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ICE's Long-Awaited Detention Reform Prompts Questions from Supporters and Detractors
In the first quarter of 2012, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made two announcements affecting the U.S. immigration detention system — the establishment of new standards for all ICE detention facilities and the opening of the first-ever civil detention facility designed and built by ICE. According to the agency, both of these developments reflect ICE Director John Morton's longstanding commitment to create a "truly civil detention system" for immigration detainees.
Outside ICE, however, the new reforms have had something of a chilly reception. Depending on their perspectives, critics have branded the new measures as either too lenient or too strict. The changes have also prompted a new round of questioning over the way in which the Obama administration is handling the nation's growing immigration detention system — which last year held upwards of 420,000 noncitizens.
At a recent House immigration subcommittee hearing on the new reforms, titled "Holiday on ICE," the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX), compared the new standards to "hospitality guidelines" for unauthorized immigrants. Conservative lawmakers also criticized the cost of the new ICE detention facility and said that ICE was jeopardizing public safety by releasing from detention known criminal aliens.
Immigrant advocates, on the other hand, believe that in issuing the new guidelines, ICE has lost a major opportunity to recast the immigration detention system in a civil-detention mold. To them, the new standards continue to be based on the American Correctional Association's guidelines for penal detention in jails and prisons. And since the new guidelines are not issued by a regulation, advocates argue that they are not legally enforceable.
Advocates also believe that, instead of building detention facilities, ICE should release a larger number of noncitizens from detention on their own recognizance or enroll them in "alternatives to detention" (ATD) programs. ATD programs use devices like telephonic reporting and electronic ankle bracelets in order to ensure that enrolled noncitizens attend immigration court hearings and/or comply with orders of removal.
The New Reforms in Context
The recent changes to the immigration detention system are not the first to be announced by the Obama administration. In December 2009, ICE announced — in a major shift from Bush-administration policy — that it would generally release from detention asylum seekers who had demonstrated a credible fear of persecution. The following year, ICE launched an online detainee locator tool, and in December 2011 the agency created a toll-free, 24-hour hotline for detainees who believed that they were victims of crimes or potentially U.S. citizens. ICE has also created the position of "public advocate" to respond to detention concerns raised by individuals and community organizations.
The new detention standards, though highly anticipated and extensively promoted, are in many respects almost identical to the 2008 standards promulgated by the Bush administration. However, they do go farther than the 2008 rules in offering enhanced medical care and protection for discrete groups of noncitizens, such as women; lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) individuals; and persons with disabilities.
For example, the new guidelines require that, when making decisions about whether or where to detain a noncitizen, an officer should give special consideration to factors that would "raise the risk of vulnerability, victimization, or assault" for the detainee, such as being transgendered, elderly, pregnant, or physically disabled. The new standards also include additional guidance on routine healthcare for female detainees and prohibit the use of restraints on pregnant women. In addition, they state that transgender detainees shall be allowed to choose the gender of the guards who search them.
The new standards also strengthen the process by which detainees pursue formal grievances. While the 2008 guidelines provided for at least one level of appeal for grievances, the new standards require that at least two levels of appeals be provided. The new standards also require that medical grievances be submitted to designated personnel in sealed envelopes marked "medically sensitive."
Less than one month after ICE released the new detention standards, the agency announced the opening of its new "model civil-detention facility," the Karnes County Civil Detention Center in Karnes City, TX. The detention center, where ICE plans to house roughly 600 low-security male noncitizens, is designed to allow detainees relatively free and unescorted movement around the facility. The guards — rebranded "resident advisors" — will be unarmed and will wear khakis and polo shirts, rather than traditional guard uniforms. The facility also has a library with internet access, an indoor gym, and outdoor soccer fields, all of which were included to make the center feel less penal and to allow detainees greater access to recreational activities, according to ICE.
Both the opening of the new Karnes facility and the announcement of the new detention standards come at a time when ICE is facing increased criticism over the adverse consequences of immigration detention for one particular group of nondetained family members: minor children of detainees who may be placed in foster care. In a November 2011 report, the Applied Research Center estimated that there were currently at least 5,100 children in foster care because of having had a parent detained or deported by ICE. More recently, ICE released a report indicating that, in the period between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011, the agency deported approximately 46,486 noncitizens who claimed to have at least one U.S.-citizen child. Since the reports' release, ICE has promised to allow detainees access to family law materials and the ability to attend their children's custody hearings.
The new changes also follow the Obama administration's decision to request increased funding for ATD programs in the coming fiscal year. The administration requested $111.6 million for ATDs in its FY 2013 budget request, an increase of 54 percent over the amount requested during the previous fiscal year ($72 million). Even if the increased budget allocation is authorized, however, it will likely amount to a small fraction of the amount spent on detention — the Obama administration has requested nearly $2 billion for immigration custody operations in FY2013.
- Read more about the U.S. immigration detention system, particularly during the Obama administration, in:
- The August 2009 Policy Beat
- This 2009 testimony by former MPI Vice President Donald Kerwin before the House committee on Homeland Security.
- Immigration Detention: Can ICE Meet Its Legal Imperatives and Case Management Responsibilities?
- Read the new ICE detention standards.
- Compare the new standards with the 2008 ICE detention standards.
- Read ICE's press release on the Karnes County Civil Detention Center.
Policy Beat in Brief
Supreme Court Holds Portion of IIRIRA Does Not Apply Retroactively. In a 6-3 decision issued March 28, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an important provision of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) cannot be applied retroactively. The contested provision allows the government to place in removal proceedings any lawful permanent resident who was previously found guilty of a designated criminal offense (or pled guilty to such an offense) when he or she leaves the United States and attempts to return after a visit abroad. The court's ruling that this provision does not apply retroactively means that lawful permanent residents whose criminal pleas or convictions predate IIRIRA will not be at risk for being placed in removal proceedings upon re-entry to the country.
Prior to 1996, lawful permanent residents who returned to the United States after "innocent, casual, and brief" visits abroad were generally presumed to be admissible to the country. Through IIRIRA section 301, however, Congress eliminated this presumption for certain groups of permanent residents, including: individuals who had been absent from the United States for more than 180 days; individuals who engaged in illegal activity after departing the United States, and individuals who had committed certain crimes in the United States before leaving. Notably, the list of crimes under IIRIRA that may trigger the initiation of removal proceedings for lawful permanent residents returning to the United States is far more expansive than the list of crimes for which lawful permanent residents may be deported while they are residing in the United States.
In holding that the IIRIRA provision does not apply to criminal convictions before the statute took effect, Justice Ginsburg, writing for the court's majority, relied on the legal doctrine that legislation is presumed not to be retroactive unless there is clear evidence that Congress intended retroactivity.
- Read the Supreme Court's new decision in Vartelas v. Holder.
- Get easy access to data on immigration enforcement in the Source's October 2011 Spotlight Immigration Enforcement in the United States.
DHS Designates Syria for TPS, Amends Rules on Student Employment for Syrians. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced in late March that Syria would be designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to concerns that the current military crackdown on civilian protesters in that country might prevent Syrian nationals currently in the United States from safely returning to Syria. Under the terms of TPS, Syrian nationals who show that they were residing in the United States as of March 29, 2012 and meet other criteria will be eligible for work authorization and protection against deportation.
In related news, DHS has also decided to amend the rules governing student employment for Syrian nationals attending school in the United States on F-1 student visas. The amended rule will allow Syrian students who did not previously qualify for off-campus employment to accept such jobs. It will also allow students to work more hours during the course of the week and to scale back the number of hours of coursework that they complete during the semester. The rule is intended to ease the financial burden for Syrian students in the United States who may be unable to receive funding from their relatives in Syria as a result of the current political situation.
- Read the designation of Syria for TPS.
- Read the new rule easing employment authorization requirements for Syrian students.
- Read more about TPS in the February 2010 Policy Beat.
ICE Arrests 3,100 Noncitizens in Six-Day Operation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it had arrested more than 3,100 noncitizens during a six-day operation focused on arresting deportable noncitizens with criminal convictions (also called "criminal aliens"), criminal aliens who had ignored final orders of removal ("fugitive aliens"), and noncitizens who had returned to the United States illegally following the issuance of a removal order. The operation, which ICE has billed as the largest of its kind, took place in all 50 states as well as Washington, DC; Puerto Rico; and three U.S. territories. ICE officials have emphasized that the recent raid is part of ongoing efforts to focus resources on criminal aliens.
- Read ICE's press release about the recent raids.
- Read more about ICE's efforts to prioritize the arrest and removal of criminal aliens in the February 2012 Policy Beat.
Same-Sex Couples File Lawsuit Challenging DOMA. Five same-sex, bi-national couples have filed a new lawsuit in a federal district court in New York challenging the constitutionality of Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and its application to federal immigration law. Under current immigration law, U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can sponsor their spouses for lawful permanent resident status. DOMA, however, prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. As a result, U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are lawfully married to spouses of the same sex may not sponsor their spouses for immigration benefits. The new suit alleges that such a result is a violation of the Constitution's equal protection clause.
- Read more about the new lawsuit in the press release announcing the suit issued by the organization Immigration Equality.
- Learn more about immigration benefits and same-sex couples in the May 2011 Policy Beat.
Global Entry Expanded to Four Additional U.S. Airports. Four additional airports in the United States — those in St. Paul, MN; Charlotte, NC; Phoenix, AZ; and Denver, CO — will begin participating in the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Global Entry program for trusted travelers on or before September 22, 2012, according to a new notice posted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Federal Register. The Global Entry program allows pre-approved travelers to skip immigration and customs lines, instead seeking admission to the United States through automated kiosks. At the present time, U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as well as nationals of the Netherlands and Mexico, are eligible to enroll in Global Entry.
- Read the new notice about Global Entry's expansion.
- Read more about Global Entry in the January 2011 Policy Beat.
H-1B Application Cycle Opens. In April, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting applications from U.S. employers sponsoring high-skilled foreign nationals for entry to the United States during Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 on H-1B visas. Through the H-1B visa program, the United States grants up to 65,000 temporary visas each year (6,800 of which are set aside for nationals of Singapore and Chile under special trade agreements) to individuals who have at least a bachelor's degree and are coming to work in the United States in "specialty occupations." An additional 20,000 visas are available for foreign nationals who hold advanced degrees from U.S. universities.
- Read the most recent USCIS press release on the H-1B program.
- Find out more about the H-1B visa category in the April 2008 Policy Beat.
USCIS Issues New Proposed Rule for Hardship Waivers. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a new proposed rule that would amend the process for spouses, parents, and children of U.S. citizens to file "hardship waivers" as part of their applications for permanent residence. The waivers are commonly required when an individual resides in the United States unlawfully and then leaves the country in order to apply for a permanent resident visa at a U.S. consulate abroad. Under the current rule, applicants cannot file the waivers until they have already left the United States and submitted their applications for visas at the U.S. consulates. The new rule, which is intended to minimize family separation, will allow applicants to file hardship waivers from within the United States.
- Read more about the new waiver change in the February 2012 Policy Beat.
- Read the new USCIS proposed rule.
State and Local Policy Beat in Brief
Fifth Circuit Affirms Ruling Striking Down Farmers Branch Rental Ordinance. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a lower court's decision holding that a city immigration ordinance in Farmers Branch, TX was unconstitutional. The ordinance, which the city adopted in January 2008, required all adults living in rental housing in Farmers Branch to obtain occupancy licenses and provided that the city would deny an occupancy license to unauthorized immigrants. In its recent decision, the court of appeals agreed with the lower district court that the ordinance was preempted by federal law. The city has announced that they will seek a review of the decision by the entire Fifth Circuit.
- Read more about the Farmers Branch housing ordinance in the April 2010 Policy Beat.
- Read the new decision from the Fifth Circuit.
- Read the previous decision from the lower court.
Mississippi Immigration Enforcement Bill Dies in the Senate. A controversial immigration enforcement bill in Mississippi that passed the state house and was backed by Governor Phil Bryant died in the state senate. The bill, which was loosely modeled after Arizona's 2010 law SB 1070, required enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of anyone stopped by the police whenever they had "reasonable suspicion" to believe that the person was an unauthorized immigrant. In addition, the bill stated that all arrested individuals would have their immigration status confirmed before they were released from custody. It also required public schools to report on the immigration status of enrolled students, and it prohibited unauthorized immigrants from receiving driver's licenses or business licenses.
- Read the text of Mississippi bill HB 488.
News Report Find Tens of Thousands of Alabama Employers Have Failed to Register for E-Verify. Tens of thousands of businesses in Alabama have potentially failed to enroll in the federal government's E-Verify program, despite the fact that a law passed last June requires all employers in the state to do so by April 1, 2012, according to a report issued by the Associated Press. E-Verify is an online program that allows employers to check whether their new employees are authorized to work by screening employees' biographic information against federal immigration and social security databases. According to the report, USCIS has reported that just 18,137 businesses from Alabama have enrolled in E-Verify, while the state has upwards of 85,000 employers.
- Read more about E-Verify in the June 2011 Policy Beat and this 2011 Migration Fundamental.
- Read the new article from the Associated Press.
Massachusetts District Court Judge Finds Gun Ban for Immigrants Unconstitutional. A federal district court judge in Boston, MA has found that a state law prohibiting lawful permanent residents from owning firearms is unconstitutional. The court held that the second amendment right to bear arms applies to lawful permanent residents as it does to U.S. citizens. In its ruling, however, the court did not address whether or not the second amendment applies to noncitizens who are not lawful permanent residents.
- Get easy access to data on Green Card Holders and Legal Immigration to the United States.
- Read the new decision from the Massachusetts federal district court.
Georgia Lawmakers Drop Provision in Bill that Would Bar Unauthorized Immigrants from Enrolling in State Colleges. State legislators in Georgia have dropped from a bill a provision that would have barred unauthorized immigrants from attending public colleges and universities in the state. The measure would have followed a 2010 decision by the state's Board of Regents that bars unauthorized immigrants from attending five of the most selective colleges and universities in Georgia: University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Georgia Health Sciences University, and Georgia College and State University. Although the measure passed the Georgia state senate in March, supporters say that they were forced to drop the provision because there was not enough support for it in the state house.
- Read more about unauthorized immigrants and higher education in Unauthorized Youths and Higher Education: The Ongoing Debate.
Florida to Determine Whether Unauthorized Immigrant Will be Allowed to Practice Law. The Florida Supreme Court will soon decide whether unauthorized immigrants who attend law school in Florida and pass the bar examination are eligible to practice as lawyers in the state. The case arose after the Florida Board of Bar Examiners declined to admit Jose Godinez-Samperio to the bar solely because he lacked lawful immigration status. The Board subsequently requested an advisory opinion from the state's highest court.
- Check out the case docket (and list of parties filing amici briefs) for the Florida case.


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1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, cayenne pepper and parlsey
1 tablespoon Romano cheese
Bake on cookie sheet 25 to 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
|This is been a great year for our garden here in Florida, I can't get enough recipes for all these plum tomatoes, I couldn't wait to share this light but perfect brunch, or dinner with everyone, it's a family favorite for years! Can you tell how proud I am of these babies, I think it's my third picture, I can tell you one thing, I have never had luck growing my own produce, animals always eat them! So this is the only reason for my bragging rights this year, please forgive me, I do feel guilty not sharing!
What a rich and delicious pie. It looks amazing dear ^__^ Bye, have a great SundayReplyDelete
Brag away! This is my kind of pie!ReplyDelete
I would love to go to the back yard and pick fresh ripe tomatoes! Yes please do brag away, and thanks for sharing this great pie recipe. Yum!ReplyDelete
thanks for posting such a unique and delicious recipe for a main course. buzzed it.ReplyDelete
Great use of those awesome 'maters! I swear, food grown in your own garden tastes so much better :)ReplyDelete
Congrats on the tomatoes and the recipe.ReplyDelete
I will be making this! Looks great!ReplyDelete
This sounds marvelous. THe photos are really good too.ReplyDelete
Gongrats a rich and delicious pie.
Bye, have a great Sunday.
This reminds me very much of quiche!! Love all the yummy fillings. Whatever you call it, I'd definitely love a slice :)ReplyDelete
Oh, my goodness, goodness!! My husband is going to flip over this pie... and Italian, that's for us!! Hubby loves all pies, from chicken, to pineapple, to apple, to, etc...but this one!, he loves prociutto, so he's going to adore! Thanks so much for sharing it with us! Love. FABBYReplyDelete
This dish is one I could really get into and your presentation and close up shot make me want to head for the kitchen and see if I have the stuff.ReplyDelete
What a pie! So good. So fresh. I really, really want some. Great recipe Claudia.
I made a fruity cheese pecan topped pie. It came out so good - it's a dieters demon.
Oh, this looks incredible...so rich and flavorful! And I'm so jealous of your tomato crop, Claudia! Lucky you!ReplyDelete
I am hoping for a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. After years of trying to fight the deer, wild turkey, and other assorted crop destroyers, we gave up on a garden in our home in the woods. However, I bought one of those topsy-turvy tomato planters and if it doesn't pull the porch down--it weighs a ton--I'm hoping I can make this delicious pie with my own garden tomatoes.ReplyDelete
What a scrumptious savory pie. Love it!ReplyDelete
How decadant! It looks wonderful, great flavors. Thanks for the droolworthy pictures!ReplyDelete
Looks delicious! We have this bacon here that is similar to prosciutto except it's not cured. I'd love to try this with that :DReplyDelete
:) That's all I have to say about that!ReplyDelete
Your tomatoes look so wonderful...I am waiting for a new batch to ripen :) Wonderful looking pie just loaded with goodies!ReplyDelete
I love every ingredient separately. Together is a slice of heaven. I hope my tomatoes are as good to me this summer as they are to you!ReplyDelete
Simple and hardy meals are always a favorite at our house. I wish I was your neighbor and you'd invite me over for dinner.ReplyDelete
Claudia you always have the most yummiest Italian recipes. This is no exception. Mouthwatering!ReplyDelete
Remember to use the search option for a recipe you're looking for and thanks for all your kind words and support. We love our readers all the best Claudia
Mom always had a pot of Sunday Sauce cooking on the stove and Italian bread is a must to dip it in to test for seasonings are perfect. Alo...
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It was a sequel, or in code. Well everyone else there seemed to know what they were talking about, but I needed to look up the background information in the 1" thick press package and even then I couldn't keep up with all of it. So I phoned the District on Wednesday and Thursday with follow up questions.
The Budget presented at the Workshop spans July, 2011 to June 2013. It's described in the handout from the meeting as a two year Budget for 2012 and 2013, but General Manager Bert Michalczyk called it two one-year budgets. The 2013 budget would be reviewed again next year.
The workshop actually covered four budgets; the 2012 and 2013 CIP (Capital Improvement Program) budgets were presented first by District Engineer, Dave Requa. Requa told the Board of Directors that the projects are the same as last year's with the addition of $1.5M for a unit to reduce the amount of liquid in wastewater to dry out the bio-solids for easier disposal. This was not a tasty topic for a dinner-time presentation.
Two projects in the on-going list are probably of more importance to residents of South San Ramon, $75K in 2012 is budgeted for rehabilitation of the sewer pipe in Pine Valley Road, and $350K over the next two years for the Wastewater Collection system Replacement (Rehabilitation) Program. It's good to know that DSRSD is repairing and replacing older sewer lines over the next year or two. The total CIP budget for the next two years comes to approximately $9.5M.
Financial Services Manager, Lori Rose, presented the two year Operating Budget, which comes in at close to $7M each year. The 2013 budget is only 1.29% higher than the 2008 budget, and the 2012 budget is almost exactly the same. I asked Lori Rose why 2008 was used for comparison instead of 2009 or 2010, and she said it was in the table they used in the slide. But she also added that 2008, which was really FY 2007-08, was the last normal year before the financial crisis hit.
One of the more controversial issues last year was the Temporary Infrastructure Charge. This was an $18 charge added to water bills to cover the cost of building the infrastructure in Dougherty Valley after connection fees (now called Capacity fees) dried up in the housing crisis. The District was $50M in debt and needed to refinance its loans. They had to get their credit rating up to keep the interest down on a bond issue. They were able to do this by adding the $18 "temporary" infrastructure fee.
Last year the Directors considered raising the fee in 2012, but the bond sale went through. There won't be an increase in the fee, but the fee isn't going away either. Director Rich Halket wants it kept in the budget "as a safety measure." Developers are starting to apply for Capacity fees again, but since the economy and the housing market are still iffy, this "temporary" fee will stay in the budget for 2012 but could be revisited in 2013.
The 2012 Budget includes funds for a Rate Study. With water use dropping, rates will probably be increased. That's the catch 22 of water districts. They bill whatever it takes to cover expenses, so water rates are based on how much the district needs to provide it. On the other hand, the State is mandating a 20% reduction in water use by 2020. So the less water you use, the more the district has to charge for the water to keep the income levels the same.
Last year the District started a program of providing a reduced rate on water for low income residents. So far residents who are in the sewer district do not get a price break. I asked Bert if revenues were being sought to help out low income sewer users. Bert said they would see how the water program is working over the last six months, and consider providing a similar program for sewer users in September.
I was disappointed by the low turnout for this meeting, but it would have been helpful to have the staff reports online in advance. Sue Stephenson, Community Affairs Supervisor, told me the District will be considering that in their Specific Plan, which will be on the Agenda for the next regular Board meeting on June 7, 2011. So that's another one I plan to attend.
I also want to ask about the status is of putting the meetings on TV30. When I asked the Chamber of Commerce to put the Mayor's State of the City address on TV30, the cost was only $500 for two people to tape it. The cost of taping District meetings should be about the same, or $1000 a month. More residents might take an interest in what happens at the District if the meetings were available to view online.


text: While DefRev does not have any direct experience with Wilson Combat's 5.56 tactical carbines, we felt they deserve attention. The three models Wilson makes are the UT-15 Urban Tactical, the M-4T Tactical Carbine, and the TL-15 Tactical Lightweight. All three tactical rifles are variations on the same theme, and seem to be very well made. Wilson Combat's built a reputation …Read More »


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Patsy Cline Biography
Patsy Cline(Virginia Patterson Hensley)
country musician
Born: 9/8/1932
Birthplace: Winchester, Va.
America fell in love with Cline's achy-breaky voice after seeing her perform "Walkin' After Midnight" on Arthur Godrey's Talent Scouts in 1957. Contract difficulties interfered with her career until 1960, when she recorded "I Fall to Pieces." The hit established a prototype for commercial country with its lush orchestral arrangements and backup vocals by the Jordanaires. Some Cline disciples, however, prefer earlier radio recordings that depend only on the heartbreaking emotion she conveyed with her voice. Much of her achingly romantic material was supplied by Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard, and Willie Nelson. Despite being in a serious auto accident in 1961, Cline had hits that year and the next with "Crazy" (penned by Willie Nelson) and "She's Got You." Cline's career was in a slump in 1963 when her death in a plane crash revived it. She was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973. A bell tower and several highways in Virginia have been named to commemorate her.Died: Camden, TN, 3/5/1963
|Sandra Cisneros
|Connie Chung
Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.


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'Israeli crimes against Palestinians have gone unpunished due to Western cover'
Press TV
A peace activist says if Western cover was removed from giving impunity to crimes committed by Israel against defenseless people they would not have gone unpunished.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with selected foreign ambassadors to garner support for war on Hamas and thus war on the people of Palestine.
US Ambassador to Israel Daniel B Shapiro has already given the green light to Israel for a full-scale war into Gaza similar to the murderous rampage by the Israeli military at the end of 2008 in Operation Cast Lead that killed some 1,400 Gazans, mostly women and children.
Press TV has interviewed Ken O'Keefe, peace activist and former US marine from London, about this developing situation of war talk. Joining O'Keefe in this news analysis is Adie Mormech, human rights activist in Gaza, and Daniel Pipes, historian and political commentator from Florida. The following is an approximate transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Our guest in Florida was saying that the situation now lies with Hamas making a decision; that there was relative calm before this, but Hamas was the side that wanted this war and now it is the side that is going to decide whether there is going to be war. What do you think?
O'Keefe: I can't even remember all the lies that were just said by Mr. Pipes in Florida.
First off there is no massacre in Israel, what massacre are you talking about? If we talk about the fourth largest military in the world, which has the latest high tech weapons going against a relatively defenseless population, which has nothing more than glorified fireworks in the form of these unguided rockets, which have killed less than ten people of the last many years.
How is it possible that this man can get away with saying there is a massacre on the Israeli side?
There is no massacre on the Israeli side there is nothing but continuing crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Israelis against a defenseless population, which includes over 800,000 children in Gaza.
It is absolutely absurd that these arguments can continue and that a man like this can even speak these words. Absolutely disgraceful.
The fact is that this all originates because of the original crime of the Palestinian's land being stolen by the Israelis, by the UN declaration, which provided land to less than 15 percent of the population and then ultimately gifted Israel with the land that did not exist.
In their right, they have no right to this land whatsoever. That is the original crime and it is because of that crime that we see retaliation to this very day.
Press TV: You have the right to give a response to our other guest's comments, but after you do that, do you think that the issue that Egypt now does have a new government and Hamas has said that that provides for it a "safety net" because (Egyptian President) Mohammad Morsi is not going to tolerate a Gaza war similar to the Gaza war we saw back in 2008, 2009. Is that going to change things this time round?
O'Keefe: Well, I would hope that Egypt does not dishonor itself as it did under Mubarak for thirty-plus years, that's for sure.
Their Muslim, their Arab brothers and sisters in Palestine, and their Christian brothers and sisters in Palestine deserve the respect and the love and the loyalty that every single sane human being should be giving to the Palestinian people who have now been enduring for over six decades: a criminal psychopathic racist entity, which has devoured and consumed every bit of land that it could and killed with impunity because of its protection from the United States and the EU.
And I'd like to bring it back to the Western nations that provide cover to Israel because without the cover that our nations - Britain in particular and the US - without the cover that the EU and Western nations in general provide to Israel they could not continue these crimes and they would be punished in any sane world. But again, our Western nations give them this cover.
Ultimately what this man is saying in Florida is more nonsense, which conveniently forgets the fact that it is the original crime that is being responded to here.
And plus we have over five years now of an illegal criminal collective punishment policy, which again affects over 800,000 children in Gaza. If it was your child that was being subjected to this type of collective punishment I wonder if you would have the same type of views that you express towards the Palestinians.
I believe that you (Guest, Mr. Pipes) suffer from the same disease that apparently pervades Western society, which imparts great value to Israel life and imparts virtually no value to Palestinian, Arab or Muslim life. It is a disgusting reality, it is a perverse reality of Western so-called civilization and it shames all of us.
And, if you want me to say how I feel about those lives that are lost in Israel, I regret every single life lost. In this world especially when it comes down to the lies that allow propaganda for us to be involved in wars - incessant boogie-man instigated wars that are all nothing more than manipulations to keep the system of tyranny going. I regret all loss of life, but I especially regret the loss of life of innocent people who are only resisting the unacceptable.
Press TV: Our guest there in Florida saying that Hamas is a terrorist entity in Gaza and we are seeing Israel confronting a terrorist state. What is your response?
O'Keefe: More ridiculous statements from this man in Florida. Nelson Mandela was a terrorist in his day so declared by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan; the IRA, which resisted against British tyranny were the terrorists of their day, many of which are now in government; and the founding fathers of the United States I'm sure this man would have prostituted himself for the British Empire at the time if he was on their side and said that those that resisted the British tyranny were terrorists as well.
This abuse of the word terrorism is thankfully in its dying days because the ultimate terrorist on this planet is the United States of America for its one to two million deaths in Iraq; millions of orphans; millions of refugees; an ongoing war in Afghanistan and Pakistan where we destroy the lives of civilians and children daily.
How dare we in the West even think to point the finger at anyone else and call them a terrorist. Absolutely ridiculous and thank God that more and more people especially young people are seeing through these bogus arguments and seeing the truth for what it is.
It is this man in Florida and the dupes who follow his logic that cannot see the world for what it is and thankfully that day is dying. We will have justice in this world. Palestine will be free, make no mistake about it.
Article published here: PressTV + here: Gilad Atzmon's Blog
URL: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/2012/11/15/israeli-crimes-against-palestinians-have


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After a seven-year stint at Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, the Gathering of the Juggalos moves this year to Legend Valley Campground in Thornville, Ohio.
Will its new home prove as accommodating as its last? Or will the residents of Thornville freak the hell out – like the citizens of Kaiser, Missouri, did when they learned last year that the Gathering was flirting with a move to their town?
After Day One of the Gathering in Thornville, it's probably a bit premature to answer either of those questions. But there are plenty of differences between this year's Gathering and last year's festival. Below are ten initial observations we had as to how the move to Ohio may be better — or worse.
1. Cell Phone Reception / Wi-Fi
Last year's Gathering was located so far off of the grid it might as well have been in Kazakhstan. Cell phone reception was completely nonexistent, meaning not only no calls, but no walking around with the Internet in your pocket, either. Your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tindr and Grindr accounts were inaccessible. Your hand-held personal supercomputer rendered as useless as that Commodore 64 gathering dust in your parents' basement.
It made for a surreal landscape. When was the last time you were in a group of thousands of people and no one was on their phone? Everyone was heads-up, talking and looking at one another, engaged in the activities in front of them. It was refreshing, really.
This year we are back on Earth again, with technology and all of the screen-obsessed narcissism that comes with it. Neat.
2. The Port-a-Potties Are Somehow More Disgusting
The outdoor latrines aren't covered in graffiti with sayings like "I KILL HOOKERS" like last year, but their more sanitary looks are certainly deceiving. We entered a Port-a-Potty toward the main entrance, using our cell phone as a flashlight to make sure we didn't slip on a turd. We needn't have bothered. Somehow the juggalos crowd had found a way to clog a portable toilet. We wouldn't be surprised if someone just fell in the bottom of it and got covered in solid waste until it was almost overflowing over the seat.
Daunted, we just pissed in the gallon of orange liquid (Faygo?) that was floating atop the "urinal" of the unit. Oof.
3. There's a Police Presence in Ohio
It's true: Cops have infiltrated the campgrounds and – not surprisingly – are getting plenty of suspicious glances from the juggalos in attendance. Oddly, though, the cops don't seem to be messing with anyone. So far they're just puttering around in golf carts and doing what cops do best: drinking coffee. Last year's security force gave one the impression that the Gathering's organizers simply rounded up the tallest juggalos they could find and gave them orange shirts. A pretty drastic change, indeed.
4. Startling Lack of Cardboard Signs
Where's the guy with the "Breakfast Cocaine" sign? Where's the kid with the sign offering to let people kick him in the jewels for $10? Where's the existentialist with the sign that just says, "CARDBOARD SIGN"? We don't know, but we're confused as hell and a little wistful when we think of the endless stream of Sharpie entertainment from last year that is now missing.
5. Dense Juggalo Shantytown
We're not sure if the space is smaller or if attendance is up, but this year the tents in the campgrounds are piled virtually on top of each other. We can only assume they are also filled with gleefully trashed juggalos literally on top of each other.
In any case, last year's campgrounds were downright suburban by comparison.
6. Outdoor Strip Club Operated by Gary Busey's Nephew
Yep. This is a thing. We heard the city "Orlando" mentioned by the emcee, so you can probably piece together the rest. And before you ask, of course there are commemorative T-shirts to support whatever the fuck this is actually for. Why wouldn't there be? Now, check out this mugshot of Mike Busey, arrested in 2012 by Osceola County police for selling alcohol without a liquor license while wearing a Santa Claus outfit.
7. More Press
With the notable exception of some very outlandish and confused looking Germans fumbling around with a large camera, we didn't see a lot of press last year. That isn't to say they weren't there, but they certainly weren't noticeable. This year members of the media can be seen fiddling with the collars on their button-up shirts, nervously pawing their "PRESS" laminates and sticking close to their similarly narc-looking companions. They tiptoe through the festival ground like it's a minefield. Which isn't too unreasonable, actually, because parts of the ground are covered with passed out juggalos. You do not want to step on those.
8. More Hipsters
See the description of the press people. Only the latter have the sense to openly take some drugs.
9. Fewer Motorized Vehicles
Last year the Gathering could feel a bit like an L.A. freeway during rush hour, what with all reckless driving and gridlock from juggalos on their ATVs and other motorized vehicles. So far, from what we've seen this year, there's just a limited assortment of golf carts, scooters, bicycles and two dudes on unicycles who are also juggling bowling pins. Baller status: engaged.
10. Burrito Guy Is Easier to Find
We found the campground's finest vendor within two hours of getting here. And you know what? We're still sold on the idea that putting slices of American cheese on a burrito is a culinary concept so stupid and tasty that it's a goddamned miracle. Some things never change, right?
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International Women's Day has been around since the 1900s. For several years, beginning in 1909, the day was celebrated on the last Sunday in February. This later changed to March 8th, which is the same date that women were given the right to vote in Russia. This is a time for us to look at ways of improving the global concerns of women, as well as looking back and remembering decades of women struggling for equality, justice, peace and change. Here are just a few women who have aided that cause:
Susan B. Anthony (1820 - 1906)
Besides being a women's rights advocate, Susan was also very fashion-forward. She cut her hair short and wore bloomers (short, wide pants) in a time when that was unheard of for women. Some of Susan's causes were the right for equal pay and the right to vote. She was also the first woman on US currency - a one dollar coin.
Harriet Tubman (1820 - 1913)
Harriet was raised as a slave until she ran away as a teenager and gained freedom. Harriet was nicknamed the "Moses of her people" because she led so many slaves to freedom. She made a total of 19 trips on the Underground Railroad (a secret network that helped slaves escape to places where slavery was illegal) and freed more than 300 slaves.
Esther Peterson (1906-1997)
Esther advocated truth in advertising, standardization in packaging, pricing and proper labeling of nutritional values. Food wasn't her only thing. She was an active leader in women's and men's labor, educating workers on thier rights. Esther also led the campaign for equal pay for equal work in the 1950s so that women were guaranteed to be paid the same wage as men doing the same job. In 1981, Esther was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Gloria Steinem (1934 - present)
Gloria Steinem is considered a leading activist in the modern women's rights movement. She started Ms. Magazine, the first national women's magazine run by women. Her activism has inspired women of all ages to take risks, as well as fight for their rights.
- For more women who made a difference in history, click here.
Have Your Say
What women influence you? Will you be celebrating International Women's Day? Let us know in the comments section below.


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LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:
Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!
Katrina Law has been cast as Ra's al Ghul's other progeny, Nyssa al Ghul, on "Arrow" (TVGuide.com); Michael Wincott has joined the cast of "24: Live Another Day" as Adrian, "a charismatic hacker and a leader of the free information movement" (EW.com); Robert Gant will guest on "The Tomorrow People" as "the surprise boyfriend of Stephen's mom [who] may have ulterior motives for dating her" (TVLine.com); Debra Mooney will visit "Parks & Recreation" as "one-half of a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary" (TVLine.com); Fred Dryer has scored an arc on NBC's "Crisis" as "a powerful, imposing, confident and wise seasoned CIA agent who, despite being in his 60s, can still kick butt" (THR.com); and "Family Guy" has secured the services of Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis and Mike Henry for at least two more years (with the option for three more) in a deal valued between $175,000 and $225,000 per episode (THR.com).


text: When I click on the Idea Gallery then on Around The Shop none of the thumbnail views show. (Same thing when I click on Around The Home, Lawn & Garden, Metal Art, and Just For Fun). If I click on one of the empty white boxes above the description nothing but a large black box with a circle in it with some empty small white boxes below show up. What can I do to see the projects. I have a high speed connection at work and dial-up (snail-up) at home. Thanks for a great site, product and support.


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The Walking Dead - "Beside the Dying Fire" (3/18/12)
Written by: Robert Kirkman & Glen Mazzara
Directed by: Ernest R. Dickerson
Reviewed by: Brett G.
The Walking Dead report will is a weekly series that recaps the show's most recent episode; spoilers and speculation will follow.
As expected, Beside the Dying Fire essentially amounted to the shedding of dead weight (read: everyone that was on the farm whose name you could never remember when they popped up) and a shuttling of the characters back onto the road, where theyll eventually meet their Season 3 fate. In this respect, the finale was fine--Im still certainly interested in where it goes from here, and Ricks newfound edge finally represents some development on his part. Itll no longer be a democracy under his watch, though Im not so sure hell have a say in it if some of the developments in this episode come to fruition, namely the presence of another group whose fortress seemingly looms in the distance. Call me cynical, but I guess Herschels farm will get traded in for this place next season, so well still be a little bound to one place.
But at least they wont have to spend half of the season looking for Andrea, who got bailed out by this other group, or at least one very enigmatic member of the group wielding a sword and wearing a hood like some kind of zombie-killing ninja. If nothing else, thats a cool, intriguing visual. I think the most surprising part of this is how relieved I was to see Andrea bailed out; knowing that Holden is also a frequent Darabont collaborator, I figured her as a goner, and I might have been okay with that about a month ago. Shes grown on me, though; in fact, shes probably the most compelling and rounded character we have now that Shanes gone. Somewhere along the way, she became a similarly pragmatic and contrarian ass-kicker, and itd be cool to see her step into Shanes role if they want to go that route. The fallout between her and the rest of the group that left her (though you can hardly blame them for that) could provide some fireworks to kick off next season.
Some of the smaller working parts of the finale didnt gel all that well, though. The big revelation that theyre all infected fell flat for two reasons. For one thing, wed picked up on that already, having already seen two corpses reanimate without being bitten. That Jenners whispered words just provided the confirmation of that feels like a letdown; I was actually hoping we were being setup for another surprise because this seemed so obvious.
Secondly, this reveal doesnt really change a whole lot. Anyone raised on Romeros rules probably assumed this already anyway--I sure did. In fact, I was confused about any confusion on the part of fans last week who couldnt figure out what was going on. From the beginning, Id figured that anyone who died would return as the undead. Forgetting that, though, I fail to see the huge impact here; yes, I guess its a disconcerting to know that youll return as a zombie if youre not disposed of properly. However, Im of the opinion that it wouldnt really be an issue since Id be dead and wouldnt have any real thoughts on the matter once it happened. If this infection was some kind of agent that was actually hastening everyones death, this would be a huge deal, but, as it stands, everyone still has the chance to live as they are now.
Another odd turn is Loris reaction to Rick killing Shane; am I the only one who remembers her going Lady Macbeth and all but handing Rick the dagger to stab Shane in the back about a month ago? I wasnt exactly expecting Lori to do a jig right there in the streets in triumph, but her waffling on this only seems to be putting the melodrama back on life support. Also, I should probably add that shes a pretty bad parent for constantly letting Carl out of her sight, which generally leads to him wrecking shit.
Speaking of bad, stupid decisions, they were about the only thing that marred the farm siege, which was otherwise a cool bit of zombie action. Though the setting recalled Night of the Living Dead, the use of space and the inventiveness of the assault were more reminiscent of Dawn of the Deads action-centered approach to things. Still, dumb moves (like stopping and allowing walkers to consume an RV) seemed to be contrived and forced mechanisms to make things complicated for the sake of being complicated. Regardless, the chaos of it all was captured quite well, and the capping image of the barn smoldering into flames was a nice bit of symbolism; at one point, itd held Herschels hopes of a cure, but now its been reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes.
Our weekly T-Dog watch reveals that he actually got a few lines before being cowed into turning the car around instead of heading for the coast, thus allowing him to impact the proceedings in a slightly meaningful way for the first time in months. Other supporting characters like Daryl and Carol had their mini-arc continued, but I like how Daryl shot down any notion that he'll be the next to contend for Ricks alpha dog status. Revealing Daryl to be a heady badass rather than a one-note brute has been one of this seasons best developments, and I hope the writers find something interesting for him in season three.
Id say its going to be a long wait for October (which is when the next season will start, I assume), but Im quite okay with letting The Walking Dead rest for a while. This season was often littered with frustrations, and, while the show never became a chore to watch, I think itll be fine to get away from it for awhile. If nothing else, season three will provide some new blood and a fresh location, both of which could inject this show with a little bit of life, so long as the writers can resist rehashing the same old melodrama. comments powered by Disqus Ratings:


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Senior executives are one of the toughest crowds you'll face as a presenter. They're incredibly impatient because their schedules are jam-packed — and they have to make lots of high-stakes decisions, often with little time to weigh options. So they won't sit still for a long presentation with a big reveal at the end. They'll just interrupt you before you finish your shtick.
It can be frustrating. You probably have a lot to say to them, and this might be your only shot to say it. But if you want them to hear you at all, get to what they care about right away so they can make their decisions more efficiently. Having presented to top executives in many fields — from jet engines to search engines — I've learned the hard way that if you ramble in front of them, you'll get a look that says, "Are you kidding me? You really think I have the time to care about that?" So quickly and clearly present information that's important to them, ask for questions, and then be done. If your spiel is short and insightful, you'll get their ear again.
Here's how you can earn their attention and support:
Summarize up front: Say you're given 30 minutes to present. When creating your intro, pretend your whole slot got cut to 5 minutes. This will force you to lead with all the information your audience really cares about — high-level findings, conclusions, recommendations, a call to action. State those points clearly and succinctly right at the start, and then move on to supporting data, subtleties, and material that's peripherally relevant.
Set expectations: Let the audience know you'll spend the first few minutes presenting your summary and the rest of the time on discussion. Even the most impatient executives will be more likely to let you get through your main points uninterrupted if they know they'll soon get to ask questions.
Create summary slides: When making your slide deck, place a short overview of key points at the front; the rest of your slides should serve as an appendix. Follow the 10% rule: If your appendix is 50 slides, create 5 summary slides, and so on. After you present the summary, let the group drive the conversation, and refer to appendix slides as relevant questions and comments come up. Often, executives will want to go deeper into certain points that will aid in their decision making. If they do, quickly pull up the slides that speak to those points.
Give them what they asked for: If you were invited to give an update about the flooding of your company's manufacturing plant in Indonesia, do so before covering anything else. This time-pressed group of senior managers invited you to speak because they felt you could supply a missing piece of information. So answer that specific request directly and quickly.
Rehearse: Before presenting, run your talk and your slides by a colleague who will serve as an honest coach. Try to find someone who's had success getting ideas adopted at the executive level. Ask for pointed feedback: Is your message coming through clearly and quickly? Do your summary slides boil everything down into skimmable key insights? Are you missing anything your audience is likely to expect?
Sounds like a lot of work? It is, but presenting to an executive team is a great honor and can open tremendous doors. If you nail this, people with a lot of influence will become strong advocates for your ideas.
This is the first post in Nancy Duarte's blog series on creating and delivering presentations, based on tips from her new book, the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.
Read the other posts here:
Post #2: Create a Presentation Your Audience Will Care About
Post #3: Do Your Slides Pass the Glance Test?
Post #4: Structure Your Presentation Like a Story


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Louis Vuitton, artistic supporters of the space program, last night celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing at the American Museum of Natural History. Why were Whitney Port and Gossip Girl actors and British pop singers there? Not sure!
Whitney Port's frock - which I think she works but has maybe one too many elements for the common palette, as Roald Dahl would say - puts me in mind of an anecdote. I had a new dress, and my dad said, "I don't like that ruffle thing on the waist," and my mom, furious, said, "Harry, that's the peplum! The peplum is the whole point!"
Anna emailed me to say, "omg Buzz Aldrin's wife is amazing." I'll say! Lois Aldrin can work Jetsons glam like nobody's business! And she knows it! Also, I understand why they're here!
I suspect Estelle's Hefty cinch-sak chic (and I'm not being snide, I do mean chic) is some kind of homage to the space suits of the Apollo crew? No?
I have a great affection for JoAnna Garcia that's totally unrequited. So what do you expect me to say about her LBD?
On the one hand, I dig Cassie's new wave Vuitton, and like most things, she rocks it. On the other, I don't think it's appropriate for the occasion - um, everyone knows the dress code is "moon landing glam."
Sometimes Jessica Szohr makes me feel unfairly antagonistic, I think purely because she reminds me of a certain segment of uber-hip teens one grew up with in NYC, and even then I'm probably conflating her with her character in a really unfair way. Said teens were known for mixing "vintage" with Anna Sui. And weirdly, knew all the other rich hipsters at all the other schools; I think they all played bass for each others' bands. Or maybe I'm just mad because twice I've been at shows where she got to skip the line. It must be said IRL she looked lovely.
[Images via Getty]


text: Most password-cracking scenarios focus on attacks that convert a captured hash to its plain-text password equivalent using an offline attack and hash or rainbow table database. Capturing password hashes assumes a lot. In most cases, the attacker must have highly privileged access (admin or root) to get to the hashes; if they do, they can inflict much more other damage. So why just discuss password cracking?Further, in the Windows world, a remote attacker must have local administrator access on a computer and NetBIOS access, which is often blocked by the perimeter firewall. Despite popular belief, today's Windows logon password hashes cannot be sniffed off the wire. Plus, if an attacker can get the hash, he or she can conduct a "pass-the-hash" attack and not worry about converting it in the first place.[ Roger shares more advice on managing passwords in these Security Adviser posts: "Password size does matter" | "Getting a grip on better password hashes" | "Ask better password questions" ]Don't be lulled into a false sense of security, though: A complex, six- to eight-character password may have been sufficient 10 years ago, but it's certainly not today. Most of the Linux\/Unix systems I've reviewed do not enable their account lockout policy. In the Windows world, the true administrator account cannot be locked out, and some software programs don't log against the account lockout policy. Many companies are disabling the account lockout policy to prevent automated worms, such as Conficker, from locking out all the user accounts and causing an indirect DoS event.Moreover, most companies still lack a sufficiently adequate auditing system to alert admins of repeated failed logon attempts -- even if the number exceeds the hundreds of thousands. So a remote attacker can enumerate all of your external access points (Outlook for Web Access, Terminal Server, SharePoint, FTP, SSH, RDP, Telnet, and so on) and guess away against your administrator account until he or she breaks it.Still,without performing password-penetration tests against them, I have a hard time demonstrating to clients how weak mere six- to eight-character passwords really are. I enjoy performing these tests (usually I'm able to break most passwords in under three days, if not in hours), but my contract often prevents me from attempting them. Thus, I decided the next best thing was to create a spreadsheet-based calculator in which you can key in your current password policy and see how your passwords might hold up against the number of guesses an attacker can make in a given minute. Download the spreadsheet.Cracking open passwordsAs far as I know, this is the only password calculator that shows the success rate of real-world password-guessing attacks. A password's pure strength lies in its length, the number of possible characters or symbols it contains (called the character set), and the randomness of character selection. If you want to determine the number of possible passwords for a given length and character set, just calculate the number of possible characters in the character set to the power of its length (characters^length). This will give you all the possible password choices or password space.However, this theoretical number assumes that users will avail themselves of all possible password choices (called perfect randomization). This is usually a horrible assumption unless a very good random generator creates the user's password. Most users pick passwords that contain portions, if not complete, words and names from their language. In fact, for a large majority of users, portions of their password can be ascertained with pretty good accuracy by the average password guesser.Most professional password guessers know there is a 50 percent chance that a user's password will contain one or more vowels. If it contains a number, it will usually be a 1 or a 2, and it will be at the end. If it contains a capital letter, it will be at the beginning, followed by a vowel. The average person has a working vocabulary of 50,000 to 150,000 words, and they are likely to be used in the password. Women are famous for using personal names in their passwords, and men opt for their hobbies. "Tigergolf" is not as unique as CEOs think. Even if you use a symbol, an attacker knows which are most likely to appear: ~, !, @, #, $, %, &, and ?.Dr. Jesper Johannson, in his series of "Great Debates: Passwords vs. Passphrases" papers, found that 80 percent of passwords he surveyed shared the same 32 characters. Using these sorts of rules, which have been validated by every password guesser writing on the subject the last decade, a very large password space can be broken down into a much smaller set of likely nearly non-random passwords. (My friend Mark Burnett, author of "Perfect Passwords," conducted a great study on password character distribution.) Bruce Schneier and I did a similar study on tens of thousands of passwords stolen from MySpace, which you can read about in an earlier Security Adviser post and on Bruce Schneier's site.The randomness of a password is called its entropy. Reading about password entropy in detail will almost hurt your brain. To simplify, a password such as "password" or "12345678" has almost no entropy; a password such as "vB%&7P" has a higher-than-average entropy. However, it's nearly impossible to calculate a password's true entropy without examining it along with every other choice in the password space. But several people have made intelligent guesses, and the password entropy model you rely on will have a significant impact on the overall success of your password policy defense.Enter the spreadsheetIn the password-guessing calculator spreadsheet, I allow the user to choose among four different password entropy models: one developed by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology); one developed by C.E. Shannon, noted language entropy researcher; one developed by Johannson; and the Perfect Entropy model. I think the most accurate password entropy model comes from NIST (NIST Publication 800-63, Appendix A, Table A.1, p.53), but I include other models for reference, and there is room defined for more. It's important to point out that all the included password entropy models are probably flawed, but they are the best we can do without knowing all the real-life passwords in a given password space. In my experience, I think even the NIST model is too conservative, overestimating guessing effort.In the spreadsheet, the user inputs his or her password policy (length, character set, maximum age, and whether complexity is enabled), selects an entropy model, and enters the number of guesses per minute that an attacker can attempt.The question I get most often is, "How many attack guesses per minute is realistic?" That depends on a whole host of factors, including bandwidth from source to destination, source and destination resource utilization, the application being attacked, lockout rules, the type of system being attacked, other defenses, and the number of attack threads generated.There are many attack tools (including Brutus and THC's Hydra) that allow multiple threads to be started simultaneously. Add to it that the attacker can attack from multiple origination points at once, and the number of attack threads can increase quickly. When I conduct a penetration test, I can routinely generate several hundred password-guessing threads a minute, but more than that, most systems start to bog down, and many crash completely. You'll have to conduct your own real-life password guessing tests using an automated tool to determine the valid ranges you should input enter the spreadsheet.You can use the password guessing spreadsheet to simulate all sorts of attack scenarios, but the one I often demonstrate assumes the following inputs: eight-character password, complexity enabled, 94-symbol character set, with 90 days between password changes. On average, the attacker could break passwords under that policy with only 65 guesses per minute -- not at all hard to accomplish.I accept no responsibility for the errors in my spreadsheet. It likely contains significant errors and should not be relied upon. Do your own password audit testing to make decisions. And this exercise absolutely ignores all other factors that make up true password strength (system controls, other defenses, physical security, end-user's brain) and all other sorts of password attacks, such as keystroke logging, side-channel attacks, social engineering, phishing, sniffing, and dumpster diving.That said, it's an interesting spreadsheet to play with. I plan to update it as better information, corrections, and improved entropy models become available.This column would not be complete without mentioning the password policy I strongly recommend. Regular user passwords should be a minimum of 10 to 12 characters long (preferably 12 or more); privileged accounts should have passwords of at least 15 characters, and they should be changed every 90 to 120 days. Disable weak hashes to prevent password hash cracking. I'm not a big fan of complexity -- it doesn't provide as much protection as people think -- but you'll usually have to include it to satisfy auditing requirements.Enjoy!


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World beaters for startups
Canada is one of the best countries among the G20 for small business owners, but there is still plenty of room for improvement, especially as the country will need to lean on younger entrepreneurs coming out of the current recession, Ernst & Young said in a new business barometer released Monday.
The study, prepared for the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Summit in Nice, France, that starts Monday, surveyed 1,000 entrepreneurs across the G20 (50 in each country).
It found Canada is among the leaders in several areas, including business confidence, startup costs, strong banking sector, and good coaching and education programs for young entrepreneurs.
"There is only one G20 country – Canada – that can claim that high levels of confidence among entrepreneurs in their country are reflected in a similarly high number of new businesses registered," the authors of the study said. "For all other countries there are significant opportunities for improvement on one or both of these key measures."
Canada was also named the top entrepreneurial hotbed of all the G20 countries by a wide margin in a recent report from McKinsey & Co. prepared for the G20 YE summit.
With a score of 93, Canada easily bested the United States, which followed at 75, because of its protective and fluid environment for entrepreneurs, high quality of education, lack of taxes and regulatory burdens, and opportunities for collaboration.
"Entrepreneurs have a key role to play in fostering Canada's growth, creating jobs and cultivating innovation and prosperity. It is heartening to see that Canada's forward strides are being recognized globally," Vivian Prokop, chief executive with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation who also worked with the research firm in the study, said in a news release.
The Ernst & Young study was also flattering for Canada, reporting that more than 70% of Canadian entrepreneurs surveyed were confident in their own country, by far the highest figure. Canada also averages almost nine new businesses registered for every 1,000 people in a given year, a close second behind the United Kingdom at just more than nine.
Part of the reason for this is a well-established culture of entrepreneurship, with 88% of Canadians saying the country's culture encourages making your own way in life. This is third behind only India and China.
Canada also leads in startup costs and ease of registry as it only takes one procedure and on average five days to start a business, while the average cost comes in at only 0.4% of per capita income.
"Canada does sound like the startup paradise for G20 counterparts," the report said, citing BizPal as an important online government service that simplifies the permitting and licensing process for entrepreneurs.
BizPal is a website that summarizes and provides access to applications for all the permits and licences that a business requires to get off the ground, although the service has come under some criticism for not being available in all municipalities, and for occasionally having outdated and inaccurate information.
As for funding, 52% of Canadian respondents said they had easy access to funding, compared with only 36% across the G20. However, 38% of Canadians said bank lending funding had deteriorated, and 50% said access to venture capital had worsened.
"Since both of these funding instruments are important at the early stages of enterprise development, entrepreneurs in Canada hoping to start a business may be facing worse conditions than in the past," the report said.
Results are also unclear on access to other funding, including initial public offerings, private equity and the stock market, but public aid was viewed by the majority as being a key source in the next three years.
Canada also ranked high in terms of education, with 72% of Canadian respondents seeing an improvement in coaching programs in the past five years, and 50% calling for coaching as the No. 1 priority in the next three years to improve student perception of entrepreneurship.
Overall, the findings are encouraging for Canada but more work needs to be done to emphasize entrepreneurship to young Canadians, Colleen McMorrow, Ernst & Young's Canadian leader of entrepreneurial services, said in an interview.
"Helping to encourage entrepreneurship education is important, access to mentors, helping students identify opportunities and entrepreneurship as a viable career," she said.
This will be crucial for the health of Canada's economy moving forward, as an entire generation of young Canadians just entering the job market now will realize that getting rejected for a job interview is not the end of the world – and that a single good idea, more than ever, can be moulded and marketed into a viable business.
"It's not easier to be an entrepreneur, but the job security in more traditional paths has evaporated," said Brian Anderson, an assistant professor of entrepreneurship with the Richard Ivey School of Business.
"Also many more parents are seeing it's not feasible to tell their kids to go out and get that perfect job, because they themselves are seeing the same volatility."
The Ernst & Young study will be released annually to coincide with each G20 summit and is meant to help G20 countries better determine their entrepreneurship policy and strategies.
Financial Post |


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Appointment Phone: (617) 242-0663
Emergency Phone: (978) 886-2947
Charlestown Family Dentistry is conveniently located in historic Thompson Square in Charlestown, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. Dr. Jeffrey A. Goldman, D.D.S. has been located in Charlestown since 1983 and treats both children and adults. His attentive dental staff makes you feel welcome and comfortable. Dr. Goldman takes most major dental plans and accepts new patients. Dr. Goldman looks forward to being your family dentist.
The goal at our Charlestown office is to provide quality dental care with total patient comfort. We would like to treat every patient as if they are a member of our dental family. To achieve this goal, we strive to see patients when scheduled and finish treatment in a timely manner. We value your time. We use the most modern sterilization techniques and work with insurance companies to maximize your benefits.
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It seems Chris Lambton's decision to turn down ABC's offer to be The Bachelor on the current season of the show is paying off.
Chris, who was the runner up on Ali Fedotowsky's season of The Bachelorette, has found love off camera. In a new interview with UsWeekly, Chris finally admits he is indeed dating Bachelor Pad alum Peyton Wright. In fact, the two have been dating since last August.
"I love her and I'm so happy to be with her," Chris, 33, told UsWeekly at a Bachelor reunion party in NYC Saturday. "And you know what, the one good thing that came from this show, well two good things– one, meeting Peyton and two, the strong friendships I made. I have no regrets about doing the show."
Chris reveals he made things official with Peyton last fall. "I think I asked her to be my girlfriend October 3rd," said Chris. "I made him!" chimed in Peyton. "I'm like, 'Are we going to define this?' And he said, 'Peyton, will you be my girlfriend?'"
And when it comes to the current season of the Bachelor with Brad Womack, Peyton reveals her top choice for Brad. "I like Emily a lot — they definitely have a connection!" she said. As for Chris, he reveals he is "definitely not" watching this season of the show.


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An official website of the United States government
Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Statement of Keith Hall Commissioner Bureau of Labor Statistics before the Joint Economic Committee UNITED STATES CONGRESS Friday, April 3, 2009 Madam Chair and Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the employment and unemployment data we released this morning. Labor market conditions continued to deteriorate in March. Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 663,000, and the unemployment rate increased from 8.1 to 8.5 percent. Since the beginning of the recession in December 2007, job losses have totaled 5.1 million, 3.3 million of which occurred in just the past 5 months. These declines have been widespread across industry sectors, but particularly sharp in manufacturing, construction, and temporary help services. Together, these industries have accounted for nearly two-thirds of the job loss during the recession. In March, manufacturing employment fell by 161,000, with job losses spread throughout the sector. Since the start of the recession, manufacturing has shed 1.5 million jobs, with about 60 percent of the loss occurring in the past 5 months. In March, the average workweek in manufacturing decreased by two-tenths of an hour. Construction employment declined by 126,000 over the month. Since the beginning of the recession, employment has dropped by about 1.1 million, with more than half of that total occurring in the past 5 months. In March, employment continued to contract throughout most of the service-providing sector. Temporary help services employment shrank by 72,000 over the month. Employment in the industry is down by about three-quarters of a million since the recession began, with over half of that coming in the past 5 months. In March, other large job losses occurred in retail trade (-48,000), financial activities (-43,000), transportation and warehousing (-34,000), accommodation and food services (-32,000), and wholesale trade (-31,000). Health care employment continued to trend up in March, although the pace of job growth appears to have slowed in the past 3 months. In the first quarter of 2009, the industry added an average of 17,000 jobs per month, compared with a monthly average of 30,000 in 2008. Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory workers in the private sector rose by 3 cents in March, or 0.2 percent. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.4 percent. From February 2008 to February 2009, the seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) fell by 0.5 percent. The major indicators from our household survey also reflect weaker labor market conditions. In March, the unemployment rate rose by four-tenths of one percentage point to 8.5 percent, and the number of unemployed persons reached 13.2 million. Since the recession began in December 2007, unemployment has surged by 5.6 million; job losers have accounted for about 80 percent of the increase, with returning workers and new entrants to the labor market making up smaller portions. In March, the number of individuals experiencing long spells of joblessness rose by 265,000 to 3.2 million. Nearly one in four of the unemployed had been jobless for 27 weeks or more, the highest ratio since mid-1983. Over the month, the employment-population ratio slipped to 59.9 percent, 2.8 percentage points lower than at the beginning of the recession and the lowest level since July 1985. Among the employed, the number of persons working part time who would prefer to be working full time increased by 423,000 over the month to 9.0 million. Since December 2007, this measure has risen by 4.4 million. Summarizing the labor market developments for March, payroll employment fell by 663,000, and the unemployment rate climbed to 8.5 percent. Since the beginning of the recession in December 2007, job losses have totaled 5.1 million. My colleagues and I now would be glad to answer your questions.


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LocationSalt Lake City, UT
14295 Minuteman Dr.
Draper, UT 84020
Used 2022 Grand Design Transcend Xplor 265BH Travel Trailer
Grand Design Transcend Xplor travel trailer 265BH highlights:
- Dual Entry Doors
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Are you ready to camp in comfort with your family or friends? This travel trailer allows you to do just that! There are double-size bunks in the back with two steps that have storage for books or board games. There is also a closet here to keep clothes wrinkle-free. The U-shaped dinette within the slide out and the jackknife sofa will be the perfect spot to visit with your crew. This model features a walk-through bath that leads to the front master bedroom. You'll love the queen bed here, overhead storage, and your own exterior entry door for convenience.
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Stock# 295216
|32 ft 9 in
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|Fresh Water Capacity
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News November 9, 2012
Dallas bishops to attend annual November Plenary in Baltimore (November 12-15)
The U.S. Bishops will vote on a strategic plan for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for 2013-2016, during their annual November plenary in Baltimore, November 12-15. Bishop Kevin J. Farrell along with his auxiliary bishops, Most Rev. Douglas Deshotel an Most Rev. Mark Seitz will all attend this fall meeting.
Next week's Fall General Assembly of the US Catholic Bishops will feature discussions about many timely and topical issues facing the church today. The bishops will vote on several action items, including their strategic plan and documents on preaching, the Sacrament of Penance, the economy and possibilities and challenges to the teaching ministry of a bishop. The bishops will also vote for the treasurer-elect of USCCB, the chairmen-elect of five committees, and the creation of three USCCB staff positions.
Here is a small sampling of the issues being addressed by the Bishops. For full coverage of the meetings, go to the USCCB General Assembly - 2012 November website, which will feature updated information, voting results, video and live-streaming during the meeting.
- Bishops, Bloggers To Dialogue In 'Encounter With Social Media
- Bishops To Vote On Document Responding To Difficult Economic Times
- Internal matters top agenda of bishops' fall assembly in Baltimore
- Bishops to consider new document on preaching at fall meeting
In addition, the U.S. Bishops will vote on a strategic plan for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for 2013-2016, during their annual November plenary in Baltimore, November 12-15.
The proposed plan centers on the New Evangelization called for by Pope Benedict XVI with emphasis on three areas of church life: Faith, Worship and Witness. The plan maps out a direction for USCCB committees and offices to work together on a limited number of key issues which are generally national in scope. Many of these plans continue the bishops' focus from the last four years. The proposal outlines efforts listed below.
2013-2014: Focus on Faith.
Plans aim to aid bishops and dioceses in helping Catholics deepen their relationship with Jesus, increase their knowledge of Church teachings, strengthen the formation of ministers and, for all, gain a greater confidence in the Gospel lived in society through the parish community. Specific issues include increased education for priests, religious and lay ministers and promotion of vocations, emphasis on such issues as cultural diversity, migration and pastoral care for refugees, respect for life at all stages of development and concern for the poor and marginalized.
2014-2015: Focus on Worship and Parish Life.
Plans work toward increasing sacramental practice and emphasizing the welcoming nature of parish communities. This includes special efforts to strengthen marriage and family life and increase Mass attendance and use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
2015-2016: Focus on Witness.
Plans support continuing initiatives related to the life and dignity of the human person and promote projects to support diocesan efforts to strengthen and encourage the laity to witness in the public square and to understand their role as evangelizers and witnesses to their Christian faith. Specific issues include a 2016 conference to facilitate Catholics promoting their faith in the public square and learning how to be evangelizers, efforts to increase communications between bishops and members of religious orders and promotion of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Source: USCCB.org


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Anna Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American film and stage actress. She is known for her prominent roles in the 2003 film Camp and the 2007 film Rocket Science, and her supporting role in the film series The Twilight Saga. She stars in the 2009 film Up in the Air.
Kendrick claims to have "caught the bug" at the age of 10, when her parents would drive her from her hometown of Portland, Maine, to New York City so that she could attend auditions. Her first appearance was the role of Dinah in the Broadway musical High Society in August 1998, at age 12, which earned her Theatre World Award, Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award nominations, the latter of which made her the third-youngest nominee ever after 10-year-old Frankie Michaels and 11-year-old Daisy Eagan, who both went on to win.
Afterward, she was featured in a number of other theater productions, including the musical A Little Night Music, before making her film debut in the 2003 musical comedy Camp, for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Chlotrudis Award and Best Debut Performance Independent Spirit Award for her portrayal of the character Fritzi Wagner.


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Windows Phone Marketplace hits 50,000-app mark
Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace hit another benchmark this week, topping 50,000 games and applications. The number comes ahead of what some observers were expecting.
Nearly a year and two months after its launch, Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace has hit a new milestone.
The collection of apps and games that run on Microsoft's Windows Phone devices now sits north of 50,000 applications, according to a count by the blog All About Windows Phone. More than a third of those were added in the past three months, and nearly 16 percent within the past 30 days, the site said.
In actuality, users have access to fewer than the 50,126 items on the store as of today, with about 6,000 apps having been removed from the store over time, cutting the total count in the U.S. to 42,655 apps.
The Windows Phone Marketplace's last big benchmark was 40,000 apps, a number Microsoft reached less than a month ago, followed by 45,000 on December 12. Both of those counts, which were logged by All About Windows Phone, set Microsoft to hit the magic 50,000 number by the first week in January, a benchmark today's total bests by a week.
In addition to the total, the new numbers show that the volume of apps and games added to the Windows Live Marketplace each day is increasing. At the 50,000 mark, Microsoft's publishing 265 new games and apps each day, up from the 165 a day total from mid-November.
As mentioned in previous coverage, Microsoft's app volume comes in considerably lower than that of its competitors, which had a multi-year head start on their platforms. Apple's App Store, for instance, tops 500,000 apps as of May, with a more recent and unofficial count from app tracker Appshopper.com putting that total at 526,855. 150,000 of those apps were published inside a four month time period. As for Google, an overall app count from analytics firm Distimo pegged its volume at 380,297 applications in October.
Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7 in Europe near the end of October last year, bringing it to North America in the second week of November. The platform is a reboot of the company's Windows Mobile platform and ties in with a number of its software and services including Microsoft Office and Xbox Live.
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