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Before my trip from Norfolk, Va. to New York City aboard the USS Wasp, the sum of my Navy experience was an exchange several years ago with a naval recruiter who tried to convince me to join the Navy's nuclear program instead of the Army.
So when I applied to sail with the crew of the wasp as they headed to Fleet Week 2012, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
Given what I know of the military, both from my time in the Army and writing about it the past several months at Business Insider, I imagined I'd be babysat and very restricted in where I could go and what I could photograph. I couldn't have been more wrong. The tight lipped, security and image conscious public statements I'd come to expect from the military simply weren't there.
The ship's public affairs officer told me to go anyplace that wasn't secured and rushed off to handle the long list of distinguished visitors, and soon to arrive reporters, who would be flying in the night before we arrived in New York harbor.
So I went everywhere I could, which wasn't as easy as I'd have thought with the heaving seas, narrow corridors, steep stairways, and tiny bulkhead doors with tall steps to navigate every time you pass through.
But it was interesting, as I think the following photos will show, and well worth the trip.
The sailors and Marines I met were helpful beyond all reasonable expectation, and went out of their way to allow me to see everything I wanted. One girl even lent me her only float vest and wound up taking some grief from her fellow sailors because of it — Rainey, you know what I'm talking about.


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When one thinks of a traditional Saudi wedding, a Tagaga always comes to mind. Tagaga is the Arabic word for a woman singer that only sings in weddings and women gathering nights. This profession has been around in Saudi Arabia for more than 50 years, but it used to be limited to certain people who have beautiful voices.
However, according to 28-year-old singer, Jehan, it takes more than just a beautiful voice to be a Tagaga in the Gulf region. "A true Tagaga has to be fluent in more than one Arabic accent. She has to be professional in Egyptian, Syrian, Moroccan, Gulf, Yemeni and Lebanese because people have different tastes in music. A Tagaga is an entertainer: she has to put in mind that people get bored easily, so she has to keep them interested by performing different kinds of music and sometimes dances with them," she said.
Tagagas don't have their own songs, but rather perform popular songs. Furthermore, they only use an Arabic drum in their songs to influence the Gulf rhythm in their music.
"Tagagas usually perform for four to five hours a night at a normal wedding," said 24-year-old Tagaga, Jowhara.
Saudi weddings usually start at 11 p.m. and end at around 4 a.m. "We arrive at the wedding at around 12 a.m. and start singing until Fajer prayer or sometimes, according to the bride's orders, until 7 a.m. We take five-minute coffee breaks every 30 minutes to give attendees a chance to catch up," added Jowhara.
Some Tagaga bands are accompanied with a male singer to make their music more appealing. "I believe that I'm one of the first men to sing in women-only weddings. We usually sing in a room separated from women and coordinate with them by telephone," said Mohammed Hashem, a male singer. "I have my own band of seven women singers and a sound manager. Furthermore, we use more than just Arabic drums as tempo; we also use an organ and DJ mixing."
Tagaga bands nowadays charge up to SR20,000 a night. "I believe it's fair to charge a lot of money because you are paying the whole band and not just one person. This band will guarantee you a night filled with entertainment," added Hashem. "A Tagaga who just started her business will charge between SR3,000 and SR5,000 while a singer who has been in the business for more than five years will charge between SR15,000 and SR20,000. Well-known Tagagas charge more than SR20,000 because people already know her and she has been in the business for a long time."
According to Cinderella, a lead singer in a band, most of those music bands fake their names to avoid trouble. "Most of those Tagagas come from very traditional backgrounds where if they mentioned their family names, they might get into serious trouble with their distant families. We heard about many female singers from Bedouin tribes who later got into trouble with their relatives for going on stage and singing for other women. Those tribes see that it as shameful and disgrace if they did such a thing," she said.
When it comes to a traditional Saudi wedding, a wedding planner has to put specific things in mind, considering that weddings in Saudi Arabia are women only weddings. "Preparing for a wedding event can be hectic because many young women demand a modern wedding; yet it's hard for them to let go of their old traditions. Brides never want modern music bands; they always demand the best Tagaga with the best crew of drummers. It's hard to book those Tagagas because they are always on demand. I have to book them two or three months before the wedding just to make sure they make it on the same day," said Randa Basha, a Saudi wedding planner.
"They are not your typical singers who just get on stage and perform. Those singers have to have their own place in the wedding ballroom and have to be provided with chocolate, dates, coffee and tea. You can say they are spoiled when they come to work and people pay them up to SR30,000," added Basha.
According to Basha, some brides even book Tagagas from other cities around the Kingdom. "Brides always look for the best wedding performers and entertainment. I have arranged many weddings where the bride pays the Tagaga to come from Riyadh to Jeddah and pays the plane booking, hotel, accommodation and the wedding fees. Furthermore, those Tagagas don't come alone, they come with a whole team of drummers, dancers and assistants. So, the bride pays all of them for their services," she added.
Touha is a legendary name in the world of singing in Saudi Arabia. She has been working as a Tagaga for 30 years now and is considered one of the oldest Tagagas around and the one who started this form of art in the Kingdom.
"Nowadays, music is different and the music industry is going down. This profession is turning into a humiliation because the person who doesn't find a job turns herself into a Tagaga," said Touha. "This job became random because many people from different nationalities joined it and ruined it too. Those amateur singers are asking for too much money and for what? Three or four hours of singing?"
"Back in our days, we used to charge up to SR3,000 only, but singers now ask for SR15,000 and more! This does not make any sense and only shows only that they are greedy and not doing it for the sake of enjoyment like we did before," she added.
It is interesting to note that Saudi families don't approve of this kind of job, claiming it's not classy and doesn't match their religious beliefs. "I wouldn't endorse the idea of one of my daughters working as a Tagaga for this job has one of the worst reputations," said business man Saleh Shaheen. "I think many Saudi families would agree with me because this job requires the singer to stay out all night singing and dancing, which does not match our Islamic tradition or our closed society's way of thinking."
Via SyndiGate.info
Copyright: Arab News © 2019 All rights reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In the Power Line Prize contest, we welcomed entries in all artistic media. A high proportion were videos and songs, as we expected, but we also got a surprising (to me) number of paintings and other graphic art. This is a painting called The Prince of America, by Jeremy Rosenstein Kortes. A somewhat enigmatic image based on the story of Moses, it depicts an American landscape following debt-driven economic collapse. A mother puts her baby on a river, wrapped, I think, in an American flag, in the hope that he will be found by someone–another country–who can give him a better life. That's my interpretation, anyway. I, personally, like it a lot. My son thought it was the most powerful entry in the contest. And don't miss the comments below, including some by the artist:
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"Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time." Winston Churchill
"Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof." Inscription on the Liberty Bell


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Venus Williams handed Dinara Safina a crushing defeat, while sister Serena bested Elena Dementieva in a close match at Wimbledon's women's semi-finals Thursday afternoon, setting up another all-Williams final for Saturday. It's the fourth time the sisters will meet for the title, and though the contenders may be familiar, a few new technological innovations are bringing the action to fans worldwide in ways not before seen.
Don't rain on my match point
Most notably, of course, is the All-England Club's new Centre Court retractable roof. The $131 million, 182,986 sq. meter accordion-style roof allows for play to continue in even the hardest midsummer downpours. But even for that kind of cash, rain delays aren't a thing of the past. The translucent top takes 10 minutes to deploy, and a sophisticated three-level air conditioning system (one for the roof, one for the stands, and one to circulate air at court level) needs 20-30 minutes to get conditions inside just right for play.
Some purists argue that the overhead addition takes away from the charm of the storied club, but Billie-Jean King, one of the game's most decorated players, citing numerous interrupted matches over the years in a piece for Newsweek, says that the new roof belongs right where it is.
Both my 1963 Wimbledon final (against Margaret Smith) and the 1973 final (where I played Chris Evert) were delayed by a full day due to weather. The 1963 final was delayed by two days, because back then we did not play on Sunday, so we did not take the court until Monday. Both matches required a very long wait, and I would have loved a roof on those occasions. I also remember a pivotal match against Martina Navratilova later in my career where we played in the rain. It was miserable; my glasses got rain on them and fogged up, and I lost the match 10-8 in the third set. Would a roof have helped? It definitely would have made things better.
The Evening Standard sees even more benefit to the roof and its lights – the potential they have for drawing larger TV audiences as matches can now be scheduled into the evening. Though the move could be lucrative, officials insist night matches at Wimbledon will remain the exception and not the rule.
Smartphone-enhanced viewing
IBM has launched an Android smart phone app that gives tournament attendees supplemental data for matches in real time. Load up the "Seer Android" app on a T-Mobile G1, point its camera at a match, and the app will show what court you're on and who's playing, relevant tweets, and even comments from players. "It's about visualizing data in a different way," IBM's Alan Flack told Reuters in an interview.
(Electric) eye-spy
A technology called Hawk-Eye has been in use at major tournaments since 2006, using a triangulation system of 11 cameras to make line calls accurate to 3.6 millimeters, and making line judge errors a thing of the past. It's instant replay for tennis. Players have responded positively to its introduction, save for world No. 1 Roger Federer, who has said he doesn't see the point of it.
Some have challenged the technology behind the system, saying it lacks transparency. Its inventor, British computer scientist Paul Hawkins, has fiercely defended these claims, and says that giving up too much information about his system could give competitors an unfair advantage. Hawkins says the World Tennis Federation has tested the system exhaustively, and that it falls well within their accuracy guidelines.
Tweet your tennis?
Finally, this year marks the first time there's been "official" Wimbledon Twitter coverage.
@Centre_Court serves as a kind of live-microblog, sending play-by-play of the biggest matches to its 1,500+ followers. @Wimbledon has fed its nearly 20,000 followers updates ranging from tame – "Friday's order of play: Federer v Haas at 1pm followed by Murray v Roddick both on Centre Court" to, well, TMI: "Andy Murray is apparently eating 6000 calories a day during the Championships."
We're on Twitter, too. Keep up with the tech back-and-forth by following @CSMHorizonsBlog.


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Between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration, more than $75 million has been distributed in Boulder County in grants and loans to aid in recovering from the flood of 2013.
And more is likely coming, although with a Dec. 2 deadline looming, time is short for people still needing to apply for help.
Things have quieted down significantly at the Disaster Recovery Center in Longmont's Twin Peaks Mall, set up in the wake of the flood. But even though it's no longer the beehive of activity it once was, not a day goes by someone impacted by the flood doesn't come in seeking some type of assistance, according to Edith Lovell, the DRC's manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"I was seeing like 270, 275 people a day," said Lovell. "We're down to now seeing 40 to 50 a day."
At one time the FEMA team itself was about 20 people, and it's now about half that.
The deadline for flood victims to register with FEMA and the Small Business Administration -- which offers low-interest loans to those affected by the disaster -- was recently extended: it's now Dec. 2. The DRC will stay open for some period of time after that, but how long Lovell couldn't say.
Even now, 10 weeks after the flood, she still sees people coming into the DRC for the first time, and she welcomes anyone affected to come and speak to her counselors, even if they don't think they need help.
"We want people to use what's available to them while it's available to them," said Lovell.
Donations still welcome
Lovell has been here since Sept. 17, the day before the DRC's official opening. A 13-year FEMA veteran, Lovell is a FEMA reservist -- reporting where she's needed in wake of a disaster. Her home is in Amarillo, Texas; her team includes people from Puerto Rico and Alabama.
"I must say, this community, the local state and city governments, were the most organized I have ever seen," Lovell said. "I was terribly impressed by the way they handled this disaster. They had everything you need, down to the doggie day care."
At one time, the DRC had close to 200 volunteers coming in and out every day, representing everything from the Red Cross to the Salvation Army to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Most of those agencies are gone now, but the DRC is still ground zero for those needing help.
"When the food bank closed down, they left us boxes of food to distribute, boxes of water to distribute and boxes of cleaning supplies to distribute," Lovell said.
Down a hallway in the mall, Lovell shows off two storefronts being managed by Fabulous Furnishings owner Jill Cutler and her staff. One space is crammed with an array of items people who had lost everything would need -- furniture, linens, clothing, etc. Across the aisle is a space filled with Christmas decorations. All are donations, meant to help flood victims return to some sort of normalcy.
"And this is all run by volunteers, which amazes me too," Lovell said. "No one is getting paid."
"We need more kitchen tables and men's winter jackets," added Michelle Grecott, a Fabulous Furnishings employee who's helping manage the spaces. "We have a board in the back where people write what we need."
Experts: Fill out the app, even if you may not want the loan
The SBA is the country's largest provider of disaster recovery money, and in the wake of a disaster it works arm-in-arm as a partner with FEMA. That's why the deadline for applying with both is Dec. 2.
FEMA spokesman John Mills said that registering with FEMA is always the first step, but he strongly encourages everyone to also fill out an application with the SBA, which has a disaster relief fund set aside for emergencies.
"In a federal disaster, SBA also makes loans to homeowners and renters," Mills said. "If the SBA rejects you, you'll be sent back to FEMA."
The Dec. 2 deadline for an SBA loan applies to homeowners and renters, spokesman Kevin Wynne said. Businesses have until June 16 to apply for SBA assistance.
"The reason businesses take a little longer, and we give them nine months (to apply), is it takes them a little longer to get their (financials) together," he said.
For individuals, the SBA is there to offer low-interest loans "to the uninsured, the under-insured and the under-compensated," Wynne said.
"There's two criteria we look at: repayment ability and credit worthiness," he said.
As of midweek last week, the SBA had approved disaster loans worth $73.7 million to help 1,833 residents and businesses in Colorado, Wynne said.
$61.3 million of that went to 1,616 homeowners and renters to help pay for residential and personal property losses.
$12.4 million went to 217 businesses to help them pay for property damage and provide post-disaster working capital needs.
Not surprisingly, of the 12 counties in Colorado where SBA loans have been dispersed, the largest total went to Boulder County, which saw the most significant flood damage. To date the SBA has issued loans worth $45.3 million to 946 homeowners and renters and 114 businesses in Boulder County.
In Larimer County, 201 homeowners and renters and 72 businesses have received SBA loans totaling $11.25 million; and in Weld County 119 homeowners and renters and 14 businesses have received disaster loans totaling $8 million.
Wynne said that many applications are still in process, so he expects those numbers to increase.
His team, which at one time was about 20 at the DRC, is down to just two, not counting himself. But his staff said that even at this late date, they still see someone almost every day inquiring about an SBA loan for the first time.
Wynne, too, stressed filling out an SBA loan application even if someone doesn't think they'll actually need or want the loan. Just filling out the application is a way for homeowners and businesses to protect themselves, he said.
"We emphasize for businesses and everybody that they fill out the application, because if you're six months down the line and you go down into the basement and discover a cracked foundation, you can still call," Wynne said, adding that if the Dec. 2 deadline has passed and you didn't fill out that application, "there's nothing we can do for you."
Garry Sanfacon is the flood recovery manager for Boulder County, and he reiterated Wynne's argument.
"I would encourage everyone even minimally impacted by the flood to apply," Sanfacon said. "Even if you had damage to your property, not necessarily your home, those funds can still help."
'FEMA likes documentation'
FEMA's role in flood recovery can range from helping pay for a home's structural repairs and temporary rental housing for the occupants to assistance to replacing a vehicle or medicine lost in a disaster.
Mills said that as of last week, FEMA had approved more than $54.3 million in grant money for homeowners and renters in Colorado. Of that, about $30 million has been distributed in Boulder County, $9 million in Weld County and $5 million in Larimer County.
The National Flood Insurance Program, which is underwritten by FEMA, has paid out $43.5 million to date statewide in flood insurance claims.
Mills said that for people who have registered with FEMA -- which is always the first step in applying for disaster assistance -- they are urged to stay in touch with the agency if they feel they still have needs that are going unmet.
And, he said, for those who have received FEMA grant money but feel the award was insufficient, they have a right to appeal the agency's decision.
Such was the case with Basil Irwin, the owner of a Longmont computer company who has a friend who lives in the Greens subdivision, which was heavily damaged by flood waters.
Irwin, who happens to have extensive knowledge of construction, said he helped his friend clean out her basement, which at one point had seven feet of water in it. By the time the FEMA inspector showed up, everything -- the carpeting, the drywall, the furniture, etc. -- had been removed. FEMA's decision was to award the homeowner $9,000, but Irwin helped the homeowner put together an appeal, seeking the maximum award allowed by law of $31,900.
"We're hopeful," Irwin said, adding that his friend is still waiting to hear back from FEMA. "We gave a pretty significant amount of documentation. ... And provided rationale for why these steps were necessary to make (the home) habitable."
Mills said that while he couldn't comment on a specific case, "FEMA likes documentation. The more documentation you can provide the better."
© National Flood Services LLC 2018. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions


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Dear John,
Thanks for your recent contribution. I wanted to explain why I deleted it. First, the article you wrote included a copyright tag at the end attributing it to "John Johnson" and reserving all rights. If you are not "John Johnson" then you cannot reproduce his copyrighted work on OrthodoxWiki without his explicit permission.
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text:
Tunisia, Arab Spring's birthplace, takes on militants
Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled an intelligence firm. Scott Stewart is vice president of analysis at Stratfor.
TUNIS, Tunisia — Islamist militants across North Africa have been fighting governments in Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Mali for not imposing harsh sharia law, launching terror attacks and even full blown military offensives against them.
Tunisia is pushing back.
The first to cast off a dictator and herald the Arab Spring uprisings elsewhere, Tunisia has been dealing with political unrest and terrorism from those who hoped to take advantage of the uncertain times to establish a Muslim theocracy.
But Tunisia seems intent on not letting go of the fledgling democracy that came out of its Jasmine Revolution, to date perhaps the most successful of the Arab Spring. The protest movement that began with a simple act — a desperate fruit vendor set himself on fire in December 2010 — and gave rise to uprisings across the country that led to the ouster of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
The country has developed significant counterterrorism forces that have been given the means to fight back, say analysts. And the government is infiltrating the once-sacrosanct haven of the mosque to root out imams accused of inciting violence.
"I would describe the overall sweep as a stunning success for the first phase of the crackdown," said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
"There are many caveats coming. But if you're just looking at their effectiveness in terms of what you might expect, they've been far more effective than what I would have thought."
Places like Benghazi and the Egyptian North Sinai are under widespread militant sway, and Mali needed a French invasion force to turn back a 2013 Islamist insurgency.
Militias roam Libya flush with weapons liberated from the stores of the deceased dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and in some cities control major governing functions. The northern Sinai is a nearly lawless zone where weapons trafficking is rampant. Al-Qaeda has infiltrated Western Iraq and has resisted Baghdad military efforts to force it out.
Tunisian authorities have faced billowing security threats as well.
In August, security forces launched heavy air and artillery strikes on militant hideouts in the Mount Chaambi area near the Algerian border and have attacked repeatedly there for months. More than 20 members of Tunisia's security forces were killed last year during operations against Islamist militants in the western portion of the country.
In 2013, two well-known secular political figures who opposed overt religious influence in the government were assassinated.
Just last month Islamist militants ambushed Tunisia security forces in the west of the country, killing three policemen. Earlier in February police killed seven militants armed with suicide bomb vests and explosives in a raid just north of the capital.
Gen. Carter Ham, who headed the U.S. Army's Africa Command, warned last year that al-Qaeda was trying to get a foothold in Tunisia.
Tunisia's response has been forceful. The Interior ministry created "crisis cells" to gather intelligence on terrorist activity and act on it.
Last year 1,343 defendants were prosecuted in connection to terrorism, according to Tunisia Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou. Weapons caches were also seized, including 250 rockets, more than 200 homemade bombs and over 350 guns.
In a recent visit, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry heralded Tunisia's security operations as "well carried out, well planned and well executed." He also announced that the U.S. would give the nation a mobile crime lab for police forensics investigations and a high-tech mobile command post vehicle for conducting terrorism investigations.
Militancy in the Arab world is often fueled by repressive political policies; many experts say Tunisia is wisely steering away from despotic edicts that have rocked Arab Spring movements in Egypt and Libya.
More than three years after its 2010 revolution, the country is moving toward elections based on a new constitution passed with broad support among competing parties.
"Tunisian politicians and the political system in general have just graduated from elementary school to middle school — where you always squabble and you're not too mature … to now having a bit of a structure, more knowledge and a bit more experience," said Firas BenAchour, president and founding member of Tunisian American Young Professionals, a Washington-based association.
"We're moving from the self-serving politicians, or their political parties, to actually meeting the needs of the people or the country."
Things looked bleak in July when massive protests were going on against the government because of the assassination of a popular political rival to the ruling Islamist Ennahda Party. The party, which won elections in 2010, blamed the murder on radical adherents of harsh Islamic law known as Salafists.
In response, Ennahda entered into negotiations with rival parties to make long-delayed reforms to the political system. The National Constituent Assembly approved a new constitution endorsed by 200 of 217 members of the body that wrote the draft.
And in January, Ennahda stepped down from power to allow an appointed government to preside over new elections in a peaceful relinquishing of power not seen elsewhere in the region from elected Islamist parties. Ennahda's party leader, Rachid Ghannouhchi, said at the time that, "Tunisia will not follow the Egyptian scenario. We will hold on."
"It was a matter of everyone needing to get through this process and get to the next step," said Mahmoud Baroudi, a member of the national assembly.
Noureddine Arbaoui, a member of Ennahda's executive bureau, said the party chose to compromise to serve the country's collective interests.
"Among the five countries of the Arab Spring — Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Egypt — Tunisia has reached the right political climate and a certain stability," he said. "The passing of the constitution proves Tunisians left their clashes and differences behind and they now coexist and live together peacefully."
Tunisia may have had an easier time transitioning to democracy because it has assets other countries don't, analysts said.
The population is wealthier and more educated than other countries in the region and women are more emancipated, said Michele Dunne, a senior associate in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
And while the military backed the revolution, it made space for civilian rule and did not involve itself in politics — vastly different from Egypt where the military governed after Hosni Mubarak's fall and then forced then-President Mohamed Morsi out of power last summer.
"Tunisia now has set the stage for greater political stability," Dunne said.
Poor economies have also fed instability in the Middle East, and Tunisia is not immune to that danger.
Unemployment, a driving force behind the country's 2010 revolution, remains high. Last year's economic recovery slowed and inflation steadily increased, according to the World Bank. Analysts said the government is expanding public spending to an unsustainable level.
"Prices of food have increased and things got expensive," said Lamia Bouthour, a housewife in Tunis. "But still, the overall situation is better than it was right after the revolution."
Tunisian Foreign Minister Mongi Hamdi is seeking to strengthen economic ties with European countries. "We must ensure that Tunisia is a success story because if it doesn't then no other Arab country will succeed," Hamdi told Reuters last month while in Paris.
By far most here believe the greatest challenge now to a peaceful future is the defeat of militant ideology.
About 400 Tunisians have returned from fighting in Syria's civil war while 8,000 were prevented from traveling to fight in the conflict, Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou says. The broader region, sweeping horizontally across the Mediterranean coast, is plagued by jihadist violence that can easily transit borders.
"At the end of the day, democracy thrives in a stable, economically vibrant society and region as well," BenAchour said. "What happens in Algeria will affect Tunisia. What happens in Egypt will somehow affect Tunisia."
Tunisia's security crackdown has focused on Ansar al-Sharia, a U.S.-designated terrorist group with ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The Tunisian government blames the group for assassinations and its leader, Abou Iyadh, was accused of orchestrating a September 2012 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tunis.
Security analyst Gartenstein-Ross said the Tunisian government has a decent chance at eviscerating and marginalizing the power of Ansar al-Sharia because it is not a deep organization that is able to regenerate.
"A lot of the members are young people who see it as a protest movement and don't have the same sort of overarching passion for the jihadist cause that you get within some other organizations," he said.
Tunisia's efforts against militancy face challenges, analysts said.
Ansar al-Sharia can easily recruit disaffected young men who view Islam as the solution to problems that have plagued Tunisia for decades, allowing the group to grow faster than security forces can fight it, said Scott Stewart, vice president of analysis at Stratfor, an intelligence firm.
"You have a physical problem that the government is facing as far as some militant attacks and assassinations, but you also have a deeper ideological battle right now, which is really what's giving rise to the physical," Stewart said.
That battle is being fought also in mosques, where government sanctioned houses of prayer exist alongside unsanctioned ones where militancy is sometimes preached.
Two weeks ago, imam Khamis El Mejri was arrested in a city north of the capital Tunis for "preaching without a permit," Mongi Belaress, spokesperson for the first court of Bizerte, told Arab news outlet Al Jazeera.
El Mejri, who referred to a suspect in the assassination of secular leader Chokri Belaid as a "martyr," is the latest imam to be detained by the government for apparently for views seen as extremist.
Despite their successes, Tunisian security forces are not always equipped or trained to their best abilities, analysts said. And some citizens lack respect for the police and are skeptical of the security network's intentions.
Cyber activist Sofiane Belhaj accuses the Ministry of Interior — which oversees the police — of conducting security operations only for political gain and of lying to the public.
"No one trusts the police ... or the information they give," Belhaj said. "(Police) only react when they want to react," he added. "They only react when they want media buzz, not because an issue is a national security matter."
Critics say a February police raid on suspects in the assassination of Belaid was timed to happen a few days before the first anniversary of Belaid's death to convince the public of the government's success in fighting terrorism.
Others, however, praise police efforts and point to palpable security gains.
"Security has improved compared to a few months ago," said Lamia Bouthour, a housewife. "Now we can go out in the streets and hang out, and go around the country safely. We feel secure. We don't feel threats like we used to."
"There's a whole image in society that Salafists are violent, radical," said Yahya bin Abdallah, who belongs to a student union comprised of numerous Islamists. "I have friends from Ansar al-Sharia who are in jail now and who say that the jails are full of Salafists."


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- Продолжительность: 75 мин. (прибл.)
- Место встречи: New York, New York
- Код предложения: PUQWZF
Field trips are 75-minutes long and feature hands-on activities that support NYC and New York State Learning Standards, and the Common Core. Programs are available for up to 30 students in grades 2 through 8 only Monday through Friday. Trips are available September, October, November, March, April, May, and June. All trips are rain or shine. Please see our weather policy below. Each visit is accompanied with pre- and post- activities to extend learning opportunities in the classroom.
For information about booking a trip, please contact email@example.com. For general questions about educational content, contact School and Family Programs Coordinator Becky Houran at email@example.com.
Are you a Title I school? Enter discount code T1-1718 to book your trip for $70.
Seeking additional financial assistance? A select number of waivers are available to schools able to participate in follow up evaluation with Friends of the High Line Educators. Please contact email@example.com for more information.
If you need to pay by INVOICE, please contact email@example.com prior to booking your trip.
Chaperone Policy: We require 1 adult to 10 students, with no more than 4 adults total. If your class requires more than 4 accompanying adults, please email email@example.com.
Using the outdoors as a classroom has many inherent benefits and teachable moments. There are also the added circumstances to deal with, such as inclement weather. Except in the circumstances of extreme and severe weather, the field trip will go on outdoors as scheduled no matter what the weather. If there is severe weather, we will make every attempt to reschedule the field trip.
Severe weather that would cause a field trip to be cancelled and rescheduled includes (but not limited to):
Thunderstorms and lightning in the immediate area
Thunderstorms or tornado warnings in the immediate area
Sustained torrential rain
Wind chill or temperature below 0 degrees Fahrenheit
Heat index or temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit
If the weather is forecasted as severe for the day of your field trip, Friends of the High Line will be in contact with you by 3pm the day before.
If a field trip is cancelled due to severe weather, Friends of the High Line will make every attempt to reschedule the field trip. If rescheduling is not possible, we will refund any program fees.
If your class is scheduled to come on a day that has inclement, but not severe weather, we will do our best to make accommodations during the trip to make it the best experience possible for your students. The weather is part of the natural world and we appreciate your understanding and patience when dealing with something so unpredictable.


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Stay Focused on Tranquility (MBA 365 - Day 31)
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Growing up in Rockport in the 1970s and '80s, Chase Squires remembers it being like summer camp.
Everyone his age seemed to know one another — his Rockport High School class was a mere 54 students . And there were the quarries and beaches and pier to explore, Twin Lights tonic to drink, and summer jobs in town for everyone; he recalled earning $30 a week, which made him "rich" at the time.
But after graduating in 1984, Squires, now 48, eventually drifted away for college and work — since the late 1980s, he's only been back three times.
Yet hometowns often have a certain gravity — and his pulled him (and hundreds of others) back into its orbit with the first Rockport Reunion, held on July 5. Born of a Facebook group, the event was a celebration and gathering for anyone with a connection to the picturesque seaside community.
"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see this many friends," said Squires, a communications and public relations manager at a company in Denver, who flew in to attend the event.
Nostalgia was high and memories flowed freely; old friendships rekindled and new ones forged. The reunion wasn't about a certain class or club or team or clique — it welcomed all residents, part-time, full-time, natives, transplants, young, old, those who moved along and those who never left.
"This is about a town celebrating connections," said Jon Cavanaugh, one of the organizers, noting that, whether people were there for just a few months or their entire lives, "we're all, always, Rockporters."
Held at Evans Field baseball park, the daylong event included live music from more than a dozen local bands, games, food, and decades' worth of memorabilia.
It all started when Cavanaugh created the Facebook group, "You know you grew up in Rockport when. . . " last year. There were 259 members at first; within three weeks, that had nearly tripled. Now, there are 1,530 Rockporters, past and present.
Eventually, the group formed a 13-member steering committee, and raised $4,390 through an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign, and hundreds more through the sale of tickets and T-shirts. The goal is to make the reunion an annual event, Cavanaugh said as he stood in the crowd amassed on the field, wearing a plastic lei and a maroon T-shirt declaring, "I grew up in Rockport, MA, and I remember when. . . "
The culmination of 10 months of planning, the reunion drew as many as 2,000 people throughout the day, Cavanaugh estimated. Proceeds will fund next year's event, as well as scholarships, he said.
Motioning around the field, the 46-year-old, who graduated from Rockport High in 1985, said, "I know almost everyone here."
As if to emphasize the point, a woman who spotted him greeted him with a hug.
So what is it that makes Rockport so special?
Cavanaugh cited one example: Every holiday season, volunteers put together and deliver hundreds of gift baskets for the elderly and those who cannot get out and about. "I've been doing that every Christmas morning since I was 13," he said, adding that he's introducing the tradition to his kids.
Squires, meanwhile, recalled the annual Christmas pageant: "Half the town's in it; half the town watches it."
"That's the type of community we have," said Cavanaugh, who now lives in adjacent Gloucester. "It's unique. Everyone cares about each other."
And how has it changed over the years?
Squires laughed and shrugged, "It's smaller. The town is smaller every time I come back."
Elsewhere on the field, groups sipped beer and Twin Lights tonic, reminiscing about the annual Fourth of July parade and bonfire, school sports championships, the Sandpiper Inn, Jimmy's Sunrise Restaurant, the pier, the tourists, the local barber who was in business for more than 60 years. They waved and called out to each other, hugged and laughed.
"That's Tania — I know that face from Facebook!"
"Hi Tim!"
"Barbara, my God!"
Most wore bracelets denoting their graduation decade — stars for the '80s, lightning bolts for the '70s, gold VIP for those pre-1950.
Ninety-two-year-old Jean Cameron, a lifelong resident, sat in a folding chair with several other generations of her family, wearing her VIP bracelet.
"I met one of my classmates," she said. "I don't know many that are still alive."
Across the field, old yearbooks sat in boxes to be flipped through at leisure, and a table offered a pile of vintage photographs, as well as large fluorescent poster boards filled with thoughts such as "Rockport is where my heart and home is."
Several tents held Girl Scout sashes filled with badges, sports jerseys, and trophies from across the years, and boards bearing black-and-white photos of sports teams, graduating classes, and local newspaper stories.
Janine Boucher and her daughter, Katharine, examined the latter, chuckling and commenting as they moved along.
"I know all of them!" exclaimed Janine, whose husband, Mike, is running for state representative.
"It's great for bringing the town together," she said, adding that most interactions are "in passing — Beep! Beep! Wave, wave."
Seventeen-year-old Katharine just graduated from Rockport High. Although she's headed off to college in the fall and would like to explore, she said she'll be back to her hometown.
"I like the small-town feel," she said, "how everyone knows each other and supports each other."
Taryn Plumb can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Marketing Partners Have Tiger's Back As Woods Goes Public
February 19, 2010: Marketing partners that have been loyal to Tiger Woods during the time he has spent dealing with his personal problems continued to stand by him, even as fans, analysts and fellow golfers reacted to his first public appearance in three months.
Woods, who spoke for about 14 minutes on Feb. 19, drew the support of EA Sports, Nike, PepsiCo's Gatorade, P&G's Gillette and even Accenture, a company that severed ties with Woods after his private liaisons became public.
Among his statements, which included apologies to his wife, kids, mother (who was in attendance) and the charitable foundations with which he works, Woods said he planned to return to golf but did not give a timetable except to say he would not rule out returning in 2010. (Full transcript is here.) Woods and his representatives imposed severe restrictions on media coverage, with only three invited members of the press in the room - AP, Reuters and Bloomberg. The Golf Writers Assn. of America was invited but declined to participate due to the restrictions imposed by the Woods camp. Two cameras offered pool coverage.
Despite that, Woods' appearance was carried live on numerous networks, including NBC, CBS, ABC and ESPN; and via such Internet destinations as Hulu and PGATour.com. The tremendous interest in Woods by media and fans will certainly be repeated when he does return to the PGA Tour. Although some analysts say Woods might not play until later in 2010 or not until 2011, others indicate that even with a return to a rehabilitation facility, his return could come at the Transitions Championship March 18-21 (on Golf Channel and NBC), which is being played in Woods' back yard of Palm Harbor, Fla.; and then continue at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard March 25-28 (also on Golf Channel and NBC) in Orlando. That would give him time to get his golf form in shape for The Masters, April 8-11 (ESPN, CBS) in Augusta.
Although Woods is not expected to pick up new endorsement deals in the near future, he won't lose any others, at least based on consumer sentiment. According to a recent report from marketing and research firm NPD Group, Port Washington, NY, 89% of the 44,000 people who responded to a survey taken between Dec. 16-Jan. 5 said they would not cut back on products endorsed by Woods.
Golf ratings on TV have been down by about 50% without Woods, as they were in 2008 when he took time off to recover from knee surgery, according to TV analysts. When numbers for Woods' TV appearance are crunched, analysts expect they likely will be among the highest of the week. According to PGATour.com, about 300 people had registered as media at the Sawgrass Marriott conference center about a mile away to watch on TV and about 25 satellite trucks were parked outside.
"It was good to see Tiger address the public today, and we're supportive of his focus toward family and rebuilding his life," Peter Moore, President of EA Sports, said in a statement following Woods' appearance at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., which also is home to PGA Tour headquarters. "He remains one of the greatest athletes in history, and as a long-standing partner, we look forward to seeing Tiger back on the golf course when the time is right for him and his family."
EA Sports has been the only company to release a new Tiger Woods' product, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, since his accident on Thanksgiving Day led to Woods' fall from the personal and marketing pedestal he has been on since turning pro in 1996. Accenture and AT&T cut ties with Woods while Nike, Gillette and Tag Heuer were among the companies to remove him from marketing projects and to also hold off on new activations. Other marketing partners include NetJets and TLC Vision.
Woods earned about $100 million from endorsements in 2008, but that dropped to about $90 million in 2009 when General Motors ended its relationship with him, a move based on the auto manufacturer's economic challenges. In 2010, without Accenture and AT&T, Woods could still earn about more than $70 million from his endorsement deals.
"Many of you have inquired if our relationship with Tiger will change," said Moore. "Our official response: Our strong relationship with Tiger, for more than a decade, remains unchanged."
Nike mirrored EA Sports in its own statement: "Our position [regarding Tiger Woods] remains the same," Beth Gast, global public relations manager for Nike, wrote in an e-mail to NYSportsJournalism. "Nike fully supports Tiger and his family through this difficult time. We respect his privacy. We look forward to him returning to golf."
According to a statement from Gatorade, "We wish Tiger well as he works through these private matters." And from Gillette, "Tiger spoke today and addressed the issues he felt were most important. His words stand on their own. We wish him and his family the best."
Tag Heuer issued this statement from Jean-Christophe Babin, president and CEO: "We are encouraged by Tiger's remarks and are looking forward to his returning to professional golf."
Even Accenture, which cut ties with Woods after his private liaisons became public, and whose WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at Mariana, Az., was engulfed by the Woods' event in Florida, defused allegations that the timing of Woods' public appearance was meant as a derogatory swipe at the company that dumped him.
"I don't think it has anything to do with the tournament. I think Tiger's got his reasons why he wants the announcement on Friday," Fred Hawrysh, head of corporate communications for Accenture, told reporters the day before Woods spoke. "If they really wanted to interfere with our tournament - which honestly I think is the last thing on their minds - then they would have run it during the tournament. They wouldn't have scheduled it for three hours before play. I think it's more coincidental. I don't think it's deliberate."
Hawrysh added that Woods' representatives had contacted Accenture when the appearance was being coordinated with the PGA Tour. "Tiger's agent [Mark Steinberg of IMG] contacted us [Wednesday] and explained that Tiger wanted to make an announcement and they were planning to do it Friday. They made it clear they were scheduling for 11 AM Eastern and it's live so it wouldn't conflict with what's happening out here. They took the extra step to make sure that it wasn't conflicting with the match going on, the television coverage."
Ultimately, the event, even under such controlled conditions, was seen as a step forward for Woods on a personal, if not professional, level. "Tiger will always have media pressure," said David Schwab, vp-managing director of First Call, the celebrity-marketing consultantcy division of Octagon, McLean, Va. "But a statement in a controlled environment [allowed] him to be contrite and begin to make the media circus slow down."
Tiger Woods Set To Speak, But Will His Voice Resonate With Marketers, Fans?
Full Transcript Of Tiger Woods' Statement


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Infamous Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio is among a number of sheriffs across the country who are vowing that they will not enforce any new gun laws imposed by the federal government.
"Now if they're going to tell the sheriff that he's going to go around picking up guns from everybody, they're going to have a problem," America's toughest sheriff told a radio station in Maricopa County. "I may not enforce that federal law."
His comments reflect an unfounded fear among many gun owners that President Obama will try to confiscate their firearms, based on the president's urgings for tougher laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. Among the suggested measures, a proposed reinstatement of a ban on assault weapons and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition has sparked the most backlash.
The federal assault weapons ban that was in place from 1994 until 2004 put a stop to the manufacture of most semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines for sale to civilians, but did not impact firearms and accessories already in circulation.
Nevertheless, sheriffs across the country are joining Arpaio in staking out their opposition to the imaginary gun roundup. Law enforcement officials in Texas, Kansas, Oregon, Missouri, California and other states have decried potential new gun laws as attacks on Americans' right to bear arms and vowed not to enforce them.
"On the same day the President is taking his oath to uphold the Constitution, he continues to attack our 2nd Amendment rights," said Sheriff Michael Dixon in Osage County, Missouri. "As Osage County Sheriff, I also took an Oath to the Constitution; but unlike Obama, I intend to uphold mine."
"Neither I, nor any of my deputies, will participate in the enforcement of laws that violate our precious constitutional rights, including our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms," said Sheriff Terry Box of Collin County, Texas.
Note that in the United States, judgment on whether laws are constitutional is made in the court system, and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court, not by local law enforcement officials. In any case, any new assault weapons ban looks extremely unlikely to pass through Congress.
Battle for Supremacy
Sheriffs aren't the only ones vowing to defy federal law — state lawmakers are also getting in on the fun. Arizona and other states are considering bills that would prohibit officials from following federal gun laws. Legislators Mississippi, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, Wyoming, Utah, Alaska and South Carolina are also exploring ways to ban or pre-empt firearms laws. "Here's a line in the sand: Thanks, but no thanks. Stay out with your federal regulations you're going to impose on us," said Arizona state Rep. Steve Smith. Under the proposed bill, federal judges and law enforcement could be put in prison for up to a year if they act to carry out federal law.
The state law would also create a paradox for federally-licensed gun dealers, who would be forced either to violate federal law, or violate state law in the act of complying with federal law, if they were to continue to operate their business. Even the National Rifle Association has spoken out against the measure because of the legal limbo it creates for dealers.
Should states actually pass any bills that actively defy federal law, they could have a problem on their hands. "The Constitution provides that duly enacted federal laws 'shall be the supreme law of the land'— a provision known as the 'Supremacy Clause' — and thus states are powerless to nullify laws their lawmakers don't feel like complying with or to arrest federal officials for carrying out their lawful duties," writes Ian Millhiser, Senior Constitutional Policy Analyst for the Center for American Progress, calling the proposed state laws "wildly unconstitutional." "This Clause applies both to valid Acts of Congress themselves and to properly authorized executive orders, as the President's power to issue an executive order generally flows from an Act of Congress."
Sheriff Joe and his counterparts remain defiant. "I said before, I'm going to arm all my deputies — a month ago I said before this — with automatic weapons and semi-automatic weapons," Arpaio said. "We're going to be able to fight back … I don't care what they say from Washington."


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When you're engaging with a new culture, understanding the lyrics of a pop song can be as important as learning the vocabulary of art criticism.
Recognized as one of the world's best Russian language programs, the Davis School of Russian has been offering its unique blend of cultural and language immersion for over 70 years. As a student in the School, you'll live the Russian language and culture for eight intensive weeks—from interpreting poetry to learning to play the balalaika, from discussing post-Soviet politics to mastering Russian etiquette.
In the classroom, our faculty will guide you in discovering a language that is alive and ever-changing, helping you gain both the confidence and tools necessary to take your skills to the next level. Outside the classroom, you'll choose from cocurricular activities that explore the range of historical and contemporary Russian culture—from the slings and arrows of slang to the finer points of fine art, each activity designed to help you build new vocabulary while developing cultural fluency.
Program Options
Each summer, the Russian School offers an 8-week session and a 6-week graduate session. The two programs differ in structure and focus. The 8-week session is primarily a language program, designed to improve Russian language proficiency as rapidly as possible. The graduate program aims to provide rigorous graduate instruction in certain content areas, with Russian as the language of instruction. 8-week students are assigned to level of study, based on their language proficiency; 6-week students take graduate content courses on topics in Russian culture and civilization, language and linguistics, and literature.
Choose a program based on your Russian language proficiency and goals of study. Each program is open to undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students at other institutions, and professionals. Although the graduate session does not requires a BA for admission, you must hold a BA or the equivalent in order to pursue an MA degree at the Language Schools. For more information about graduate program options and requirements, please visit Graduate Studies in Russian.
Note to Level 1 students: In order to help beginning students adapt to the intensive environment at Middlebury and be better prepared for the Language Pledge, Level 1 (Introductory) Russian will start online approximately three weeks before students arrive in Middlebury. For more information, please visit our Curriculum page.


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Never miss a deal, always be up to date -
get the most important deals, events and
product news with our E-Mail Newsletter!
Occasionally it's love at first sight, but sometimes you may be unhappy with a product's performance, or you may just change your mind. Have no fear, because we provide our customers with up to 30 days to return the item for either money back or store credit.
Thanks to our automated warehouse, we are able to prepare orders for shipping until late into the night. We are proud to offer fast and professional delivery services with all major payment methods available through our online shop. Additionally, if you require some flexibility regarding payment, we provide finance options so you can pay in instalments – with 0% interest! (for UK and Germany only)
Through the large purchasing volumes, DV and Music Store are able to source containers directly from manufacturers worldwide allowing us to offer a large range of products at sensationally low prices.
Once again, size matters! We regularly purchase large shipments of musical instruments from major manufacturers all over the world... and are happy to pass on the savings to you.
The new shop also features a package discount system, which offers an increasing discount with every additional item purchased. This is essentially a digital, automated version of a salesperson giving a customer a discount for large purchases.
We offer not only an international print catalogue (500 pages) with Euro prices... but also an English online catalogue with Pound prices. A catalogue gives you a much quicker overview than any online shop.
Our shop features responsive design which automatically and seamlessly adjusts the scaling of how the online shop is displayed to the size of any screen.
When you order instruments from us, 99% of the time it is shipped in its original packaging. It is extremely rare that you will receive an instrument that has been on display in our shop. Exceptions are exclusive Custom Shop instruments.
Every guitar is thoroughly checked, adjusted and precisely tuned. Almost no instrument is shipped without us having to make adjustments. Every guitar includes a signed test certificate.
or spread the cost across 48 months with cheap interest rates
You can apply online from your basket. Get an instant decision
* Finance offering varies per product/ per basket
* Credit provided subject to age and status
* Finance available only in UK and Germany
Our self-developed price tool compares up to 200,000 prices per day. No one is able to beat our prices while also having such a huge range of products in stock ready to ship.
Click here to read more about the history of Music Store and DV247…


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Following six years as director of marketing with Giant Recreation World, Robin Beebe-Moussaoui joins UVS Junction to oversee marketing for the Winter Springs, Fla.-based RV web development firm.
"UVS has such a well-rounded platform and we continue to roll out new products and software updates every month," Angie Cellucci, director of UVS Junction, said in a press release. "We teach our clients about so many strategies but, until now, we felt penetrating this market full speed would fall us short with our development. We needed the right fit to oversee an in-house marketing department."
With UVS Junction, Beebe-Moussaoui's primary role will be to offer augmented digital marketing, media and traditional advertising services that compliment and enhance the primary UVS product.
"Unlike traditional marketing companies that service our industry from the outside looking in, Robin's expertise truly offers the best of both worlds," Calucci said. "She understands how dealerships run from the inside out. She was able to bring her automotive marketing and operations background to the RV industry and help the dealership dominate its market.
In addition to Giant Recreation World, Beebe-Moussaoui's background includes marketing positions with: Chuck E. Cheese Pizza, Little Caesars Pizza, Cox Radio, Tribune Publishing and Centex Homebuilders. She also handled digital marketing strategies regionally for the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) since 2009.


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Posted by Olivia on Thursday, September 15th, 2011
Read More
Posted by Olivia on Friday, September 9th, 2011
Making YOUR Perfect Vinaigrette We get asked on a daily basis: how do I make the perfect vinaigrette? The benefit to making your own vinaigrette instead of buying one prepared is that you ca…Read More
Posted by Olivia on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
Here, minimal works best: we grilled up a cut of steak with just salt and pepper, and blended up a traditional Argentinian steak sauce, called chimichurri. If you're a purist (and usually…Read More
Posted by Olivia on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
We get asked all the time in our olive oil tasting room: how do you make the perfect Greek salad? It's a simple salad often served at Mediterranean restaurants, and it's actually ve…Read More
Posted by Olivia on Sunday, September 4th, 2011
What better way to serve grilled wild salmon than with a freshly tossed fruit salsa? How about a fresh, sweet, and slightly tart strawberry salsa? Hot diggety! Because our Sevillano is such a q…Read More
Posted by Olivia on Friday, August 12th, 2011
Read More
Sign up to receive the Olive Press Catalog at your front door.
Bring the finest California Extra Virgin Olive Oil direct to your door. No membership fee.


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Arc'teryx Beta AR Pant - Men's
491 g / 1 lb 1.3 oz
Athletic fit
380NR GORE-TEX Pro Shell 3L, 410N GORE-TEX Pro Shell 3L, Schoeller Keprotec
These rain paints work well in all conditions. The…
Source: received it as a personal gift
These rain paints work well in all conditions. The Gore-tex Pro shell has excellent breathability. The pants are durable and well constructed. The built-in gaiters keep out snow and mud. The coated zippers keep water out and allow added ventilation if needed.
- Breathable
- Waterproof
- Durable
- Not as compact and pack-able as other rain pants.
These pants are keep out driving rain and snow and are the best all around outerwear for travel in wet and cold conditions. The pants keep you warm in camp and breath on the trail — layering is easily accomplished as the pants are large enough to permit this. I have traveled through thorns (albeit nervously), however these pants came out without a mark.
Bottom line: A+ best rain pants hands down for trekking in wet mountain conditions.
Another well made product from Arc'teryx. I'm a 34…
Price Paid: $300
Another well made product from Arc'teryx. I'm a 34 waist and bought the large. The fit is good with room for layering and still have room for movement. Zippers are great and plenty of ventilation.
This is a very good product.
These pants are great for any wet conditions. The…
Fabric: 3 layer Gore-tex XCR
Price Paid: $239
These pants are great for any wet conditions. The Arc'Teryx Beta AR Pants have articulated knees for easy movement going up or down the mountain. They have performed excellently mountaineering, skiing, and in the rain. Arc'Teryx clothing seems to be the most well built compared to all other outdoor gear. The downfall is you pay for the quality.
Where to Buy
$79.95 - $475.00
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More of: the best men's waterproof pants » | Arc'teryx »


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Louis Vuitton Monogram Artsy GM Authentic Pre Owned
This item is no longer available
Authenticity code: Louis Vuitton AR2150This authentic Louis Vuitton Monogram Artsy GM has an amazing shape. It is spacious and perfect for work and every day. It features a removable chic Louis Vuitton key ring, monogram coated canvas, and natural cowhide leather handle with gold tone hardware. The interior has tons of storage space and extra pockets.
Authentic: Pre-Owned
Exterior: Gently used
Interior: Gently used
Measurements: (Approx.) 19.7 L x 9.8 W x 14.1 H.
Product Code: 102707
Read more about Louis Vuitton Date Code here.
All photos are of actual item being sold. © 2007-2019 LuxeDH.
This Louis Vuitton® item is guaranteed to be authentic. Louis Vuitton is a registered trademark of Louis Vuitton. LuxeDH is not affiliated with or represents Louis Vuitton in any way or form.
New Arrivals


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CASA counts on the support of fans, singers, and educators like you to sustain its endeavors through membership. Members also receive a multitude of wonderful and practical benefits in exchange for their support, including free music.
There's no need to learn the hard way! From conceptualization through your first performance, we can tell you the best way to find members, run auditions, structure your group, build a quick repertoire, and start performing.


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pairkit 0.1.3
PairKit lets you temporarily expose any ports, on your local computer, to someone else on the Internet. This makes it great for sharing your local web server with a friend, or letting a buddy ssh into your box to pair with you on some code. PairKit uses SSH to set up reverse tunnels (one per exposed port) to your computer through a public server.


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Want to get involved in developing SMF, then why not lend a hand on our github!
London is much easier to get to than mid-UK for everyone else flying from outside the UK, due to multiple international airports in the vicinity.
Page created in 0.154 seconds with 19 queries.Page served
by: 10.0.100.134 (10.0.100.111)


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#60 Variety Welcomes All Performers
Variety – The Children's Charity is calling for singing stars aged 7-18 years to step up and audition for Variety Voices – the charity's all-star performance group.
Variety Voices is a unique group of approximately 30 young New Zealand performers with a range of access needs, brought together by a love of song, dance and musical performance. This is no ordinary choir – think Glee!, think Idol, think X-Factor!
"Variety is fully committed to removing barriers and promoting inclusivity for Kiwi kids, and Variety Voices is a group that really reflects this," says Lorraine Taylor, CEO, Variety – The Children's Charity.
"This is an opportunity for young people of all abilities to come together and produce entertaining and inspirational performances, overcoming their personal challenges to bring joy to others. We're looking for singing stars with energy, vitality, commitment and a love of performing… so if this sounds like you or anyone you know, please come forward!" said Lorraine.
In 2012 Variety Voices performed at many public and private events including a performance with Variety Ambassador Elizabeth Marvelly to an audience of over 800 people at The Warehouse Supplier and Awards Dinner, a performance alongside Pink Floyd's Roger Waters' during his Auckland concerts of 'The Wall' as well as performances at The InterAct Festival and The New Zealand Women's Weekly 80th Anniversary event.
Professional musician and composer James Doy helms the group as Music Director, and in 2013 the group can expect special guest mentors to help get them prepared and workshop their performances.
2012 Variety Voices member, Megan Riegel, says joining the choir was the best decision she ever made.
"I really like Variety because it focusses on helping children who don't get the same opportunities as others" she said. "Being a part of Variety Voices was so much fun, I met some amazing people while knowing I was helping out a great charity. I would really encourage anyone who loves to sing, yet may face some personal challenges, to come forward and audition!"
There is no cost to participate, and choir members attend weekly auditions throughout the year.
Auditions for Variety Voices 2013:
Central Auckland
13 February, 4.30pm – 8.00pm, The Auckland Performing Arts Centre, 100-102 Motions Rd, Western Springs
South Auckland
14 February, 4.30pm – 8.00pm, School of Performing Arts, MIT Faculty of Creative Arts, 50 Lovegrove Crescent, Otara
Children will need to prepare one song to sing. If a backing track is not available, sheet music is required for the pianist.
To find out more about the audition process and to download an audition form please visit the Variety website.


text: Nokia's just come up with a new entry in its Arte series of "jazzed up" cellphones with the 8800 Carbon Arte. The old slider phone now has panels of carbon fiber in its front and rear faces, along with titanium and stainless steel. Internally it looks like the phone is pretty much unchanged, though now its storage has been bumped up to 4GB from 1GB. It remains a tri-band GSM phone, though, and Nokia expects it to hit the shops in Europe by the end of the year for around $1,600. [Phone Arena]


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Choose me NOT ONLY a massage experience but TourGuide av+86-13174108182
Why choose me? I am Lucy, 20, 168cm,34D-23-36,jessie is my sister,19,165cm,I am independent, slim and good curve and skinny. I got very professional training of massage and each customer is satisfied of the quality of my massage. If you choose me, I can provide more help to you. For example, because I speak reasonable English, I can introduce the life in SHanghai and can even be as a tour guide to show you to any place you are interested. I cherish the time we spend together and we will have fun. If you have ordered my massage and think it is good, please introduce to your friend. I am a master of oil massage and charge RMB 500 per 2hour. You also need to pay round trip taxi fee. My service is 24 Hrs and can go to your hotel or apartment. Please feel free to sms or call me by my mobile: 0086-13174108182. Take care.


text:
Price and Schedule Options
- Camp:
- Public Speaking Institute - 9th-12th
- Date:
- Jul 21st - Jul 27th
- Grade:
- 9th - 12th
- Location:
- Georgetown University
- $2,255.00
- $2,650.00
Camps for rising 9th - 12th graders have two price options:
- Overnight (9th - 12th grade camps): Overnight campers check in after lunch on the first day of camp and check out before lunch on the last day of camp. All meals and shared dorm accommodations are provided.
- Extended Day: Extended Day Campers attend camp from 9am to 9pm seven days a week (except check-in and check-out days, which are half days), with lunch and dinner provided in the dining hall each day.


text:
Former N.Y. news anchor pleads guilty
STAMFORD -- Former CBS Channel 2 New York news anchor Rob Morrison pleaded guilty Wednesday to threatening and breach of peace charges stemming from a February incident during which he allegedly choked his wife in their Darien home.
The pleas in state Superior Court in Stamford could clear Morrison's charges from the public record if he completes two family violence programs that can take more than two years to complete, his attorney, Robert Skovgaard, said.
Skovgaard said Judge Gary White proposed an offer that will end the criminal court case if Morrison, 45, completes the 26-week Explore program for those involved in family violence and the Family Violence Education program.
"It is very unusual for any criminal defendant to want to enter a plea of guilty," Skovgaard said. "That having been said, Rob recognized the potential risks in going to trial, and more importantly, he realized that prolonging the case does not serve the Morrison family's interests."
Morrison is married to Ashley Morrison, a fellow television journalist who anchors CBS' "Moneywatch." They have one young son.
Although the state has not dismissed a strangulation charge against Morrison, Skovgaard said it has chosen not to prosecute him on the charge if he successfully completes the programs.
Explore is a group-based intervention program for men convicted of domestic violence offenses that focuses on changing behavior through improving conflict resolution and behavior management as well as understanding the effects of violence on victims and children. Each participant attends a 1.5 hour group session each week for 26 weeks.
Skovgaard said Morrison will return to court after he completes the Explore program; he will then apply for participation in the Family Violence Education program.


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Carolyn Hax: Teen should take initiative with Mom's to-do list, not watch TV
DEAR CAROLYN: I am a generally happy, young teenage boy. I have recently been upset with my mother, because I feel she has been unfriendly. Whenever I ask her if I can do something, she replies that I have to mow the lawn first, or pull weeds out of the garden. I make simple requests, but it seems that I can't have any fun unless she gets some benefit out of it.
I have a good relationship with the rest of my family, and I get good grades. My mother doesn't give me any allowance, and I have to do the dishes twice a week.
I am fine with this arrangement, but she seems to want much more out of me.
Right now I am not doing what she wants, and I am sitting around the house watching television (which isn't normally my favorite thing to do). I don't want to keep this up longer, but I am not sure if I am being too demanding of her, or if she is being too demanding of me.
– Wondering Teen
DEAR WONDERING: Watching TV in protest! You've really shown her.
Your mother wants your contribution to the household to grow as you do. At birth, you relied on your parents to do everything for you. As soon as possible after you complete your formal education, you want to rely on your parents to do nothing for you – besides root for you, be happy to see you and offer occasional, asked-for advice.
To get there, I suppose in theory you can stretch the infancy arrangement (minus diaper changes, please) to your graduation day and then take over your own housing, food, laundry and bills from there. But launches into adulthood go a lot better if you start the independence process at toddlerhood, and build your skills from there: for example, from putting your own clothes in the hamper to putting clean ones away to folding them to washing them to handling the whole family's laundry when it's your turn to.
As in, grasping on your own that family dynamics are … dynamic. The top-down, parents-help-kids structure goes through a roughly two-decade evolution into a vehicle for all members to support each other. Your mom's message, whether you like its tone or not, is a great one: Your give-to-take ratio is too heavy on the take, so don't expect much taking till you fix that.
You're quite capable, I imagine, not just of mowing lawns, but also of noticing leggy grass and mowing it before you can be asked to. Or doing dishes one night beyond your contractually dictated two, just because. Or just saying thanks, and meaning it, for something Mom does that you've come to take for granted.
I obviously don't know her, but I suspect that if you take some initiative instead of fuming at the flat-screen, then she'll stop forcing you to jump through chore hoops whenever you want something.


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TOWSON, Md. – Three members of the 2012 MIT football team earned national recognition for their athletic and academic accomplishments today. Senior offensive lineman Ethan Peterson (Rutland, Vt.), senior defensive lineman Russell Spivak (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and junior defensive back Rhys Borchert (Pocatello, Idaho) were named to the Capital One 2012 Academic All-America Division III Football Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Peterson earned first team honors while Spivak and Borchert were each named to the second team.
Peterson, a first team All-NEFC selection this season, was a second team Academic All-American last season. A nuclear science and engineering major with a 4.8 GPA (5.0 scale), Peterson was recently named a finalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy that recognizes the best scholar-athlete in the nation. Peterson was the leader of the MIT offensive line that that was among the national leaders in allowing the fewest sacks. The Engineers allowed just nine sacks all season, tying for the best mark in the NEFC.
Spivak earned Academic All-America honors for the first time in his career. A starter along the defensive front, Spivak was among the leaders on the line with 29 tackles this season. A management and political science major with a 4.8 GPA, he also tied for the team lead with 5.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 29 yards.
Also a first time Academic All-America selection, Borchert finished fourth on the team with 54 tackles. Majoring in physics with a 4.9 GPA, he intercepted two passes and broke up three others for the Engineers as well as serving as one of the team's primary kick returners, averaging 20.3 yards per kick return and 12.3 on punt returns.


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Tsavorite from Kenya
Tsavorite by Peter Bancroft
Lualenyi Mine, Voi, Kenya
Editor's Note: We are pleased to reprint this selection from Peter Bancroft's classic book, Gem and Crystal Treasures (1984) Western Enterprises/Mineralogical Record, Fallbrook, CA, 488 pp.
The great Tsavo plain stretches in all directions untouched by man except for the winding scar of a road connecting Kenya's port city of Mombasa with the inland capital, Nairobi. A few tiny villages of the pastoral Masai people dot the land, but that is all. Oryx, gazelle, springbok, giraffe, and buffalo graze, always alert for carnivores. Migrating herds of zebra and wildebeest cast swirling dust clouds into the sky. And in the background rises perennially snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak.
Across the border in Tanzania, the first of a series of gem mines was discovered in 1967. Ruby was found in the Matabatu Hills; gem zoisite (tanzanite) appeared near the Usumburu Mountains and chrysoprase on Hanety Hill. (garnets, rubies, and sapphires were screened from gravels in the Umba River. Quantities of grossular garnets of every shade of yellow, green, tan, and brown were found in Lala Taima.
Successful miners like John Saul and Peter Morgan became convinced that gemstone occurrences were not necessarily confined to the Tanzanian side of the border. Precambrian metamorphic graphite-bearing gneisses, similar to those commonly associated with gem deposits in Tanzania, were found in the hills and low mountains of southeastern Kenya.
|Green vanadium grossular. Size: Cut stone - 7.59 carats. Locality: Lualenyi mine. Collection: Pala International. Photo: Harold and Erica Van Pelt
Working independently, Saul and Morgan sent out prospecting teams in search of gems. Masai and Kikuu tribesmen who knew the country well joined the teams. Morgan and his African partner, Kimani, moved into the Mgama Mountains. Search parties spread out to examine float in canyon bottoms and outcrops in the draws. At times they moved roots, dug under clumps of grass, and dislodged bushes. Nothing was overlooked. One day one of the prospectors carried back to camp some green grossular (garnet) he had found in the bottom of the ravine. Early the next morning, Morgan and Kimani followed their guide up to the spot of discovery. Soon other float grossular chips were traced to beds of graphite schist where specks of green grossular glistened in the dull rocks. A major gemstone discovery had been made.
|Metal "safe" half full of green grossular. Photo: William Larson
The new green grossular mine stands on the southwestern portion of Kide Hill, a part of the Taita Hills district. A road was bulldozed due north to connect with the Mombasa-Nairobi highway. Trees were downed for mine timber after exploratory digging indicated the best portion of the deposit dipped steeply into the hill. A tent camp was set up under trees on an adjoining hillock. An aging but wise 70-year-old African, Mezee Adam, became chief mine engineer; 30 Masai were employed as miners and the recovery of gems was under way. Dogs patrolled a fence surrounding the property from within, though these animals were shortlived as marauding lions negotiated the fence in search of prey.
Mining here was tedious business. The inclined shaft reached a depth of 137 meters, and lines of miners shoveled material up the dimly lit passage from man to man until the loose rock reached the surface. The aggregate was screened by hand and green stones were dropped through a slot in a small iron "safe" secured with a padlock.
The first kilogram of green grossular was accumulated in 1973 and taken to Nairobi. When the lot was poured onto a bathroom scale, William Larson, owner of Pala International, made the first large purchase of Kenya green grossular.
Laboratory tests by Edward Gübelin and Max Weibel in Switzerland proved the grass-green stone to be colored by vanadium. Though not distinct enough to be considered a new species, this was obviously a new variety of garnet quite different from the yellow-green demantoid found in Italy and the Soviet Union. In order to enhance merchandising, the gems received the varietal name tsavorite, after the Tsavo area in which they occur.
|Masai warriors change author's tire. Photo: Peter Bancroft
Green grossular, a very beautiful stone, has features that surpass those of the emerald. The green garnet has a much higher index of refraction, which results in superior brilliance, tends to greater transparency, and occurs with fewer inclusions. Green grossular is extremely rare, and fine stones of over 5 carats are considered collector's items. Gübelin owns one good crystal and Herman Bank of Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, owns another.
|Main camp at the Lualenyi mine, 1975. Photo: William Larson
The green gem usually occurs in shattered sections of large porphyroblasts, and attempts to salvage anything resembling a complete crystal of display quality have been nearly fruitless. Much material is unsuitable for gems, which means that grading or marketing the rough requires great skill.
|Foreman Mezee Adam (white hat) greets visitors at mine portal. Photo: William Larson
The largest known faceted green grossulars, reported to weigh more than 30 carats, are usually flawed and therefore are not too attractive. The largest fine quality stone known is a nearly flawless 16.67-carat emerald-cut stone in Richard Webster's collection.
Spurred on by the discoveries, John Saul (who had witnessed the first sale) redoubled his efforts to discover new commercial gem deposits. In 1974, a bag of small crude reddish corundum crystals was brought to his office. Tracing them to a hill within the Tsavo Game Preserve, Saul began mining. He was unprepared for the extraordinary successes as well as inordinate degrees of intrigue that dogged his venture.
|Young men sift for garnets. Photo: William Larson
Saul's partner, James Miller, supervised mining activities and the removal of hundreds of kilograms of ruby corundum. A small but important percentage was facet-grade gem ruby, the first to be found in Africa. Colors ranged from hot pink to deep red, and some material faceted into gemstones weighing an amazing 10 carats.
|Cheetah with cub in veld near Voi. Photo: Peter Bancroft
Unfortunately, problems involving mining rights led to claim jumping and friction between Saul and Jomo Kenyatta, then president of Kenya. The mine was abandoned and is not being worked today.
|Jeanne Larson admires green gems at the Lualenyi, 1979. Photo: William Larson
|Green grossular (tsavorite) and diamonds Size: pendant stone 10.7 carats. Locality: Lualenyi mine. Collection: A.H. Stange. Photo: Harold and Erica Van Pelt
About the author. Dr. Peter Bancroft was Marketing Director of Pala International in the mid-1970s. He is also the author of The World's Finest Minerals and Crystals and has written for many publications in Europe, Australia and the United States. Dr. Bancroft is a well-known lecturer on mines, minerals and gemstones.
In contrast to many "armchair authors" who merely recycle what has appeared in other books, Dr. Bancroft has spent years traveling the world like a modern-day Herodotus, visiting hundreds of remote and fascinating mineral and gem deposits, and interviewing miners and local inhabitants. Bancroft has uncovered a wide range of information, some of it never before published. This and his extensive knowledge of the literature have combined to produce an authoritative and highly readable text.
Although many fine specimens reside in public collections such as the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum, Bancroft has searched further through a vast number of private collections worldwide in order to assemble the suite of magnificent photographs found in Gem and Crystal Treasures. Many specimens in these collections are rarely if ever available for public view.
Dr. Bancroft has done graduate work in geology at the University of Southern California, The University of California at Santa Barbara, and at Stanford University. His doctorate, in Education Administration, is from Colorado State University. During his long professional career he has served as teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools in California; as a White House consultant on education, as a professional photographer; as a gemstone buyer, as Curator of Mineralogy at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History; and as Director of Collections for the San Diego Gem and Mineral Society.
His personal mineral and crystal collection has won state and national honors. In 1984 he was selected as an Honorary Awardee for the American Federation of Mineral Societies' Scholarship Foundation.
Dr. Bancroft's son, Edward, has a collection that can be seen in the Dept. of Geological Sciences at the University of California at Santa Barbara. A beautiful introduction is online at: The Bancroft Collection.
Today, Peter Bancroft resides with his wife Virginia in Fallbrook, CA. Those wishing to correspond with him can contact him at:
Dr. Peter Bancroft
3538 Oak Cliff Drive
Fallbrook, CA 92028
Palagems.com Tsavorite Garnet Buying Guide
Introduction/Name. Tsavorite is the name given to the rich green variety of grossular garnet. The gem was first discovered in Tanzania in 1967 by Campbell Bridges. In 1970, Bridges also discovered gem tsavorite in Kenya's Taita/Taveta district. The name "tsavorite" was coined in 1974 by Campbell Bridges and Tiffany's Henry Platt and is derived from Kenya's Tsavo National Park, which lies adjacent to rich deposits of the gem.
Color. While the color of tsavorite never equals that of the finest emerald, an emerald-green is the ideal. The color should be as intense as possible, without being overly dark or yellowish green. The color of tsavorite is believed to be due to vanadium, at times with a trace of chromium.
Lighting. Tsavorite garnet generally looks best under daylight. Incandescent light makes it appear slightly more yellowish green.
Clarity. In terms of clarity, tsavorite is relatively clean. Thus when buying one should expect eye-clean or near-eye-clean stones.
Cut. In the market, tsavorites are found in a variety of shapes and cutting styles. Ovals and cushions are the most common, but rounds are also seen, as are other shapes, such as emerald cuts, trillions, etc. Cabochon-cut tsavorites are not often seen.
Prices. Tsavorite is among the most expensive of all garnets, with prices similar to those fetched by fine demantoid (the other green garnet). But like all gem materials, low-quality (i.e., non-gem quality) pieces may be available for a few dollars per carat. Such stones are generally not clean enough to facet. Prices for tsavorite vary greatly according to size and quality. At the top retail end, they may reach as much as US$8,000 per carat.
Stone Sizes. Tsavorite is rare in faceted stones above 7–8 cts. Fine tsavorites above 20 carats can be considered world-class pieces. Most stones tend to be less than 3 cts.
Sources. The original locality for tsavorite was Kenya's Tsavo National Park, but today important deposits of gem tsavorite have also been found in Tanzania's Lindi Province.
Enhancements. Tsavorite is one of the few colored gems that is not normally subject to any type of enhancement.
Imitations. Tsavorite garnet has never been synthesized, but a number of imitations exist. These include green glass and green YAG. Green glass is also common at the mines in various rough forms.
Properties of Tsavorite Garnet


text:
helton necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 148 diseños de 59 diseñadores freelance.
We are a leading provider of post graduate medical education. Our users are general practitioners and physicians looking to up-skill in various areas of medical education. We offer a suite of courses to choose from. We want our new look site to be informational, social and interactive. With a strong emphasis on the quality of our education programs, this site will be the flagship for all our other online efforts.
The goal of the website is to organize and distribute information about the programs for prospects, to serve as a knowledge base for current enrolled students, and to publish news, reviews, articles, and photos and videos.
The purpose of this site is three fold. The main purpose is to get students interested in coming to the programs by showing them what it offers. In reality, that is the most important function this site serves. The second is to be an information resource for current and prospective students. The third is as a publishing platform for articles, videos, webinars and research.
Primarily General Practice Doctors (Family Physicians). Theses Doctors are generally located in Australia. But may be from overseas. Target market for this site is in Australia but we offer courses in the US and UK as well.
Secondary market is other Physicians, Nurses and Health Care Professionals.
Looking for a professional redesign of our existing site http://www.healthcert.com.au including navigation system for use through out our site. We require the design of a Home Page and Inside Page. We use a Content Management system to allow new courses to be added easily. The design should consider the ability to dynamically add courses from the CMS.
Current site provides example of the kinds of structures of courses we offer. Some we partner with Universities or other organisations. We need to promote upcoming courses on the home page. Testimonials and other standard home page components are also required.
Feel free to be creative with the navigation element, different approaches could be tried. Navigation should be intuitive so that clients are able to quickly find relevant information on the courses they want.
We would like to include flash elements as interactive banners and have all our courses all displayed on the home page. These banners, combined with text elements would link to the various course landing pages.
We would like the overall design of the site to be contemporary, with a modern educational feel. Examples of this are: https://www.open.edu.au/wps/portal/oua/home , http://www.seeklearning.com.au/ and http://www.worldwideacademics.com
Try to avoid clichés such as healthcare icons or educational icons. (crosses, stethoscopes, mortar board hats, etc).


text:
ELLE Style Director Kate Lanphear adds a gilded touch to an all-black ensemble with strappy gold sandals.
Photo: Imaxtree
Click here for our complete fall 2010 Fashion Week coverage
Think you are Street Chic? E-mail us your photo and you could appear in ELLE.com's Street Chic Daily.
Follow ELLE on Twitter.
Become our Facebook fan!


text:
After an incredibly athletic weekend of Tae Kwon Do tests Saturday and jungle taming yard work all day Sunday this morning was a good morning to be lazy. I went for freezer stash food and fruit for a quick and easy bento that was still pretty. Since I was being lazy I didn't want to mess with decoration and let the bunny pick and sunshine divider perk up the bento for me.
In the bento: Rice with black sesame seeds, raspberries, cara cara orange slices, purple grapes, steamed broccoli and fried tofu.
The freezer stash was frozen in an individual serving container. It was sprinkled with water and microwaved for 1 minute before getting put into the bento. The tofu had already been fried before being frozen. To reheat the two pieces were cooked in a 350 degree oven for 7 minutes.


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The Active Template Library Vulnerability: What You Need to Know
On July 28, 2009, Microsoft published two out-of-band security bulletins, MS09-034 and MS09-035, for Internet Explorer and Visual Studio's Active Template Library. These bulletins are related to MS09-032, which disabled a vulnerable version of Microsoft's MPEG2TuneRequest ActiveX Control Object, among other things. Cisco has released a Security Advisory that details which products are impacted by this issue as well as those that are not. The team that discovered this vulnerability, Ryan Smith, Mark Dowd and David Dewey, shared their research at Black Hat USA this week. In this post, we share some insight into these vulnerabilities as well as offer advice that can help you minimize the risk of criminals exploiting these vulnerabilities to compromise your network.The Active Template Library (ATL) is used by software developers to create ActiveX controls, the helper applications that the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser uses to display rich content. Three of the most commonly used ActiveX controls are Adobe Flash, Apple Quicktime, and Microsoft Windows Media Player. ActiveX is a big part of Web 2.0, the technologies that enable user collaboration. You might know these ActiveX controls better as "Add-ons."
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