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We deliver fun, engaging and down to earth training courses to you and your English speaking team across Europe, the USA, the Middle East and beyond.
Or pick a country to get started.
If your county is not listed, we can still help. Just get in touch to talk about your requirements.
Fun, engaging and down to earth training courses that deliver practical results.
When you invest in training you should get a return on your investment. We deliver training courses that provide practical tools and skills that you can put straight into practice.
We've designed all of our courses to maximise engagement and interactivity – no matter how you attend.
All of our sessions focus on how you can use the skills and tools, not about the theory.
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A large range of training courses that you can access the way you want to.
Have any course delivered for your team or business on-site by one of our team at your location.
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Managing Lifetime Income
Some people retire on income from an employer-sponsored defined benefit pension plan. Employers that sponsor defined benefit pension plans are responsible for contributing enough to fund promised benefits.
U.S. Department of Labor data show a trend away from defined benefit plans and toward defined contribution plans, though. A key difference is that the employer bears the investment risks of a defined benefit plan. In defined contribution plans, employees bear the investment risks, and there is no guarantee that your defined contribution account balance will be adequate for your retirement.
Another difference is that defined benefit plans generally are required to make annuities available to participants at retirement. If you have a pension plan that provides a lifetime annuity, it protects you against longevity risk, the risk of outliving your assets. Defined contribution plans, such as 401(k) plans, typically do not provide an annuity option.
The trend toward defined contribution plans means employees are responsible for saving enough for retirement and for ensuring that their savings last through their retirement years. Here is some information to help you manage this.
Retirement Asset Allocation
The most common reason to change your asset allocation is a change in your investment time horizon. As you get closer to your investment goal, you'll likely need to change your asset allocation. For example, as they get closer to retirement age, most people hold less stock and more bonds and cash equivalents. You may also need to change your asset allocation if there is a change in your risk tolerance, financial situation, or the financial goal itself.
Lump Sum Payments
Some people cash out retirement accounts and receive a lump sum payment. Receiving a lump sum payout can be very exciting because most people rarely have the opportunity to spend or invest a large amount of money at one time. But figuring out what to do with a lump sum payout also can be very stressful, especially if you aren't comfortable making financial decisions.
Once you fully understand all of your options, you'll be in a better position to make a financial decision. So resist the urge to make a quick decision about how you'll use your lump sum payout. Many experts recommend that you take several months or even a year to decide how you'll use the money.
Before you make any decisions, consider these questions:
- Am I carefully avoiding fraud?
- What is my current financial situation?
- Do I need the help of a financial professional?
- Have I paid off my high interest credit card debt?
- Have I asked enough questions?

subset: commoncrawl


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Description: This Tutorials shows, how you can easily take out an Apache Webserver with one HTTP POST Tool using a std. slow DSL Connection.
This is NO Slowloris Attack!
Limitations of HTTP GET DDOS attack:
- Does not work on IIS web servers or web
servers with timeout limits for HTTP headers.
- Easily defensible using popular load balancers,
such as F5 and Cisco, reverse proxies and
certain Apache modules, such as mod_antiloris.
- Anti-DDOS systems may use "delayed
binding"/"TCP Splicing" to defend against HTTP
GET attacks.
Why HTTP POST DDOS attack works
- This attack can evade Layer 4 detection
techniques as there is no malformed TCP, just
like Slowloris.
- Unlike Slowloris, there is no delay in sending
HTTP Header, hence nullifying IIS built-in
defense, making IIS vulnerable too.
- Size, character sets and time intervals can be
randomised to foil any recognition of Layer 7
traffic patterns by DDOS protection systems.
- Difficult to differentiate from legit connections
which are slow
Tags: OWASP , DoS , Apache , Attack , Http Post ,
Disclaimer: We are a infosec video aggregator and this video is linked from an external website. The original author may be different from the user re-posting/linking it here. Please do not assume the authors to be same without verifying.


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Become A Power Lifter
Propane is a leader in the material handling market because it offers a number of key advantages over other fuels.
Lower Emissions
Propane-powered forklifts can be used safely indoors or outdoors, because they operate so cleanly. Take upstream emissions into account — from the generation of electricity — and propane forklifts beat electric models as well.
Greater Productivity
Propane forklifts don't lose power like electric models, and only require a quick and easy cylinder change to get back to work. Electric models take hours to recharge.
Proven Performance
Propane is an ideal fuel for material handling; it's the first choice of fuel for warehouses of all kinds across the country.
Abundant Supply
With more than 70 percent of propane production coming from domestic natural gas, the U.S. produces enough of its own propane to exceed customer demand.
Propane Products For Material Handling
Propane powered forklifts will help you raise productivity, lower emissions, and can safely operate indoors or outdoors.
Storage & Distribution
With propane cylinders refilled by your provider and stored onsite, you can keep forklifts on the job as long as necessary.
Light-Duty Vehicles
Propane autogas is proven to be an efficient source of energy for light-duty vehicles. Because of its reliable performance and reduced maintenance expenses, propane is trusted for construction companies, taxi services, law enforcement, and other municipal organizations.
Medium-Duty Vehicles
Medium-duty fleets like food and beverage delivery, transit and paratransit, and more trust propane autogas for reliable performance. These businesses know that the simplified maintenance of propane autogas helps keep more vehicles on the road and out of the shop.
Propane Can Do That: Material Handling
How to Get Started with Propane
Learn About Propane's Benefits
If you're a forklift operator, there are plenty of reasons to make the switch to propane. Propane forklifts don't lose power during operation like electric models. There's no long recharging cycle; switching the fuel cylinders is fast and easy. And unlike gasoline or diesel models, propane forklifts can operate indoors and outdoors, keeping you more productive. And they beat other models hands down for low-emissions performance.
Explore Your Options
Enter your zip code to find dealers near you who are confirmed sellers of propane-powered forklifts. They're available from major manufacturers, so you can get one from a brand you trust. Plus, they're available in a variety of lifting capacities to meet your needs.
Work With Your Propane Supplier
Enter your zip code to find a supplier in your area who works with materials handlers. Your local propane supplier will be happy to answer questions about refueling, cylinder deliver options, onsite cylinder storage, and more.
Enter your zip code to find a propane supplier
If you're wondering, "Where can I find a propane supplier near me?" then you've come to the right place. Propane is the energy for everyone, and your local propane supplier can help you assess your energy needs for your home or business. They can also answer any questions about what makes propane so affordable, reliable, and versatile. Enter your zip code to find suppliers near you.
Didn't Find What You're Looking For? Check Our FAQs.
Where can I buy propane appliances?
Propane.com offers shopping guides for grills and patio heaters or contact your local propane supplier for suggestions nearby. Some propane suppliers offer appliance showrooms featuring everything from space and water heaters to kitchen appliances and fireplaces.
What do I do when my portable propane tank is empty?
When the propane tank you use for grilling or other outdoor appliances is empty, drop it off and purchase a full tank at one of thousands of tank exchanges nationwide. You'll find them everywhere from hardware and rental stores to grocers, convenience stores, and gas stations. In addition, there are many propane cylinder refilling locations available across the country. Contact your local propane supplier for more information on refilling or exchanging cylinders.
Where can I find someone to service my propane appliances?
Your local propane supplier is an excellent source of information for things like propane appliance servicing and repairs. Contact them with your questions about servicing, repairing, or replacing propane appliances.


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Turnbull & Asser | Turnbull & Asser Ties
Genuine Turnbull & Asser tie, classic Navy / Silver Repp Stripes design, twill silk, hand made in England. Turnbull & Asser ties, men collection online. Discount men designer neckties | Turnbull and Asser neckties.
The construction: Formed from three sections – the blade, the gusset and the under end – they are hand-stitched in England by skilled sewers using premium, exclusive silks.
Turnbull & Asser ties are made from Suffolk-woven silk and a wool blend lining, and is stitched together using a very strong nylon thread. Turnbull & Asser


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Watch Pat, Terry, and Gordon on your iPod as they bring you amazing stories and celebrity interviews.
Have you experienced the presence of God?
Ron DiCianni: Painting the Resurrection?
Become a CBN partner and receive The Transforming Word: Verses to Overcome Fear and Experience Peace, our special DVD/CD gift to you. CBN Partners are making a difference sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Find out how.
CBN.com Gary Morris's country-politan music style landed him five number ones and 25 singles on the Billboard country charts in the 1980s. Gary is best known as the first artist to record the award-winning song, "Wind Beneath My Wings", which won both the Academy of Country Music and CMA Song of the Year award.
Scott Ross: When did you realize you could sing?
Gary Morris: I think I sang my first solo in church. I must have been four or five. There was a little kid's choir. So I always sang. But what I didn't realize until I was in college was that people actually made a living doing that.
Ross: When did the first big record break it open for you?
Morris: The first song charted and went to #40. The second song went to #40. The third song was a little up-tempo song called "Headed for a Heartache", and it went to 4 or 5 on the country charts. I was pretty much off to the races. A couple of years later, "Wind Beneath My Wings". I had the first released version of that and won Song of the Year for me. So it was this kind of spiral at that point in time.
Ross: You sang for presidents?
Morris: I've sung for every living president today. I played the last Inaugural.
At the height of his Nashville recording career, Gary boldly accepted the lead role of Jean val Jean in Les Miserables on Broadway.
Ross: The experience of standing on stage in New York City, being the first American actor/singer in the lead role of Les Mis... I mean, I can't begin to imagine what that must have been for you.
Morris: I got three week's notice on Les Mis that I was going to do it. I met the cast at 10:00 in the morning on Thanksgiving Day. There was no afternoon matinee. We did an invited dress. I had never met them. So we did the invited dress on Thursday. They do a party on Saturday night, and Colm Wilkinson says, "Tag, you're it." I said, "What do you mean?" And he said, "Well, you're the lead man now in the number one show on Broadway." I look back now at all of these things along the way and how I got to where I am. That was just another door that was opened for me. It was God going, "Hey, wake up. You can make a difference if you really want to."
Ross: Where do you go from something like that? How did the Nashville community respond to you moving from the country world onto Broadway?
Morris: They loved it. I went from five number one records in a row to do Les Mis to never having a song played on radio again.
Gary's latest project, Gospel Classics, is a return to his roots of singing hymns in churches as a young boy in Texas.
Morris: About two years ago, I said to my wife, "I want to record three or four songs that I'm going to send to my dad. I am now where I'm supposed to be. I feel like I'm actually accepting God's grace. That's what I'm supposed to be doing now." I'm really interested in my family and singing, and if there is a way that I can take my talent and do something that I haven't done for most of my life with it, then that's where you're going to find me.
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.


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Spike has a stable flight path and is excellent for curve shots and straight shots alike. Will fly very flat for shots up to 300ft. Compared to ordinary putters it has a shallower grip and a smoother edge. This will prevent the disc from sticking to your hand on release. The top surface has TractionZones for optional varied grip. Spike is the disc of choice for those one-disc-tournaments.
Speed 4, Glide 2, Turn -1, Fade 2


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We are happy to hear from you!
This is how the testimonial entry screen will look like for the people whom you invite. | |
Marked area is the hint text. When user checks each box, the text that you have entered against each hint text code will be populated on the testimonial entry area. | |


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Yes, I thought you'd remember it! It's almost up there with John Lennon's murder in terms of knowing where you were at the time you first heard of it. But just to be sure we are all on the same page, let me recap that, in that essay, Hacker, a retired college professor of political science who over the years had taught some non-majors math courses, laid out a case for dropping algebra as a required course in K-12 and college.
Before I dive into Hacker's new book, you would be advised to refresh your memory of the case he presented in that article, since his book is essentially an extension of what he said then, expanded to cover the entire Common Core Mathematical Standards. Prior to writing this review, I wrote an article for the Huffington Post in which I summarized, with my commentary, his 2012 article, together with a recent interview he gave to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
In my article, I noted that Hacker has no idea what algebra really is. His focus is entirely on school algebra as it is very often taught, as a collection of rules for manipulating symbolic expressions. What his argument actually establishes, with sound arguments and good examples, are two conclusions I would agree with:
- Algebra as typically taught in the school system is presented as a meaningless game with arbitrary rules that does more harm than good.
- There are strong arguments for teaching algebra as it was originally developed and how professional mathematicians today view it.
First codified by the Persian mathematician al-Khwarizmi in his book The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing (balancing = al-Jabr), written in Bhagdad around CE 820, algebra is a powerful method for solving numerical problems more efficiently than by arithmetic. It does so by introducing two new ways of handling numerical problems.
First, algebra provides methods for handling entire classes of numbers, rather than specific ones. (That's where those x's, y's, and z's come in, but that's just an implementation detail introduced in France several centuries later.)
Second, it provides a way to find numerical answers not by computing, which is often very difficult, but by reasoning logically to hone-in on the answer, using whatever information is available. Thus, whereas in arithmetic you work forwards, starting with numbers and computing with them to arrive at an answer, in algebra you work backwards, starting by postulating an answer and reasoning logically to figure out what it is. True, this powerful application of human logical reasoning capacity frequently gets boiled down to mastering various symbolic procedures to "Solve for x," but again that's just a particular implementation. Numerical forensics would be a sexier, and more descriptive, term for the real thing.
The familiar symbolic expressions calculus usually taught in schools as "algebra" was a particular implementation of al-Khwarizmi's ways of thinking introduced by the French mathematician François Viète in the 16th Century (700 years after algebra first began) to streamline paper-and-pencil problem solving. A more recent implementation of algebra is the computer spreadsheet.
Since his new book follows the same line of attack as his 2012 opinion piece, but with his sights widened from school algebra to the Common Core, instead of crafting another analytic essay, I will do what Hacker himself does, and list a number of examples to make my case. More precisely, I'll select some of the 20 instances (in a book of just over 200 pages) where I found a claim that is either plain wrong, wildly misleading, or otherwise problematic, and ask where he went wrong. In marking 20 pages, it's likely I missed some. There were so many wild and inaccurate claims, I frequently found myself skimming through.
First though, I should repeat what I said in my HuffPost article about his algebra piece. Just as his essay actually amounted to a strong argument in favor of teaching algebra to all students (albeit not the rule-based manipulations of formulas so often presented in place of algebra), so too his book includes a strong argument in favor of Common Core Math. In the same way that Hacker mischaracterized algebra in 2012, so too his portrayal of the CCSSM (Common Core State Standards for Mathematics) is totally at odds with the real thing—though not quite so far off if you turn your attention from the Standards themselves to some implementations of the CC.
One of the book's flaws is that Mr Hacker seems to get carried away with the flow of his rhetoric, since for the most part his argument consists of the erection of a series of straw men which he then, in time-honored tradition, proceeds to attack.
"It's a waste of time forcing kids to master azimuths and asymptotes," he cries [not an exact quote] as early as page 2.
I had to look up the word azimuth, since in my entire career as a mathematician and mathematics educator, I had never come across it. According to Wikipedia, azimuth is a "concept used in navigation, astronomy, engineering, mapping, mining and artillery." I ran a search for the word on the entire, 93-page CCSSM document and, as I expected, it did not turn up. Straw man.
Asymptotes are a different matter, of course, since a general sense of asymptotic behavior of functions is useful in many walks of life. The word is mentioned, but just once, in the CCSSM, in the section on Interpreting Functions (F-IF), where it says:
Graph rational functions, identifying zeros and asymptotes when suitable factorizations are available, and showing end behavior.
That's it. One mention, buried towards the end of the document, in the section that says the student should:
- Understand the concept of a function and use function notation
- Interpret functions that arise in applications in terms of the context
- Analyze functions using different representations
Unfortunately, this example is indeed a good characterization of his overall argument: to knock down straw men.
"We're told that if our nation is to stay competitive, on a given morning all four million of our fifteen-year-olds will be studying azimuths and asymptotes," he writes. (I am still on page 2, with over 200 more pages to go.) He provides no citation regarding who, exactly, is making this proclamation for the nation's future. It's not just disingenuously misleading, it's about as far from reality as you could imagine, and not because of those azimuths. (See momentarily for the real story.)
He continues, "Then, to graduate from high school, they will face tests on radical notations and elliptical equations."
To be sure, you will find mention of the word radical in the CCSSM, in the context of "Work with radicals and integer exponents" in the Section on Expressions and Equations (8.EE), which provides the helpful illustration,
"For example, estimate the population of the United States as 3 × 108 and the population of the world as 7 × 109, and determine that the world population is more than 20 times larger."
Again, this is exactly the kind of thing Hacker says (towards the end of his book) students should be able to do! And it is entirely reasonable that they be asked to demonstrate that ability on a test.
"Elliptical equations" is another straw man.
The point is, what Hacker keeps attacking are straw men. The CCSS is just what its name implies, a set of standards. It is not a curriculum, nor does it specify anything remotely like a daily, or even weekly timetable. How and when teachers across the land cover the various standards is for them, or perhaps their school district, to decide. As far as the CCSS are concerned, teachers can operate fluidly, depending on how their class progresses. (And no one will even suggest that they mention azimuths, let alone force the class to master them.)
I would hazard a guess that Hacker has never looked at the CCSS document. Nor sat in on many math classes, as I have, and observed what actually goes on in today's schools.
Caveat: I get to see classes to which, for one reason or another, I have been invited to visit. Likely they are some of the best, since their teachers invite me along so their students can talk for a while with someone who has devoted a career to mathematical research. I hear enough stories to be prepared to believe things are often a lot worse. Perhaps even as bad as Hacker says. But his book is purported to be about educational policy, not what you can actually find in good or bad classrooms.
Not only does Hacker give no indication he is familiar with the Common Core—the real one, not the azimuth-strewn, straw-man version he creates—he gives every indication he does not understand mathematics as it is practiced today. (He also does not know that pi is irrational, but I'll come to that later.)
Certainly, the examples he selects to illustrate the irrelevancy (in today's world) of some of the test problems students are asked to solve simply demonstrate that he is lacking the basic, every-day, number sense he is arguing for. Let me give just three examples.
On page 48, Hacker presents a question he took from an MCAT paper. It provides some technical data and asks what happens to the ratio of two inverse-square law forces between charges of given masses when the distance between them is halved. The context Hacker provides for this question is that medical professionals needs to be able to read and understand the mathematics used in technical papers. His claim is that this requirement does not extend to the physics of electrical and gravitational forces. In that, he is surely correct. But anyone with a grain of number sense will recognize at once that the setting is totally irrelevant. It's a simple question about what happens to a ratio when the underlying scale is changed. The answer, of course, is nothing happens. It's a ratio. The changes to the numerator and denominator cancel out. The ratio remains the same.
What this question is asking for is, Do you understand what a ratio is? Surely that is something that any medical professional who will have to read and understand journal articles would need to know. Hacker completely misses this simple observation, and presents the question as an example of baroque mathematical testing run amok.
On page 70, he presents a question from an admissions test for selective high schools. A player throws two dice and the same number comes up on both. The question asks the student to choose the probability that the two dice sum to 9 from the list 0, 1/6, 2/9, 1/2, 1/3. Hacker's problem is that the student is supposed to answer this in 90 seconds. Now, I share Hacker's disdain for time-limited questions, but in this case the answer can only be 0. It's not a probability question at all, and no computation is required. It just requires you to recognize that you can never get a sum of 9 when two dice show the same number. As with the MCAT question, the question is simply asking, Do you understand numbers? In this case, do you recognize that the sum of two equal numbers can never be odd.
Finally, on page 101, Hacker presents a list of mathematics requirements high school students must meet in order to study at Harvard and similar universities. The list includes the names of various kinds of analytic functions. As usual, Hacker seems overwhelmed by the technical terms, or worries that the students will be, but all the list is asking for is that students can read graphs and charts and know what they represent in terms of growth and change. An essential skill, surely, for anyone in today's information-rich world, not just students at elite universities.
You get the pattern surely? Hacker's problem is he is unable to see through the surface gloss of a problem and recognize that in many cases it is just asking the student if she or he has a very basic grasp of number, quantity, and relationships. Yet these are precisely the kinds of abilities he argues elsewhere in the book are crucial in today's world. He is, I suspect, a victim of the very kind of math teaching he rightly decries—one that concentrates on learning rules and mastering formal manipulations, with little attention to understanding.
This, surely, explains why he would write (page 96), "Reasoning mathematically may be a nice skill, but it is not relevant to most of life. We reason about many things: parenting, marriage, careers. Do we learn how to reason about these things by learning algebra?"
If he had asked instead if we learn such reasoning in a typical school algebra class, I would agree with his implied answer of "No." But algebra arose by codifying the everyday reasoning people carried out—and still carry out today—about the numerical or quantity aspects of any human activity that involves them. (Trade, commerce, and civil engineering were the original applications.)
From that historical perspective, it is absolutely clear that learning algebra can help us master such reasoning. It helps by providing an opportunity to carry out that kind of reasoning free of the complexities a problem generally brings with it when it arises in a real world context.
The tragedy of The Math Myth is that Hacker is actually arguing for exactly the kind of life-relevant mathematics education that I and many of my colleagues have been arguing for all our careers. (Our late colleague Lynn Steen comes to mind.) Unfortunately, and I suspect because Hacker himself did not have the benefit of a good math education, his understanding of mathematics is so far off base, he does not recognize that the examples he holds up as illustrations of bad education only seem so to him, because he misunderstands them.
The real myth in The Math Myth is the portrayal of mathematics that forms the basis of his analysis. It's the same myth you see propagated in Facebook posts from frustrated parents about Common Core math homework their children bring home from school.
In the interests of their overall cardiovascular health, I have to recommend that math educators do not read The Math Myth. But if you do, perhaps you should start with the final chapter, titled "Numeracy 101." Here, at least, you will find things you are likely to agree with, as he lays out what he believes would be a good quantitative literacy course for college students.
But even there, where all seems warm and friendly and positive, you will be jolted by Hacker's fundamental lack of knowledge of mathematics. He writes,
"Along with phenomena like earthquakes and cyclones, nature also has some numbers that control or explain how the world works. One of them is pi, whose 3.14159 goes on indefinitely, at least as far as we know."
Yes, you read that last part correctly.
"Few people writing today … can make more sense of numbers" proclaims the Wall Street Journal on the cover of Hacker's book. Well, if that's the view of the newspaper that purports to have the expertise to cover the nation's financial markets, it is only a matter of time before we have another financial meltdown.


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Celebrity Inspired Makeup: Hilary Duff Maxim Look
I'm back with another tutorial. This look was requested by a viewer. I was asked to recreate the look that Hilary Duff wore in her January 2009 Maxim Magazine Shoot. This look is very Bridget Bardot inspired, with neutral eyes, winged linger, and a pink lip. I showed you how to create it using the very affordable 26 neutral palette. I figured a lot of you all had this palette and you could recreate the look without spending an arm and a leg.
To see the tutorial and final look, click here!
Check out my video tutorial!
The final look!
For some reason the photograph makes the lipstick look bright pink but it's actually a pale pink. Check out the video to see how it looked on camera.
Till next time, Ciao Bellas!
FTC Disclosure: This video was made out of my own accord...not sponsored by any companies. Products used were either purchased by me or featured in a past review.
Atlanta Makeup Artist


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Introduction to Linux 2.4.0 Netfilter
For those of you who've been lucky enough to live under a rock for the past few months, let me give you the bad news: You have new firewall/masquerading software for which to learn how to write rules. The good news is that the rules are fairly close to what the ipchains rules were. The authors also graciously included modules that allow backward compatibility while you're fumbling around in the dark. You say you don't want to upgrade? You might want to reconsider. The new IPv6 may be closer than you think. The IPv4 address space is nearly exhausted, and more people are "discovering" the Internet every day. Netfilter supports IPv6.


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Stiglitz Blasts 'Outrageous' TPP as Obama Campaigns for Corporate-Friendly Deal
LEAVE IT TO PEEVER exists to give the other side of the story. Challenge the status quo. Confront conventional wisdom. This is sadly needed. I believe it is best to always cast positive doubt on the powers that be. It helps to even up the story.Or score. Please feel free to comment and submit articles. Not everything needs to be serious. I use a lot of slapstick humor, satire, and pontificating. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. We're about to embark on a survival adventure.
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Belgian superstar DJ/Producers Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike have teamed up with trailblazer R3HAB and Italian pioneering electronic artist Prezioso to release their new single 'Shooting Darts.' An original release lined with the production virtues Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike's music has become renowned for, tied in with the inimitable style R3HAB has elevated in recent years and Prezioso's unique flair with his music. A power chord record with a profound expressive energy, 'Shooting Darts'blends pop music with contemporary electronic music. The track glides across an emotional musical spectrum thanks to an elastic bassline and arresting female topline vocal. The monolithic brotherly duo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and ambassadors of the worldwide phenomenon Tomorrowland have taken the world by storm over the past decade. From becoming the first-ever duo to win the World #1 DJ's crown at the prestigious Top 100 DJs Poll in 2015, the twosome continued to stand firm and managed to stay in the top two for seven years, even claiming the World No.1 crown for a second time (in 2019). Clocking up more than 30 million fans on social media, combined with billions of music streams and video views of their live performances and music. The duo continues to climb global charts and work with everyone from Diplo and David Guetta to Paris Hilton and Natti Natasha to Hans Zimmer and Wiz Khalifa.
Dutch/Moroccan Multi-Platinum DJ and producer Fadil El Ghoul, better known as R3HAB , has been trailblazing his way through dance music for the past decade. From his breakthrough remixes for Rihanna, Drake, Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris, to anthems such as Platinum-certified 'All Around The World (La La La)' and 'Lullaby,' to his collaborations with the likes of Ava Max, Luis Fonsi, Sean Paul, and more, R3HAB has proven to be one of the most forward-thinking artists in the game. His work has collected over 5 billion streams to date, including 1.1B in 2021 alone. R3HAB founded his label CYB3RPVNK in 2016, which has passed 4B streams across platforms since its inception. He is Spotify's Most Discovered Artist, one of Spotify's top 200 most streamed artists, ranked #12 on the prestigious Top 100 DJs Poll, and has earned 55 Gold and Platinum certificates. In addition, R3HAB has embarked on multiple sold-out worldwide tours, performing at the world's top festivals, such as EDC, Ultra Music Festival, Balaton Sound, Coachella, Summer, Sonic Festival and Tomorrowland.
Italian DJ/producer Prezioso, real name Giorgio Prezioso, is a talented turntablist and winner of numerous DJ competitions. Since the 90s, Prezioso has been making waves in the industry both home and abroad at the forefront of dance music. Most known for his multi-awarded single 'Thunder', which has more than 250 million streams combined, Prezioso has also released influential singles such as 'Tell Me Why,' 'Let Me Stay' and 'The Riddle.'


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Free with Computer Music magazine, WaveShaper CM is a plugin effect that lets you design your own distortion curves and analyse signals with a built-in multi-function oscilloscope! This is an original plugin designed just for CM by coding geniuses Cableguys, and it's for PC/Mac in VST/AU formats.
Here's what you get in WaveShaper CM:
- Online preset sharing system with tons of ready-to-go presets
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IRS gets a key to Swiss bank accounts
Government reaches deal to access as many as 5,000 UBS accounts that U.S. investors might have used to avoid taxes.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Internal Revenue Service announced Wednesday that it has reached a deal with the Swiss government, gaining access to thousands of UBS AG accounts that Americans might have used to avoid paying taxes.
"Thousands of taxpayers who avoided paying taxes in the past are being brought into compliance," said IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman in a teleconference with reporters. "As this agreement demonstrates, the world of international taxes has drastically changed."
An IRS press release stated that 4,450 accounts held by rich American investors were included in the settlement.
In the teleconference, Shulman said the IRS expects to gain access to a total of more than 5,000 UBS (UBS) accounts, through the IRS-UBS settlement, combined with a voluntary disclosure program and "other sources." He said these accounts have held $18 billion in assets at one time, though he did not have a current tally for their value.
A UBS spokeswoman would not comment on the value of the accounts and referred questions to a company press release. In the release, UBS Chairman Kaspar Villiger said the settlement "helps to resolve one of UBS' most pressing issues."
"I am confident that the agreement will allow the bank to continue moving forward to rebuild its reputation through solid performance and client service," said Villiger. "UBS welcomes the fact that the information-exchange objectives of the settlement can be achieved in a lawful manner under the existing treaty framework between Switzerland and the United States."
Deterrent: The announcement is the result of a settlement that the IRS and Switzerland-based UBS reached earlier this month to track down and identify wealthy Americans who have avoided paying taxes by hiding their assets in offshore accounts. Shulman said the deal should deter Americans from evading taxes in the future.
Shulman said investors who evaded taxes through UBS can avoid prosecution by reporting their tax activity by the Sept. 23 voluntary disclosure deadline, so long as they meet certain requirements.
"Although the clock is ticking, there is still time for you to come in and get right with your government," said Shulman. "Talk to your tax professional."
Asher Rubinstein, an offshore attorney with New York-based Rubinstein & Rubinstein, said that some of his clients have participated in the voluntary disclosure program. He said that taxpayers have to provide "complete and honest disclosure" and cannot participate if their funds are the proceeds of illegal activity.
"This is a government that is in need of cash, and the IRS is trying to raise the cash," said Rubinstein, explaining the incentive for the program.
He said that the IRS was initially seeking 52,000 accounts and received about 5,000, so it wasn't a complete victory. But still, he said the landscape has changed dramatically for U.S.-based tax evaders.
"The bottom line is that the days of tax havens are gone," said Rubinstein. "If you're a wealthy American, you can't just expect to stash your money in the Cayman Islands or Switzerland or Liechtenstein and expect to be off the IRS radar."
Shulman said during the teleconference that the IRS was "never interested in pursuing 52,000 accounts and this was never an IRS number. "Remember," he explained, "we filed this lawsuit when the Swiss government was taking the position that we could not have access to any of these accounts. That posture changed in the past month and we were able to gain access to the accounts we wanted."


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This is not the way Republicans wanted to begin the year.
Missouri's Roy Blunt on Monday became the fifth Republican senator to announce he will not seek reelection, a retirement wave that portends an ugly campaign season next year and gives Democrats fresh hope in preserving their razor-thin Senate majority.
History suggests Republicans are still well-positioned to reclaim at least one chamber of Congress next year. But officials in both parties agree that the surge of GOP departures will make the Republicans' challenge more difficult in the Senate.
"Any time you lose an incumbent, it's bad news," said Republican strategist Rick Tyler, who briefly worked for failed Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin nearly a decade ago. "Missouri's not necessarily a safe state for Republicans. Democrats have won there."
The 71-year-old Blunt's exit is a reminder of how the nation's politics have shifted since the rise of Donald Trump. Blunt and his retiring GOP colleagues from Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Alabama represent an old guard who fought for conservative policies but sometimes resisted the deeply personal attacks and uneven governance that dominated the Trump era.
Their departures will leave a void likely to be filled by a new generation of Republicans more willing to embrace Trumpism — or by Democrats.
Several Missouri Republicans are expected to seek the nomination to replace Blunt, but none will be more divisive than former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in 2018 amid the fallout of a sex scandal and ethics investigation. Missouri's Republican base has since rallied behind him, believing he was unfairly prosecuted.
Greitens was considering running for the GOP nomination even before Blunt's announcement. He is expected to announce his candidacy as soon as Tuesday morning.
Two leading Missouri Democrats, former Sen. Claire McCaskill and 2016 Senate candidate Jason Kander, both said they would not run for the open seat.
Ahead of Greitens' announcement, some Republicans worried that he could jeopardize the Senate seat if he emerges as the party's nominee.
Steven Law, a key ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and CEO of the Senate Leadership Fund, warned that Republicans may be beginning to repeat the mistakes of 2010, when the GOP lost the Senate majority by embracing flawed far-right candidates.
Law cited Greitens' looming announcement specifically.
"We have an opportunity to win back a majority," Law said. "But in 2010, that opportunity was lost on the Senate side because of unelectable candidates who got nominated."
Back in 2010, tea party favorite Christine O'Donnell beat a longtime GOP congressman in the Delaware Senate primary before losing by a landslide in the general election following reports of personal financial difficulties, questionable use of campaign funds and allegations that she had "dabbled into witchcraft."
Two years later in Indiana, Richard Mourdock defeated six-term Sen. Richard Lugar in the 2012 GOP primary, but he imploded after a debate in which he said pregnancy resulting from rape "is something that God intended." In Missouri, Republican nominee Akin lost after he insisted on a local talk show that women's bodies have ways to avoid pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape."
In the decade since Akin's debacle, Missouri's politics, like the nation's, have evolved in a way that gives both parties opportunities.
States like Missouri, Ohio and Iowa, recently considered swing states, are trending away from Democrats. At the same time, previous red states like North Carolina and Georgia are trending away from Republicans.
Missouri hasn't elected a Democratic senator since McCaskill beat Akin in 2012. Trump carried the state last November by 15 percentage points. Trump carried Ohio, where Republican Sen. Rob Portman will not seek reelection next year, by 8 percentage points. The former president won by the same margin in Iowa, where 87-year-old Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is considering retirement.
Democrats are expected to be more competitive in North Carolina, where Trump eked out a victory by just 1 percentage point, and in Wisconsin, should Republican Sen. Ron Johnson follow through with a campaign promise not to seek more than two terms.
Democrats have not lost any incumbents to retirement, but they are defending vulnerable incumbents in Georgia and Arizona, among others.
They have no margin for error. Republicans will claim the Senate majority for the last two years of President Joe Biden's term if they pick up even one additional seat next November.
The party that occupies the White House traditionally suffers significant losses in the first midterm election of a new president. President Barack Obama's Democratic Party, for example, lost 63 seats in the House and six in the Senate in 2010.
Democrats are hopeful that Trump will become an unwitting ally in 2022. The former Republican president has vowed to play an active role in the midterms, particularly by supporting pro-Trump candidates in primary elections. That leaves little room for well-established Republicans like Blunt who are popular statewide.
"The challenge for Republicans will be the race to the bottom in the Republican primaries," said Morgan Jackson, a leading Democratic strategist based in North Carolina. "It's not about what you say, it's about how loud and angry you say it. That's a very different view of the world."
Jackson said "it's a safe bet" Republicans will win the House majority, but he's optimistic that Trump's meddling in Senate primaries will help limit Democrats' losses.
"Maybe it won't be a good cycle, but maybe it won't be a bad cycle," he said.
J.B. Poersch, who leads the Democratic-allied Senate Majority PAC, noted that Republicans are focused on the nation's culture wars, while Democrats are in the process of sending billions of dollars to working-class Americans affected by the pandemic. That contrast will help Democrats, he said.
"There is a working-family economic argument that Democrats can still make in the middle of the country, in places like Missouri and Ohio, and keep them competitive," he said.
Meanwhile, Blunt predicted political success for Republicans in Missouri and beyond during a Monday news conference. He also reflected upon the 2010 election, when Democrats were punished nationwide after embracing Obama's fiscal stimulus and health care overhaul.
"I think 2022 will be a great year in the country and I think it will be a fine year in this Senate race," Blunt told reporters. "The Republican Party will be just fine."
Copyright © 2021 Capitol Hill Blue
Copyright © 2021 The Associated Press


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This Anthony Kaufman article (click image or here) is upsetting on two levels — (1) the thrust of its worry (the cinema vanishing — I completely empathize, as, in the abstract, how wouldn't this be worrying?); (2) its weird admixture of fear-mongering (for all-the-cinema vanishing is, in the proposed context of video/digital, an essentially abstract fear), misinformation, and a typically snobbish New York-centrism (that courses likewise through most of the English-language-cinephile-Internet).
Some facts:
— Greed has been in the works for a 2009 DVD release from Warner Bros. for some time, and will yet see the light of day. There is not a proverbial-snowball's chance that Greed, hackneyed though it may extantly be, will never see a digital home-video/VOD release.
— It's well known that The Magnificent Ambersons (hackneyed though it may extantly be) has been in the queue for a specifically-2009 release from Warners for a long time. Ditto, for that matter, Journey into Fear.
— Not so much a fact-just-yet, but I believe Providence is in the works for a restoration / new telecine (if it hasn't already happened). But come on: an Alain Resnais feature not getting a release, ever, on home-video/VOD? Really? If that's ever the case, I'll have to remember to modify my scorecard: "La Vie est un roman = check. Providence = here the gods did conspire..."
— The status of the Fullers and the Borzage has already been mentioned by one 'cadavra' in the comments section of Kaufman's essay.
— As noted within the article, Mizoguchi's Tale of Late Chrysanthemums is a Janus property, and will almost certainly see a Criterion or Eclipse release in the near'ish future. In the meantime, an English-subtitled version circulates by way of other venues.
— As for the two Tourneur films: molted starlings augur us good these pictures see similar light of day.
— Ditto for Antonioni's Chung-kuo (and then some). (In the meantime, cinephiles of every stripe can keep taking a big poo on The Dangerous Thread of Things.)
I understand that the impulse to point to such high-profile titles' absence on DVD is hard to overcome, especially when one's entire essay depends on such exhibits for the crux of prosecution — but anyone who's done a little bit of time in the cinephile trenches, no matter the nation, knows you can pop over to the easily searchable Criterion Forum website (which, it must be stressed, holds no affiliation with The Criterion Collection), located here, and check in on the buzz/gossip/status around hundreds of forthcoming catalogue releases from any of the major, or boutique, DVD labels based around the world.
As for the inevitable disappointment that Kim's massive library is leaving the city: yes, this is sad news for New Yorkers. Yet I wonder if this news is the kind-of-'sad' that necessitates all mentions of the library's move exist in the vicinity of phrases (bywords) like "a small Sicilian town" or elsewhere "an obscure Italian town." It's like the Sicilians receiving access to the trove are but merest country-bumpkins, humans to be sure but of an ilk that has no business reaping the riches of discovery that this library can yield for viewers of any background — while presumption dictates the library was assembled "by(?) New Yorkers — for New Yorkers."
Parallel to my disgust for this idea resides a total odium for the implication that the closure of the St. Mark's store marks a death-blow for cinephilia-as-general-concept — as though any talk of the since-video-existed dearth of access to many of these titles for the large majority of 'film-buffs' (and non-'film-buffs' alike) who have lived, out of necessity or by choice, in non-NYC / non-urban regions of the United States and other countries, and who never had easy access to these titles to begin with, would only underscore the complaints, and implicitly distasteful rurality, of a Statistically Inconvenient Other.
Of course, it's well known, outside of New York, that the NYC-as-Center-of-the-Universe Virus afflicts discourses ranging from the entire zone of modern visual-art, all the way over to "where can I find the perfect carrot-cake." But if we were to hold focus squarely on The Death of Cinema: Last Week of February 2009 Style, one curio we'd end up resolving would be a rather odd piece — getting a lot of 'viral' play, I should add — by the producer Ted Hope, written for the Tribeca Film Festival website, and readable here. A friend sent this to me earlier in the week, and given that the essay begins with the sentence —
"I love New York City and hope I never have to call anywhere else my home."
— it triggered enough outrage that I emailed back to my friend the following post-haste:
TED HOPE: "Filmmakers will always be able to make the super low budget films here, but will they be able to make the ones that are decently financed enough to catapult them to the world stage? Will they even be able to afford to live here?"
I would ask: "Whose 'world-stage'?" I would ask: "What are the entry-rules for the 'world-stage' Hope is referring to?" And, from a more utopian place, I would ask: "What are the aesthetic requisites for entry onto that so-called 'world-stage'?" Yet not so merely utopian: for practically no money at all (that is, literally, practically no money at all: not a single low-six-figure budget, let alone a comfy American 'indie' one-million-dollar fund), Jean-Marie Straub, Pedro Costa, Albert Serra, etc., make 'world-stage' films that might not exude the buzz-auras garnered by a Golden Lion, or by those vile festival 'audience awards' — instead, they make films that 'only' get them awarded one-off screenings in the Museum of Modern Art, Anthology Film Archives, or indeed 'Special Lifetime-of-Service Mentions' — but their films will live long after Spike Lee's, or the Coen brothers', have devolved into grey footnotes one hundred, two hundred, three hundred years from now. Furthermore, the means of production have absolutely shifted: an invocation of 'one-off screenings' is no longer consonant-parlance for 'ghetto' — if anything, it's an RSS-fed and/or weekly-newspaper publicity event, which can spur a local audience to attend as usual, and a wider/extra-urban public to investigate the films digitally, and via stream. ("But there's no substitute for the hyper-resolution projection!" old-timers spit, and with fair reason — but this is itself narrow-minded, and fails to envision what 'a stream' will connote even ten years from now, never mind fifteen.) All of this further compounds the fact in 2009 and forward (especially, again, ten/fifteen years from now) that no-one has a gun to any artist's head to have to live in New York — a time draws nigh when the geographical positioning there 'in' the physical city will be, frankly, economically untenable for any non-$chnabel-level artist. And yet that's hardly a cause for mass-distress — America relentlessly, incessantly evolves, and new communities are constantly created and re-created — indeed, the micro-communities are abundant, are progressive, and their respective qualities of life exceed myriad aspects of New York-living even in the gnarly-mercurial present. This New York grass-roots-with-a-budget cinema thing was once a spirited reality, is now a wonderful midday dream, and will in the long run fold into some much more 'illusory' metaphor.
Perhaps Hope should stop living in some world-of-the-half-myth, where the end-all 'independent' gods are comprised of Ang Lee, Spike Lee, Alan Ball, Michel Gondry... As far as I'm concerned, those filmmakers exist only insofar as their films' box-office might line the pockets of producers with a bit of scratch to pass on to artists who have absolutely no 'commercial' value whatsoever — but of course, in America, this is never the case.
And Orson Welles remains rotting.
That's just a brief, and gut, reaction to the hopeless myopia (even within an NYC-filmmakers-context) of Hope's piece, and it certainly warrants more, and deeper, elaboration than I've provided above — either by someone else, or by me-myself in, say, the aforementioned-on-this-blog (and long-overdue) Frownland essay. For my purposes in this post, a summary must suffice: the very premise of 2009 New York as Cultural-Lifestyle Apotheosis just seems so... wildly off.
But back, finally, to a last niggling argument put forward in the Kaufman article: that the putatively irretrievable titles dormant on the VHS cassettes* of the Kim's library will probably never exist "legally, and in pristine form." A jolly-good point (for Kaufman's presumably not talking here about an Antonioni's Chung-kuo or a Resnais's Providence; rather, things more mondo and Wishman'y) — but I would ask: Given that peer-to-peer downloadable bootlegs of many obscure VHS copies of films circulate freely (and make no mistake: Cinephile, that terribly rabid species, always learns what it takes to get a hold of these movies), isn't the onus on the curators of such collections to do their part and figure out the steps in digitizing these analog sources, then putting them back into the world? (See, for example, UbuWeb, whose screens will only grow larger, higher-in-resolution.) The alternative scenario, seldom considered out-loud by Kaufman or critics of the (very real) inequality between 'legal' VHS and DVD sources, would actualize, necessarily, a nightmare realm in which organizations such as the thankfully-defunct "GoodTimes Home Video" or "Fox Lorber" step forth to acquire the licenses for these low-visibility films and, in the process, tie up the rights on these properties for x years (or theoretical perpetuity), regardless of any emergence, in the interim, of new media, and/or of new and interested ventures that manifest an expressly cinephilic and preservational approach.
When Kim's — or any film institution — goes under, the immediate, and (for me) greatest loss is that of the income depended upon by the businesses' dislodged staff. But an appraisal of the situation taken from a more distant vantage would affirm what's already evident in home parlors and screening-rooms, by the light of the respective screens: The Times Have Changed, and not necessarily for the worse.
*We must remember this was the medium that, from Day One of its existence, only ever begat artifacts — in both the sense of magnetic-head corrosion, and of the cassette-as-horrifying-object-in-the-world.


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Would Ronnie James Dio Approve of His Hologram?
Former Dio guitarist Tracy G says he doubts that late singer Ronnie James Dio would approve of the hologram version of himself.
The projection was developed in association with Dio's widow and made its first stage appearance in 2016, then toured the U.S. in 2019. Since the shows began, Wendy Dio and members of the live band that takes part have argued that it needs to be seen in real life before anyone decides if they like it or not.
"I don't know about that, man. I just don't know about it," G told 80s Glam Metalcast (via Blabbermouth). "It looks creepy to me, 'cause it's not him. It looks like a puppet." The guitarist, who played with Dio from 1993 until 1999, added that he felt it was "cool to keep his music alive and all that jazz," but continued: "What little I've seen, it looks weird to me, and I just don't know if he'd be a big fan of it. People say different things, and it's all hearsay. I knew the guy for six years, and what I knew about him, I can't see him looking at that and going, 'Bitching!'"
G said he'd spoken to Bjorn Englen, who plays bass in the version of Dio that performs with the hologram, and discovered they were using vocal tracks recorded during his own time with the group. "[T]hey stole Ronnie's vocals from when I was playing with him… the hologram is singing it but then they're playing the song; they're following Ronnie. So, I was, like, 'That's pretty cool.' … [T]hey thought his best performance, a couple of those songs, was from my era, when I was playing with him. So that made me feel kind of good. I was, like, 'Well, that's cool.' He continued: "To sum up what I think of the whole hologram thing – I don't know," he added. "I've gotta just say I don't know. I'm not sure."
Blabbermouth reported that another former Dio guitarist, Doug Aldrich, had expressed his own doubts earlier in 2019, saying: "I'd go see it to support the guys and and everything, but I can tell you that Ronnie would probably not like this. He would probably be like, 'This is not what I signed up for.' … I knew Ronnie well enough to know that he was very particular and he would prefer for them to let him just die and be in peace."


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< Piro >
"breaking in the new year"
Saturday - January 10, 2004
[Piro] - 14:20:00 - [link here]
Ok, real quick, i'm heading off for japan right now. I'll have net access while there, and i will be updating the site from japan, including when and where i can write some commentary, and show some pictures from the trip. It's as much a research trip as anything. If you are going to be at Anime Expo Toky, i hope to see you there :)
Here's the scheudule for me at AX Tokyo, as far as i know right now. Might change, but this is what i have:
Day 1 (friday):
Autograph session together with MIQ (a famous vocalist for Dambine) andPhilmoi (the author of Power Puff Girls)
Megatokyo Panel Session
Day 2 (saturday):
Autograph Session together with Crispin Freeman (a voice actor).
That should do it! I'll be posting updates thruought the weekend and stuff. Next regular comic will be Wednesday (this friday and monday will be DPD days) so i'm only missing two comics for all this. My poor new year's resolution ;_;
Well, it's the new year, and I can see that i've already borked three of my new year's resolutions: not missing any more comics, not being late with comics, and doing more rants. It's sorta like declaring that you're finally gonna go on that diet and then falling face first into a three layer chocolate cake. Oh well.
One of the reasons Seraphim and I decided to take a sabbatical last week was because it was quite literally one of the few gaps in the next few months that we had free. The next six months are looking that busy ^^;; So we jumped at it and took a random road trip. It was nice to get a break, recharge the batteries, etc. I would have liked to have been ahead a little before we left, but... since when have i ever done that? ^^;;
Like i say every year, I am going to seriously try to reach these goals, one more time. My first challenge to them is my trip to Anime Expo Tokyo next week. My plan is to finish up Chapter 4 and have enough comics done before i go so that there are no gaps. Hah, i think i just made myself laugh (or cry?). I'm not sure if i'll be able to manage this, but i will try. I am doing a lot of traveling this year, and one of my top goals is to not let these travels effect the comic as much as they have in previous years. Doing this for my trip next week will be very difficult, but there is a better chance it won't be so hard for the rest of the year.
Before i get to my trip next week, i need to mention that month the Dark Horse release of Megatokyo Volume 2 will hit stores on January 21st. Finally :) Many of you who pre-ordered book 2 initially from IC Entertainment will, of course, be receiving your book in the mail, but the rest of you will have many options for picking up the book if you want to get it ^_^. You can order it from the Megatokyo / ThinkGeek store, you can head out to your local comic book store, you can visit your local Waldenbooks, Borders or Barnes & Noble, or you can get order it from Amazon.com, Right Stuff, or pick it up from the nice people at Wizzywig either online, in their store (if you are a Ann Arbor local) or at one of the many Anime conventions around the country... in short, you should be able to find it just about everywhere. Dark Horse and I are committed to making sure that there aren't supply problems - if you want a book, you should be able to find one :) So, just for fun, remember to go out and get one on the 21st and cause a huge run on these books :P - only if you want one of course. It contains Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of Megatokyo, extra material and a short story from the Endgames universe. I worked pretty hard on this book, i just hope everyone likes it - hard to tell when you are so close to it.
What about volume 1? Well, Dark Horse and I will be releasing a re-issue of volume 1 in March. New cover, new size, more extra material, and it will match volume 2 and future DH releases. It's gonna be a mad scramble to get this done (I have to pretty much start from scratch (thankfully I'm getting some help from the Nekobox crew)). The print quality of this book will be far better than the original version. It's been fun working with the Dark Horse people - they are really great to work with, and their attention to quality and knowhow is pretty impressive.
One special little thing that I am doing with Dark Horse and Waldenbooks is a new Megatokyo t-shirt design that you will be able to find at Waldenbooks stores around the country. For the moment, only Waldenbooks will have these shirts in their stores - but if people like em, we will offer them in other venues as well. :) it came out a lot better than i thought it would, they are kinda nice.
One thing i can't believe is that i'm getting on a plane and heading to Tokyo on wednesday of next week. I haven't been to Japan since 1995 - a trip from which much of the mood of Megatokyo and Warmth is based on - so as you can imagine i'm really looking forward to going back. Obviously, i will be doing my best to fill my duties as a guest of Anime Expo Tokyo for most of the trip, but i have a lot of other things planned as well. I don't have a schedule of things I will be doing yet, so if you are going to be at AXT please visit this website for updates or check for information at the con itself for dates and times of things like the Megatokyo panel. Anime Expo Tokyo takes place in Ikebukuro, which is not too far from a lot of the places i need to visit while there. :P It will be nice to refresh my memory and get some new and current feel of what Tokyo is like today.
While Dom just returned from his trip to Japan, Cortana and Kaki will be coming on this trip with me. While there we will be joined by several friends who will help make sure i don't get into too much trouble while I am over there. Tsubasa has already been a huge help and I am looking forward to finally meeting him :). It will be good to see Seizo and another friend, Scott, who will be (i think) acting as translator for me. I am also looking forward to meeting many other friends and new acquaintances who i have only known thru email and IM before.
It should also be fun to have the chance to meet some of the more famous people who will be there - most notably Akamatsu-san (Love Hina), Inoue-san (Beldandy), Momoi-chan (Under 17 concert on friday, w00t!) and REM-san from Device High (yikes, i need to do a little drawing for REM-san yet)... ok, well, like a little webcomic artist from the states is gonna be able to do much more than say hi and pass a scribble or two - but it should still be fun :). I'm sorta terrified of there being a Key/Visualarts booth... Clannad is coming out pretty soon, and i dont think i can financially survive being confronted with the temptation of Clannad goods...
We are very close to being able to launch the japanese version of MT- we're just gonna miss having it up before i go, but it will be close. I'll try to post more information before I leave. Also, I'll be getting online while in japan and doing some updates, post photos and stuff. It's not vacation - it's work, so you will be hearing from me.
The other thing I am doing while there is taking a little side trip up to Sendai to do some field research for 'Warmth'. I will be hooking up with a friend there and spending an entire day wandering around getting down a proper sense of place for the story. People are already bugging me about 'warmth' - patience, people, let me do some research. One of the biggest problems i had doing what i've done so far was struggling to get a sense of place, so that is what I am attempting to do. I need to take a lot of pictures, walk the paths, learn a little about the city the only way you really can - by being there.
My first trip to japan back in 1995 was for very much the same reason, albeit for a different career. As an architect, i had spent a lot of time studying the works of Tadao Ando, and I was eager to visit some of the buildings he had built (some of which i had built models of). One thing about buildings and spaces - pictures can only convey part of the experience. You have to actually walk around in a space, to occupy the space, to really understand it, to really feel it.
Funny how this applies to writing a story about somewhere. Architecture is about creating and manipulating space. Writing often is about dealing with spaces that are already there, and the haphazard interaction of designed and built spaces. The sense of 'place' has a huge impact on who and what we are. Comics are a visual medium - communicating spatial ideas is important, and has a huge impact on mood.
I really enjoyed ArchitectTour Japan 1995 quite a bit, but what i never really thought about at the time was how all the little things, the city itself, the small, unimportant buildings, unimportant streets and vague interaction between it all would have a far bigger impact on my life than the specific buildings i was there to see. Funny how things work sometimes.


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This is the Mazda EZ-6, a rear-wheel drive D-segment sedan developed in partnership with Changan. It looks like a successor to the Mazda 6, but it's not, as this is a China-only model. Available either a battery EV (BEV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model, the EZ-6 will go on sale in China by the end of this year. The BEV will have a 66.8 kWh battery while the PHEV will pair a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired to either a 19.4 kWh or 28.4 kWh battery. The BEV will have a claimed driving range of 600 km
Honda just showed off their new, sleeker logo. It's going to start popping up on their electric vehicles from 2026. You know that classic 'H' logo that's been around since 1981? It's been on every Honda car for the last 50 years. Well, they've given it a cool makeover. Honda's really pushing into the future with a plan to go all-in on electric and fuel-cell vehicles by 2040. They dropped the news about the fresh 'H' logo at CES 2024 in Vegas. It's more than just a new look, though. It's all abou
Though it's never been zipping around in the Philippines, chances are you've spotted this adorable electric chariot in a photo or two. It's been the talk of the town in Japan and Europe, but now, Honda Japan's dropped a bit of a news bomb: they're wrapping up its production in January 2024. So, it's adios to the Honda e! Built with love at the Saitama plant, the Honda e's European vacation is coming to an end too. Honda Europe spilled the beans to Top Gear, saying "No more orders for this electr
DISCLOSURE: Chery Auto Philippines kindly lent me a 2023 Chery Tiggo 5x Pro Hybrid for eight days. It arrived with a full tank of fuel and loaded RFID cards. Hybrid vehicles are on the rise in the Philippine market, with more and more automakers bringing in electrified models to get a piece of this increasingly lucrative pie. Chery Auto Philippines is riding on this trend by introducing the Chery Tiggo 5x Pro Hybrid. It is the most affordable "hybrid" the automaker has in its lineup that offers
Joey Deriquito
DISCLOSURE: Nissan Philippines Inc. kindly lent me a 2023 Nissan Terra Sport for one week. It arrived with a full tank of fuel and loaded RFID cards. Special-edition vehicles typically bring something fresh to the market. They often have features previously unavailable with the nameplate to differentiate them from the standard model. This is what Nissan Philippines did with the Nissan Terra Sport as it reignites the nameplate with a few aesthetic additions that give the vehicle a new lease on li
Joey Deriquito
Compare models by Car Price, Service Cost, Size, Fuel Consumption, Space, Mileage, Features, Colors, Pons & Cons, Images and other specs to tell you which is better Audi A4 Sedan or BMW 1 Series (Five Door)
Audi A4 Sedan price starts at ₱ 3450000. Audi A4 Sedan has 1.4L engine.
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Comparing multiple vehicles, variants and features can't be easier with Autofun's strong car comparison tool, just stack them all up from the cars list. Compare Price, Variant, Fuel Type, Engine Power, Torque, Transmission Type, Engine Displacement(cc), Gear Box, Dimensions, Drive Type, Wheel & Tyre, Safety, Assist System, Exterior, Interior, Multi-media, you'll surely have an idea of what your perfect car is with our clear and informative comparison report between Audi A4 Sedan vs BMW 1 Series (Five Door)


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Online shopping has become more popular than ever before. In 2020, more than 2 billion people bought products or services online. Whether they're shopping online because it's more convenient or they're avoiding going to brick-and-mortar retailers during the ongoing pandemic, more people are turning to online retailers every day.
It's not just the convenience or health safety that's drawing people to shop online; shopping this way has become more secure than ever before. That doesn't mean all retail websites are created equal when it comes to safety and security. Hackers and scammers are still out there trying to get your information, but by taking the proper precautions, you have no reason to worry while shopping digitally.
If you plan on buying online this holiday season, here are five tips to ensure your information stays protected.
Use Well-Known And Secure Sites
When looking to purchase a product or service online, you have thousands of options to choose from. To avoid having your personal information stolen, it's best to use familiar sites such as Amazon, Walmart or any of the other major retailers. If you search for a product on a search engine, you may be presented with prices that are extremely low. There's a good chance these are not trustworthy sites. When it comes to online shopping, if it seems too good to be true, something is wrong.
Pay attention to the security of the site where you're trying to make a purchase. Look for a lock icon in the browser bar. If the website has one, then you should be safe on their site. Another way to tell is by looking at the beginning of the web address. If it begins with "https" instead of "http," you are in good shape, and you can continue using the site. Secure websites help protect your financial information as well as passwords. Shopping at unsecured sites can put your personal information at risk.
Create Stronger Passwords
A strong password can make all the difference between your information remaining secure and someone stealing it. You need to make your passwords as difficult as possible so that hackers and thieves can't hack into your accounts. It's best to use a complex mix of uppercase and lowercase letters while including special characters and numbers. Avoid using common spellings of words and personal information in your passwords because these can be easier to crack.
If you're worried about not remembering a complex password, use a password manager. This tool will remember the passwords for your accounts while also keeping them protected. Utilizing password managers is the best way to create complex passwords since you won't have to personally remember them, and they will still be protected.
Keep Track Of Your Statements
You should always be watching your finances, but it becomes even more important when shopping online. It's a good habit to form and will help you catch overcharges or purchases that you did not make. It's also a good idea to only shop with a credit card when shopping online. If someone hacks into your account and steals your debit card information, they will have direct access to your money. Most credit cards have protections in place for fraud, so you won't be at fault for any errant charges on your account.
Protect Your Information
When entering a new website, you should be wary if they ask for any personal information upfront. No online retailer should ever ask for your Social Insurance Number unless you are applying for a credit card on their site. Be cautious if they ask for your birthday as well. Hackers can use this information in conjunction with your credit card number to wreak havoc on your life.
Don't Shop On Public WiFi
While it might seem like a good way to keep yourself entertained while enjoying a coffee at a local café, shopping on public WiFi can leave you at risk of being hacked. Public WiFi is often not very secure, and entering your personal information while using it can give hackers easy access. It's much safer to bookmark the item and wait until you're home or no longer using WiFi to make the purchase.
Shopping online can be as safe and reliable as shopping in a store – as long as you take the proper precautions. Take some time to ensure that you are following the right security measures before making, purchasing or entering any information.