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I've earlier blogged about how I find intuition and seeing the value of the tacit knowledge as very interesting perspectives for the decision-making. As social business and new ways of working are now changing the organizations and the entire business landscape, and further adding to the complexity – I'll find it even more interesting to study decision-making and how understanding is created.
I was looking for something else from my bookshelf and found the good old book by Stephen P. Robbins "Essentials of Organizational Behavior", and randomly checked out the chapter about individual differences in decision-making. What I found was an interesting quadrant that describes the leadership styles related to the decision-making, it has two axes: Way of Thinking and Tolerance for Ambiguity. The four styles of decision-making are: Directive, Analytical, Conceptual, and Behavioral.
So here's a quick go-though of this model, followed by my free associations from it.
- Way of Thinking, very simplified: Logical, analytical leaders are processing information serially versus intuitive and creative ones perceiving things as a whole.
- Tolerance for Ambiguity, again simplified: some of us have a high need to structure information in order to minimize ambiguity, while others can process many ideas and thoughts simultaneously.
A very quick comparison of the types (yes, pretty obvious ones, you can hop over to my associations if you like):
- Analytical types have a better tolerance for ambiguity than the "traditional" directive decision-makers. An analytical type of leader usually search for more information and alternatives than directive ones.
- Leaders applying the conceptual style in decision-making are often considering many alternatives out of broad perspective. Additionally they take a longer term perspective. This style gives most room for creativity, the authors claim.
- The forth style, behavioral style, is the most receptive for suggestions from others, peers and subordinates, and leaders of this style love the meetings! They are also trying to avoid conflicts and find a consensus.
In Finland we call the behavioral style as a Swedish leadership style: it is based on utterly politeness and caution, and taking ages to get any decisions. Meanwhile the traditional Finnish way has been the opposite; very direct, focused on the matter (seeing people as resources, no space for feelings here) and with low tolerance of ambiguity. The formal business education in Finland has a long time emphasized the rational analysis and thinking which have led to this 'inflexible' style. Naturally leadership styles are developing here in the Nordics too. But I think we Finns have much more home work to do than our friends in Sweden.
An essential perspective to this very topic comes from the always inspiring Rachel Happe who recently blogged about decision-making in the networked world, here's a quote from her excellent post:
"We need to move forward boldly and make decisions despite incomplete information… but also be prepared to change our path. It's easy to just shut down when faced with an environment in which you can never be certain or absorb all the information available. But if you are a leader, you need to accept the uncertainty and move forward anyway. "
I very much agree with her and that is exactly why I wanted to look at the model, via three associations I spontaneously got.
My three spontaneous associations on the model
This decision-style model gave me the following associations:
- Systems Intelligence Theory of Esa Saarinen,
- Value and Importance of Serendipity (the weak links and the edges),
- Value and Importance of Listening.
Firstly, this decision-making style model and its division associated with the Finnish philosopher Esa Saarinen and his research of Systems Intelligence. Saarinen and his fellow researchers describe the two 'thinking systems' we all have: System 1 thinking as automatic, associative, and intuitive. System 2 thinking is dominating in the work places: you better be strictly rational. In every day work situations the System 2 thinking is active and often unintentionally blocking System 1 thinking – and therefore narrowing the possibilities at hands. When both systems are active, there's a room for intuition, interaction and emotions – and for better understanding and decision-making.
Being strictly rational in your work role is not working anymore. We need utilize our full potential. I have blogged about this earlier e.g. in posts "Mental Bodybuilding for Knowledge Workers" and "Are You Systems Intelligent?" featuring my favorites Hagel and Saarinen.
Secondly, I thought of the on-going lovely discussion about serendipity, a discussion where John Hagel, Luis Suarez and Ana Silva are the ones I love to follow, to interact with and listen to. When I saw the decision-style model I was right-away thinking about replacing the Tolerance of Ambiguity into the Level of Embracing Serendipity.
It would broaden the model towards the thinking of the "Power of Pull model" (by John Hagel, Lang Davison & John Seely Brown). I agree with them that the cloud-enabled new platforms for serendipitous encounters lead to new kind of innovation, decision-making and leadership. We can now easily meet companies and people we did not know existed, and this helps us to be more creative and also broaden the basis we rely on when making decisions. The edges are fruitful places for the innovation, to help us to make innovative decisions, but also for supporting a better understanding.
The approach both Esa Saarinen and John Hagel & his fellows suggest helps us in achieving our full potential as individuals, and the same applies to our organizations, via the people in it. In addition, serendipity can be shaped, and utilized in decision-making.
The third association I got is the value and importance of listening in decision-making, and in life in general. I serendipitously bumped into a beautiful TED Talk by Julian Treasure (what a lovely last name he has) about the importance of listening.
I warmly recommend you to listen to his talk (7:50 min), very inspiring.
Yes indeed, active listening deserves our attention in the chaotic and changing environment, too often forgotten. In his talk Julian shares five tips for better listening. I found the fifth one, his RASA model, beautiful and absolutely something every one of us should apply in our daily life and the decision-making situations. Acronym RASA comes from Receive, Appreciate, Summarise, Ask – and these four verbs should be part of our personal decision-making, learning processes, and leadership.
Julian says aptly: Conscious listening creates understanding. I'd like to add that listen not only your peers, colleagues, family members and friends, but listen to yourself too.
I believe that better decisions and shared understanding are both enabled by these notions we associate with the social business:
Genuine interaction, collaboration, learning, openness, sharing, trust, P2P instead of B2B & B2C, living network instead of stiff hierarchies, listening, intuition, passionate creativity, and embracing serendipity.
All these leading to not only learning and better understanding but also to better decision-making, and success in whatever you are doing.
Personally I have so many things that I need to do differently. Starting today.
Related reading:
Rachel Happe's beautiful post: A Vision of The Social Organization
Dave Gray in Dachis blog: The Connected Company
Christoph Schmaltz in Dachis blog: From traditional business to social business
John Hagel's grain of gold: Reshaping Relationships through Passion
EDIT 2011-08-02: Professor Esa Saarinen's research can be found here.
8 Comments
Congratulations for your article! I really enjoyed. I got to know about it via Jennifer Sertl.
Thank you very much, Michael!
Interesting but I just have to point out that Dilbert describes the conceptual model beautifully. His bosses make decisicion based on pure intuition because the logic of the decisions is way above them. Ambiguity is also high as they do not understand the concepts and words they are using 😉
Aale, a good one, thank you! Scott Adams very often nails different topics sharply, indeed.
Paluuviite: Harold Jarche » Building tolerance for ambiguity

subset: commoncrawl


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The President's Weekly Address
Last month, our economy added more than 100,000 private sector jobs and the unemployment rate fell sharply. This follows encouraging economic news, from increased auto sales to continued expansion of our manufacturing sector.
Now, we know that these numbers can bounce around from month to month, but the trend is clear. We saw 12 straight months of private sector job growth, the first time that's been true since 2006. The economy added 1.3 million jobs last year. And each quarter was stronger than the last, which means the pace of hiring is picking up.
Now we're seeing more optimistic economic forecasts for the year ahead, in part due to the package of tax cuts I signed last month. I fought for that package because, while we are recovering, we plainly still have a lot of work to do. The recession rocked the foundations of our economy and left a lot of destruction and a lot of doubt in its wake.
So our fundamental mission must be to accelerate hiring and growth, while we do the things we know are necessary to insure America's leadership in an increasingly competitive world and build an economy that will provide opportunity to any American willing to work for it.
I'm absolutely confident we will get there. I am confident, first and foremost, because of you, because of the ingenuity of our entrepreneurs and business owners, the tenacity of our workers, and the determination of the American people. This is what has made our economy the envy of the world. But we have to do everything we can to help our businesses and workers win in this new economy.
Now, yesterday I visited the Thompson Creek Window Company, a small business in Maryland. Over the past year, sales there have grown by 55 percent, thanks in part to an energy tax credit we created. And this year, they're also planning to take advantage of a new tax incentive for businesses. For 1 year, any business large or small can write off the full cost of most of their capital investments. This will make it more affordable for businesses like Thompson Creek to expand and hire.
So, if you're a business owner, I'd encourage you to take advantage of this temporary provision. It will save you money today and help you grow your business tomorrow.
This incentive is part of the economic package I signed into law last month, a package that also includes a payroll tax cut that will mean $1,000 more this year for a typical family. In fact, 155 million workers will see larger paychecks this month as a result of this tax cut.
Twelve million families will benefit from a $1,000 child tax credit and an expanded earned-income tax credit. Eight million students and families will continue to benefit from a $2,500 tuition tax credit to make college more affordable.
And millions of entrepreneurs in big cities and small towns across the country will benefit not only from the business expensing plan I mentioned, but from additional tax cuts that will spur research and development.
Independent experts have concluded that taken together, this package of tax cuts will significantly accelerate the pace of our economic recovery, spurring additional jobs and additional growth.
And that's our mission. That should be the focus, day in and day out, of our work in Washington in the coming months, as we wrestle with a challenging budget and long-term deficits. And I'm determined to work with everyone, Republicans and Democrats, to achieve that goal. What we can't do is refight the battles of the past 2 years that distract us from the hard work of moving our economy forward. What we can't do is engage in the kinds of symbolic battles that so often consume Washington while the rest of America waits for us to solve problems.
The tax cuts and other progress we made in December were a much-needed departure from that pattern. Let's build on that admirable example and do our part, here in Washington, so that the doers, the builders, and the innovators in America can do their best in 2011 and beyond.
Thanks everybody, and have a nice weekend.
Note: The address was recorded at approximately 4:15 p.m. on January 7 in the Blue Room at the White House for broadcast on January 8. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on January 7, but was embargoed for release until 6 a.m. on January 8.
Barack Obama, The President's Weekly Address Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/289443


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By now you have likely encountered the term "Patient-Centered Medical Home" or PCMH. If you do not yet know what a "medical home" is, think of it this way - these are practices that use care teams to put the patient at the center of the healthcare delivery system.
By now you have likely encountered the term "Patient-Centered Medical Home" or PCMH. If you do not yet know what a "medical home" is, think of it this way - these are practices that use care teams to put the patient at the center of the healthcare delivery system. That means focusing on improving outcomes while reducing costs associated with inconsistent, duplicate, or fragmented care. Typically, PCMH practices are very accessible both physically and electronically, and utilize technology to be more proactive in managing patient care and communicating with their patients.
What programs are available?
There are several organizations that offer medical home programs. The most well known and widely used is a recognition program by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Others include Bridges to Excellence (BTE) and The Joint Commission, which has a Primary Care Medical Home model. And there are several more in development across the country.
Is it worth doing?
If you are in, or own, a private practice and are looking to transition to a medical home model, I recommend utilizing NCQA's PCMH recognition program. Why? For one, it is the most widely recognized program across the payers nationally. Several plans, including state Medicaid plans, are giving practices additional payments upon achieving NCQA recognition. Some of these payments are in the form of per-member-per-month stipends in addition to fee-for-service payments (Aetna is using this model). Others, such as Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, provide "care coordination" funded resources to help practices better manage and coordinate patient care. Some plans, such as Carefirst, offer a percentage increase over existing payment rates. While others, like United Healthcare, work PCMH recognition into pay-for-performance programs.
Where do I start?
First, get acquainted with NCQA's PCMH website. Start by reviewing the video which outlines in a simple fashion what the program is all about. Then review the standards that you will have to meet in order to achieve recognition. Be forewarned - it is not an easy program! However, you may find that there are plenty of areas in which you already meet the criteria; you may just need to formalize your processes and procedures in order to demonstrate them.
Tackle the project by identifying who you need on your team. At Patient Centered Solutions, we recommend having a physician champion, a clinical staff member, a front-desk staff member, and an office manager involved. You'll need your "champion" to help get buy-in from other providers in the group, and PCMH touches all aspects of your workflow so you'll really want to include resources from both the front end and clinical areas.
Is training available?
Take advantage of the training available on NCQA's site, and plan on attending the in-person training sessions too. If your practice is large enough, NCQA will even send a trainer to you (for a fee). Understanding what is required is absolutely critical to working through the program successfully and achieving the highest level of recognition.
How will I manage to get it all done?
Break the project down into manageable steps. Review all the standards and associated factors and determine which items you are currently doing and which ones you need to add to your workflow. Determining the "gaps" and focusing your efforts there first will allow you to move forward most easily. Be sure to celebrate reaching milestones! It will keep your team motivated and allow you to keep the project on track.
And utilize all available resources! For example, the AAFP and AAP have valuable tools and resources available to members. And don't be afraid to utilize consultants to help with the work - they are often less expensive than you think!
Susanne Madden, MBA, is founder and CEO of The Verden Group, a consulting and business intelligence firm that specializes in practice management, physician education, and healthcare policy. She is also COO, National Breastfeeding Center, and cofounder, Patient Centered Solutions. She can be reached at email@example.com or by visiting www.theverdengroup.com.


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What happens when you dish out those F's? Do you have knobs on your mirror? Baby get ready because the dirt is about to fly in your face. If you throw shades on a low-grade get ready to duck your head. I looked into the square box. There were some words that didn't describe me at all. What was my reaction? I threw my head back and laughed. It gets better. I recalled a song recorded by Christopher Williams that was perfect for my internal hard drive. Are you ready for the YOUTUBE MOMENT? Hit It! I Talk To Myself when there ain't no one to talk to. People ask me why I do what I do. Hell! It is a strategy for keeping your self-esteem intact when the haters pour on the hot wax. Bottom line, just remembers when you KNOW you have certain strengths and somebody send you an email, fax, text, FACEBOOK, and state those skills are nonexistence within you, this is what you tell them. Better yet, go the butt-naked mile and show them. I think the public use the word transparency.
In the morning when I arise there are moments in my life that I don't like myself and I disagree with my thought processing. So when another person crosses my path and tell me they don't like me or disagree with me I am ever so cool with that. I think they are right on target. I am not tripping off of what they think about me. Developing a strategy to put me back in circulation without being down on myself is ever so important. There is nothing wrong with talking to yourself. As long as you are giving yourself positive feedback about what you can achieve. Even when you fail to give yourself positive credit for trying the task. Words such as stupid, dumb, and especially the word retarded should not be in one's vocabulary. We will leave Anne Coulter with the word "retarded." It is one of her favorite words to call people. Who is Anne Coulter? Every minute of a person breath counts. I won't waste my breath.
Talking to oneself is a tool for loneliness and can help you tighten up loose ends on your decision. Come along with me and sing The Staple Singers, Respect Yourself. It is Time to bellow out some positive self-talking dialogue. We can sing through the dialogue with Michael Jackson's, "I'm Bad." Are you ready to Ease On Down The Road with Stephanie Mills and listen to some motivational tapes by Tony Robbins or Les Brown? Go treat yourself to a psychological sit in with Dr. Phil or a medical spinoff with Dr. Oz. When you gather up the strength to reject that whirlwind shopping spree or turn down that molting triple chocolate cupcake lace with homemade vanilla ice cream go on the VOICE and sing with Bon Jovi, Hallelujah, or an updated version of Hallelujah with Susan Boyle. Take a deep breath and exhale with BabyFace singing this is For The Cool In You. Every small accomplishment carries its weight in gold and needs to be acknowledged. For one person it may be tying their shoe and for another person, it may be brushing their teeth. It is an achievement and it is all good. Can you say it with me? "It is all Good." You don't need to tip-toe through the tulips. Go ahead and get your sprint on. You Can Say It To Yourself Or Out Loud! Self-talk is cool. Going after the pros and cons in the mooch-o grande decision helps bring clarity to your choice. You are listening to your external hard drive and can hear what may be the best decision for you. YE-AH!
Well, You know it makes me want to shout, kick my heels up, throw my hands up, throw my head back. Come on now! Don't forget to say you will. Those of you who have problems with your attention span can reel in your emotions, strengthen your communication, focus on your mental processing. For Real! For Real! You are not crazy. Unless you found some way to separate yourself from yourself you will be living with yourself when everyone else splits the scene. Mavis Staple has started singing "Respect Yourself " again. Put A Little Love In Your Heart and Talk To Yourself when there is no one else to talk to. People try to bring you down. Worst of all, most people don't need other people to bring them down because they do a good job of bringing themselves down. All negative feedback takes them clean out of the box. Turn your mirror on and adjust those knobs for some positive Mirror Radio-Hope. This is the mental Selfie uplift without the iPhone. Okay! If you find it difficult to give yourself some Radio-Hope it is TIME to get a grand guardian who will help you cheer through the tough spots.
If constant testing would have been done by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) there would not be so many people wondering why they talk to themselves out loud. NLD should have made the DSM5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders). Individuals who are diagnosed with NLD (Nonverbal Learning Disability) are auditory-verbal and process out loud all the time. Giving Recognition to a hidden diagnosis, NLD is a developmental disability in which individuals demonstrate a mature vocabulary, rote memory skills, and excellent reading abilities. Children/adults can have difficulty interacting with other individuals, transitioning to new settings and working new changes (teachers, peers, associates etc.) and trouble with writing/fine motor coordination. Reading skills are exemplary, abstract concepts need to be explained in detail because individuals with NLD have difficulty understanding metaphors, emotional nuances, multiple levels of meaning, and relationship issues. Descriptions of abstract concepts must be given simply and with patients. If you want to give a real Impression along with Curtis Mayfield, concrete factual information is the narrative for We're A Winner. People with NLD are not EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED and never let anyone say boy you can't make it because a feeble mind is in your way. No more tears do we cry because we have finally dried our eyes and we're moving on up, moving on up. LAWD! Ham-Mercy we're moving on up. Positively Positive!
Three areas are encompassed by NLD: Motoric (coordination), Visual-Spatial (Blind Mines Eye/can't form visual images or gestalt impression/whole picture) and Social (English language is so abstract and have hidden meanings). Social interaction is very easily misjudged and misinterpreted. Awareness is brought to you just in case you see a person with no earplugs and no phone and talking to themselves. Don't freak out it might just be the hidden disability with UNINTENTIONAL BEHAVIORS whom the American Psychiatric Association (APA) failed to put on THE LIST. The guy with the iPhone and the ear-plugs may not have anyone on the other end. A good strategy for fitting in and not having people stare or calling you crazy. Don't be afraid. Go ahead and be Proud. Self-Talk__Say It Out Loud!


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How low will Vegas go for water?
Patricia Mulroy, the manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, has acquired a certain notoriety among Western water groupies for her hard-nosed approach to Colorado River water politics. But now, she may be winning new renown for setting records in a sort of how-low-can-you-go aquatic limbo.
The Water Authority currently pumps water to 1.7 million people in the Las Vegas area from two intakes in Lake Mead. But the drought on the Colorado River, which started in 1999, threatens to lower the reservoir's water level below the pipes. Last year, Las Vegas spent $6.5 million to extend one of the intakes by 50 feet (HCN, 4/26/04: Drought forces Las Vegas to reach deeper for water).
But, says Mulroy, if the river sees "a couple more years like 2002" — when Colorado River flows were just a quarter of normal — "life gets ugly." On April 19, the water authority committed to building a third pipe to slake the city's thirst. The new intake will reach 200 feet deeper into Lake Mead than the city's two existing intakes. "This isn't increasing the amount of water," says Mulroy. "This is increasing our ability to take it when we need it."
The cost of the project? A cool $650 million. That money will come primarily from existing funds, but may also require increasing water rates and charging more to hook up new homes and businesses. Meanwhile, the Water Authority is moving forward with a massive $2 billion project to pump groundwater from three counties in rural eastern Nevada and send it to Las Vegas (HCN, 9/13/04: A water-and-wilderness bill kicks up dust in Nevada). That project would go into operation in 2015.


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Royal Society Runs Science Women Wiki Marathon
Quick: name a famous female scientist. If you said "Marie Curie," you're not alone. In fact, a lot of people can't think of a single other example. Well, England's Royal Society is fixin' to rectify that. On Friday, October 19th, it's sponsoring a Wiki-editing marathon for articles about women in science.
Wikipedia is the go-to source for information on pretty much everything. But its coverage is a little light when it comes to the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and math. So the Royal Society is looking for volunteers with wi-fi and a bit of Wiki knowhow to create or enhance entries on female scientists.
Suggestions include Lilian Bland, the first woman to build and fly her own aircraft; Martha Ludwig, who helped solve the first protein crystal structure done in the US; and Barbara Crawford Johnson, the only woman to serve on the NASA team that engineered the moon landing.
You can take part in the effort using Twitter. The hashtag is #WomenSciWP. That's women-S-C-I-W-P. So give Marie Curie a well-earned rest and help other women in science get the wiki-recognition they deserve.
—Karen Hopkin
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]


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Five Dumb Refinance Mistakes
When refinancing a mortgage, smart people can do stupid things. But smart people can also get informed and avoid costly errors. Here are five stupid refinance mistakes and the smart ways to avoid them.
1. Assuming your home's value hasn't dropped
Why it happens: Homeowners especially can be over-optimistic (even delusional) about home values.
A recent study concluded that homeowners consistently overestimate the value of their property by 5 to 10 percent, and those who bought at the height of the market are most likely to make this error. Even in neighborhoods where every third home is in foreclosure, some residents don't see the connection between their neighbors' home equity erosion and their own. This causes them to waste money for appraisals when they haven't a snowball's chance in hell of getting a refinance.
How to avoid it: You can handle the truth! Check several online valuation systems to get a possible range of values for your home. Request the opinion of a real estate agent who sells a lot of homes in your neighborhood. When considering a refinance, know what value you need to conclude the transaction and then determine how likely your home is to appraise at that value.
2. Refinancing with your current lender without rate shopping
Why it happens: Because we're slackers when it comes to not-fun things like mortgage shopping.
Retention strategies are programs designed to recapture customers considering a refinance without putting silly ideas into the pretty little heads of other customers. Inquiring about your mortgage balance can trigger a call and a refinance offer from your lender. It can tempt you to take a higher-than-market mortgage rate by making it easy with a pre-approved or streamlined process.
How to avoid it: Your lender is not your friend--don't assume that it's giving you a special deal. Compare your lender's quote with others--see what rate you'd qualify for at the same costs as your lender's offer, and get these quotes in writing. If you can do better elsewhere, inform your lender and you may be offered a better deal--or refinance elsewhere for a lower rate.
3. Skipping your mortgage payment during escrow
Why it happens: We hear what we want to hear.
Well-intentioned advisors like this guy who recommends applying for a refinance, skipping your payment, and spending it on Christmas gifts(!), can make you think that there is some kind of fabulous free lunch associated with mortgage refinancing. However, if your new loan closes late, the missing payment could end up on your credit report and even increase your refinance rate. That could give you a nasty case of indigestion.
How to avoid it: Make your mortgage payment on time (or even early if you don't do it online) each month until your refinance has closed. If you overpay your old lender, the money will be returned to you. Understand that refinance transactions may take longer than purchases because lenders give purchase mortgages priority.
4. Making purchases on credit
Why it happens: Spending money feels awesome! But it shouldn't--Matt Hackett, an underwriting manager with Equity Now, explains.
"Most lenders pull a 'no score report' or a 'soft pull' which does not show credit scores, but shows any updated balances, payments, and/or new accounts which have been opened since the original credit inquiry."
This report can kill a refi.
"If there are new inquiries or accounts, the borrower will have to explain them and the loan will go back to underwriting," says Todd Huettner of Huettner Capital. "At a minimum, this could cause delays. If a new account exists, then it must be documented and the liability must be included in the debt-to-income analysis."
Borrowers' errors can be costly.
"They will save $100 on a new TV if they open a store credit card but wind up paying thousands more on their refinance," says Huettner.
How to avoid it: Certified Mortgage Specialist and author of Stress Free Mortgage Linda Fleischmann says, "I make sure that my clients are very aware of the 'do not apply for new credit' rule as well as having them call me prior to making any large purchases." So hide your credit cards and don't give your Social Security number to anyone until your mortgage refinance is closed and funded and you hear the fat lady singing.
5. Overestimating self-employment income
Why it happens: We equate income with winning and we don't want to be losers. Everyone has a friend who always comes back from Vegas claiming to have "won" thousands. And he did win, if you ignore the losing hands!
New business owners tend to do the same thing, counting the revenue (winning hands) while disregarding expenses. Borrowers who gross $10,000 a month might list that figure on their refinance application, but lenders look at tax returns. Many applicants find that the $10,000 a month they claim in earnings becomes $2,500 a month when mortgage underwriters get through with it.
How to avoid it: Understand how lenders evaluate your income. At its simplest, self-employment income for mortgage lending purposes is your taxable income plus depreciation and home office expenses. Lenders use Fannie Mae form 1084, Cash Flow Analysis, to calculate it.
Before refinancing, make a more realistic estimate of self-employment income and run it through a mortgage prequalification calculator to see if you earn enough to get approved. And know that underwriters don't think you're a loser even if they do cut your income.
So, no matter how smart you are, know that everyone is capable of making a dumb refinance mistake. But if you follow these five rules, you'll have the best shot at a seamless refinance.
The original article can be found at HSH.com:Faith-based lending: A mortgage with a message


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Hello High Hopes Fans!!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.
I wish you a very Safe and Happy New Year!!!
This is Swinging Sherry and Palm Tree S096.
tutorial here created by Kristine.
The image was embossed in black onto watercolor paper and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os then cut out and attached to the card.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Happy stamping and I hope you have a very Happy New Year!!


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What beauty & lifestyle influencers are saying about NV
Since its launch in spring 2017, NV has attracted a worldwide fan base for its flawless, long-wearing coverage, convenient application, and youth-enhancing formula. Jeunesse has created blogs, video tutorials and marketing resources on our innovative line of aerosol makeup, but to showcase how real women use NV, Jeunesse sent NV Primer, NV BB Perfecting Mist Foundation, and NV Bronzer, along with the NV Puff and the NV Headband, to beauty and lifestyle influencers.
What are beauty and lifestyle influencers? Influencers range from professional makeup artists to self-made experts and are respected for their opinions about a variety of makeup and self-care products. Viewers from cultures around the globe tune in to beauty vlogs to hear firsthand what influencers think about newly released products. In a way, influencers have become the modern word of mouth, making recommendations and giving tips about how to use beauty products.
Jeunesse partnered with beauty and lifestyle influencers of varying skin types and tones to gather an array of perspectives on NV. Demonstrating different methods of application and how to use each NV product, influencers showed how versatile the makeup line can be. To highlight these influencer-made videos and social media posts, Jeunesse will bring you an NV blog series that features videos, in-depth detail about NV's features and how you can use this content to build your business.
These marketing assets will be an excellent resource with which to engage your social media followers and help them understand how to use NV and realize its maximum benefits. Be sure to continue to follow our blogs about the NV influencer campaign. Through the series, you'll learn new selling points about the makeup line and have access to ready-to-use, shareable content that will help you become a leader in your market.


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We are so excited to share the cover of THIRD BASE by Heidi McLaughlin releasing on November 4th! Add it to your TBR below. Heidi is having a giveaway on her Facebook page for a chance to win a Kindle Fire - stop by her page to comment and enter! Good luck!
Ethan Davenport is already Boston's most eligible bachelor, in his second season with the Boston Renegades and has eyes for the girl behind the visitors' dugout who has been staring at him for a year.
That girl is Daisy Robinson, a journalism student at the University of Boston, a die-hard Renegades fan and determined to give Ethan a run for his money. He knows in order to have a chance with her, he needs to change his ways but he may just need her to wait until the off-season.
But with new found love comes challenges and Ethan and Daisy have to deal with his crazy schedule, school finals and his presence on her campus for some much needed media training. For Ethan nothing can come between him and Daisy, until a secret that she's been keeping threatens to destroy them both.
Release Date: November 4th
Cover by: Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations
Photography: Eric Battershell
Cover Model: Blake Farley
Heidi is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.
Originally from Portland, Oregon and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup, and their newest addition of a Highland Westie/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL.
During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting courtside during either daughter's basketball games.
♥ Other Books by Heidi McLaughlin ♥
Forever My Girl - The Beaumont Series #1
My Unexpected Forever - The Beaumont Series #2
Finding My Forever - The Beaumont Series #3
Finding My Way - The Beaumont Series #4
My Everything - A Beaumont Series Novella
12 Days of Forever - A Beaumont Series Novella
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Lost in Us - A Lost in You Novella
The Archer Brothers
Here with Me
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Choose Me
The Reeducation of Savannah McGuire


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Story highlights
Police rescue 73 people from a house in northern Mexico
About half of the victims are Central American
They had been snatched from buses or bus stations
The trek for those traveling through northern Mexico remains dangerous: police rescued 73 people who were being held hostage in the border city of Reynosa.
The victims had been kidnapped from buses or bus terminals, and about half were Central Americans, police said. It is likely, though police did not say, that a majority of the victims were migrants on their way north to the United States.
Read more: The new Mexico, beyond stereotypes
Some of the kidnap victims were held for as long as four months, Mexico's National Security Commission said in a statement.
Federal police on patrol Monday in Reynosa followed a car after its occupants tried to avoid them, the commission said. When the two men in the car pulled up to a house, so did the police.
The police approached the house "from where they could hear cries for help," the commission said.
Inside the house, police found 73 hostages: 37 Mexicans, 19 Hondurans, 14 Guatemalans, and three Salvadorans, it said.
Six minors were among those rescued, the commission said.
The Latino footprint in America: 500 years strong
The victims told police that some had been held between four days and four months. The alleged kidnappers made phone calls to the victims' families, demanding ransom payments in exchange for their release, the commission said.
Some of the people rescued said they were assaulted or raped, it said.
Police arrested the two men in the car who arrived at the house, and a third man who they allege worked as a lookout.
Authorities have discovered at least three mass kidnapping operations in and around Reynosa this year. In July, Mexican authorities rescued 81 migrants they said were held captive in Reynosa.
And in June, authorities said that in a small town nearby they rescued 165 migrants who were kidnapped as they tried to cross into the United States.
The dangers are not limited to the north of the country.
In July, authorities in southern state of Chiapas rescued 94 migrants who were crammed into the back of a hauling truck in "subhuman conditions."
They showed symptoms of asphyxiation and serious lesions on their hands and feet when they were rescued.


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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Randy Moss stared at the scoreboard after his third touchdown catch and saw a fan wearing a Randy Moss mask on the screen.
The real Randy — the one who played hard Sunday — stood on the sideline with a huge grin as he made his parting-of-the-defense motion, sweeping his arms from his chest to his sides.
"That was very entertaining," Moss said after the New England Patriots clinched the AFC East title with a 35-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. "I had a lot of my teammates wanting me to mess with the guy. So he put a little humor into it and I enjoyed it."
After his last home game, a 20-10 win over Carolina, several Panthers questioned his effort. So did Patriots fans the following week. But on Sunday they chanted his name, "Randy, Randy, Randy."
And Moss, who has sold the mask on his Web site , appreciated it.
"My last performance here wasn't really too hot," he said. "The good thing about (Sunday's game) is everybody had fun."
Everybody but the Jaguars (7-8), who still have a slim chance of getting a wild-card berth.
"It was embarrassing," Jacksonville safety Sean Considine said. "When a playoff spot is on the line, and the opportunity is in front of you, it's hard to believe we got physically handled like that."
The Patriots (10-5) won the AFC East for the seventh time in nine years after missing the playoffs last season.
"Regardless of stats, regardless of everything, getting the (AFC East championship) hat and T-shirt is what we're out here for," running back Sammy Morris said.
Brady threw four touchdown passes and the young defense put together its third straight solid game.
The Patriots have won three in a row by a combined score of 72-27 after losing three of four.
"It's the time of year where we really need to start playing good football," Brady said, "and I think today was one of our best 60 minutes that we played all year."
Brady rebounded after throwing for just 307 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his previous two games. He completed 23 of 26 passes for 267 yards, reminiscent of his brilliance the last time the teams met — 26 of 28 for 262 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 31-20 divisional playoff win on Jan. 12, 2008.
The Patriots rushed for a season-high 197 yards Sunday.
"I wasn't surprised at the way they played," Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "The game meant a lot to them."
Jacksonville dropped its third straight game and fourth in its past five after starting 6-4.
"We were in the front seat for the playoffs and we just fell apart," said Maurice Jones-Drew, who was held to 63 yards rushing. "I don't understand how we as players can do that."
Moss began his comeback from the Carolina game by catching a touchdown pass the next week in a 17-10 win at Buffalo. Against the Jaguars, he was unusually animated.
"I think any time he scores touchdowns he gets pretty animated," Brady said. "I'm looking for one of those masks on eBay."
Moss caught a 2-yard pass for the first touchdown after the Patriots got the ball on downs at the Jacksonville 35. Then, with 45 seconds left in the half, Moss raised his hand in the back of the end zone after breaking his pattern to go for the open spot and Brady found him for a 6-yard score and a 28-0 halftime lead.
His third touchdown came six seconds into the fourth quarter, a 17-yarder on which he reached the ball out to the goal line. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio challenged and, while officials reviewed the play, fans chanted his name.
The touchdown call was upheld, giving Moss the ninth three-touchdown game of his career, and Stephen Gostkowski's extra point made it 35-0. Moss finished with four catches for 45 yards.
Jacksonville finally scored with 12:41 left on a 2-yard keeper by David Garrard.
The Jaguars ended the first series of the game by forcing Laurence Maroney to fumble at the Jacksonville 1-yard line then turned the ball over on downs at their 35. On the first possession of the third quarter they moved from their 26 to the Patriots 5 before Garrard was intercepted by Shawn Springs.
The Patriots also scored on Chris Baker's 26-yard reception and Morris' 1-yard run.
The Jaguars couldn't stop Wes Welker either. He had 13 catches for 138 yards, his seventh game of the season with at least 10 receptions and sixth with at least 100 yards. He leads the NFL with 122 catches after getting 112 and 111 in his other two seasons with New England.
"I knew my numbers would probably go up just having Tom and the type of offense we're in," he said, "but I never knew it would be like this."<
Notes: Brady wasn't sacked for the fourth straight game as the Jaguars remained last in the NFL with 14 sacks. … Morris tied his career best with a 55-yard run. … Garrard completed 19 of 25 passes for 185 yards.
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THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (September 27, 2019) – The Woodlands Residential Design Review Committees and Development Standards Committee will hold their regularly scheduled meetings for the month of October. All meetings are held at The Woodlands Township, 2801 Technology Forest Boulevard, The Woodlands, Texas 77381.
In accordance with state law, notice of these meetings is posted at least 72 hours in advance inside the boundaries of the Township at its office building, and on this website. In the event of a cancellation or a meeting being rescheduled, please refer to the Township calendar or to the respective meeting agenda for more detailed information.
Additional information is also available at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/covenants or by calling 281-210-3800.


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Big Musical Numbers
Avoiding patch spots along Route 183 (West Street) in Lenox last week.
I love facts and figures and stick them into articles where ever I can: size, volume, cost, width, pressure, number. But even I was a little taken aback by the numbers offered up by Tanglewood last week.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home is very involved in the road reconstruction project along Route 183 and for good reason: Some 350,000 visit the campus during its eight-week opening during summer. That's a lot traffic on 183, better known as West Street to the natives.
The real stunner was the economic impact for the county, some $60 million, an amount no doubt reported broadly elsewhere when I wasn't looking. (Oh, here it is.) About half of that was through visitor spending — hotels, motels, restaurants, shopping, gas.
The total annual impact of nonprofits is nearly $2 billion, with Tanglewood responsible for nearly a third of that. Rep. Smitty Pignatelli wasn't kidding when he called it the "economic engine of the Berkshires."
It also, apparently, is major attraction in luring new residents. Town Manager Gregory Federspiel said second-home owners make up a third of the population, and most of those emigrants fleeing the dangers of the Big Apple after 9/11.
Which way to go?
The trend for summer Berkshire living (at a larger scale than the old money barons who transformed South County into a getaway a century ago and then left their mansions for those of lesser means to enjoy, including at Tanglewood) has actually led to a drop in hotel and restaurant revenue — everyone was eating at home.
But they're still driving down a well-beaten path to Tanglewood, one that could definitely use some fixing. The Boston Globe ran an interesting story two years ago on the automobile and Tanglewood that noted traffic jumped 28 percent from 1990 to 2004. Hardly news to natives.
Hopefully, next two years of digging up West Street and realigning the intersection with Route 7 will go smoothly for both town and Tanglewood.
|Tags: Lenox, Tanglewood


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Picture boxes are the ones perfect for any framed pictures that you have. Boxshop has all the sizes for all of your picture frames.
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This one is a very common tool at home but still, not everyone has it. That is why Boxshop made sure that they can provide their customers even the most basic things for moving stuff, such as packing tapes.
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© Copyright 2020 by Wholesale Packaging Ltd. Digital Marketing


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There is such thing as human cheese. How is it human? Well, er, it's made from the breast milk of women. Human women. That's not gross, right? It's breast milk, it's natural. Uh no, still gross. Would you eat it, though?
I don't think I would. Breast milk is for babies, once you clock enough time on this planet, you stop that shit. You erase it from your memory and overwrite it with thoughts of new mammaries. You don't turn it into cheese! Cheese is supposed to be delicious, it's not an appetizer for cannibalism. After this, will blood be the new wine?
But then, you think, maybe I will try it. Cause how natural is it to hijack milk from a cow and turn that into cheese. Human breast milk is as natural as it gets, after all, that's what most of us grew up with. It's the lifeline of humanity, it's the root of our being. And, well, that's sorta the reason it was made.
Miriam Simun, a NYU student, started her cheese project to challenge the idea of health, ethics, natural, biotechnology and basically every socially conditioned idea in our head. She asks:
If we reject all technologically modified food in favor of what is 'natural,' how far back to do we go? If we are determined to continue to enjoy our cheese, perhaps it is most natural, ethical and healthy to eat human cheese?
Currently, there are three flavors: Sweet Airy Equity, which is mild and hard and made from a young mother of Chinese descent. Wisconsin Bang, a deliciously creamy cheese made with the milk of a sweet lawyer's assistant who hails from Wisconsin. And City Funk, a stinky cheese from a reserved lady from Manhattan.
It all sounds so righteous but, no, I can't bring myself to do it. It's too much. Organic, grass-fed, free-range, whatever, that's my natural. Human breast milk, not so much. [Miriam Simun via Metafilter via Serious Eats]


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By Climate Central
Climate change is driving up summer temperatures across the country. We often talk about warming in terms average temperatures, which can be perceived as small to the public, but any rise in the average temperature leads to a rise in the the number of days that are extremely hot.
To understand what's happening, we need to get a little geeky and take you back to Stats class. The classic bell curve represents the distribution of all temperatures at a location. The bulk of temperatures — those close to average — sit near the middle of the curve. Record temperatures, which are rare, sit on the fringes, with hot on right and cold on the left. As the world warms from the increase in greenhouse gases, the whole curve shifts to the warmer side, the right. This shift results in a large jump in the number of extremely hot days and a drop in the number of extremely cool days. It also means heat records are more likely to be set than cold records. And it is these extremes that impact our lives.
That's what we are seeing across much of the country. Average summer temperature have risen a few degrees across the West and Southern Plains, leading to more days above 100°F in Austin, Dallas and El Paso all the way up to Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, and Boise. It's worth noting that this trend has been recorded across the entire Northern Hemisphere, as show in this WXshift animation.
Days above 85°F, 90°F, 95°F, 100°F and 105°F in these cities
The increase in extreme heat has repercussions for health, farming, and the energy grid that we rely on to stay cool in the summer. More extreme heat raises the risk of heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion, and allows insects to move into new areas, potentially increasing the spread of vector-borne diseases. It stresses crops accustomed to a milder climate and can worsen drought. Extreme heat is also associated with air stagnation, which traps pollutants and can worsen respiratory illnesses like asthma. The additional heat raises the demand for air conditioning, increasing cooling costs and straining the electric grid.
This originally appeared on Climate Central.


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3D laptop shipments have been slow this year, hindered by high prices and lack of consumer interest, according to research firm DisplaySearch.
Most of the 3D laptops are priced above US$1,000, which is much higher than the $600 to $800 consumers usually pay for standard laptops, said John Jacobs, director of notebook market research at DisplaySearch.
In tough economic times, asking for a $200 to $300 premium just to watch a few hours of 3D movies on a laptop will make customers hesitant, Jacobs said Wednesday. Consumers may perhaps shell out up to $100 for 3D features on laptops for occasional use, but flinch at the idea of spending more.
"If there's a reason you buy a notebook, it is because you need a notebook, not because you need a 3D notebook," Jacobs said.
Roughly 100,000 3D laptops had shipped for the year until mid-September, Jacobs said. That is a very small segment of the laptop market, where shipments have so far tallied more than 100 million units.
PC makers are shipping a total of about 10,000 3D laptops per month. That number should rise to 30,000 each month as laptop purchases pick up during the holiday season. It will remain a niche market, however.
DisplaySearch, which issued a market report this week, is projecting 179,000 3D laptops to ship this year — only 0.08 percent of the total laptop market. The number should increase to 611,000 units next year, about 0.23 percent of the market.
3D lacks content to justify a high premium, but more 3D games and movies are slowly making their way to smaller screens, Jacobs said. A number of companies are also providing technology to convert 2D content to 3D with the laptops.
Consumer electronics companies are releasing devices to produce 3D content, as well. Sony has said it is working on a 3D camera, while Panasonic recently demonstrated a 3D video camera. Fujifilm has already released a digital camera to take 3D pictures and video.
Users have voiced concerns about the inconvenience of wearing 3D glasses, but that specific problem doesn't seem to be affecting 3D laptop shipments.
"I have heard nothing to suggest that supply of the glasses is an issue. I think it has to do with lack of demand for these notebooks," Jacobs said.
Top PC makers like Acer, Asus, Lenovo and Toshiba rolled out 3D laptops earlier this year. The companies pitched the laptops as a way to redefine the entertainment experience at home. The laptops come with a 3D capable graphics card from either Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices and 3D glasses.
3D laptops are mostly bought by enthusiasts like gamers, but even that market is very small, Jacobs said. Enthusiasts are still hesitant to pick up 3D laptops because of the poor resolutions of the screens, which are not designed for high-end gaming.
Most of laptops include 15.6-inch displays showing images at a 1366 by 768 pixel resolution, which is not enough for 3D gaming, Jacobs said. Gamers usually like laptops capable of handling full 1080p high-definition images, while most of the laptop are designed for 720p video.
"People can talk about 3D gaming and what not — but gaming to me has been an immersive experience," Jacobs said.
Hewlett-Packard, however, hopes to change the game. The company is due to ship the Envy 17 3D laptop, which comes with a 17.3-inch display and is capable of playing Blu-ray 3D video. HP has said it hopes to price the laptop under US$2,000.
With slow growth in shipments projected over the next few years, the future of 3D laptops remains uncertain. Jacobs said. PC makers have to either recover from the 3D hype, or the laptops will continue to linger on as a top-of-the-line products for enthusiasts, he said.


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In November, researchers from cybersecurity firm Invincea reported a vulnerability that could have allowed hackers to infect Belkin WeMo smart plugs with malware. The flaw was located in a configuration protocol that worked over the local area network and didn't require any authentication.
In 2015, when researchers from vulnerability intelligence firm Rapid7 analyzed nine Internet-connected baby monitors, they found hardcoded credentials in four of them. Those backdoor accounts provided administrative access to the devices over the local network.
The use of hidden accounts, unauthenticated management protocols and hard-coded cryptographic keys or passwords is very common in the IoT and embedded device world. These issues, which amount to insecure default configurations, are frequently found not just in consumer products, but also in enterprise ones, including in firewalls and other security devices.
For example, just earlier this month researchers from SEC Consult warned that 80 models of professional Sony security cameras used primarily by companies and government agencies had backdoor accounts. And this is just one of the many cases reported this year.
These basic weaknesses don't stem from insecure programming practices -- which plenty of vendors are also guilty of -- but from failing to take all types of attacks into consideration when designing their products. As a result they could more easily be eliminated than code-related vulnerabilities, which would require investments in developer training and security reviews.
This kind of insecure configurations could be easily avoided if device manufacturers would include LAN-based attacks in their threat modelling, but most of them still appear to treat local area networks as implicitly trusted environments, believing that attackers only target devices they can reach directly from the Internet.
Unfortunately that hasn't been for many years. Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks that hijack users' browsers when they visit malicious websites and then use them to attack routers and other devices through the local network are now common.
Hackers also frequently infect laptops or phones with malware and then search for other systems on LANs that they can compromise to gain a permanent foothold -- a practice known as lateral movement.
"This 'trust the LAN' mentality is very prevalent," said Craig Young, principal security researcher at Tripwire. "The risk of CSRF or compromised smartphone apps is huge and nobody seems to get it. In many cases, the LAN doesn't need vulnerabilities exposed because the devices don't even require authentication from local devices."
Just a few weeks ago Proofpoint uncovered a large scale malvertizing campaign that hacked people's routers via CSRF. The attackers placed malicious ads onto ad networks used by popular sites and redirected their visitors to an web-based attack toolkit. The end goal was to scan their local networks through their browsers, identify their routers and attempt to compromise them.
The toolkit had digital fingerprints for 129 router models and exploits for 36 of them. For the rest it tried to use known default credentials to log in.
CSRF attacks are not the only possibility to attack LAN devices that are not exposed directly to the Internet. Malware running on computers or smartphones can also be used for this purpose.
Researchers from Kaspersky Lab recently found the first Android-based malware built to hack routers. Once installed on a phone, the malicious app performs a brute-force password guessing attack against the router's admin web interface over the local network.
Many IoT vendors base their defense strategy on the fact that their devices will be installed behind routers instead of focusing on securing the devices themselves, said Brian Knopf, senior director of security research and IoT architect at Neustar. "This thinking from manufacturers is ignorant."
Knopf, who previously worked in product security at Linksys, Belkin and Wink, gave the example of a 2013 vulnerability found in the Philips Hue bridge that controls smart light bulbs in homes or offices. The weakness stemmed from an insecure management protocol that used access tokens based on physical MAC addresses for authenticating commands.
The flaw was only exploitable over the LAN, so the researcher who found the issue wrote an exploit in Java that could be remotely delivered to a computer through the browser to gather local MAC addresses and use them to send rogue commands to the Philips bridge.
"The only thing that will change this backward thinking by the vendors is for there to be enforceable requirements with penalties tied to not doing them," Knopf said. "Sure, there are IoT companies that do the right thing, but they are far outnumbered by those that don't."
One of the primary flaws across most connected devices is that they trust other devices on the local network by default, said Ted Harrington, executive partner at Independent Security Evaluators, the company that organizes the IoT hacking contest at the Def Con conference every year. "This is a violation of the fundamental secure design principle known as Assume Hostility or Trust Reluctance."
Assuming trust instead of hostility is problematic for several reasons and the so-called stepping stone attacks are one of them, Harrington said. These are attacks where hackers compromise systems that already have some level of trust or access to their final target.
One such attack led to the 2013 data breach at Target that affected over 100 million customers. In that case attackers started by compromising a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system and that allowed them to eventually reach the company's point-of-sale network.
Many small electronic devices don't appear to have much value for attackers at first glance because they have low computational power. But that can be deceptive: Their compromise is less likely to be detected and they can be used to launch attacks against more valuable targets located on the same network.
"Without adequately considering the trust model on the local network, each additional device installed presents a new way to compromise the network," Harrington said.
In 2016 there were approximately 100 reports of hardcoded or insecure default credentials in embedded devices, according to statistics from vulnerability intelligence firm Risk Based Security. Since 2013, there've been about 550 such weaknesses reported.
"Even before IoT became hugely popular, embedded devices had paltry security," said Carsten Eiram, the chief research officer at Risk Based Security. "These devices are often 10 years behind normal software when it comes to code maturity from a security perspective. A big part of that is the lack of scrutiny they received in comparison."
According to Eiram it's hard to say whether some IoT devices are plagued by insecure configuration issues because their creators don't account for local threats or because they're clueless about security in general.
"I think the call to action for embedded device/IoT vendors is not so much: 'You need to take security seriously by not viewing LAN-based attacks as minor' as much as 'You need to start caring about security; period.'," Eiram said. "But should some vendors consider LAN-based attacks to be outside of their threat model, they certainly have to start including it."
In Eiram's experience some vendors don't even consider the possibility of someone being able to discover their hardcoded passwords or to reverse-engineer their proprietary communications protocols.
It's worrying that many companies don't have policies for controlling who and under what circumstances can bring IoT devices into their networks, Eiram said. This creates a shadow IT problem where companies don't even keep track of such devices, making it even more important for them be developed with security in mind, Eiram said.
Consumers face a similar problem in enforcing access controls on their networks, according to Alex Balan, chief security researcher at antivirus vendor Bitdefender. They put these new devices -- from smart thermostats and sensors to Internet-connected doorbells and security cameras -- into their homes without restricting who can access them. They then share their Wi-Fi passwords with friends and family members who bring their own potentially infected laptops and smartphones into their networks.
"You should ask yourself one simple question: 'Can my home network be hacked ?'," Balan said. "If the answer is yes, then ask yourself why do you have such weak security policies considering all the sensitive data inside your network -- private photos, documents, files that you took home from work. If the answer is no then you're either really awesome or severely misinformed."
Until vendors start locking down their devices properly there are a few things you can do. First, make sure you secure your router to the best that you can, as it's the gateway into your network and probably the most targeted type of embedded device. At the very least change its default admin password and try to change its default LAN IP address to make it harder for automated CSRF attacks.
If your router offers the option to create virtual LANs (VLANs) use this feature to isolate your IoT devices in their own network segment and join your computer or phone to that network only when you need to manage them. Many IoT devices can be managed through cloud-based services so aside from the initial set-up you don't even need to access them over the local network.
If your router allows you to create a guest Wi-Fi network you can use that as a VLAN alternative for your IoT devices. A guest network is typically isolated from the main network and only provides Internet access to the devices connected to it. If you decide to do this, don't use that same guest Wi-Fi network for people who visit your home.
Companies should monitor their networks for newly connected devices all the time so they can immediately remove those that haven't been authorized. Approved IoT devices should be placed behind internal firewalls with strong access policies so they can't be attacked by other computers on the network.


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You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.
When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.


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Slacklining is the art of balancing on a length of webbing that's usually close to the ground. A slackline is normally set up between two trees and provides a great workout for your balance. Slacklining is always about having FUN.
High-quality lines are available from Gibbon Slacklines. While it's possible to make a slackline from climbing webbing and climbing gear, a dedicated line will be easier to set up and tension, and also easier to walk on.
Classic Slackline
The Gibbon Classic is perfect for your first slackline and suitable for just about everyone. It has a wide 2 in. strap with great grip. It's easy to set up, and with a 49 ft. length, it's easy to find two trees to anchor both ends.
If you're athletic and looking to do tricks on your slackline, the Jibline will suit you. Rubber integrated into the line increases the distance you can bounce; the effect is similar to a trampoline. The Jibline is 2 in. wide and easy to set up.
Surf and bounce like never before! The Gibbon Surfline can be set up over a 98 ft. span and is great fun to set up across water in the summer.
Like all Gibbon slacklines, the Funline has rubber for grip. It's ideal for kids and features bright prints and a shorter length to keep the emphasis on having fun outdoors.
Improvised Climbing Tape Slackline
It's possible to make your own custom slackline using tubular climbing tape. If you already have climbing gear suitable for making anchors and a tensioning system, then this is the cheapest entry into the sport.
Slacklines from climbing tape are usually narrow, 1 in. instead of 2 in., and more slippery without the tacky rubber surface. For these reasons, most slackliners eventually purchase one of the lines above.
Tree Protectors
In kindness to the tree that enables your slackline, it's respectful to protect the bark from abrasion. Gibbon makes Treewear, which uses Velcro to stay in place, but some slackliners improvise with old towels or carpet material cut to size.
Start close to the ground; knee height is good. A shorter line is easier to balance on. For first-timers and kids, set up a sturdy line or webbing at shoulder height while standing on the line. This works like training wheels on your bicycle.


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The Speed Wallet is now your best golfing partner, simply slide the marker off your wallet and keep track of your ball in style.
|RFID blocking
|Top quality eco-friendly Italian leather
|Magnetic closure
|Holds up to 12 cards* & 15 bills
|Dimensions: 63 x 86 x 8 mm (empty)
|Works with any currency
*Keep 2 cards per pocket minimum
We are committed to your 100% satisfaction. Therefore, if you are not fully satisfied with your purchase simply send it back at no charge within 10 days after you receive it and we will give you a full refund. Keep in mind that the order has to be made on our website, the item has to be in perfect resell conditions, and import duties or any other collection fees are refunded as store credit only. Please be aware that deciding not to pay import duties is not eligible for a full refund.
To complete your exchange or refund, please contact us before taking any actions. We also require a receipt or a proof of purchase as well as the physical product. For any additional information please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you were deemed eligible for a refund and you haven't received a refund, please first check your bank account or contact your credit card company. It may take a few business days before your refund is officially posted. If your refund is not posted within 3-4 business days, next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before your refund is posted. If you still haven't received your refund, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com


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EU agrees on talks with US to begin Monday (Update)
European Union officials on Friday said they will discuss "data protection and privacy rights" in parallel with trade talks with the United States next week.
But the head of the 28-nation bloc's executive Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said broader concerns about U.S. intelligence activities would have to be raised by member states individually because they fall under the category of national security.
Reports last weekend that the U.S. National Security Agency bugged EU diplomatic offices in Washington and infiltrated its computer network angered European officials. Many European leaders called for the NSA's surveillance activities to be discussed in parallel with trade talks opening next week in Washington.
Lithuania, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said the process would start with a meeting on Monday.
"It will deal with data protection and privacy rights of EU citizens falling within the competence of the EU, addressing the scope and composition of future meetings," the presidency said in a statement.
Obama administration participants in the meeting will include officials from the Department of Justice and from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a Justice Department spokesman said.
Barroso said that process was "very important to build and to enforce the confidence that is necessary also to pursue very ambitious agreements that we hope to conclude with the United States namely, in the field of trade and investment."
However, he added that "intelligence matters, those that are a matter of national security, not (falling under the purview) of the European Union, will be discussed by the member states with the United States."
The EU chief was speaking in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, which has taken over the six-month rotating presidency of the 28-member bloc as trans-Atlantic relations have been overshadowed by claims of U.S. eavesdropping.
EU home commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom suggested that two flagship information-sharing accords with the U.S. could be suspended due to the issue.
In a letter to U.S. Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano and Treasury Under Secretary David S. Cohen, seen by The Associated Press on Friday, Malmstrom said that "mutual trust and confidence have been seriously eroded."
The bad blood could take a toll on the Passenger Name Record program, in which Europe provides the U.S. with airline passenger information, and the Terrorist Financing Tracking Program. Both accords followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the U.S.
Malmstrom's letter, dated July 4, said, "Should we fail to demonstrate the benefits of the ... instruments for our citizens and the fact that they have been implemented in full compliance with the law, their credibility will be seriously affected and, in such a case, I will be obliged to reconsider if the conditions for their implementation are still met."
She is sending a team to Washington next week for previously scheduled meetings including a first review of the passenger accord and to finalize a joint evaluation of the tracking program to uncover terrorist financing.
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


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Cats Game design by Cyan Design
Cyan Design makes fabulous home décor items that not only help you create a warm and inviting space, but also one of fun and playfulness. We hope you have as much fun displaying their creative and exciting designs as Cyan does in creating them.
*This item is excluded from sale events and not available for additional discounting or promotional offers.


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Happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a great New Year whatever you did. We had some friends over for a BBQ, the kids swam and we were all in bed by 10pm.
As you may have heard I've decided to close down the retail side of my business to concentrate on styling and my family. I just can't do it all, I'm certainly not a superwoman. So the shop drew the short straw. I absolutely loved sourcing all the products for my shop and really loved seeing how my customers used them in their own parties and celebrations. Yes I'm a little sad but I'm also excited about what lies ahead this year. I have some fabulous jobs on the horizon and can't wait to share them with you.
Today I created this all white dessert table for Julie and Dean's wedding held at The Strand at Rugby Quay. Dean is a dentist so Julie requested that we incorporate lolly teeth into the design.
A huge thank you to all the vendors that worked with me on this.
The Lemony Cupcake - Coconut Stacks, Chocolates, Marshmallow Pops, Choc Pretzels.
Authentic French Macarons - Macarons
Cakes by Simone - Cupcakes and cake
Style Me Gorgeous - all artwork for labels and chocolate bar wraps
Sharnel Dollar Designs - Styling, design and photography


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Elizabeth Renter
Activist Post
If you love reading about natural health, you may already be a little suspicious of every food on your grocer's shelves. At this point, you are likely a label reader, you check produce stickers to see how far your vegetables have traveled, and you are on the lookout for food items you know, or at least suspect, may have genetically-modified ingredients.
But, are you aware of all the many supermarket secrets that could be working against your physical and financial health – aside from you feeling things like nasty effects of pesticides smothered on your produce?
Selling food is a business—from the subsidized soy and corn producers to the shelf-space in the grocery stores. And like any business, the primary concern is making money. Here are just a few ways that many grocery stores put your health and your budget to the test.
Over the past several years, containers and food packages have gotten smaller. Whether they are trying to make up for losses in a bad economy, or if it's just greed—food manufacturers are selling you less and they are selling these smaller packages at the same price! They'll shrink the product (but not the price) for a while and then when they add a few ounces back, they can market it as "20% more!"
2. Expired Food in the Deli
That prepared food you buy from the deli comes off the shelves of the store, and they aren't picking the freshest options. Instead, they'll choose the foods that are closest to their expiration date, saving themselves money. A better bet: cooking for yourself.
3. Eye-level Shelves are Prime Real Estate
Food companies pay for product placement. The little-known companies and local food producers are often on the very top shelf or way down at floor level because they can't afford to be right in the middle, where companies pay a stiff price to be closer to your eyes and hands.
Your grocer may be making their wares look more attractive with colored bulbs. In most cases this is actually against the law, but is reportedly difficult to enforce. Red lights over the meat counters or green lights over the vegetables can make the food look better and make you spend more.
There are no restrictions on who can fumble through the produce section. But not only are you taking home produce that's been handled by other customers, it was put out there by store employees, the person who unpacked the box, and even the person who picked it. There's no telling who has touched the produce or where their hands have been. So, if you need a snack and opt for something quick out of the produce department (smart thinking!), be certain you wash it thoroughly—even if it's organic.
Other Supermarket Secrets You Probably Don't Know About
Here are a few other supermarket secrets you probably don't know about:
- Freezing Food – Did you know that what you think is fresh could be months old? After being kept in a freezer for months to prevent aging, breads are finally thawed to put on display. This is known as "parbaking". Similarly, meat is frozen before reaching the supermarket, but then thawed to look fresh in the market's freezer. The problem? This opens a wider door for bacterial exposure and growth. Think twice before stocking up on meat, only to freeze it.
- Avoiding Mondays – Deliveries to supermarkets don't typically happen on weekends. This means that stuff purchased on Mondays is likely several days old. Wednesday is generally when supermarket shelves are stocked with fresh products.
- Use-By Date – While it's scary to think about, you could actually see the same products you saw months ago, with a new use-by date sticker on it. The manufacturer use-by date can't be changed, but retailers can add their own use-by date sticker numerous times until the product is sold. Grocery stores need those profits!
- The "Cold Line" – There is something called a "cold line," also known as the "load limit," where eggs are kept. The cold line is a colored line in the dairy section painted on by manufacturers. If you see eggs stacked above this line, know that these eggs can sweat, igniting possible bacterial growth.
Additional Sources:
Dr. Oz
Yahoo! Health
Explore More:
- Top 7 Supermarket Foods to Avoid
- MRSA 'Superbug' Bacteria Found in Detroit Meat
- Island with Healthiest People Over 99 Offers Secrets of Longevity
- Price of Junk Food and Fresh Food | Infographic
- Chemicals in Fast Food: 3 Fast Food Ingredient Secrets
- Roman-Era Shipwreck Reveals Ancient Medical Secrets
This article first appeared at Natural Society, an excellent resource for health news and vaccine information.


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Even as a non-Catholic, I was filled with hope when an Argentine cardinal said to be passionate about serving the poor stepped onto the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square as Pope Francis.
By taking the name of a church reformer, the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio promised a better day for an ossified institution whose people beg for hope while hierarchs defend medieval power and pomp.
By standing in silence and bowing his head for the crowd's blessing, Francis showed a humility that could inspire believers grown weary of Roman arrogance. In greeting the crowd, the new pope showed a common touch that could repurpose a global movement from being lost in scandal and self-serving.
In ways that world leaders rarely manage, Francis conveyed sincerity and commitment to a singular vision of servanthood. Whether that vision survives remains to be seen. But for now he read the moment: a vast constituency eager for something deeper than palace intrigue, something closer to Jesus than elaborate processions of old men wearing costly garments.
Perhaps he will read the rest of the moment: Women eager for the place that Jesus conferred on them but early male church leaders took away. Young people eager for faith in action, not encyclicals issued from above. Dark-skinned people eager for recognition. Homosexuals eager for a place at the table without having to seek ordination first.
To be sure, Francis will meet a firestorm of resistance at every level. The Roman Curia has faced down reformists before. But if Francis can continue as he began, there is hope.
That hope matters to all Christians. Each of our denominations and institutions struggles against the same demons: Mammon offering wealth as the ultimate measure of life, power seeking allies at the expense of fighting oppression and injustice, and hucksters promising magic. It's the temptation of Jesus all over again. It always is.
But first things first. Just days after being elected pontiff, Francis is discovering what other leaders discover: Their past eventually catches up with them. In his case, it's scrutiny for his possible role in Argentina's "Dirty War" of the 1970s, when some church leaders curried favor with the military dictatorship by looking the other way when people were tortured and "disappeared."
The church hierarchy calls it "defamation" to raise such questions. But as any penitent knows, a desire to move forward must be accompanied by candor about the past.
It's the same issue we all face when we want to move forward. Reconciliation, restoration and renewal must begin in the swamp of needing to start over, not the gossamer of lofty hopes.
The first test of Francis' reign, therefore, might not be his steel in reforming the Curia, but his candor about his own experience in Argentina.
This is especially critical for religious leaders. Religion tends to make compromises in order to preserve itself. The Jewish hierarchy chose Rome's imperial favor over God's promise of a Messiah. The early church sought the emperor's favor and then allied itself with monarchs and dictators.
German churches remained largely silent during Hitler's rise. Dutch Reformed leaders provided theological cover for apartheid in South Africa. White religious leaders in the South supported slavery and then segregation. Even today, churches invite bigots into their pulpits and call it patriotism.
To move toward God's Easter Day, we must first acknowledge the darker days when we turned against God and each other.
Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of "Just Wondering, Jesus" and founder of the Church Wellness Project. Via RNS.
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Hot Issues From Linn County Iowa Profile
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Birthday: 29 December, 1951
Bio: I am a typical mixed breed Jacksonian=American Of Cherokee/Irish, Scot,. Welsh, English and Platt Deutch descent. If you do not know what a Jacksonian-American is I suggest reading The Jacksonian Tradition by Walter Russell Mead
Blog Created: Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Last Updated: Tuesday, 22 August 2023 - 7:58 PM CDT
Blog Entries: 1155


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This article is more than 1 year old
Vuln exposes eBay developer accounts
Password changes ordered
eBay security officials are requiring members of its developer program to change their passwords following the discovery of a vulnerability that could allow attackers to intercept sensitive account details.
"eBay has recently identified a means by which someone could gain access to eBay Developers Program account information," Kumar Kandaswamy, manager of the eBay Developers Program, wrote in an advisory posted on the auctioneer's website. "Out of an abundance of caution and to help ensure the security of the eBay Developers Program, we are requiring that all developers" change their passwords.
The vulnerability doesn't allow attackers to capture financial data such as credit card numbers and so far there are no known exploits targeting it. Kandaswamy didn't elaborate on on the weakness.
Over a several-month span in 2007, a hacker who called himself Vladuz was able to penetrate some eBay defenses and gain unauthorized access to parts of its network reserved for employees. The online miscreant, who was fond of bragging about his exploits on eBay chat boards, was later arrested in Romania, where he is believed to have resided.
eBay's developer program helps developers use its API to write applications for the site. The site recently imposed stricter standards on members when creating passwords. Just last week, security guru Bruce Schneier issued this refresher on the secure creation of passwords. ®


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Nokia announced on Thursday that it has filed patent claims in the U.K. High Court, Dusseldorf and Mannheim District Courts in Germany and the District Court of the Hague, Netherlands, again taking aim at Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
The claims are the latest in the patent war between the two companies, which started in October last year when Nokia sued Apple for patent infringement. Apple then countersued Nokia.
The actions announced Thursday add 13 Nokia patents to the 24 already asserted against Apple at the U.S. International Trade Commission and in Delaware and Wisconsin Federal courts, according to a statement from Nokia.
The new filings cover patents related to a wide variety of areas, including touch user interface, on-device application stores, signal noise suppression, antennas, display illumination and the integration of multiple radios, according to Nokia. For example, using a wiping gesture to navigate on a touch screen was patented by Nokia more than 10 years before the launch of the iPhone, it said.
Nokia and Apple aren't the only companies suing each other in the mobile phone market. Apple has sued HTC and Motorola, while Motorola is involved in a legal battle with Microsoft. Add to that Oracle's patent lawsuit against Google and its Android operating system.
Usually the lawsuits are about the money: Companies will license patents if the price is right. But just a fraction of a percentage point difference in royalties can mean a lot of money when a billion phones are sold annually, Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight, said earlier this year. One company pursuing a different strategy is Apple, Wood said: Rather than license its patents to generate a revenue stream, it uses them to differentiate its products from the competition.
Send news tips and comments to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Library Funding News
As part of general Advocacy efforts, the ALA Public Information Office compiles news reports of library funding impacts nationwide.
See the page on overall federal funding for libraries from ALA's Washington (DC) Office. Also see the ALA Washington Office blog, the posts in the funding category on District Dispatch.
ALA's American Libraries magazine has its own Advocacy section of library news stories, including stories on library closings and budget cuts to library systems.
Public Library Funding
Public Library Funding Updates
Funding Issues in U.S. Public Libraries, Fiscal Years 2003-2006 (PDF) is by Denise M. Davis, Director of the ALA Office for Research and Statistics. This study, conducted in early 2006, found that "although it is not all doom and gloom, libraries experienced significant reductions in fiscal years 2003, 2004 and 2005. This was balanced by public libraries reporting revenue increases during these fiscal years, although only slightly higher than those reporting decreases. An equal number of respondents reported level funding for all fiscal years – between 77% and 82% of all libraries responding - resulting in a net decrease in local revenue for these libraries. The reality was that a vast majority of U.S. public libraries had stilted buying power as a result of the level funding during these fiscal years. Libraries more frequently attributed local tax revenue increases or decreases to levies or other tax measures (19.3 % and 15%, respectively). The second most frequent response was budget shortfalls (10.4%), and the third budget surpluses (6.3%)."
School Library Funding
School Library Funding Updates
Referenda Roundups
See a continuously updated list of links on library referenda at http://www.delicious.com/alalibrary/referenda
For recent library referenda news reports, see ALA's American Libraries member magazine and the (non-ALA) magazine, Library Journal --
- The Votes Are in and U.S. Libraries Win by Jeffrey Smith, Public Libraries Online, December 3, 2012
- Libraries Fare Well Overall at the Ballot Box by Beverly Goldberg and Jordan Brandes, American Libraries, 11/14/2012
- Voters Affirm Libraries. Urban Libraries Council, November 7, 2012
- Libraries on the Ballot by Meredith Schwartz, Library Journal, November 7, 2012
- Voters Keep the Doors Open | Library Referenda 2011 by Beth Dempsey, Library Journal, April 2, 2012.
- "Library Referenda 2010 | Vote of Confidence: Despite tough antitax sentiment, libraries win 87% of operating and 55% of building referenda", by Beth Dempsey, Library Journal, April 1, 2011.
- "Voters Step Up: Library Referenda 2009", Library Journal, March 15, 2010.


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Office Rat-A-Tat: Dangerous Jobs
A couple weeks back I posted on one terribly humiliating job I had back in college and asked you to comment on your worst job ever. Thanks for all the wonderful remarks"¦ I definitely feel humbled now (read: glad I'm not the only loser out there).
Today, I'm looking at jobs again: the country's most dangerous jobs. According to a recent article in Forbes: "For the second straight year, fishing and related activities topped the fatality list, with 142 deaths per 100,000 workers. Slips and overboard falls continue to wreak havoc on some commercial fishing boats off the coasts of Alaska, Massachusetts and other seaboard areas." After fishermen, we have pilots and aircraft engineers, with a rate of 88 per 100,000 employees.
As you might expect, 92% of all work-related deaths happened to men, not women. The article also revealed some good news, rather cheerily (!): homicides at the workplace were down to 516, the lowest total in 12 years (compare that to 585 murders in 1999). Whooohoooo!
Agricultural workers busy in the fields accounted for 158 work-related deaths last year. Hit hardest in that sector were Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota and Montana, earning them a proud share of the dubious title "The 4 most dangerous states for workers."
For me, the only dangerous encounter I've ever had at my desk here in LA or NYC was when I accidentally spilled the insides of a dying toner cartridge all over the CFO's brand new suit. Wasn't pretty I tell you.
Any danger involved with your job? My new feature—Office Rat-A-Tat—starts now!