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Top Four Work-from-Home Scams
As posted on http://career-services.monster.com
By John Rossheim, Monster Senior Contributing Writer
Who wouldn't want to work from home on a part-time basis and earn thousands of dollars a month? It's an offer millions of people can't or don't refuse. Unfortunately, some of these folks eventually regret having done business with a so-called work-at-home employer.
"It's hard to distinguish legitimate work-at-home programs from people who are just out to get your money," says Sheila Atkins, associate director of public affairs for the Council of Better Business Bureaus in Arlington, Virginia.
With that caveat in mind, use the following tips to steer around the hazards of finding work-at-home employment.
Likely to Be Legit
Some occupations and industries are much more likely than others to offer real opportunities for at-home work.
"A lot of legitimate companies are using home workers to take orders over the phone," says Cheryl Demas, author of It's a Jungle Out There and a Zoo in Here: Run Your Home Business Without Letting It Overrun You. "Some employers also employ customer service reps who work at home."
Top Scam-Ridden Occupations
Other lines of at-home employment deserve a higher level of skepticism. It pays to examine the economics of the work you're being asked to do. Here are four of the top scam-ridden occupations:
- Envelope Stuffing: This is a classic example of a business that may not be for real. If you were the employer, why would you pay someone $1 or more to stuff an envelope when you could job out the task to a mailing house for pennies apiece?
- At-Home Assembly Work: This is also highly suspicious. If these companies were legit, why wouldn't they be using offshore labor at a fraction of the cost?
- Medical Billing or Claims Processing: "Very few medical professionals will let just anyone handle private medical info," says Atkins, especially with new healthcare privacy rules in effect. Most doctors will not outsource billing services to individuals, but rather to large, established companies whose workers are trained and employed on site.
- Refund-Recovery Business: In this work-at-home scheme, the scammers offer to sell you software to track late and lost UPS and FedEx packages and assist the shippers' customers in obtaining refunds. The shippers say these refund-recovery schemes are bogus.
In general, beware of work-at-home employers who ask for your money up front. "Legitimate employers pay you, not the other way around," says Demas.
Time to Sleuth
If you think you might have identified a legitimate work-at-home job, it's time to do some detective work. Here are three trusted stops for your gumshoe route:
- The Better Business Bureau (BBB) maintains a national database of companies and complaints received about them. If the BBB rates your prospective employer "unsatisfactory" or says the company has declined to answer requests for information, find another opportunity.
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) goes after individual work-at-home scammers. Search the site for press releases or other information on any employer you're considering.
- Fraud.org should be able to inform you of civil and criminal complaints with respect to your prospective employer.
Questions to Ask
Legitimate work-at-home employers should be willing and able to answer a variety of questions about their programs. Here are some questions the FTC suggests you ask:
- What tasks will I have to perform? (Ask the program sponsor to list every step of the job.)
- Will I be paid a salary, or will my pay be based on commission?
- Who will pay me?
- When will I get my first paycheck?
Finally, if the work-at-home employer passes all these tests but you still feel a bit queasy about the offer, trust your gut and run the other way.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Jess O'Brien has overcome a lot--the challenges of attention deficit disorder, the near bankruptcy of her beloved Inn at Eagle Point and her self-perception as a screwup in a family of overachievers. Now she's ready to share the future with a man. Her friends persuade her to join a dating service--but she gets no takers! Which is fine with her childhood friend, psychologist Will Lincoln, who's already chosen the perfect man for Jess: himself.
Will has loved Jess practically forever. He knows her faults and her strengths. But for all Will's sincerity and charm, Jess fears he views her as some psychological case study. With her family and the town of Chesapeake Shores behind him, Will finally makes his case. But is it enough to convince Jess to take the risk of a lifetime?


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Jewish World Review April 12, 2001 / 18 Nissan, 5761
James K. Glassman
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
Rep. Billy Tauzin, R La., is making exactly that fatal mistake regarding the nation's telecommunications.
In a presentation to the Progress & Freedom Foundation, the powerful Commerce Committee chairman last week stated clearly and correctly that the primary threat to future economic growth is a continued meltdown in the information technology sector. Since March 2000, stock prices for telecommunications companies have dropped 70 percent, many have gone bankrupt and others are quickly running out of cash. A domino effect has knocked down the profits of the suppliers that serve them.
Tauzin also was also exactly right when he said that a strong rebound in telecommunications requires two things: first, reliable energy supplies and, second, widespread availability of broadband to speed delivery of services from the current-copper crawl pace.
But Tauzin's remedy is all wrong. He thinks the best way to boost broadband is by releasing the regional Bell monopolies from their obligations under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Such a move would kill competition and innovation, the keys to a rebound in both broadband and the economy as a whole.
What were the obligations? Five years ago, the Bells agreed to open their local loops to competitors. In exchange, the Bells would be able to get into the long-distance market.
Unfortunately, little has changed since 1996. The Bells dragged their feet, and they continue to have a chokehold on the "last mile" of phone line into the home. Some 95 percent of U.S. residences still have a regulated Bell monopoly as their local service provider. And, like all monopolies, the Bells have been raising their local rates and doing little to improve service.
That dismal picture isn't a result of a lack of effort by other carriers. Cable companies and competitive local exchange carriers – CLECs – that compete directly with the Bells have poured more than $100 billion into creating a reliable high-speed nationwide communications network -- only to see their efforts stymied by the Bells foot dragging and legal maneuvers. The last mile remains critical to just about every telecom provider, and in all but four states, the Bells dominate it.
Hope for real competition is rapidly running out. Two months ago, one of the largest CLECs, Covad Communications cut back the planned expansion of its national DSL broadband network. Two weeks ago, another large CLEC, NorthPoint Communications, which is in bankruptcy, ended service to 100,000 customers, Last week, Rhythm NetConnections ran out of money. And soon, PSInet, which laid a million miles of fiber optic through 28 countries and 90 metropolitan areas of the United States, could follow suit. As PSInet founder William Schrader says, the "dinosaurs" (as he calls the Bell monopolies) are winning because "deregulation has stopped, and they will become monopolists again because the competition can't compete with monopolists."
Indeed, the monopolists are only getting bigger. Thanks to mergers among themselves, the seven Bells plus non-Bell local giant GTE have become just four companies – SBC, Verizon, Bell South and Qwest. And in addition to merging to reduce competition, they have reneged on the promises they made (to win merger approvals) to get into each other's territories. Verizon, formed when BellAtlantic merged with Nynex and GTE, announced last month it would slow down an already sluggish expansion into other Bells' regions. And SBC says it won't come close to its target – set for the Federal Communications Commission when it merged with Ameritech, the Midwest monopoly – to enter 30 major-city markets.
Yet, as far as Tauzin is concerned, it is the Bells that are the victims – facing unfair competition, denied a level playing field and abused by regulators. So, to make things equal, he would let the Bells get into the most lucrative part of the long distance-market – data transmission – without having to open up their local loops. He would also release them from their promises to compete with each other.
"Why," he asks, "should we have different regulation for broadband delivery on a satellite, as opposed to a cable, as opposed to a telephone DSL line, as opposed to a wireless delivery terrestrial system, if it's all the same product that is delivered to the consumer." Why? It's not hard to understand. Local phone companies and their competitors are treated differently because they are different. For one thing, cable companies built their own networks in a competitive market -- while the local phone companies have had long distance companies, Internet Service Providers and CLECs kicking in with access charges, mandated by government, to help maintain the local network. For another, the Bells for the past century have been a monopoly and nurtured by government. Finally, the Telecom Act, passed overwhelmingly in Congress, specified a clear glide slope to deregulation, with different rules for different players – but with the outcome the same for all: deregulation.
Nothing makes clearer the control exercised by the Bells than a remarkable admission by SBC's chairman Ed Whitacre. On March 14, he wrote Tauzin that "a million consumers" in Illinois "cannot now, and may never, have access to DSL service" if his company isn't relieved of state regulations requiring it to unbundled its services and offer them to competitors at a wholesale rate.
Does SBC own the DSL market the way it owns local service? Whitacre thinks so.
As Illinois Commerce Commissioner Terry S. Harvill noted in a letter to the House Speaker Dennis Hastert two weeks later: "Mr. Whitacre's statement is clear: Ameritech Illinois controls the market so completely that it can determine if more than a million consumers in Illinois will have access to broadband services. If the market were competitive, SBC/Ameritech would not be able to unilaterally halt the deployment of DSL infrastructure and deny these customers advanced telephone service."
And that, as Harvill said, is truly chilling. In fact, the Bells have now gobbled up 75 percent of the DSL market nationwide, and they are acting just like monopolists always act – they are reducing service and raising prices.
What will happen if the powerful local Bells get what they want from Tauzin and Congress? History shows it won't be the expansion of affordable broadband.
In the past, the Bells tried to kill the Internet in its crib by putting per-minute charges on local calls made to the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that connected consumers to the Internet. Just such policies in Europe and Japan have curbed the Internet's growth there, to those nations' economic detriment. In the U.S., brave CLECs stepped up to the plate and gave those ISPs good low-cost service.
The Bells also kept DSL service under wraps for more than a decade, not wanting to divert business from their high-speed, high-cost T1 lines. Only when the upstart CLECs began delivering it to customers at affordable prices did the Bells start to do the same. And now that competition from the upstarts is waning (as the Bells drag their feet on local connections, file lawsuits and renege on agreements to pay their "reciprocal compensation" bills), the Bells are making DSL service less affordable once again. A competitive market would not allow SBC to hike prices for its DSL service 25 percent, as it did last month.
What to do? Certainly, the answer is not to follow the choice that Tauzin recommends. That would insure no competition at the local level – and the vaunted deregulation of telecommunications would be even farther off. No, to achieve deregulation, the answer is to break the Bells up – not geographically, but functionally, as some states, like Pennsylvania are already trying to do.
Each local phone company should be divided into two businesses: wholesale and retail. The wholesale side would sell local service both to its own retail side and to any other company that wanted to purchase that service. That's how to achieve real competition, to boost quality and push down prices.
Giving in to the Bells' demands for a rollback of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996 is a prescription for disaster that
will throttle the prospects of the New Economy for decades to
04/04/01: Even as stocks have fallen, the Net keeps booming


text:
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Boundaries Crossed (TCG)
- Freeze Bolt redirects here. For the game move that has the Japanese name Freeze Bolt, see Freeze Shock (move).
- Cold Flare redirects here. For the game move that has the Japanese name Cold Flare, see Ice Burn (move).
Pokémon TCG: Black & White—Boundaries Crossed (Japanese: フリーズボルト Freeze Bolt and コールドフレア Cold Flare) is the name given to the seventh main expansion of cards from the English Black & White Series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The Japanese release is the sixth of the BW era.
Step into the next dimension of your journey into battle using the might of the Boundary Pokémon... both White Kyurem and Black Kyurem! Harness the powers of more Pokémon-EX like Landorus, Cresselia, and Celebi, and Keldeo makes its debut in the Black & White—Boundaries Crossed expansion as both a Pokémon and a Pokémon-EX, along with the never-before-seen, powerful ACE SPEC Trainer cards, which are so devastating that you can only carry one into battle! Cross over to sweep aside your opponents with one mighty push!
Boundaries Crossed expansion is the seventh Black & White Series expansion, released November 7, 2012, and the first to be centered around Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, which was released only about one month beforehand. The Japanese counterpart, Freeze Bolt · Cold Flare, was the sixth Japanese BW era expansion, and was released in July of the same year. The English release contains many of the cards released within the Japanese release, in addition to most of the cards originating from the Japanese Keldeo Battle Strength Deck and National Beginning Set, as well as two cards first released worldwide in the English expansion: Black Kyurem and White Kyurem. Additionally, the Full Art print of Skyla was pulled forward from the Japanese Plasma Gale expansion in order to be released with the regular print. Both the English and Japanese releases are the largest expansions of the Black & White Series.
Boundaries Crossed totals 153 cards (4 of which are Secret cards), causing it to be the fifth largest English TCG release ever, beaten out by Primal Clash, BREAKthrough, Aquapolis, and Skyridge. The Secret cards are Golurk reprinted from Dragons Exalted (Dragon Blade in Japan), Terrakion reprinted from Noble Victories (Red Collection in Japan), Altaria reprinted from Dragons Exalted (Dragon Blade in Japan), and Rocky Helmet reprinted from Noble Victories (Red Collection in Japan). In both English and Japanese, these Secret cards are the first to feature golden borders, and they also utilize the special etching featured on Full Art cards.
The expansion features two Theme Decks, Ice Shock and Cold Fire, centered around Kyurem's brand new Formes, Black and White Kyurem, respectively. Each deck contains an exclusive coin featuring their respective Pokémon Forme. Both decks utilize both Dragon-type and Water-type Pokémon, but Ice Shock utilizes Lightning-type Pokémon while Cold Fire utilizes Fire-type Pokémon. The additional rule insert included within both theme decks erroneously credits 5ban Graphics as the illustrator of this set's promotional artwork, while the actual illustrator is Shin Nagasawa.
Many of the new Formes of Pokémon featured in Black 2 and White 2 make their debut in the TCG. Black Kyurem and White Kyurem are featured as both regular cards and Pokémon-EX. Keldeo and Meloetta debut in Boundaries Crossed; Keldeo is featured in both of its Formes while Meloetta is featured in its Aria Forme, and one of the Forces of Nature, Landorus, is featured in its Therian Forme. Additionally, Pokémon are depicted within many of the locations that are new to Black 2 and White 2. Aspertia City Gym and Virbank City Gym are released as Stadium cards within the Freeze Bolt · Cold Flare expansion; however, Virbank City Gym, along with many of the other cards in the Japanese expansion, were later saved for the English Plasma Storm expansion. The set names Freeze Bolt and Cold Flare represent the two signature moves for Black Kyurem and White Kyurem: Freeze Shock and Ice Burn. Many of the Pokémon cards also include updated Pokédex entries from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.
Boundaries Crossed, and the Japanese Freeze Bolt · Cold Flare equivalent, feature 6 Pokémon-EX: Celebi-EX, Keldeo-EX, Cresselia-EX, Landorus-EX, Black Kyurem-EX, and White Kyurem-EX, as both regular art prints and Full Art prints. In addition to the 6 Full Art Pokémon-EX, this expansion features Cheren, Bianca, and Skyla as Full Arts. The Bianca and Cheren Supporters sport their new Black 2 and White 2 design. Full Art Supporter cards become a staple for the make up of most of the remaining Black & White Series expansions.
The expansion is the first to feature a brand new classification of Item cards: Ace Spec. These Item cards are extremely powerful, but with the drawback of being limited to 1 Ace Spec card per deck. Four Ace Spec were introduced in Boundaries Crossed: Computer Search, Crystal Edge, Crystal Wall, and Gold Potion. Crystal Wall and Gold Potion originate from the Japanese Freeze Bolt, while Computer Search and Crystal Edge originate from Cold Flare. Gold Potion allows 90 damage to be healed from the Active Pokémon without any drawback. Crystal Wall and Crystal Edge can be attached to Black Kyurem-EX and White Kyurem-EX, respectively, allowing Black Kyurem-EX to have 300HP instead of 180HP, and White Kyurem-EX's attacks to do 50 more damage. Computer Search has the same powerful effect as the Base Set print of Computer Search, but is now limited to 1 per deck, taking up the Ace Spec spot within a deck's 60 cards. In unlimited play, all prints are to be treated as an Ace Spec.
Usually, the fact that this expansion switches from featuring the original Pokémon Black and White to Black 2 and White 2 would mean the beginning of a new Series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. However, the set remains part of the Black & White Series, the only Series representing Generation V. The set has additional characteristics that set it apart from the six previous Black & White Series expansions. The booster pack and Theme Deck artwork start being illustrated by Shin Nagasawa instead of by 5ban Graphics. Additionally, as with the start of most Series, the Ultra Rare card lineup is changed, which starting with Boundaries Crossed, includes Ace Spec and Full Art Supporters as normal staples for the next few expansions. The expansion logo also features Ice and Fire themes within the "Black & White" part of the logo, which continue though Legendary Treasures. All of these details, which would normally mean the beginning of a new TCG Series, can instead be seen as the most logical starting point for the next rotation.
The set contains a few running themes throughout the Abilities and attacks on its cards. Celebi-EX features the Ability Time Recall, allowing Evolved Pokémon to use the attacks of their previous evolutions. This Ability can be paired with Pokémon such as Charizard, allowing Charizard use of Charmeleon's Raging Claws attack for a damage output of up to 200 damage. Time Recall is also designed to pair well with Flygon and Vibrava, allowing Flygon access to both an Ability that spreads damage to all of the opponent's Pokémon and Vibrava's Sand Pulse attack that does the same. This combo was in turn designed to work with Dusknoir's Sinister Hand Ability, allowing manipulation of all damage on the opponent's side of the field. An additional combo introduced within this set is being able to use the Supporter Skyla in order to search out any deck's 1 Ace Spec card.
The Prerelease promo is Flygon from the BW Black Star Promos, which originated as one of the Japanese BW-P Promotional cards awarded to those who bought a booster box of the expansion.
Officially, the English release of the set contains 149 cards. Between alternate holofoils, reverse holofoils, and Secret cards, the set contains 300 cards. A list of the non standard cards can be seen below.
Set lists
Pack artwork
In other languages
|This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.


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Committee on Aging to meet Jan. 22
ROCHESTER — The Strafford County Committee on Aging (SCCOA) will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at noon at Wellsweep Acres Community Room, 77 Olde Farm Road (entrance is on the side of the building). SCCOA is a group of older adults and service providers who work together to obtain support and resources to meet the needs of older adults and help assure them a better quality of life.
Meetings are open to the public and they would love to have more community members attend. January's meeting will include the election of officers and a review of the bylaws.
Swedish meatball supper Saturday
EAST ROCHESTER — A Swedish meatball supper will be hosted at Bethany United Methodist Church, 24 Main St., East Rochester, on Saturday, Jan. 19. The menu will include Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, coffee and homemade pies. Two seatings are scheduled at 4:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Cost of meal is $8 per adult and $4 for children. For more information, call (603) 332-3618. Advanced tickets are available in the church's Thrift Shop open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m.-noon and Saturdays, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Dinner and a Movie Saturday
ROCHESTER — On Saturday, Jan. 19, at 6 p.m. the Harvest of Praise Church of God, located at 17 Heaton St., will be having a "Dinner and A Movie." They will be serving homemade chili, hot dogs, salad, dessert and beverages for $7.50 per person. Reservations are required for the dinner only by Wednesday, Jan. 16, at (603) 335-1151.
In observance of Sanctity of Human Life Month they will be showing the feature film "Sarah's Choice" at 7 p.m. Sarah Collins is considering a life-changing decision. Before she makes her final decision, she is presented with three visions causing her to think about the impact on her future. The film stars Rebecca St. James, Dick Van Patten and Brad Stine.
The movie is free and open to the public. For more information, call the church at (603) 335-1151 or visit www.harvestofpraisecog.com where you can view the movie trailer.
Parkinson's group to meet Monday
ROCHESTER — The Rochester Parkinson's Support Group will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, Jan. 21, from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Frisbie Memorial Hospital Conference Center. Guest Speaker this month will be Kristen Aleva, ARNP from the Geropsychiatry Services Department at Frisbie Memorial Hospital. Kristen will talk about communication issues, stress and frustration for Parkinson patients and their family members/support persons.
Each month the group hosts a meeting with topics related to health and/or living with Parkinson's disease. There is also a time for questions and sharing of information/experiences. These monthly meetings are open to anyone - individuals with Parkinson's disease, family members, partners, friends and caregivers. There will be a facilitator present for this month's meeting. For more information, contact Claire Moorhead at (603) 254-5583 or email@example.com.
The Bourne Legacy at the Rochester library
ROCHESTER — Join the Rochester Public Library Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. for the action blockbuster The Bourne Legacy. This film is the latest in the hugely popular Bourne series. On the verge of having their conspiracy exposed, members of the government's intelligence community will stop at nothing to erase all evidence of their top secret programs - even the agents involved. Aaron Cross must use his genetically-engineered skills to survive the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse and finish what Jason Bourne started. Starring Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, and Edward Norton. This event is free.
Widowed Support Group on hold
DOVER — The Widowed Support Group of Southern NH will suspend its monthly meetings for January and February. They look forward to opening their 28th year of serving the widowed people in March at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.
Food drive at Uno's in Dover
DOVER — Join Uno Chicago Grill Jan. 18-20 for their "End 68 Hours of Hunger" food drive and help them stuff the truck.
End 68 Hours of Hunger is a program aimed at providing food to needy children during the weekends, when school lunches aren't available.
In addition to collecting food for the program, Uno's will be donating a percentage of every pizza sold to the program. Help them reach their goal of selling 68 pizzas per day, and raising over $500. Donate 10 or more items and receive a free not-so-mini dessert.
Items needed include: cereal, plastic containers of peanut butter and jelly, canned soup, canned tuna and chicken, crackers, canned fruit, granola bars, ramen noodle packages and boxed macaroni and cheese.
Attention schools that are served by End 68 Hours of Hunger: each school will win a pizza party for the class that brings in the most donations. Any family who brings in more than 50 items will be entered in a drawing for a birthday party for 10.
Uno's is located at 238 Indian Brook Drive, on Miracle Mile, in Dover.
Dover dems to meet
DOVER — Several of Dover's State Representatives will speak at a meeting of the Dover Democratic Committee Thursday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at Strafford Farms Restaurant, 58 New Rochester Road. They will discuss their first impressions of the new legislative session, and what they hope to accomplish in the 2013-14 New Hampshire House, states committee chair Wendy Alley.
All Dover democrats and independents are encouraged to attend the meeting, which will be preceded by a social hour starting at 6 p.m., with the opportunity to order from the menu.
Dover State Representatives (all democrats) are Jim Verschueren, ward 1; Bill Baber, ward 2; Peter Schmidt, wards 1 and 2; Janice Gardner, ward 3; Dot Hooper, ward 4; Marsha Pelletier, wards 3 and 4; Peter Bixby, Greg Burdwood, and Steve Ketel, wards 5, 6, and Somersworth 2; and Ken Ward of Rollinsford, representing Dover Wards 5 and 6, Somersworth 2, and Rollinsford. David Watters of Dover is the State Senator for District 4, Dover, Barrington, Rollinsford, and Somersworth.
Caroline French is the vice-chair of the Dover Democratic Committee; Bill Dudley, secretary, and Carole Appel, treasurer.
More information about the Dover Democratic Committee is available at dovernhdemocrats.com.


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We are so excited about the retreat this year that we nearly couldn't contain ourselves until we signed the contract!
When: June 13-15, 2014
Where: Arrowhead Ranch Conference Center, Lake Arrowhead, CA
Arrowhead Ranch has cabins featuring real beds and private bathrooms, and come in different configurations that can accommodate between 2 and 7 people. There's a large dining hall and plenty of indoor and outdoor space for our classes, and a pool, jacuzzi, hiking trails and more for your downtime! It's a great location if you want to bring your family along for the weekend – Arrowhead Ranch is located in the natural beauty of the San Bernardino National Forest, just minutes away from Lake Arrowhead.
Cost: $350 (shared cabin) if registered before May 15; $450 on & after May 16. Register & pay online via our store.
Contact us at email@example.com for prices for kids, partners, and families, or if you wish to attend classes but not stay on site, or for a private cabin.
The price still includes ALL food and lodging from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. This year, however, you we won't be roughing it quite so much – you won't need to bring your own bedding, rugs, or pop up tents for our outdoor tent city! No canvas tents – the cabins are all well-appointed, clean, and include private bathrooms, tvs, and wireless internet. You can see some photos of the cabins on the Arrowhead Ranch website! This event will truly be a retreat – not a campout!
Vendors are welcome at the Griffin Dyeworks Retreat! Please contact us at email@example.com to learn more.
Teachers are given a discounted entry fee based on the number of hours they are scheduled to teach classes. We're accepting class submissions on our online form.


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Judge again blocks bid to force Amish girl to have chemo
Judge says parents have right to determine treatment
A judge has again blocked an Ohio hospital from forcing a 10-year-old Amish girl to resume chemotherapy after her parents decided to stop the treatments.
The order siding with the parents comes just a week after an appeals court sent the case back to the judge and told him to give more consideration to the request by Akron Children's Hospital.
The hospital wants a registered nurse to take over limited guardianship of Sarah Hershberger and decide whether she should continue treatments for leukemia. The hospital believes Sarah's leukemia is treatable and says she will die without chemotherapy.
Andy Hershberger, the girl's father, said the family agreed to begin two years of treatments for Sarah last spring but stopped a second round of chemotherapy in June because it was making her extremely sick.
Judge John Lohn, in Medina County, said in his ruling Tuesday that not allowing the parents to make medical decisions for their daughter would take away their rights. He also said there is no guarantee that chemotherapy would be successful.
"They are good parents," he said. "They understand completely the grave situation their daughter is in and the consequences of their choice to refuse chemotherapy for Sarah at this time."
Lohn said also that allowing for a guardian would go against the girl's wishes.
"Even if the treatments are successful, there is a very good chance Sarah will become infertile and have other serious health risks for the rest of her life," the judge said.
The hospital did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Officials there have said they are morally and legally obligated to make sure the girl receives proper care.
While state laws give parents a great deal of freedom when it comes to choosing medical treatment for their children, that's not always true when the decision could be a matter of life or death. Courts most often will draw the line when doctors think the child's life is in danger and there's a good chance that the treatments being suggested will work, according to several medical ethicists.
The Ohio judge ruled in July that Sarah's parents had the right to make medical decisions for her, but the appeals court said Lohn failed to consider whether appointing a guardian would be in the girl's best interest and ordered him to re-consider the decision.
Sarah's father said she begged her parents to stop the chemotherapy and they agreed after a great deal of prayer. The family, members of an insular Amish community, shuns many facets of modern life. They live on a farm and operate a produce stand near the village of Spencer in Medina County, about 35 miles southwest of Cleveland.
They opted to consult with a wellness center and treat Sarah with natural medicines, such as herbs and vitamins, and see another doctor who is monitoring their daughter, Hershberger said.
Hershberger said they have not ruled out returning to Akron Children's Hospital if Sarah's health worsens. The hospital has said the girl's illness - lymphoblastic lymphoma - is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.


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Experience them for yourself and tell us what you think on our Facebook page. Add your photos, too. Unique photos may receive a free bucket of Thrasher's French Fries.
"The sites, sounds, and smells are unmistakeable: children's laughter alternating with screams emitting from the roller coaster and pier rides, the crashing waves just a short distance away, and the aromas that have been seaside staples for close to 100 years."


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Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 2498
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:52 pm
Post subject: Good Wishes to Our Queensland Friends
I just saw film of the devastation. I hope all are well and marshalling their efforts for the clean up and recovery to come. Here come some comforting hugs.
God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 6:39 pm
Post subject:
I heard about the storm on my way in to work this morning and immediately thought of our C&Z buddies. The best news that I heard was that (at that time) no lives had been lost. However the devastation sounds dreadful. Having lost our home in a tornado when I was 9 YO, I can commiserate with what you are going through!
We are sending cyber hugs and best wishes to all of you down there!
L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais
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Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 1196
Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:26 am
Post subject:
On behalf of our Queensland members, thank you. From memory, I can't think of any who live in that area, but it's been terrible. No lives lost, but there's a cute photo doing the email rounds ....
Oops, sorry, can't post it, but it's of a ruined banana plantation with B1 & B2 - the Bananas in Pyjamas - lying in the middle of it.
Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness
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Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 105
Location: Wycheproof, Australia
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:32 am
Post subject:
Let's hope queenslanders read your thoughtful thread, Rainey.
I believe one person died- a man in a caravan who apparently had a heart attack. Very sad, but also a miracle more didn't go. It does make you think of what preparations they did, something better than for New Orleans anyway. I think all these winds are from the tsunami effects-the impact still whooshing around the world. I live on flatlands and we have had the most extraordinary gusts.
truth, like gold, is not the less so for being newly brought out of the mine.
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Joined: 25 Feb 2006
Posts: 81
Location: Cedar Creek, Qld, Australia
Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:05 am
Post subject:
queenla wrote:
Let's hope queenslanders read your thoughtful thread, Rainey.
I believe one person died- a man in a caravan who apparently had a heart attack. Very sad, but also a miracle more didn't go. It does make you think of what preparations they did, something better than for New Orleans anyway.
I was a bit worried for my parents who just moved north (to Mackay) as Larry and Wati (the one that followed it) moved in. Larry went north and caused all the devestation up there, while Wati did an abrupt turn South.
As for the preparations, until the El Nino thing, Far North Qld (FNQ) would get 1 to 3 cyclones each storm season. I remember many when I was a lad, so they're fairly well prepared up there for that sort of thing.
We just finished building our house, which is rated to withstand a Cat3 cyclone since that's all that's really necessary so close to Brisbane, but up north the design standards tend to be a bit stricter (which is why most of the pictures of flattened or roofless houses are of houses > 30 years old).
All the same, thanks for the well wishes.
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Joined: 19 Apr 2006
Posts: 14
Location: Cambridge, UK
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:55 pm
Post subject: Update on what's happened
Just to let you know, I have some insider information that you may, or may not know.
I'm originally from a town called Atherton, west of Cairns and about 30-40 mins drive from where the eye of the cyclone hit. My father still lives up there and has reported the following to me:
There were no fatalaties directly related to the storm. The authorities put into effect a compulsory evacuation - learning from what happened with Hurricane Katrina. One elderly gentleman died during the storm from an unrelated heart attack.
One high school has had to close since the storm - unfortunately the buildings were too damaged for them to reopen. Students have had to go to other schools.
Banana prices have sky rocketed in Queensland and many farmers will take a very long time to recovered from their flattened crops.
Unfortunately, no cane toads were killed during the storm, they continue to breed like wild fire.
We lost our lovely Jacaranda tree in our front yard (not an easy tree to come up from the ground).
Far North Queenslanders are all very used to cyclones and are all very prepared for them. Quite a few come through most wet seasons, but are so unremarkable that they're only reported locally in the media.
Thanks for your thoughts - they were much appreciated.
"I took the road less travelled by; and that has made all the difference." - Frost
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Joined: 25 Feb 2006
Posts: 81
Location: Cedar Creek, Qld, Australia
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:10 pm
Post subject: Re: Update on what's happened
Bonnie wrote:
Far North Queenslanders are all very used to cyclones and are all very prepared for them. Quite a few come through most wet seasons, but are so unremarkable that they're only reported locally in the media.
In fact another one just passed over the peninsula the day before yesterday. Hit the coast north of Cook Town at Cat3 level, reduced to Cat 2 by the time it passed into the Gulf and is now a Cat4 heading vaguely for the Northern Territory.
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There are some artists we know almost nothing about, not even their real names. They keep to themselves and don't even let their artworks speak about their lives. Tracey Emin could be described as the exact opposite of that. In fact, her life did become her art on several occasions, as this extraordinary character surely isn't afraid to put her emotions out there for the world to see. Whether it's about troubled childhood, sensitive teenage years or the complicated adult relationships, Tracey Emin art is bold, surprisingly honest and, as such, apparently provocative, as it often happens. Like chapters of her diary turned into three-dimensional artistic forms in space, her artworks represent metaphors of life that we can all relate to, but never thought we'd see exposed so bravely.
Around for well over two decades now, Tracey Emin has got herself quite a few esteemed titles as well - CBE (Most excellent order of the British Empire), RA (member of the Royal Academy) and YBA (Young British Artist). Her artworks are among the most significant in British art history, alongside those of Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas and Rachel Whiteread. The intriguing works of the English artist have also been ever-present in the world's marketplace and at art auctions, while the number of her sold artworks exponentially growing over the years. In this article, we will review Tracey Emin's most famous artworks at auctions, including her best-known pieces such as… oh, you'll just have to find out!
Someone once said that death is only a part of life, and Tracey Emin seems to have taken note of that. In 1997, she created her last resting place in form of an actual coffin, consisting of a casket, appliquéd mattress and ink on paper works. It served to accommodate the readers of another Tracey Emin art piece, Always Glad To See You from 1996 - a smaller written work which describes her infamous dehydration from alcohol (an entire bottle of Orangina, to be precise). It is safe to say that Tracey Emin is a particularly interesting storyteller, and for her, the best stories are the ones she lived through herself.
In 2004, My Coffin went over its high estimate and sold for $130,000 at Sotheby's London.
In the late 1980s, Tracey Emin obtained her MA in painting at the Royal College of Art in London. Only, she described this experience as a very negative one, so in 1996, she tried to reconcile with the medium. For fourteen days, she had been locked in a gallery with nothing but a lot of art materials and empty canvases. Furthermore, she could be observed while making this artwork, usually naked, through a series of wide-angle lenses embedded in the walls. The result? An installation featuring autobiographical images, 14 paintings, 78 drawings, five body prints, a variety of personal items, newspapers, even pieces of furniture, and much more. Many individual pieces of this installations found their ways to the auctions separately.
In February 2015, Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made was sold for £722,500 at Christie's London.
The thing is, Tracey Emin simply prefers getting involved in art in a way much different than painting. She likes to sew stuff onto other stuff, to create installations that speak through words and images, and which occupy spaces. This piece, for example, is an appliqué blanket, onto which we can see a writing that says "dirty girl" and a drawing of the Eiffel Tower, and perhaps an image of the Earth surrounded by another writing, saying "YOU SUCK I TOLD YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN". The blanket obviously became the spot where Tracey Emin's most random thoughts convey to make an artwork. Or perhaps they're not so random after all.
It's The Way We Think achieved the price of $200,000 at Christie's London in 2010.
And not only - Tracey Emin also does neon artworks. Is she cool or what?! This particular piece, for instance, had an awesome debut in New York's Times Square, for the occasion of the 2014 Valentine's Day. Her other neon works also saw the light of night throughout the whole month of February, with each of them having five minutes of fame every night at 11:57PM. On more than 40 screens large and small, for a span of three minutes, Tracey Emin's six messages of love spelled themselves out, digitally animated to appear as if being written by a giant unseen hand. Known to have a particular relationship with love, the artist surely had a lot of inspiration for this one.
I Promise To Love You last sold at $121,430 at Phillips London in October 2015.
Another blanket bears testimony to Tracey Emin's past fears, anxiety over the future and present preoccupations. "HOW COULD I EVER LEAVE YOU", "I LOVE YOU", "I AM WET WITH FEAR", "I AM INTERNATIONAL WOMAN", "I SEARCH THE WORLD I KISS YOU" are the curious writings on this textile white landscape, which the artist threats like a canvas. The sewing works are her most demanding ones, as they require lengthy creation process and a careful choice of materials. They bind this feminine craft with the one of collage, for a unity of laters and texture in a highly expressive manner.
Terminal One reached $260,000 at Christie's London in 2014.
Passing from bold and bright color palette to something more delicate, like the pale shades and hues of white and pink, Tracey Emin created It Always Hurts, yet another example of the artist's intimate confessions which have found home in form of a blanket. In a single environment, she is angry and sensual, emancipated and bitter, hopeful and hopeless, as shown in messages like "Be with whoever" and "You stop me from feeling anything but myself". At the top of the piece lies a naked female figure, bending over to add yet another ambiguous message to these writings; and next to it, am embroidered circle of sperm.
Christie's London sold It Always Hurts in 2015 for the low estimate of $315,000.
Tracey Emin was, at one point, so interested in handmade work that she even had her own shop, which she opened together with fellow artist Sarah Lucas in the early 1990s. It seems that the love for the craft went nowhere over the years - rather, it only emphasised the state of her emotions even further. In this blanket, angrier than usual, we see Tracey Emin scolding herself, through a series of accusations and even name-callings: "you ruined everything", says one writing, "is that why you have no friends" says another. Like a sum-up of drunken text messages, this piece represents the visualisation of a particular low point in a woman's life.
In 2014, Super Drunk Bitch went for its high estimate, $500,000, at Christie's London.
With To Meet My Past, Tracey Emin continued the legacy of her "bed-related" topics, following the great success of Everyone I Ever Slept With 1963 - 1995 from 1995 and, of course, My Bed from 1998. Like a shrine, this piece is an actual bed, with sheets, quilts and upholstery covered with her embroidered anecdotes and phrases in her distinctive handwriting. These statements are, as one would expect, deeply personal, provocative and sexualized to the point where you can't ignore them in any way. With such a work in front you of you, you also can't help but explore yourself too, ask questions that perhaps you never dared to before.
To Meet My Past went for $640,000 at Christie's London in 2013.
The year 1997 was pivotal for Tracey Emin and her art, and it was also the time she referred to herself as "Mad Tracey from Margate". She was her artistic persona, and she borrowed her name to the title of the 1999 documentary, which presented the artist to the world. It took her six months to put it all together, and since its creation, it's been featured in her biggest solo and group exhibitions. The work is a tribute to her history and hometown of Margate which includes childhood memories, ancient diary entries and love letters, conversations she's never forgotten. It is a piece of folk art and visual poetry, executed in a highly personal and contemporary manner.
Mad Tracey from Margate. Everyone's Been There achieved $960,000 at Christie's London in 2014.
Here it is, the artwork which gave the art world a good shake and that had catapulted Tracey Emin among the stars of the British scene - and not only. It stands as a sort of a monument of the artist's several days of drinking in her bed, caused by severe depression over failed relationship. Stained sheets, condoms, underwear, menstrual blood stains and cigarette figs are only some of the things we can see in the installation everyone claimed could be theirs - to which Tracey Emin responded "well they didn't [exhibit their unmade bed], did they? No one had ever done that before." The work was nominated for the esteemed Turner prize, and although it hadn't won, it remained one of the most notorious artworks in history of the award.
As Tracey Emin's highest selling and most popular art piece, My Bed sold for $3.8 million at Christie's London in 2014.
All images used for illustrative purposes only.
Bristol, United Kingdom
Nuremberg, Germany
Los Angeles, United States of America


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Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 18
Posted: Fri 19 Dec 2008, 12:10
Post subject:
Puppy Swap File Questions
I've browsed a bit trying to figure out Puppy swap files. I have some basic questions.
I'm running Puppy 4.1 from a CD-ROM with a pupsave file on a Windows vfat volume. The pupsave file, about 512 mb, is encrypted supposedly.
I assume that part of that pupsave file is being used as a swap file when I'm working in Puppy, and that it's encrypted when I'm not.
Can Puppy mess at all with pagefile.sys on the vfat volume?
Does it write any other transient files, even temporarily on the vfat volume outside the pupsave file?
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Official Dog Handler
Joined: 04 May 2005
Posts: 13653
Location: Arizona USA
Posted: Fri 19 Dec 2008, 16:00
Post subject:
By default Puppy looks for a swap partition (not a swap file) when it boots, and uses it if it finds it. I think Puppy can be configured to use a swap file, even use the Windows page file. There was a discussion in the forum a year or two ago about doing just that. Try entering "page file AND swap" in the forum search engine.
Puppy doesn't encrypt what it puts in swap memory. I seem to remember a thread somewhere in this forum discussing that (I think it was started by forum member Aitch.) I can't remember if a way was suggested to encrypt what is in swap memory.
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Bruce B
Joined: 18 May 2005
Posts: 11488
Location: The Peoples Republic of California
Posted: Fri 19 Dec 2008, 16:48
Post subject:
most Puppys will look for a swap file by the name of
in the root directory. In frugal install this is AKA /mnt/home, AKA /initrd/mnt/dev_save/. (maybe in other locations also, but I've not checked every possibility)
On boot up I perform a variety of tasks.
On shutdown I perform different tasks with a script I call
, which is short for PowerOff.
On shutdown, a person could, with ease write a script to:
1) turn off the swapfile
2) mount the swapfile
3) write zeros or random data to the swapfile
4) unmount the swap file
5) Then continue with the shut down process.
Puppy Linux Links Page
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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 2307
Location: Wyoming, USA
Posted: Fri 19 Dec 2008, 19:08
Post subject:
The other thing is to not use swap at all. Many machines will run fine without it.
Unfortunately Puppy requires a swap file or volume while booting; if a linux swap partition is not available it will CREATE a swap file WITHOUT ASKING.
And then use it. There is no "pfix=noswap" parameter although I've been lobbying for one. This means at the end of the boot you must kill swap with the swapoff command; I do it in /etc/rc.d/rc.local. And hope nothing got stuck in it even by that point.
If you use swap, cleartext passwords and so forth will be in it, and you MUST clean it as Bruce suggests to ensure security. No, swap is not in the pupsave.
Pupsave encryption is pretty rudimentary at this point.
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Official Dog Handler
Joined: 04 May 2005
Posts: 13653
Location: Arizona USA
Posted: Sat 20 Dec 2008, 01:06
Post subject:
Thanks Bruce. Once again I stand corrected.
PaulBx1, I don't have a hard disk drive at all, only RAM. What does Puppy do if it can't find a place to put a swap file?
Puppy Help 101 - an interactive tutorial for Lupu 5.25
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Joined: 08 Jan 2006
Posts: 484
Location: California
Posted: Sat 20 Dec 2008, 06:16
Post subject:
TazOC found this in response to my query.
"Puppy Linux will automatically use a Linux swap partition. With Puppy 2.x and later when using a pup_save file, Puppy will use these files for swap on boot if in same directory as the pup_save file : WIN386.SWP, PAGEFILE.SYS, pup.swp and, with Puppy 2.01, pupswap.swp. Puppy 2.01 and later will create a swap file if needed in same dir as pup_save if needed, unless using 2.02 or later which won't create one if not one of the following file systems: msdos (FAT12/16), vfat (FAT32), ext2, ext3, reiserfs, minix"
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Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 18
Posted: Sat 20 Dec 2008, 08:56
Post subject:
[quote="PaulBx1"]The other thing is to not use swap at all. Many machines will run fine without it.
Unfortunately Puppy requires a swap file or volume while booting; if a linux swap partition is not available it will CREATE a swap file WITHOUT ASKING.
And then use it. There is no "pfix=noswap" parameter although I've been lobbying for one. This means at the end of the boot you must kill swap with the swapoff command; I do it in /etc/rc.d/rc.local. And hope nothing got stuck in it even by that point.
Good information. Thank you. And I wholeheartedly support your lobbying. One thing I strongly dislike about Windows is that it runs services, creates all sorts of files that are difficult to track down, etc. when it does anything of substance. But I've found many versions of Linux aren't much better. What I want is something like Portable Apps that leave no footprints (except, I'm sure for the swap files) on the host computer when they exit.
I don't mind using a pupsave file for the convenience, but I don't want Puppy prints elsewhere, even in swap files, and particularly without my assent.
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Bruce B
Joined: 18 May 2005
Posts: 11488
Location: The Peoples Republic of California
Posted: Sat 20 Dec 2008, 09:45
Post subject:
1) I still have an accuracy concern. Under some circumstances Puppy will
a pupswap.swp file, this is agreed. My accuracy concern is on all recent and current versions? Also on all hdd file systems.
2) Tend to think it is a given that Puppy will look for it and activate it, if found as a pretty standard rule.
3) The other thing is, I didn't offer to show
to clean it on reboot. If someone doesn't know, but wants an example, just ask.
Puppy Linux Links Page
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Joined: 04 Apr 2007
Posts: 6815
Location: Chatham, Kent, UK
Posted: Sat 20 Dec 2008, 12:14
Post subject:
3) The other thing is, I didn't offer to show how to clean it on reboot. If someone doesn't know, but wants an example, just ask.
OK, Bruce,
I'll volunteer for that, as I know you're dying to tell us
Gets my curiosity juices flowing, for sure
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Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 18
Posted: Sat 20 Dec 2008, 19:54
Post subject:
Bruce B wrote:
3) The other thing is, I didn't offer to show
to clean it on reboot. If someone doesn't know, but wants an example, just ask.
An example would be very helpful
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Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 3512
Location: Chickasha Oklahoma
Posted: Sat 20 Dec 2008, 21:57
Post subject:
I have understood that when booted pfix=ram Puppy didnt touch the hard drive....
Is this mistaken..
.Did I misunderstand, or are you saying Puppy will mount a drive and use a Windows Pagefile on it for swap?? Unknown to the user???
Or create a pupswap.swp file on it???
As for System Ram, doesnt the bios flush it on boot??
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Official Dog Handler
Joined: 04 May 2005
Posts: 13653
Location: Arizona USA
Posted: Sat 20 Dec 2008, 23:34
Post subject:
puppyluvr wrote:
... As for System Ram, doesn't the bios flush it on boot?
When the system boots, the BIOS assumes there is nothing stored in RAM because shutting the computer off turns off the power to RAM which allows the data stored in RAM to "evaporate." It takes a few seconds, or possibly even a minute or two, for the data in RAM to completely dissipate, during which time it has been demonstrated that the RAM
be powered back up and its data recovered, if done right. Not with any BIOS I've heard of, however. All BIOSes are designed to simply ignore and overwrite anything that might be in RAM when the computer boots.
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Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 3512
Location: Chickasha Oklahoma
Posted: Sun 21 Dec 2008, 02:30
Post subject:
Thanks for the clarification, so its more an ignore than flush...Equally effective...
As to my other query, any advice. Not accessing the HD is a critical point for some of my users, and I would like to be clear on this...
@ Under any circumstances, will Puppy make use of an existing drive without user direction????? When booted pfix=ram????? And is there a pfix=noswap for Puppy???
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Bruce B
Joined: 18 May 2005
Posts: 11488
Location: The Peoples Republic of California
Posted: Mon 22 Dec 2008, 00:45
Post subject:
Sorry guys, I got side tracked and forgot to reply fast.
Basically what we want to do is mount it, write zeros to it then unmount it.
The standard name for the Puppy swapfile is: pupswap.swp, I'll use this for illustration. For purpose of illustration I'll make up a mount point at /mnt/swapf
Normally, on an hdd install, your swap file would be at the highest level of the filesystem where puppy is mounted. This is usually accessible at the symlink /mnt/home.
Considering all this as true on your computer, we would run these commands:
swapoff /mnt/home/pupswap.swp
(we deactivated it, but if we didn't we could do the rest, the problem is with an activated swapfile any data it is holding will not get zeroed, just the free area gets wiped)
mount -t tmpfs -o loop /mnt/home/pupswap.swp /mnt/swapf
dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/swapf/tmpfile.tmp
(note: we are not zeroing pupswap.swp, not at all, if we did that we'd lose the formatting)
(if you read carefully, you see we are writing of (output file) called tmpfile.tmp inside pupswap.swp)
(this file will have contents of zeros and it will fill the swap file) (alternately we could use the if=/dev/random in place of if=/dev/zero)
rm /mnt/swapf/tmpfile.tmp
(we remove the file, now pupswap.swp is all zeros)
umount /mnt/swapf
dd is not told when to stop, it will stop when the pupswap.sfs if full. It will usually be short on get compared to the puts. But it will be fast.
one could tell it to write in small chunks like 512 bytes at a time. this would assure the last part gets put, but it takes longer.
dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/swapf/tmpfile.tmp
You can also do similar inside your pup_save file and on partitions.
dd if=/dev/zero of=tmpfile.tmp
rm tmpfile.tmp
Personally, I'm a bit paranoid writing anything of any kind to NTFS. Paranoia is a fear lacking in foundation and I'm not sure of my foundation.
The foundation I have is (1) there was a time we couldn't with Linux, (2) then FOSS development achieved a level where we could, (3) I don't think MS ever released the NTFS specs, did they? (4) lastly it is Microsoft partition and not much trust there on my part.
I'm not saying this to discourage anyone from wiping an NTFS partition. I don't have one either, but if I did, I'd probably wipe it while running XP.
I found a nice set of Unix utility ports for Windows here:
Lastly, run the commands manually for testing, then when you are satisfied with all your file locations, mount points and whatever else, put the commands in a script, then just call the script.
I would also suppose the best place to deactivate the swapfile is after leaving X and booting to the Command Line.
Then I'll be ready for Q&A if anyone has some.
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Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 2307
Location: Wyoming, USA
Posted: Tue 23 Dec 2008, 21:33
Post subject:
Paranoia? Seems justified, given that gparted used to be able to downsize an NTFS partition, but if that partition is a Vista installation, it borks Vista. Since gparted is presumably capable of moving files around, the only conclusion I can think of is that Vista stores data on the partition but outside any file, or that there is a new file type that no one outside Microsoft knows about. Either one is at least disturbing.
I have my own paranoia about scrubbing a swap file or partition. If important cleartext is put on a drive, there is always a chance it will remain there; for example, an incorrect shutdown, or incorrect code that doesn't quite do what one imagines it is doing.
I just noticed Puppy no longer forces you to have a pupswap.swp file, as none exists on my /mnt/home (which is FAT32) with my Puppy 4.1.2. So I wonder what happens if I just boot without shutting off swap in my rc.local? I have no swap partition. I will try it and see if Puppy concocts a swap from somewhere.
Puppyluvr, there is no pfix=noswap. That was only a desire of mine.
Woops, I just realized my rc.local for this version does
have a swapoff. Yet "free" shows no swap, and as I said before, pupswap.swp is not created. So it looks like Barry responded to the complaints, or at least when he reworked his init script he did not bother to put in the "you'll get swap whether you want it or not" code.
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MIAMI (AP) LeBron James scored 27 points, Dwyane Wade had 26 and the Miami Heat pulled away in the second half to beat the Atlanta Hawks 101-92 on Monday night, improving to 10-1 at home this season.
James (10-16) and Wade (11-13) made 21 of 29 shots for Miami, which shot 58 percent as a team. Chris Bosh had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Norris Cole scored 10 for the Heat, who handed the Hawks just their second loss in 11 games.
Josh Smith scored 22 points and Al Horford finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta, which briefly held the lead midway through the third quarter before the Heat got rolling and moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Hawks in the Southeast Division.


text:
Slammin': Wrestling's Greatest Heroes and Villians Book
Paperback: 245 pages
How do you begin to describe the wacky world of professional wrestling? It's a sport. Its entertainment. It's goofy. It's a secret pleasure. One thing's for sure: it's very, very popular.
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Featuring 0ver 20 profiles of wrestlings biggest stars such as:
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
- Sting
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Average Customer Review: 1 Reviews
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text:
| 1.6°C Belfast
UK-based parenting tips website Mumsnet has been hacked as a result of the Heartbleed computer bug, the site's founder has announced.
In a statement, founder Justine Roberts said: "Last week we became aware of the Heartbleed bug and immediately applied a fix to close the OpenSSL security hole. However, it became apparent that users' data submitted via our login page had been accessed prior to our applying this fix.
"As a result, we decided to require all registered Mumsnet users to change their passwords. We have no way of knowing which or how many accounts were affected but have advised users to change passwords on other sites, particularly if they use the same password on Mumsnet as elsewhere."
The Heartbleed bug is a breach in the encryption used to mask the sensitive data passed between computers and servers when users are online.
The breach has put details such as credit card accounts and passwords at risk.
The flaw was discovered a week ago, having gone undetected for more than two years. Since then, major internet companies have been asking their users to reset passwords once a fix, or "patch", has been installed to the site in question.
Mumsnet, which has more than one million members in the UK, is the first company in Britain to announce data loss, and the announcement comes just two days after a post on the site's forum informed users that all passwords would be reset as a security measure.
Last week, blogging site Tumblr urged all users to change their passwords immediately to prevent personal and sensitive data being stolen.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology described the Heartbleed bug as a "serious software defect", while independent online security expert Bruce Schneier said "On a scale of one to 10, this is an 11", when news of the defect first appeared last week.
Mumsnet has vowed to keep users notified of any new information they receive.
Ms Roberts said: "The security of our users' data is of paramount importance to us. We collect very little of it, and we never pass or sell it on without people's explicit consents.
"Heartbleed has shown that nobody can offer a 100% guarantee of online security, but we'll continue to do our best to protect our users as much as we can, and be transparent about any breaches we find."
Speaking on Channel 4 News, Ms Roberts said: "We have no evidence to suggest any of the data collected has been used maliciously.
"In fact, the hackers themselves brought it to our attention that they exploited the Heartbleed flaw before we put a fix in when it was publicised as a weakness last week."
She said they did not contemplate shutting down Mumsnet, adding: " I suspect over time you'll see many more sites have had the same issue but perhaps haven't been quite so quick to come out with it."


text:
SKOWHEGAN — About 40 camp owners from the Little North Pond area discussed how the North Pond Hermit affected their lives for the past 27 years during a meeting with the district attorney on Saturday.
Kennebec and Somerset County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney met with the victims at Maine State Police Troop C barracks, where evidence was stored in the case of Christopher Knight, the man police say committed more than 1,000 burglaries while living in the woods in Rome for the past 27 years. Knight, known as the "North Pond Hermit," was arrested early last month.
"According to the state trooper, they told me that he was breaking [into my property] an average of twice a year since 1990," said David Proulx of Waterville. "That's 46 times. I think it's more than that. I'm usually the first one on the lake in the spring and the last to leave in the fall."
Maloney said victims had to give specific details about items they believe Knight stole. Trooper Diane Vance then went into the storage room and returned the item or items to the victim. Sgt. Peter Michaud said most victims didn't want their items back.
"We looked at stuff. There's flashlights there," said Gary Emmons of Richmond. "Even if I recognized it, I wouldn't want any of that stuff."
Proulx returned to his pickup truck with a blue cooler and a raincoat. The cooler was easy to identify as his as he had written his name on the lid in permanent marker.
"I'm glad that he got caught. I think he's a guy who chose to live this way," said Proulx. "He's a thief and a burglar and he should be treated that way, no different than anybody else who gets caught."
Police didn't provide an itemized list of what was in evidence, but did allow viewing of the items. Knives, watches, flashlights, pots, pans, boots, backpacks, lots of clothes and other camping equipment were visible.
One man, who didn't want to be identified, walked out with a thermometer and a knife and jokingly exclaimed that he would place the items on eBay.
Knight is still being held at Kennebec County Jail in Augusta. Trooper Vance said she talked with him on Tuesday.
"He's doing well. He's very well adjusted," said Vance.
He's been unable to answer why he chose to live in the woods, she said.
"He hasn't had an answer for that. He doesn't know why, but it's just something he chose to do," said Vance, adding that he was apologetic. "From the get go, he's wanted to make amends. He's very embarrassed and upset. He's ashamed of what he's done."
For the victims, Knight's arrest has come with a sense of closure. Proulx said victims not knowing who was breaking into their camps left many scared.
"There's an elderly woman who lost her husband a few years back and she's scared to death to be at the camp by herself," said Proulx. "People don't understand that some people are afraid of this guy. I didn't like the idea of my wife being there alone. I had my grandkids up there. He created more [emotions] than just stealing stuff to live on. He stole stuff to survive, probably, but he put a lot of fear in [people]. I've changed my lock. I've changed windows. It's cost me quite a bit of money over the years."
Maloney said she gave victims an update on the case and what steps her office may take. She said it was important to hear from the victims before deciding her next move on the case.
"The purpose of the meeting today is to give victims an opportunity to tell me how everything has affected their life," said Maloney. "It's a policy in my office in a felony case where victims are involved or with any domestic violence case to never settle the case until the victims have had an opportunity to speak with our office. We always want to take what they would like to see into account."
Maloney agreed with Proulx that some people were frightened by Knight's actions.
"They didn't know if it was safe for them to be there. Their children would feel like they didn't want their parents to not be around," she said. "They didn't know if it was somebody who might harm them, or as it turns out, was not planning to harm them. But that uncertainty, I think, caused the most damage to people."
Trooper Vance said many victims have were initially upset about the break-ins, but relented after learning about Knight's story.
"Now that you have an end result here, I think some people are more at ease to find out what the situation was, but still, to have someone break into your house year after year to take your things, it makes you feel victimized and unsafe."
Maloney praised Vance for her work on the case.
"She had to go back through years of police reports from both Kennebec County and Somerset County to match them up to what was happening with Mr. Knight. It's extraordinary," said Maloney. "She didn't simply go back and attribute them all to him. She really tried to match up the evidence and make sure she was accurate every step of the way."
Although the crimes may stretch back 27 years, Knight can only be charged with burglaries from the last six years and thefts from the last three years.
Until a mental health evaluation is performed on Knight, Maloney said she's unable to determine the appropriate sentencing.
"Today was a very important day as far as hearing what the victims wanted and how it impacted them and where they were feeling about things," she said. "We also need to get the restitution amount as to exactly how much damage was caused and how much was taken."
Sgt. Michaud said other victims will still have the opportunity to reclaim their property. They can call the Troop C barracks from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday at 474-3350.
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[Waking to Dreams] Too good for your own good?
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Topic: [Waking to Dreams] Too good for your own good? (Read 4662 times)
Posts: 9
[Waking to Dreams] Too good for your own good?
October 05, 2011, 02:56:27 PM »
Here is the link to
Waking to Dreams
, which is a work in progress with only a fraction written out yet. (For those keeping track, this is the second time I post this idea to this forum -- the current version is a heavy,
revision though. :p) (Also, pardon if I speak funny sometimes. English isn't exactly my native tongue.)
The main idea behind the game is that the players take control of dream-people in someone else's dream. The PCs (called Dreamweavers) use lucid dreaming techniques to do miraculous and illogical things to explore, struggle and interact. The mood is generally that of surreal fantasy and horror, as the game emphasizes the uncertainty and instability of dream-images. Wacky misadventures are still possible and appropriate, though. We all have had crazy dreams.
Anyways, to the point:
In this game, one of the design points I wanted to make was a minimalist system. Keeping that in mind, the system allows the characters to do what they want most of the time without particular difficulty or resistance -- as long as the actions they are taking are not of narrative significance. A PC punching a tank to pieces isn't contested as long as the action is not important to the "plot". Backdrops are just backdrops and not that many things are implausible when the reality check centers have gone offline.
Though, when a character makes that changes the story -- introducing, negating or reinterpreting a plot element, or such other game-changers -- they are assumed to make an action that is at and beyond their abilities as a Dreamweaver. Since it is uncertain whether their all-out effort will succeed or not, dreamweaving is always contested with a dice roll (unless automatic successes due to acting in-character are considered, but that's for a later time.) The idea is thus:
A Dreamweaver has five traits: Self-Concept, Other-Concept, World-Concept, Lucidity and Dissonance. The Concept traits represent the character's Ego -- their deep-held ideas and established mental model about themselves, other dream-people and (sur)reality. Lucidity is a measure of how "aware" they are of themselves or how "strong" their independent existence is. (Dissonance is the discrepancy between the personalities of the Dreamer and the Dreamweaver, but that's unimportant for this discussion.) When the character dreamweaves, they draw upon their Lucidity as a source of raw power and channels it through their Ego, thus transmitting their willpower and vision on the Dreamer's unconscious and changing the dream.
This is mechanically represented as: when the character takes a dreamweaving action, the player rolls a number of dice equal to the character's Lucidity, where dice that roll at or under the rating of the relevant Ego category counting as successes. Additionally, acting in-character also contributes successes and dice that turn up 1 count as double successes. If the roll gets more successes than the difficulty of the task, the character succeeds and describes what happens.
However, here is the main problem: I want to incorporate the idea that engaging too deeply with the Dreamer's unconscious results in melding with it. How this is mechanically presented right now is that, if the dreamweaving roll results in a supercritical success (getting successes equal to or more than Lucidity), then their Lucidity will decrease by 1 for every supercritical die. The idea is to put some sort of a limit to an otherwise powerful free action and related another enforcing the notion that the PCs need to be not too flashy.
Is this a good direction to take? I predict that this will only be a significant problem for early level characters (Lucidity range between 1 and 4), who will depend on in-character action automatic successes for insurance. Flavor-wise, it makes sense. But mechanically, I'm wondering if this is punishing players for being too good at what they are doing. I'm afraid that this will cause players to be too cautious in what they do -- which will take all the fun out of the reality-shaping powers. And if you take that this will be the case -- do you have any similar idea that will not risk this outcome?
tl;dr -
Is having an oversuccess mechanic a good design decision in general?
Posts: 51
Re: [Waking to Dreams] Too good for your own good?
Reply #1 on:
October 06, 2011, 01:16:55 AM »
Have the Self-Concept part of the Ego work as a mitigating factor, subtracting from excess successes. The more grounded in yourself you are, the less you risk over-immersion.
Posts: 9
Re: [Waking to Dreams] Too good for your own good?
Reply #2 on:
October 06, 2011, 12:04:11 PM »
That is why Lucidity is the threshold, though. The result of supercritical success becomes more and more slim as you become more "solid" (high Lucidity in other words). When your dice pool is around 3 or 4, tapping for even one or two automatic successes makes it risky. But around 6 or 7, it's far less likely. So, in a way, I believe how it is now already includes a mitigator for the reason you suggested.
Posts: 51
Re: [Waking to Dreams] Too good for your own good?
Reply #3 on:
October 06, 2011, 01:36:21 PM »
Well, in that case, I'd say it's a cool mechanic. But do players
to roll the full dice pool? Another idea, just throwing it out there: What if, instead of oversuccess, there's overimmersion, which happens when die results are
the difficulty score? You could rack up successes a lot better, and the low die rolls would represent self-control in a much more intuitive way. Also, characters could have the option of upgrading dice in a pool, one by one, to a lower-variable dice class. This would increase both the chances of success and the chances of keeping control. Not sure if it'll work, but it's a thought. Seems more fun to me, and it makes more sense to my player psychology.
Posts: 68
Re: [Waking to Dreams] Too good for your own good?
Reply #4 on:
October 06, 2011, 11:47:52 PM »
Hey Szp,
I really like the idea of a game that focuses on dreams and Dreamweavers, it sounds like a great setting that I�d love to explore!
But I feel like I can�t get a handle on your system�there seems to be a great deal of in-world fictional accounts to set the tone, but the Introduction and character sections did very little to help me understand what you�re doing here.
I fully believe you have a great game somewhere (perhaps you have it ready to go, but haven�t typed it up yet; or maybe it's on the site and I'm just blind...) but, as of now, I simply don�t �get� your system.
(Is the first part of �Mechanics� written in latin? Whatever it is, I can�t read it and perhaps that�s my problem.)
What is with this trend of rolling low for successes? I know there�s nothing inherently �wrong� with it, but I just don�t understand why you (and others) suggest rolling under for successes as the way to go? Could you explain this to me?
Sorry, but I don�t understand enough about what you�re doing with WtD to even understand the problem you�ve posted in this thread.
Knowing more about Character Creation and Resolution Procedure would be a great help (seeing a character sheet would also be useful).
I am looking forward to learning more about WtD in the future.
Posts: 28
Re: [Waking to Dreams] Too good for your own good?
Reply #5 on:
October 14, 2011, 05:20:52 AM »
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An Orange County pediatrician and outspoken critic of mandatory vaccinations faces possible discipline by California's medical board.
The Orange County Register reports Friday that Dr. Bob Sears is accused of failing to obtain a detailed medical history before writing a 2014 letter excusing a toddler from immunizations.
The board says Sears wrote the letter after the 2-year-old's mother described an adverse reaction to an earlier vaccination.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
If Sears is found negligent, he could face a public reprimand or lose his medical license.
Sears declined comment to the newspaper. The Associated Press also sent an email seeking comment Friday.
Sears has authored a popular book on vaccines and advocates a staggered, alternative vaccination schedule that contrasts with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


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The Deployment, Step by StepBy Mike Miller Print
Upgrading an outdated network and installing a VOIP telephony system helps Samaritan Regional Health System save money and reduce frustration for professionals and patients.
The deployment was relatively painless because Siemens' engineering and support team led us step by step through each phase of the deployment and empowered us to take ownership of the network once the install was finished.
The switches we chose to serve as the backbone of the net-
work provide scalable, wire-rate support for environments like ours, which require complete multilayer switching capabilities. Support for high-density 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports,
10 Gigabit Ethernet ports and dynamic routing capabilities was essential. With so many medical devices touching our network, we needed the ability to push GbE to the ports that needed them.
We also saw great value in the flow-based policy built into the switches. For the first time, our network has complete visibility. The IT staff has total control of individual users and can set up role-based access to all the voice/video/data applications.
The next step involved wireless and telephony. The wireless component was a crucial ingredient because it would drive both the wireless patient zone and the hospital's Internet connection for visitors. We chose HiPath Wireless controllers and access points for remote connectivity.
With wireless, caregivers can securely check on a patient's progress, regulate medication or add patient notes anywhere, anytime. The wireless software, controllers and access points gave us a cost-effective way to deploy 802.11a/b/g across the hospital, delivering wired/wireless integration, while supporting mobile voice, data and location-based applications.
For the telephony portion of the upgrade, we chose the HiPath 4000 VOIP solution. It united the previously fragmented phone system and has already reduced the cost of interdepartmental phone calls between the hospital's facilities.
To manage the data, wireless and telephony infrastructure, we use NMS Policy Manager. This software allows my staff to automatically centralize all role-based access policies for users, applications, protocols, virtual LANs, ports and data flows.
A final piece of our network puzzle is the Plixer Scrutinizer. So far, this tool has worked seamlessly with our Siemens hardware and software. Scrutinizer conducts sFlow and NetFlow traffic analysis to tell us which users are demanding the most bandwidth and to help us remove any latency to improve VOIP voice quality. We can also receive trending reports and set up alarms on any high-risk activity, such as internal network SYN, NULL, FIN, XMAS Scans, RST/ACK worms, P2P, ICMP Unreach-able, illegal IP addresses, excessive Multicast traffic or known compromised Internet hosts.
Reduced Frustration, Higher ROI
Since implementing the Siemens Enterprise Communications solution, we have seen a significant increase in network efficiency, coupled with a decrease in help desk tickets throughout the hospital. While the troubleshooting versus proactive-planning ratio was once about 80 percent to 20 percent, we have completely flipped that ratio.
Instead of spending most of the day answering phone calls and responding to issues, we can plan for future processes, technologies and applications. As a result, our hospital user-satisfaction rate increased in the last year.
It wasn't until the VOIP solution was up and running that we realized the sheer number of interdepartmental phone calls that occur each day—and the thousands of dollars per month the hospital is now saving with our new system. In addition to the modern VOIP features, the staff likes being able to call anyone within the hospital network by just pushing a button, instead of having to memorize a list of phone numbers. For the VOIP telephony segment of the deployment, we expect a full ROI in less than five years, which pleases the hospital's administration.
And because of NMS and Plixer's Scrutinizer, we now have unprecedented visibility into the network, which has enabled us to create and enforce compliance policies that are crucial in the health care industry. We've also seen a decrease in the costs associated with the hospital's energy consumption, tech support and maintenance. Another bonus: Enterasys switches come with a lifetime warranty, so we don't have to allocate funds to replace failed switches.
It's been fairly easy to implement, configure and manage the network. Today, my staff of two administrators can focus on helping our caregivers in the hospital instead of troubleshooting the network. We no longer hear the phrase, "That's a network issue."
Mike Miller, network administrator for Samaritan Hospital, has 13 years of IT experience and manages the network infrastructure.
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Are you treating yourself to a relaxing vacation that consists of beautiful scenery, daily pampering sessions and delicious meals? Why not treat your beloved cat to the same experience?
"Cats are hot right now," says Charlotte Reed, an author who specializes in pet lifestyle and etiquette issues. "After years of booming business for fabulous doggy day care facilities, we're seeing this surge in facilities for cats."
"Before, boarding facilities were just a kennel with a cage," says Wendy Diamond, pet lifestyle author and animal welfare advocate. "Now, these rooms are spacious and luxurious with beautiful beds. The whole world of animal boarding has changed. They're not even called kennels anymore; they're called hotels."
5-star Service for Felines
Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel in the U.K., established in 2010, claims to be the "world's first truly 5-star cattery." But the trend and the use of the term "luxury" by cat boarding facilities are actually about five years in the making. If you live near a major airport, chances are you'll find such a place.
Of course, there's no true rating service to determine the difference between 3-, 4- or 5-star boarding, and exactly what "luxury" means in cat terms is relative. But since you'll be paying a premium (as much as $40-$50/night), the following are some considerations to take into account when rating your hotel of choice:
Personal Space
Typical boarding facilities offer a basic cage or a two-tier enclosure. "Any place using the term 'luxury' ought to be offering at least three-tier enclosures," says Reed, "but many offer an entire room or more of unshared personal space." Top-level suites have premium bedding, a climbing tree, a window with a perch, and decorative touches with bird or fish themes.
"More and more, pets are like our children," says Diamond. "We want to know what they're doing, whom they're playing with." The technology to let people log in for a live feed of their pet is readily available, and more and more facilities are adopting it.
Medical Care
"The one thing pet parents worry about most when leaving their pets behind is the possibility of a medical issue arising," says pet lifestyle expert Kristen Levine. A high-end facility will have someone on call, if not on staff, and can also accommodate special medication needs.
Even if your cat lives with dogs, be wary of luxury hotels that also cater to canines. Such places will separate cats and dogs within the facility, but cats are sensitive and have an advanced ability to sniff out enemies. "It could be extremely stressful," says Reed. "Even if the dogs aren't visible, your cat might be able to hear or smell them and may be stressed the whole time." Consider bringing your cat for a quickie tour and see how it reacts.
"While luxurious accommodations are intriguing, I believe what cat owners want most is a comfortable, stress-free environment with sufficient human-pet interaction each day," says Levine. If you pay a premium, you should expect someone to spend regular, quality time with your cat.
"Kennels used to stock one kind of food, so you had to bring your own," says Reed. "The luxury places are stocking lots of popular brands, so hopefully you just need to tell them which one." Other facilities might offer choices like fresh fish — for a price.
One thing that all three experts stress is to check out the hotel before you make a decision. And if you can't find a luxury facility near you, just wait. "Are we going to see more of these facilities? Absolutely. This is just the beginning," says Reed.
Photo: Longcroft Cat Hotels ltd.