer and pursue a bachelor's degree in English. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Proficiency Certificate Explore the planning, funding, accounting, marketing, and legal principles essential to building a successful business foundation. F Facilities Management Gain the basic knowledge of construction materials, processes and systems, business management, and real estate areas in the Facilities Management program. Fashion Merchandising and Marketing Focus on customer service, marketing and merchandising knowledge for positions in fashion retail and fashion marketing, fashion apparel, home and garden, and gifts. Fashion Merchandising and Marketing Proficiency Certificate Get professional experience for positions involving fashion merchandising and marketing across a variety of retail products. Fire Science Pursue a career as a firefighter, fire inspector, or investigator, gaining expertise in fire systems technology, fire administration, and more. Fire Science and Public Safety Proficiency Certificate The Fire Science and Public Safety Certificate Program has been developed to equip firefighters/paramedics and fire safety professionals with the fire prevention, fire safety, and pre-fire planning expertise needed to serve the city of Philadelphia and beyond. H Health Care Studies Interested in pursuing a career in health care, but not sure where to start? The Health Care Studies Program is designed for students who are interested in entering the health care profession, giving them the foundation courses necessary to apply to nursing or other select health care programs at the College, transfer to a bachelor's program, or complete an A.A. degree in Health Care Studies. Health Services Management Our Health Services Management program will teach you how to plan, direct, coordinate and supervise the delivery of health care. You will learn about evolving health care systems, technological innovations and today's regulatory environment. Human Services Academic Certificate Our Human Services academic certificate program will prepare you to work in the behavioral health and human service fields. Human Services Leadership — Youth, Family, and Community Engagement Proficiency Certificate The Human Services Leadership: Youth, Family, and Community Engagement proficiency certificate gives students a chance to learn about issues like youth development, spirituality, recovery, resilience and transformation and conflict resolution. I Individualized Studies The Individualized Studies program recognizes valuable training and/or work experience by giving students the opportunity to receive college credits for their experiences and to apply that experience and knowledge to an associate degree. Insurance Proficiency Certificate Want to help the people in your community protect their assets and take precautionary measures to ensure the longevity and wellbeing of their homes, cars and family finances? In just 16 credits you can join the lucrative field of insurance sales. Interdisciplinary Analysis and Critical Reasoning Proficiency Certificate No matter what field you plan to enter, the ability to think critically and understand the world in a variety of contexts is indispensable. Interior Design In the Interior Design program, you will learn how to plan a building layout; choose style and color palettes; select furniture, floor and window coverings; and determine lighting schemes for interior spaces. International Studies Cultivate your ability to succeed and lead with a global outlook. You will learn skills for speaking, listening, reading and writing in foreign languages; global perspectives on various world cultures; cross-cultural understanding and communication; and critical thinking skills. L Liberal Arts Explore a wide range of subjects and courses while developing critical thinking and communication skills. The Liberal Arts program offers a flexible, balanced academic course of study that fully prepares you for transfer to a four-year college. Liberal Arts – Honors The Honors experience puts you in a unique learning community of motivated students and faculty. The program is designed to help you earn a bachelor's degree, and beyond. Liberal Arts — Social/Behavioral Science Our Liberal Arts – Social/Behavioral Science program will teach you how to study human behavior and human societies. M Mathematics You will learn to communicate mathematical ideas; apply algorithms; analyze and solve problems; construct mathematical proofs; develop the capacity for logical, inductive and deductive reasoning; and describe the behavior of physical phenomena using mathematical models. Medical Assistant Proficiency Certificate Earn a Medical Assistant proficiency certificate in as little as two semesters and begin a career in a variety of medical settings. Upon successful completion, you will be eligible to take a national certification exam for a medical assistant and a phlebotomy certification exam. Medical Insurance Billing Proficiency Certificate Upon successful completion, you will be eligible to take a national certification exam for a medical assistant and a phlebotomy certification exam. Medical Laboratory Technician Our Medical Laboratory Technician program will prepare you with the skills you need to test blood and other bodily fluids for the detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease. Medium and Heavy Truck Technology With the United Stated Bureau of Labor statistics predicting an 8% increase in Diesel Service Technician jobs in the next 10 years, this essential industry is ripe for newcomers. Medium and Heavy Truck Technology I — Inspection, Maintenance, and Minor Repair Proficiency Certificate Learn how to perform fundamental tasks like fluids and inspections, lubrication, preventive maintenance services, filter services, electric systems, and more. Medium and Heavy Truck Technology II — Truck Service Technology Proficiency Certificate Take your basic medium and heavy truck servicing skills to the next level by completing our second proficiency certificate in the Medium and Heavy Truck Technology series. You can use this certificate as a milestone on your way to a degree or take these more advanced skills and apply them directly to your work in the field. Mobile Application Development Proficiency Certificate Prepare students to begin careers as native application developers for Android and iOS operating systems. Music Performance You will learn the foundations of music theory, history, composition, practicing techniques and performing traditions; have access to production equipment usually found only at a four-year college; gain opportunities to perform in jazz, chorus, orchestra, percussion. Music Production Proficiency Certificate Throughout this program, you will learn skills in music production, sound design, piano literacy and music theory that will prepare you to work as a producer, recording engineer, sound designer and/or songwriter. N Network Administration The Network Administration program is a practical degree for those who are interested in managing a network technology business. Network and Systems Administration Proficiency Certificate These courses are closely linked to professional certification from Comp TIA and Microsoft, and will help you develop the technical skills needed to support and maintain computer networks, plus the analytical skills needed to analyze and manage computer networks. Nursing Gain the education and training you need to play a critical role in providing treatment, support and education to both patients and their family members. P Paralegal Studies Our Paralegal Studies program, which is approved by the American Bar Association, will teach how to conduct legal research and writing, draft legal documents, analyze legal problems and develop effective client relationships. Paralegal Studies Proficiency Certificate These courses, approved by the American Bar Association, are designed to qualify students for entry-level positions in the paralegal field. Patient Service Representative Proficiency Certificate This program will teach you about the administrative components of a medical practice. Personal Training Proficiency Certificate Learn about exercise science and teach clients to improve their health and wellness. Photography As a student in the College's Photography program, you will receive training on the same equipment and software used by industry professionals, have access to internship opportunities at professional photo studios and laboratories, get an introduction to developing a photography business, and gain experience working on a video crew. Photography Proficiency Certificate Learn the basic skills in photography, video production, digital imaging and printing. In this program, you will become proficient with film camera operation, and black and white darkroom techniques. Piano Technician Proficiency Certificate Students enrolled in the Music Performance degree program who want to add a profitable skill to their arsenal should look no further. This program will teach you the ins and outs of the piano and prepare you for a career in piano tuning and maintenance. Post-Baccalaureate Accounting Proficiency Certificate Looking for a career change? The Post-Baccalaureate Accounting Proficiency Certificate is designed for students who have already completed a bachelor's degree in a non-accounting field of study and want to become accountants. Pre-Doctorate in Pharmacy Proficiency Certificate The Pre-Doctorate in Pharmacy Proficiency Certificate is a 22 credit-hour select program designed for students who have been accepted into the College's Early Assurance to Pharm. D. Program. Project Management Proficiency Certificate The Project Management Proficiency Certificate offers courses that develop skills in project management, communications, agile project management, and organizational leadership. Psychology Psychology is an excellent liberal arts major that allows you to explore and better understand the mind, how it functions and how it is influenced by biological, social, cultural and economic factors. Public Health Public health focuses on vulnerable populations and uses a proactive, preventive, and group approach to address the health needs of communities (regions, countries, or even the world) that are experiencing health disparities. R Real Estate Proficiency Certificate The Real Estate Proficiency Certificate is an 18-credit hour credential for students who are interested in becoming real estate salespersons, investors, or property managers; all career paths that do not require an associate or undergraduate degree. Religious Studies Proficiency Certificate The Religious Studies Proficiency Certificate is primarily designed to provide supplementary training for those going into social work, education, and health care, to provide a credential for those working in faith-based social welfare or educational non-profit organizations Respiratory Care Technology Our Respiratory Care Technology program will teach you the skills you need to become a respiratory therapist. You will learn how to assess a patient's condition, develop an appropriate care plan, handle technical equipment, make scientific calculations, and work independently to assist physicians in diagnosing and treating patients. S Sound Recording and Music Technology Use the latest technology in creating and recording music. You will learn to use sophisticated equipment, work with professional software, create music for multimedia and film, use a mixing board and learn various microphone techniques, run and record live sessions, and print your own music for publication. T Technical Theater Proficiency Certificate For those who are more inclined toward the technical side of theater, this certificate allows students to develop basic technical theater construction and design skills. Theater Our Theater program helps you discover and express your creativity while enhancing your teamwork and leadership skills. Tourism and Hospitality Management Prepare for positions in hotels, restaurants, specials events businesses, cruise ships, and casinos with first-hand experience and training. Tourism and Hospitality Management Proficiency Certificate Learn how to enter one of the area's largest industries. Gain the foodservice, human resources, customer service and leadership knowledge for exciting careers in tourism and hospitality operations. Toyota T-Ten Begin working with the largest car manufacturer in the world while you complete your degree with this unique program—the only one offered in the region. V Video Game Audio Proficiency Certificate The Video Game Audio Proficiency Certificate is designed to help students develop the skills necessary for a career in video game and interactive media audio, sound design and composition. W Web and Mobile Application Development Earn an associate degree in Web and Mobile app Development and gain full-stack development skills that will prepare you to create, develop and manage databases, user interfaces and remote data in coordination with industry-standard APIs. Web Development I Proficiency Certificate Web development is an in-demand role that only requires an internet connection, a web browser, and the proper training to get started. Web Development II — Cloud Computing Proficiency Certificate Gain hands-on experience creating websites and web applications, and running and managing cloud applications.


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This week
Nobody Reads Your PDFs
Formatting your reports and research in PDF may bore your audiences to where they refuse to read your stuff. Our panel from the Nonprofit Technology Conference helps you assess what's best for your nonprofit's content, including interactive formats. They're Genie Gratto at GWRITES; Meghan Hess from Campaign Legal Center; and Nathan Gasser with Report Kitchen.
Map Your Data
Salim Sawaya shares ways to visualize your outcomes data on maps, which can revolutionize how you think about and deliver services. He has free and low cost mapping tools. He's from Esri.
There's more at tonymartignetti.com
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