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Where will your retirement money come from? If you're like most people, qualified-retirement plans, Social Security, personal savings and investments are expected to play a role. Once you have estimated the amount of money you may need for retirement, a sound approach involves taking a close look at your potential retirement-income sources.
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Explore the growing influence women wield over the economy with this handy infographic.
The Cost of Procrastination
Don't let procrastination keep you from pursuing your financial dreams and goals.
Caring for Aging Parents
As our nation ages, many Americans are turning their attention to caring for aging parents.
Where Will Your Retirement Money Come From?
Retirement income may come from a variety of sources. Here's an overview of the six main sources.
9 Facts About Social Security
There are things about Social Security that might surprise you.
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View all articles
Potential Income from an IRA
Estimate your monthly and annual income from various IRA types.
My Retirement Savings
Estimate how long your retirement savings may last using various monthly cash flow rates.
Roth 401(k) vs. Traditional 401(k)
This calculator compares employee contributions to a Roth 401(k) and a traditional 401(k).
Annuity Comparison
This calculator compares a hypothetical fixed annuity with an account where the interest is taxed each year.
Self-Employed Retirement Plans
Estimate the maximum contribution amount for a Self-Employed 401(k), SIMPLE IRA, or SEP.
A Look at Systematic Withdrawals
This calculator may help you estimate how long funds may last given regular withdrawals.
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An Inside Look at Retirement Living
A number of questions and concerns need to be addressed to help you better prepare for retirement living.
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RE: Retirement
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'Blood moon' rising: Total lunar eclipse on April 14-15, first in rare series
A total lunar eclipse set to sweep the skies on April 14-15 and turn the moon blood-red just before midnight has got scientists excited and some Christians fearing for the end of days.
The coppery moon will be the first of two total lunar eclipses in 2014 as well as the opening act in a lunar tetrad – four total lunar eclipses in series.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align, causing the Earth's shadow to fall on the moon, darkening it. The crimson color the moon takes on during an eclipse comes about because of the refraction of sunlight through the Earth's atmosphere. This, incidentally, is the very same effect that causes sunsets to appear red.
The April 14-15 eclipse will begin at 21:20 GMT according to Sky and Telescope magazine. The other three eclipses in the "tetrad" will be in October, April 2015 and September 2015. Griffith Observatory will stream the event live.
A small group of Christians, however, view the upcoming event as a biblical prophecy sounding the end of times.
John Hagee, pastor and author of 'Four Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change,' cites Joel 2:31 as evidence, which says: "The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come."
Proponents of this Biblical prophesy also say it coincides with two important Jewish holidays – Passover and Tabernacles – contributing to the significance of the event.
However, writing for EarthSky.org, Bruce McClure and Deborah Byrd say that it's no surprise that full moons would coincide with important Jewish holidays, as the Jewish calendar is, after all, a lunar calendar.
"In any year, it's inevitable that a full moon should fall on or near the feasts of Passover (15 Nissan) and Tabernacles (15 Tishri). Nissan and Tishri are the first and seventh months of the Jewish calendar, respectively," they said.
"It is somewhat ironic that three of these four lunar eclipses are not visible – even in part – from Israel."
The pair argue that while the idea of a blood moon is one that lends itself to the imagination, the term is actually applicable to pretty much any total lunar eclipse.
"It's only in years where volcanic activity is pronounced that the moon's face during a total lunar eclipse might appear more brownish or gray in color. Usually, the moon looks red."
Tetrads, while occurring less often than a blue moon, are not entirely rare. According to Byrd, there will be a total of eight lunar tetrads between 2001 and 2100. The last lunar tetrad occurred in 1967-1968.
This eclipse also features an additional astronomical anomaly, which is likely to spark the imagination. Byrd says Mars will appear "as a fiery red 'star' next to the moon. Together red Mars and the red shadow on the moon's face should be a spectacular sight and an incredible photo opportunity."

subset: commoncrawl


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Report says Russian hackers haven't eased spying efforts
WASHINGTON (AP) — The elite Russian state hackers behind last year's massive SolarWinds cyberespionage campaign hardly eased up this year, managing plenty of infiltrations of U.S. and allied government agencies and foreign policy think tanks with consummate craft and stealth, a leading cybersecurity firm reported.
Also Monday, Microsoft announced that it had disrupted the cyber-spying of a state-backed Chinese hacking group by seizing websites it used to gather intelligence from foreign ministries, think tanks and human rights organizations in the U.S. and 28 other countries, chiefly in Latin America and Europe.
Microsoft said a Virginia federal court had granted its request last Thursday to seize 42 web domains that the Chinese hacking group, which it calls Nickel but which is also known as APT15 and Vixen Panda, were using to access targets typically aligned with China's geopolitical interests. It said in a blog that "a key piece of the infrastructure the group has been relying on" in its latest wave of infiltrations was removed. The seized domains include "elperuanos.org," "pandemicacre.com" and "cleanskycloud.com."
The dual announcements, though unrelated, highlight the unrelenting drumbeat of digital spying by its top U.S. geopolitical rivals, whose cyber-intrusion skillset is matched only by that of the United States.
A year after it discovered the SolarWinds intrusions, Mandiant said the hackers associated with Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency continue to steal data "relevant to Russian interests" with great effect using novel, stealthy techniques that it detailed in a mostly technical report aimed at helping security professionals stay alert. It was Mandiant, not the U.S. government, that disclosed SolarWinds.
While the number of government agencies and companies hacked by the SVR was smaller this year than last, when some 100 organizations were breached, assessing the damage is difficult, said Charles Carmakal, Mandiant's chief technical officer. Overall, the impact is quite serious. "The companies that are getting hacked, they are also losing information."
"Not everybody is disclosing the incident(s) because they don't always have to disclose it legally," he said, complicating damage-assessment.
The Russian cyber spying unfolded, as always, mostly in the shadows as the U.S. government was consumed in 2021 by a separate, eminently "noisy" and headline-grabbling cyber threat — ransomware attacks launched not by nation-state hackers but rather criminal gangs. As it happens, those gangs are largely protected by the Kremlin.
The Mandiant findings follow an October report from Microsoft that the hackers, whose umbrella group it calls Nobelium, continue to infiltrate the government agencies, foreign policy think tanks and other organizations focused on Russian affairs through the cloud service companies and so-called managed services providers on which they increasingly rely. The Mandiant researchers said the Russian hackers "continue to innovate and identify new techniques and tradecraft" that lets them linger in victim networks, hinder detection and confuse attempts to attribute hacks to them.
Mandiant did not identify individual victims or describe what specific information may have been stolen but did say unspecified "diplomatic entities" that received malicious phishing emails were among the targets.
Often, the researchers say, the hackers' path of least resistance to their targets were cloud-computing services. From there, they used stolen credentials to infiltrate networks. The report describes how in one case they gained access to one victim's Microsoft 365 system through a stolen session token. And, the report says, the hackers routinely relied on advanced tradecraft to cover their tracks.
One clever technique discussed in the report illustrates the ongoing cat-and-mouse game that digital espionage entails. Hackers set up intrusion beachheads using IP addresses, a numeric designation that identifies its location on the internet, that were physically located near an account they are trying to breach — in the same address block, say, as the person's local internet provider. That makes it highly difficult for security software to detect a hacker using stolen credentials posing as someone trying to access their work account remotely.
Microsoft expressed no illusions that the website seizures it announced Monday would discourage the Chinese hackers, who it has been tracking since 2016. It said the takedowns were of infrastructure it has been tracking since 2019, much of it exploiting on-premises —- as opposed to cloud-based — Exchange Server and SharePoint systems. The company has used the legal takedown tactic in 24 lawsuits to date, Microsoft said, knocking out a total of 600 sites used by nation-state actors and 10,000 by cybercriminals.
The SolarWinds hack exploited vulnerabilities in the software supply-chain system and went undetected for most of 2020 despite compromises at a broad swath of federal agencies — including the Justice Department — and dozens of companies, primarily telecommunications and information technology providers and including Mandiant and Microsoft.
The hacking campaign is named SolarWinds after the U.S. software company whose product was exploited in the first-stage infection of that effort. The Biden administration imposed sanctions last April in response to the hack, including against six Russian companies that support the country's cyber efforts.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


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Read the 25 page Complaint in the matter of The United States of America vs. The State of Arizona and Janice K. Brewer, Governor of the State of Arizona, in Her Official Capacity. The Complaint states three causes of action:
- Violation of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution
- Preemption under Federal Law
- Violation of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution
It's interesting to note that despite opponents constant statements that SB 1070 should be overturned because it will cause racial profiling, the Complaint is silent on racial profiling. The US also filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Memorandum of Law in Support Thereof.
Here is the Justice Department's press release dated July 6, 2010, about the lawsuit.
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice challenged the state of Arizona's recently passed immigration law, S.B. 1070, in federal court today. In a brief filed in the District of Arizona, the Department said S.B. 1070 unconstitutionally interferes with the federal government's authority to set and enforce immigration policy,explaining that "the Constitution and federal law do not permit the development of a patchwork
of state and local immigration policies throughout the country." A patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement. Having enacted its own immigration policy that conflicts with federal immigration law, Arizona "crossed a constitutional line."
The Department's brief said that S.B. 1070 will place significant burdens on federal agencies, diverting their resources away from high-priority targets, such as aliens implicated in terrorism, drug smuggling, and gang activity, and those with criminal records. The law's mandates on Arizona law enforcement will also result in the harassment and detention of foreign visitors and legal immigrants, as well as U.S. citizens, who cannot readily prove their lawful status.
In declarations filed with the brief, Arizona law enforcement officials, including the Chiefs of Police of Phoenix and Tucson, said that S.B. 1070 will hamper their ability to effectively police their communities. The chiefs said that victims of or witnesses to crimes would be less likely to contact or cooperate with law enforcement officials and that implementation of the law would require them to reassign officers from critical areas such as violent crimes, property crimes, and home invasions.
The Department filed the suit after extensive consultation with Arizona officials, law enforcement officers and groups, and civil rights advocates. The suit was filed on behalf of the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State, which share responsibilities in administering federal immigration law.
"Arizonans are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration, and the federal government has a responsibility to comprehensively address those concerns," Attorney General Holder said. "But diverting federal resources away from dangerous aliens such as terrorism suspects and aliens with criminal records will impact the entire country's safety. Setting immigration policy and enforcing immigration laws is a national responsibility. Seeking to address the issue through a patchwork of state laws will only create more problems than it solves."
"With the strong support of state and local law enforcement, I vetoed several similar pieces of legislation as Governor of Arizona because they would have diverted critical law enforcement resources from the most serious threats to public safety and undermined the vital trust between local jurisdictions and the communities they serve," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said. "We are actively working with members of Congress from both parties to comprehensively reform our immigration system at the federal level because this challenge cannot be solved by a patchwork of inconsistent state laws, of which this is one. While this bipartisan effort to reform our immigration system progresses, the Department of Homeland Security will continue to enforce the laws on the books by enhancing border security and removing criminal aliens from this country."
The Department has requested a preliminary injunction to enjoin enforcement of the law, arguing that the law's operation will cause irreparable harm.
"Arizona impermissibly seeks to regulate immigration by creating an Arizona-specific immigration policy that is expressly designed to rival or supplant that of the federal government. As such, Arizona's immigration policy exceeds a state's role with respect to aliens, interferes with the federal government's balanced administration of the immigration laws, and critically undermines U.S. foreign policy objectives. S.B. 1070 does not simply seek to provide legitimate support to the federal government's immigration policy, but instead creates an unprecedented independent immigration scheme that exceeds constitutional boundaries," the Department said in its brief.


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Canmake nail polish collection at a special promotional price of S$7.50 (usual price: $8.50).
Majolica Majorca Majolook (Trick On) palettes GR750 and BR751 (S$24.50 each) from the Fall '08 "A Girl with Wings" collection. I'm not sure why there was a delay in releasing these in Singapore but both are great palettes well worth checking out!
At the Anna Sui counter in Isetan Orchard, I chanced upon a stack of Catalog magazines, issue #52 (S$3.50). I asked the SA if they were free and she answered "Yes" with a most sour expression before turning around and stalking off. :-p Despite her snobbish attitude, I was still delighted at scoring a free copy of the magazine, which I've never seen before. I think this is the January issue. It is a monthly magazine, tagged as "The Definitive Shopper" and covers fashion for both men and women. (Edited to add: There is a big stack of Catalog at the cashier counters in Tangs (Orchard) so you can grab a copy from there!)
The issue had a special spotlight on Majolica Majorca and featured it on both covers. One side featured the A Girl with Wings promo visual while the other side was embossed with the Majolica Majorca logo and tagline "Fulfils all your wishes".
Inside there's an article by the Catalog editor, Adele Chan, who attended a MM press event in Hong Kong where she got to interview MM's Chief Makeup Artist Miki Terunuma.
There is also an excellent tutorial on how to apply MM's Lash Enamel Neo for full lashes and Lash Expander Nep (known as Lash Beautifying Mascara in Singapore) for long lashes.
Some other features in the magazine. Overall, Catalog is a good read with well-written articles and interesting fashion finds. I highly recommend picking it up if you see it around!


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A new and improved botnet that has infected more than four million PCs is "practically indestructible," security researchers say.
"TDL-4," the name for both the bot Trojan that infects machines and the ensuing collection of compromised computers, is "the most sophisticated threat today," said Kaspersky Labs researcher Sergey Golovanov in a detailed analysis Monday.
"[TDL-4] is practically indestructible, Golovanov said.
Others agree.
"I wouldn't say it's perfectly indestructible, but it is pretty much indestructible," said Joe Stewart, director of malware research at Dell SecureWorks and an internationally-known botnet expert, in an interview today. "It does a very good job of maintaining itself."
Golovanov and Stewart based their judgments on a variety of TDL-4's traits, all which make it an extremely tough character to detect, delete, suppress or eradicate.
For one thing, said Golovanov, TDL-4 infects the MBR , or master boot record, of the PC with a rootkit -- malware that hides by subverting the operating system. The master boot record is the first sector -- sector 0 -- of the hard drive, where code is stored to bootstrap the operating system after the computer's BIOS does its start-up checks.
Because TDL-4 installs its rootkit on the MBR, it is invisible to both the operating system and more, importantly, security software designed to sniff out malicious code.
But that's not TDL-4's secret weapon.
What makes the botnet indestructible is the combination of its advanced encryption and the use of a public peer-to-peer (P2P) network for the instructions issued to the malware by command-and-control (C&C) servers.
"The way peer-to-peer is used for TDL-4 will make it extremely hard to take down this botnet," said Roel Schouwenberg, senior malware researcher at Kaspersky, in an email reply Tuesday to follow-up questions. "The TDL guys are doing their utmost not to become the next gang to lose their botnet."
Schouwenberg cited several high-profile botnet take-downs -- which have ranged from a coordinated effort that crippled Conficker last year to 2011's FBI-led take-down of Coreflood -- as the motivation for hackers to develop new ways to keep their armies of hijacked PCs in the field.
"Each time a botnet gets taken down it raises the bar for the next time," noted Schouwenberg. "The truly professional cyber criminals are watching and working on their botnets to make them more resilient against takedowns or takeovers."
TDL-4's makers created their own encryption algorithm, Kaspersky's Golovanov said in his analysis, and the botnet uses the domain names of the C&C servers as the encryption keys.
The botnet also uses the public Kad P2P network for one of its two channels for communicating between infected PCs and the C&C servers, said Kaspersky. Previously, botnets that communicated via P2P used a closed network they had created.
By using a public network, the criminals insure their botnet will survive any take-down effort.
"Any attempt to take down the regular C&Cs can effectively be circumvented by the TDL group by updating the list of C&Cs through the P2P network," said Schouwenberg. "The fact that TDL has two separate channels for communications will make any take-down very, very tough."
Kaspersky estimated that the TDL-4 botnet consists of more than 4.5 million infected Windows PCs.
TDL-4's rootkit, encryption and communication practices, as well as its ability to disable other malware, including the well-known Zeus, makes the botnet extremely durable. "TDL is a business, and its goal is to stay on PCs as long as possible," said Stewart, citing the technologies that make the botnet nearly impossible to knock offline.
Stewart wasn't shocked that the TDL-4 botnet numbers millions of machines, saying that its durability contributed to its large size.
"The 4.5 million is not surprising at all," Stewart said. "It might not have as high an infection rate as other botnets, but its longevity means that as long as they can keep infecting computers and the discovery rate is small, they'll keep growing it."
Stewart pointed out that TDL-4's counter-attacks against other malware was another reason it's so successful.
"That's so smart," he said, adding that disabling competing malware -- which likely is much easier to detect -- means it has an even better chance of remaining on the PC. If other threats cause suspicious behavior, the machine's owner may investigate, perhaps run additional security scans or install antivirus software.
TDL-4's makers use the botnet to plant additional malware on PCs, rent it out to others for that purpose and for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and to conduct spam and phishing campaigns. Kaspersky said TDL-4 has installed nearly 30 different malicious programs on the PCs it controls.
But it's able to remove any at will. "TDL-4 doesn't delete itself following installation of other malware," said Golovanov. "At any time [it] can ... delete malware it has downloaded."
This is one dangerous customer, Stewart concluded.
"For all intents and purposes, [TDL-4] is very tough to remove," Stewart said. "It's definitely one of the most sophisticated botnets out there."
Read more about cybercrime and hacking in Computerworld's Cybercrime and Hacking Topic Center.


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Rams become 8th defending Super Bowl champ with losing mark
Dec 6, 2022, 9:20 AM | Updated: Dec 7, 2022, 8:03 am
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Los Angeles Rams are having a Super Bowl hangover unlike any other.
The defending champions are assured of being the eighth team to have a losing record the year after winning it all and are one loss shy of the most losses ever for a team defending a Super Bowl title.
The injury-plagued Rams (3-9) have the worst record ever through 12 games for a defending champion and are the first of those teams to lose six straight the year after winning a Super Bowl.
With a loss on Thursday night against the Raiders, Los Angeles can tie the 1999 Broncos (6-10) for the most losses ever by a defending champion.
Denver's falloff came after quarterback John Elway retired. The other defending champions with losing records were the 1968 Packers, who went 6-7-1 after coach Vince Lombardi retired; the 1981 Raiders (7-9); the 1982 49ers, who went 3-6 in a strike-shortened season; the 1987 Giants (6-9), who lost all three games with replacement players; Washington (7-9) in 1988 and Tampa Bay (7-9) in 2003.
The Rams can be officially eliminated from playoff contention this week, which will extend the longest stretch ever without a repeat Super Bowl champion.
There were eight repeat winners in the first 39 Super Bowls, with the longest gap without one coming between Pittsburgh's titles in the 1978-79 seasons and San Francisco's in 1988-89.
No team has repeated since the Patriots in 2003-04.
In all, out of the first 55 Super Bowl winners, eight won it all the following season, six others lost in the Super Bowl, 25 more made the playoffs and 16 missed out.
The Green Bay Packers ended Chicago's century-long run as the NFL's winningest team.
The Packers beat the Bears on Sunday for their 787th regular-season win, breaking a tie with Chicago for the most ever. This is the first time since 1921 that a franchise other than the Bears has the most regular-season wins in NFL history.
The victory also improved Aaron Rodgers' career record against Chicago to 25-5, including one playoff win. That's tied for the fifth-most wins for one player against one team, trailing only Tom Brady's 33 against the Bills, Brady's 31 against the Jets, Brett Favre's 28 against the Lions and Ben Roethlisberger's 26 against the Bengals.
The Cleveland Browns scored 27 points in unusual fashion last week against Houston.
The Browns scored touchdowns on a punt return, interception and fumble return, becoming the 10th team since the merger to score at least three TDs with none coming on offense. The last to do that was Philadelphia in a 26-21 loss to San Francisco on Sept. 28, 2014.
The only teams in the Super Bowl era to score more points without an offensive touchdown are the Bears in a 30-27 win over the Packers in 1993 and the Seahawks in a 29-10 win over the Steelers in 1999.
The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has been a two-man show this season.
With Josh Jacobs dominating on the ground and Davante Adams through the air, the Raiders have won three straight to get into the fringe of playoff contention in the AFC.
Jacobs leads the NFL with 1,635 yards from scrimmage and Adams is tied for eighth with 1,175. The Raiders are the only team with two players in the top 10 and the duo has combined for 61.6% of Las Vegas' yards from scrimmage — the biggest for the franchise since Clem Daniels and Art Powell had 61.8% of the Raiders' yards from scrimmage in 1963.
Jacobs has joined some exclusive company with 1,303 yards rushing, 10 TD runs and 5.38 yards per carry. The only other players to hit those marks through 12 games are a trio of Hall of Famers: Walter Payton (1977), O.J. Simpson (1973) and Jim Brown (1958, 1963, 1965).
Adams has had at least 120 yards receiving and two TD catches four times this season, tying a record he previously reached in 2020. The only others to do it are Cooper Kupp (2021), Terrell Owens (2002), Roy Green (1984) and Bobby Mitchell (1962).
Chicago quarterback Justin Fields is running into history.
Fields scored on a 55-yard run against Green Bay for his third rushing TD of at least 50 yards this season. No other QB in NFL history has three TD runs in the regular season of at least 50 yards. Colin Kaepernick had two in the regular and one in the playoffs.
Fields has scored on a TD run in six straight games, the longest streak for a QB since Johnny Lujack did it in 1950.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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This is a must-wear if you need a sophisticated elegant prom dress! Its high neckline and sleeveless, embellished tops pulls the eye upward and a shimmering belted feature cinches the waist. The bottom of the chiffon gown flares outward into a full skirted style and boasts lots of draping and movement. It's perfect for the ladies who want to look elegant, modern, and sophisticated.
-Approx. 60 inches from shoulder to hem.
-Fully lined.
Return/Exchange: Final Sale (see details)
Important tips on finding your dress size:


text: Watch Short Clip of Robin Sacks by Doreen Downing | Aug 28, 2020 | 0 comments Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


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Shawn Harris and Niraj Shah are serial entrepreneurs who have been building businesses in the region for more than a decade. Harris, 36, is the founder of Nyopoly.com, a Boston website that allows shoppers to name their price to buy products from brick and mortar retailers. Shah, 38, is cofounder of Wayfair LLC, which was founded as CSN Stores in 2002 and now is one of the Internet's biggest sellers of home goods. We asked Harris to lead a conversation with Shah about running start-ups. Here is an edited interview:
Harris: You're a consumer Internet site. Boston's big on technology behind the technology. Was there anything ever inside you guys that said, should we stay in Boston, or should we move elsewhere?
Shah: Boston's got an incredible amount of talent, it's got a lot of consumer-oriented brand talent, it's got a lot of traditional retail talent, a lot of technology talent. So it's got a lot of not just technology skills, but a lot of other skills that are highly relevant when you think of consumer Internet.
What we found was that to some degree it's almost a better place [for hiring] because you talk to companies that you'd think would have a very easy time recruiting in [Silicon] Valley, and they'll share with you stories where they can't get engineers because basically Facebook and Google are in a bidding war against each other, and everyone else is just collateral damage.
Harris: When you look at the Kevin Systroms of the world with Instagram, what does it take to get a local guy like that to consider hanging around, building a business like he built here?
Shah: There's no question that the Silicon Valley area is a great place to build a business. I think Boston's also a great place.
The biggest thing Boston should do is do a better job promoting itself and its successes. Most people don't think about in Boston, there's Wayfair, there's Rue La La, there's Shoebuy, TripAdvisor, Kayak.
Harris: The tech industry right now is getting a lot of attention because of Instagram and the Facebook IPO. But some people are saying there's another bubble. I look at it and go, "is there a bubble, or is it the case that the opportunities are so much clearer now that this is where the world is going?'' Before there was a ton of speculation.
Shah: This time these companies have revenues, and by and large they have profits. The first time around you had companies that were being measured on visitors and views, but there were not revenues, and there definitely were not profits. On the consumer Internet side, we're really in the early innings. What's hard to guess is - who all the winners and losers will be.
Harris: What's your opinion around this shopping culture where people are show-rooming - going into stores, scanning products or taking pictures, and looking at what the best price is going to be at Amazon or maybe even Wayfair?
Shah: One of the things we found is that online can be a huge source of traffic into a store and help the stores sell goods. For example, on Wayfair for furniture we actually have a program called "Get it near me,'' where local retailers can advertise based on a radius around ZIP codes. So they can say, "I want to advertise against low- to mid-price bedroom furniture in a 20-mile radius of these 10 ZIP codes where I have stores.'' The vast majority of people on our site, high 90 percent range, are just researching, and they'll never buy online.
Harris: What are the top things an e-commerce company should focus on for success?
Shah: Get your offering right. If your offering is wrong, and you do everything else right, it won't matter, because folks are pretty smart shoppers; they're not going to buy it from you. The number two thing is - it's old-fashioned - but it's customer satisfaction. Every customer that buys from you, you want them out there telling others about this great place.
Harris: Someone starting a company today, what advice would you give them?
Shah: You want to make sure you really love the idea you're going after. And second, you need to realize it'll probably take a while, meaning it'll take longer than you think it'll take.
Harris: What keeps you up at night when it comes to operating your business?
Shah: You were asking about the Instagram-Facebook acquisition. You have a company that's 18 months old, that has basically grown to be the biggest mobile-social network, kind of out of nowhere, with a very small team and a very little amount of capital, and it grew very, very quickly. So I think the biggest thing that keeps me up at night is - not only do you have a plan for all the things you want to do for your customer, but the pressure - you've got to do it fast.
Harris: In your experience as a minority entrepreneur, do you think there is adequate support in the region?
Shah: I'm aware of the fact that I'm a minority, but I've never thought of myself that way. I've never directly had the feeling that "Oh, I'm having a harder time because of it.'' And I've never had the particular feeling, "Oh, I'm having access to extra resources'' on the positive side because of it. I've primarily had the attitude of keeping my head down and focusing on building my business. What's it like for you?
Harris: I've had people say to me things like, "I don't know, you might want to consider replacing yourself as the CEO figurehead type person, and maybe bringing on a majority individual - whether that be an Indian person or a Caucasian person to be the CEO of my start-up. There are patterns of success, and these patterns are what enable someone who's investing in something to try to hit that high number as many times as possible.
I've heard those things because I've, in a lot of the circles, have been an "only'' - the only African-American doing a particular thing in a particular space.
It's difficult to start a business, it's difficult for anyone. With respect to just getting things done, I'm keeping my head down. Can't be, like, "Woe is me,'' and sit back. That's going to get you nowhere.


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GOT7's Jackson Got So Pissed When A Fan Was Pushed To The Ground, He Went To Find The Person Who Did It
A GOT7 fan was pushed by a photographer and Jackson reacted chivalrously, telling the man not to push girls.
The female fan was holding an umbrella over Jackson because it was raining when a man pushed her so hard she fell.
Jackson saw it and stopped, looking back to make sure the girl was okay.
He continued walking but said loudly, "you shouldn't push girls".
Jackson was visibly angry and, although he continued in silence for a while, looked for the man. He told him again to his face, "you shouldn't push girls".
Jackson looked so angry that his security guard had to encourage him to keep walking and turn away from the man.
Jinyoung also looked very unimpressed behind Jackson as he yelled at the man, although according to netizen accounts Jinyoung tried to calm Jackson down.
Netizens are praising Jackson for defending the girl and for how much he clearly cares for his fans.
…..I'm crying…
he deeply cares for his fans… OMG
— 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎𝐏•E🌘lipse (@crazyringo07) September 21, 2018
Standing up for fans. Jackson's a real man. I've never seen him so angry before.
— 💜✨ (@belovedgalaxy) September 21, 2018
I'm so touched he was really angry and worried there's no one else like him such love and care 🤧❤
— (un)creative potato (@by_Hyko) September 21, 2018
Never mess with Jackson and Ahgases
— LR (@Lilian_Roman_) September 21, 2018
He's too good for this cruel world plz
— 𝕊𝕒𝕗 (@Jinscollarbone) September 21, 2018
Fans also can't get over how angry Jackson seems, and the fact the security guard seemed like he had to stop him from fighting.
Can't move on from this. look at that expression after he told him off.. He was so ready to fight..
— Cherika – Shiori「-🐥」🌴🍑 (@Chechebuuuu) September 21, 2018
READY TO RUMBLE! FIGHT! xD
I see his nerves popping out of his muscles…😅
but really I was touched when Jackson protected an ahgase my ghad my haaaaateeeeuuuuu!!!! I cried as I watched the clip. He's too precious we don't deserve him. 😭
— 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎𝐏•E🌘lipse (@crazyringo07) September 21, 2018
Jinyoung too I saw him asking Jackson to calm down but I know deep inside they are both boiling…
btw, why did that photographer pushed an ahgase? She's just trying to keep Jackson dry from the rain..she's just concern about Jackson's health.
— 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎𝐏•E🌘lipse (@crazyringo07) September 21, 2018
Omg he looks pissed if security guard didn't stopped him he was going to break that guy legs which he deserve. He is such a gentleman who respect girls i love him so much.
— Saira💕 (@Babygreenbird1) September 21, 2018
omg jack looked so angry with the guy.. you can see everyone getting worried 🙁 —the girl also got shoved like crazy
— 끝 。 (@jookayee) September 21, 2018
wow you can literally feel the shift of his aura from the video
— |Mikko|👑🐥 (@MikkoWang7for7) September 21, 2018
Jackson's ready to throw something at the guy while Jinyoung's just giving his deathly glare 😭 we don't deserve Protective7 😭😭😭
— jam nimmie 🌕🌘🌑 (@dabestmemegroup) September 21, 2018
According to fans, the man who pushed the girl was a paid photographer who was unable to get his shots because of the girl's umbrella.
it was. apparently it's because the umbrella covered jackson's face, so that camera guy couldn't take picture of jackson and that's why he went up to the girl and pushed her away. this action is unnecessary. seriously.
— 왕🐶 (@0328stagram) September 21, 2018
I knew it, that's the main reason. But still no need for pushing.. I mean he could ask for the fans to move a little bit. 😒
— 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎𝐏•E🌘lipse (@crazyringo07) September 21, 2018
Jackson isn't the only GOT7 member filmed helping out their fans – earlier this year, JB stopped to help some fans who had fallen in the rush of bodies.
It's clear that Jackson and the other GOT7 members are definitely more than just talented entertainers and handsome faces!


text:
The Guardian
The tech giant's 'wearable computing' project is now being tested by volunteers, meaning you might already have been surreptitiously filmed and uploaded on to Google's servers. How worried should you be?
If you haven't heard about the excitement around Google Glass – the head-mounted glasses that can shoot video, take pictures, and broadcast what you're seeing to the world – then here's an idea of the interest in them. Last week, someone claiming to be testing Glass for Google auctioned their $1,500 (£995) device on eBay. Bidding had reached $16,000 before eBay stopped it on the basis that the person couldn't prove they had the glasses. (They weren't due to get them until last Friday.)
Google Glass is the most hotly anticipated new arrival in "wearable computing" – which experts predict will become pervasive. In the past 50 years we have moved from "mainframe" computers that needed their own rooms to ones that fit in a pocket; any smartphone nowadays has as much raw computing power as a top-of-the-line laptop from 10 years ago.
The next stage is computers that fit on to your body, and Google's idea is that you need only speak to operate it. The videos that the company has put online – and the demonstrations by Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder, who has been driving these imaginative leaps – suggest you can whirl your child around by their arms, say: "OK, Glass, take video!" and capture the moment. (To activate Glass you need to tilt your head, or touch the side, and then say, "OK Glass, record a video" or "OK Glass take a picture".) The only other way to get that point of view is to strap a camera to your head. Brin has already appeared on stage at a TED conference wearing his Glass glasses (will we call them Glasses?) and looking vaguely like a space pirate. He has described ordinary smartphones as "emasculating" (invoking quite a lot of puzzlement and dictionary-checking: yup, it still means what you thought). And yet people are already beginning to fret about the social implications of Glass (as it's quickly becoming known). The first, and most obvious, is the question of privacy. The second is: how will we behave in groups when the distraction of the internet is only an eye movement away?
David Yee, the chief technology officer at a company called Editorially, tweeted on this point the other day: "There's a young man wearing Google Glasses at this restaurant, which, until just now, used to be my favourite spot."
Yee's worry was that the young person might be filming everything and uploading it to Google's servers (and a Google+ page). Which just feels creepy. It's not a trivial concern. Joshua Topolsky, an American technology journalist who is one of the few to have tried out Google Glass – at Google's invitation – discovered this directly. He wore them to Starbucks, accompanied by a film crew. The film crew were asked to stop filming. "But I kept the Glass's video recorder going, all the way through."
Still, you might think, where's the harm? The thing is, though: this is Google, not Fred's Amazing Spectacles Company. This is the company that has repeatedly breached the boundaries of what we think is "private". From Google Buzz (where it created a "social network" from peoples' email lists, forgetting that sometimes deadly enemies have mutual friends; it was bound over for 20 years by the US's Federal Trade Commission) and the rows over Street View pictures, to the intentional snaffling of wi-fi data while collecting those pictures (a $25,000 fine from the US Federal Communications Commission for obstructing its investigation there).
And that's before you get to criticism in Europe over its attitude to data protection (information commissioners grumbled last October that its unification of its separate privacy policies meant "uncontrolled" use of personal data without an individual's clear consent.
For Google, "privacy" means "what you've agreed to", and that is slightly different from the privacy we've become used to over time. So how comfortable – or uneasy – should we feel about the possibility that what we're doing in a public or semi-public place (or even somewhere private) might get slurped up and assimilated by Google? You can guess what would happen the first time you put on Glass: there would be a huge scroll of legal boilerplate with "Agree" at the end. And, impatient and uncaring as ever, you would click on it with little regard for what you were getting yourself, and others, in to. Can a child properly consent to filming or being filmed? Is an adult, who happens to be visible in a camera's peripheral vision in a bar, consenting? And who owns – and what happens to – that data?
Oliver Stokes, principal design innovator at PDD, which helps clients such as LG, Vodafone and Fujitsu design products, says Yee's restaurant scenario is "concerning". "The idea that you could inadvertently become part of somebody else's data collection – that could be quite alarming. And Google has become the company which knows where you are and what you're looking for. Now it's going to be able to compute what it is you're looking at."
That, he points out, could be hugely useful. "Supermarkets and packaging companies spend lots of money trying to work out which packages you look at first on a shelf. Potentially, through Google Glass, they would be capturing that data as standard. That would be quite powerful – to be able to say why people buy things."
Of course, the benefits wouldn't accrue to the wearer. Google would sell the data (suitably anonymised, of course). And your smartphone already provides a huge amount of detail about you. Song Chaoming, a researcher at Northeastern University in Boston, has been analysing mobile phone records (including which base stations the phone connects to) and has developed an algorithm that can predict – with, he says, 93% accuracy – where its owner is at any time of the day (by triangulating from the strengths of the base station signals; that's part of how your smartphone is able to show where you are on an onscreen map). He analysed the records of 50,000 people; the accuracy was never below 80%.
When you consider that Chaoming was only doing this in his spare time, and that Google has teams of people whose only task is to develop better algorithms to work out where a phone's owner is, and what they're going to do based on their past activity and searches, you realise that if you're using an Android phone, Google probably knows what you're going to do before you do.
A model with Google Glass at New York fashion week. Photograph: Andrew Kelly / ReutersThe obvious objection to these concerns is that we're used to being filmed; CCTV is part of life. Yee's response: "Not 5,000 cameras a city – five million. Not 5,000 monitors – one." Where the five million are the wearers of Glass – and the one monitor is Google, aggregating, sifting, profiting.
Yet we already live in a world where the boundaries of what's private and what's public are melting. The other day my Twitter timeline came alive with someone tweeting about watching a couple having a furious row in a cafe; the man had had multiple affairs, the woman had had a breakdown. Their unhappiness was being played out in public, though the cafe wasn't strictly a public space. If either used Twitter, they might have found themselves (or friends might have recognised them). And Twitter's content is retained and searchable through plenty of web services.
Social media such as Twitter, and the ubiquity since 2003 of cameraphones (and now of smartphones that not only have still and video cameras, but can also upload their content immediately) means we're more used to the snatched photo or video that tells a story. Without it, we wouldn't know the true circumstances surrounding the death at the G20 protest of the newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson.
What if everyone who had been there had been wearing Google Glass (or similar) and beaming it to the web? Would the police have behaved differently?
Google doesn't want to discuss these issues. "We are not making any comment," says a company spokesperson. But other sources suggest that Google's chiefs know that this is a live issue, and they're watching it develop. That's part of the plan behind the "Glass Explorer" scheme, which aims to get the devices into the hands – or rather, on to the faces – of ordinary people (and which enabled one member of the trial to putatively auction their Glass).
"It may be that new social norms develop with Glass, where people develop an informal way of showing that they're not using it – say, wearing it around their neck to signal they aren't using it or being distracted by it," said one person who has spoken to Google staff on this, but who has to stay anonymous. "One of the reasons they're doing Explorers is to get feedback on these things, as well as the devices."
The other big question about Glass is: how will we behave with each other? My own experience with a Glass-like system, of wearable ski goggles, suggests that distraction will happen quite easily. That system, from Recon, has a lens in the top right that shows data such as your speed, altitude, and even ski-resort maps (useful in whiteouts). It was very easy, while standing and talking to someone, to glance up and read something off the screen. Being present and not-present became almost reflexive, and that was with only one week of use. Yet at the same time, the display wasn't overwhelming. Concentrating on what was in front of me wasn't hard, when required.
Carolina Milanesi, smartphones and tablets analyst at the research company Gartner, says: "Interestingly this [distraction element] is the first thing I thought of – not that Glass was giving you something that phones cannot give you, in terms of sharing or accessing content, but that they do it without letting others realise you are doing anything. In other words, with the phone, if I am taking a picture, the person I am focusing on will likely notice me; with Glass they do not."
Despite her line of work, Milanesi is concerned about whether we get too deeply involved with our technology, to the exclusion of the real people around us. She has a different restaurant concern from Yee's. In June 2011, she pointed out how smartphones change us: "Look around a restaurant or coffee bar at how many people, couples even, are sitting across from each other and they're both looking down at their mobiles."
Glass might change that for the better – though would you appear to be looking at each other, while really intent on your email or a video? Topolsky, who used Glass for some days, said: "It brought something new into view (both literally and figuratively) that has tremendous value and potential … the more I used Glass the more it made sense to me; the more I wanted it."
He loved how text messages or phone calls would just appear as alerts, and he could deal with them without taking his phone out of his pocket to see who was calling. Walking and need directions? They're in view. "In the city, Glass makes you feel more powerful, better equipped, and definitely less diverted," he said. But, he added, "It might not be that great at a dinner party, or on a date, or watching a movie."
Mark Hurst, founder of Creative Good, a New York-based company that specialises in improving customer experiences, comments, "Your one-on-one conversation with someone wearing Google Glass is likely to be annoying, because you'll suspect that you don't have their undivided attention. And you can't comfortably ask them to take off the glasses (especially when, as it inevitably will be, the device is integrated into prescription lenses). Finally – and here's where the problems really start – you don't know if they're taking a video of you."
Stokes points out that we're already seeing body language change as smartphones – with their glowing screens – become more pervasive: the hunched walk that 10 years ago marked out a financial whiz with a BlackBerry is now seen on every pavement.
"I think there will be a pushback," Stokes says. "Maybe you'll have to have a lens cover to show you're not filming." He points out though that the present model seems to require voice control – "OK, Glass, shoot video" – and that this might discourage some users in public. "I've been watching for people using Siri [Apple's voice-driven iPhone control]. I just don't see people using it in public places. Maybe it's too gadgety."
"People will have to work out what the new normal is," says Stokes. "I do wonder whether speaking and gesturing might be essentially banned in public."
"At home my husband already jokes about me checking into [location service] Foursquare from the piece of carpet I am standing on," Milanesi says. "How much more will we have of this now that it is made so simple for us? And the other side of the coin: how much are we going to share with others, and at what point will we have a backlash? When will it all be too much?"


text:
Wellington Financial Announces a US$2.4 MM investment in Boston-based TIM Group, a software developer for the financial services industry.
Boston, MA and Toronto, ON (November 5, 2012) – Wellington Financial LP, a privately-held specialty finance firm, today announced that Wellington Financial have provided a US$2.4 million venture debt financing for TIM Group. TIM Group is a SaaS developer of applications serving the financial services industry. Under the terms of the venture loan facility, Wellington Financial provided a term loan of $2.4 million to TIM Group and Barclays Bank provided an additional £500,000 overdraft facility.
"TIM Group generates new revenue for administrators, brokers and other customers. Delivering market-beating analysis to investors, TIM Group is a trusted partner to both investors and service providers," said Craig Netterfield, Senior Vice President of Wellington Financial LP. "With significant revenue growth since 2005, TIM Group is a leader in all of the markets in which they operate. We are delighted to add TIM Group to our portfolio."
Richard Koppel, CEO of TIM Group said, "Partnering with Wellington Financial provides us with additional growth capital to support new exciting initiatives for investors and non-equity products. With Wellington's impressive track record of financing high growth companies, we look forward to working with them."
TIM Group is backed by leading venture capital firms, including Commonwealth Capital, GrandBanks Capital and JL Albright Ventures.
About Wellington Financial LP
Wellington Financial LP is a privately-held specialty finance firm providing term, venture and amortizing loans up to $30 million. Wellington Financial LP is currently managing a $500 million investment program with offices in Toronto, Canada, and Santa Monica, California. Wellington Financial LP is managed by a partnership controlled by fund management and Clairvest Group Inc. (CVG:TSX), who jointly have contributed a large financial stake to the Fund. LPs include several of Canada's largest institutional investors, pension funds, family offices and crown corporations. Please visit the fund website at www.wellingtonfund.com, or the Wellington Financial team blog at www.wellingtonfund.com/blog.
About TIM Group
TIM Group provides alpha generating information technology, consulting and services to the financial services industry. The company's focus is on helping buy and sell-side firms and administrators maximize their intellectual property to generate more revenue. TIM Group is employee owned with outside venture capital investors that include Commonwealth Capital Ventures of Boston, GrandBanks Capital of Boston, and JLA Ventures of Toronto.
About Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 140,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com


text:
Facts about Tony Scott
Tony Scott Biography
Tony Scott, the well-known director of action films like Top Gun and Crimson Tide, was 68 years old when he jumped to his death in Los Angeles in 2012.
Tony Scott was born in England and studied art at a series of schools: first a year at the Leeds College of Art and Design, then a fine arts degree at the University of Sunderland, and then a masters of fine arts at the Royal College of Art. He later joined his brother, Ridley Scott, at the TV ad agency Ridley Scott Associates and began directing commercials there. Both brothers then moved into the movies.
Tony Scott's first Hollywood feature as a director was The Hunger (1983), a sleek vampire picture starring Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie. His next film was the blowout blockbuster Top Gun (1986), starring Tom Cruise as a rebellious Navy fighter pilot. Top Gun's jet-fueled combo of action and rock 'n roll made it both a huge hit and a prototype for the action films of the next two decades. Scott made many of them himself: Beverly Hills Cop II (1987, with Eddie Murphy), Days of Thunder (a NASCAR action flm with Cruise and Nicole Kidman), the submarine thriller Crimson Tide (1995, with Denzel Washington) and Enemy of the State (1998, with Will Smith).
Tony Scott's films were often panned by critics — he was never nominated for an Oscar — but were highly successful at the box office. He also worked in television, producing the series Numb3rs and The Good Wife, among other work. His last feature film as a director was Unstoppable, the 2012 runaway-train thriller starring Chris Pine and Denzel Washington.
Tony Scott committed suicide in 2012 by jumping off of the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbor on a Sunday afternoon. He left a note with his name and contact information in his Toyota Prius nearby, and a suicide note in his office.
Extra credit
Tony Scott was 5'6 1/2″ tall, according to the IMDB… Some sources list his birth name as Anthony D.L. Scott. However, after his suicide, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office identified him to reporters as Anthony David Scott… He was married three times: to production designer Gerry Scott (from 1967 until their divorce in 1974), to Glynis Sanders (briefly, from 1986 until their divorce in 1987) and to model and actress Donna Wilson (from 1994 until his death in 2012). His twin sons with Donna Wilson Scott, Frank and Max, were born in the year 2000. Donna Wilson was a former Miss North Carolina USA of 1987; that's the beauty pageant associated with Miss USA, not Miss America… Tony Scott was often seen wearing a worn and faded red baseball cap. He bought the cap during the filming of Top Gun and it became his signature. Los Angeles news station KABC reported that Scott wore the cap when he jumped to his death in 2012.
Related Biographies
Something in Common with Tony Scott
4 Good Links
- 2012 report from The Telegraph
- Terrific news archives from The Guardian, including notes on his death and career
- 2012 review of Top Gun, True Romance and others
- Nice 30-minute interview from 2011 by Movie City News


text:
Georgia Southern University will host the Patti Pace Performance Festival on Feb. 1-2 in Statesboro.
The festival provides the opportunity for faculty and graduate student directors to receive critical feedback for their work, and for undergraduate students to workshop, perform, network and learn more about their chosen field. The festival also gives the universities a chance to highlight their programs and recruit potential students.
The 2013 festival theme is "Performing Fairytales." Tracy Stephenson Shaffer, associate professor at Louisiana State University, will guide festival participants in a workshop which will result in the making and re-making of fairytales both new and familiar. The festival will start in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for Art and Theatre on Feb. 1 and conclude the afternoon of Feb. 2 with festival participants' performances of fairytales. The Saturday performances are free and open to the public.
Special festival guest artists Christopher Krejci and Derek Mudd of the Reilly Theater in Baton Rouge, La., will present "The Tragical, Comical, Ahistorical Adventures of Pinocchio" at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Black Box Theatre. The performance is open to the public; some content may not be appropriate for young children.
This is the second time GSU will host the performance festival honoring Pace, who was a professor and theater director in the communication arts department from 1985 until her death in 2000.
For more information, call 912-478-7325 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Georgia Southern University will host the Patti Pace Performance Festival on Feb. 1-2 in Statesboro.


text: Music students' compositions take center stage by Greg St. Martin January 15, 2013 Share Mastodon Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Moments after hearing his final composition performed on Friday, fourth-year music technology major Bennett Jenisch's face beamed with a look of exhilaration. Jenisch had spent a couple hours each day over winter break at his family's home in Germany perfecting this piece, which he said clearly paid off. Jenisch was one of six students in a composition seminar course taught last semester by Anthony De Ritis, chair of the Department of Music in the College of Arts, Media and Design. Students were charged with writing a piece of music from concept to completion that would ultimately be performed by a live orchestra. Last week, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project—the renowned professional orchestra dedicated exclusively to performing and recording music of the 20th and 21st centuries—took the stage at the Fenway Center to perform the students' work. After spending the majority of the fall semester writing their compositions, students met on Dec. 11 with BMOP members and Gil Rose, its founder and artistic director and a visiting artist at Northeastern. Students participated in workshops with orchestra members and received professional feedback on their work. "I worked really hard last semester to get my composition to a draft form before that first run-through, and since then I've been implementing their feedback and making improvements," Jenisch said. "All the things I fixed they just played perfectly now, and it's a great feeling." Friday's orchestra performances were also recorded by students from Greenline Records, a Northeastern student-run record label affiliated with the Department of Music. De Ritis said the seminar served as an incredible experiential learning opportunity for students, as well as a chance to strengthen the university's partnership with BMOP, a five-time Grammy nominated ensemble. "This will not only lead to great recordings for the students' portfolios, but it's also a life-changing experience for them," De Ritis said. "It's very eye-opening, and it grounds them in terms of where they are in their lives and in this field." Callum Plews, a fourth-year music technology major, noted that the December rehearsal was a critical opportunity to learn from professional musicians and to determine the changes he needed to make, such as formatting corrections and adjustments to make his composition fully playable for an orchestra. Adam Straus, a third-year music technology major from Nyack, N.Y., said he challenged himself by writing a composition combining electronics with the harp, an instrument for which he had never written. "The harp is a really cool and unique instrument, and it was great to learn what it can and can't do, in terms of what is actually playable," Straus said. "This was just an incredible opportunity." De Ritis concurred. "For the students, this is all about taking theory to practice," he said. "We're always looking for experiential opportunities in the music department."


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text:
Taxkorgan is perched at the highest
part of the Pamirs. The world's second highest peak, Mount Qogir,
towers in the south, and in the north stands Mount Muztagata, "the
father of ice peaks." In addition, several dozen perennially
snow-capped mountains, 5,000 to 6,000 meters above sea level, dot
the 25,000-square-kilometer county. For centuries, the Tajiks have
been engaged in animal husbandry and farming by making use of the
luxuriant pasturage and abundant water resources. Every spring,
they sow highland barley, pea, wheat and other cold-resistant crops.
They drive their herds to highland grazing grounds in early summer,
return to harvest the crops in autumn and then spend winter at home,
leading a semi-nomadic life.
Over the centuries, the Tajiks have
adapted their dressing, eating and living habits to the highland
conditions. Men wear collarless long jackets with belts, on top
of which they add sheepskin overcoats in cold weather. They wear
tall lambskin hats lined with black velvet and decorated with lines
of embroidery. The flaps can be turned down to protect ears and
cheeks from wind and snow. Women wear dresses. Married women wear
back aprons, and their embroidered cotton-padded hats also have
back flaps. Women usually tie a white square towel on top of their
hats when they go out, but brides like red ones. Both men and women
wear felt stockings, long soft sheepskin boots with yak skin soles,
which, light and durable, are suitable for walking mountain paths.
The Tajik herdsmen enjoy butter, sour milk, and other dairy products,
and regard meat as a delicacy. It is a taboo to eat pork and the
flesh of animals which died of natural causes.
Most Tajik houses are square and flat-roofed
structures of wood and stone with solid and thick walls of rock
and sod. Ceilings, with skylights in the center for light and ventilation,
are built with twigs on which clay mixed with straw is plastered.
Doors, usually at corners, face east. Since the high plateau is
often assailed by snowstorms, the rooms are spacious but low. Adobe
beds that can be heated are built along the walls and covered with
felt. Senior family members, guests and juniors sleep on different
sides of the same room. When herdsmen graze their herds in the mountains,
they usually live in felt tents or mud huts.
In most cases, three generations of
a Tajik family live under the same roof. The male parent is the
master of the family. Women have no right to inherit property and
are under the strict control of their father-in-law and husband.
In the past, the Tajiks seldom had intermarriages with other ethnic
groups. Such marriages, if any, were confined to those with Uygurs
and Kirgizs. Marriages were completely decided by the parents. Except
for siblings, people could marry anyone regardless of seniority
and kinship. Therefore marriages between cousins were very common.
After the young couple was engaged, the boy's family had to present
betrothal gifts such as gold, silver, animals and clothes to the
girl's family. All relatives and friends were invited to the wedding
ceremony. Accompanied by his friends, the groom went to the bride's
home, where a religious priest presided over the nuptial ceremony.
He first sprayed some flour on the groom and bride, and then asked
them to exchange rings tied with strips of red and white cloth,
eat some meat and pancake from the same bowl and drink water from
the same cup, an indication that they would from that time on live
together all their lives. The following day, escorted by a band,
the newlyweds rode on horseback to the groom's home, where further
celebrations were held. The festivities would last three days until
the bride removed her veil.
Childbirth is a major event for the
Tajiks. When a boy is born, three shots will be fired or three loud
cheers shouted to wish him good health and a promising future; a
broom will be placed under the pillow of a newborn girl in the hope
that she will become a good housewife. Relatives and friends will
come to offer congratulations and spray flour on the baby to express
their auspicious wishes.
The Tajik people pay great attention
to etiquette. Juniors must greet seniors and, when relatives and
friends meet, they will shake hands and the men will pat each other's
beard. Even when strangers meet on the road, they will greet each
by putting the thumbs together and saying "May I help you?"
For saluting, men will bow with the right hand on the chest and
women will bow with both hands on the bosom. Guests visiting a Tajik
family must not stamp on salt or food, nor drive through the host's
flocks on horseback, or get near to his sheep pens, or kick his
sheep, all of which are considered to be very impolite. When dining
at the host's, the guests must not drop left-overs on the ground
and must remain in their seats until the table is cleaned. It would
be a breach of etiquette to take off the hat while talking to others,
unless an extremely grave problem is being discussed.
The Tajik spring festival, which falls
in March, marks the beginning of a new year, which is the most important
occasion for the Tajik people. Every family will clean up their
home and paint beautiful patterns on the walls as a symbol of good
luck for both people and heads. Early on the morning of the festival,
members of the family will lead a yak into the main room of the
house, make it walk in a circle, spray some flour on it, give it
some pancake and then lead it out. After that, the head of the village
will go around to bring greetings to each household and wish them
a bumper harvest. Then families will exchange visits and festival
greetings. Women in their holiday best, standing at the door, will
spray flour on the left shoulder of guests to wish them happiness.
The beginning of the Fasting Month marks the end of a year. On this
day, every family will make torches coated with butter. At dusk,
the family members will get together, have a roll call and each
will light a torch. The whole family will sit around the torches
and enjoy their festive dinner after saying their prayers. At night,
every household will light a big torch tied to a long pole and planted
on the roof. Men and women, young and old, will dance and sing through
the night under the bright light of the torches. The Islamic Corban
festival is another important occasion for the Tajik people.
As a result of frequent exchanges with
other nationalities, many Tajiks also speak the Uygur and Kirgiz
languages and generally use the Uygur script for writing.
The origin of the Tajik ethnic group
can be traced to tribes speaking eastern Iranian who had settled
in the eastern part of the Pamirs more than twenty centuries ago.
In the 11th century, the nomadic Turkic tribes called those people
"Tajiks" who lived in Central Asia, spoke Iranian and
believed in Islam. That is how "Tajik" came to be the
name of the ethnic group inhabiting this area. So, the Tajik people
who had lived in various areas of Xinjiang and those who had moved
from the western Pamirs to settle in Taxkorgan at different times
were ancestors of the present-day Tajik ethnic group in China.
The ancient tomb of Xiang Bao Bao,
found through archaeological excavation in recent years in Taxkorgan,
is a cultural relic ever discovered in the westernmost part of the
country. Many burial objects found in this 3,000-year-old tomb and
funeral rites they revealed show that the Tajik ethnic group has
been a member of the big family of ethnic groups in China since
ancient times.
the late 18th century, Tsarist Russia took advantage of the turmoil
in southern Xinjiang to occupy Ili and intensified its scheme to
take control the Pamirs of China by repeatedly sending in "expeditions"
to pave the way for armed expansion there. In 1895, Britain and
Russia made a private deal to dismember the Pamirs and attempted
to capture Puli. Together with the garrison troops, the Tajik people
defended the border and fought for the territorial integrity of
the country. At the same time, Tajik herdsmen volunteered to move
to areas south of Puli, where they settled for land reclamation
and animal husbandry while guarding the frontiers.
Social System Before 1949
The Tajik people were mainly engaged
in animal husbandry and farming, but productivity was very low,
unable to provide enough animal by-products in exchange for grain,
tea, cloth and other necessities. The economic polarization resulting
from heavy feudal oppression was best illustrated by the distribution
of the means of production. The majority of the Tajik herdsmen owned
very small herds, so that they were unable to maintain even the
lowest standard of living, and still others had none at all. A small
number of rich herdsmen not only owned numerous yaks, camels, horses
and sheep, but held by force vast tracts of pasturage and fertile
In the Tajik areas, the chief means
of exploitation used by rich herd owners was hiring laborers, who
received only one sheep and one lamb as pay for tending 100 sheep
over a period of six months. The pay for tending 200 sheep for the
herd owner for one year was just the wool and milk from 20 ewes.
Herd owners also extorted free service from poor herdsmen through
the tradition of "mutual assistance within the clan."
Tajik peasants in Shache, Zepu, Yecheng
and other farming areas were cruelly exploited by the landlords.
In those areas, "gang farming" was a major way of exploitation.
Besides paying rent in kind that took up two-thirds of their total
output, tenants had to work without pay on plots managed by the
landlords themselves every year, and even the peasants' wives and
daughters had to work for the landlords. There was practically no
difference between tenants and serfs except that the former had
a bit of personal freedom.
There were all kinds of taxes and levies
in both pastoral and rural areas. Especially during the 1947-1949
period, the Tajik herdsmen in Taxkorgan were forced to hand in more
than 3,000 sheep and 500 tons of forage and firewood a year to the
reactionary government. Poverty-stricken under heavy exploitation,
the Tajik people were unable to make a decent living, and widespread
diseases reduced their population to just about 7,000 when Xinjiang
was liberated in December 1949.
Development after 1950
1954, the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County was founded on the basis
of the former Puli County where the Tajik ethnic group lived in
compact communities.
At the time of China's national liberation
in 1949, Taxkorgan had only 27,000 animals, two per capita of the
total population in the county; total grain output was 850 tons,
55 kg per capita. Since 1959, the county has been self-sufficient
in grain and fodder and able to deliver a large number of animals
and quantities of furs and wool to the state each year. Several
hundred hectares of new pasture and grassland have been added in
recent years. There was no factory or workshop in Taxkorgan before
1949, and even horseshoes had to come from other places. Now more
than 10 small factories and handicraft workshops have been built,
such as farm and animal husbandry machine factories, hydroelectric
power stations and fur processing mills. Mechanization of farming
and animal husbandry has expanded. Veterinary stations have been
built in most communities. Tajiks have been trained as veterinarians
and agro-technicians. Tractors are being used in more than half
of the land in the county. One breed of sheep developed by the Tajik
herdsmen is among the best in Xinjiang.
Taxkorgan was a backward, out-of-the-way
area before 1949, when it would take a fortnight by riding a camel
or a week on horseback to reach Kashi, the biggest city in southern
Xinjiang. In 1958, the Kashi-Taxkorgan Highway was completed, shortening
the trip between the two places to one day.
In the town of Taxkorgan, the county
seat, which is perched right on top of the Pamirs, wide streets
link shops, the hospital, schools, the post office, bank, bookstore,
meteorological station and other new buildings in traditional architectural
style and factories under construction. Great changes have also
taken place in many mountain hamlets, where shops and clinics have
been built. The herdsmen and peasants are enjoying good health with
the improvement of living conditions and medical care. Since 1959,
schools have been set up in all villages, and roaming tent schools
have been run for herdsmen's children. Many young Tajiks have been
trained as workers, technicians, doctors and teachers.
Tajik people's living standards have improved considerably with
the steady growth of the local economy. A growing number of herdsman
households have bought radios and TV sets.


text:
Jacqueline Bisset Biography
Jacqueline Bissetactress
Born: 9/13/1944
Birthplace: Weybridge, Surrey, England
A former model, she is noted especially for her work in Francois Truffaut's Day for Night (1973), about an actress recovering from a breakdown, and in John Huston's Under the Volcano (1984), opposite Albert Finney. Her other movies include The Deep (1977), The Greek Tycoon (1978), Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978), Joan of Arc (1999), Jesus (2000) and Britannic (2000).
|Walter Bishop, Jr.
See also:
Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.


text:
Badges and Buttons Club has so many buttons to choose from. Each of our buttons is interchangeable with our badge reels or our magnetic backed base. Find the perfect button for that special person in your life starting with this button. It is perfect for anyone!
- Buttons are interchangeable with any of our bases.
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- Unique designs.
- Great gift idea for your favorite person.
- Made of durable materials and are easy to wipe clean
Includes one button - You must have a Badges and Buttons Club base for this button to be functional.


text:
The term BRAC, or base realignment and closure, is familiar to many of us, especially military families and those living in proximity to military bases.
Any who experienced BRAC in 2005 will remember how it affected military members, Department of Defense civilian employees and the surrounding communities. BRAC is a process implemented when military installations are deemed in excess to the needs of the services and, therefore, a burden to the tax payer. The facilities are then identified, transferred or disposed of and ownership is passed to other federal or non-federal entities.
The DOD makes a list of base closures and realignment recommendations and presents the list to an independent BRAC commission. The commission reviews the proposal and sends its recommendations to the president. Upon the president's approval, the list is sent to Congress, which automatically enacts BRAC procedures unless Congress passes a joint resolution to disapprove the whole list.
If disapproved, Congress must sustain disapproval over a presidential veto. If passage of BRAC is approved, the DOD then implements the base closings and realignments as outlined in the accepted proposal.
This is a short version of a much more detailed process. The detailed process involves bases that may be closed entirely or realigned. To make this determination, the DOD assesses the specific missions of each base against the needs of the nation. Bases that are closed will have all military and civilian personnel positions eliminated or relocated. That means missions have been eliminated or moved to another location. Realignment allows missions of the base to remain intact and others to end or relocate.
While BRAC must be approved by Congress prior to implementation, the DOD makes the recommendations and has recently announced that they plan to seek two new rounds in 2015 and 2017.
Being knowledgeable and keeping up to date with BRAC proposals can help to alleviate some hardships associated with the BRAC process.
For more information and links regarding BRAC, go to www.brac.gov.
The term BRAC, or base realignment and closure, is familiar to many of us, especially military families and those living in proximity to military bases.


text:
New miniature grasshopper-like insect is first member of its family from Belize
Scientists at the University of Illinois, USA have discovered a new species of tiny, grasshopper-like insect in the tropical rainforests of the Toledo District in southern Belize. Dr Sam Heads and Dr Steve Taylor co-authored a paper, published in the open access journal ZooKeys, documenting the discovery and naming the new species Ripipteryx mopana. The name commemorates the Mopan people a Mayan group, native to the region.
"Belize is famous for its biodiversity, although very little is known about the insect fauna of the southern part of the country. This is particularly true of the Orthoptera the grasshoppers, crickets and katydids" said entomologist and lead author on the paper, Dr Sam Heads. "The new insect is the first representative of it's family ever to be found in Belize. Given the amount of high quality habitats in the region, it isn't really surprising that new species still await discovery, especially in the less -explored areas" added Dr Heads.
Just less than 5 mm long, the insect is a tiny, black, white and orange coloured, grasshopper-like species that uses its large jumping hind legs to escape predators.
"Very little is known about the biology of this genus and its closest relatives" said Heads, who specializes in the study of orthopteran insects. "The group as a whole is rather poorly studied and even though we continue to document new species, we still have a long way to go".
More information: Heads SW, Taylor SJ (2012) A new species of Ripipteryx from Belize with a key to the species of the Scrofulosa Group (Orthoptera, Ripipterygidae). ZooKeys 169: 1-9. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.169.2531
Journal information: ZooKeys
Provided by Pensoft Publishers


text:
Samsung Tuesday announced a faster Series 5 Chromebook netbook and, at long last, the Chromebox — a mini-PC that also runs the web-centric Google Chrome OS.
Refreshed Chromebook
The new Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 looks the same as its predecessor, the Chromebook Series 5 from last year. However, the 550 has a few important upgrades. The netbook retains its 12.1-inch 1280 by 800 pixel display and 3.3-pound weight, but doubles its RAM from 2GB to 4GB. The 550 also gets a processor upgrade — an Intel Celeron dual-core processor, instead of last year's Intel Atom processor.
These hardware upgrades should help the 550 overcome some of the sluggishness we saw in our Series 5 Chromebook review.
Samsung says the new Chromebook is 2.5 times faster than the previous model, with a boot-time of 7 seconds instead of 10. The Chromebook's instant-on capability may be even more impressive now.
On the downside, the new Series 5 Chromebook has a shorter battery life rating: 6 hours versus the previous generation's 8.5 hours. Pricing is a bit higher too: $449 for the Wi-Fi version (versus $430 last year) or $549 if you want built-in 3G ($499 last year).
You'll also get some new functionality from Google's Chrome OS updates, which include a new app launcher, customizable background, multi-window support, Google Drive integration and Google Docs offline editing, and a remote desktop app.
In short, the laptop hardware is still pretty basic but updated for better performance, and the Chromebook's cloud capabilities have been improved. As laptops designed solely to get you online, Chromebooks were never meant to be powerhouses — but working on the web with a Chromebook should be much faster and more responsive. With budget laptops priced about the same as, or even lower than, these online-only laptops, however, Chromebooks may still be a tough sell.
New Samsung Chromebox
Samsung also introduced a new desktop PC running Chrome OS, the Samsung Chromebox Series 3.
Like the Series 5 Chromebook, this mini-PC has an Intel Celeron dual-core processor and 4GB of RAM. For connectivity, the Series 3 Chromebox offers wireless-N, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 3.0, DVI, six USB 2.0 ports, and two DisplayPort++ outputs. The DisplayPorts are compatible with HDMI, DVI, and VGA.
The whole thing weighs just 2.45 pounds and is a 1.3-inch thick, 7.6-inch square.
Priced at $329 (no monitor, keyboard, or mouse included), the Series 3 Chromebox is an inexpensive alternative to the $599 Mac mini. The Chromebox, however, lacks an HDMI port, more powerful Intel Core i5/i7 processors, and discrete graphics.
Again, because the operating system is designed primarily for online applications, the Chromebox doesn't really need more powerful hardware — but it's hard to imagine many consumers buying these when for a bit more they could get a more powerful mini desktop PC. Chrome OS devices have shown their usefulness, however, in businesses and schools.
Follow Melanie Pinola (@melaniepinola) and Today@PCWorld on Twitter


text:
Our environmental initiatives
Beside meeting all applicable environmental laws and regulations, our commitment to the environment extends to continuous initiatives intended to reduce our environmental footprint.
Solar Park
DASSY has invested in green energy by installing a solar park on the rooftop of their headquarters in Bruges.
The park has a total surface of 1.704 m² and consists of 852 SunPower solar panels. These have a capacity of 313 kilowatt peak (kWp), making DASSY almost energy-independent, both for the logistic operations as for the heating and lighting of our buildings.
At the basis of sustainable product development, lies the choice for innocuous raw materials. Beside selecting business partners who follow our code of conduct and are consistent with our company's values, DASSY is dedicated to guarantee that no harmful substances are used in the manufacturing of our clothing. A yearly renewed testing according to Oeko-tex® standards 100 endorses this commitment.
At DASSY, it has long been clear that buildings with abundant daylight help keep us physically and emotionally healthy. It also minimizes the need for artificial lighting during the day, therefore cutting lighting energy consumption. Moreover, as part of our general energy-saving measures, the bulbs of our warehouse lights are low-energy and have motion sense technology, reducing unnecessary lighting where possible and all electrical circuits in the DASSY buildings are turned off automatically when the alarm is set, to avoid energy loss during the night.
DASSY believes waste reduction opportunities exist everywhere. Given that recycling is one way to reduce waste, we encourage our employees to recycle their waste and in our own warehouse, packing materials are carefully sorted and processed. A private press machine even presses cardboard into bails for more efficient recycling. In general, waste prevention and reduction efforts are made throughout the entire company.
Beside broader initiatives to reduce energy and paper use or regarding the selection of raw materials, we equally take small steps in our daily work to further reduce our environmental impact. For example, we seek to limit air travel whenever possible and increase the use of e-mail, video and web conferencing. Moreover, As part of our green company car policy, our leased cars are classified as green (EU: 130g CO2/km) and the older, less environmentally friendly cars of the company car fleet will continuously be replaced by newer more efficient models when entering into new leasing contracts.


text:
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Panelists at a SELA event at the University of Buenos Aires: Alejandro Madrazo LL.M.'03, J.S.D '06; Paul Kahn '80, Robert W. Winner Professor of Law and the Humanities and Director of the Schell Center for International Human Rights; Martín Böhmer LL.M. '90, J.S.D '12; and Celeste Braga Beatove.
Friday, June 14, 2019
Monday, April 29, 2019