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Stephen, Since you asked, ... here are my 35 comments. A feedback would be appreciated. Denis > Dear IETF security folks, > > Firstly, apologies if (or when) you get more than one copy of this. > > On behalf of the W3C XML Key Managment Service WG [XKMS-WG], we are > pleased to announce the publication of the "XML Key Management Specification" > Last Call Working Draft. This is one of the deliverables of the WG. The > document address is: > > http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-xkms2-20030418/Overview.html > http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-xkms2-bindings-20030418/Overview.html > > The Last Call review period will end on 23 May, 2003. Please send review > comments by that date to the editor - firstname.lastname@example.com and cc: > firstname.lastname@example.com > > Thanks, > Stephen. Comments on XKMS Version 2 (April 18, 2003) The model has severe limitations which are not mentioned in the document. 1. The overall model is making the silent assumption that only names that are unique by their structure, i.e. DNS names, RFC 822 names or IP addresses, shall be used. Since DNS names, RFC 822 names and IP addresses are unique, there is no difference between such names certified by CA1 or CA2. If Distinguished Names (DNs) were being used, a DN certified by CA1 and the same DN certified by CA2 could correspond to the same or to different entities. XKMS currently prohibits the use of DNs or, said in other words, exhibits security problems if such names were being used. This should be clearly advertised, or a fix to this problem should be made. 2. A major error in XKMS is to consider to obtain information about keys, rather than information against certificates, which bind a public key to a name for a specific key usage and under a Certification Policy. Since there is not a one-to-one relationship between a key and a certificate, but a one-to-many relationship, it is not possible to make an unambiguous binding with a public key but only an unambiguous binding with a (public key) certificate. 3. The Certification Policy is a concept which seems to be ignored at the level of the interfaces that are being proposed. 4. In section [46] the text says: "The XKMS specification defines three types of request: X-KRSS Request A Register, Reissue, Revoke or Recover request as specified by the Key Information Service Specification". There is indeed a typo, probably intentionally left by the editor, to make sure that at least someone read the specification: "Key Information Service Specification" should be changed into "Key *Registration* Service Specification". 5. The <ds:KeyInfo> (see [135]) is described as an "hint". This should not be the case since it is important to make sure under which certificate a signer wanted to sign. Several certificates may include the same public key and for that reason it is important to make sure that the certificate (or an unambiguous reference to it) is linked to the data that has been signed and is indeed protected by the signature. Without that link certificates could be substituted without notice. The concept is similar to ESSCertID that is used in CMS (see RFC 2634). 6. The fact that ds:KeyInfo> may or may not be cryptographically bound to the signature itself is advertised as an important property (see [136]). It is said: "This allows the <ds:KeyInfo> to be substituted or supplemented without "breaking" the digital signature". This should be considered as a severe weakness, since such a substitution is not desirable (see above). A certificate could be added, but the reference to the certificate should remain unchanged and unchangeable. 7. The XKISS Validate service verifies a binding with a public key, while the binding should be verified with a certificate (which contains a public key), instead of directly a public key value. CAs may deliver different certificates with the same public key but with different attributes in them. It is important to know which certificate has been used, rather than which public key has been used, since several certificates may include the same public key. 8. The two overviews from sections 1.5 and 1.6 do not provide a clear picture of the functions that are supported. They should be both revised. A text is proposed as an annex at the end of these comments. 9. The document provides several examples which are quite interesting. However the core of a standard should not include examples. Such examples should be placed in an annex. However if these examples were removed the text would not be understandable anymore, because the remaining explanations would be insufficient. It is thus requested to add more normative text and to move the examples in an informative annex. 10. The XKISS Locate service is defined as " The XKISS Locate service resolves a <ds:Keyinfo> element but does NOT REQUIRE the service to make an assertion concerning the validity of the binding between the data in the <ds:Keyinfo> element". What means "resolving <ds:Keyinfo> element" is not self-understandable. The exact processing that is supposed to be done by the service should be described in details. 11. The example (see [145]) is insufficient to describe what that service really does. The various input (and output) parameters should be clearly described. This is not the case. The service seems to return only a key value, while it should return the main components from a certificate. From the example, it can be seen that the input parameters are a DNS name and the name of a protocol. Since no key usage is mentioned, the service is unable to know whether a certificate that includes a signature verification key or includes an encryption key is requested. A certificate should be returned and not a key, so that the user can verify the validity period of the certificate, otherwise a validity date should be included in the request. The certification policy contained in the certificate may also be helpful, unless it is specified in the request. 12. The XKISS Validate service is defined as : "The XKISS Validate Service allows all that the Locate Service does, and in addition, the client may obtain an assertion specifying the status of the binding between the public key and other data, for example a name or a set of extended attributes". What means "other data" is not self-understandable. The exact processing that is supposed to be done by the service should be described in details. 13. In [152] it is mentioned: "Furthermore the service represents that the status of each of the data elements returned is valid and that all are bound to the same public key". A <ds:Keyinfo> element may contain a <ds:X509Data> element. Therefore the binding is not with a key but with a certificate. 14. The example (see [155]) is insufficient to describe what that service really does. The various input (and output) parameters should be clearly described. This is not the case. In particular, is the validation done only for the current time or can it be done for a time in the past ? Even, if this is the current time, is that time indicated in the response? The answer is only given (hidden) in section [215], but this should be clearly advertised upfront. 15. From its name, the XKISS Validate Service present a few similarities with the validation service requirements that have been defined by the PKIX WG from the IETF. This working group has produced RFC 3379 (Delegated Path Validation and Delegated Path Discovery Protocol Requirements) which is a set of requirements. However, the XKMS specification is leaving aside many, if not most, of the these requirements. An important concept from RFC3379 is the concept of "validation policy". When a validation is done, it must be done according to a set of rules. These rules depends upon the application. In particular some root keys may be adequate for an application, but not for another. Trust elements cannot be uniform and cannot be left open to the Validate Server. The text is speaking of a "validation criteria (see [161]), but it is unclear what it really is. This is one of the most severe limitations of XKMS and this limitation is not advertised. It would be quite interesting to understand why the requirements from RFC3379 have not been followed. 16. The text is speaking of some means to locate the correct XKMS service (see [163]) but does not provide any guidance in order to solve this problem, in particular in the context of multiple servers offering their services to the users. 17. The text in [168] states: "the Service represents to the client accessing the service and to that client alone that the binding between the data elements is valid under whatever trust policy the service offers to that client." Unless the service can clearly advertise which trust policy is being used, the client cannot use any kind of trust policy without even knowing which one it is. As already stated, the concept of validation policy is not supported, but should be supported. 18. The text under [171] mentions: "The Id identifier is defined to provide a means by which the key binding may be signed using XML Signature. Clients MUST NOT rely on the key binding identifier being either unique or stable". On the contrary it is believed that a key identifier should be unique. The ESSCertID from RFC 2634 is a good example of such a unique binding. 19. The text under [174] considers only three intended uses of the key: 1) Encryption : The key pair may be used for encryption and decryption, 2) Signature : The key pair may be used for signature and verification, 3) Exchange: The key pair may be used for key exchange. However, the key usages should be defined in terms of security services (see ISO 7498-2), i.e. authentication service, confidentiality service and non-repudiation service. To avoid some security problems it is particularly important to make a difference between a key usable for authentication and a key usable for non-repudiation. This cannot be covered by a single key usage called "signature". 20. The text under [177] mentions the <UseKeyWith> element which specifies a subject identifier and application identifier that determine a use of the key. The <UseKeyWith> must contain "Application" which is a URI that specifies the application protocol with which the key may be used and "Identifier" which specifies the subject to which the key corresponds within the specified application protocol. A protocol can support a sender and a receiver. It is unclear whether the Identifier corresponds to the sender or the receiver. It seems that the notion is by itself insufficient and should be extended to make such difference. 21. The text under [180] mentions S/MIME as a protocol. Why is CMS (Cryptographic Message Syntax) not considered as a protocol as well ? 22. The text under [180] mentions PKIX. It is very unclear to understand why PKIX is considered as a "protocol" since it is only a set of data structures. 23. The text under [180] mentions the use of "Certificate Subject Name" as an appropriate identifier. It should be observed that this name only is insufficient to correctly identify an entity, since two CAs may certify the same name and that this name may correspond to the same or to different entities. Unless a sequence of CAs names is added to the entity name up to a root key, such names are ambiguous. This relates to the non-uniqueness of DN names already mentioned. 24. The text under [180] identifies various protocols. To this list, XAdES (XML Advanced Electronic Signature) which is a W3C Note issued on February 20, 2003 should be added (see: http://www.w3.org/TR/XAdES/). The "identifier" type is such a case is a SigningCertificate element, i.e. *not* a DN. 25. The description of the Validate Service are confusing. It seems to relate more to the Locate Service rather than the Validate Service where the primary response should be "valid according to some policy" or "invalid according to some trust policy". The exact service performed by the Validate Service is not sufficiently detailed. 26. In [221] it is mentioned: "The server returns one or more <KeyBinding> elements that meet the criteria specified in the request." It is questionable why not simply a valid, invalid or don't know assertion is made against the proposed binding. 27. In the case of validation, the "yet not valid" response should be considered, in particular when a certificate is suspended. This means that another validation request made later on may succeed. 28. The Register Service from KRSS is not sufficiently described. The two examples provide more information, but that information is not normative. From the example, two features are mentioned: 1° authentication information to be used later on for revocation can be transmitted. However, it is unfortunate that the data does not also include the question to be answered. 2° it is necessary to have a face to face contact with the LRA before being able to use the register request. During that face to face information is captured by the LRA and the secret "authentication code" is provide to the end-user. However, this method is time consuming and does not allow a cost effective deployment of a PKI. It is suggested to use another technique that places all the burden of the typing for the end-user, who receives back both a registration number and the hash of his request (signed by the service) so that the end-user can then authenticate to the LRA in a face to face where the Register Service has only to verify the information (and to only "click" to accept or reject). Another advantage is that no secret information is being used. 29. In the example [241] several identifiers are included : <UseKeyWith Application="urn:ietf:rfc:2459" Identifier="C="US" O="Alice Corp" CN="Alice Aardvark""/> <UseKeyWith Application="urn:ietf:rfc:2633" Identifier="email@example.com"/> <UseKeyWith Application="http://ca.example.com/cps/20030401/class3" Identifier="email@example.com"/> It is unclear to understand how the concept of "UseKeyWith Application" will be translated in an X.509 certificate, since an X.509 certificate does not support the concept of "UseKeyWith Application". 30. In the example [245] the private key is returned in the response. It will be quite uneasy for the end-user to memorize the authentication code 3n9cj-jk4jk-s04jf-20934-jsr09-jwik4 previously obtained through some out-of-band mechanism. This method would be quite difficult to use and would not allow an easy and cost effective deployment of a PKI. It is suggested to use another technique that allows the end user to locally generate a key pair, so that the public key can be sent in the Register Service request and then used by the Register Service to encrypt the private key once generated. The main advantage is that no secret information is being used and no out-of-bands mechanism is necessary. 31. The Reissue request mentions "A reissue request is made in the same manner as the initial registration of a key". It is not believed that this statement is correct. The user should provide the previously obtained certificate and ask for another validity period. There is no need to specify again secret information obtained through an out of bands mechanism. 32. The Revocation request should allow the possibility to carry a reason code and an Invalidity Date (RFC 2459 sates that CRL issuers are strongly encouraged to include meaningful reason codes in CRL entries). 33. The Revocation request example includes the certificate. It is very doubtful that the user will be able to provide its full certificate, if his smart card has been stolen. However he could more easily provide his subject name instead. The input and the output parameters are not sufficiently described. 34. The Recovery request mentions "A key recovery request is made in the same manner as the initial registration of a key". It is not believed that this statement is correct. There is no need to specify again secret information obtained through an out of bands mechanism. Users do not have only a confidentiality key, but also an authentication key. They could use it to authenticate. If they loose everything, they could encrypt the authentication code under a key they wish their private key to be recovered (using PKCS#12) and authenticate their request by phone using the non-secret registration number of their request. For this to be possible, a hash of the request should be present in the response. 35. The security considerations section should be augmented to mention the severe limitations that are indicated above. ANNEX The following text is proposed as a global overview of these two sections. Note: This text is re-using text already present and does not include changes that are suggested in the other comments. "The XKMS specification defines three types of requests: 1. X-KISS (Key Information Service Specification) Request : A Locate or a Validate request. The XKISS Locate service provides one or more unverified key bindings to the best of its knowledge but does not provide any assurance about that binding. Information obtained from a Locate service SHOULD NOT be relied upon unless it is validated. Validation may be achieved by forwarding the data to a Validate service or by performing the necessary trust path verification locally. The XKISS Validate service allows a client to query the binding between a <ds:Keyinfo> element (i.e. <ds:X509Data>, <ds:X509Data>*, <ds:KeyName>, <ds:KeyValue>) and one or more <UseKeyWith> elements (i.e. an application protocol with which the key may be used and an "identifier" which specifies the subject to which the key corresponds within the specified application protocol). 2. X-KRSS (Key Registration Service Specification) Request :The XML Key Registration Service Specification permits management of information that is bound to a public key pair. The XKRSS service specification supports the following operations: a) Register : The Registration request message contains a prototype of the requested key binding which may contain only partial information, a key without a name or a name without a key. The registration service MAY require the client to provide additional information to authenticate the request. If the public key pair is generated by the client, the service MAY require the client to provide Proof of Possession of the private key. b) Reissue : A previously registered key binding is reissued unchanged except the validity period. c) Revoke : A previously registered key binding is revoked. d) Recover : The private key associated with a key binding is recovered. 3. Compound Request : A compound request allows multiple X-KISS or X-KRSS requests and the corresponding responses to be sent in a single message. This allows considerable processing resources to be saved as a single signature on the compound message may be used in place of multiple signatures on the individual requests or responses. > > [XKMS-WG] http://www.w3.org/2001/XKMS > >
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 20:31:41 UTC


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Hey 2014, great to see ya!
It's been two (TWO!) years since I started my internships and I've been thinking quite a bit on the narrowing of my clinical interests.
When I started my internships, I had no idea what I liked and didn't like. I mean, I THOUGHT I knew (but we all know that's silly…you have no clue until you get experience under that very cute belt you're wearing.) I THOUGHT I wanted adult and hospitals. I THOUGHT I hated AAC (now we have a love-hate relationship.) I THOUGHT I wanted middle school students with diagnoses of ED/BD.
Hahaha. Thoughts.
I knew after my first internship that I loved working with the little children – you know, the weensy ones with the munchkin voices. I knew after my second internship that I did not want to focus on ED/BD. I knew after my third internship that hospitals are not my scene. Even after that, we still have quite an elaborate scope of practice to choose from.
So I got my first job and started my CF with a great, big, wide open caseload. Early intervention, bilingual early intervention, adult dysphagia, adult AAC and cognitive communicative therapy, peds feeding. Behavior, family coaching, communication strategies, group homes, ASL. Lions, tigers, and bears, OH MY!
When I started I was all, "Ohmygod I loooove it allllllll." Now, a year and a half in, I'm seeing that I have clientele that I get excited about and things I look forward to and enjoy learning about. In turn, there are clinical things I don't get super thrilled to death about. (Don't get me wrong. I love all of my patients, but as far as clinical interests go there are things that I just professionally am more intrigued by.) (Was that a fragmented sentence?)(Sorry.) Since I would like to pursue the Ph.D. at some point, figuring out those clinical interests is a really important thing! I can't stroll into a Ph.D. program and say, "Hey ya'll – I like everything!" I need to find out what I love so that I won't mind studying it for the rest of the foreseeable future.
So what do I enjoy? I love working with my Latino babies and families for language therapy. I love working with adults with developmental disabilities. I love adult dysphagia. I just wanna do those things all day. Is there some communicative disorder where all three happen at once? Oh and I weirdly enjoy evaluations. Can't really explain that one.
What do I sorta enjoy-ish? AAC. But not high-tech. I enjoy helping families use no-tech, low-tech strategies for targeting critical communication acts. (High-tech AAC makes me want to crawl in a hole. My brain rejects it. And the process for obtaining any device is the worst thing that ever happened. And it is just getting harder. And it is terrible. Run away!)
What am I unsure about? Peds feeding. It makes me so nervous. I don't have a lot of practical experience and my book-knowledge is useless because it's book-knowledge. Observation is an option, but frankly every child is so different there isn't a ton I can take away from watching someone else do it. I'm learning as I go. Progress is slow (for me, not the kids.)
What am I pretty certain I don't find particularly intriguing? High tech AAC! Adult acquired communicative-cognitive deficits pooooooooost-onset. School aged ANYTHING.
Part of me feels bad, about not loving it all. I have to remember that we ALL have clinical interests. That's how we grow and develop specified skill sets. I can't, mentally, love it all and I can't know it all. I do truly enjoy interacting with and getting to know all of my clients. However, when faced with a puzzle, some situations get me all excited and riled up and I want to learn more. And I'm finding out what those exciting things are! Woo woo! Self-discovery!
And for your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of Simon snuggling with his own tail:

subset: commoncrawl


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David Dunn, a talented all-round sportsman, will tonight attempt to offer England's senior squad some early inspiration when the Blackburn Rovers midfielder leads the Under-21s in their opening European Championship fixture against host nation Switzerland, in Zurich.
A 16,000 capacity crowd at Grasshopper's Hardturm Stadion will see Dunn captain David Platt's team, one of the favourites to win the tournament for the third time, but first since 1984.
Dunn, a batsman and wicketkeeper, was selected for trials with Lancashire when he was 14 and the scrum half was also offered rugby league trials with Wigan. He chose football and, having just missed out on a place in Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad, will use his determination to inspire England's youngsters.
England have been unable to call upon former captain John Terry because of an impending court case while Michael Carrick and Ledley King were late withdrawals, with injuries. Nevertheless Platt has been able to select a strong squad and every one of the players he is expected to use tonight has extended Premiership experience this season.
Dunn is the young man Platt will turn to for inspiration and there is no doubt he will see commitment and determination.
"I am a bad loser," admitted Dunn. "Even at an early age, when I was playing board games like Monopoly, if the game wasn't going my way the board would go up in the air.
"The games are on television back home so it gives me and all the lads an opportunity to show people what we are capable of doing."
Traditionally tournaments such as this produce rising stars who come to prominence at a higher level and Platt believes Dunn could be such a player.
Platt said: "Dunny is one who could forge a reputation. There are several of them. Invariably it is going to be a match winner; they're the ones on everybody's lips. Dunn's capable of scoring goals, Defoe's capable of scoring goals and so are Crouch, Zamora, Smith and Pennant. If we are going to win it we will need two or three to come out as top players of the tournament."
"David has this complete and utter confidence in his ability. He looks a very good player in very good company, when he's on a training pitch. That isn't easy to do every single day."
Following tonight's game, England return to Basle, where they are based, to play Italy on Sunday, before finishing their group programme against Portugal in Zurich.
GROUP GAMES: Gp A: Tonight: Italy v Portugal (Basle), England v Switzerland (Zurich). May 20: Italy v England (Basle), Portugal v Switzerland (Zurich). May 22: Switzerland v Italy (Basle), Portugal v England (Zurich). Gp B: Last night: Greece v Belgium (Lausanne), France v Czech Republic (Geneva). May 19: Greece v France (Lausanne), Belgium v Czech Republic (Geneva). May 21: Czech Republic v Greece (Lausanne), Belgium v France (Geneva). May 25: Semi-final 1: Winner Group B v Runner-up Gp A (Basle). Semi-final 2: Winner Gp A v Runner-Up Gp B (Zurich). May 28: Final (Basle).
ENGLAND (probable): Robinson (Leeds); Young (Charlton), Riggott (Derby), Barry (Aston Villa), Konchesky (Charlton); Pennant (Arsenal), Dunn (Blackburn), Davis (Fulham), Smith (Leeds); Defoe (West Ham), Crouch (Aston Villa).
SWITZERLAND (probable): Beney (Sion); Meyer (Lausanne Sports), Eggemann (Aarau), Keller (Zurich), Grichting (Sion); Magnin (Werder Bremen), Berisha (Young Boys), Cabanas (Grasshopper), Zanni (St Gallen); Frei (Geneva), Gygax (Zurich).
Referee: A Hanacsek (Hungary).
Click here for betting opportunities on FOOTBALL.


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Charles & Bob are regular volunteers at the Pack Prison Unit in Navasota, TX. It is not possible to take photos there, but this beautiful description by Charles Culpepper of a baptism event in the unit paints a compelling picture of believers literally bringing others to the Life and Light that is found in Christ as they carry them to the waters of baptism. Pray for these volunteers and the men they serve that many more will experience the transforming power of the love of Christ.
Last night was the most amazing work of God I have ever been a part of in my entire life and ministry! Twenty-three men were baptized. We must have had about 150 men there last night to celebrate the baptism. I empowered K, C and L to do the baptizing and that's when the party broke out.
They were baptizing the men in THEIR OIKOS who they had been praying for and witnessing to!
There were lots of elderly men who were crippled and in wheel chairs and the men picked these guys up in their arms like a groom carries the bride over the threshold and set them down gently in the water.
There was shouting and praising and back slapping and hugging. And on top of that they had arranged to have a team of men that would dry the feet of the new Christians like Jesus washed the disciples feet.
Huge praise to God!
Submitted by Charles Culpepper, Pack Prison Unit Volunteer
More volunteers are desparately needed to meet the needs in several prison units in the area and for leading small group Bible studies in local Parole Offices. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, contact UBA Consultants Sally Hinzie or Rickie Bradshaw.
Return to Celebrating God at Work


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The Gunners dominated for 90 minutes, but couldn't find a way past Milan's Aussie keeper Zeljko Kalac until the final minutes when a mazy run from substitute Theo Walcott led to his cross taking out the visiting keeper and leaving Adebayor with an empty net to nod home. But the Togo striker's effort amazingly cannoned off the crossbar and with it Arsenal's last chance to edge this first-leg.
Arsene Wenger's side took the game to the reigning European champions from the off, but despite the best efforts of Cesc Fabregas and company, Milan's defence stuck to their task to leave the tie evenly balanced ahead of the return leg at the San Siro in a fortnight's time.
In the first-half, Eduardo slipped as Bacary Sagna sent a dangerous cross across goal, while Senderos just failed to connect with a Cesc Fabregas corner.
The Gunners finished the half strongly and created the best opening of the first 45 minutes when Emmanuel Eboue tied Paolo Maldini in knots, before teeing up Mathieu Flamini, but his shot was comfortably saved by Kalac.
Arsenal made a bright start to the second period when Fabregas' corner caused confusion in the area and it struck Kaka's chest before bouncing just wide of goal.
Alexander Hleb's fantastic run down the right then carved Milan wide open but Eboue's 20-yard shot missed the target by inches. Eduardo then fired a shot on the stretch just over the bar as the hosts upped the tempo, before Adebayor had the ball in the net - only to see his effort correctly flagged offside after he stabbed past Kalac.
Fabregas then tried his luck from 25 yards after some space opened up in front of him, but his low drive was again too easy for Kalac.
Then came Wenger's rash of substitutes and Adebayor's amazing last-gasp miss.


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Broken elevator at Normandin Square apartments puts handicap residents in a bind
- Published in Local News
LACONIA — A 24-hour elevator break down caused a little bit of a stir at the large Normandin Square Apartments building (22 Strafford Street) when some of the handicap residents couldn't get up or down the stairs to their apartments.
Building manager Julie Moore of the Laconia Housing Authority said the elevator broke on Monday morning but by late yesterday morning the critical part had been shipped overnight and elevator repair people were there by 8 a.m.
She said she sent out notices that in the case of extreme emergencies, tenants were to call the Fire Department for assistance getting in or out of the building.
Chief Ken Erickson said firefighters assisted two people who really needed assistance but fielded a number of phone calls from other residents — one of whom wanted firefighters to go to the store and buy him beer and cigarettes.
"I'm sorry, we're just not going to do that," Erickson said.
He said there were a few people who said they were a little disappointed in the Fire Department but Erickson said he had met with everyone involved and all of the hitches have been addressed.
There is only one elevator for the building.


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Tuesday, 11 December 2012
ILaiyaraaja- The Adventurous Musician- III
காதல், காதல், காதல்,
காதல் போயிற் காதல் போயிற்
சாதல், சாதல், சாதல்.
நாதம், நாதம், நாதம்;
நாதத் தேயோர் நலிவுண் டாயின்,
சேதம், சேதம், சேதம்.
These verses are part of the 'Kuyil Paattu', which is considered to be one of the greatest philosophical works in Tamizh poetry.
Mahakavi Bharati –whose 130th Birth anniversary is celebrated today-, is something more than the usual terms like Poet, Visionary, Revolutionary..
He gave a new lease of life to Tamizh poetry by using very simple words and broke many conventions with courage of conviction and with a spirit of adventure.
The 'Kuyil Paatu' verses quoted above talks about the extreme contrasts- Love and Death, Music and Cacophony.. ..
Though it is said that 'Kuyil Paattu' is a kind of tribute to his idol Poet Shelly, the fact remains that 'Kuyil Paattu' is considered to be one of the greatest philosophical works in Tamizh poetry. But what is more important and relevant here is that this kind of structure was entirely new to Tamizh poetry then. It maybe noted that this structure and the 'Vachana Kavita' of Bharati set the tone for the emergence of 'Pudhu Kavitai' in Tamizh, a totally new form.
Bharati did it because of his adventurous spirit and mastery of Tamizh language.
In the previous two posts, we saw how ILaiyaraaja with his deep knowledge used some new scales in music with a sense of adventure.
The third part in this series too features a song which follows a new and a different scale.
In fact, the notes of the song of the day -'Adho mega oorvalam' (Eeramana Rojave-1991).- are almost the same as the ones used in 'Oru Poongavanam' and yet are used differently.
Just to recap, the latter's scale is 'sa ri2 ga3 dha1 ni/ ni1 dha1 ni1 pa ga3 ri2 sa.
'Adho mega..' follows a scale that can be put like this: sa ri2 ga3 pa dha1 ga3 ni1 ni1 Sa/Sa ni1 dha1 pa ga3 ri2 sa- the swaras of the 25th melakarta 'Maara Ranjani' without the 'ma'.
Note how the arohaNa is devious with 'ga ni ni'. You will be amazed to see how this phrase adds a special colour to this song. More about this soon..
Another speciality is the 'Hamsadhwani' shade by using 'ni3'- only in the prelude and the interludes and not in the Pallavi/CharaNams.
The sympathetic strings in the beginning pull the strings of our hearts with the ascending notes and the three descending notes of Hamsadhwani. The chorus along with the ennobling Veena nurses us and takes us to the Pallavi.
The Pallavi which starts with the 'sa' uses 'ri', ga' and 'pa' making us believe that the song is in Hamsadhwani. But the 'dha1' in 'ange' hits us with a force. Even then, 'it could be Vaasanti', with the prelude in Hamsadhwani', Or it could also be 'TaaraLam', like 'Kaalam maaRalaam'', we think.
The first part of the first interlude with the mellifluent twin flute in two different octaves is in Hamsadhwani. The zestful strings too move in this raga until the flute interjects and plays the 'dha1'. The romance between the flute and the Veena also has the 'dha1'. It is surely 'TaaraLam', we almost conclude.
We find the swaras of Vaasanti in the first two lines of the CharaNam with the 'ga pa dha pa', 'ga dha pa' phrases even giving the flavour of Bowli(common notes anyway). The defining moment arrives in the third line as the vivadi note 'ni1' is introduced. This note joining with 'ga' in the third, fourth and the fifth line and as a 'janta swara' once in the last line make it placid musical experience.
Time for a small clarification: The logical question in the minds of some of you is:
'How can you call it as a new scale? Is it not Hamsadhwani/TharaLam/Vaasanti plus a vivadi note?'
Yes, it is Hamsadhwani' in the prelude and Hamsadhwani/TharaLam/Vaasanti in the interludes.
However, the Pallavi and CharaNams do not have the 'ni3' at all. And the vivadi note in the CharaNam follows a certain pattern. Therefore, I feel it-that is the Pallavi and the CharaNam- is surely a new scale not hitherto used.
Continuing with the description of the song, we hear the notes of Hamsadhwani zealously played by the sympathetic strings twice. It then overlaps with the chorus that hums Hamsadhwani with the endearing flute imitating the chorus musically. The bells then move in Vaasanti with the subtle strings in the background.
It is an illuminating spectacle.
A musical procession.
ராக மேக ஊர்வலம்..
Posted by Raj at 17:30 2 comments: Links to this post
Labels: Adho mega oorvalam, Bharati, Eeramana Rojave, Hamsadwani, MaaRa Ranjani, TaaraLam, Vaasanti
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Discussion in 'Landscape & Cityscape' started by Sgt_Major, Mar 21, 2007.
I tooka detour, just to capture this sky:
Thats a great shot theres lots to look at.plenty of detail and good colours.You may be a TPF noob but your deffinatley not a photography noob thats for sure.
Welcome to the forum!
Great shot.
I can't wait to see more from you.
Welcome to the forum Major. Great shot. You should have enjoyed a lot.
Expecting more from you,,,,,,.........
Thanks everyone. I really like that shot myself
I'll post up some more now.
Dude my avator is from the same location as this shot really early in the morning,Its good to see another Irish man on here.
Hi chris,
I live just up the road from Antrim lough. You a local too?
Is Lough Neagh the one you call "Antrim lough" here, Sgt?
Years and years and years ago, probably before you were even born, I once was taken on a trip round Lough Neagh, but I doubt I can still find photos from those days (1983 I think it was).
As to the photo: the horizon is tilted, unfortunately, it runs right through the middle of the frame and divides it in two almost equal halves which you best avoid to do in landscape photography, and there is this pole in the very centre of your picture, too, with that gull settling ... and it is just not sooo good to have that scene so smack in the centre. But the photo gives room for some cropping so all these things can still be shifted.
Yes, Lough Neagh - the photo was just taken at the shore in Antrim.
you are correct, the image is slanted ... this one is corrected.
Feel free to crop it as you would see fit, I tend to like the way it looks, even tho I know by rule f thirds I shouldnt
Well, if you like it this way that I shall leave it all untouched! It is your photo, after all. I can also just imagine it differently without the need to actively change your work, see .
No, please ... crop it the way you would if it was yours.... I like to see other peoples interpretaions of my work too.
Separate names with a comma.


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Hello all, I am building a financial overview report for project managers, in one section I have monthly expenditure data. In another section I'd like to have the details of the expenditures (specifics)...
I can get the subreport to display, but what I am trying to do is update the parameter automatically (when the PM clicks on June 2011 for example, detail for June 2011 would appear in the subreport)... however I don't see any way of making the "textbox action" for the period be able to update the parameter...
The only options I could have is to go to other report (which I don't want, as I'd like to have this on the same page), or go to URL (no), or go to bookmark (? probably not)
.. I would think that this is possible, anybody have any advice on how I could do this, any help would be appreciated... Thanks, Sheep
asked Sep 13, 2011 at 03:24 PM in Default
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I don't know how to tell you the specifics, but Simon Sabin's recent PASS presentation on Slicers was amazing and shows how to make SSRS interactive. You could probably glean how to accomplish that by using his techniques.
answered Sep 14, 2011 at 12:34 PM
Thanks for your help, the demo file regarding button selection looks like it contains everything that I need - amazing resource - thanks again!
Sep 14, 2011 at 02:17 PM TelepathicSheep2
You're welcome, I was glad I was able to catch his webinar. I was impressed.
Sep 14, 2011 at 03:01 PM Mark
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Portraying religion through architectural art photography is deeply rewarding.
Past News ReleasesRSS
New York, NY (PRWEB) July 12, 2013
After many months of preparation, Photographer Ellen Fisch has completed her latest architectural art photography essay on Worship for an exhibit in Bethlehem, New Hampshire in August 2013. A long time summer resident of the New England town, Fisch was inspired to photograph two religious mainstays of the location: the Durrell United Methodist Church and the Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation. "Portraying religion through architectural art photography was challenging and deeply rewarding," says Fisch.
As a photographer Ellen Fisch always found living near New York City exciting and stimulating. "There is an energy that is palpable and that translates into marvelous visuals in New York," notes Fisch. "The pace is like no other city I have ever visited, but there is a tradeoff. Often the energy of NYC provides a superficial take on life." She found that with people's rushing around so fast in NYC it is often hard to know who they are and where they are going. Even though Fisch's focus is architecture and not people, the intensity of a location influences her work a great deal. "That is why it is so wonderful to have a place in New Hampshire where the slower pace is the polar opposite of that in NYC." In Bethlehem, Fisch discovered a gentler way of life in the natural setting of the White Mountains. Buildings seem more tranquil as they are situated in a landscape back-dropped by permanent and stunning mountains. The influence of the peaceful lifestyle of Bethlehem recently inspired Fisch to explore ways to depict the town's heritage.
Integral to the town of Bethlehem is Worship. Although not all of the residents are committed to formal religion many people are regular congregants at the several Houses of Worship. Among them are the Durrell United Methodist Church and the Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation. "Last summer I conceived of a body of photographs that would embody Worship in Bethlehem. Throughout the year I developed a way to present religion through architectural art photography," says Photographer Ellen Fisch, who last week finalized the black and white and sepia photographic collection enhanced with fine art media.
After shooting 1,000+ photographs of the church and the synagogue over a four month period, Fisch began to cull the shots she thought represented the Houses of Worship and the religious concepts that are associated with the architecture and the religious objects in each place. "It was a challenge to get depth of meaning into the images without presenting the obvious. As I worked on the post-production phase of the project I became aware of so many subtle aspects of each religion." Ellen Fisch cites this example: "In both Houses of Worship the windows play a key role in admitting light to illuminate and emphasize religious symbols. Now I had the chance to create the focus of illumination in my images." She found it a great task to undertake. Additionally, she felt the need to provide images representative of religion, such as the Star of David and the Cross, but in the context of architectural photography. This proved time consuming and instructive to her abilities as a storyteller. "I strove to hit the right notes without creating an ordinary photo of a holy and iconic symbol."
After Ellen Fisch had completed 24 photographs that she thought represented the concept of Worship, she enhanced the photography with her new technique of incorporating pencil, charcoal, pastel and gold leaf to accentuate and add depth to the images. "Another huge challenge: differentiating my work from an already existing and established genre. Carefully I applied the fine art media in small increments so that the photographs represented the profound meanings I had envisioned for each image," says Fisch. She notes that this presented a marvelous project through which to utilize and stretch her skills as a photographer and an artist.
The Houses of Worship architectural art photography essay will be exhibited at the Colonial Theater on Main Street in Bethlehem, NH during the month of August. There will be a reception on August 3rd that will be attended by leaders and congregants of Houses of Worship of the area, especially the Durrell United Methodist Church and the Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation, offering an ecumenical union.
About: Ellen Fisch is a New York based architectural commercial and fine art photographer specializing in black and white and sepia photography that is artistically expressive, historically relevant and timeless. Fisch has recently developed a new photography art form using traditional fine art media to enhance her photography.
To view Ellen Fisch's photography visit: http://www.ellenfisch.com
To learn more about Ellen Fisch and her continuing exploration of photography and art visit: http://www.ellenfisch.blogspot.com


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All the Photoshop artists seem to be very busy hammering out all the renderings of VW's upcoming models. Here you can see how the 6th generation VW Golf GTI and VW Golf Cabrio might look like. Enjoy!
The Volkswagen Golf GTI is one of the most sought after models in the Golf lineup and has even proven to be the favored choice over the more powerful R32 in most markets. Its combination of a punchy drivetrain, slick gearbox and understated styling have won it many fans over the years and it's a recipe VW won't want to mess around with for the next-gen model due next year.
The new model will retain its FWD layout but drops the current 200hp (150kW) engine in favor of a more powerful 2.0L turbo four with an available 230hp (171kW). Once again, gearbox choices will include either manual or DSG transmissions with six gears.
Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, VW Golf
Source: Motor Authority


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
The City of Pensacola seeks to inform its residents, businesses and visitors by engaging in a proactive communications system. This approach recognizes that one of the most effective and quickest ways to communicate City policies and activities to citizens is by working in partnership with the news media.
Inquiries from the news media are given a high priority by the City of Pensacola and will be responded to as quickly and efficiently as possible within reason.
To make a media inquiry click here!
The media policy exists to provide an effective framework to facilitate the timely, accurate and efficient dissemination of information to news media outlets.
To view the media policy click here!


text: Stephen Frost wrote: > I agree with this. Really, debian-native packages are debian-specific > packages. I would strongly encourage you to *not* make this a > debian-native package. I also agree. I am both upstream and Debian maintainer for my package, and I find that a non-native package has many advantages: * We don't need to make a new "upstream" tarball for changes that only affect Debian. * Each Debian package is clearly based on a specific, cross-platform upstream version. * Non-native packages make it slightly easier for other Debian developers to make changes and NMUs. * If the upstream source tarball contains the "official" Debian directory, users who compile their own versions from tarballs or CVS will generate .debs with the same versions as the official packages. If you do want to maintain your "debian" directory in the upstream source, I suggest you use one of these strategies: 1. Maintain the debian directory in the upstream CVS, but strip it out when you generate release tarballs. Use the .diff.gz to restore it in the Debian source package. 2. Maintain the debian directory in the upstream source, but use "unofficial" versions and control files. Replace them with the official versions in the .diff.gz.


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This year we've dropped into the kitchen at Port Fairy Primary for a couple of cooking sessions, and now they've produced a beautiful cookbook to help fund the cooking program.
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The kitchen at Port Fairy Consolidated School is a fabulous resource for the students - as we've discussed this year, the students at the school have a great time cooking food from around the world and sharing it with other students and their own families.
It's a far cry from the cooking classes many would've experienced at school in years gone by.
An important part of the cooking program is the kitchen garden which has been running for around eight years at the school.
As kitchen specialist Katie Wise explains, she regularly walks around the garden seeing what's ready to be harvested and then uses the produce in the school's cooking classes.
The garden was set up as a part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program which provides support for the first couple of years, but after that it's up to the school to maintain it.
To help pay for the garden, the school have produced a new cookbook called 'Shared Hands' which features many of the recipes used in the cooking classes at the school.
You'll also find recipes in the book from other residents and notable Port Fairy chefs, along with some beautiful photos of the area which have been taken by students amongst others.
The book is available from various places around town and also from the school, with all funds raised going back into the kitchen garden program.


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Nicole Scherzinger and Matt Terry are doing nothing to put rumours to bed.
Fans recently suggested that the pair are a little too close for comfort, despite Nicole currently being in a relationship with Grigor Dimitrov.
However, rather than keep their distance, the pair cosied up to each other last night at Winter Wonderland in London.
The pair walked arm-in-arm through the festive fairground and decided to put their nerves to the test on a few wild rides.
While Matt looked eager to test his limits, Nicole's face appeared to show she needed a little more convincing before the ride set off.
Viewers questioned the pair's relationship last month after Matt lifted Nicole into the air after getting through on X Factor .
"Nicole jumps on Matt Terry. Didn't do that with Ryan. She is obviously in love with him #XFactor #NicoleScherzinger," said one fan.
While another added: "It genuinely wouldn't surprise me if Nicole sherzy was p****ing Matt terry."
It comes as Nicole's followers became divided over her latest selfie .
The X Factor judge took to Instagram to celebrate the sun coming out in London - but all fans could talk about was her lips.
Looking stunning with her long brunette hair flowing over her face, the gorgeous star appeared to show off fuller lips in the snap.


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People who live from the heart space behave like this.
Warm connections of the heart are the simple pleasures of life and true joy to the spirit.
Spending quality one hour with someone who encourages ideas that a whole life time of boredom. So every so often indulge with friends who are good for you. As long as you do not do anything that hurt your family. ~ Ampusam Symonette
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Montreal Canadiens
7:30 p.m., Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
The Penguins are looking to sweep the season series from Montreal for the first time in franchise history tonight.
The last two games this season between these two teams the Penguins have come back from a two goal deficit.
The Canadiens crowd will boo for over half the game and influence at least three calls.
PK Subban will try to slew foot at least five players.
Carey Price sucks.
The season series (Penguins lead 3-0):
October 20, 2011 - Pittsburgh 3, Montreal 1
November 26, 2011 - Pittsburgh 4, Montreal 3 (OT)
January 20, 2012 - Pittsburgh 5, Montreal 4 (SO)
The Penguins probables (via Seth at Empty Netters):
Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Matt Cooke - Dustin Jeffrey - Pascal Dupuis
Steve Sullivan - Cal O'Reilly - Colin McDonald
Richard Park - Joe Vitale - Craig Adams
Brook Orpik - Kris Letang
Paul Martin - Zbynek Michalek
Matt Niskanen - Deryk Engelland
Marc Andre Fleury
The Canadiens probables:
Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Erik Cole
Andrei Kotitsyn - Tomas Plekanec - Rene Bourque
Lars Eller - Scot Gomez - Mathieu Darche
Travis Moen - Louis Leblanc - Chris Campoli
Josh Gorges - PK Subban
Tomas Kaberle - Alexei Emelin
Hal Gill - Raphael Diaz
Carey Price
The stats:


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ATHLETE GUIDE (http://bit.ly/2kuiJaj)
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Sprint (400yds | 11.4mi | 3.1mi)
Sprint Duathlon (3.1mi | 11.4mi | 1.77mi)
Sprint Aquabike (400yds | 11.4mi)
Olympic (1600yds | 23mi | 6.2mi)
Olympic Duathlom (6.2mi | 23mi | 3.1mi)
Olympic Aquabike (1600yds | 23mi)
5k Run (3.1mi): Click Here to register for the 5k without USAT Fees
10k Run (6.2mi): Click Here to register for the 10k without USAT Fees
What will you find at the "Mile High" Triathlon?
+ Finisher's Medal
+ Rosa Brothers Chocolate Milk
+ Tri-Tip Sandwich and more
+ Prizes and Giveaways
+ Free Race Photos
+ Live Band
+ Event T-Shirt included in the price of the triathlon
Whether this is your destination triathlon, or a training event for an upcoming 70.3, don't miss Fresno County's longest-running multisport event, the Shaver Lake Triathlon. The crisp mountain air is a relief from the hot days of summer. The altitude gives this race an extra challenge as you compete in either the Sprint or Olympic distance. Hurry back, there is food and music waiting for you after the race.
Your basic registration information has been automatically filled-out from your Racemine Quick Checkout Settings.
However, you must fill out some of the fields below, then you are good to go!
© Copyright 2018 Racemine, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Patent Pending.


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WPD: Masked men beat man with bats inside his home, leave in his car
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Police say a man is in the hospital this morning after two men followed him to the door of his Wilmington home, beat him with baseball bats, and took off with cash and his car.
Wilmington Police say around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, a man who was walking from his car to the door of his house in the 2000 block of S. 13th Street heard footsteps behind him. They say the man then turned around to see two black men in all black clothing with masks covering their faces.
That's when police say the duo pushed the man into his home and demanding money, before they began beating him with baseball bats. Police say the two men rummaged through things inside his house, and then the victim's pockets, where they found and stole about $150 in cash and keys.
After that, police say the suspects took off in the victim's 2002 white, 4-door Hyundai Sonata. Wilmington Police are investigating the crime, and say they are on the lookout for the stolen car, which has North Carolina plates that read XSH-1005.
Police say the victim was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
More: continued here


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text:
Did you hear the one about how so-and-so is no longer a closer but this guy is but he's not anymore because the other guy is now? Well, you're about to. Herewithin (which I don't think is a word, but should be), we go around to every bullpen and then make up teams and make up closers for those made-up teams and talk about those too. Oh, and we talk about some other shizz like David Wright, Jeff Samardzija and Frank Shamrockitto (okay, I made up that last name). But it's all here and more (mostly closer talk though). Anyway, here's episode five of the Razzball Podcast:
Download from iTunes
Download directly the Razzball Podcast.


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- Replacing house presidents with elected "senators"
- Creating a second council body, which might include VSA org representatives
- Enabling council members to receive class credit
- Removing fund applications from council responsibilities
March 20, 2011
VSA Council To Discuss Structural Changes Tonight
The VSA will be having perhaps its most important meeting of the school year tonight, discussing "several constitutional changes," as President Mat Leonard '11 put it in an all-campus email. As we posted a few weeks ago, the VSA has been holding side meetings and communicating through documents about making major changes to the structure of Council. Proposed changes include:
1 comment:
- Pam said...
Just to CLARIFY... please don't get all of your information about the changes here! All presidents and Mat should be sending out copies of the changes and they DO NOT include most of the things listed in this post. No second body, no class credit, and presidents aren't being "replaced", per se. Read for yourselves and SHARE YOUR OPINIONS!
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Maloney turns the table, making Cowell the nervous one
The X Factor Final preview
Simon Cowell has plenty to ponder ahead of this year's X Factor Final.
The music mogul has built his empire on the back of reality TV, signed some of the world's biggest acts and enjoyed success all over the world. And despite all of this, even the world's most iconic talent finder has been left scratching his head about the rise to fame of Christopher Maloney.
What at first was seen as a minor headache for the show's producers is fast becoming a fully blown migraine as fans, whomever they may be, continue their unrelenting support of the former cruise ship singer. Cowell is allegedly dismayed at the British public. Perhaps his complaints should be aimed closer to home though after opting to allow a wildcard back into the competition - especially when mentor Gary Barlow had done his best to send home the nervous Scouser!
There is still plenty of hope that music will be the ultimate winner - Jahmene Douglas and James Arthur certainly have the voices to sell millions of records - but never has there been such uncertainty heading into one of December's showpiece television events. Maloney, at one point a 66/1 no-hoper, has never been in the bottom two. He was apparently the clear winner of the very first public vote, the one that gave his 'Nan' renewed hope for her doting grandson. He's thrived on the outsider tag from the beginning and heads into the final stages still boasting that tag, trailing his younger rivals in the betting at 10/3. You have to admit Cowell has every reason to be worried about his British staple.
Here's a rundown of the final three.
6/5 favourite - Jahmene Douglas
Nicole Scherzinger advised Jahmene to 'grow some balls' when selecting the former shelf stacker for the live finals. Maybe not the most eloquent piece of advice but that's exactly what the gospel fan has done, even if his high notes hint otherwise. He sticks to what he knows, hits the all the right notes and brings a steely, if still somewhat shy, determination to the show. It's hard to call him the best male vocalist in X Factor history but he must be close.
This isn't just a singing contest though. As Rylan's deep run showed, this is also a popularity contest. Disliking Jahmene is tough. After all he's a nice guy with the sort of troubled past that unfortunately works well in reality TV.
On the flip side liking Asda's favourite son has proved equally tough for some people with his singing style not lending itself to the sounds of the current music industry and his personality not bursting through the screen. He will bring a pair of 'Jahmazing' performances to the table on Saturday night, he can't afford anything but!
5/4 second favourite - James Arthur
Name a song, hand it to the Middlesbrough man and he'll 'James Arthur-it'. That, alongside his unwavering pain and angst, has been the tried and tested formula for another of Nicole's protégés and barring a single week it has been great.
He is definitely the 'musician' amongst the final three. He has twisted classics into dubstep; grunged up Katy Perry numbers; used his new found fame to bed a serious of women - if the papers are to be believed. A bit like Jahmene he fails to make an impact when there's no music playing in the background; unlike Jahmene though he has an air of cool about him that adds to his authentic label. Indeed it could be said his best trait has been manufacturing such a label without breaking one of his own tunes out - maybe that's what he'll bring on Saturday.
10/3 - Christopher Maloney
It seems former call centre advisor Chris is an expert in making people pick up the phone. He's been slated from pillar to post by the media, judges, viewers, insiders - well just about everyone in fact - but every week he's returned with another 80s power ballad and fake tan. If stories are to be believed then phone bills in the Merseyside area must have rocketed, although it's looking like there's more to this unlikely tale than that.
He's Britain's most courteous karaoke king and a kick in the teeth to the image that Simon Cowell envisaged for his money making machine. In terms of talent he struggles to compete with the two Js, Jahmene and James, but he is the most memorable member of the three. Not a bad feat for a man that Gary Barlow left behind in favour of now forgotten Carolynne Poole and Melanie Masson.
It's unlikely he'll bring anything fresh and new to the final but equally unlikely that it will matter.
Christopher Maloney to win - 10/3
Jahmene to be top Best Boys Performer (against James) - 8/11


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Even with the mild winter we are having here in the south of the province, it is still time for the winter classic Wonderboy. It is the 14th annual and my 9th consecutive. It's like going to see an old friend. The house is set up the same, the people are for the most part the same. A pleasant exception this year is that invited my friend Pat to attend.
As you cross the imaginary line to the Haliburton area, regardless of how little snow we've gotten around here, there's the same amount up there as always. Wonderboy wouldn't be the same without all the white snow and the precarious 3km driveway run into the main parking.
This year was one of the more enjoyable ones for me. And perhaps that's why I fared better than usual. I finished 5th this year. Greg had a great 3rd place finish. Thanks in part to a rare pairing of the brothers in Euchre. We were the on-paper powerhouses but it didn't start out that way. We began the tourney 0-5 before finally switching gears and pulling off 6 straight to squeak into the wildcard spot. We then proceeded to run the board in the playoffs with 3 consecutive wins. The final game was a bit of a fluke with a crazy point to tie on the buzzer and then with the deal in the opponent's hand, they made a rookie mistake and turned it down. Greg promptly made trump and we took the decisive championship point. A bit of a controversial play happened on my part earlier in the match to keep us alive. With Greg dealing, the 3rd caller (2nd opponent) called Greg out of turn to pick it up and he was going alone. By rights, I am supposed to make a decision before him. As such, I was forced to call up my brother knowing that we were going to be euchred (2pts) but not allowing the opponent to go alone and probably get 4pts. I say probably because he was soooo excited about his hand that he called it out of turn.
I was upset to do this and wondered about being a candidate for 'horses ass'. But in a final game with money and points on the line, everyone felt my call was appropriate and necessary based on the situation.
Anyway….Because of that win I was awarded the gold tie which represents the current overall leader. I was fortunate enough to be on the winning team for tug of war and euchre. A wonderboy win was in reach until I was quickly ousted in poker. (Boy do I dislike the format used at wonderboy…). 0 points in an event that usually dictates who will finish on top.
The real crusher was in darts. With arguably the best dart player and with myself being no slouch, we were massively upset by the wildcard team. This event I was hoping to get an additional 5 pts which would have placed me on the podium if not a slim chance at the win. Alas it wasn't to be. But that's OK.
Wonderboy went hi-tech this year. In the past we've statically posted results to my website to keep non-attendees in the loop. It was a cumbersome process of updating the spreadsheets, converting them to html and uploading them to the site. This process was also very time-consuming for Greg who has been the scorekeeper since the beginning.
This year Greg suggested we should try to score the event in a database and build a website around it to view and update the standings live.
I built the database and wrote the site in about a week in half using mysql and php. It was an incredible addition to the event. Since virtually everyone carried either a tablet or a browser-enabled smartphone it was simple to keep up to date on the standings and the scenarios of who still has a chance to win. In the end I had quite a bit of functionality including up-to-the-minute standings, points still available, results of all events, tracking of playoff events and the generation and tracking of round-robin games for darts and ping-pong. The round-robin feature was tough to implement but saved Greg the most amount of time with overhead. The site also had a 'print' feature so that we could still post the results on the traditional corkboard. I'd like to provide the url here but I can't since I do not want it to be crawled by Google and made public…..I haven't sanitized the SQL so it's prone to SQL injection, etc. Saving that for version 2.0. Plus I need to password protect the admin side of the site.
We also toyed with using a webcam that was available on the local network. I borrowed a dlink webcam from work and was able to get it going on the LAN after fighting with the DHCP and the confusion the cam had with the WAN vs the LAN. Interestingly, the way the cam works is that it runs an Apache webserver on the device and you hit it using the URL it was assigned. There is a homepage that pops up providing an applet or ocx to view the video.
In theory it would have been a great idea. We were going to use the big screen TV upstairs to view the video so that people upstairs knew when it was their turn to play the downstairs event. Alas, it was too much of a rush job and we ended up not using it this year….but next year will be different.
The final neat tech thing we did this year was add a javascript plugin to the wonderboy main page that displayed the last 5 tweets from the wonderboytwit Twitter account. We used this to convey interesting info and when events were starting/finishing. People were able to read them on the homepage or using the twitter app on their mobile device. Slick.
We've already lined up features for version 2.0. We are going to add player profiles to the site by tying it into Facebook. Plus some more tracking features for next year. I also have a bunch of usability enhancements to help me record the scores more easily.


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Untapped Investment Opportunities in Bangladesh
Discussion on Investment Climate, Capital Markets, and Growth Sectors
NEW YORK - The World Bank calls it the Bangladesh Paradox. The Bangladesh economy has steadily accelerated in recent years, with growth reaching 7% in 2006. In spite of the country's troubled political environment and extreme poverty, the country scores particularly well on socio-economic indicators. Global banks and multilateral institutions present a highly optimistic outlook: Citi, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Merrill Lynch have identified Bangladesh as a key investment opportunity.
This impressive growth occurs in a climate of political restructuring. A caretaker government is implementing reforms toward privatizing many state-owned enterprises. The Dhaka Stock Exchange Index is at a 10-year high, up 66% last year, making it Asia's top performer after China. And the stock market is expected to double in size in 2008.
A group of senior panelists from the private and public sectors convened at the Asia Society to analyze why market-oriented reforms, strong socio-economic indicators and highly favorable demographics are poised to render Bangladesh one of the world's most exciting investment opportunities.
M. Humayun Kabir, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the US
Peter Berezin, Vice President and Senior Global Economist, Goldman Sachs & Co.
Arif Dowla, Group Managing Director, ACI Ltd.
David Fernandez, Head, Asia Sovereign Research, JP Morgan
Iftakharul Islam, Founder and Managing Partner, Asian Tiger Capital Partners
Ahsan Mansur, Division Chief, Middle East and Central Asia, International Monetary Fund
Munawar Misbah Moin, Group Director, Rahimafrooz (BD) Limited
Mamun Rashid, CEO, Citibank, N.A., Bangladesh
Moderator: Nikhil Deogun, Editor, "Money & Investing," Wall Street Journal


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