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The power of the Legion core object model comes from the important role of the Legion classes: much of what is usually considered system-level responsibility such as creating and locating their instances and subclasses and for selecting appropriate security and object placement policies is delegated to class objects. The core Legion objects provide mechanisms for the user-level classes to implement appropriate policies and algorithms. Assuming that core object operations are correctly defined (that they are the right set of primitive operations to enable a wide enough range of policies to be implemented) this philosophy effectively eliminates the danger of imposing inappropriate policy decisions and opens up a much wider range of possibilities for the applications developer.
In this model each Legion object belongs to a class and each class is itself a Legion object. All Legion objects export a common set of object-mandatory member functions, such as deactivate(), getInterface(), and ping(). Class objects also export a set of class-mandatory member functions, such as createInstance(), activateInstance(), and deactivateInstance().
Legion class interfaces can be described in an Interface Description Language (IDL). Initially, two different IDLs will be supported by Legion: the CORBA IDL [29], and the Mentat Programming Language (MPL) [24]. Method calls are non-blocking and may be accepted in any order by the called object. Each method has a signature that describes the parameters and return value, if any, of the method. The complete set of method signatures for an object fully describes that object's interface, which is determined by its class.
The Legion core objects cooperate to create, locate, manage, and remove objects from the Legion system. The core object model reflects the underlying philosophy and objectives of the Legion project. In particular, the object model facilitates a flexible and extensible implementation, provides a single global name space, grants site autonomy to participating organizations, and scales to millions of sites and trillions of objects. Its framework also supports mechanisms for high performance, security, fault tolerance, and commerce.
Legion specifies the functionality but not the implementation of its core objects. The Legion project provides implementations of the objects that comprise the core but users are not compelled to use them but are instead encouraged to select or construct objects that will implement specific necessary mechanisms and policies.
To facilitate the development of multi-site applications a single global name space unites the objects in the Legion system. Legion provides site autonomy by distributing control of Legion resources among an extensible set of core user-level Legion objects. This includes decisions about which Legion objects have access to each resource and to what degree. Users are free to build or alter the objects that handle these decisions, so that each site can maintain autonomous control over its own resources.
13.1 About core objects
Legion defines the interface and functionality of several core class objects, including LegionClass, LegionHost, LegionVault, and LegionBindingAgent. LegionClass provides the full set of class-mandatory member functions. All Legion classes are eventually derived from LegionClass, and they inherit all of the member functions defined in LegionClass. Classes may alter the functionality of object- or class-mandatory member functions by overloading them, by redefining them, or by explicitly "reinheriting" their implementations from class objects other than LegionClass.
LegionHost, LegionVault, and LegionBindingAgent are base classes for Legion's core class types (host objects, vault objects, and binding agents). The core classes set the minimal interface that the core objects should export. Every core object is an instance of some class that is eventually derived from one of the class objects above. For example, Figure 31 shows how UnixHost and SPMDHost, two different Legion classes, derive from class LegionHost.
More specific host classes derive from each of these. A Sun workstation would run an instance of class UnixHost, whereas a Silicon Graphics Power Challenge would run an instance of UnixSMMP, a class derived from UnixHost. Similar class hierarchies will develop for vault objects and binding agents.
13.2 Classes and metaclasses
As mentioned above, every Legion object is defined and managed by its class object. Class objects are empowered with system-level responsibility to create new instances, schedule them for execution, activate and deactivate them, and provide bindings for clients who wish to communicate with them. In this sense classes are managers and policy makers: Legion allows users to define and build their own class objects so that Legion programmers can determine and even change the system-level mechanisms that support their objects. These two important features--instance management and straightforward class object customization--provide considerable flexibility in determining how an application behaves and further supports the Legion philosophy of enabling flexibility in the kind and level of functionality.
Legion classes export the class-mandatory interface, a simplified subset of which is depicted in Figure 32.
The createInstance() function causes a new instance of the class to be created and returns this new instance's LOID. The createMultipleInstances() function can be used to create several instances of the class at once. There are actually several different flavors of createInstance() and createMultiple-Instances(), allowing the caller varying levels of control over the creation and placement processes. For example, the caller can specify a host object on which the new instance(s) should be created, a list of acceptable hosts from which to choose, or even a list of characteristics of acceptable hosts (processor speeds, architectures, etc.). The same is true of the activateInstance() function. The general object placement model is that the class selects the host and vault objects when placing its instances, but includes the object placement parameters in the activation and creation functions so as to give callers a way to help the class make intelligent decisions, should the caller so choose. The deactivateInstance() function allows callers to make an active object inert, and deleteInstance() allows its caller to remove an instance from Legion.1 The addImplementation() and removeImplementation() functions allow external objects (typically Legion-targeted compilers or Legion objects that manage the compilation process) to configure classes with implementation objects. The getBinding() functions support the binding mechanism. Figure 32 does not show several other functions that allow class object clients to retrieve information about the location and characteristics of a particular class's instances, such as the instances' interface, host (if any) on which they're currently running, current state (active or inert), etc.
Although the core interface to classes is set, the implementation behind that interface can vary, depending on which behavior the class wishes to exhibit. This allows considerable policy and mechanical flexibility. For example, a class can match its scheduling and object placement policies to its instances' characteristics. If an instance runs much faster on a particular architecture, the class can factor in that affinity when selecting a host to run its instances. If certain instances communicate frequently with one another when they are created in relatively rapid succession (thereby possibly indicating that they are all part of the same instantiation of an application), the class can attempt to schedule these objects "close" to one another, perhaps on hosts with fast communications links or possibly even as multiple threads within the same process.
Class objects are in the best position to take advantage of their instances' special characteristics, since class objects can be provided or selected by the programmer providing the implementation of that class object's instances. This does not mean, however, that all programmers must build a new specialized class object for each type of Legion object that they build, thereby incurring the burden of metasystem-level programming: we expect that a vast majority of programmers will be adequately served by existing class object types.
The mechanism for taking advantage of an existing class object type is simple. Legion uses the notion of metaclass objects , class objects whose instances are themselves class objects. Just as a normal class object maintains implementation objects for its instances, a metaclass object maintains implementation objects for its class objects. A metaclass object's implementation objects are built to export the class-mandatory interface, and to exhibit a particular functionality behind that interface. To use a metaclass, the programmer calls createInstance() on the appropriate metaclass object and configures the resulting class object, via addImplementation(), with implementation objects for the application in question. The new class object can then support the creation, migration, activation, and location of these application objects in the manner defined by its metaclass object.
One example of a class object taking advantage of knowledge about its instances' implementations is a stateless Mentat class. In MPL, the keyword stateless can be used to describe a class definition, as depicted in Figure 33.
Here, the programmer has indicated that the instances of class Example do not maintain state between their member function invocations--that the instances are pure functional units. Therefore, from the client's point of view invoking a function on one instance of a stateless class is functionally equivalent to invoking the same function on any other instance of that class.2 In particular, two consecutive invocations from the same client need not be made on the same object.
The class object that supports stateless objects can take advantage of this fact when responding to class-mandatory member function invocations. For example, in response to a createInstance() call the class object need not actually create a new instance but can instead simply return the binding for an instance that already exists. Conversely, if the load on an instance rises above an acceptable threshold, the class can create a new instance and respond to requests to bind to the heavily-loaded instance with a binding for the new instance. The point is that the class object can use its knowledge about the semantics of its instances to optimize its support for them.
13.3 Host objects
Legion host objects encapsulate processing resources in Legion--a host object may represent a single processor, a multiprocessor, a Sparc, a Cray T90, or even an aggregation of multiple hosts. A host object is a host's representative to Legion: it is responsible for executing objects on the host, reaping objects, and reporting object exceptions. It is also ultimately responsible for deciding which objects can run on the host it represents. Host objects are therefore important points of security policy encapsulation within the system.
Aside from implementing the host-mandatory interface, depicted in Figure 34, host object implementations can be programmed to adapt to different environments and suit different users' needs. Thus host objects that provide interfaces to different resources can be customized to match the resource's requirements: a host object implementation suitable for use on a normal interactive workstation will have process creation mechanisms unlike a host object's on a parallel computer whose nodes are managed by a batch queuing system (e.g. LoadLeveler [17]).
Host object implementations provide a uniform interface to different resource management interfaces, as well as (more importantly) providing a means for users to enforce security and resource management policies for Legion objects. For example, the host object implementation can be customized to allow only a restricted set of users to have access to a resource. User authentication can be performed using any means desired. Host objects can also restrict access based on code characteristics. For example, a host might be configured to accept only object implementations containing proof-carrying code [25] that demonstrates certain desired security properties. A less formally restrictive host might analyze incoming object implementations for certain "restricted" system calls.
We now consider a sample host object implementation (our default current host object) and two possible alternative implementations. The default current host object has a very simple design--it implements a non-restrictive access policy and uses the Unix process management interface (i.e. fork(), exec(), kill()) for starting and stopping objects. While simple to implement, this basic host object design has a number of limiting features that affect both performance and security. It places a high cost on object activation, since each object on the host executes within its own process and new processes are created on demand to contain activating objects. It also executes objects owned by different Legion users under the same Unix user-id (processes executing as the same user-id can send one another arbitrary signals, examine one another's state, and so on). Fortunately, we can transparently address these limitations by providing alternative host object implementations.
One possible implementation to address these performance problems might use threads instead of traditional processes. This design would improve the performance of object activation, and would also reduce the cost of method invocation between objects on the same host by allowing simplified shared address space communication. To support this style of host object, alternate forms of object implementations would need to be made available, particularly, object implementations in the form of dynamically loadable object files (as opposed to normal executable files). This would allow the host to map the needed code for objects into its address space prior to object activation (i.e. thread creation). This need for alternate forms of object implementations fits nicely into our established model for managing multiple object implementations per class as needed to support heterogeneity.
The above host object implementation would appeal to users with high performance requirements, but it shares and exacerbates our existing host object's security limitations. An alternate host object implementation to support better security properties might be based on the use of multiple Unix user-ids to run different users' objects. Our current host object typically runs under a single user-id, and all objects that it starts also run as this user. If we extend the host object implementation to have the ability to start up processes under a set of different user-ids, it could ensure that different Legion users' objects run under different Unix user ids.
This host object implementation can be supported in a number of ways. For example, the host object could be given the limited amount of privilege needed to start processes as different user id's. This could take the form of a "set uid" script without write permissions for the host object so that it would not require full root permissions. Alternate approaches are also possible, such as the use of a set of "sub-host objects"--one running as each user id--that could be used by the "primary" host object for control of low-level processes. In this design, the standard Legion authentication mechanisms could be used to ensure that only the host object is able to use these process-control daemons.
Different versions of this multi-user id host object can map different Legion users to different "anonymous" local user ids (e.g. "legion1," "legion2," etc.), or map Legion users to their associated local Unix user ids. The latter form extends directly to a simple scheme for limiting resource use to approved users--if a Legion user attempting to activate an object does not have a local Unix user-id, the activation request could be denied.
13.4 Vault objects
Vault objects are responsible for managing other Legion objects' OPRs. Much in the same way that hosts manage active objects' direct access to processors, vaults manage inert objects on persistent storage. A vault has direct access to a storage device (or devices) on which the OPRs it manages are stored. It might manage a portion of a Unix file system or a set of databases. The vault supports the creation of OPRs for new objects, controls access to the OPRs of existing objects that it manages, and supports the migration of OPRs from one storage device to another. The basic vault interface is depicted in Figure 35.
Class objects manage the assignment of vaults to individual objects: when an object is created, its vault is chosen by the object's class. The selected vault creates a new, empty, OPR for the object, and supplies the object with its OPA. Similarly, when an object migrates or reactivated, the selection of a new vault for the object is managed by the object's class.
If an object's class (or an external scheduling agent acting on behalf of that class) decides to move the object to another host, the migration may require moving the OPR to a new vault, whose persistent storage is accessible by objects on the new host. In this case, the class (or scheduling agent) selects a new vault, and the OPR is transferred between the vaults.
The above vault activities are supported by the basic Legion vault abstract-interface depicted in Figure 35. To enable object creation, the vault provides a createOPR() method, which constructs a new empty OPR, associates this OPR with the given LOID, and returns the address of the new OPR for use by the newly created object. To support object activation and deactivation, the vault provides a getOPRAddress() method to determine the location of the OPR associated with any of its managed objects. For use during object migration, vaults support giveOPR() and getOPR() methods, which transfer a linearized (i.e. transmissible) OPR to and from vaults, respectively. The deleteOPR() can be used to terminate a given vault's management of an OPR. The isManaged() method can be used to determine if a vault manages a given object. Finally, markActive() and markInactive() methods are provided so that the vault can be notified when an object is active or inactive, respectively. This knowledge allows the vault to store the OPRs of inactive objects in compressed or encrypted forms for efficiency and security purposes.
An important feature of the vault interface is its use of OPAs to provide access to object persistence representations. When an object wants to access its OPR, it can learn the OPA from its vault. The vault must provide an address that contains enough information embedded in it to find and access the OPR. For example, consider an implementation of vaults and OPRs that is based on the Unix file system. In such an environment, an OPR might be implemented as a Unix directory, and an OPA might contain a Unix path name corresponding to a Unix directory. In this case the OPAs, besides containing the path name needed to locate the OPR, would also need to contain a type indicator that lets the object know that it should access the OPR in the form of a Unix subdirectory. In a sense, the OPA constitutes an agreement between a vault and a managed object about what kind of OPR will be used for the object. With this agreement, the object can directly access its OPR without consulting its vault. Clearly, not all object types or implementations need be compatible with all vaults. Just as class objects restrict the placement of objects and use of implementations to acceptable host objects, they also ensure reasonable placement of objects onto vaults.
The current Legion implementation supports two types of vaults (and hence, two types of OPR implementations): one for use in Unix file systems, and one for use with the SRB archival storage interface. These implementations are quite similar, as both systems support a file and directory interface typical of file systems. The addition of vaults for other file systems (e.g. Windows NT) and other archival file storage systems (e.g. HPSS) is straightforward. Alternative vault implementations can be built on top of database management systems. In this design vaults must manage the association between OPRs and database entries, and the mapping must be encapsulated in a suitable OPA format that can be used by managed objects to bind to their OPRs.
13.5 Implementation objects and caches
Implementation objects in Legion hide the storage details of object implementations. These objects can be thought of as the Legion equivalent of executable files in Unix or other traditional operating systems. Given this similarity to files, implementation objects support an interface typical of file objects, as depicted in Figure 36. Read and write operations that assume a client-side file pointer, and a method to determine the size of the implementation data are provided.
There is a fundamental difference between file objects and implementation objects, however, in that implementation objects cannot be written to after being read from. After being initialized with a sequence of write() methods an implementation object's contents are constant until the object is deleted. This allows important caching optimizations to be employed by implementation object clients (i.e. host objects).
Legion object implementations typically contain executable object code for a single architecture and operating system platform, but may in general contain any information that would be necessary to instantiate an object on an appropriate type of host object. For example, the implementation might contain Java byte code, a Perl script, or even high-level source code that would require compilation by a host object upon object activation. A complete list of (possibly very different) acceptable implementation objects appropriate for use with a given class is maintained by the class object. When the class calls on a host to perform object activation, it selects an implementation object based on the attributes (see section 10) of the host and the instance in question.
Implementation objects allow classes a large degree of flexibility in customizing the behavior of individual instances. For example, a class might maintain implementations with different time/space trade-offs to run more quickly on hosts with abundant memory, and more slowly on hosts with less memory. To provide users with ability to customize their cost and performance trade-offs, a class might maintain slower, low-cost implementations for use with some instances, and faster, higher-cost implementations for use with other instances created by users willing to pay more.
In our discussion of object activation in section 12.5, we described how host objects typically employ an external implementation caching object to avoid storage and communication costs. Since the contents of implementation objects do not change, a hosts can safely cache the downloaded contents of an implementation object for later use, saving a potentially significant amount of communication costs. Furthermore, if multiple host objects share access to some common storage device they can share the downloaded contents of implementation objects--that is, if one host downloads an implementation data to shared storage other hosts do not have to download that implementation themselves. Both of these performance enhancements are supported in the current Legion implementation through the use of implementation cache objects.
The interface to the implementation cache object is depicted in Figure 37--a single method is provided to return the path of a local file containing the same data as contained in a named implementation object. In our current Legion implementation, each host object is associated with an implementation cache, and implementation caches can be shared among any number of hosts. Instead of performing implementation downloads, host objects invoke the getImplementation() method on their local implementation cache object, which in turn downloads requested implementation data, caching the results of common requests. Thus the use of implementation caches results in object activation being approximately as inexpensive as running a program located in a file system visible on the host.
Our implementation model makes the invalidation of cached binaries a trivial problem. Since class objects specify the LOID of the implementation to use on each activation request, to begin using a new version of an implementation, a class need only replace the old implementation LOID with the new implementation LOID on its list of valid binaries. The new version will be specified with future activation requests, and the old implementation will simply time-out and be discarded from caches. Since the implementation is keyed on its LOID, there is no danger of "invalid" cached binaries being used to execute objects.
13.6 Binding agents
The core interface to a binding agent is depicted in Figure 38. Section 12 introduced the binding and class-of mechanisms and the role of binding agents, which exist in Legion to help client objects map LOIDs to OAs and to find the class of an object, given that object's LOID.
The getBinding(LOID) function returns a binding for a specified LOID, and getClassBinding(LOID) returns a binding for the class of a specified LOID; both are intended to be invoked directly by a client object that is in search of a binding. The getBinding(Binding) and getClassBinding(Binding) support the rebinding mechanism (section 12.4), allowing a client to pass a stale binding, and to suggest that the binding agent return a different binding in response. The addBinding(Binding) and removeBinding(LOID) functions allow a binding agent to act as a database of bindings under the control of external objects. A class can use removeBinding(LOID) to remove an instance's binding when that instance becomes inert or gets deleted, and can call addBinding(Binding) upon creation, activation, or migration of an instance. In this way, a class object can help a binding agent better reduce the number of binding requests it makes to the class object.
Binding agents are not technically necessary for the correct execution of the binding mechanism; clients can directly contact class objects and LegionClass's class map to obtain bindings for objects and classes with which they wish to communicate. However, in a system that consists of millions of potentially migratory objects--as we envision Legion becoming--binding is a necessary and common operation. Binding agents exist to help make the binding mechanism scalable . For instance, in the example of section 12.2, the binding agent runs a simple algorithm in response to the getBinding(LOID) call--it checks its local cache and (if necessary) it contacts the appropriate class object to obtain the binding. Even this simple strategy allows clients to benefit from the execution of the binding mechanism by other clients that share the same binding agent, thereby reducing the total amount of binding traffic in the Legion system.
A binding agent can implement several different strategies to improve its ability to provide bindings for its clients. For example, a binding agent might attempt to ensure that the bindings in its cache don't become stale, by either periodically "pinging"3 the objects named in its binding cache or contacting their classes to make sure they're still located at the same OA. Binding agents may also choose to get up-to-date values for bindings whose time-out field indicates that they are about to expire.
In addition to these strategies in which binding agents act essentially autonomously, many binding agents can be configured to cooperate with one another to serve their clients. For instance, binding agents could be organized hierarchically, as DNS name servers are, or could emulate a software combining tree [38], thereby sharing the responsibility for providing bindings and improving the mechanism for scaling to the millions of objects the system will need to support.
The above strategies attempt to improve the response time of binding requests, but they default to the full binding mechanism of contacting the appropriate class object if a binding cannot be otherwise obtained. Other binding agents may slightly change the semantics of the binding agent member functions in an attempt to optimize on different performance metrics. For instance, they may try to decrease the variance in the response times to binding requests. This could be accomplished by responding to a getBinding() call with a simple check the binding cache, avoiding the outcall to classes, even if the binding is not in the cache. To better respond to future requests, the binding agent could contact the class during the binding agent's idle time to get the binding, rather than while the client waits. Unlike the example of section 12.2, a client of this kind of binding agent should not assume that a binding does not exist just because the binding agent doesn't return it; the client may be able to expect more timely responses to its requests.
13.7 Context objects and context spaces
As described in section 9.1, Legion objects are identified by their LOIDs. A LOID contains a set of fields including those that identify the class of the named object, a class-unique instance number for the named object, and a public key for the named object. Given this set of fields, LOIDs can grow quite large. Whereas LOIDs are typically transmitted and manipulated in binary form, a "dotted-hex" textual representation for use by human users is also supported. An example of a typical LOID is depicted in Figure 39.
The LOID naming scheme is central to a number of Legion design features, but, as Figure 39 clearly demonstrates, LOIDs are inconvenient at best for human users. To address the basic need for a convenient object naming mechanism, and to provide a tool for organizing information in Legion, we define the interface to a user-level naming service called context spaces.
Context spaces consist of directed graphs of context objects that name and organize information. A context object provides an interface for managing a list of mappings between user-defined string names and LOIDs, as depicted in Figure 40. Operations are provided to insert a <name,LOID> tuple, to remove a string name, and to find the LOID associated with a given user-level string name. Also, a method is provided to return a list of <name,LOID> pairs, elements of which match a specified regular expression. At most one tuple containing any string name may be contained within a context, although any number of different string names may map to the same LOID.
In isolation, a context object may be used to provide a simple, convenient user-level naming service for a user's objects. However, the names inserted into a context can map to other context objects' LOIDs, providing a natural mechanism for constructing a directory service. Connected graphs of context objects are a basic mechanism for organizing information in Legion, and are referred to as context spaces. Every Legion object contains the LOID of a current working context and a root context,4 and library routines are provided for traversing context space to map context paths to LOIDs.
On the surface, context space appears to provide a basic directory service. However, much of the importance of context space in Legion is derived from the fact that any kind of object can be named in context space--contexts are not limited to listing names of other contexts and files. Therefore, context space provides a convenient way of organizing information about any of the objects that are available in a Legion system. Figure 41 depicts a simple portion of a context space used to organize information about host objects. One view of context space provides hints about how to find hosts of given types, whereas a different view provides information about resource ownership. Similar organizational schemes are equally useful for objects of other types.
13.8 Core object replacement
For information on replacing core objects, please contact the Legion Group.
1. We should note here that an object can disallow any member function invocation requests, typically based on the identity of the caller. This is especially important to the system-level functions implemented in core objects.
2. Of course, a function may return a different result if it queries its environment in some way for information. Mentat considers any environment information that may be different across different stateless objects to be state; in other words, if an object does this, it should not be declared as stateless.
3. ping() is an object-mandatory member function that returns the LOID of the called object.
4. Note that there is no notion of a global "root" context for the system. The root is a user-definable starting point for resolving fully qualified context paths.


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Press Release
For Immediate Release: May 30, 2013
State of New York | Executive Chamber
Andrew M. Cuomo | Governor
Press Contact: Matt Anderson, 212-709-1690
DFS Reaches Agreements with Four Remaining New York Force-placed Insurers That Had Not Yet Agreed to Implement the Cuomo Administration's Reforms
Cuomo Administration's Reforms Lead National Reform Effort Protecting Homeowners; Eliminating Kickbacks, and Lowering Rates Going Forward
NEW YORK, NY – The Cuomo Administration announced that its nation-leading force-placed insurance reforms will now cover 100 percent of the New York market after the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) reached agreements with the four remaining New York force-placed insurers that had not yet agreed to implement those reforms: American Modern Insurance, Chubb, Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, and FinSecure.
The Cuomo Administration's force-placed insurance reforms – which the two largest force-placed insurers, Assurant and QBE, had previously agreed to implement through settlements with DFS – will help better protect homeowners from abuse; eliminate the kickbacks DFS uncovered in this industry; and save homeowners, taxpayers, and investors millions of dollars going forward through lower rates.
Benjamin M. Lawsky, Superintendent of Financial Services, said: "These reforms will now cover all of the New York market, but more can and should be done. Unless other regulators across the country move swiftly to crack down on the kickbacks and payoffs we found in the force-placed insurance industry, millions of Americans will remain at risk. We're continuing to urge other regulators to implement the reforms New York helped pioneer so that every single homeowner is protected."
DFS' reform settlement with American Modern Insurance includes a $1 million penalty and restitution for homeowners who were harmed. Chubb, Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, FinSecure – which had each written relatively smaller volumes of force-placed insurance and were not found to have engaged in the kickback arrangements uncovered at other companies – voluntary agreed to sign proactive codes of conduct implementing New York's reforms.
DFS's Investigation into Force-placed Insurance
In October 2011, DFS launched an investigation into the force-placed insurance industry. Force-placed insurance is insurance taken out by a bank, lender, or mortgage servicer when a borrower does not maintain the insurance required by the terms of the mortgage. This can occur if the homeowner allows their policy to lapse (often due to financial hardship), if the bank or mortgage servicer determines that the borrower does not have a sufficient amount of coverage, or if the homeowner is force-placed erroneously.
DFS's investigation revealed that the premiums charged to homeowners for force-placed insurance can be two to ten times higher than premiums for voluntary insurance — despite the fact that force-placed insurance provides far less protection for homeowners than voluntary insurance. Indeed, even though banks and servicers are the ones who choose which force-placed insurance policy to purchase, the high premiums are ultimately charged to homeowners, and, in the event of foreclosure, the costs are passed onto investors. And when the mortgage is owned or backed by a government-sponsored enterprise, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, those costs are ultimately borne by taxpayers.
DFS's investigation revealed that certain force-placed insurers competed for business from the banks and mortgage servicers through what is known as "reverse competition." That is, rather than competing by offering lower prices, the insurers competed by offering what is effectively a share in the profits. This profit sharing pushed up the price of force-placed insurance by creating incentives for banks and mortgage servicers to buy force-placed insurance with high premiums. That's because the higher the premiums, the more that the insurers paid to the banks. This troubling web of kick-backs and payoffs at certain force-placed insurers helped push premiums sky-high for many homeowners.
Agreements with American Modern Insurance, Chubb, Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, and FinSecure
The settlement DFS reached today with American Modern Insurance includes restitution for homeowners, a $1 million penalty paid to the State of New York, and a requirement that the company implement the Cuomo Administration's nation-leading force-placed insurance reforms. American Modern will also be required to lower its premium rates going forward, providing significant savings to homeowners, taxpayers, and investors.
Chubb, Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, FinSecure – which had each written relatively smaller volumes of force-placed insurance and were not found to have engaged in the kickback arrangements uncovered at other companies – agreed to sign proactive codes of conduct implementing New York's reforms.
Superintendent Lawsky said: "I'd like to particularly commend Chubb, Fidelity & Deposit, and FinSecure for stepping up to the plate and moving swiftly to adopt these important reforms."
New York's nation-leading reforms include the following prohibitions:
- Force-placed insurers shall not issue force-placed insurance on mortgaged property serviced by a bank or servicer affiliated with the insurers.
- Force-placed insurers shall not pay commissions to a bank or servicer or a person or entity affiliated with a bank or servicer on force-placed insurance policies obtained by the servicer.
- Force-placed insurers shall not reinsure force-placed insurance policies with a person or entity affiliated with the banks or servicer that obtained the policies.
- Force-placed insurers shall not pay contingent commissions based on underwriting profitability or loss ratios.
- Force-placed insurers shall not provide free or below-cost, outsourced services to banks, servicers or their affiliates.
- Force-placed insurers shall not make any payments, including but not limited to the payment of expenses, to servicers, lenders, or their affiliates in connection with securing business.
DFS will soon issue regulations that include the Cuomo Administration's force-placed insurance reforms, which would cover any company – present or future – that decides to offer force-placed insurance in New York.
In April, Superintendent Lawsky sent a letter to other state insurance commissioners urging them to implement New York's force-placed insurance reforms nationwide. The letter is available here.
Copies of the agreements reached today with American Modern Insurance, Chubb, Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, and FinSecure are available at the following links:
Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland Code of Conduct
Additional news available at www.governor.ny.gov
New York State | Executive Chamber | email@example.com | 518.474.8418

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Further to the announced insolvency of the Rickmers Group MSC advises it has three vessels from Rickmers under time charter the MV John Rickmers, MV Sandy Rickmers, and MV MSC Florida. The latter two vessels are, in any case, scheduled for redelivery to Rickmers in September 2017.
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Los cronocrÃmenes was filmed in 2007. We can attribute this movie to the genre:
George Campbell
Lisa Carnahan
Darryl Cox
Velinda Godfrey
Shawn Jefferson
Kent Jones
Aaron Kozak
Ian Leson
Ken Strange
|Jason Burkhart
|IMDB Rating:
|7.2 out of 10 (8211 votes)
Plot Summary:
Hector is an ordinary man who's moving to a new house with his wife. One evening, while he's looking through his binoculars, he sees a naked girl in the woods. He decides to go there just to find that same girl laying on a rock. Suddenly, a man with a pink bandage covering his face, stabs Hector in his arm with scissors...


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The Secret of Counting Gifts
Heidi Kreider
copyright 2012
dedicated to my warrior friends,
those who have battled breast cancer and won
and those who are currently in the fight
to the memory of those
who have gone on ahead…
save a place for me,
I'll be there soon!
chapter 1
"Can I get you anything else, friend?" I ask, offering her the straw to her ice water.
"No," Liz replies, taking a small sip. She can hardly swallow. Years of battling cancer have taken their toll on my long time friend.
"Time for gifts?" she rasped. "Here, now?"
"For you, I have all the time in the world. And, yes, your gifts are on their way," I reply, with a small smile. Liz's time, though, is running out.
Twenty-eight years ago, I met Liz for the first time. Eighteen years young and full of life, we thought we could conquer the world as college freshmen. From the first time we, literally, bumped into each other in the hall of the Williams Dormitory, we have been inseparable. Blissfully, we thought we had forever to live life together. We rented our first apartment together, stood up for each other at our weddings and held each other's babies. She held my hand when I buried my father and I stood with her when her husband walked out. It was I who encouraged Liz to pursue her dream of song writing when she lacked purpose, and it was I who found her agent. When my son was deployed, it was Liz who framed his Army portrait and put it on her mantle. I think Luke is as much her son, as he is mine. And, it was Liz who threw the party when Luke returned from Afghanistan. No one throws a party like Liz. The boundaries of our lives blurred long ago.
"You?" she quietly asks me. Even in her death, she still looks out for me… asking me how I am.
We both know where we stand. Twenty-eight years have not been enough. Yet twenty-eight years will be all we will have. She will soon go and I will be the one left. Weeks ago, she began the process of letting go. We talked about her last days. She insisted that I gather her "living gifts" as she calls us. She wants her family around her for her last breath. I spent the earlier part of today gathering. Her gifts are on their way. Much to my chagrin, she also made me executor of her estate. It will fall on me to be sure that her funeral is what she has requested… "please don't wear black, no hats and for goodness sake, have a party…with balloons!" And, it will be my responsibility to finish the plans for her daughter, Jenny's, wedding. Jenny has already asked me if I would walk her down the aisle in place of her mother. It's funny that I would even object. As she said… "who else could do it?"
I don't answer Liz's question, of how I'm doing, right away. Silence is our companion. I look at her frail body lying in her big queen bed here at the Estate and I memorize the laugh lines around her eyes. Much is spoken in the quiet. I want to savor this moment because I cannot stop time. Seconds, minutes, hours have blended into weeks, days and years. Together all of those blur into sweet memories and forgotten stresses that make up a life long friendship.
"I'm okay. The list is long today," I answer.
An understanding passes between us. She knows my list, for she has one, too. Together we count the things for which we are grateful. It was her idea to count. As her sickness progresses, Liz's list gets longer. She has become the most grateful person I know. The days when our lists intersect are my favorite days. I feel, as if, for a moment, I am as grateful as she is. Although, we both know this is hardly true.
"Tell me first," she wheezes. I cringe at her labored breathing. I hate being here with her. Yet, my love for Liz is greater than my hate of her disease.
I chuckle. This is a game we play. Liz first came up with the idea of counting our gratitude gifts together. As the IV dripped the chemo poison, yet again, last spring, she read a brilliant book aloud to me. The book spoke to both of us. From that day forth, we began keeping a gratitude journal, and sharing our lists of thanksgiving with each other. Of course, she soon learned not to tell me her gratitude list until I gave her mine. Apparently, I cheat. I didn't realize it was cheating to say, "Oh, I'm grateful for the sunshine, too!" when she said it. She never believed me when I told her that I honestly hadn't thought of it before she mentioned it. Not only is Liz much more grateful than I am, she is also more thoughtful.
"Ok," I say. "Today, November 10, my list is this… you."
"What?" she groans. "Cheater!"
"Well, since I've previously been called a cheater, I figured I might as well behave as one and list you again. Besides, if you would stop interrupting me, I will tell you why I'm listing you twice."
"Go on" she whispers, closing her eyes.
I'm touched anew at how much this dreaded disease has changed my friend. Though still witty and feisty, she no longer has the strength for long banter or conversation. My heart constricts. For a moment, I close my eyes as well. What will I do without her?
"Well, Ms. Elizabeth Renee Ashley-Bower," I begin taking a deep breath, "I am deeply and truly grateful for all you've taught me and all you've been to me. Shall I refresh your memory?"
"Again?" came the moan from the bed next to my chair.
"Yes, again! And, again and again and again," I laugh. "I will tell you this for as long as your ears are willing to listen to it."
"They're listening," she looks and attempts a smile. My eyes fill with tears.
Ours is a friendship filled with tradition. We have Christmas traditions, birthday traditions, Easter and Mother's Day traditions. We revel in tradition and have been known to break out singing "Tradition! Tradition!" from Fiddler on the Roof, which, of course, embarrasses our children immensely. Liz and I have a habit of developing traditions around just about everything. Now our traditions are coming to an end. Our first Friday pizza tradition started in our early college days and ended last month when Liz could no longer chew well. Counting our gifts has become a tradition, just as telling this story has. When Hospice moved in, ten days ago, we started our last tradition. Each and every night, I tell her our story, these details that we still remember. Together we count all the gifts of gratitude that came along the way. And, as is true to our relationship, we rarely agree on what constitutes a gift.
"Love you, friend," her voice hardly above a whisper. "Find the secret."
"Secret?" I question, holding her hand. "What secret?"
"Secret of counting gifts," she whispers, closing her eyes again.
"There you go. You're all finished with your freshman registration. We're so glad you chose to come here. If you step over to that table there, you will get your dormitory assignment and you can move in," the student hired as the university's welcoming committee pointed to a table a few feet away. "Good luck!"
"Can I help you?" an older woman asked, as I approached the table labeled "housing."
"Ah… yeah… um… my name is Kristen Murphy."
"Murphy, Kristen… you are in Williams Dorm, 3rdfloor North, room 312," she read off the master list in front of her. "You should find your resident assistant in the lobby of Williams. Her name is Julie. Here is your key. Replacement cost is $7. Good luck this year!"
I carried my key, my student ID and the registration packet to my parents' car. My brain felt mushy with information overload. I wondered how I would find my classes, remember all the information that I was just given, and not lose my key. A small part of me wanted to turn around and go home. Instead, my Army chaplain father drove us across campus to Williams Dormitory and to Julie.
"Feels like just yesterday that I went off to college," my mother rambled. "Isn't this exciting for you, Kris? I just know you are going to have such a great time here!"
Fortunately, before I was required to give an answer, my dad found a parking place in front of Williams Dormitory, my new home away from home… or so they say. Home is a concept I had never understood. Because of my father's Army career, our little family moved regularly. We never lived in one house long enough to make it a home, or to even really memorize the address. I lived in many houses. I had never been home.
"Welcome! My name is Julie and I am your RA. That's short for Resident Assistant. Are you ready to get moved in?" A small girl, with a name tag identifying her as 'Julie', cheerfully asked, as we walked through the open lobby doors.
"Oh, great!" I muttered to myself. Perky little Julie belonged on the pep squad as a cheerleader not on the dormitory staff as a resident assistant. She wasn't big enough to be anyone's RA.
"Pardon?" Julie asked.
"Please don't mind our daughter, Julie. She's just tired." Although "being tired" was my mom's excuse for everyone's negative behavior, I was thankful for the excuse and took it.
"Yes, I'm ready," I replied, faking a smile.
the remainder of the book is available at Amazon for Kindle or Smashwords for Nook, iPad, and .pdf


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Professional, courteous, prompt. I love this company and this scooter! I bought it for my fiance and he uses it as his transportation to work. We filled the gas tank when we got it last month and still haven't needed to fill it up yet (roughly 130 miles so far). The gas gauge doesn't work, though, which can be quite inconvenient and we also had a rough time with the back tire needing to be replaced after hitting a pot hole.... but aside from that this was a fantastic buy. I just might have to get a pink one for myself!
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Seriously the best purchase of my life. I think I might've gotten lucky with one with no problem at all but I have abused this scooter so much during summer and some winter and after leaving it on the street through the wind, snow, rain, and the cold in Chicago, it still turns on. Very tough. It's the best thing to have whether for fast trips between cars or for leisure. My summer was the best.
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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'Droid X Tech Support' started by Eugenious, Feb 28, 2011.
How can I save battery on my droid x?
Sent from my DROIDX using DroidForums App
1)turn the screen brightness down
2)Task killer use it!
3)take off live wallpapers
4)make sure gps an wifi are turned off
I wouldn't use a task killer. They actually will drain the battery. By killing tasks you use up battery time, and when the program restarts its uses more battery.
Outside of that, the other tips are good. I do not use the auto dim function, that helps conserve the battery. I have a widget installed so I can pick if I want it brighter or not.
Also if you are rooted you can under click your CPU. When I do this I find that it does help (not by much, but any little bit helps). I have profiles with setcpu that I can either pick from, or run depending on multiple options. For the most part I have it at 300 min and 1GHz max. If the bat is 50% or lower I drop it down in max speed. You can also drop it down to say 600 if the screen is off. Any slower than that the phone is to unresponsive for me.
I also don't allow for programs to auto update. Checking for them and updating can use up your battery too.
If you are in an area where you have WIFI a lot, use that instead of 3G. 3G sucks your battery faster, but if your not using WIFI, turn off the antenna.
1) Ignore numbers 2, 3,...aww hell, just ignore all of these cause none of them are exactly right...
2) Use Auto Brightness and see how your battery time vs screen brightness looks after a few days. I personally use this setting because I am indoors and outdoors on a somewhat regular basis and the phone adjusts accordingly...
3) DO NOT INSTALL AND USE A TASK KILLER!----> Click the first link down below in my signature and read what Google and Android Developers have to say about task killers and how Android handles memory and apps...well worth the read! Also, stay away from Antivirus apps...they are virtually useless unless you just want to waste battery life...
4) Live wallpapers will use some battery...but as long as the screen is off, they are really no more a battery eater than the screen itself.
5) GPS can be On, as long as there are no "background or foreground" apps that use it for updating purposes.
WiFi on the other hand, can save you battery as long as you are where you can connect and utilize the signal...it uses less battery when its connected than 3G. Now, if you dont have any WiFi spots to connect to, then you need to turn it off or it will be constantly "searching" for a signal which does eat into battery life.
6) Make sure you set Widgets that update to the longest possible times, or like myself, set them to Manual Update...that way they arent trying to update every 30 minutes or so.RSS feeds, Weather Widgets and FaceBook and E-mail, all can all be treated the same way depending on how much you need them to update...all of mine are set on Manual.
Doing items 2-6 can greatly add to your battery life. I personally get between 17 and 20 hours a day out of my rooted and ROM`d Droid X, just by doing what I outlined here...
Good luck, and remember, anything from 10-12 hours daily is actually pretty decent when talking about "smartphones" depending on what all you are doing with them...
Ignoring everyone else, heres what i did:
1. Use setcpu to underclock processor to 300mhz when screen if off
2. Use tasker or juicedefender to turn of wifi/gps/data when screen is off, and turn data on periodically to sync gmail etc.
3. Wifi automatically connects to open networks. If it gets turned on and doesnt connect within a minute, it turns if automatically (tasker)
4.use tasker to set gps to turn on only when an app that uses it is running.
Basically, get tasker.
Oh and do not use task killers. They drain your battery. There are a million other discussions on this already.
Right now I'm ending the day, after 16 hours of unplugged, at 50-60% battery. The Droid X has the ability to get some RIDICULOUS battery life. (Ridiculous in a good way.) This is even with wifi on.
Probably the biggest thing that will drain your battery are the apps that you run. If you've got a ton of apps running in the background, then you're going to want to check on that and make sure that there's nothing constantly pulling data down, or doing any sort of high-intensity polling.
Listening to music will generally drastically reduce battery life, as well.
Actually, it depends on how you are listening to music. If you are listening to MP3`s that you have loaded to the SD card, then that is not really even a small battery drain in my experience. I drive 1 hour to work each morning with my DX running to my car stereo player via Audio Cable, and from off charger at 100% when i leave, I arrive at work still sitting at 100% with just music playing.
Now, if you are streaming Pandora, then yes, you will burn through your battery, but that is more due to the app needing internet/data connections in order to work.
SD card stored music playback is actually not all that battery intensive..its a big reason why newer iPods have such great battery life...especially over their hard drive counterparts.
anyone have any ideas what i could do, i use a lot of gps and navigation because of my job, when i get to a job site i close navigation and turn of gps a lot, and i am also on the phone a lot because of my job type....... but today. i was at 100% at about 2pm (now 830 pm) when i loaded Darkslide. and ofcourse that at up some battery. now my phone has been screen on/off and texting lightly since then... i am sitting at 50%. that is including downloading all the apps i had. is this kinda normal or am i just thinking that it is jsut really using a lot.... (more than normal)
6 and 1/2 hours including loading a ROM? I am guessing you also did a back-up or 2 as well prior to loading the ROM...and then you did some texting and the like...
I wouldnt call that "bad" battery life. At least not yet. You are going to have to run it for a few days to get an idea of how your phone runs on the new ROM. Darkslide is supposed to be good with battery, depending on whether you went with the Blur version or the Blurless...Bluress will almost always be a better battery saver.
Also, if you are going to be using the GPS/Nav function while in the car/truck, then you will probably want to invest in the car dock and a car charger...no sense running the GPS/Nav in car and not have it on regular juice...thats just asking to burn through your battery.
Just as a "check myself", I decided to see what impact PowerAmp would have on my phone today at work. I didnt use my phone on my 1 hour trip to work...actually listened to regular radio for a change. Attached below is a screencap I just did a few minutes ago...
This usage is from my 10 hour work day...minus a 30 minute lunch break, two 15 minute breaks, and about 30 minutes prior to work starting while I checked my corporate e-mail...so we`ll say 8.5 hours of constant music playback from the SD card while at work. I did however playback on my phone in the car on the way home, as well as during a 45 minute workout. I was quite impressed when I arrived home and was still at 50% battery remaining...not too shabby me thinks...


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Hey, remember my 40 before 40 checklist?
Item #11 was "Run the Disney World Princess Half-Marathon. In a tutu. And a tiara."
After reading the Runner's World article by Amby Burfoot describing his running of the 2500th Athens Marathon... in a Pheidippides costume, I was even more motivated to do something similar. I wanted to run in a costume. Maybe it appealed to my love of theatrics. Maybe it appealed to my dramatic flare. Maybe it appealed to my love of being the center of attention. Who knows? But I needed to check it off my list.
Enter: The Oddyssey Half-Marathon. A Philadelphia half that is touted as being developed by runners and for runners. Oh, and they encourage participants to run in costume.
I'll admit, at first I was intimidated by this race. I had contemplated running it during its inaugural 2010 event but chickened out. This year I felt I was in better shape, AND its beneficiary is Students Run Philly Style, so I took a chill pill and signed up.
A couple of things happened that encouraged me. The first was their campaign strategy. I was drawn to the mid-spring date (there aren't any other spring half-marathons in Philly that I know), and I knew I could hit the distance because of training for Broad St. Then, they marketed with a post card laying out a post-Broad St training plan! Brilliant! I read that thing and thought, "Hell! I can do this!"
Second, I wanted to show my students that I was serious about running enough to do non-SRPS events. Hmmm, there's probably some psychological problem there about needing to prove myself, but on to the next item.
Third, I needed my students to be involved in a fun event as on-lookers, and more importantly, to see running as fun! I convinced another team leader to run, too, and because we were running, our team volunteered to assist at water stations.
And because we committed to running in costume, they committed to volunteering in costume. And most did! Color me proud!
So as you can see I dressed up as Wonder WoMOM (the lesser known counterpart to Wonder Woman, a heroine who stands for last-minute, do-it-yourself-with-love-and-grace mothers everywhere)! I pieced the outfit together very carefully (read: done 2 nights before) using items from Party City & Michael's. I bought the running skirt & tank online; I spent more money than I initially wanted but felt the investment in running clothes as a base would go further than a costume. Note to self: using fabric glitter paint 2 days before event will not guarantee dry paint and will most likely smudge. Wonder WoMOM strikes again!
So as you can see I dressed up as Wonder WoMOM (the lesser known counterpart to Wonder Woman, a heroine who stands for last-minute, do-it-yourself-with-love-and-grace mothers everywhere)! I pieced the outfit together very carefully (read: done 2 nights before) using items from Party City & Michael's. I bought the running skirt & tank online; I spent more money than I initially wanted but felt the investment in running clothes as a base would go further than a costume. Note to self: using fabric glitter paint 2 days before event will not guarantee dry paint and will most likely smudge. Wonder WoMOM strikes again!
If I have not already mentioned it, this was the first half-marathon that I would be running completely solo. Sure, I knew other race-goers, and I shot the ish with them before the race started, but I had no buddy to stay the course with, no sidekick, if you will. I knew I could finish, but I won't lie, making this venture alone was mentally tough. Maybe it was a fear of truly going it alone, or perhaps it was my ego, but additionally the weekend coincided with my husband's surprise guy-family-only bachelor trip for his brother which totally bummed me out. I compensated by convincing my mother-in-law to drag my daughter to the finish line earlier than either of them would be coherent on a Sunday... just to see me run 13.1 miles... dressed as a homemade superhero. Selfish, really: I yearned to hear Liv yell, "Go, Mommy!"
Anyway, race day came with perfect running weather at the start: cool with low-ish humidity for Philly in May. It was pretty awesome seeing so many runners in costume. The route was a familiar Philly-route: Please Touch Museum area to West River Dr (Now: Martin Luther King Dr.) to Art Museum, loop back to Falls Bridge, loop back to Sweetbriar & Lemon Hill to Please Touch. The course was hilly at first, and Lemon Hill at the end was killer (thank you to the random runner who cheered me on, correcting my form and aiding my focus!). Internally, I found myself struggling around mile 7. I have a real tough time running loops, and West River Drive is my LEAST favorite Philadelphia running route. It just feels long to me. Thankfully, my students were volunteering, so the thought of seeing them kept me going. I won't lie; when I did finally see them, I got such an incredible swell of pride. The loud burst of cheers for me helped, too. They may never fully grasp how much they really helped me finish this race.
Overall I did well technically: I paced well and timed my sports beans right. I foolishly tied my key to my sneaker incorrectly, so the darn thing kept whacking my ankle, a painful distraction toward the end. I had quite the nasty bruise after that mishap. I didn't have a "lifetime" PR, but I did best my November 2010 Half-Marathon time, so this was, overall, my 2nd best 13.1 mile finish. Also, I realized I did not use nearly enough Body Glide for wearing a skirt. Um, no pictures there. This was the first time post-race that I went home and literally sat in an ice bath. Clothes on. Felt soooo good. Not sure if it was the ice bath or the fact that I was totally prepared for this race, but I did not hurt nearly as bad as the November half afterward. Yay!
The swag for the race was sweet! I enjoy the t-shirt because it doesn't read like a race tee, and it includes the phrase, "Catch Me If You Can! I conquered 13.1." There wasn't much in the packet pick-up (eh), but at the end of the race, I got a medal AND a pint glass. Post-race runners could get a free beer AND a free massage; neither of which I cashed in on so as to give my mother-in-law some reprieve. She did drag my kid out early on a Sunday, so I figured making her stand around while I drank a beer &/or waited for my massage was a bit much. That may have drawn the line -- no, took a running leap over the line of selfish... I'll live. At the end of the day, Liv loved running around in my medal. I got to hear her proclaim that I won (best part of being a running mom!). Frank got to see photos of me dressed as Wonder Woman. Everybody wins!
Official Results:
Oddyssey Half-Marathon
Philadelphia, PA
May 22, 2011


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In addition to their introduction of a fresh set of earbuds and over-ear headphones, Panasonic has revealed a brand new lineup of six new speaker docks, as well as one tablet prop. All of the systems will be capable of streaming your tunes wirelessly via Bluetooth, and certain models also support AirPlay and DLNA. They'll also come with standard USB and legacy ports for wired connectivity.
The best part is you won't have to wait all year just to get your hands on one — all of these docks will be available in March, and the NP10 tablet prop is likely to be released just a month later in April. Pricing details have yet to be announced, but we suspect that information will surface soon.


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According to international and European human rights law, EU Member States must guarantee everyone the right to go to court, or to an alternative dispute resolution body, and to obtain a remedy when their rights are violated. This factsheet provides information on access to justice, focusing on non-discrimination law, excluding criminal law.
The factsheet summarises the key issues and ways forward for EU Member States.


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National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), the safest bank in the Middle-East and Emerging markets, was named "Best DCM House in the UAE" by Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2015 at a ceremony held in Dubai.
Last month, NBAD was the first bank in the Middle East to win the most coveted "Rising Star Emerging Markets House" for DCM by GlobalCapital magazine.
Debt Origination & Distribution activities have earned NBAD growing attention and recognition across the West-East corridor, including Asia. In May, the bank successfully priced 7 bond transactions for international issuers:
Since the beginning of this year, NBAD has bookrun 18 landmark transactions in both the conventional bonds and international Sukuk space.
Alex Thursby, NBAD's Group Chief Executive Officer, said: "These successful issuances demonstrate our expertise in Debt Origination & Distribution and our growing credibility among international investors in Asia and in the rest of the West-East Corridor. We are committed to building on this momentum and on our strong fundamentals to further develop these activities for the benefit of our chosen clients."
Andy Cairns, NBAD's Global Head of Debt Origination & Distribution said: "Leadership in debt capital markets is a cornerstone of our financing proposition so it is particularly satisfying to be recognized by Euromoney as the best DCM house in NBAD's home market of the UAE. We are committed to solving the financing needs of all clients - not only in the UAE but across our international platform - and will continue to deliver best advice and execution in bonds, loans and Sukuk that our recent awards attest to".
Over the last 6 months, NBAD has won 43 awards for its Debt Origination and Distribution platform, and is recognized as the number one Middle-Eastern bank in terms of bond underwriting: #2 bank in the GCC and #3 in the MENA region.


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Many of us know that a "normal" blood chemistry can reveal things about a patient's health. It is almost intuitive; if a value is near the end of a range, it may have more significance than one that is in the middle of the range. If an MCV above 100 is abnormal, it stands to reason that a value of 99 isn't great. An individual with an MCV of 99 may have a health issue that a person with an MCV of 89 does not have. It is true, the person with an MCV above 92 (well within the normal range), very likely is deficient in B12 or folic acid.
It turns out that looking at lab values in that manner actually has some pretty good science behind it. Dr. Harry Eidenier has literally spent decades studying blood chemistries. He worked with DR FURDA on the biochemical biopsy, which was a project that looked at patients, their symptoms and their blood chemistries. After looking at over 10,000 blood chemistries, between 1980 and the present, Dr. Eidenier and Dr. Furda were able to make some very important distinctions.
There are some clinical gems that are easily seen in a "normal" blood chemistry. We already mentioned the connection between MCV and the need for B12 or folic acid. If the patient experiences fatigue or CRS (can't remember stuff) along with the high MCV, you have a very good chance of helping them by giving between three and six B12-2000 lozenges per day. Another value that can be interpreted in a straightforward manner is transaminase (either ALT or AST). Normally we look at these for liver issues (ALT) or, muscle, cardiac or liver issues (AST)—and we only look at elevated levels. If, however, the levels are below 10, the patient may well be B6 deficient. Similarly, we look for elevated LDH levels and don't realize that a low LDH may mean a zinc deficiency.
Some of the patterns are complex—this was a ten year study. If you are looking for hypochlorhydra, for instance, you could look at total protein, phosphorus, BUN, total globulin and possibly MCV. Diagnosing the particulars (pituitary, or a problem converting T4 to T3, etc.) of hypothyroidism, can also involve several values.
Fortunately, there is a computer program that will arrange the values into physiologic normals and look at these complex problems for you. The best news is that it is inexpensive (not much more than a single month's cable bill for an internet/movie junkie).
In health care (and in any other field, really) there are those who practice for the love of their art or for a higher calling. Dr. Harry Eidenier has produced a body of work that can transform your practice. He has put his findings into a manual that not only helps you to interpret blood chemistries, but gives you very effective nutrient protocols for your patients. He has a computer program that will make the whole interpretation process easy and it is available for a price that is so low that you will be embarrassed to be getting so much for so little. So many entrepreneurs do a small bit of clinical work and whole a lot of work marketing and selling a product—expecting you to pay through the nose. Others do good work and want to enjoy a modest reward for sharing their information.
Also, there is some pretty good science involved in these values. They did not merely change the normals by one standard deviation, or they will fudge the values produced by someone else. This is original work. Dr. Eidenier has also begun to teach about blood chemistries again. His seminar is one of the most clinically valuable learning experiences you will ever have. For more information about the manual, the blood chemistry program and future seminars, e-mail us at email@example.com . It is only available to licensed health professionals.


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The digital age has brought about a lot of things -- not all of them good. These days, people endlessly complain about how disconnected we are from one another because of all the technology. Well, they only need to read the story of Elizabeth Boys to have restored faith in how amazing all these advances are. Adopted as a baby, she found her birth mother in just 36 hours using a social networking site we all use every day.
She was inspired by her sister, who was also adopted and had found her biological family two years ago. So she created a Facebook page to kick off her search. The message was simple:
My name is Elizabeth Boys aka Betsy. I was born at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, IN on May 29th, 1984. I am searching for my biological mother.
First sharing it with friends, by the end of the day, the page had circulated to people across the state. Then people all over the country were reading about it. And amazingly, it got to the right people. Exactly 36 hours after her page went live, she had a message from a biological aunt, the brother she didn't know she had, and a cousin. It just gives you chills. It's a prime example of how Facebook expands our community in such a significant way.
Elizabeth had no idea it would happen so fast. She is still marveling at the quick journey and the fact that she looks so much like the family she never knew. "It's crazy," she told HuffPo Live. Though it's not a perfectly happy ending just yet. Her mother was not quite ready to meet her face to face when the news first broke. But she is looking forward to sitting down with her in the next couple weeks. That hiccup, of course, doesn't take away from how amazingly inspiring the search has been.
She undoubtedly gives hope to so many other adopted children who long to find their birth families. Not all searches will be so quick and easy, but it's certainly a good way to start.
How has the Internet made your life better?


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Direct contact for Lindab products and system in your country (local languages).
Image 1/2
Fastening device with pillar PEL for externally insulated roofs on concrete substrate. Attachment to the concrete is done with expanding bolts or chemical anchors. Sealed with IMUF2 at pillars. Order PEL and IMUF2 separately.
There are no softwares available for download for this particular product.


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CURRENT volunteers' news and needs:
Cloisters Children's Museum needs volunteers to help with its summer-long Go-Global International Festival, which spotlights the customs, traditions and heritage of many countries. The festival runs from Saturday through Sept. 1 at the museum, located at 10440 Falls Road. Call 823-2550.
Our Daily Bread needs volunteers to help in feeding the poor and homeless, particularly during the week. Located at the corner of Franklin Street and Park Avenue. If you would like to volunteer, call Sister Pat at 539-2744.


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Alice's Handmade, No Pink Nursery
Name: Alice (5 months)
Location: Howland, OH
I was thrilled when I found out I was having a girl, but I'm not much of a "pink person" and I'm not too keen on super matchy-matchy decor.
We had a pretty limited budget, so most of Alice's room was made by myself and/or my husband or were things we already had from our son or around the house. I really hoped to incorporate meaningful pieces into her room, but I was an Ohdeeoh sucker when I was expecting, so I ended up with a bunch of trendy stuff in there, too. We've owned our house for almost two years now, and it is (sadly) the only room that is "finished." Sigh. :)
The crib and dresser are from Walmart; hand-me-downs from her big brother. My husband made the bookshelf from two giant cabinet doors, and we made the animal hook rack. Crib skirt, quilt, pillow and curtain accent fabric is Amy Butler, all made by me. I also made the bumper (now obsolete), mobile, whale lamp (out of a Jonathan Adler incense holder), owl bin, grey stool, bunting, curtain rod (two plastic Christmas ornaments for finials, yo!) and some of the "art."
Source List:
• White ceramic stool, floor lamp and rug: Target.
• Plain white curtain panels and chair: Ikea.
• Mirror is from a garage sale, spray painted navy.
• Paint: Etched Glass by the now defunct Martha Stewart line for Home Depot.
Thanks, Lisa! Readers, visit Lisa at Another Big Bite.
(Images: Lisa M.Another Big Bite)


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Build Your Own Electronically-Controlled Sous-Vide Cooker
Sous-vide cooking is relatively new to those who aren't glued to Iron Chef or Top Chef. Chefs have been using this way of cooking for years and it's just now starting to catch onto the masses. Even if you think it's a little strange, you should still give it a try &mdash we bet you'll like it!
Lifehacker reader Jeff built his own Electronically-Controlled Sous-Vide Cooker and shared the know how with well, the internet. We thought it was a pretty easy tutorial and wanted to share with you!
You'll need: a microcontroller, temperature sensor, mosfet, heating element, temperature knob, LCD display and a cooler (plus household items such as a drill, screw driver, etc). The steps are easy to follow and before you know it you'll have your own sous-vide cooker!
Of course you can always go to the store and purchase a brand new, premade cooker &mdash but what's the fun in that? They will also cost you an arm and a leg, the average price for a sous-vide cooker is about $500.
You can find the complete instructions at Lifehacker


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Mobile phones today are the most important part of our life, we cannot sustain without a mobile phone for a long time. The use of mobile phones in our day to day life has increased like we use numerous applications, games, text messaging, browsing, e-mails, calls and other important features. With the addition of new features ever day the burden on the battery has increased causing you to be cautious to save battery for a longer use. Many people are looking for How to make the mobile phone battery last long? So to make your battery last longer, here are steps.
Turn the phone off:
Often we keep our phone on, even it is not in use. While we are sleeping and we are not expecting any call or any reminder but the phone is working, so in order to conserve the energy it is a lucrative method to turn off the phone when less needed.
Same is the case when we are in a no reception area like tunnels, underpasses or remote areas; our mobile phone consumes more energy in search of signals. Some users rely on the auto power saving feature but an important point to mention is that it starts working after 30 minutes of not receiving signals. Instead of using your mobile phone for applications and games, save your battery energy for later use.
Do not search for signals:
This often happens when you are in an area with less or no signals, so what your phone does is that it starts searching for a connection with better creativity and signals. This process consumes much energy of your phone and reduces the battery life, so stop your phone from automatically searching for better connections. Another way is to get a repeater that increases the signal power where detected.
Do not charge your phone full:
Another important way to save your battery is that if you have the Lithium battery then does not charge it fully because it damages the life of the battery. Another thing that damages the battery is its full drainage, when your phones turn off often due to low battery, it seriously threats the battery life. Nickel based batteries however survive.
Turn off your phone's back light.
Backlight is often used to make the display brighter and prominent, some users cannot use dim displays, but if you can manage without using the backlight it will help you save the battery life. Another method is to set a time for the backlight, as when you use it turns on and when you do not use it, it turns off. Latest phones have the technology to sense the sunlight and act according to light, so it also helps you save the battery for later use.


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Team to train? Let us come to you!
Delivering Magento expertise to your ecommerce team is a great way to gain confidence, build team spirit and set you on a path to become a leading edge ecommerce store. Want to know more?
Having a confident and knowledgeable team is all part of running a successful ecommerce store. Our courses are designed for businesses like yours to build the expertise of your ecommerce team and get them into a position where they confident in using Magento and are freed of the stress of administration.
The great thing is that you do not have to send your team away with all the costs involved in that. We will come to you and deliver at a venue of your choice.
Take a look at our most popular courses below. If you are unsure about your requirements then call us and we get get one of our Magento Certified Solution Specialist trainers to call you and discuss your training needs. Call us at:
A Trusted Source for Knowledge
Don't just take our word for it, hear what others think of MageTraining!See more reviews
Doves Clothing
TH Baker/ Jewelhut
Habitat Retail Ltd


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I'm having a bit of a red and green phase at the moment. For some reason I only seem to be interested in things with at least one of these colours, preferably both. I could spend hours grinning inanely at traffic lights. I blame this pot of lilies in my back yard, that waited until just before i went on holiday for a week before flowering gloriously in my absence.
My new job, right in the middle of the old textile district in town, is also proving rather dangerous. I can see Abakhans from the door, its massive piles of ubercheap fabric and yarn grin temptingly at me as I nip out for a lunchtime sandwich. So I tend to accidentally return to my desk with random pieces of fabric like this, because it has a nice shade of green in, and makes your eyes go funny in a good way. Blink a few times and the pattern bounces around all over the place. Hours of fun.
But the most exciting event of the week by miles is... look! Guess where my cardigan is?
Yeeeeeah it's in the sink, being washed.... that means it's really nearly finished.... it's all sewn together, just needs blocking and buttons and we're there... WOOHOO!
Monday, June 14, 2010
red and green should deffo be seen
Posted by rubbishknitter at 9:47 pm
Labels: cardigan, silly lilies, stoneresque colourlove
2 comments:
- Kate said...
That fabric is like those tests for colour-blindness where you have to see a green spotted number in the middle of a load of brown spots. If I squint, I can see the winning lottery numbers for next week in that photo. :-P
- 9:11 am
- rubbishknitter said...
Haha! it's truuuuue! *runs out and buys a lottery ticket*
- 9:12 pm
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By Hiro Chang, Presidio of Monterey Public AffairsAugust 4, 2008
Presidio of Monterey -- Army Staff Sgt. Eric Murray was awarded the Purple Heart Aug 1.
Murray received the medal more than a year after being shot in the lower portion of his right leg during a firefight in Bermel, a city in Paktika province, Afghanistan during his deployment in 2006 to 2007.
"I was attached to an infantry battalion when it happened and shortly afterwards I got moved to other places back then, but the paperwork got lost in the shuffle," Murray said.
Murray got help from his old platoon leader, Capt. Ward Yoder, who was here tracking his paperwork to get the award he deserved.
"I was fortunate that... Capt. Yoder was here to track it down for me," Murray said.
Murray, who's been learning Pashtu, was pinned by the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center commandant, Col. Sue Ann Sandusky at the Presidio's Price Fitness Center in front of fellow students of DLIFLC.
"I don't think the other (Soldiers) know about my award," Murray said. "I don't really talk about it much."
He was happy to have received the award after the long wait.
"It's nice to finally have it," Murray said. "I'm fortunate because a lot of people aren't around to get this award."
Murray humbly mentioned the fact that many Soldiers today have seen deployments and that it wasn't as unique an experience for the Army anymore.
"Around here it's kind of a common thing now," Murray said. "When I was here about five years ago, nobody had a combat patch, now it looks like everyone's got a combat patch," he added.
Murray, who received a Bronze Star for bravery during a firefight when he attempted to pull a wounded Soldier before he got shot, recognized that the younger service members are interested in the experiences he's had as a veteran military intelligence Soldier.
"I think a lot of the younger guys think it's interesting," Murray said. "You come in as a military intelligence person; you don't really think you're going to be out there in the stuff," he added.
Murray remarked that being military intelligence doesn't exclude you from performing other missions that are vital to the mission.
"Maybe it'll open there eyes and give them the realization of what's going on right now and that'll be a good thing that they learn from that," Murray said.


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|New Logo for the Chamber
The Chamber is going through a renovation process aimed at bringing more value to its members in the many ways, not least, by improving its public relations, re-ordering its priorities and addressing issues which are more relevant to today's dynamic world of networking engineering.
The Council requested members' involvement and the Logo Of Your Choice call for feedback was very well respondent too. On the 16th August 2010 the Council confirmed the members' selection of the new logo.
The new logo is going to be launched during the Chamber's Summer Social Event, which is being held at the Radisson Blu, Resort & Spa, Golden Sands on Friday 10th September at 19.00 hours. This event is a great opportunity for engineers and their friends to socialize in comfort and style while experiencing a beautiful Maltese sunset. A memento of the event will be given to all guests during the BBQ Dinner.
|Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 September 2010 09:53


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The 2012 Japan Expo is now over, but new content and information from the exciting event continues it's way onto the Internet! The latest is Dragon Ball Z video games producer interview! Koji Nakajima, the producer behind several Namco Bandai games including Dragon Ball Z for Kinect, One Piece: Pirate Warriors, and Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi, was at the event to talk about some of his works. YouTube user and Dragon Ball Z fan Treevax had the great opportunity to interview Nakajima-san about Dragon Ball Z Kinect as well as Dragon Ball Z video games in general. This includes talk about a potential Dragon Ball Raging Blast 3, the falsely confirmed Dragon Ball Z: Sparking Omega, and Dragon Ball Z Zenkai Battle Royal for PS3/360.
Just to be clear, Dragon Ball Raging Blast 3, Dragon Ball Z: Sparking Omega, and Dragon Ball Z Zenkai Battle Royale for PS3/360 are NOT confirmed in any way. The interviewers just express their interest and ask Nakajima-san about his opinions and if the games can become a reality. Rest assured though DBZ fans, according to the interview, Namco Bandai "will still continue making more [Dragon Ball Z] games."
Anyways, enjoy the interview in the videos below!
Dragon Ball Z Kinect (officially known as Dragon Ball Z for Kinect) is in development by Spike Chunsoft. It will feature over 50 playable characters and put players in a first person scenario as they act like the heroes and villains they love from the Dragon Ball Z series thanks to Microsoft's Kinect. The game will be published in North America and Europe by Namco Bandai Games October 2012 for the Microsoft Xbox 360.


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"The Coin Vault" is offered by some television providers, and TheCoinVault.com offers a live stream of its programming. The website also offers a history of the products featured on its episodes, so visitors do not have to watch the program every time it airs.
TheCoinVault.com offers a guide for users to find the channel on which the program airs in their city depending on their cable provider. "The Coin Vault" specializes in selling collectible coins, bullion, U.S. dollars and other forms of currency. It also sells mint proof sets and other collectibles. In 2014, Robert Glenn Chambers, the original host of The Coin Vault, died after hosting the show for 25 years.


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Luxurious Community Amenities at The Legend
As a valued resident of The Legend, you'll have access to fantastic amenities you'll fully enjoy. Take advantage of the community clubhouse, which is an ideal space to gather with friends over coffee to catch up, or simply working on last minute tasks for work. Enjoy your morning workout? Consider utilizing the well-equipped fitness studio to keep your body in shape. Spend an afternoon at the cyber cafe where you can enjoy free Wi-Fi and a piping hot cup of coffee. Visit the resort-style pool, and swim in style under the beautiful Texas sky! Surrounding these Waco Texas apartments, you'll find plenty of five-star restaurants, the hottest bars, and plenty of retail shopping that won't disappoint. With close access to Interstate 35, maneuvering in and around the city is always simple. With so many things to do within our community, and the close convenience of the bustling city life, you'll fall in love with where you live!


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Follow me!!!
My dear readers, I believe that not all of you know that as of
1st of July which is in less than two days Google Reader is going
to be part of past and it also means that you will loose all of the blogs
that you're following and won't be able to see my new blog posts.
If you wish to stay on this journey with me, which is just about to get
even better and more exciting with my 1st trip to New York in a month and
half and my 1st photography exhibition at Agora Gallery + tons of new things and
sections, do follow me via BLOGLOVIN' by clicking HERE!!
If you're not on Bloglovin', I would recommend you to sign in because it's the
easiest way to follow your favourite blogs and get all of the updates.
Signing in at Bloglovin' is as easy as ABC's :)
Yours truly,


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|OUMNH Number:
|Name and quarry location:
|Alabastro fortezzino, probably from one of several quarries at Hatnub, Mallawi, and other locations in the Nile valley, Eastern desert, Egypt.
|Geological description:
|Fine-grained compact travertine with some slender orange bands, hosted in a nummulitic limestone.
|The nummulitic limestone hosting this alabaster, together with the very slender orange bands is it, suggest it is an Egyptian alabaster.
|Corsi (1845) 123-131, 137; Merrill (1893); Nicholson & Shaw (2000); Price (2007) 48-49
|Further information:
|Corsi's classification:
|Class 1. Marbles; Section 4. Concretionary marbles; Species 1. Alabasters; i. Antique alabaster
|Corsi's text:
|98.48/ S15.8 Alabastro antico. Marmor Alabastrum. Alabastro fortezzino.


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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'Off Topic [BG]' started by Brilliant Fool, Jun 29, 2003.
once when doing a project on discrimination, i stumbled upon a KKK childrens recruitment website. it was the scariest and creepiest thing i have seen on the net. it was sick sick sick.
Ahhh!! what the hell was that acid trip of a site. I moved the cursor around for about 5 seconds then I just about went insane. What are those fat things in the right hand corner? Are they teletubbies on Mcdonalds diet or what? And the rainbow in the middle, I can sense a certain vibe coming off this site...
Edit-Ok i went to it again and I clicked on the fat teletubby wannabes and they look like a little chubby, uncut part of the male anatomy that I wish not to mention. Even more queerish vibes come from the site now...
Ive been trying to cut down on the smoking but I couldnt miss a oppertunity to see something like that wasted.....its unbelieveable
that was an all different type of creepy. i wasn't expecting that.
Was the most F**KED up thing Ive EVER seen in my life!
Im never gonna be the same!!
kinda cool. I'll show it off at work tommorow. Purely pointless. wonderful
I love it, but there's not much to it. It's cool though.
Did I miss something? I liked it.
fart waffle
Biggest. Waste of time. Ever.
Wow.... that site is unbelieveably fun at 2:30 in the morning!!
Wow, I am so confused... the fart waffle thing was brilliantly stupid though. Frighteningly, it actually started to sound musical after a little while
you're teling me!
That BooBah thing is actually a childrens tv series (shown on childrens itv in the uk), I managed to catch it during a stint of unemployment and its the most utterly deranged piece of tv I ever saw.....and yet strangely addictive.
I think it's a british childrens site... Perhaps its some sort of mind-control device.
You. Love. The. Boohbah.
By the by, did you guys try the games?
I did them all, and now I'm blind.
MAN I OWNED IN THE APPLE FALLING GAME!!! w00t w00t!! Man that site rules for someone with nothing to do! I'm going back -opens the page again- ~ Tyler
The black guy looks like George Foreman.