text:
Cyber gang behind N.S. breach says it erased stolen data, but experts urge caution
The ransomware group behind an attack on a file-sharing service that resulted in the theft of personal data from as many as 100,000 Nova Scotians claims it has deleted the stolen information.
A note on the Clop ransomware gang's dark website says it "erased" all the data it stole from governments, cities and police services when it recently hacked the MOVEit file transfer software.
It says, however, that private companies affected by the hack should contact the group by June 14 to discuss a ransom.
Brett Callow, a threat analyst with New Zealand cybersecurity company Emsisoft, says the group's claim to have deleted data belonging to public sector bodies should be assumed to be false.
Callow says in an email today that there is no reason for a criminal enterprise to delete information that may be of value, adding that it could be sold, traded or used for phishing scams.
The Nova Scotia government revealed Tuesday that up to 100,000 past and present public sector workers may have had sensitive personal information stolen in the MOVEit software hack, which affected companies around the globe.
A spokesperson for the provincial Department of Cybersecurity and Digital Solutions says the province will not be communicating with the Clop gang.
"This is a criminal organization," Khalehla Perrault said in an email, adding that it is not trustworthy.
She says anyone who feels they may be affected should monitor their financial transactions and contact their bank to report suspicious activity. The provincial government says it will contact residents whose data was stolen once they are identified.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
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Top Items:
Andrew Lavallee / Wall Street Journal:
Friends Swap Twitters, and Frustration — New Real-Time Messaging Services Overwhelm — Some Users With Mundane Updates From Friends — Though she already has a blog, a podcast and a character in the virtual world of Second Life, Kera Richard has recently become obsessed with a new online tool for connecting with friends.
Discussion: Smalltalk Tidbits …, robhyndman.com and Cost Per News
James A. Robertson / Smalltalk Tidbits, Industry Rants: It's Bubble 2.0 — Twitter is the current "big thing" …
Sam Harrelson / Cost Per News: TWITTER ARTICLE IN THE WSJ
Miss Rogue / HorsePigCow:
Twits Twittering for the sake of Tweets: or that's not why I twitter — Remember this? Probably many don't, but I've been a member of Twitter, since last May or June. Previous to Jabber integration. Previous to the funky tricked out personal landing page. Previous to the vowels.
Julian / EXCELER8ion: Twitter if you please you animal
Alan Patrick / broadstuff: TWITS TWITTER, TO WIT OR TO WOO?
Robert Scoble / Scobleizer: The hype about that micro blogging service
Rafe Needleman / Webware.com:
Newbie's guide to Twitter — If you're not using Twitter yet, you may feel as if you've missed out. Twitter has not only tipped the tuna (begun to peak in popularity), but by some estimations, it has already jumped the shark (devolved into inanity). Don't let massive overuse by SXSW geeks …
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Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Google Now Reporting Anchor Text Phrases — Hurray! Finally, you can get a report from Google of the top anchor text phrases used when people link to your site. Google Webmaster Central has just announced the new feature. But didn't Google already report anchor text data?
Vanessa Fox / Official Google Webmaster Central Blog:
Get a more complete picture about how other sites link to you — For quite a while, you've been able to see a list of the most common words used in anchor text to your site. This information is useful, because it helps you know what others think your site is about.
Discussion: WebProNews and Google Operating System
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Jake McKee / SMC: Crazy Conference Travel - SXSW thoughts
Paul Kapustka / GigaOM:
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Discussion: media blog
Howard Owens / media blog: Phone services reported to block conference calls
Oliver Starr / Guidewire Group:
AT&T/Cingular, Sprint and Qwest Collude to Kill FreeConference
AT&T/Cingular, Sprint and Qwest Collude to Kill FreeConference
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Chris Ziegler / Engadget:
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Chris Gilmer / Download Squad: Google Phone confirmed!
Thilak / TechBuzz: Google Phone - Screenshot Leaked
Emil Protalinski / Neowin.net: Google exec confirms phone in the labs
Jason Lee Miller / WebProNews: Google Phone Confirmed
Griffith / Forever Geek: Google confirms plans for a mobile phone
Ionut Alex. Chitu / Google Operating System: Google Phone for Developing Countries
GPhone Kinda, Sorta Confirmed by Google Spain, But Not Really
GPhone Kinda, Sorta Confirmed by Google Spain, But Not Really
Discussion: Phone Scoop, 24/7 Wall St., Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, PalmAddicts and MoCoNews
Jordan McCollum / Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim: Google Phone Confirmed
Sam Mcloughln / PalmAddicts: GPhone Kinda, Sorta Confirmed by Google Spain, But Not Really
James Quintana Pearce / MoCoNews: Google Engineers Working On Low-End Phones
Matt / WordPress Development Blog:
Plugin Directory — One of the greatest things about WordPress has always been the amazing number of high-quality plugins available for the platform. I believe that there aren't any more "killer features" in software, there are 10,000 killer features and everyone has a different 20.
Pete Cashmore / Mashable!: Wordpress Plugins Directory - Thanks, Wordpress!
I, Cringely . The Pulpit | PBS:
The $7 TV Network — The architects of TCP/IP, Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf, knew exactly how they'd bring television to the Internet. They would use multicasting, a particular IP service that allows many hosts to share a multicast address and, through that address, receive the same content …
Nick Gonzalez / TechCrunch:
Streakr Search Makes Social Networks Bare All — Vivek, over at Startup Squad, recently discovered a new social network and social networking meta search engine, Streakr. The main URL still says the site is coming soon. The new engine lets you search the profiles on the major networks …
Vivek / StartupSquad.com:
Streakr - search across social networks
Streakr - search across social networks
Pete Cashmore / Mashable!: Streakr - Search MySpace, Bebo, hi5 and Facebook
ARMCHAIR GENERAL: The wrong hire for Yahoo — Salim Ismail, incoming head of Yahoo's new incubator, is a perfectly charming staple of Manhattan internet parties and, since he moved to the West Coast, the South of Market tech scene. But here's the brutal truth: the last person …
Discussion: Hello, My Name Is and Burningbird
Shelley / Burningbird: Two Steps Forward...Five Back
Ina Fried / USA Today:
Microsoft buys speech recognition company Tellme — Microsoft announced Wednesday that it is buying privately held speech recognition maker Tellme Networks in a deal believed to be in the range of $800 million. — With the deal, Microsoft gains a company with deep expertise in speech recognition …
Discussion: VoIP Watch and The Pondering Primate
Andy Abramson / VoIP Watch: Cisco and Microsoft On Buying Sprees...Whose Next?
Scott Shaffer / The Pondering Primate: Microsoft Buys Speech Recognition Browser TellMe
Microsoft Agrees to Buy Maker of Voice-Recognition Software
Microsoft Agrees to Buy Maker of Voice-Recognition Software
Discussion: Profy.Com
Paul Glazowski / Profy.Com: It's Official: Microsoft Buys Tellme
Fred / A VC:
Superdistribution — I remember the first time I heard this term, it was 1997 and someone was explaining a complicated digital rights management scheme to me. I invested in that complex digital rights management scheme and lost everything and have been dubious of DRM ever since.


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University of Oklahoma Libraries Western History Collections
Mitchell, (Mrs.) Alfred Printed materials 1895-1910 1 foot
Collector. Typescripts of articles (1895-1910) and poems (1901-1907) written by the Creek Indian poet Alex Posey. The articles include information on Posey's actions while he was a member of the Dawes Commission, the opposition to allotment by the Snake Clan of Creek Indians, and Creek Indian opposition to Oklahoma statehood.
1. Letters of Fus Fixico, The Indian Journal, March 16, 1906.
2. Editorial from Checotah Enquirer, October 5, 1906, about Posey and his statements on the Indian vote.
3. Editorial from Red Fork Derrick, June 24, 1905. re: Posey's enrollment of Snake children.
4. Editorial from Henryetta Free-Lance, October 20, 1905. re: Posey's enrollment of Snake children.
5. Editorial from Tulsa Democrat, October 27, 1905. re: Posey's search for Dawes Commission.
6. Editorial from Henryetta Free-Lance, July 21, 1905. re: enrollment of Euchees by Posey.
7. Editorial from Holdenville Tribune, August 2, 1906. re: Posey's problems getting Snakes on Dawes Commission Rolls.
8. News Item from Indian Journal, May 24, 1908. re: bad quality of land full-blood Indians were allotted.
9. News Item from Broken Arrow Ledger, July 27, 1905. re: by Posey- general news of eastern Oklahoma.
10. Editorial from South McAlester Capital, July 27, 1905. re: Snakes' fight against the government.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries | 401 West Brooks Street, Norman, OK 73019 | (405)325-4142


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20 CFR § 416.1151 - How we treat the repair or replacement of lost, damaged, or stolen resources.
(a) General rule. If a resource is lost, damaged, or stolen, you may receive cash to repair or replace it or the resource may be repaired or replaced for you. We do not count the cash or the repair or replacement of the resource as your income.
(b) Interest on cash for repair or replacement of a noncash resource. We do not count any interest earned on the cash you receive for repair or replacement of a noncash resource if the interest is earned within 9 months of the date you receive the cash. We can extend the 9-month period for up to an additional 9 months if we find you have good cause for not repairing or replacing the resource within the initial period. Good cause exists, for example, if you show that circumstances beyond your control prevent the repair or replacement, or contracting for the repair or replacement, of the resource within the first 9-month period.
(c) Temporary replacement of a damaged or destroyed home. In determining the amount of in-kind support and maintenance you receive (§§ 416.1130 through 416.1140), we do not count temporary housing if—
(1) Your excluded home is damaged or destroyed, and
(2) You receive the temporary housing only until your home is repaired or replaced.
The following state regulations pages link to this page.


text:
Did you read the ending as depressing or upbeat?
Created: 03/30/12
Replies: 22
Join Date: 10/11/10
Posts: 359
Join Date: 10/18/10
Posts: 40
It seemed like Brooks was going to end the book on a real down-note (because there wasn't a whole lot of good news in the rest of it!), but I didn't read that way. I'm wondering if others felt the same way.
It's supposed to be bad (I guess) that a Chinese citizen was now president, but he didn't seem like a bad guy - though, of course, not perfect. But I'm not sure if I am conflicted because the author wanted me to be that way, or if I'm just not as anti-immigrant as the presumed audience of the book.
I don't really see how either president could do a whole lot to make large strides in improving the quality of life of the people of the US, so I don't think either would have been a bad choice.
Join Date: 12/04/11
Posts: 63
Do you really think it has to be mandatory for our president to be born in the United States? I've never really given it much thought but after reading this book I am wondering if that's really such a big deal. If you have someone who could be effective in the position isn't that the important thing? I actually felt a little hopeful at the end that maybe here was a person who could help.
Join Date: 05/12/11
Posts: 14
2030's ending is not particularly upbeat or depressing because life is life. Brooks is offering a vision of an interdependent borderless world; i.e. one that will continue to survive as one world of human beings with all the good and bad consequences of human nature. We earthlings will live together or die together.
Join Date: 10/18/10
Posts: 40
Chetyarbrough - I agree with you, I do see that borderless Earth as a positive future. I was just surprised to find it here. It's almost like all the bad things (the debt, generational divide, etc.) would push us towards a good thing, so maybe they aren't so bad? But that's not the tone I was picking up before that, so I was wondering if others read it like I did.
Join Date: 10/18/10
Posts: 40
sharalynnep - The biggest reason I see for that law is so we wouldn't have a president with split loyalties. What if his/her country of birth attacked the US? Could you order troops to fight against your birth country?
It would certainly be different if you were a child when you came, but as an adult you couldn't help but retain some connection to the place you lived for decades before adopting the US as your home.
Join Date: 04/22/11
Posts: 24
I found it neither depressing or upbeat because this was JUST a story...right? However, I would be hard pressed to accept this happening in the US at this time because it happened so shortly after coming to the US. A borderless Earth sounds good but that wasn't the case in this story. I also imagine that split loyalities could be a very real problem for someone so new to this country.
Join Date: 05/24/11
Posts: 162
I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. I understand what the point was, but we had made this journey for several hundred pages and then it was wrapped up within 50 pages. It was neither depressing or upbeat. What I really liked about the book was the tone and insight into the problems of today.
Join Date: 05/12/11
Posts: 14
Human nature is immutable; i.e. it will always be good and bad, regardless of the world condition. Presidents will continue to make good and bad personal and national decisions. What changes is our environment. America's excessive debt, increasing longevity, increasing medical costs, and advances in medical treatment are trends that will not disappear between now and 2030.
The precise consequences cannot be known but Brooks has made some pretty good guesses. Space ship earth is cliche but it does seem reasonable in light of global warming, dwindling resources, and an aging population that increasingly require nation-state cooperation. With technological advances, disparate cultures will become more homogenized. Brooks is a smart guy, a decent writer, and an insightful futurist.
Join Date: 07/28/11
Posts: 409
I thought the book ended suddenly. I can't really say that it was depressing - it certainly wasn't upbeat. It kept me thinking - can this really happen? It certainly seems plausible. Friends of mine have joked for years that China is going to own us and we should learn to speak Mandarin.
Join Date: 04/28/11
Posts: 13
I agree with other posts that the ending was abrupt, and I didn't think it really fit the story. Not sure what I expected, but it wasn't an inaugural address by the Chinese-born president (although his election DID fit with the rest of the story). I thought the ending was not particularly upbeat or depressing, it just was what it was -- and maybe that was the point. Life goes on, things continue to happen, changes occur, one can't know whether they are going to improve things or make things worse.
Join Date: 06/16/11
Posts: 410
Several have made the point that it is neither depressing nor upbeat and I agree. The ending was just like the rest of the book with so many really awful things going on but also the wonderful things that had been developed. It is rather true to life in that sense. There is a sort of truth here that we see throughout history where new findings were hailed as the greatest thing in the world only to see the use and abuse of the new thing creating really awful events. As humans we are pretty amazing but really self destructive as well.
Join Date: 10/19/10
Posts: 38
Well, it certainly wasn't upbeat. I found that Brooks did wrap everything up rather abruptly, as if he had to get to a conclusion within the allotted pages. I would like to believe in a happier future for the United States in spite of the chaos that we are already experiencing.
Join Date: 04/07/12
Posts: 17
It was depressing in that the condition of the United States had deteriorated to such an extent it took a foreign entity to bail it out. Brooks' commentary on the current political situation is apt. I agree with earlier posts that the ending was abrupt. After spending the entire book building the story, it felt like Brooks just gave up and sold out. I didn't find a real message.
Regarding the posts on the birth status of the president, I believe barbarak was accurate in the "loyalties" of the person serving as president. The framers had an argument when they wrote this in the constitution b/c there were so many immigrants in the early years. Brooks' use of a foreign born presidential candidate emphasized the deterioration of the country.
Join Date: 06/28/11
Posts: 17
I believe the author deliberately tried to make the ending ambiguous, sort of a glass is half-full or half-empty, depending on your own personal bent. I don't think Brooks 'sold out' at the end. For me, the issue wasn't the abrupt ending or the fact that the new president was a foreign-born person. The inaugural speech was celebratory but empty, no surprises there. Nothing was mentioned about addressing the serious generational gap problems the nation was facing, and I was left with the feeling that things were just going to continue to get worse. I don't think Brooks's intent was to provide a solution, but to give us his own view of the most likely 'plausible' ending, which I feel he succeeded in doing.
Join Date: 03/12/12
Posts: 9
There was actually a move to amend the Constitution regarding foreign-born presidents when Arnold Schwartzenegger was governor of California. It didn't go far.
I think the author was winking at us at the very end considering the divide between the young and the old -- that the unity probably wouldn't last.
Join Date: 05/31/11
Posts: 166
Well, I found it depressing and I find most of the comments here regarding the ending depressing. Has our 'melting pot' so diluted our National Pride or is it that we are so disillusioned with our economic/political situation that we look elsewhere for our salvation?
Join Date: 04/14/11
Posts: 112
As I got to the end I had two thoughts about it. One, An author/friend of mine told me that right now books that sell are about 350 pages long. This book went a little over that so maybe the ending was abrupt for that reason. My other thought is that life goes on and there really is no need to wrap it up.
Join Date: 04/07/12
Posts: 233
Join Date: 04/15/12
Posts: 135
I thought the whole book was depressing. I was very intrigued at the beginning because it seemed like the plot line could come in the future considering some of the problems in this country. I agree with those who think the ending is depressing. Isn't it sad that we can't have leaders in our own country who can come up with solutions? I also agree with those who feel a President from another country might have divided loyalties. The Founding Fathers were pretty smart when writing the Constitution. What would they say to a foreign leader controlling our country? George Washington in his Farewell Address warned us to avoid foreign entanglements unless unavoidable.
Join Date: 08/23/11
Posts: 118
I found the ending just right for me. It seemed that the story lines for each character had come to an ending point and it was time for an announcement that would leave you with a future possibility. With Shen Li taking over the country it is a perfect set-up for a sequel. There were many depressing situations in the book which if you took them seriously could bother you. Unfortunately, for many readers, I am sure it is too close to the present truth in this country which is unsettling. As far as the idea of a Chinese leader taking over our country I took that with a "grain of salt" as it was interesting but I would not allow myself to think that we are headed in this direction. I do think the idea of globalization being extended with the debt issues around the world is very believable.
Join Date: 04/27/11
Posts: 9
Join Date: 06/01/11
Posts: 52
I read it both ways. The shooting on the retirement "cruise ship" depressed me. I would have liked to have read more closure here. The Chinese president was comical. I agree with one of the participants,whose side would he be on I the event of a war? I think that the book was ended too soon, unless of course Alan plans a sequel......just saying
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Heaps of ABC TV shows and movies will be coming to Netflix soon, thanks to a new deal with Disney. That includes all of Lost, all of Scrubs, the first two High School Musicals, and whole lot more.
In no way does this mean you should go back and rewatch Lost, but more Netflix stuff is exciting nonetheless. The deal will bring some episodes from current series to Netflix, too—Netflix did say they were willing to put down some serious coin for new TV—though they'll appear no earlier than 15 days after they first air on telecast. But the old stuff is the real bounty, anyway. According to the release we can look forward to:
• Prior season episodes of current ABC hit series "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and, for the first time on Netflix, "Brothers & Sisters," all of which are among the network's most successful and popular TV franchises in recent years.
• Every episode of recent ABC favorites "Lost" and "Ugly Betty," the latter making its streaming debut at Netflix.
• Each season of several hit series from ABC Studios, including "Scrubs" and "Reaper," which are both new additions to Netflix.
• A host of content from the Disney Channel, including the hits "Phineas and Ferb" and "Good Luck Charlie," which are also new to Netflix; updated and expanded offerings of "The Suite Life on Deck" and "Wizards of Waverly Place;" and library offerings from the smash hits "Hannah Montana" and "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody."
• A wide range of content from ABC Family, marking the introduction of ABC Family content streaming from Netflix. Included are the hit series "Greek," "Make It or Break It," "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and "Melissa & Joey."
• Disney Channel and ABC Family movies such as "High School Musical," "High School Musical 2," "Camp Rock," and "Beauty & the Briefcase," as well as new releases "Avalon High," "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" and "Revenge of the Bridesmaids"...
Things will really get exciting if they start adding the old school Disney Channel Movies into the mix. If I'm able to stream Johnny Tsunami to my tablet, 12-year-old me will consider the future a huge success. Oh, and gimme Twin Peaks and My So Called Life too. [Business Insider]


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Too much of a good thing? Palestinians realize downsides of foreign aid boom
Luay Abdel Rafah was unconcerned with President Obama's visit to nearby Bethlehem last Friday, or by the announcement that the United States would unblock $500 million in US funds for the Palestinian government. He was busy tending to the last organic radish, onion, and lettuce crops of the season in a rooftop permaculture garden above the congested Dheisheh Refugee Camp.
Here, as in the 18 other West Bank refugee camps, food insecurity rates have soared to 29 percent, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which administers Palestinian refugee camps throughout the region. In response, Mr. Abdel Rafah and fellow volunteers at the Karama ("dignity" in Arabic) Organization devised this greenhouse, the first in the West Bank.
"We have a lack of space and financial difficulties, but we all have a farming background, so we made greenhouses that will last for years," said Abdel Rafah. Most Dheisheh families lived in agriculture-based villages before fleeing or being expelled in the 1948 war.
But what sets Karama's project apart is the fact that it draws almost entirely from local resources – a rarity in the aid dependent West Bank.
Palestinians are among the largest per capita consumers of foreign aid worldwide. While desperately needed, the billions of dollars flooding in from overseas since 1994 have also caused economic productivity to plummet by flooding Palestinian markets with imported goods.
A recent World Bank report asserts that foreign aid has caused long-term damage to the Palestinian economy. Aid is primarily directed toward products for export that don't reach Palestinians and rely primarily on low-cost labor. And with 85 percent of those exports headed to Israel, Palestinian economic welfare is dependent on Israel continuing to serve as a market for low-cost Palestinian products. Even with such investment, exports have declined, from 10 percent in 1996 to 7 percent in 2011, according to the report – one of the lowest rates in the world.
Meanwhile, more profitable sectors that would keep the greatest benefits in the West Bank, such as technology, remain undeveloped and GDP is plunging, from 11 percent in 2011 to 6.1 percent in 2012.
Karama is striving to overcome that perennial dilemma. It refuses aid that comes with preconditions or inflexible designations of how it should be used, making it a leader in a burgeoning grassroots movement that aims to redirect foreign funding toward local programs, rather than those conceived abroad that may have little connection to problems on the ground.
"We're here to meet people's needs, not file papers," says Abdel Rafah. "This is not Ramallah, where they speak to the donor mentality."
Today, 13 cash-strapped houses are topped with a garden, saving participating families an estimated 300 shekels per month. Resident businessmen recently approached Karama about funding an expansion of the greenhouses to the entire camp.
The Ramallah bubble
In cosmopolitan Ramallah, a construction boom and cappuccino-fueled culture of luxury cars and inflated real estate suggest an economic upswing. But experts warn that the growth is fostered largely by foreign donations to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA), and the profusion of NGOs setting up shop in the de-facto capital has created a bubble – hollow and unsustainable.
Distributing foreign aid has fallen largely to the PA, which Palestinians pan as a complex, inefficient network of donor-supported ministries prioritizing international desires over projects with tangible benefits for Palestinians.
"The Palestinian Authority is the big NGO," says Itiraf Remawi, acting director of the Bisan Center in Ramallah. "The funding could be useful if reallocated to the Palestinian context, but not to make joint projects with Israelis, or democracy from the western model," Mr. Remawi said.
He said that with two decades of growing but misdirected aid, poverty in the West Bank has soared and unemployment has risen to 30 percent.
The PA was intended as an interim body that merely paved the way for a permanent government. But 20 years later it is still in place, subsisting on a budget derived almost entirely from foreign aid – $8 billion between 1994 and 2004, according to the book "How Aid Hurt Palestine," by Anne Le More.
The money thrown at Palestinians in the form of salaries and bank loans to subsidize lifestyles they can't afford has dimmed prospects for real development, argues Nora Lester Murad, co-founder of the Dalia Association, which provides grants to female-run small businesses and village agricultural projects.
"Because they're more dependent on this aid, they're less willing to speak out against its harm," Ms. Murad adds.
Learning to stand alone
PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's goal is to finance the government's operational costs entirely with local revenue by the end of 2013 – an ambitious deadline made more challenging because it is dependent on Israeli actions.
The extent of that dependency was starkly illustrated in 2012. When Israel withheld millions of dollars in monthly tax revenues and the US Congress froze $500 million in aid as punishment for its successful UN bid for nonmember observer status in November 2012, the PA was unable to pay its 150,000 employees.
The Arab League pledged to fill the gap created by the withholding of tax revenue and to help pay off the PA'S billions of dollars of debt, but the funds never arrived, Mr. Fayyad told the AP in January 2013.
In the following weeks, Palestinians staged demonstrations and strikes throughout the West Bank protesting unpaid salaries. Ensuing violence prompted speculation about a third intifada.
To ease tensions, Israel transferred $100 million of the withheld taxes in January. And as President Obama wrapped up his visit here last week, the $500 million in American funds to the PA were also unblocked.
The global economic crisis curtailed foreign aid substantially – in 2011 the PA received $800 million of its anticipated $1 billion, according to the International Monetary Fund – but this may actually be a blessing because it forces Palestinians to create other revenue sources, Ms. Murad argues.
A 'resistance economy'
The combination of Israeli restrictions and donor neglect have triggered a "resistance economy," which skirts external restrictions, says Alaa Tartir, program director of Palestinian policy network Al-Shabaka.
But Mr. Tartir acknowledges that since Palestinian society so thoroughly relies on donations for its income, "getting rid of their money is something gradual."
Aisha Mansour is unwilling to wait.
To achieve food independence and economic protection from Israeli product dumping that undercuts the Palestinian market, people here need to return to "life that is inherently Palestinian," in which communities rely on an each other, and their lands, to fulfill their basic needs, Ms. Mansour says.
Her baladi ("indigenous") agriculture group Sharaka ("partnership"), which connects Ramallah with its surrounding villages, is preparing for the upcoming farmer's markets. Volunteers transport products from economically vulnerable farms to the city, ensuring urbanites have access to pesticide-free produce, eggs, and dairy products and farmers have a market for their products.
She expresses nostalgia for the first intifada, when an economic Israeli-Palestinian disconnect encouraged Palestinian self-sufficiency and solidarity.
"People remember the need to produce the food, the open organic market," she said. "Policies since have taken us from traditional farming and tied our prices to the global market, making it difficult for the small scale to compete."
"But occupation or no occupation, in the meantime you need to plant the land, and maintain your heritage, and fight," said Ms. Mansour.


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The British Numismatic Journal (BNJ) is the Society's principal publication, and is the foremost journal for matters relating to British Numismatics. It contains a number of scholarly articles as well as notes, obituaries, reviews and transactions. the journal is produced annually in hard-back form, and a copy is sent free to all members of the Society.
The British Numismatic Journal is distributed for the Society by Spink. Any queries concerning the purchase of back-numbers should be directed to Spink.
Those wishing to contribute to the Journal are encouraged to read the Journal's guidance notes and to contact the editor for further information.
Coin Register
Coin Register was significantly redesigned in 2011 to provide a review of important single finds of Iron Age, Roman and Medieval coins with a supplementary appendix listing other finds recorded by the Corpus of Early Medieval Coin Finds (EMC). PDF plates of the coins in the Appendix for 2011, 2012 and 2013 are available here, with more recent coins viewable via the Corpus website.
Digital British Numismatic Journal
Back issues of the British Numismatic Journal are available to read by following the links below. The volumes are arranged chronologically. If you are looking for a specific subject then you may find the Index of BNJ contents 1903-2016 helpful.
The majority of the files are PDFs and will require a reader to access them. To download a free reader (Adobe Acrobat) please click here.


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Could Alberta Supply American Energy Demand for 100 Years?
Does anyone remember peak oil? Back in 2007, several doomsday prophets said demand for oil would outpace production as reserves dried up. If they weren't feeling a bit sheepish about the news that America is becoming a net oil exporter again, they will now that Alberta could have enough oil and gas to last us a century.
Big news from our quiet neighbors to the North
According to a recent study from the Energy Resources Conservation Board of Alberta, the province could be sitting on 3,324 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, 58.6 billion barrels of gas liquids, and 423.6 billion barrels of oil that have yet to be explored. Compared with the 2,214 TCF of reserves for the entire United States, Alberta alone could be the richest source of natural gas on the planet.
These new discoveries are enough to fuel current American demand for oil for 50 years, with enough natural gas for 130 years! What also makes these findings astounding is that many of these shale plays are found on the Alberta/British Columbia border, and the B.C. estimates were not included in the report.
As exciting as these numbers may be, we have to remember that this was a preliminary study and these are not proven reserves, so there is no guarantee. Even if these plays do turn out to be as big as they claim, you also have to consider how much of that amount gas companies will be able to extract. But this is enough news to make several major oil and gas exploration companies peek under a few stones to see what's going on north of the border.
"Go north, American companies, and grow up with the natural gas boom"
Unless you're an avid follower of the Toronto and Vancouver Exchanges, you probably haven't heard of many of the smaller oil and gas players that have major holdings in these areas. That doesn't mean U.S. investors will need to venture away from the American exchanges to get a piece of this new discovery, though. Occidental Petroleum is dipping its toes in the water with some preliminary tests in the Montney shale play in northwest Alberta. Devon Energy , which has more than 170,000 acres in the Horn River Basin, is well placed within its holdings to make a play in the Muskwa formation, a sub-region within the basin.
ExxonMobil just recently agreed to acquire Celtic Exploration, a major player in both the Montney and Duvernay shale plays. The $3.1 billion agreement was announced within a day or so of the report, so this could end up being a steal for ExxonMobil. Pengrowth Energy has jumped in on the action as well. It completed a deal back in July to acquire all remaining shares of Monterey Exploration for approximately $366 million.
One of the more interesting plays in the recent developments in Alberta is Enerplus Resources Fund . Since its earnings release and its announcement to sell off its Manitoba assets and discontinue its leases in the Marcellus Shale, the company's shares have dropped almost 20%. Despite this spate of bad news, the company does have large holdings in the Duvernay and Muskwa formations. The following graphic shows Enerplus' tight gas holdings and the location of the Muskwa and Duvernay formations.
The almost serendipitous location of Enerplus' holdings could bode well for the company as it tries to get back to profitability. If any of the fields mentioned in the report turn out even a fraction of what they claim, any company that has holdings in this region could find itself producing oil and gas for decades to come.
What a Fool believes
These huge oil and gas findings could be very lucrative for upstream oil and gas companies and could potentially help bring North America closer to energy independence. This doesn't mean other companies will miss out, though. The United States is still finding large shale deposits, Iraq wants to become the world's largest exporter of oil, and China is trying to find a way to tap its vast natural gas reserves. There are hundreds of companies that could benefit from this slew of newly discovered natural gas, but they all have one thing in common: a single company that could be The Only Energy Stock You'll Ever Need. Our analysts at The Motley Fool have put together a free report dishing the dirty secrets about this company, and you can have your own copy by clicking here.
The article Could Alberta Supply American Energy Demand for 100 Years? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Tyler Crowe has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. You can follow him on Fool.com under TMFDirtyBird, Google +, or Twitter @TylerCroweFool.The Motley Fool owns shares of Devon Energy and ExxonMobil. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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FADA takes pride in being an exclusive association of independent fine art galleries presenting an encyclopedic inventory of curated artworks covering the gamut of the art world. If you'd like to hear from us every once in a while about FADA events, new artwork and other timely news, please sign up below. We'll make sure not to clog your inbox!Welcome to the Circle of FADA.


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Tunes 12 has made Windows Registry changes that our software uses to detect if iTunes was installed. We have a "batch" file that will correct the Registry settings, and our software will then recognize iTunes again. Please save the attached ZIP file to your Desktop. Open the ZIP file and drag the included applian_itunes_import_fix.bat file to your Desktop. Right-click on the applian_itunes_import_fix.bat file and choose "Run as administrator". A Windows command prompt will appear. Press a key when prompted.
If you see an "ERROR: Acces is denied." message, then you are not running as Administrator. Please repeat the instructions above, making sure that the batch file is on your Desktop.
Once finished, make sure to restart our Jaksta software, and you should regain the ability to import compatible media into iTunes.
Note-with the version 8 of our program this should not be necessary. Just make sure you are using the latest version of 8.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is making his second trip to China since taking office in February, and relations between the two world powers have rarely mattered so much.
The standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons has entered a new, dangerous phase as its leader, Kim Jong Un, and President Donald Trump exchange personal insults and threats of war with no sign of a diplomatic solution.
Even as Washington and Beijing grapple with that security crisis, Trump wants action from China for more balanced trade with America — a dispute with ramifications for the global economy.
Tillerson, facing criticism at home for his muted impact as the top U.S. diplomat, will be laying the groundwork for Trump's planned visit to China in November. He meets Saturday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese leaders.
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What will be on the agenda:
Tillerson will be pushing China to fully implement the latest U.N. Security Council resolutions on North Korea and take further steps on limiting crucial oil supplies to its troublesome neighbor. If the restrictions on trade in textiles, coal and other commodities are properly enforced, North Korea will lose the vast majority of its export revenue. In its latest step to comply with the sanctions, China on Thursday ordered North Korean-owned businesses to close by early January.
China accounts for about 90 percent of North Korea's foreign trade, so it's pivotal in the U.S.-led campaign to exert economic pressure with the aim of getting the pariah nation to disarm. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday that "China has taken tremendous steps in the right direction." Trump has also lauded an order by China for its banks to stop dealing with North Korea, although Beijing has yet to announce such a measure.
But U.S. praise always comes with a proviso: that China needs to do more. There's a growing sense of urgency. North Korea is moving closer to its goal of having a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike America. Yet Beijing remains skeptical about the efficacy of sanctions and wary of drastic action that could cause North Korea to collapse. China wants the U.S. to restart dialogue with Pyongyang. That's an increasingly distant prospect after the recent angry exchanges between Trump and Kim.
China doesn't want Tillerson's visit to be consumed by North Korea. It wants attention paid to Trump's state visit in November.
Stewardship of the U.S. relationship is crucial for the standing of any Chinese leader. It will be Trump's first trip to Asia and it will come just weeks after Xi Jinping is due to be anointed with a second five-year term as the leader of China's communist party.
Despite his tough criticism of China's trade practices, Trump has forged a personal connection with Xi. He hosted the Chinese president at his Mar-a-Lago resort in April, where they agreed on four high-level dialogues to cover various aspects of relations. In a prelude to his trip to Beijing, Trump met Thursday with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong, who was attending the inaugural dialogue on people-to-people ties in Washington.
The November meeting of the two leaders will be grander and more choreographed than the informal talks in Florida that were most memorable for Trump's ordering a missile strike on Syria and then informing Xi about it afterward over dinner as they ate chocolate cake.
Other than North Korea, the U.S. and China have other security concerns to address. They remain at odds over Beijing's military buildup and assertive claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Trump has slammed China's large trade surpluses with the United States and last month ordered an investigation into whether Beijing improperly pressures companies to hand over their technology in exchange for market access. Last year, the U.S. ran up a $347 billion trade deficit in goods with China — accounting for nearly half the total.
During the Mar-a-Lago summit, the two leaders agreed on a 100-day plan for trade talks. After visiting China this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said there's been some progress, including a deal to let U.S. beef into China, but they need to tackle "bigger things and more difficult things." The U.S. priorities are better market access, less protectionism and protecting intellectual property rights.
In Beijing this weekend, Tillerson is likely to restate those U.S. concerns and raise the impact of national security legislation on American companies operating in China. Washington wants Beijing to make good on its promise to let market forces have a bigger role in its economy, give equal treatment to foreign and Chinese companies and roll back state industry's dominance.


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Keratin Booster is new from Reserveage Organics. The keratin is made with a unique process to ensure its bioavailability and the formula also contains biotin and resveratrol. Keratin and biotin benefit the nails, skin and hair, and resveratrol supports skin health, according to the company.
5745 SW 75th St., Ste. 337, Gainesville, FL 32608, www.reserveage.com
Published in WholeFoods Magazine, February 2011


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The end of Republicans' "whites only" strategy
By George E. Curry
This will probably be the last presidential election in which Republicans can afford to ignore issues of paramount importance to Blacks and Latinos and expect to have a remote chance of winning the White House. Obama vs. Romney is the political equivalent of Brown vs. Board of Education. A separate and unequal approach to national politics is in its final days.
The U.S. is becoming increasingly diverse. The numbers tell the story. People of color, about one-third of the population, are expected to become a majority of the population in 2042 and 54 percent of the population by 2050, according to the Census Bureau. Latinos are expected to make up the largest share of that growth, tripling from one in six residents to one in three.
Meanwhile, Blacks and Asians are expected to grow at a rate of 60 percent by 2050. The Black share of the U.S. population will increase from 14 percent to 15 percent and Asians are projected to grow from 5 percent to 9 percent. By contrast, the non-Hispanic white segment will fall from 66 percent of the population to 46 percent.
As the country grows increasingly diverse, the Republican Party has made a narrow appeal to whites and is viewed as hostile to the interests of Blacks and Latinos. For example, on the most recent NAACP Legislative Report Card covering the 112th Congress, every Republican in the United States Senate and House of Representatives earned an "F." By contrast, 159 Democrats in the house earned As and only four received Fs. In the Senate, no Democrat earned an F and 47 got As.
At a time when the GOP could have expanded its appeal among voters, it has chased out White moderates in the mold of former Connecticut Sen. Lowell Weicker and former New York City Mayor John Lindsay and is now captive of the ultra-conservative Tea Party wing of the Party.
That is also true for race-sensitive Black Republicans. Former Assistant Secretary of Labor Arthur Fletcher, former Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, and former Secretary of Treasury William Coleman were Black Republicans who never turned their back on African Americans or the Civil Rights Movement. Now, Black moderates such as Colin Powell are shunned.
Today's GOP embraces the likes of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), a Black conservative who filed a friend-of-the-court brief in opposition to the University of Texas's modest affirmative action program now under review by the Supreme Court.
Given the GOP's sharp turn to the far right – it is so extreme that former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said even Ronald Reagan would not be welcome in the Republican Party today – it is not surprising that Mitt Romney's strongest support is among White men.
According to a recent ABC News poll, Romney has a 65-32 percent lead over Obama among White men. That gap is twice as large as John McCain's 57-41 percent margin over Obama among White men in the 2008 exit poll.
Obama outpolled McCain among White women by 13 points. He is leading Romney among that group by 15 percent, according to the ABC News poll. Still, that's enough to give Romney 59 percent of the White vote.
Meanwhile, a Washington Post poll showed Obama getting 80 percent of the non-White vote. Romney has made no inroads among African-American voters, who are solidly for Obama, and is expected to receive a lesser share of the Latino vote than John McCain. Both Obama and Bill Clinton were elected with a minority of the White vote.
In addition to denouncing Obama's handling of the economy, Romney has gone after Obama on food stamps. Romney said, "Forty-seven million now on food stamps. When he came to office there were 32 million. He's added 15 million people." Obama countered by saying the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, saw its greatest expansion under George W. Bush. Given the state of the economy, Obama said it is only natural that more people would need to rely on food stamps.
Like Ronald Reagan did while campaigning for president, Romney has injected welfare into the debate. He ran an ad in August saying the Obama administration had adopted "a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements." The ad also said that under the plan, "you wouldn't have to work and wouldn't have to train for a job."
FactCheck.org said Obama's plan, which gave states more latitude to revise work requirements, neither gutted welfare nor eliminated the work requirement. The fact checker for the Washington Post gave Romney's ad four Pinocchios, representing its biggest lie.
Of course, talk about welfare and food stamps is a subtle and supposedly respectable way to make an appeal based on race. We'll see on Tuesday whether it works in this election. Whether it works or not, Republicans will have to find a different song in 2016.


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Joe Danziger
Member since Jul 21, 2010
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Tales Of Revolution And A Sense Of Community
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That is awesome Ben - congrats!!!... read more »
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Great demo and examples Ben. This is definitely cool stuff!! I have been playing with Twilio also :)... read more »


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Implementing Arc Hazard Protection Part 1
This is the first in a three-part series that describes the planning and implementation for an effective, sustainable program. The first part in this series will focus on hazard awareness, safe work practices, and reducing potential for ignition of workers' clothing from arc incidents.
View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition
Over the past 15 years, the evolution in regulations, codes, standards, and the basic understanding of the arc hazard have elevated the importance and priority of managing and mitigating arc hazard in the workplace.
This series describes an approach that helps ensure compliance with NFPA 70E-2009, "Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace," and incorporates guidance from ANSI Z10-2005, "Safety and Occupational Safety Management Standard," to help provide an effective and sustainable program to reduce or eliminate risk of injury from electric arcs. It is intended to help plant engineers in managing this hazard through understanding and applying the appropriate regulations and standards, implementing hazard assessments, evaluating mitigation options, reducing risks, and designing and implementing control measures to help ensure an effective and sustainable program.
Although the electric arc flash hazard has only recently garnered the attention equal to the long-recognized hazard of electric shock, the arc hazard is not new. It has been present in industrial and commercial facilities since the beginning of electrification in the late 19th century. What is relatively new is that the science and technology necessary to understand and manage the hazard have evolved significantly over the past two decades.
Until the 1980s, occupational electrical hazards were generally described in terms of electric shock or electrocution—a fatal electric shock. Electric shock entails passage of electric current through the body. A shock victim generally must make contact with an energized conductor, or otherwise become part of the electrical circuit. Arc flash victims do not have to make physical contact with an energized conductor or be a part of the electrical circuit. The victim may be several feet away from energized conductors or equipment and be severely injured by the intense thermal energy transfer produced by an electric arc. Burn injuries can result from radiant burns to bare exposed skin, large area body burns from ignition or melting of clothing, or the from the heat transfer through clothing, including flame-resistant clothing.
Switchgear or other equipment failures during switching or operating interaction can expose workers to the hazards of electric arc flash. Most arc flash events occur faster than the unaided human eye can perceive. High-speed photography of laboratory simulations of arcing faults have provided images of how these events can engulf workers in a ball of fire.
Electric arcs are very hot—next to the laser, they are the most intense heat source on earth. Temperatures in the arc can reach 35,000 F. People within several feet of an arc can be severely burned. Arc flash events are actually multiple energy events, with intense blast, mechanical, and acoustic energy accompanying the intense thermal energy.
As the body of knowledge and understanding of the arc flash phenomena grew, leadership emerged to change federal regulations; building codes; design of electrical equipment; application of circuit protection; safe work practices; training of personnel in utility, industrial, and commercial work environments; and the development and application of PPE. Technologies to further reduce or mitigate arc flash hazards were brought to market, including current limitation, metal cladding, venting to redirect arc blast forces, and arc-resistant designs.
This work to expand our understanding continues. In 2004, the National Fire Protection Assn . (NFPA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) established a multi-million-dollar U.S. collaborative research project to further study the phenomena of electric arcs. This collaboration will help advance the protection of workers from heat, pressure, sound, toxicity, and other medical effects of exposure to electric arcs.
In Stage 1, we are concerned about quickly implementing measures that can have an immediate impact on reducing risk of injury due to arc flash. In our facilities, quick implementation usually involves a plant that has not yet completed a thorough engineering analysis of arc flash hazards in its electrical systems. A common question when developing an arc flash hazard protection program is, "Can you provide a simple chart to show what PPE to wear in various work tasks?"
One of the options provided in NFPA 70E-2004 is based on tables that provide lists of common tasks, with appropriate arc flash protective equipment noted for each task. These tables can be useful, but they can also be misapplied. The explanatory footnotes accompanying the tables must be diligently considered with respect to available fault current and the characteristics of protective devices in the plant electric power distribution system. These notes explain that the electrical system must have certain specifications for the tables to be applicable. The user must be sure that their electrical system meets these requirements, and an electrical system study may be required to ensure these requirements in the notes are met.
A table-based approach can help the user set up a PPE plan that gives an improved measure of safety. But the table approach does not open up opportunities to identify, reduce, and possibly eliminate hazard exposure and risk. To reduce or eliminate the hazard, a more detailed study and assessment of the electrical system and worker tasks is required.
ABOUT THIS SERIES Part 2 of this series will focus on engineering analysis, reduction or elimination of arc hazard exposures through engineering solutions, and optimization of personal protective equipment requirements. Part 3 will focus on applying proven safety management systems that are important for the program's long-term effectiveness and sustainability.
|Author Information
|All of the authors are principal consultants, Electrical Safety & Technology, for DuPont in Wilmington, Del.
|Floyd holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. He is a Professional Member of ASSE, a member of the NFPA, a member of the board of directors of Electrical Safety Foundation International, and an IEEE fellow.
|Doan holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a senior member of IEEE, a member of the IEEE 1584 standards committee, and member of the IEEE/NFPA Arc Flash Hazards Research and Testing Planning Committee.
|Slivka received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State University. She was certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt in 2003. She is a member of IEEE and ISA, and a registered Professional Engineer in Delaware.
NFPA 70E emphasizes the safety advantages of avoiding work on energized systems. The steps to achieve an electrically safe working condition are described in article 120.1. Once these steps are completed, the hazards of shock and arc flash are eliminated. However, it is important to recognize that the steps to achieve an electrically safe working condition and the steps to return the system back to an energized condition are themselves considered work on or near energized equipment. Attention to safe work practices, including the use of appropriate shock and arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE), is important during the tasks of de-energizing and re-energizing electrical systems.
U.S. regulations, codes, and standards that apply to developing and implementing an arc flash hazard mitigation program are included in the following lists:
U.S. Regulations
• OSHA General Duty Clause
• OSHA 1910.132, "Personal Protective Equipment for General Industry"
• OSHA 1910.269, "Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution"
• OSHA 1910.335, "Safeguards for Personnel Protection."
Safe work practices consensus standards
• NFPA70E, "Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace"
• IEEE/ANSI C2, "National Electrical Safety Code."
Hazard analysis standard
• IEEE 1584, "Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations."
Personal protective clothing and equipment materials performance standards
• ASTM F-1506, "Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards"
• ASTM F-1891, "Standard Specification for Arc and Flame Resistant Rainwear"
• ASTM F-1958, "Standard Test Method for Determining the Ignitability of Non-flame resistance Materials for Clothing by Electric Arc Exposure Method Using Mannequins"
• ASTM F-1959, "Standard Test Method for Determining the Arc Thermal Performance Value of Materials for Clothing"
• ASTM F-2178, "Determining the Arc Rating of Face Protective Products."
Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulations are not descriptive in arc hazard assessment and mitigation/control methods. The requirements are clear that employers must assess the workplace for hazards, enable employees to recognize and avoid these hazards, and implement mitigation and control measures to protect employees from these hazards.
NFPA 70E-2009, "Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace," provides the most comprehensive guidance for general industry to accomplish OSHA objectives relative to electrical hazards. For electric utility workers, the applicable standard is IEEE/ANSI C2 "National Electrical Safety Code." The 2007 revision of this standard was expanded to require assessment and implementation of a protective clothing system. IEEE Standard 1584, "Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations," provides the technical basis for several commercial arc hazard analysis software programs available today.
To support the technology evolution in personal protective clothing and equipment, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has published test standards to quantify how well clothing materials perform when exposed to arc flash and flame. These ASTM standards have enabled flame-resistant clothing manufacturers to rate their products for arc flash applications.
Arc blast : Force of plasma and fire from an electric arc.
Arc flash hazard : Danger associated with the arc flash (e.g., the possibility of radiation burns, inhalation of vapors, temporary blindness, hearing damage, lung damage, barotrauma, and injury from projectiles).
Arcing fault current : The current that flows during a short circuit in which an arc is present. The impedance of the arc reduces the fault current to a level below the bolted fault current.
Barotrauma : Injury from pressure caused by acoustic or vibratory forces during an arc blast.
Bolted fault current : The current that flows during a short circuit in which the phases are directly connected together with no appreciable impedance. During a bolted fault, there is no arc present.
Burn, first degree : A burn involving only the outer layer of skin. The skin is usually red, and some swelling and pain may occur.
Burn, second degree : A burn involving both the first and second layers of skin. In these burns, the skin reddens intensely and blisters develop. Severe pain and swelling occur, and the chance for infection is present.
Burn, third degree : A burn involving all the layers of skin. This is the most serious type of burn. Fat, nerves, muscles, and even bones may be affected. Areas may be charred black or be dry and white in appearance, and infection may occur. If nerve damage is substantial, there may be no pain at all.
Electric arc : The flow of current between two electrodes through ionized gases and vapors. It is started by flashover or the introduction of some conducting material between energized parts.
Electrically safe work condition : A state in which the conductor or circuit part to be worked on or near has been disconnected from energized parts, locked/tagged in accordance with established standards, tested to ensure the absence of voltage, and grounded if determined necessary.
Flash hazard analysis : A study investigating a worker's potential exposure to arc-flash energy, conducted for the purpose of injury prevention and the determination of safe work practices and the appropriate levels of PPE.
Flash hazard boundary : The boundary within which arc flash PPE is required.
Incident energy : Total arc energy, both radiant and convective, that is actually received per unit area, in calories per square centimeter.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) : Clothing and equipment designed to mitigate the effects of hazards to which workers might be exposed.
Plasma : A collection of charged particles that exhibits some properties of a gas but differs from a gas in being a good conductor of electricity and in being affected by a magnetic field.
Qualified person : One who has skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of the electrical equipment and installations, and has received safety training on the hazards involved.
Working near : Any activity inside the limited approach boundary of exposed, energized electrical conductors or circuit parts that are not put into an electrically safe working condition.
Working on : Coming in contact with exposed, energized electrical conductors or circuit parts with the hands, feet, or other body parts, or with tools, probes, or test equipment, regardless of the PPE an individual is wearing.
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From collider.com / by Dave Trumbore
The faces of the corporate side of the conflict in Michael Bay's Transformers: Age of Extinction will be provided by Stanley Tucci and Sophia Myles. While the pair were tight-lipped about their characters, our lucky group of journalists did get a chance to talk to them about the film while on set in Detroit. They each revealed a bit about their characters' part in the Transformers world, their experiences filming big action scenes, and joining the epic franchise. They also talked about working with Bay, and shared their favorite Bay movies.
We're having fun talking about this in very vague terms… as much as you can tell us about your characters and how you play into the mix would be good?
Stanley Tucci: I play Joshua Gross who's the head of this corporation that sort of makes all the Transformers. I don't know what I can and can't say. Here's the thing, it's a great role and that's why I'm here, you know what I mean?
We wouldn't expect you to be in something that wasn't great.
Tucci: Well, you haven't seen them all then.
Did you feel slightly typecast because everyone knows America loves Stanley Tucci in a supporting role?
Tucci: No because it's a great role. I was more than happy to do it. To be typecast in great roles does kind of misuse the word I think but no I was very happy to, if it had been a role I'd done before then I maybe wouldn't have been interested but it was something kind of new and really fun, you know what I mean? Sometimes making movies isn't fun and to play a character like this in a movie like this is fun.
How does Michael Bay make that fun?
Tucci: He never stops screaming at you and that is really fun. No, he has so much energy he loves what he does and it's infectious, it's great.
Sounds like you must have a lot of interaction with the robots themselves….
Tucci: I haven't had that yet, but I will later on, we're not quite there yet.
Your character manufactures the robots?
Tucci: Yes. That's the best I can do.
Sophia Myles: My character is called Darcy Tyril, she is English, she's a geologist and in this movie she works within the mining division of Stanley's character's company and [turns to Tucci] Can I…
Tucci: No.
Myles: It's not completely straight forward.
Tucci: She's tough and smart and beautiful and funny and caustic.
Myles: Yeah she doesn't take any B.S.
We've been hearing a lot about the stunts, do you guys get in on the action?
Myles: Yes, my finger is swollen, you can see the difference. It's going to get bigger and bigger.
In addition to the character you get to play, what is fun about coming into a huge production like this?
Myles: As Stanley said, Michael is so enthusiastic and so passionate about what he does it's just infectious. All the guys, everyone working here in every single division, everyone is so grateful to be here it's just fun.
Tucci: And he has a great crew and they're very accomplished, so you're working with very accomplished people, from the camera operators to the special effects, I've never seen such efficiency and energy.
Myles: They're the best in the business.
Do you have any good Michael Bay stories so far?
Tucci: If I did I couldn't tell you them. Just that he's very funny and he loves a good laugh and that's kind of the great part of making the film.
Are you playing it more straight or is it a comedic role?
Tucci: It's sort of both. Like all of Michael's movies there is a seriousness to it and then suddenly it turns into funny stuff, that's the great part as actors that we are able to do that.
What's your favorite Michael Bay movie?
Myles: Armageddon.
Tucci: Armageddon yeah, I like The Rock.
You've done a bunch of sci-fi and fantasy roles recently, is that a bi product of the roles becoming more interesting or available or what you're going after?
Tucci: I think it's the Zeitgeist of the times, it's what is available and is there and if the role is good in that movie then that's what you do. It's important to try to mix things up and I've tried to do that over the years, where you go do an independent film then you go do a drama and then a comedy, science fiction so if you can mix it up that's great but I do think there are a lot of these movies being made now, you go where the work is but they're fun. The Hunger Games is like the greatest gift ever.
Do you have to do a lot of work to make it challenging for yourself or is it on the page already?
Tucci: For the most part it's on the page, you know you always are inventing things and collaborating with the director but if it's not on the page the stuff doesn't make it far.
How do you describe what this one is compared to what's come before it?
Myles: The fans are now older and I think bringing in a whole new string of characters…
Tucci: It adds a different energy
Do you feel like it's grown or narrowed?
Myles: It's grown.
Do you have more fun with the action or playing with your characters?
Tucci: It's all fun. The action stuff is as anybody will attest, it takes a long time but when you're there and you're doing it and you go into that take and you run and everything is blowing up around you and you're diving onto something it's actually incredibly thrilling and you feel like a kid again. Like a kid who used to play and pretend all those things would happen and now they're actually happening.
Myles: It means that you don't have to act, it's so spontaneous. Everything that you'll see within these action sequences is us reacting not acting.
Tucci: Which is terrifying. But then doing scenes with each other and with Mark, that's also fun.
How serious do you approach the role, whenever we talk to Michael Bay it's like a kid playing with imaginary toys… is there a way you approach it in knowing that?
Tucci: Every role is approached in exactly the same way, you have to make it believable and that's all. Acting is really serious, like, pretending really hard.
Do you have a preference of evil vs. good?
Tucci: Nope, just depends on the role. How well is it written is it, how well realized is it?
Are you a bad guy or a good guy in this?
Tucci: I can't answer that.
You make robots…
Tucci: What can I say…
Who are you making robots for? Michael Bay?
Tucci: For you guys. For the world.
Will you get your own action figures?
Tucci: I don't know, I don't know about that. It would be fun though.
Myles: I would love one, it's been a dream of mine to have an action figure, but I don't think boys want to play with a girl.
Tucci: Well I did when I was a kid. I wanted to play with real girls but they wouldn't let me. I don't know about action figures.
How do you like working with Wahlberg?
Tucci: Oh Mark is great, a wonderful actor. I did a movie with him five years ago and he's just lovely, I'm a big fan of his.
Presumably a different dynamic here than in Lovely Bones?
Tucci: Oh yes, yes. Very different. We have fun in this one. I won't rape and kill his daughter.
Memorable moment so far?
Tucci: I think when all that stuff was blowing up.
Myles: Yeah.
Tucci: That one take when there were more explosions than anticipated, that was like, "Oh, we're really making a Transformers movie" I ran like this [Demos weird run], like extreme Groucho Marx.
But now forever for your reels you'll have the slo-mo Michael Bay action thing
Tucci: I know I'm so excited I can't wait to see it.
You've got to do the gun dive…
Tucci: I don't know if it's in there but I've got to get that in there.


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