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Association Rules
This issue dated 13 June 2015, superseded 1 April 2017
Restriction on the Association's activities
Rule 1.The Association shall be democratic, non-sectarian and non-party; it shall not be affiliated, either directly or indirectly, to any sectarian organisation or to any political party or like body. In no circumstances shall the Association or any of its Committees or Sub-Committees publicly express any views on behalf of the Association in connection with any political or industrial dispute, or engage in activities in connection therewith.
Eligibility for Membership
Rule 2.Full Membership. An officer shall be eligible for Full Membership of the Association when;
a.He/she has served in the General Duties (Ground) Fighter Control, Operations Support (Fighter Control) or Operations Support (Aerospace Battle Manager) Specialisations or the Aerospace Battle Manager Branch of the Royal Air Force and has been awarded a recognised fighter control qualification or,
b.He/she has served in the Royal Air Force as a Radar Supervisor, Fighter Director or GCI Controller prior to the formation of the Fighter Control Branch.
Student Membership
Rule 2A.Student Membership.
a.An officer shall be eligible for Student Membership of the Association if he/she is serving in the Aerospace Battle Manager Branch of the Royal Air Force prior to the award of a recognised and appropriate qualification; this period shall include any period during which the officer is holding prior to joining a training course that would lead to the award of such a qualification.
b.Student Membership shall only lead to Full Membership under the strict terms of Rule 2 and shall be cancelled on notification that the award of the qualification shall not be made by the School of Aerospace Battle Management; until the time of transfer to Full Membership, no subscription shall be due from the Student Member and no benefits or privileges of full membership shall be applicable, except for modified access to the Members' area of the Association website and Message Board.
Associate Membership
Rule 3.Associate Membership. Associate Members do not have voting rights at an Annual General Meeting or Special Meeting.
a.Officers of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force or forces of foreign nations who are serving, or have served, on the operational strength of a United Kingdom ground environment unit shall be eligible for Associate Membership subject to endorsement by the Committee.
b.In addition, the surviving life-partner of a Full Member, or of an Associate Member under Rule 3a, shall be eligible for Associate Membership subject to endorsement by the Committee.
Honorary Membership
Rule 4.Honorary Membership. Certain persons, not meeting the criteria of Rule 2, Rule 2A or Rule 3, whose membership would be beneficial to the Association, shall be offered Honorary Membership of the Association subject to a recommendation by the Committee and endorsement by an Annual General Meeting or Special Meeting. Honorary members do not have voting rights at an Annual General or Special Meeting.
Veteran (Dowding) Membership
Rule 4A.Veteran (Dowding) Membership. Certain persons who served as RAF or WAAF personnel, manning and operating the Dowding System or its equivalent overseas, between 1 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. Veteran (Dowding) members do not have voting rights at an Annual General or Special Meeting and pay no annual subscription.
Application for Membership
Rule 5.Application for Full, Student and Associate Membership of the Association shall be made, on the form authorised by the Committee, to the Secretary. The Committee shall call upon the candidate to furnish further evidence, when deemed necessary, to show that he or she is eligible under Rule 2, Rule 2A or Rule 3.
Rejection of Application for Membership
Rule 6.If the Committee decides to reject an application for membership, the notification by the Secretary to the applicant shall state the fact and specify the ground(s) on which the rejection was made.
Application Procedure
Rule 7.Application Procedure.
a.If an applicant for Full or Associate Membership is deemed to be eligible for such membership in accordance with Rule 2 or Rule 3, an interim or provisional registration shall be made by the Secretary - in accordance with Rule 8 - and the applicant so informed; the applicant shall simultaneously be requested to complete and submit a standing order mandate, in accordance with Rule 12. The applicant will, from the point the completed standing order mandate is received and actioned by the Treasurer, enjoy the benefit of membership of the Association (including but not limited to full website and Message Board access and subsidised attendance at any Association function), but such membership shall cease if the applicant's subscription payment is not made on or immediately after the due date - as required by Rule 12 - at the discretion of the Committee; Rule 9 shall not apply in this case.
b.If an applicant for Student Membership is deemed to be eligible for such membership in accordance with Rule 2A, a temporary registration shall be made by the Secretary and the applicant so informed; the applicant shall simultaneously be requested to complete and submit a modified standing order mandate that will only be required to make a first subscription payment on 1 April following the transfer to Full Membership. The applicant will, from the point the completed standing order mandate is received by the Treasurer, have modified website and Message Board access (but no automatic right to participate in any subsidy when attending any Association function).
Register of Members
Rule 8.The Secretary shall maintain a register of all members of the Association. The register shall contain the following particulars of each member of the Association:
a.Name and address, and in the case of a serving member, current Service particulars.
b.Date on which the member joined the Association.
c.Membership number.
d.Category of Membership (Full, Student, Associate, Veteran (Dowding) or Honorary).
e.Such other pertinent particulars as the Committee may deem necessary from time-to-time.
Cessation of Membership
Rule 9. The membership of a Full or Associate Member shall be restricted or ceased in the following circumstances (at the discretion of the Committee):
a. Restriction of Membership. If the subscription of a Full or Associate Member remains only partially paid by 6 calendar months from the date it becomes due, membership privileges shall be restricted in that, where applicable, (i) access to the Member area of the website and Message Board shall be removed and (ii) eligibility to attend an Association function as an Association Member shall be withdrawn. This restriction shall last only so long as the subscription remains partially paid. The affected Member shall continue to receive communications, newsletters and notifications of events.
b. Cessation of Membership. If (i) the subscription of a Full or Associate Member remains unpaid by 6 calendar months from the date it becomes due or (ii) said Member enjoys the benefit of membership or services thereof without proper and full payment (as specified in Rule 28) of the amount designated to be paid for such benefit or service, membership shall cease forthwith and all membership privileges, communications, newsletters and notifications of events shall be withdrawn or cease.
Reinstatement of Membership
Rule 9A. Notwithstanding Rule 9 and at the discretion of the Committee, a former Full/Associate Member may be reinstated under the provisions of Rules 2 or 3, such reinstatement to depend on the immediate payment of an amount representing the subscription(s) missed in the intervening period, such amount to be the initial joining fee (provided for by Rule 11) plus the amount of the applicable (current) annual subscription (provided for by Rule 12), and any amount outstanding from membership benefits or services thereof enjoyed during any previous membership period.
(amended (Rule 9 substituted in its entirety; Rule 9A added) at AGM 15)
Refund of Subscription
Rule 10.A person who has resigned or otherwise ceased membership of the Association shall not be entitled to the refund of any subscription or part thereof.
Joining Fee
Rule 11.There shall be provision for all members to pay an initial joining fee as determined by the Association at an Annual General Meeting. (The current fee with effect from 1 April 1993 is £0 (Nil Pounds))
Rule 12.The Annual subscription shall be £15 or such other amount determined by the Association at an Annual General Meeting. The first Annual subscription shall be due from the member on 1 April following his/her registration as a member. All annual subscriptions shall be due on 1 April each year. Annual subscriptions shall be paid by Banker's Order; however, individual exceptions to this provision may be agreed by the Committee at its discretion. In addition, a Member who resides permanently outside the United Kingdom and is unable to take full advantage of the benefits of membership shall be excused payment of the Annual subscription from 1 April following the date of his/her eligibility, such eligibility to be determined by the Committee.
Officers of the Association
Rule 13.Only Full members of the Association shall become Officers.
a.The Officers of the Association shall be:
(1)The President.
(2)The Chairman.
(3)The Vice-Chairman.
(4)The Treasurer.
(5)The Secretary.
b.The Officers of the Association, with the exception of the Vice-Chairman, shall be elected by the Association at an Annual General Meeting and shall hold office for three years without re-election.
c.The Officers of the Association, with the exception of the Vice-Chairman, shall hold office from the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting at which they are elected to the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting in the year in which their term of office expires.
d.The Officers of the Association, with the exception of the Vice-Chairman, shall be eligible for re-election for further periods of office when their current term expires.
e.In the event that the Deputy Treasurer assumes the Powers, Responsibilities and Duties of the Treasurer in accordance with Rule 26, he/she shall simultaneously become an Officer of the Association. Only a Full Member of the Association may be elected to be the Deputy Treasurer.
Officers' Terms of Office
Rule 14.The following terms of office shall apply:
a.The position of Vice-Chairman should be held by the serving member of the Association who is also the senior officer acting as Branch Sponsor or Branch specialist at the appropriate headquarters, normally at Group Captain or Wing Commander level.
b.The positions of President, Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary may each be held by a serving or a retired member of the Association.
c.The Chairman shares some of the Treasurer's responsibility for Association banking (a designated signatory for the Association bank account and the Secondary User for Business Internet Banking); therefore, every effort should be made to avoid the 2 posts changing incumbents simultaneously.
President's Power to Delegate
Rule 15.The President of the Association may, by a directive in writing, delegate to the Chairman of the Committee any of his/her functions when he/she is unable to perform the function(s).
Honorary Vice-Presidents
Rule 16.
a.Any member of the Association who has rendered outstanding service to the Association may be invited, on recommendation of the Committee and an overall majority vote at an Annual General Meeting, to become an Honorary Vice-President.
b.Up to six Honorary Vice-Presidents may be appointed.
c.An Honorary Vice-President will not be required to pay an annual subscription, although s/he will remain a voting Member of the Association.
d.An Honorary Vice-President shall be given full access to the Committee forum area of the Association website and Message Board in order to permit informed contribution to any Committee discussion, without any obligation to provide such contribution. Such access shall not confer membership of the Committee nor any associated voting rights other than those applicable to a Full Association Member.
Committee Composition
Rule 17.The Committee shall comprise:
a.The Officers of the Association.
b.The Entertainments Member.
c.The Web Manager.
d.The Memorabilia Member.
e.The Heritage Member.
f.The ADRM Liaison Member.
g.Any Member elected to deputise for a core post, any Representative appointed under Rule 18 or any Additional Member co-opted under Rule 21.
Rule 18.Every member of the Committee shall be a member of the Association and, with the exception of the Officers of the Association and the Representatives, shall be elected by the Association at an Annual General Meeting; they shall hold office for such term and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed in these Rules. The Committee shall seek and appoint a School of Aerospace Battle Management Representative. Serving representatives shall be voting members of the Committee. No member of the Committee shall have more than one vote irrespective of the number of posts the member fills.
Rule 19.The Quorum for the transaction of the business of the Committee shall be four, of whom two must be Officers of the Association, or such numbers as may from time-to-time be approved by the Association at an Annual General Meeting.
Casual Vacancy
Rule 20.Should a vacancy among the Officers of the Association or among the members of the Committee arise unexpectedly and more than four months before the next scheduled Annual General Meeting, it shall be filled by the Committee forthwith; the Officer/Committee member shall hold office to complete the full term of his/her predecessor.
Co-opted Members
Rule 21.The Committee shall have the power to co-opt additional members, who must be members of the Association, for specific purposes. Such an appointment shall continue only as long as the special purpose exists or requires. Additional Members shall have voting powers whilst serving on the Committee.
Rule 22.The Committee shall have the power to appoint Sub-Committees from amongst their members, including Additional Members co-opted under the provisions of these Rules.
Terms of Office for Committee Members
Rule 23.Members of the Committee, other than the Officers of the Association and the Representatives, shall hold office for a period of 2 years commencing from the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting at which they are elected to the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting in the year in which their term of office expires. Such elected members shall be eligible for re-election for further periods of office.
Independent Check/Audit
Rule 24.The accounts of the funds of the Association shall be subject to an independent check annually, as soon as possible after the end of the financial year of the Association (31 March), by 2 Officers of the Association other than the Treasurer.
Holding of Property
Rule 25.All property of the Association, both real and personal, shall be held in the name of such other person(s) as the Committee may from time-to-time determine.
Powers and Duties of the Treasurer
Rule 26.The cash and bank accounts of the Association shall be under the control of the Treasurer who shall be responsible therefore, but who shall administer them in accordance with the decisions of the Committee. The Treasurer shall maintain double-entry records of the accounts and shall submit statements of accounts to the Committee for examination and subsequent approval by the Association at the Annual General Meeting. In the event of the incapacitation of the Treasurer, the Powers, Responsibilities and Duties of the Treasurer shall devolve automatically to the Deputy Treasurer for the period of the Treasurer's incapacity.
Bank Withdrawals
Rule 27.Withdrawals from the Bank account shall be authorised by the signature of either the Treasurer or the Chairman with the implicit authority of the other.
Financial Propriety
Rule 28.Financial propriety shall be maintained in all aspects and operations of the Association.
a.Set fees and subscriptions shall be handled in the following manner:
(1)The amount of the joining fee to be forwarded to the Treasurer shall be as prescribed at Rule 11.
(2)The amount of the annual subscription to be forwarded to the Treasurer shall be as prescribed in Rule 12.
(3)Such other amounts as may from time-to-time be determined by the Association at an Annual General Meeting, or by the Committee, shall be forwarded to the Treasurer.
(4)Sums received in payment for any goods or services supplied by the Association shall be forwarded to the Treasurer.
(5)Sums received in respect of any function organised by the Committee, or in respect of any public appeal of any kind, shall be forwarded to the Treasurer.
(6)Sums received as donations for the use and benefit of the Association shall be forwarded to the Treasurer.
(7)The requirements of Article 18 of the Constitution or of this Rule shall be deemed to have been met if, instead of forwarding any sum to the Treasurer, it is duly accounted for to his/her satisfaction.
b.Sums due in respect of any function organised by the Committee on behalf of the Association shall be paid prior to the function, either at the time of booking or before a time to be set when the function is announced, at the discretion of the Committee.
c.Sums due in respect of goods or services shall be paid prior to the delivery of the goods or services.
Powers of Investment
Rule 29.Any funds not immediately required for the day-to-day running of the Association shall be invested as may from time-to-time be determined and authorised by the Committee.
Rule 30.Members of the Association may, at the Committee's discretion, be paid amounts by way of expenses incurred in the pursuance of the Association's business; this may include an allowance for expenses incurred for attendance at Committee meetings. The Chairman's approval for such expenses must be obtained prior to the event, and shall be submitted to, and ratified by, the Association at an Annual General Meeting.
Annual General Meeting
Rule 31.The Annual General Meeting shall be held at such time and place decided by the Committee; all members shall be notified of the place, date and time of the meeting, by the Secretary, at minimum of 2 months prior to the date of the meeting. Proposals for agenda items to be discussed under 'Any Other Business' shall be forwarded to the Secretary at least 28 days prior to the date of the meeting. The Secretary shall make arrangements for Full Members unable to attend an Annual General Meeting to vote by proxy.
Special Meeting
Rule 32.A Special Meeting may be convened at any time by the Committee with a minimum of 28 days notice. A Special Meeting may also be convened at the request of a minimum of 50 members of the Association. The convening notice for a Special Meeting shall state the business to be transacted; no business other than that notified on the convening notice shall be transacted at such Special Meetings.
Chairman of Meetings
Rule 33.In the Chairman's unavoidable absence, the President or the Vice-Chairman of the Committee shall take the chair. If neither of these officers is available, then an Officer of the Association shall chair the Meeting.
Business of Annual General Meetings
Rule 34.The business to be transacted at an Annual General Meeting shall comprise:
a.Apologies for Absence.
b.Approval of the Minutes of the Last Meeting.
c.Annual Report from the President.
d.Election of Officers.
e.Election of Committee Members, if required.
f.Election of Auditor(s), if required.
g.Consideration of proposals from the Committee or members for revocation, repeal or amendment to any Article(s) of the Constitution.
h.Consideration of proposals from the Committee or members for revocation, repeal or amendment of the Rules.
i.Financial statement and approval of the balance sheet from the previous accounting period.
j.Any Other Business, agreed by the President, of general concern to the Association.
Copies of Annual Reports
Rule 35.Copies of the President's Annual Report, the annual accounts of the Association and the Agenda shall be available to all members attending the Meeting.
Election Nominations
Rule 36.Nominations for the election of Officers of the Association and Committee members shall be in writing and sent to the Secretary at least 28 days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting at which the election shall take place. Each nomination paper shall be signed by the proposer, the seconder and by the nominee signifying acceptance of his/her name being put forward. Use by the Proposer, Seconder and Nominee of separate multi-purpose nomination, acceptance and proxy forms shall be deemed a satisfactory alternative to the single nomination form signed by all parties. Where appropriate the nomination shall be accompanied by a brief statement of qualification. In the absence of any nomination for a vacant post or for a post that will become vacant after the AGM, every effort shall be made at the AGM to find a suitable volunteer, who shall then be elected in the normal manner.
List of Candidates on the Agenda
Rule 37.The Agenda of an Annual General Meeting shall include a list of all candidates who have been validly nominated for election as an Officer of the Association or as a member of the Committee; the inclusion of a candidate's name in such a list shall be conclusive evidence that the prescribed conditions of nomination have been met.
Notice of Resolutions
Rule 38.A member of the Association wishing to move a resolution(s) at an Annual General Meeting shall give notice of the proposal(s) in writing and duly seconded, to the Secretary at least 28 days prior to the date of the meeting.
Agenda to be Final
Rule 39.Resolutions, subjects or matters not included in the Agenda shall not be moved, raised or discussed at an Annual General Meeting except when a matter of urgency has arisen after the Agenda has been printed. In this event the Agenda may be altered by the Committee, the President or the Chairman so that the topic may be discussed.
AGM or Special Meeting Quorum
Rule 40.A quorum at an Annual General or Special Meeting shall be ten percent of the Full membership of the Association. Proxy votes from Full Members, given to any Full Member attending the AGM, shall count towards the quorum.
Rule 41.Voting at an Annual General or Special Meeting shall be by a show of hands unless otherwise directed by the Chair. A simple majority vote by those members attending the meeting and entitled to vote shall be sufficient for resolution to be carried.
Proxy Meeting
Rule 42.The Secretary will make arrangements to enable members who cannot attend the Annual General Meeting, or an Extraordinary General Meeting, to nominate a proxy to vote on their behalf in accordance with Article 21 of the Constitution. Members may nominate as their proxy the Chairman, a Committee Member or any other member known to be attending the Meeting in question. Members must send their proxy nominations to the Secretary, in writing, prior to the Meeting.
Decisions to be Final
Rule 43.A decision of an Annual General or Special Meeting shall be binding upon the Association, its Officers and members.
Minutes of the Meeting
Rule 44.A true and accurate record of an Annual General or Special Meeting shall be maintained by the Secretary. This record, the Minutes of the Meeting, shall be made available to all members, within the bounds of economy, after the conclusion of the Meeting. These Minutes shall constitute the authority to implement those decisions taken at the Meeting.
Committee Meetings
Rule 45.Meetings of the Committee shall be held as required, but not less than two per year, and as notified to Committee members. Such meetings shall not discuss, or take decisions upon any subject or matter other than the routine conduct of the Association's business. A simple majority vote shall be deemed an agreement of the Committee and shall be binding on all members of the Committee.
Committee Meeting Minutes
Rule 46.The Secretary shall maintain a true and accurate record of the Committee's proceedings and shall be directed by the Chairman which of the decisions taken in the Committee shall be included in the President's Annual Report to the Annual General Meeting. Where applicable and appropriate, the reports and findings of all Sub-Committee(s) shall be summarised in the main Committee's Minutes.
Use of Association Title, Initials, Badge or Insignia
Rule 47.No member of the Association shall use or permit the use of the name, initials, badge or other insignia of the Association which would in any way suggest that any of his/her activities has the support of, or is conducted under, the auspices of the Association without the prior written authority of the Chairman; if such authority is given it may be revoked at any time.
Rule 48.The Committee may make Bye-Laws for regulating the affairs of the Association and the Committee. Bye-Laws shall prescribe anything which is required by these Rules, and may make further provisions as may be seen by the Committee to be necessary, or desirable, for implementing, or facilitating, the provisions of the Constitution in the absence of a specific Rule to cover any particular circumstance or contingency. Such Bye-Laws shall be submitted by the Committee to the next Annual General Meeting for ratification and inclusion in these Rules.
Rule 49.In these Rules, unless otherwise specified the following definitions apply:
a.'The Annual General Meeting', 'Special Meeting' and 'Committee Meeting' respectively mean the annual meeting of members of the Association to be held in pursuance of Article 14 of the Constitution, a meeting of the members of the Association specially convened to deal with extraordinary business of the Association in pursuance of Article 16 of the Constitution and a meeting of the Committee convened to manage the day-to-day affairs of the Association.
b.No longer allocated.
c.'The Association' means the Association of Royal Air Force Fighter Control Officers.
d.'Royal Air Force' means the Royal Air Force, the Women's Royal Air Force, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
e.'The Committee' means the Committee of the Association including the Officers of the Association, the elected and nominated members of the Committee and the Representatives; such Committee being authorised under the provisions of articles 10, 11 and 12 of the Constitution.
f.'The Rules' means the Rules of the Association written under the provisions of Article 17 of the Constitution.
g.'The Constitution' means the Constitution currently in force, approved by the Association and assigned as effectual by the President of the Association.
Rule 50.In these Rules references to the Rules shall, unless otherwise specified, include any Bye-Laws issued under the provisions of Rule 48.
This issue dated 13 June 2015, superseded 1 April 2017


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Even before taking out student loans, you should come up with a plan for repayment. Figure out how much you are borrowing, how much you will be earning, and what your best option is. This is where budgeting comes in handy.
The average student loan debt is rising, as is the number of student loans that are going unpaid and falling into default. More people with student loans are finding it harder to make their payments on time, if at all, and are falling behind. That being said, it's pretty important that those who aren't already in that boat prepare adequately for their upcoming task of paying back what they borrow, and those who are already falling behind find a way to fix their situation.
Follow these tips to stay on-track with your student loans.
- Determine how much you are borrowing, and what the grace period is. Each loan may have a different grace period, so make sure you read the terms of each carefully. Keep track of your loans, and always be aware of the terms and conditions.
- Figure out how much you will be making in income. If you have a part time job, are participating in work study, or even run your own small business, figure out some average numbers. Know how much are you bringing in per month after taxes.
- Figure out a payment plan. Once you know how much you are bringing in, take a close look at how much is going out. Do you have enough left over to pay your loan payment each month? If not, where can you cut back on your spending to give yourself some money to pay off your loans? Sometimes with work study, you can find ways to put it all towards your loans. This is a great way to keep your interest from building while you are in school and get a head start on your repayment.
- Do the math. Use the smallest numbers available so you'll always be pleasantly surprised, rather than have to scramble to scrape up some more cash. What I mean by that is calculate your lowest possible paycheck. Say you are sick a few days, or don't get scheduled for as many hours as usual… plan your budget around those numbers. That way, you can always pay off more, but you'll never be short.
- Stay on top of it! If you can get a good foundation going while you are still in school, repayment after graduation will be a breeze! If you are already well accustomed to paying a certain amount every month, then continuing to do so won't be a problem at all!
- If for some reason your circumstances change, talk to your loan provider about your options. They offer forbearance and deferment plans to buy you some time to get things in order. Either one is a vastly more preferable option that going into default, which can affect your credit score and impede your ability to take out loans in the future if you need to.
Once you are out of school and have a stable job, look into refinancing and consolidating your existing student loans. This is a good way to roll everything into one payment and potentially get a lower interest rate. Check out the student loan refinance offers from major lenders using our student loan consolidation finder.
I neglected to do this with my own student loans, and to this day I'm kicking myself over it! I was only nannying a few days a week after classes, but even with just that money (which I didn't need to cover any of my bills or other costs) could have paid off nearly $4,000 in the time I worked that job! That would have been a nice weight off my shoulders once the time came for me to begin repayment!

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U2 manager supports Israeli war crimes
The manager of U2, a rock band well known for human rights campaigning, has taken part in fundraising activities for an organization that supports Israel's war crimes.
Guy Oseary, who also manages Madonna, attended a 2014 fundraising gala in Los Angeles, California, for Friends of the IDF.
The event – which reportedly brought in $33 million to the organization's coffers – was held just a few months after Israel's 51-day bombardment of Gaza that year.
Although photographs of Oseary attending the event were posted on the Internet, his participation has not drawn any criticism before now.
His participation can only be interpreted as an endorsement of the Israeli military and its activities. Friends of the IDF helps recruit for the Israeli military. It does so by sponsoring "lone soldiers" – Israeli troops with family living abroad – for the entire duration of their service.
The gala that Oseary attended featured a tribute to soldiers who had attacked Gaza earlier in 2014. Friends of the IDF assisted that offensive by supplying mobile showers, snacks, underwear and cell phone chargers to troops invading Gaza.
By giving that aid, Friends of the IDF can pose as a charity that is providing comfort to Israeli soldiers. The group has stretched the concept of "humanitarian" activities to its limit. Genuine humanitarians would be more concerned with helping the victims of Israeli aggression than meeting the personal hygiene requirements of the aggressors.
Friends of the IDF can count on support from the most powerful political and business figures in the US. Donald Trump, the president-elect, has pledged money to the group in the past – although it has been reported that someone else actually made the $250,000 donation that he promised.
Oseary did not respond to multiple requests asking how much he has donated to Friends of the IDF. The organization itself also did not reply to a request for comment.
Organizing galas is one of Friends of the IDF's preferred methods of fundraising. Tickets for one such gala – scheduled to take place in Boston next month – are priced at $3,600 for a table of 12.
The gala which Oseary attended was hosted by Haim Saban, an entrepreneur who helped finance Hillary Clinton's failed campaign for last week's presidential election.
Oseary's support for Friends of the IDF is at odds with U2's professed concern for human rights.
Since the 1980s, U2 has been vocal in its support for human rights group Amnesty International. Amnesty has accused Israeli troops of displaying "callous indifference to the carnage" they caused while attacking Gaza in 2014. According to the group, Israel's violence against civilian homes "brazenly flouted the laws of war."
Amnesty International issued a brief statement when asked if the organization was concerned about Oseary's support for Friends of the IDF.
"We are not in a position to comment on a private donation made by an individual who is not a staff member or official representative of Amnesty International and would urge you to contact U2 or their representatives directly," the group stated. "U2 are prominent supporters of Amnesty International's work and have regularly sought to raise awareness of human rights issues."
The band and its then manager Paul McGuinness were given Amnesty's annual "ambassador of conscience" award in 2005.
Oseary replaced McGuinness as U2's manager in 2013. Born in Jerusalem – though based in the US for most of his life – Oseary combines his music industry activities with investments in Israel's technology industry.
Band of hypocrites
Sound Ventures, a firm which Oseary established with the actor Ashton Kutcher, is part owner of Meerkat, an Israeli app maker. U2 heavily promoted Meerkat's livestreaming service during its world tour last year, using the app to broadcast clips from the band's concerts.
While that streaming service is no longer available, the company behind Meerkat is still active and has recently launched a new video chat application called Houseparty.
Meerkat exemplifies the cozy relationship between the military and the Israeli technology industry. As part of efforts to build up Israel as a leading manufacturer of weapons and surveillance equipment, the Israeli military has devoted considerable resources to developing the computer skills of its soldiers. One of Meerkat's founders, Roi Tirosh, is a former instructor in the Israeli military.
Oseary's Sound Ventures has also provided funding to Moovit, the Israeli firm that boasts of inventing the world's most popular public transport app. Moovit's CEO, Nir Erez, is a graduate of the computer science academy run by the Israeli military.
U2 – and, especially its lead singer Bono – have long displayed double standards.
Bono has defended and personally benefited from tax exemptions for the super rich, while masquerading as a campaigner against poverty. And despite writing "Bullet the Blue Sky" – a protest song against militarism and the arms industry – Bono has lavished praise on Shimon Peres, the recently deceased Israeli politician who helped introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East and who ordered massacres in Lebanon.
Bono and U2 are not credible advocates of human rights. Amnesty should have realized that ages ago.
The clear proof that the band's manager has supported Israel's war crimes means that Amnesty no longer has any excuses. It is past time for Amnesty to publicly disown U2, a band of hypocrites.


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Flower Duet from "Lakme"
Friday evening's performance…by the members of the Fairmount String Quartet was splendid…the playing was expert to the point of perfection.
Michael Caruso, Chestnut Hill Local
From more classical music to fun contemporary songs, Fairmount Strings knocked it out of the park.
Alison F., bride
We are so grateful that Fairmount Strings made our wedding day vision come to life.
Jocelyn G., bride
The quartet was magnificent and so very professional. One guest said the setting and the quartet made the ceremony storybook!
Joanne F., Bride
Last night the audience told you so well what I am trying to put into words now. Thank you for an unbelievably beautiful concert!
Alice Nugent, Candlelight Concerts at Laurel Hill
The beautiful sound of your music will stay with me always. It was simply stunning and made our day feel like a fairy tale.
Julie & Tom B., Bride and Groom
Adding to their laurels — professionalism, intuition and timeliness, we look forward to many future musical endeavors with the Fairmount Chamber Ensemble.
Kevin O'Malia, Director of Music, First United Methodist Church of Germantown
I made a point of standing off to the side in the back of the church to listen. It was….well….perfection.
Chris C., Mother of the Bride
It is such a privilege to work with musicians of their caliber who are so genuinely committed to supporting the growth and development of our students.
Stephen Kushner, Director of Choral Music, Germantown Friends School
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your beautiful performance, which helped to make the vision and dream I had for my daughter's wedding day come true.
Jeanne B., Mother of the Bride
They are wonderful musicians, easy to work with, and deliver performances of consistently high quality.
Clair Rozier, Director of Music, St. David's Episcopal Church


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The power sector is one of the most frequently targeted and first to respond to cyber threats with mandatory controls. But threats continue to evolve, reaching into industrial control systems and supply chains, and requiring even greater efforts to manage risk.
The network of power plants and lines connecting to homes and businesses is widely considered to be among the most critical infrastructure in the world, especially in advanced economies. It's also one of the most frequently attacked, with consequences that could potentially reach far beyond the power sector.1
Many countries across the globe have classified electrical infrastructure as critical to a functioning society. The US government labels energy as one of 16 critical infrastructure sectors considered so vital that "their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, (and) national public health or safety."2 In particular, the power sector is seen as uniquely critical for the "enabling function" it provides across all critical infrastructure sectors.3 If the power went out across a large region for an extended period, highly dependent systems—such as financial, communications, transportation, water, and sewer networks—would be severely impacted, leaving the population immobile, incommunicado, and in the dark. In a word, vulnerable.
In this article, we assess the growing sources of cyber risk in the power sector, track evolving threats, threat actors, and vulnerabilities, and explore one of the sector's most challenging vulnerabilities—cyber risk to the electric power supply chain. We then examine the nature of cyber supply chain risk, delve into recent supply chain attacks and their impact on the power sector, and discuss challenges in addressing these risks. Finally, we explore the steps that power companies can take to manage cyber risk across the enterprise and up the supply chain.
Energy is one of the top three sectors targeted for attack in the United States. In 2016 alone, the sector reported 59 incidents, 20 percent of the 290 total incidents reported in that year.4 Only two other sectors reported more incidents—critical manufacturing and communications. This, however, is not specific to the United States alone—the sector has been a prime target in Europe and Japan; in Australia, it was identified as the sector with the highest number of reported incidents or near-incidents related to critical infrastructure.5 What's more, electric power companies report a continuous barrage of attempted intrusions, and though most fail, activity is accelerating. US Energy Secretary Rick Perry commented that such intrusions are "happening hundreds of thousands of times a day."6 And in early 2018, there was "an extreme uptick" in cyberattacks targeting the electric grid in North America.7
Not only are attacks rising, but cybersecurity experts and intelligence sources report that the number of threat actors is increasing and their capabilities expanding.8 Internal threats due to human error, disgruntled employees, or contractors have typically been one of the most common threats. But nation-states and organized crime are becoming more active, and most disturbingly, could be intersecting.9 Nation-state actors are believed by some to be contracting with organized crime groups, possibly to ensure deniability.10 The problem can be compounded as hackers with little institutional or technical knowledge can increasingly access sophisticated tools on the dark web, which operates outside of the traditional internet. Figure 1 illustrates the variety of adversaries that may threaten electric grids, and the perceived severity of the threat and impact in the United States. This threat profile typically changes over time and from country to country.
One of the most common attack vectors in the power sector is phishing, or attacks launched via email asking users to click on a link that then injects malware into their systems, or via email asking for personal data to enable unauthorized network access. In 2017, out of 226 cyber bulletins posted by the US Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) on its portal, over 30 percent involved phishing.11 Other common attack vectors include "watering hole," credential theft, denial of service, and remote access trojans.
Power companies have long been aware of growing cyber risk, and were one of the first industries to respond, with requirements to implement cybersecurity controls through the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC-CIP) standards, initiated in 2007. Nonetheless, the threat continues to evolve, as attackers home in on industrial control systems (ICS) and attempt to access them through third parties in the power sector supply chain.
In another unsettling but growing trend, cyberattackers are increasingly targeting industrial control systems (ICS), sometimes potentially laying the groundwork to do physical damage to the grid. Previously, attackers primarily targeted utilities' information technology (IT) systems to steal data or launch ransomware for financial gain. The threat is now becoming even more insidious, with reports of hackers tied to nation-states and organized crime trying to burrow their way into utility ICS, seeking to learn how systems operate, and positioning themselves to control critical physical assets, such as power plants, substations, transmission, and distribution networks, and to potentially disrupt or destroy them.
This targeting of ICS, which has developed over a decade, is blurring the lines between cyber- and physical attacks, prompting national security concerns in many countries. ICS attacks have evolved in scope and purpose across the globe (figure 2). Attackers began by exploiting software developed for legitimate purposes, such as Shodan and Metasploit, to find components and devices connected to the internet, and to target supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and other ICS software. A common thread is that all of these attacks are either known or suspected to have been carried out or supported by nation-states to further political goals, and such activity appears to be on the rise. In a particularly disturbing ICS-targeted attack in 2017, a virus called Trisis or Triton penetrated the safety systems of a Saudi petrochemical plant. Investigation revealed that the attack, which was foiled only by a bug in the computer code, was likely intended to cause an explosion that could have killed and injured people.12
Against this backdrop of increasing threats to power grids across the globe is a growing source of potential cyber vulnerability—grid modernization. Despite almost limitless advantages to be gained from digitizing and modernizing the grid, modernization can also increase a utility's "attack surface," or the number of routes hackers can exploit to enter utility systems. As grids become increasingly "smart," with information and communications technologies and devices embedded throughout, networks are being linked, the system is gaining complexity, and the number of access points is rising. In addition, as utilities introduce more commonly used software and information technologies into their operations, their systems may become more accessible to adversaries. And, as they increasingly automate functions, the impact of an attack is potentially magnified. Taken together, all of these factors spell increased vulnerability.
Power companies used to consider cyber risk in terms of the vulnerability of either IT systems, meaning software, hardware, and technologies that process data and other information, or operational technology (OT) systems, meaning software, hardware, and technologies that help monitor and control physical devices, assets, and processes, including the ICS. In recent years, however, the two systems have been converging as companies digitize and build the power sector's version of the industrial internet of things, including the "smart grid." And, as challenging as it may be for power companies to identify their own critical assets and protect them, the challenge seems to be expanding exponentially, since today's interconnected world also requires them to secure vast, far-flung, and increasingly complex global supply chains.
Power companies purchase information, hardware, software, services, and more from third parties across the globe. And threat actors can introduce compromised components into a system or network, unintentionally or by design, at any point in the system's life cycle. This may be through software updates or "patches," which are downloaded frequently, or through firmware that can be manipulated to include malicious codes for exploitation at a later date. Adversaries may also compromise the hardware that utilities install in their operating systems.13
In the attack that nearly triggered an explosion and casualties at a Saudi petrochemical plant in 2017 (figure 2), the Trisis or Triton virus was introduced remotely through a brand of controllers used in about 18,000 industrial plants globally.14 These controllers perform safety functions such as regulating voltage, pressure, and temperatures in nuclear and water treatment facilities, refineries, and chemical plants. The virus was meant to disrupt those functions in the plant. Investigators suggest that although this malware is not highly scalable, the method of attack provides a blueprint for those seeking to corrupt similar equipment elsewhere in the world.15
To further explore this threat, figure 3 examines three recent cyberattacks that originated in the supply chain and impacted the power sector. Two of them targeted ICS specifically, and the third targeted IT systems. Alarmingly, all three appeared bent on immediate or potential future disruption rather than financial gain.
When it comes to reducing cyber risk in the supply chain, companies in the power sector face many challenges. First, cyber supply chain accountability and ownership typically do not fall into well-defined, specific groups within a company. They may touch diverse departments, including supply and procurement, corporate information security, cloud and infrastructure, legal, IT, and OT. Most CISOs have no control over the enterprise's supply chain, and may have little access to supply chain cyber risk intelligence. To mitigate cyber supply chain risk, ownership and accountability should be clearly established.
Second, the business may be pressuring managers to increasingly move operations out to the cloud before they can determine whether the provider is secure. However, companies often have scant visibility into suppliers' risk management processes and what those processes imply for their own operations.28 Given sufficient time, they can analyze the potential impact of a cyberattack and map, plan, and build resilient solutions. This should be done before moving operations to the cloud, especially data and energy management systems that could impact reliability if hacked.
Another frequent challenge is the lack of manpower, especially given the overwhelming number of suppliers that should be assessed. A study of 20 electric and gas utilities in North America revealed that the utilities had on average 3,647 total active suppliers, 39 strategic relationships, and 140 suppliers that accounted for 80 percent of their total external spend.29 Companies may be unable to get access to some suppliers, and some suppliers may be unable or unwilling to adopt secure practices. In addition, certain types of potential cyberthreats can "walk past" controls, such as supply chain firmware updates. Today, most power companies have little control over what suppliers are doing; they're just beginning to make suppliers more aware and accountable, and to demand supplier integrity.
Nonetheless, there's hope. There are several steps that companies can take to address cyber risk, particularly in the supply chain.
The first step to consider in reducing cyber risk across the enterprise is to identify and map assets and their connections, and prioritize them by criticality. The next is to determine if critical assets and networks have well-known and exploitable vulnerabilities. An example would be a control systems network with a default hardcoded password that's available through an internet search. The third step is assessing the maturity of the controls environment for proactively managing threats. To do this, it's often helpful to use an established model, such as the Deloitte cybersecurity maturity model.30 The final step would be to build a framework to protect critical assets that uses people, processes, and technology to become secure, vigilant, and resilient (figure 4).
To manage cyber risk in the electric power supply chain, consider starting by engaging the supply chain procurement function. It's often helpful to get everyone in the same room and focus on good governance. Address procurement language and obtain reliable supplier assessments and cyber risk intelligence. Focus on the larger vendors first and drop those you aren't using. Understand risks that can "walk past" controls, such as supply chain firmware updates. Perform business analyses and business planning for resilience in case an attack succeeds.
When it comes to evaluating potential suppliers, a key goal should be to understand the supplier's maturity and security processes for connected products and services. Companies can conduct vendor risk assessments and gather ongoing intelligence themselves or through specialized cybersecurity firms and consultants.
At the program level, focus on whether the supplier's processes adhere to leading security practices and keep the product or service secure once fielded or sold. Such practices tend to include threat intelligence, and patch and vulnerability management. At the product level, focus on whether the vendor's corporate processes ultimately include security safeguards in the product or service design. To accomplish this, ask the supplier to provide a summary of its security features. Companies can also require that the supplier respond to a cybersecurity questionnaire and provide evidence of having completed a security risk assessment.
Power companies can also consider the following practices when seeking to integrate cybersecurity into the procurement process:
There are many other measures that power companies can implement to enhance procurement practices. An increasingly common practice is to require a software bill of materials, or composition analysis, which tracks the software components in a system across the supply chain to reveal any potential issues. Such procurement language generally mandates disclosure of commercial and open-source, third-party software components as well as any defects listed in public reference databases.31
To further manage both supply chain and enterprise cyber risk, consider going beyond individual enterprise efforts. This could mean helping to develop industry standards and certification programs, exchanging threat intelligence with peers and government agencies, and testing new technologies and innovative processes.
Consider engaging with industry peers and government agencies working to reduce cyber risk in the power sector locally, nationally, regionally, and globally. Get involved with national and international standards-setting efforts or join initiatives to establish common frameworks for reducing cyber risk globally. Collaborate with peers and government agencies to exchange intelligence on threats and vulnerabilities. Participate in local, national, and global cybersecurity drills, such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's (NERC's) GridEx or the EIS Council's transnational EarthEx exercise.32 Finally, keep abreast of innovative technologies and processes being developed to manage cyber risk.
To get involved in global standards-setting, reach out to organizations such as the International Society for Automation and the International Electrotechnical Commission, which has established the IEC-62443 series of multi-industry cybersecurity standards for industrial automation and control systems (IACS).33 A set of commonly accepted OT standards is being developed because while most IT systems allow the user to deploy a wide variety of software, OT devices and systems may not be compatible with other software systems. These standards will apply to hardware and software systems such as SCADA, networked electronic sensing, and monitoring and diagnostic systems, as well as associated internal human, network, or machine interfaces.34
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation's Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC-CIP) reliability standards have put the power sector at the forefront in establishing regulations to reduce cyber risk. NERC-CIP standards became a legal requirement for bulk electric system (BES) owners, operators, and users in 2007. In 2018, NERC added a new standard (NERC-CIP 013) and modified two existing standards to address cyber supply chain risk. However, NERC-CIP standards apply only to high- and medium-impact BES entities and power companies, and not their suppliers and vendors, or low-impact entities—which leaves additional systems and assets potentially at risk if not addressed.35
Another option is to join efforts to build comprehensive frameworks to help protect critical hardware, software, and networks from cyberthreats. For example, Siemens has joined hands with the Munich Security Conference and other governmental and business partners (including global power companies AES Corporation and Enel SpA) to launch the Charter of Trust initiative.36 The initiative calls for binding rules and standards to ensure cybersecurity and advance digitalization. It urges business and trade partners to deploy more robust identification procedures for network access, increase the use of encryption and firewalls, engage in constant monitoring and anti-virus protection, and use international standards, such as IEC 62443.37
Several certification efforts are also underway. One is the Cyber Product International Certification Commission initiative, which seeks to create a centralized, industry-driven mechanism to certify hardware and software products and provide a sustained validation process.38 Another is the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security's program to create a certification framework for information and communication technology security.39 Groups such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the IEC currently provide standards and certification for IT and IACS products and processes globally, and have been developing cybersecurity-related standards. Among the many other initiatives, Eaton is collaborating with global safety consulting and certification company Underwriters Laboratories to help establish measurable cybersecurity criteria for connected power management products and systems.40
Regardless of which cybersecurity framework and certification schemes are adopted, businesses are seeking widespread, or even mandatory, participation among peers globally to avoid any incentives to gain competitive advantage through noncompliance. Ultimately, for these efforts to work, customers would need to understand the value of cybersecurity and be willing to pay for it. After all, the cost of not securing the grid is likely to be far higher.
Collaboration for threat intelligence and incident response involves exchanging information about cyber- and physical threats and vulnerabilities on the grid. Many countries have launched information sharing and analysis centers (ISACs), such as the E-ISAC managed by the NERC. The E-ISAC seeks to boost the industry's response capabilities by gathering, analyzing, and sharing data, coordinating incident management, and communicating mitigation strategies. The group also manages a public–private partnership, called the Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program, which collaborates with energy sector partners to share threat information and develop tools to help protect critical infrastructure.
Some countries also have computer security incident response teams and computer emergency response teams for the power sector. The US Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy (DOE), and intelligence agencies are seeking to enhance coordination and accelerate sharing of actionable intelligence on cyberthreats and vulnerabilities with the industry.41
Beyond government intelligence sources, private cybersecurity consulting firms, often staffed by former intelligence analysts, can provide real-time cyberthreat and vulnerability monitoring to power companies. Some also conduct supplier risk assessments and provide ongoing third-party threat intelligence.
Innovation is at the forefront of power companies' and their suppliers' quest to reduce cyber supply chain risk. Research labs across governments, universities, and the private sector are developing new tools and technologies to help them do so. Initiatives may involve redesigning devices, components, and processes. For example, some suppliers are automating manufacturing to reduce risk associated with human intervention. Or they're implementing new track-and-trace programs to establish provenance by capturing the component's "as built" identity and linking it to sourcing information. Many devices now contain computer chips that can be tracked through scanning and auditing throughout their life cycle. This can help companies explore ways to reduce cyber risk, process data more efficiently, and safely archive this data by using blockchain (see sidebar).
Often described as an automated, distributed ledger, blockchain technology can be used to track a transaction or follow the physical journey of a component through every stage of its life cycle, translating it into a code that provides an accurate and immutable digital record of where it's been and who may have had access to it. To circumvent nearly constant cyberattacks, Estonia has digitized most government operations and put them on a blockchain.42 The technology's encryption protocols allow data to be re-encrypted faster than hackers can intercept it, thereby providing a virtual safety net that has not so far been hacked. Blockchain can make cloud computing more secure as it creates decentralized nodes that contain copies of all data in the ecosystem. It becomes more difficult to alter any one record, because each exists in multiple locations.
In the United States, the DOE, its labs, and research partners are developing tools and technologies to help identify malicious functionality in hardware, firmware, or software of components as they traverse the supply chain.43 Researchers have already developed ways to monitor and detect suspicious traffic, intrusions, and anomalies on networks; spot insider attacks, spoofed data, and malicious commands; and recognize emerging threats and develop real-time responses. One useful tool to deploy against supply chain threats examines how an executable file will operate without running the file, allowing operators to examine new software and detect tampering before deployment.44
Researchers are also working on technologies to help prevent cyber incidents, such as those that can decrease the cyberattack surface by enabling secure exchange of cryptographic keys to prevent compromise of critical energy sector data.45 They are also working on tools that could potentially deny any unexpected cyber activity from taking place on an energy delivery system—preventing it from doing anything off-spec—and then changing the control system configuration dynamically, creating a moving target to help prevent reconnaissance and impede attack planning.46 Such tools could be useful to counter threats such as the 2017 Dragonfly or Energetic Bear attacks.
The role of internal audit is important in reducing cyber risk. To help gain real-time visibility into a company's cyber risk profile, analysts can collect relevant data, pull it into an analytical model, and build a customized real-time dashboard to track cyber risk in real time.
The power sector cyberthreat landscape is rapidly evolving and expanding, with more frequent attacks, more numerous and varied threat actors, and increasingly sophisticated malware and tools that are more widely available and sometimes indiscriminately deployed. Power companies are among the most frequently attacked targets, increasingly by nation-state actors aiming for disruption and even destruction through ICS. One of the most challenging vulnerabilities to address is cyber supply chain risk, given the increasingly far-flung and complex nature of the supply chain. Cyber supply chain accountability and ownership are not well-defined within companies, most CISOs have no control over their enterprises' supply chain, and they may have little access to supply chain cyber risk intelligence or visibility into suppliers' risk management processes. Add to that a lack of manpower and the sheer number of suppliers and transactions, and you begin to appreciate the scope of the challenge. Most companies are just beginning to make suppliers more aware and accountable, and to demand supplier integrity.
Cyber risk is challenging to address, but companies can start by identifying and mapping critical assets across the extended enterprise; using a cybersecurity maturity model to assess the maturity of the control environment; and building a framework that is secure, vigilant, and resilient.
After reducing their own cyber risk profiles, power companies can collaborate with peers, governments, suppliers, and other industrial sectors to share intelligence, participate in practice exercises, develop new standards and frameworks, and pilot new technologies. New tools are increasingly available, and the capability to monitor networks in real time, discover threats, and address them is also advancing rapidly. If electric power companies seize these opportunities, they can reduce risk significantly for themselves, the power sector, and, given the critical nature of the service they provide, society as a whole.


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- Downloads - What's In the Box
MINDSTORMS EV3 Core Set (45544) element survey
The EV3 Core set enables students to design, build, program, and test their solutions based on LEGO building bricks, combined with real-life robotics technology. Use the Element Survey PDF to get to know your pieces.
MINDSTORMS EV3 Expansion Set (45560) element survey
This set contains a wide range of supplementary elements to continue the theme of critical thinking and to allow students to take their robotics experience to the next level, and includes a wide variety of special elements.
MINDSTORMS EV3 Space Challenge (45570) element survey
This set provides rich opportunities for students to explore and create innovative solutions for current space exploration topics. The set includes three learning mats, a challenge mat, dual lock tape, and all of the LEGO elements required to build the challenge models.


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Is Sean McFate the first casualty of Gun-gate?
Sean McFate is the son of Mary Lou Sapone (a.k.a. Mary McFate), the NRA-connected private spy who infiltrated the gun control movement for about 15 years. Her tale was first disclosed by Mother Jones last week. That article noted that Sean, a Brown- and Harvard-educated paratrooper, and his wife, Montgomery McFate, a controversial Pentagon adviser, had once both worked for Mary Lou Sapone's business, which specialized, according to an old version of Montgomery's resume, in "domestic and internal opposition research" and "special investigations." Sean and Montgomery McFate might also have been involved in Mary Lou Sapone's penetration of the gun control community.
More recently, Sean McFate was program director of the national security initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank boasting an advisory board composed of four former Senate majority leaders: Howard Baker, Bob Dole, George Mitchell, and Tom Daschle. That is, he was until the appearance of the Mother Jones story on his mother.
As that story was being posted last week, McFate was listed on BPC's staff list on its website. Days later, his name was gone.
Asked about McFate's fate, the BPC issued this statement:
Prior to the publication of the recent Mother Jones article, Sean McFate resigned from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to pursue a different professional project. The BPC was unaware of any allegations regarding the activities of Sean's family members and never had any reason to believe that Sean was involved in any questionable behavior.
The timing of the Mother Jones article was purely coincidental, and was in no way related to Sean's resignation. We wish him well as he pursues his professional interests.
A coincidence? Perhaps. But McFate, as noted above, was on the staff list until after the story hit. Moreover, after Mother Jones had contacted McFate for the story but before the article was posted, his title on the BPC website changed. Twice. He went from being listed as a program director to being described as a consultant to again being listed as a program director–all within a few days. Why the back and forth? (McFate refused to talk to Mother Jones about his mother or his work with her.)
It could be that Sean McFate's departure from the BPC was no more than a case of odd timing. But would the BPC–which works to develop "solutions that can attract the public support and political momentum to achieve real progress" and which happens to be located one floor below the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence, the nation's most prominent gun control organization (which McFate tried to penetrate)–want on its staff a fellow linked to an undercover operation that targeted a neighbor? And the work of Mary Lou Sapone was hardly in the spirit of bipartisanship. It's not surprising that Sean McFate picked this moment to move on.
Meanwhile, the NRA has yet to respond to the exposure of Mary Lou Sapone's snooping. Nor has she. After the story came out, Mary Lou Sapone skedaddled to Belize and has not replied to requests from various news organizations.


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Birch Chaga Powder is loaded with essential nutrients for optimized body functioning. The most notable of these nutrients are phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are plant-based molecules that stimulate the immunological and hormonal systems and play an essential part in maintaining the balance of our bodies.
Birch Chaga Powder supports the maintenance of a healthy gut microbiome and the absorption and administration of nutrients, antioxidants, fatty acids, and minerals at the cellular level.
This product is readily consumable in your favorite beverage. It contains no artificial additives and is ideal for obtaining the phytochemicals necessary for optimum functioning.
Ingredients: see Supplement Facts.
Manufacturer Country: Latvia
Product Amount: 60 servings
Bruto Weight: 0.08lb (36g)
Suggested Use: We recommend 1/3 teaspoon per day, regardless of whether you are trying to fix a health problem or maintain a healthy lifestyle. A higher dose is unnecessary, as the body does not consume more than necessary. Mix the powder with a glass of water, juice, tea, or coffee. It is preferable to take the product as a course (90 days), repeating 2-3 times a year.
Warning: Do not use a dietary supplement to replace a complete and balanced diet. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Store at room temperature out of the reach of children. Do not use after the expiry date. Keep out of reach of children. Do not use if the safety seal is damaged or missing.
The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


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Kreg Drawer Slide Installation Jig
Item # 28034
Please Choose Or Scroll Down For More Info:
Starting at: $29.99 / Each
Kreg Drawer Slide Jig
Install drawer slides fast and easy for drawers that will fit perfectly every time and slide smoothly...
- Accurate slide positioning with built-in indexing tabs
- Repeatable results without measuring and marking
- Versatile for use in cabinets, cases and more
- Reversible to mount slides to cabinet and drawer box
- Secure for holding slides in place as you work
- Strong, lightweight materials for easy handling
- Hold in place with clamps (not included)
Check out this Kreg Drawer Slide Installation Jig video:
Product Description
The Kreg Drawer Slide Jig takes the guesswork out of installing drawer slides. This easy-to use jig holds slides in position as you drill mounting holes in the cabinet, and it supports drawer boxes while mounting slides to the drawer. Plus, the Jig works with ball-bearing, epoxy-coated, and undermount slides for perfect positioning every time.
The Kreg Drawer Slide Jig simplifies drawer installation by aligning slides in the cabinet and on the drawer. Built-in tabs make the jig easy to align to support the slide inside the cabinet, and to support the drawers as you attach the slides to them. The jig is simple to use, and it ensures that every drawer fits right and operates smoothly.
Whether you're updating cabinets or you're building a project from scratch, mounting drawers is always a challenge. The slides have to be level, straight, and positioned properly, or the drawers won't operate well. The Drawer Slide Jig takes the guesswork out of the process by indexing with the cabinet frame (or side on frameless cabinets) for perfect alignment.
The jig supports the drawer slide level and straight while you install it in the cabinet. Then, the jig clamps on so it protrudes from the cabinet to support the drawer while you drive screws into the drawer box. With this jig, you'll know that your slides are positioned correctly, so your drawers will operate smoothly.
The Kreg Drawer Slide Jig consists of two brackets that clamp in place inside the cabinet—one on each cabinet side—and align with the cabinet face frame (or with designated marks on frameless cabinets) to support the drawer slide as you drill mounting holes. The brackets are also reversible to protrude from the cabinet, and then clamp in place perfectly aligned to support the drawer as you mount the slides to the drawer box, too. The Drawer Slide Jig works with almost all types of drawer slides, including ball-bearing, epoxy-coated, and undermount slides.
The Kreg Drawer Slide Jig is designed to be intuitive for beginners to use, but robust enough for professionals. All you need are the slides you'll use, a clamp, and the Drawer Slide Jig, and you're set to install drawer slides just like the pros. Whether you're installing one drawer or dozens, the Drawer Slide Jig provides fast, consistent results
Explore the versatility with the Kreg Drawer Jig | |||
Model: Kreg.drwr.jig
Sold per set
Download Instructions


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Crowne Plaza Yas Island Abu Dhabi is superbly located on the city's popular Yas Island. It boasts three pools, five restaurants and bars, a state-of-the-art gym, a spa and wellness centre, and a squash court. Plus, there's five large meeting and events rooms – ideal for business guests.
The luxurious hotel and its magnificent swimming pool overlook the lush greens of the Yas Links championship golf course, with the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf forming a breathtaking backdrop. Unwind on a sun lounger around the pool or make your way down to nearby Yas Beach, where hotel guests have free access to a private stretch of the shoreline – a tranquil slice of paradise.
Rooms and suites are stylish, spacious and boast either sea and golf course views, or city views overlooking the Yas Marina Circuit. Dining options are plentiful and varied, with the Jing Asia restaurant, Stills Restaurant & Bar, Barouk and the Sundowner Pool Bar all serving mouth-watering cuisine and refreshing drinks.
Whether you're staying at the hotel for business or pleasure, some of the UAE's top attractions are right on your doorstep, including the likes of Ferrari World™ Abu Dhabi, Yas Mall and Yas Waterworld.
Couples and golfers love the hotel Crowne Plaza Yas Island for its luxurious facilities, beachfront setting and prime golfing location.
Being able to walk straight onto the white sands of Yas Beach, while still being close to Abu Dhabi's attractions.
All 428 Crowne Plaza Yas Island rooms and suites are inviting, spacious and boast stylish, modern decor throughout. All rooms feature air-conditioning, satellite TV, free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee making facilities, luxurious bedding and spacious areas to work, if you're staying at the hotel on business. Some suites include a separate living area for you to relax and feel at home in.
Elegant en suite bathrooms come equipped with a deep bath, shower, bidet and all the toiletries you might need throughout your stay.
There are a range of superior and deluxe twin or king rooms, which all come with a balcony and elegant furnishings. Depending on the room you choose, you'll either have views overlooking the Yas Marina Circuit or sea views overlooking the Yas Links golf course and Arabian Gulf. Room service and in-room dining are available whenever you need it.
The Crowne Plaza Yas Island Abu Dhabi will help you give your kids – and you – a holiday to remember, thanks to its fantastic family-friendly facilities. There are three outdoor pools for your little ones to make a splash in, plus the hotel's private section of Yas Beach is mere steps away.
There's outdoor play equipment for the kids to enjoy, plus an indoor play area, a games room and board games, puzzles, DVDs, books, music and more. There's entertainment staff on hand to provide extra fun and, when you adults want some time to relax, there's a superb on-site kids' club to keep them happy.
Additional services and amenities are available on request, such as strollers, safety gates and, at an additional charge, babysitting services. Plus, when booking, why not ask about the special theme parks package? As the Crowne Plaza Yas Island is so close to some of Abu Dhabi's best family attractions.
The Crowne Plaza Yas Island breakfast is served in the Jing Asia restaurant, an all-day eatery. It serves a fusion of Asian and international cuisine, has live cooking stations and is open from 6pm to 11pm.
Barouk is the hotel's award-winning Lebanese restaurant, serving mouth-watering favourites, from delicious mezze and mixed grills to fresh fish tajines.
The hotel is home to the renowned Stills Restaurant & Bar, winner of the 2019 Favourite European Restaurant in Abu Dhabi and famous for having the city's longest bar. So, you can expect superb food here, be it for lunch or dinner.
During the day, you can chill out with a drink by the pool or grab a light bite to eat at the Sundowner Pool Bar. Alternatively, enjoy a sophisticated cocktail or afternoon tea at the indoor Views Lobby Lounge. In-room dining is also available 24 hours a day.
If you're looking for the opportunity to relax and unwind during your stay, then the Crowne Plaza Yas Island spa and wellness centre is the perfect place to start. Offering a wide range of treatments and facilities, from massages and steam rooms to manicures, pedicures, hairdressing and light therapy, any time spent here will leave you feeling truly rejuvenated.
For guests who like to stay active while away, the hotel boasts a state-of-the-art fitness centre, where a personal trainer is available to you should you require it. Get your heart rate pumping with a fast-paced game on the squash court or share the energy with others when you join in one of the fitness classes.
The location of the hotel makes it incredibly popular with golfers, as it overlooks the greens of the Yas Links championship golf course. Tee-off bright and early to avoid the midday sun or wind down with a relaxing sunset round.
Whether you're staying at the hotel for business or pleasure, there's always time to make the most of the facilities and enjoy a dip in the pool. Guests staying at the Crowne Plaza Yas Island get the choice of three outdoor swimming pools, with a dedicated pool just for kids and families.
In between dips, there are more than enough comfortable loungers around the pool for you to relax on and plenty of shade from the sun, too. You can get lost in a good book, admire the views out to the Arabian Gulf and over the Yas Links golf course or quench your post-swim thirst with a drink at the Sundowner Pool Bar.
For guests wanting to feel the sand between their toes, the hotel can provide you with vouchers to allow you free access onto a private stretch of the wonderful Yas Beach. It's a short walk from the hotel (approximately 10 minutes), but there's also a free shuttle bus that runs to and from the beach for hotel guests, if you prefer. At the beach itself, you'll find plenty of sunbeds, a bar, a small pool and other activities.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel Yas Island overlooks the lush greens of the Yas Links Abu Dhabi golf course and boasts spectacular views across Abu Dhabi and the Arabian Gulf. Keen golfers will love having Yas Links so close by, but if golf isn't your thing, there are still plenty of ways to take advantage of the hotel's beautiful surroundings.
Soak up the sun on the private stretch of Yas Beach, then relax with a refreshing drink. Take your pick from the sun terrace at the Sundowner Pool Bar or sink into a comfy seat at Stills Restaurant's al fresco bar – the perfect spot to sit and watch the sun go down.
Take a walk around the grounds during the day and stop for a bite to eat at the picnic area. Or save your walk for after dinner and admire the expertly manicured gardens with their palm trees looking beautiful against the night sky.
Guests will love the Crowne Plaza Yas Island location, right in the heart of action-packed Yas Island. If you're looking for fun, thrills and non-stop entertainment, you'll find it all right here on your doorstep.
There's plenty of adventure to be had at the awesome Ferrari World™ Abu Dhabi. It's just over a mile (just under two kilometres) from the hotel and is home to the world's fastest rollercoaster. If that's not enough to satisfy your theme park fix, Yas Waterworld and Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi are also close by.
For a shopping spree like no other, head to the nearby Yas Mall. Plus, the Yas Marina and Yas Marina Circuit are a must-visit too. Right by the hotel, you've got the Yas Links golf course and, if you want to allow yourself some time to relax and unwind, the hotel has its own private stretch of stunning Yas Beach.
Indulge in a spot of retail therapy at Abu Dhabi's largest mall – and the second largest in the UAE. The three-level mall has around 400 shops, 60 restaurants and cafes and a 20-screen cinema, plus plenty of kids' entertainment too.
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Dive in and make a splash at the UAE's ultimate water park, the Emirati-themed Yas Waterworld. Sprawling over 37 acres, it's home to over 40 sensational slides, rip-roaring rides and awesome attractions, perfect for big thrill-seekers and little paddlers alike.
Get your adrenaline pumping at the world's first Ferrari-branded amusement park. Not one for shying away from records, the mostly indoor park is home to the largest space frame structure ever built and boasts the world's fastest rollercoaster, Formula Rossa.
The Crowne Plaza Yas Island location is a convenient 10-minute drive from Abu Dhabi International Airport. You can jump in a taxi when you arrive or take the line 170 bus from the airport. Alternatively, book a transfer with Etihad before you fly and a driver will be waiting in arrivals to bring you to the Crowne Plaza Yas Island.
Your room will be ready to check into from 3pm on the day of your arrival. Check-out time on departure day is 12pm. If you need to arrive or leave earlier or later than the specified times, contact the hotel directly to see what options are available to you.
Yes, it's free to park your car at the hotel and there are plenty of parking spaces available for guests, so there's no need to pre-book. If you're using sat-nav, the Crowne Plaza Yas Island address is Yas Island, Golf Plaza, PO Box 41880, Abu Dhabi, 41880, United Arab Emirates.
The Crowne Plaza Yas Island restaurants cater to all tastes, including the Jing Asia all-day dining buffet restaurant, Stills Restaurant & Bar, the Barouk Lebanese restaurant and the Sundowner Pool Bar. In-room dining is available 24 hours a day and a full range of board bases are available too.
Neighbouring Crowne Plaza Yas Island, the Radisson Blu Yas Island boasts excellent views overlooking the Arabian Gulf and the Yas Links Golf Course.
Experience another of Abu Dhabi's islands at the five-star Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas, a stunning hotel set on the pristine sands of Saadiyat Island.
Another hotel with a fabulous golf course withing teeing-off distance, the five-star Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort and Spa boasts exceptional service and luxurious facilities.


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Skuas will still attack a chick of this size, but not often and these chicks can defend themselves a bit. Don't worry about the chick in the lower right picture. This chick is not dead, just exhausted from all the eating. The chicks spend much of their time sleeping. They still have their dense downy plumage (upper right picture) which is effective against the wind, but not against the icy water. They are a long way from being able to swim.
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(CNN) -- Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, the wrestler known for his high-flying leap off the ring's top rope that flattened his opponents, died on Sunday. He was 73.
Actor and former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced Snuka's death on behalf of his family. The World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. also confirmed Snuka's death on its website on Sunday.
Snuka's family did not immediately release his cause of death.
"Snuka is regarded by many as the pioneer of high-flying offense because of his Superfly Splash from the top turnbuckle," the WWE statement said.
The signature move, in which Snuka vaulted off the rope and landed face-down on his opponent who lay prone on the floor, helped catapult the Fiji-born Snuka to 1980s fame with the World Wrestling Federation, now the WWE. He was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
On Sunday, Snuka's daughter, Tamina Snuka, also a WWE star, tweeted "I love you dad."
I LOVE YOU DAD #FOREVERMYDAD #RestWell #FamiliesAreForever #BestDad #SnukaLegacy https://t.co/Fo6n6gPkZH
— Tamina Snuka (@TaminaSnuka) January 15, 2017
She also posted a picture of what appeared to be their hands.
Stephanie McMahon, WWE's chief brand officer, called Snuka, "one of the greatest icons in the history of our business."
Condolences also poured in from many of Snuka's peers. Former wrestler Hulk Hogan tweeted: "RIP Superfly."
Jake "The Snake" Roberts, another famous wrestler during Snuka's time, wrote: "He will fly all the way to heaven. What a sweet man."
Snuka's death comes 12 days after a Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, judge dropped third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges against him in the 1983 death of his ex-girlfriend, Nancy Argentino.
Judge Kelly Banach determined Snuka was incompetent to stand trial based on his medical records and testimony provided by his defense attorney, Robert Kirwan II.
Argentino's death has been a cold case for decades.
On May 10, 1983, Argentino was found unresponsive in a room at the George Washington Motor Lodge in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where the WWF taped its matches. Snuka called the paramedics, but once they arrived, he was gone. Argentino was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Her family won a wrongful death suit against Snuka in 1985, but authorities didn't charge him in the death. Argentino's family contacted Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin and asked his team to examine Snuka's 2012 memoir, "Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story."
A grand jury reviewed excerpts and decided to press charges. Snuka was charged in September 2015, 32 years after Argentino's death.
In recent years, Snuka's health took a turn for the worse. He suffered from a bout of stomach cancer before he was charged in 2015. He underwent intensive surgery in which three-quarters of his stomach, several lymph nodes and a piece of his large intestine were removed, according to Kirwan.
Snuka had also been diagnosed with dementia and showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, an Alzheimer's-like neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated hits to the head, according to Kirwan.
Kirwan said Snuka was placed in home hospice care in October and moved to in-hospital hospice care at Broward Medical North near his home in Florida on December 17.
CTE cannot be diagnosed without a postmortem examination of a person's brain, but Snuka's defense attorney argued that he exhibited signs of the disease based on outward symptoms and a series of MRIs taken over two years.
Snuka is one of 50 former wrestlers named as plaintiffs in a July lawsuit against the WWE for long-term brain damage they say was incurred during their careers with the company.
™ & © 2017 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.


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If you want really vibrantly red beer, keep it pale (not even amber), and then add some kind of black malt (Carafa Special II would be my first choice, but some like Black Patent Malt or Dark Chocolate Malt or Roasted Barley) to bring it to 12-15 SRM.
How's this sound:8 # American 2 row1/4 # Carafa II (for coloring, basically?)3/4 oz fuggles @ 60mn3/4 oz fuggles @ 30mn1 1/4 oz fuggles @ 5mnWyeast 1056---OG: 1.046FG: 1.011Bitterness: 30 IBUColor: 15 SRMAlcohol: 4.5%
Just for S&G I grabbed about 6oz of IPA from the keggerator, a bottle of Sinmar from Weyermann (which is liquid Carafa II - essentially [fun face: Sinmar - from Latin, meaning without bitterness]), and a transfer pipette. I started adding Sinmar a drop at a time until I had what I think is very close to red; however, it's not a blood red - it's an amber red. It's the red that you see in Irish Red Ale or American Amber - it's amber somewhat copperish color red.


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There are no universal size standards in the apparel business. One manufacturer's large is another manufacturer's medium, etc. These measurements, shown in inches, on this size chart, pertain to our Hawaiian Screen Printed T-Shirts and Tank Tops, and have no relationship to any other T-Shirt, Tank Top or garment maker, style or brand name.
Hawaiian T-Shirt or Tank Top CHEST: The measurement is the circumference measurement taken from the armpit seam to armpite seam.
Hawaiian T-Shirt or Tank Top LENGTH: Straight measurement taken from the back, top center, of the Shirt to the bottom hem.


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From dog sweaters to cat toys, we use wool, alpaca, and other natural resources to create products crafted by artisan knitters from the highlands of South America.
Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming Estero is proud to carry Chilly Dog in Estero, Florida. Chilly Dog was founded in 2001 to fill a niche. Having a retail store in downtown Philadelphia, I was unable to find a well made dog sweater at a moderate price point. We were able to form a relationship with the Inca Artisans in South American to create a hand knit wool dog sweater that would fit every dog! We have always followed fair trade guidelines, are made from 100% wool and use plant dyes. Chilly Dog has been able to employ many knitters in healthy workplaces, and enable them to support a better lifestyle in their small villages by being paid a fair living wage. Chilly Dog keeps up with the latest trends to keep dogs fashionable as well as warm. Our sizing can fit a tea cup dog to a great dane. These are the warmest and best quality sweaters you will find out there! Don't let your dog be left out in the cold!
- Sweaters
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Redefine your workday with the Palm Treo Pro smartphone. Perfectly balanced, you can respond to business and personal email, stay on top of appointments and contacts, and use Wi-Fi or GPS when you're out and about. Then watch a video on YouTube, catch up with news and sports on the web, or listen to a few songs. Balance your work and play the way you like it, with the Palm Treo Pro.
- Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional Edition
- Qualcomm® MSM7201 400MHz Processor
- 320x320 transflective colour TFT touchscreen
- HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM radio
- Tri-band UMTS — 850MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz
- Quad-band GSM — 850/900/1800/1900
- 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, and 801.1x authentication
- Built-in GPS
- Bluetooth Version: 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
- 256MB storage (100MB user available), 128MB RAM
- 2.0 megapixel camera, up to 8x digital zoom and video capture
- Removable, rechargeable 1500mAh lithium-ion battery
- Up to 5.0 hours talk time and up to 250 hours standby
- MicroSDHC card expansion (up to 32GB supported)
- MicroUSB 2.0 for synchronization and charging
- 3.5mm stereo headset jack
- 60mm (W) x 114mm (L) x 13.5mm (D) / 133g